Wednesday Overnight Open Thread (12/13/17) 3rd Monday Of The Week Edition

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

Voyager upon life's sea:—
To yourself be true,
And whate'er your lot may be,
Paddle your own canoe.
Dr. Edward P. Philpots

Quote II

Thy spirit, Independence, let me share!
Lord of the lion-heart and eagle-eye,
Thy steps I follow with my bosom bare,
Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky.
Tobias Smollett

Quote III

THOU of an independent mind,
With soul resolv’d, with soul resign’d;
Prepar’d Power’s proudest frown to brave,
Who wilt not be, nor have a slave;
Virtue alone who dost revere,
Thy own reproach alone dost fear,
Approach this shrine, and worship here.
Robert Burns

UPDATE No one has made the promise of "no math" this evening. AOSHQ COOKBOOK CONTEST #3: MATH! We have a winner. Congrats Methos

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The ONT doesn't recall ever hearing the name Charles Jenkins. The ONT would have been just fine if we hadn't heard the name and looked him up. For every action there is an equal reaction.

Charles Jenkins, a former U.S. Army soldier who deserted to North Korea at the height of the Cold War, died Monday. He was 77.

Jenkins collapsed outside his home in Sado, in northern Japan, on Monday and was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, a group representing families of Japanese abductees to North Korea said Tuesday. He died of heart failure, according to local reports.

Jenkins, originally from Rich Square, N.C., disappeared in January 1965 while on patrol along the Demilitarized Zone dividing North and South Korea.

To be honest with you I'm shocked that Obama didn't bring him back home, give him The Presidential Medal of Freedom and kick in for a sex change operation.

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If you haven't been paying attention to the Global Warming, Global Cooling, Climate Change bullshit then you probably missed the story about the starving polar bear scavenging a dump for food.

Guess what? The polar bear population is doing just fine.

According to scientists, no study has indicated that there is reason to presume that the perspectives of community observers are either suspect or incorrect. In fact, there have been multiple occasions when traditional ecological knowledge gleaned from local populations accurately identified polar bear subpopulation trends before new scientific studies could be conducted to corroborate them (York et al., 2016).

The overwhelming conclusion from years of accumulated conversations with native populations about polar bears is that there is almost no connection between the long-term observations of polar bear ecology and the more recent claims that polar bears as a species are in grave danger due to climate change and thinning sea ice.

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If you had a vote for the "Word of The Year" what would it be? Does collusion get the nod from you?

Dictionary.com chose "complicit," Cambridge Dictionary chose "populism," and Collins went with "fake news" as the 2017 word of the year. "Collusion" would also have been a good choice; after all, it provided much of the impetus for three of the most tweeted activism hashtags on twitter: #Resist (1), #ImpeachTrump (3), and #NotMyPresident (6).

Collusion's WOTY credentials are stellar based just on online lookups and trends, plus it was ubiquitous throughout fake news all year, even if the act it inexplicably described – the Trump campaign colluding with Russia during the 2016 election – was illusory.

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Who is the stupidest woman in the USA? Which is the stupidest network in the USA? Milo Y explains this while making other observations. NSFW

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The ONT Musical Interlude

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What happens when you don't attend shop class or say physics class. You become aGenius Award Winner.

A man who had apparently tried to steal wheels from a van was found dead Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh, with the vehicle on top of him, authorities said.

Pittsburgh police responded to the call about a fatal accident in Homewood at about 8:50 a.m.

Work place risk and reward succinctly stated.

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What are some of your Christmas traditions? A Colorado resident has a special tradition. Children are the recipients of the Christmas spirit.

For nearly a decade, an anonymous donor has bought every toy in the Fort Collins, Co. Goodwill so that any child who walks into the store leaves with something.

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Tonight's ONT has been brought to you proudly by Masculinity and Femininity.

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC where intersectionality is a dead end.

Close it up

Surprise! (?)

—Ace

This doesn't prove anything, but it sure does dovetail with what many expected.

PBS Suspends Tavis Smiley Over Sexual Harassment Complaint

—Ace

Too bad.

"Effective today, PBS has indefinitely suspended distribution of 'Tavis Smiley,' produced by TS Media, an independent production company," the public broadcaster said. "PBS engaged an outside law firm to conduct an investigation immediately after learning of troubling allegations regarding Mr. Smiley. This investigation included interviews with witnesses as well as with Mr. Smiley. The inquiry uncovered multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS, and the totality of this information led to today's decision."

...

The investigation found that Smiley had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates. Some witnesses interviewed expressed concern that their employment status was linked to the status of a sexual relationship with Smiley. In general, they described Smiley as creating a verbally abusive and threatening environment that went beyond what could be expected in a typical high-pressure work environment. Several expressed concerns about retaliation.

Meanwhile, three women say music mogul Russell Simmons raped them, and another women complains of other "violent sexual behavior."

So I don't know about you but I want to sit close, lean in, and hear these icons' wisdom.

New Claim From CNN: Anderson Cooper's Assistant Left His Phone Unattended and Unlocked at the Gym; An Unknown Rando Must Have Picked Up the Phone and Used It to Tweet Out that Trump Was a "Tool" and a "Pathetic Loser"

—Ace

He left his phone unlocked at a gym?

Don't phones lock themselves after like ten seconds of non-use?

Whatever.

What is the provenance of the claim that "geolocation services" prove it the tweet was sent from NY? Are we just relying on Honest Anderson and Never Misled By Sources CNN for that claim?

Someone suggested to me that what likely happened (assuming the "assistant" was even involved in this transaction at all) was that the assistant was tweeting his own anti-trump stuff on his own account, switched to Cooper's account to do the bullshit promotion stuff, then forgot to log out of Cooper's account to begin his own twitter tirades again.

Why should we believe people who continue brazenly lying to us?

CNN isn't just content to pump out #FakeNews about Trump; it's now pumping out #FakeNews about itself, too.

Even Slate -- Slate!!! -- criticizes CNN (and CBS and NBC) for covering up how they all made the same critical mistake about the "Wikileaks decryption key" despite all claiming they had multiple sources confirming the same erroneous date.

Update:

Is This Something?

—Ace

You're darn tootin' this is something.

Elizabeth Warren Demands McConnell Seat Jones Immediately, Even Though Luther Strange's Term Isn't Over Until January

—Ace

She's on the warpath about this.*

The savage tribe* picked up on this absurdity:

* Not a slur about American Indians; it's a slur about Elizabeth Warren, who is an American Indian like I'm an American Indian. PS, I'm not an American Indian, though I'd like to be -- but I don't think they allow for conversions.

#TheToasterIsStillLoyal: Anderson Cooper Someone #Hacked His Twitter Account to Post One (1) Anti-Trump Tweet

—Ace

He's claiming he was #Hacked. Anthony Weiner claimed he too was #Hacked for a single tweet, too.

Anthony Weiner notably did not contact the authorities about this breach of his privacy and this attempt to diminish his reputation. He preferred to keep his "#Hacking" as a small, quiet matter, using only his own resources to investigate.

I found that strange. I found it strange that a man would try to minimize a pretty serious bit of defamation and vandalism of reputation.

It seemed to me that there would be a good reason to not report a #Hacking to the police: if it was not in fact a #Hacking at all, and if reporting it to the police would result in 1, the police announcing to the world that the user tweeted the alleged rogue tweet himself, and 2, being charged for filing a false report.

It seemed that way to me immediately, and that turned out to be correct in that instance.

So now Anderson Cooper claims someone "#Hacked" his twitter account to post a single tweet, and nothing else.

The cable network tweeted early Wednesday that "someone gained access" to Anderson's account and sent the tweet to the president. "We're working with Twitter to secure the account," it said.

...

The apparently rogue tweet came in response to President Donald Trump explaining why Republican Roy Moore wasn’t able to win the race. "Oh, really? You endorsed him tool! Pathetic loser," read the tweet.

I have repeatedly asked Anderson Cooper and CNN's PR account to find out which law enforcement agencies Anderson Cooper and/or CNN have contacted to investigate this "#Hacking."

So far, they have not answered.

Until they do, I will assume they have not contacted the police.

And then I'll just wonder about the reasons that might animate someone to refuse to contact the police about an invasion of privacy.

Strzok Wrote That Trump Could Not Be Permitted to Become President, and That an "Insurance Policy" Was Necessary

—Ace

Jim Jordan connected up two of Strzok's most conspiracy-suggesting outbursts to the timing of the the FBI's -- probably actually Strzok's -- application for a FISA warrant to "spy on Americans."

That video is below, but here are the two text chains he focuses on.

So there you have Strzok saying he can "protect the country at many levels" from the "menace" of Trump in his position as an FBI agent.

Then he talks about a conversation that happened in Andrew McCabe's office-- remember, McCabe's wife ran for office in Virginia as a Democrat and was partly bankrolled by Friend of Hillary Terry MacAuliffe -- in which McCabe, Lisa Page, and Andrew Strzok apparently spent work-time discussing the menace of a Trump presidency.

Although Lisa Page threw out a "path" by which she claimed Trump could not win te race -- and we don't know what this "path" was about -- Strzok was still too worried about the prospect of it, and announced "I'm afraid we can't take that risk" and cryptically refers to an "insurance policy" against that possibility:

The video below begins mid-quotation, but Jordan is quoting from the texts above. He knits these together to show that Strzok was a man who considered himself the last insurance policy against a Trump presidency, which just might be why he then packaged up the Steele dossier and presented it to a FISA court to get warrants to begin spying on Trump associates.

Update: Chuck Ross sketches a partial timeline, too:

The Morning Rant: J.V. Edition

—CBD

Arizona Cop Acquitted for Killing Man Crawling Down Hotel Hallway While Begging for His Life

You want a rant? I'll give you a rant.

This is murder, and no amount of obfuscation or sucking up to the cops (I'm looking at you Patterico) will change the facts. Sure, you can break it down frame by frame and contort and massage your way to a conclusion that maybe, just maybe, the cops had a tiny window during which it wasn't perfectly, 100% clear that all they had was a dumb drunk on their hands who was terrified and who was also horribly confused by their psychotic, pulling-the-wings-off-flies behavior, and even more insane instructions.

The fact is that policing in America is broken, and this case is a perfect example of it. We have morphed from the idea that policemen are our friends and neighbors and are there to help, into some dystopian nightmare where rogue cops get to do pretty much whatever they want and then get away with it. And why do they get away with it? Because the thin blue line protects them. That line usually includes the prosecutors, who need the cops to lie about evidence and lie on the stand and lie to judges about warrants, so that Mr. Prosecutor gets a promotion and a ticket to the state capital or a cushy private sector job. And in return? He tanks murder prosecutions against the cops.

And the so-called "honest cops," who supposedly make up 99.9% of the police in America? Bullshit. They are crooks too. Because every time they turn their backs on the criminality of one of their fellow officers they are breaking the law.

The shooter had "You're Fvcked" etched on the dust cover of his rifle. As far as I am concerned: QED...murder. And I am sick and tired of hearing about how the lives of our police officers are so damned important. I don't see firemen hanging out outside of burning buildings until everything is safe. A lot of those guys run into burning buildings to save people...because that's the job, and that's the risk they signed up for. Cops also signed up for similar risks. Civilian lives are more important than cop lives. Sorry, but that's the reality. If you don't want to take the risk, then don't become a cop. Become a tree-trimmer or a cab driver or a construction worker or a lumberjack. But wait...those occupations are MORE dangerous than being a cop.

I have seen out-of-control cops behave exactly this way, even here in my little slice of suburbia. An asshole buzz-cutted iron-pumping cop screwing with some poor soccer mom who is late to pick up her kids from school, or a bunch of idiot drunk teenagers? Wow...real tough. How about you take a little jaunt to Afghanistan and cower in your piss and shit while real men fight real bad guys and still have the time and humanity to care for the weak and the defenseless. But you won't do that, because they don't make nearly the money that you do as a wannabe tough-guy who is just itching to shoot someone, and deep down inside you know that you aren't the real man you want to be...You aren't tough...you're just a bully. And now a murderer.

And just in case you might think that I am furious simply because this is a white victim, take a look at this video of the Walter Scott Murder. It's just as bad. At least he's going to jail, to the surprise of everyone involved, most of all him and his buddies.

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

The Iron Hand
Raoul Hynckes

There are two wildly different versions of this painting. One is dark and foreboding. One is much lighter and airy. I have no idea which is closer to reality. The dark one is three down from the top at this site.

Which one do you like more?

The Morning Report 12/13/17

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. I'm old enough, and by now should be wise enough, to understand what happened yesterday in Alabama, and yet I'm still shocked and sickened. I suppose that is the normal reaction if we were living in anything resembling normal times; obviously we're not. A Senate seat in what is arguably a solid red state has been "stolen" and made Democrat. The word stolen has multiple meanings in this context and I think virtually all of them are correct (pending the whereabouts of Al Franken's Buick LeSabre, fraud will not be considered - yet).

Let's face it; electoral politics as we have known it is gone. If we didn't realize that certainly by last November, we never would have. The election of Donald Trump has thoroughly exposed the corruption, criminality and rot that is our government, media and culture. They will not allow that to stand. I can't say whether we would have witnessed the spectacle of the last few months had the candidate been Luther Strange or Mo Brooks. But, idiosyncrasies or not, Roy Moore is a lightning rod and even worse, a staunch supporter of the President and avowed enemy of Mitch McConnell and the Establishment. And so yesterday is just another indication that we are in a war between those who want to subjugate this country and citizenry, and the rest of us who want to somehow try to save it and our posterity from extinction. Yes, our enemies will crow, strut and preen about the significance of this "victory" as proof positive of the repudiation of the President and the first step towards his downfall. To which I say "go to Hell."

From a practical standpoint, Moore is not conceding and in all likelihood will demand a recount. Slim as the margin seems to be as of this writing, I have my doubts that he can overcome it. McTraitor also is saying that Doug Jones won't be seated until next year, so he will not be voting on legislation, most crucially the Tax Reform bill, and whatever else may be up for a vote between now and then. On the plus side, he's only there until 2020 but on the downside, losing that seat to a hardcore Leftist leaves only a wafer-thin majority in the Senate. And of course with Republicans like Collins, Murkowski, Alexander and too many others, well, you get the picture. And speaking of raw sewage, Richard Shelby.

Predictable: Steve Bannon (PBUH) is being attacked and mocked for causing Moore to lose the election. And yet the same momzers dumping on Bannon are the ones who not only refused to support or defend Roy Moore but actively participated in his defeat. The chutzpah is just beyond belief.

Prediction: Gloria Allred and her clients who accused Roy Moore will completely disappear from the news cycle within a day or so. Allred though will no doubt be back as what yesterday was is the opening salvo in the new/old strategy of Mish-Grabber-Gate 2.0. We can see that the Russian collusion angle has failed and the Mueller probe is going to go the same route with the revelations about Strzok, McCabe, Rosenstein and probably Adam Schiff. Oh, hell yes. It's a war people. It's a goddam long, bloody war and there will be pain inflicted on us. Let us steel ourselves and move forward.

In other news, Minnesota's governor Mark Dayton is supposed to name a replacement for Al Franken's senate seat. All well and good except Franken has not officially quit. Meh, with Moore losing Alabama, he has no excuse to stick around. And speaking of rape, New York restaurateur Ken Friedman allegedly has a rape room in an eatery that he co-owns with entertainer and former crack dealer Jay-Z. Were I not so utterly disgusted about the election, I'd have something snarky.

Lastly, J. Christian Adams talks about what's been going on at the DoJ aside from the somnambulant proclivities of its director. As I've said before, unless Sessionzzzzz personally leads the Clintons, Obama and Soros in leg irons to the paddy wagon, I can't think of a better replacement than Adams to run that agency.

Chin up people. Happy Hanukkah and eat some latkes.

Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.

• Nightmare: Solid Red Alabama Elects Radical Pinko; Jones Wins in a Squeaker...
  
• ...Roy Moore Refuses to Concede, Says Race is "Not Over," Floats Possible Recount...
  
• ...Trump Congratulates Jones...
  
• ...Steve Bannon Blamed/Mocked for Loss by Same GOP, Others Who Torpedoed Moore From the Beginning...
  
• ...McConnell: New Alabama Senator Won't Be Seated Until Next Year...
  
• ...Playing to Lose: The GOP-Establishment Got What It Wanted
  
• Islamist Terrorist Detonates Bomb in NYC, But CNN Focuses on How Many Diet Coke's PDT Drinks
  
• Double Standards and Distortions: Media Rips Trump as Hater, Yet Ignores Islamist- and Black-Nationalist Hatred
  
• Levin Rips Gillibrand as a "Fraud" and a "Chameleon": Metaphorical Democrat Guns Now Focused on Trump
  
• MN Governor to Announce Franken Replacement Today Despite Franken Not Having Officially Quit Yet
  
• Rush: Is CNN Protecting "Pencil-Neck" Schiff?
  
• PA Dept. of State Threatened with Lawsuit for Stonewalling Noncitizen Election Records
  
• J. Christian Adams: What's Happening at the DoJ
  
• Congress Should Investigate, Not Bail Out, Health Regulators Who Risked Billions
  
• Illegal Alien Released from Prison Convicted of Hammering Five to Death in San Francisco
  
• Groperdammerung Files: Famed Restaurateur Allegedly Has "Rape Room" in NYC Eatery Part Owned by Jay-Z
  
• No, "Global Warming" Isn't Killing Off the Polar Bears
  
• Glick: Europe's War Against the Jewish State
  
• Erdogan's Threat to Jerusalem, and What Israel and the US Must Do in Response
  
• Chanukah, Heroism and President Trump

Tuesday Overnight Open Thread (12/12/17)

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

"You cannot say that it's an honest mistake when you're purposefully putting out information that you know to be false, or when you're taking information that hasn't been validated, that hasn't been offered with any credibility, and has been continually denied by a number of people, including people with direct knowledge of an instance," Sarah Sanders

Quote II

One becomes a critic when one cannot be an artist, just as a man becomes a stool pigeon when he cannot be a soldier. Gustave Flaubert

Quote III

All men are by nature born equally free and independent… men entered into compacts to give up some of their natural rights, that by union and mutual assistance they might secure the rest; but they gave up no more… all government, and every kind of civil compact therefore, is or ought to be, calculated for the general good and safety of the community. Every power, every authority vested…is, or ought to be, ultimately directed to this sole end; and whenever any power or authority whatever extends further…it may be called government, but it is in fact oppression. George Mason

Quote IV

Yes, antisemitism is a clever virus and this shape-shifting is one of its oldest methods of perpetuating itself. Like other viruses currently feasting on humans, this one always has a pleasure principle associated with it. It feels good to get it and we live in the plague years of “If it feels good, do it.” Those whose moral immune systems have been previously compromised by other pleasure-born diseases have souls which are particularly susceptible to this virus. Gerard Van der Leun

Quote V

If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more ‎violence. If the Jews put ‎down their weapons ‎today, there would be no ‎more Israel'‎” Benjamin Netanyahu

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The ONT wishes for our Jewish friends. A fraylichen Chanukah”

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He's back with his take on current events and Wisconsin.

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You should like the The ONT and buy The Deplorable Gourmet .

C'mon We Double Dawg Dare You.

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It is bad enough that the public universities are a cauldron of liberal lunacy. The NFL wants to contribute to the moonbattery.

As its players continue to protest the National Anthem, the National Football League (NFL) announced it will host an “Advocacy in Sport Workshop” at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, to educate athletes on how to “develop and implement effective advocacy platforms that positively impact society.”

In conjunction with the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) and Morehouse, the February 21-23, 2018 workshop will teach student athletes how to turn sports into “a powerful platform for advocacy,” NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said, announcing the workshop

Roger Goodell, the man who is killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

It appears that the NFL isn't going to support Business Leaders in Christ.

A Christian student group that requires its leaders to pledge to uphold core values like avoiding “sexual immorality” sued the University of Iowa Monday after the school kicked it off campus.

Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC) makes all of its student leaders vow to uphold the group’s faith statement, which says they “should conduct their careers without the greed, racism, sexual immorality, and selfishness that all too often arise in business, political, and cultural institutions.”
The University of Iowa pulled their group registration after one student said he wasn’t selected for a leadership position because he is openly gay. The group, though, said the man was rejected because he opposed the group’s core ideals

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Are you planning for retirement? Sure hope you aren't planning on Social Security. These little snowflakes aren't going to be contributing much.

A dorm display at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is using Care Bears to help students who feel “grumpy or stressed.”

“Feeling grumpy or stressed? Let the Care Bears help!” the display states above a large, hand-drawn rainbow adorned with bit of advice for students.

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The ONT Musical Interlude

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NSFW The computer age continues to slide down the rabbit hole. AI-assisted fake porn is here.

There’s a video of Gal Gadot having sex with her stepbrother on the internet. But it’s not really Gadot’s body, and it’s barely her own face. It’s an approximation, face-swapped to look like she’s performing in an existing incest-themed porn video.

The video was created with a machine learning algorithm, using easily accessible materials and open-source code that anyone with a working knowledge of deep learning algorithms could put together.

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The Left screams about the "separation of church and state" unless one is a minority Congressman. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) is being sued.

Democratic representative Bobby Rush is being sued for $1 million after failing to make payments on a loan he received for a church he founded in his home district in Illinois.

A wellness center linked to the church has also collected more than $2.6 million in taxpayer-funded government grants in 2017 and more than $17 million in grants since 2008, according to records.

Rush founded the Beloved Community Christian Church, a nondenominational Christian church, in Chicago in 2002 with the intent of helping disadvantaged people in his community.

"I founded a church in Englewood, one of Chicago's poorest and most fragile neighborhoods, and named it Beloved Community Christian Church," Rush wrote in a 2011 op-ed. "The church, once the site of a Black Panther breakfast program for children, now stands in tribute to Dr. King's vision of the power of community. A social service center, a health center and an after school robotics program are also part of the church's mission to care for people."

Intentions count. Results don't.

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A little known endeavor has started. Wreaths Across America.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine — A convoy loaded with Christmas wreaths has left Down East Maine for a weeklong journey to Arlington National Cemetery, where the wreaths will adorn tombstones this holiday season.

The Wreaths Across America caravan departed Sunday from Columbia Falls, where the wreaths were made. It'll travel through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C., before arriving in a week in Arlington, Virginia.

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A little levity, bathroom vandalism.

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I know from personal experience giving up nicotine is a bitch. But still don't be a ......Genius Award Winner.

A woman was caught smoking on a flight from Portland to Sacramento on Saturday resulting in an in-flight-outburst and threats to “kill everyone on this plane” when she was escorted to law enforcement upon landing, Southwest Airlines confirmed.

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Open wide and say Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

Dental technician Kevin Shanahan sets up his equipment outside the General Post Office in Dublin, Ireland after work every Friday evening.

He spends his free time fitting dentures for the city's homeless and then puts in hours of work each week to create them in his lab.

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Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Festive Vandalism.

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. Where cookbooks are merely suggestive.

Close it up

Strzok/Page Texts Are Maybe Worse Than You Guessed

—Ace

Even CBS can't spin this one:

At one point, Page wrote to Strzok, "I just saw my first Bernie Sander bumper sticker. Made me want to key the car." Strzok replied, "He's an idiot like Trump. Figure they cancel each other out."

Strzok says of Mr. Trump that he's "awful" and "an idiot."

On Election Day, Strzok expressed his dismay at seeing a map showing Mr. Trump winning -- he called it "f*****g terrifying," and a week after the election, Strzok and Page were also alarmed to see that Jeff Sessions was likely to be named attorney general.

"Sessions for AG," Strzok texted, along with a profanity. Page replied, "Good god."

Here are some of the texts discovered just so far:

And here's the smoking gun -- so far. It might get worse.

More:

This doesn't sound like an adulterous couple who should have been permitted to work on either the Clinton or Trump matters.

Oh, Wow: From Chuck Ross, Fusion GPS confirms that (now former) Assistant AG Bruce Ohr's wife was hired to work on the Trump oppo file; Ross also reports that it was Bruce Ohr who requested the meeting with Fusion head Glenn Simpson -- to talk about the Trump oppo file.

And to strategize, is my guess.

And more...

Live Video Coverage of the Alabama Special Election from Decision Desk HQ

—Ace

We'll see.

Update: The New York Times has one of those fluttering needles up like they did on November 8, 2016. While Moore was coming back from being down, to having a 39% chance of winning, he just fell to 31%.

Not looking good.

Exit Polls: Voters Split On Whether Roy Moore's Accusers Are Telling the Truth, But 55% Say It's a "Minor" Factor or Not a Factor In Their Decision

—Ace

The partisan split among those showing up to vote today is Democrat 37%, Republican 46%, Independent 20%. This sounds a bit bad to me -- I'd expect the Republican affiliation to be higher, if Moore was going to win. I know that many people in the south still claim to be nominally Democrat or Independent while voting Republican, but still, I'd think this should be higher, were Moore going to win:

The "abortion illegal" number also seems low to me. You can't trust exit polls much, especially with a candidate perceived as disapproved by the media, but these polls don't look good to me for Moore.

Trump's Attorneys Demand Investigation Into Leaks from House Intel Committee;
Jeff Sessions Asks Lawyer to Look Into Possible Need for Special Counsel Investigation Into DOJ

—Ace

Here's the reporting on Sessions:

Is This Something?

—Ace

I don't doubt that pay-for-allegation schemes go on, but I'm a little skeptical about how such a tape, if genuine, could come into Bill O'Reilly's possession. If it's legit, that means that the person being offered money wasn't "safe," and you'd imagine they would only make this offer to people they knew were "safe." As in, definitely super-partisan progressive and almost guaranteed to not talk about the offer, even if they turned it down.

Trump Rags on Kirsten Gillibrand, and Elizabeth Warren Steps In to Call Gillibrand a Slut in the Guise of Defending Her

—Ace

Gee, thanks, Fauxcahantas.

Women shiv women.

Instapundit: I Asked the DOJ If Lisa Page Was Involved In Getting FISA Warrants For Her Boyfriend, Disgraced FBI Hack Peter Strzok, and They Gave Me the Runaround

—Ace

If the DOJ isn't going to answer relevant questions, then no one should answer a single question asked by the DOJ or its pet hitman Mueller.

Jim Acosta Heroically Whines That a Woman Made Him Feel Very Very Scared

—Ace

Three things that make CNN the most HEROIC of all entertainment channels:

1. Jim Acosta speaks TRUTH TO POWER through glistening BLOWJOB LIPS

2. Jake Tapper has a DEVIANTART PAGE where he sells paintings of GARBAGE PAIL KIDS doing wacky hijinks like
SUCKING EACH OTHER OFF

3. Brian Stelter's farts smell like ARBY'S CHICKEN and
JEFF ZUCKER'S DICK

Andrew McCabe Abruptly Cancels Testimony Before Congress Scheduled for Today; Source Says He Has "An Ohr Problem"

—Ace

The DOJ lies again and claims this is a "routine scheduling error," while Congressional sources say "McCabe has an Ohr problem."

Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe on Monday night reportedly postponed an appearance before the House Intelligence Committee that was scheduled for Tuesday.

The abrupt cancellation occurred following a report by Fox News that raised new questions about connections between the Justice Department and Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm behind the infamous Trump dossier.

Fox News reported that McCabe's interview will be rescheduled for next week. The Justice Department told the network that the cancellation was due to a "routine scheduling error."

A Congressional source told The Daily Caller that the excuse is "very hard to believe."

A source also told Fox News that it was believed that the interview was postponed because “McCabe has an Ohr problem.

The Morning Rant

—OregonMuse

"So if the reason that all of those CNN stories that have blown up in their smug faces were due to innocent, could-have-happened-to-anyone reporting errors, you'd think that some number of them would be in Trump's favor. If these errors were truly random, I mean. Then you'd expect up to half of the errors would work to Trump's advantage. But the actual number is, get this, zero. Isn't that odd? And if reporters were such fearlessly unbiased champions of the truth that they like to portray themselves as, you'd think at least one of them would be questioning this weird statistical anomaly. But, not to worry. I'm sure they'll get around to asking these questions any day now."

To this, I would add:

--Character is what you do when no one else is watching.

And Speaking of Character:

At first I thought this was a remarkably good PhotoShop, but apparently, it's real, but the proposed campaign never got off the ground. I think you all will appreciate the aggressively neutral description of why a Ted Kennedy candidacy was a non-starter:

Ted Kennedy was a front-runner for the 1972 election, but in 1969 he got into a car accident, which killed a campaign worker, and fled the scene without contacting the police.

( *facepalm* )

"He got into a car accident." No, you imbecile, he drunk-drove off Chappaquiddick Bridge into the creek. The campaign worker, whose name you couldn't be bothered to mention, was Mary Jo Kopechne, and she wasn't killed by the accident itself, but by Brave Sir Teddy running away and leaving her to die in the submerged car. This description misses being an outright lie by only a small fraction. It's disgusting that even now, decades later, people are willing to cover for those Kennedy vermin.

And what kind of a man would leave a woman in a submerged car and not tell anyone for 8 hours? Did he want to make sure she was dead?

If You Have To Say You're Real News, You're Not Real News

What a pathetic little twerp. He might just as well have 'Property of Donald Trump' tattooed on his forehead.

Compare & Contrast:

---

AoSHQ Prayer List

Farmer- Friend lost his mother, age 93. She was ready to go, just a couple of yrs ago lost her youngest child, her only daughter to cancer.

Rickl- Lung cancer.

Redc1c4- General Health. Would like to be healthy enough to look for a j*b.

Abby- Father has passed. Children have ex-communicated.

Carol- Her Brother's eventual passing.

kbdabear- Mother's dementia.

CaliGirl- Mom's boyfriend Arthur has cancer.

Hrothgar- Lost Son in accident.

Ritabootoo- Someone who may have colon cancer.

Fenelon Spoke- Healing for my son and ability to pay healthcare bills.

RedMindBlueState- Cousin Agnes, who's too weak for the heart surgery she needs, and whose condition is deteriorating rapidly.

Dr. Strangepork- Friend may have had a stroke.

Bebe's boobs destroy- Former co-worker's four year-old has cancer.

Mindful webworker- Wife's health due to longstanding issues.

ibguy- Sister's brain cancer, (gioblastoma).

pookysgirl- Husband's suicide attempt and mental health.

Jade Sea- Husband's cancer

tcn- husband's possible lung tumor and swollen lymph nodes.

Moron Pundit- Father-in-law's heart surgery.

junior- Employment

Duke Lowell- Son in need of healing.

Miley- Future employment, big move, Mother's cellulitis of leg.

Captain Whitebread- Mother's health and stable employment.

Jinx- Mother's passing.

Emmie- Continued relationship with Daughter.

Vic- Return of cancer.

ReneeTX- Terminal brain cancer.

Booknlass- Relationship with Daughter.

Just wondering- Sister, Lisa, has a brain tumor.

Christopher Taylor- Health and depression.

Lin-duh fell- My FIL passed away 9/27/17. Could use the prayers for my husband finding a job.

Blacksheep- Stage 2 prostate cancer.

Weirddave and Gingy- Gingy's father passing away.

Alexthechick- Father's dementia.

Molly K- Neice killed by elderly driver.

Donna V- Bills to be paid and alcoholic Brother.

Gushka- Infection after being bitten by her horse. Her friends' mental health after returning from battle.

TonyPete- Friends' terminal diagnosis, Wife's, (Renee), terminal illness.

bergerbuilder- Multiple strokes, out of hospital at end of September.

Chi- Friend's passing, (Lewis), after battle with cancer.

huerfano- Father's recovery from heart failure.

The Oort Cloud- Thalassemia, genetic blood disorder, complicated my hemolytic anemia. "Given" two years by doctor.

Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing- Job issues.

Hopped up on Something- Immediate Family member with cancer. Bone pain without opioids, Hospital Policy.

Publius- Father's health. Rheumatoid arthritis, severe pain during flare-ups. Stamina, in general.

Cannibal Bob- Two brothers in law. 1. Brain tumor hospice soon.
2. Just diagnosed cancer around heart and in aorta. Biopsy taken. Stage 3.
3. Cousin just completed 5 rounds of chemo for cancer in abdomen. Reoccurance from many years ago.

Insomniac- 1) That my autoimmune disorder will stay under control. 2) That the work situation I have will continue to come together and grow.

Oregon Muse- Shoulder replacement and recovery.

Slapweasel- Father's dementia and Mother's attitude.

Jane D'oh- My husband's elderly aunt, (89), who was admitted to the hospital 11/20/17 with pneumonia. She has COPD, is a lung cancer survivor. Jane broke her foot, prayer for resolve and healing.

USNtakim- My MIL, (73), is going in for surgery 11/22/17 for bowel re-sectioning. Please pray for her and her family.

Iron Mike Golf- My grandsons. Safety and peace for them.

Cheri- Lost Son, (21), in February to hiking accident.

Teresa in Ft. Worth- Lost Daughter, (26) to suicide on September 7th.

Alf767- Employment. 60 y.o. ex-pilot in aviation industry.

Backwards Boy- B'Gal has Congestive heart failure, COPD, scleroderma and arthritis.

Northernlurker- Money issues, does NOT want to dip into investments.

Dang- Esophageal cancer. Starting radiation and chemo week of 11/26/17.

westminsterdogshow- Best friend's Mom, Marge suffered a seizure/stroke. 12/1/17.

Additions, updates and corrections should be sent to Slapweasel. Look under Slap's nic in this comment for his e-mail address.

I think this prayer list is a great idea. Thanks to Slap for compiling it. I hope he doesn't mind me posting it. Might give it greater visibility to the Horde.

Close it up

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

Stadsgezicht (City View)
Carel Willink

The Morning Report 12/12/17

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. The Link-Fu is strong today so here we go. The big showdown in Alabama has come and so it's time to elect Roy Moore and put a serious torpedo in the twin demons of the GOP-e as well as the Democrat-Media Complex. There have been those here in the Horde, whom I respect and shall remain nameless so as to avoid embarrassment, who have claimed that we should be condemning Moore as loudly as we condemn anyone on the other side for their alleged crimes. The only problem is, the accusations against Roy Moore are over 40 years old, have for the most part been proven to be specious at best, utter lies at worst, and considering Roy Moore has been a political lightning rod both locally for many years and recently nationally (10 Commandments issue), the fact that his accusers come forward only now reeks to high heaven. Also, the now dozens of political and cultural celebrities on the Left who have been accused have issued apologies and/or been removed from their positions, Al Franken notwithstanding. The bottom line is, forget the lies and smears; while Roy Moore may not be the ideal candidate, he has voiced his strong support of the President and his agenda and his opposition to the Establishment. I think the choice is obvious.

Several links at the top have all the salient coverage. In short, Bannon came out swinging for the candidate and is believed to have taken a somewhat veiled swipe at Ivanka. The polls, as we all know, are a total crock and have been wildly oversampled for Democrats, showboating lowlife Wisconsin congress-thing Gwen Moore (D)Based asked the sergeant at arms if teenage Senate pages would be protected from Roy Moore, Charles Barkley stuck his huge foot in his mouth whilst stumping for Doug Jones and despite the complete baselessness of all the charges against Roy Moore, Barbara Comstock has promised Moore will be dragged before the ethics committee if he wins the race. Despite it's reputation for being a joke and the place where charges against politicians go to die, I fully expect for the first time in history that the investigation against Moore will be in the headlines on a daily basis.

The terrorist attack at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York, which some are calling "thwarted" but which in reality was a major dodged bullet due to the deviant's flunking out of Clock-Boy 101, has drawn the typical obfuscation and outrage from the usual quarters. The 7th century parents that spawned this 6th century fiend are, get this, attacking the NYPD for how they treated their poor, little precious would-be killer, while the media around the world blame Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital for the attack. Too bad pipe-bomb boy was angry about the situation in Gaza, which is wholly the fault of the Paleo-stinians who run that gulag as well as the sight of Christmas lights in the subway. The horror. The horror. But President Trump is rightly placing the blame on the insane chain migration system that allowed this bastard and perhaps scores of others like him to come to our country. And yet jerks like Cuomo and DeBolshevik claim the dumb luck that spared the city from an horrific bloodbath is a sign that the system is working as planned.

From hither and yon, the SoCal Wildfire has consumed an area as large as New York and Boston combined, Groperdammerung has now claimed Mario Batali and walking corpse Larry King, Sarah Huckabee-Sanders totally pwn3d Jim "Accoster" Acosta, VP Pence is on his way to the Middle East for his first official state visit to the region, and lastly, the black teen who videoed her cohorts torturing a white special needs kid a few years ago has received a slap on the wrist as punishment. Yup. The system is "working" as intended. Disgusting.

Off to the allergist shortly to get shot, so hence the earlier than usual post. Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.

• Alabama Election Day Finally Here, Bannon Says "There's a Special Place in Hell" for Republicans Who Won't Back PDT
  
• Roy Moore's Core Supporters Don't Care What You Think
  
• Future of GOP Civil War Comes Down to Today's Election
  
• No One Ever Drowned In Roy Moore's Car
  
• RUFKM?! Dem Congress-creature Asks if Teen Senate Pages Will Be Protected from Roy Moore
  
• Heh! Trump Supporters Send 12-Year-Old Girl to Interview Roy Moore
  
• Stumping for Doug Jones, Charles Barkley Calls Alabama Voters "Idiots"
  
• RINO Comstock: If Moore Elected "He'll Be Facing the Ethics Committee"
  
• Failed Port Authority Terrorist Motivated by Gaza, NOT Jerusalem Embassy Move
  
• The Chain-Migrant Manhattan Bomber
  
• Family of NYC Terrorist is "Outraged" by, Get This, the Behavior of the NYPD
  
• CAIR Director Sez PDT Jerusalem Move "Empowering Christian Religious Extremisim"
  
• VP Pence Faces Down Arab Threats Ahead of First Official Visit to Middle East
  
• Deep State Resisters at State Dept. Defy PDT's Jerusalem Directive
  
• Rush: The JFK-Trump Tax Cuts
  
• Jim "Look-At-Me" Acosta Provokes Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, Gets Told STFD+STFU
  
• Former Top Spy and Rabid Anti-Trumper: Maybe We Shouldn't Have Attacked a New President
  
• Your Daily Reminder That Mueller's "Investigation" is Doomed
  
• Deal for Disney to Acquire a Substantial Portion of Fox Said to Be Coming Within Days
  
• SCOTUS Declines to Settle Gay Rights Discrimination Case
  
• Another Massachusetts Democrat Facing a Massive Scandal
  
• Dem Rep Bobby Rush a Deadbeat; Sued for $1 Million to Collect Unpaid Loan on Church He Founded
  
• #MeToo: From Salem to Now
  
• Sen. Chubby Sock-Puppet Gillibrand Jumps on Bandwagon, Calls for PDT to Resign
  
• Roger Goodell in Complete Denial Over "Premise" of NFL Ratings Slump
  
• Gee-Ya-Think Dept.: Former Facebook Founder Sez Social Media is Ripping Apart Society
  
• Complete Fraud Lamar Alexander Misrepresents His Health Insurer Bailout Yet Again
  
• Black Teen Who Broadcast Torture of White Special Needs Kid Gets Slap on Wrist
  
• Area Ravaged by SoCal Wildfire Now Larger than NYC and Boston Combined

Monday Overnight Open Thread (12/11/17) 2 Weeks 'Til Christmas Edition

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

"Isn't food important? Why not 'universal food coverage'? If politicians had given us 'universal food access' 20 years ago, today Democrats would be wailing about the 'food crisis' in America, and you'd be on the phone with your food-care provider arguing about whether or not a Reuben sandwich with fries is covered under your plan." Ann Coulter

Quote II

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.” C.S. Lewis

Quote III

That is the reality of the custodial state. The people in charge see themselves as your caretakers, like a baby sitter or care giver. In reality though, you are their slave, because like a slave, you no longer control your body. They control where it is and what it is permitted to do. In this particular case. the state is trying to force this baker to perform his services for the homosexuals. The efforts to punish him are no different from a slave master flogging a runaway slave. It’s to send a message to the rest of the slaves. The Zman

*****

I've never lost a child. I can't imagine the grief in losing one as the Sandy Hook parents did. However, the blame lies with Adam Lanza and not Remington Arms and Bushmaster Firearms.

He and family members of other victims have filed a unique lawsuit against the gun manufacturers of the AR-15, the powerful semi-automatic assault rifle that allowed Lanza to carry out his rampage so quickly and with such lethal capability. They claim the manufacturers, Remington Arms and Bushmaster Firearms, bear responsibility for the massacre.

............

After intense lobbying from the National Rifle Association, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005. Under the law, manufacturers cannot be held accountable when one of their weapons is used in a crime or mass shooting.

However, the law allows for a sliver of wiggle room if the plaintiffs can prove “negligent entrustment.” In this case, the legal term means proving the manufacturers were reckless in that they knew they were selling deadly weapons and looking for violent young men as customers.

Remington and Bushmaster did nothing wrong. Adam Lanza did. Period. End of story. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately, that is life.

*****

The United States has an opioid crisis. Should the US copy Portugal's drug policy?

In 2001, nearly two decades into Pereira’s accidental specialisation in addiction, Portugal became the first country to decriminalise the possession and consumption of all illicit substances. Rather than being arrested, those caught with a personal supply might be given a warning, a small fine, or told to appear before a local commission – a doctor, a lawyer and a social worker – about treatment, harm reduction, and the support services that were available to them.
........................
It is important to note that Portugal stabilised its opioid crisis, but it didn’t make it disappear. While drug-related death, incarceration and infection rates plummeted, the country still had to deal with the health complications of long-term problematic drug use. Diseases including hepatitis C, cirrhosis and liver cancer are a burden on a health system that is still struggling to recover from recession and cutbacks. In this way, Portugal’s story serves as a warning of challenges yet to come.

Despite enthusiastic international reactions to Portugal’s success, local harm-reduction advocates have been frustrated by what they see as stagnation and inaction since decriminalisation came into effect. They criticise the state for dragging its feet on establishing supervised injection sites and drug consumption facilities; for failing to make the anti-overdose medication naloxone more readily available; for not implementing needle-exchange programmes in prisons. Where, they ask, is the courageous spirit and bold leadership that pushed the country to decriminalise drugs in the first place?

A rather long read. But, certainly an interesting read and thought provoking one as well.

*****

In 2016 it cost $50,224 in tuition and fees to attend Brown University. Brown a private Ivy League school is eliminating Student Loans.

Amid America’s colossal student debt problem, an Ivy League school is providing an example of how institutions can help.

Beginning next school year, Brown University will eliminate all student loans in its undergraduate financial aid packages, replacing them with scholarships.

Following a $30 million fundraising effort launched in September, Brown administrators announced this week that 2,087 donors contributed toward the goal, and that the school, located in Providence, Rhode Island, plans to raise $90 million more to sustain the scholarship giving.

So, when do you public universities follow suit?

*****

Did not see this coming. Impeached judge becomes congress critter and then gets into more trouble.

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT A FEDERAL JUDGE IMPEACHED FOR CORRUPTION WOULD MISBEHAVE IF ELECTED TO CONGRESS? Another Congressional Victim Comes Forward – This Time With A $200,000 Settlement.. “It just won’t stop. The latest congressional harassment case to hit the news involves Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and a former staff member of a congressional commission. The twist in this story is that the woman wasn’t a congressional staffer but congressional employee. She was a member of the Helsinki Commission – a congressional commission that promotes international human rights. Oh, the irony. . . . Her settlement wasn’t included in the payments released by the Office of Compliance, interestingly enough.”

*****

The ONT Musical Interlude

***

*****

Shoe0nHead, an interesting take on Chromosome Crusaders. Of course NSFW

*****

Sometimes the best of intentions still results in being declared Genius Award Winner.

This is the second major residential fire in two weeks set by someone trying to kill bedbugs, according to the Cincinnati Fire Department.

Fire officials have a word of advice for anyone wanting to get rid of the persistent pests:

"Get a professional," Freel said.

*****

Falling off the wagon, Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

The man was bleeding from his wrist and asked Wang to drive him to the tallest mountain in the area so he could kill himself, the report said.

The quick-thinking driver decided to try to halt the attempt, but pretended that he also wanted to take his own life.

He then suggested that the pair should have a drink on the mountain first and bought several bottles of baijiu and two bottles of beer.

*****

Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Creative Gift Giving.

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. Where triggering is a national past time.

Close it up

Open Thread

—Ace

CNN Special Snowflakes to Donald Trump: Please Stop Bullying Us After We Spend Hour After Hour of #FakeNews Attacks on You!

—Ace

These people aren't being "bullied." They're nasty sissies who enjoy slapping and scratching but then cry if someone hits back.

So: Is CNN an innocent victim of "bullying," or is it an aggressive, seething sissy who likes to hit and bite and then cry when it gets its sissy ass kicked?

Well...

Today CNN contributor Sally Kohn declared that sexual harassment happens because "most men hate women."

Most. Hate.

CNN covered its #FakeNews claim that Donald Trump Jr. was given a Super Secret Decryption Key for hacked emails earlier than the public twenty-seven times as much as they spent on correcting their outrageously false claim.

A little more than an hour after the terrorist attack on the Port Authority (I earlier said "40 minutes," which was wrong), here was CNN, which is totally being bullied, itself totally not engaging in bullying:

A lot of fat people work for CNN (more fat men than fat women -- apparently they only want women with nice figures on TV), but I don't see Brooke Baldwin taking Chris Cilizza or Brian Stelter aside to tell them to lay off the carbs.

Oh, and this is cute: CNN made huge claims about Jeff Sessions' failure to disclose brief meetings with Russian officials in his ordinary course of duties as a Senator. But when it's reported that the FBI cleared him of any wrongdoing, stating that Sessions had no obligations at all to report such fleeing hey-nice-to-see-ya's, CNN "quietly backtracks" its previous reporting. I'd like to see a comparison of how much time they spent on the original news -- with the #FakeNews implication that Sessions did something wrong -- compared to how little coverage they've given the update/correction of previous implications.

CNN spends half of its time telling us that reporters are courageous heroes who rush into the fire -- and by the way, not only do 99% of them never rush into any kind of fire at all, but will cry if they're forced to leave their air-conditioned offices -- and the other half of the time whining that the Mean Man Said Mean Things About Them.

Choose one (1). You don't get to pose as heroes worthy of a Frank Frazetta tribute while crying that your tampons are itchy.

New Yorker Fires Archliberal Shill Ryan Lizza For "Inappropriate Sexual Conduct"

—Ace

The War on Women is coming from inside the house.

Seems like this is the sort of guy who would pretend to get offended by Romney's "binders full of women" statement while himself engaging in fireable-level "inappropriate sexual contact."

Yup, that's what I expected.

Lizza has issued his own statement, calling the New Yorker's actions a "mistake" and saying that his relationship with the woman was "respectful" and a dating situation:

Lizza is also a paid contributor for (wait for it....!) CNN. CNN says they are looking into the matter.

Wife of Senior DOJ Official Demoted for Bias Worked for FusionGPS, the Firm Behind the Phony RUSSIA Dossier That Was Subsequently Used to Procure a FISA Warrant

—Ace

By the way, the FBI and DOJ have not confirmed that the Steele Dossier was used to get the FISA warrant, but they continue refusing to answer that question, even when posed by Congressmen with oversight authority, so I'm taking that as proof positive the fake Steele Dossier was used to contrive the FISA warrant and get this whole covert op against a duly-elected president started.

And the demoted DOJ Assistant AG, Bruce Ohr (note: not the more famous demoted FBI agent revealed previously, Peter Strzok) just so happened to be married to a woman working for FusionGPS, which paid RUSSIAN soruces for dezinformationizya.

A senior Justice Department official demoted last week for concealing his meetings with the men behind the anti-Trump"“dossier" had even closer ties to Fusion GPS, the firm responsible for the incendiary document, than has been disclosed, Fox News has confirmed: The official's wife worked for Fusion GPS during the 2016 election.

Contacted by Fox News, investigators for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) confirmed that Nellie H. Ohr, wife of the demoted official, Bruce G. Ohr, worked for the opposition research firm last year. The precise nature of Mrs. Ohr's duties-- including whether she worked on the dossier -- remains unclear but a review of her published works available online reveals Mrs. Ohr has written extensively on Russia-related subjects. HPSCI staff confirmed to Fox News that she was paid by Fusion GPS through the summer and fall of 2016.

Bruce Ohr was Associate Attorney General, with an office only four doors down from the AG. He himself met privately with both Glenn Simpson (founder of FusionGPS) and Christopher Steele (compiler of the fake dossier) and discussed the anti-Trump dossier and Simpson's frustrations that Trump had won the election. Congressional investigators say Ohr did not disclose those meetings with the DOJ.

See the video report at the link. It seems that the DOJ lied to Fox for the reasons for his demotion. When Fox asked the first time, they refused to answer. The second time Fox asked, the DOJ actually lied to the Fox (and thereby to the American public) claiming he was merely being reassigned because he shouldn't "wear two hats" and was being told to focus on his usual job of overseeing organized crime prosecutions.

That was a lie -- yet another lie from the DOJ.

He was demoted due to failure to disclose clear conflicts of interest.

Corrected: I originally said the DOJ lied twice about this. In fact, they only lied once; their first response was simply yet another refusal to respond at all.

Which isn't a lie -- it's just hiding the truth from the public.

Media Has All Sorts of Reasons Why You Should Trust Them Even More After Weeks of Biased Incompetence and Possibly Deliberate Complicity in Disinformation

—Ace

David Frum wins, ultimately, by claiming that the media's mistakes mean you should trust them even more, and are the result of trying too hard to be fair to Trump.

Meanwhile, the day the CNN face-planted with its latest round of #VeryFakeNews, who did Jake Tapper have on to discuss the Trump investigation? California Democrat Adam , who makes the most vaporware claims about what is "proven" about Trump RUSSIAN Collusion, and who is being straight-up accused by people who usually don't straight-up accuse of being the source for the coordinated false leaks.

Guess what Jake Tapper, the Hero of the Gimp-Suit Fake Conservative Remnant, did not ask Adam Schiff about?

That's right -- for some strange reason I could not even guess at, super-straight-shooter Jake Tapper did not ask Adam Schiff for his thoughts on the coordinated lies put out, allegedly, by two sources, each to four different media outlets (ABC, MSNBC, CBS, #VeryFakeNewsCNN).

Why did he not ask about that? Is it because reporters don't ask such things of their sources?

And why was Adam Schiff even on the show? Was he pre-booked in anticipation of talking up the information that I'm quite sure he had no idea would be breaking on CNN?

Glenn Greenwald had a good point: A "whistleblower" contacted the Washington Post claiming to have a story about Roy Moore groping her. This whistleblower also wanted anonymity.

When this whistleblower turned out to be a hoaxer -- working for Project Veritas to see how easily the Washington Post could be snookered -- the Washington Post outed this person they'd offered anonymity to.

Why are none of the four media outlets hoaxed by two sources (allegedly -- I suspect it's one source) outing those hoaxers?

I think the answer is obvious: Because while the Washington Post hoaxer hoped to hurt the Washington Post, the two (or maybe one) hoaxer putting out the Wikileaks Early Peak story was hoping to hurt Trump.

And that's what makes it an "innocent mistake" as far as CNN and the rest of them are concerned -- it wasn't a mistake, it was in fact deliberate, but it was "innocent" in the sense that they were spreading false stories about the right target.

Oh, and of course: Because they don't want to burn the guy feeding them leaks every couple of days, who is almost certainly either Adam Schiff, and/or other Democrat Congressmen on the House Intelligence Committee and/or Democratic staffers on that committee.

They want to keep the leak gravy train -- true or false, it does not matter -- coming.

And they want to protect their fweinds.

Quick Update: Port Authority Terrorist Came On a Chain Migration Visa

—Ace

Someone was getting a green card. So, the sibling of that person also got a visa. And then this terrorist, who was under 21 at the time, got what amounts to be a "nephew visa."

The important question, however, is: How much Diet Coke should Trump drink?

Port Authority Terrorist Came to US on Immigrant Visa Under Obama

—Ace

Bur I thought we had procedures that made this virtually impossible.

By the way, 40 minutes after another terrorist attack committed by an immigrant in the media's world capital city (NYC), CNN was back to covering the real news: Donny Two-Scoops' alleged overconsumption of Diet Coke.

At 8:43am ET [40 minutes after first reports of the terrorist attack], Camerota breathlessly related a New York Times piece on Trump and soda:

This is about his Diet Coke habit.... Watching cable, he shares thoughts with anyone in the room, even the household staff he summons via a button for lunch or for one of the dozen Diet Cokes he consumes each day.

The co-host chided, "When I read this, I think, 'This is not what doctors would recommend. This is not the healthiest diet.'"

I look forward to seeing Brian Stelter discuss unhealthy dietary choices. With Chris Cilliza, David Axelrod, and Candy Crowley.

It wasn't healthy for Barack Obama to continue smoking throughout his term of dubious service but you covered that up neatly enough.

Open Thread

—Ace

I'm very late in getting started. Here's a new thread at least.

Oh, here's something amusing:

If you could, use this thread for headline and link tips. That will help me out a lot. My ass is dragging and I don't really know what's *still* news, if you know what I mean -- yes, I know about the partial-failure terrorist attack. But is that still news at 1:30?

The Morning Rant: J.V. Edition

—CBD

No Gender December rolls round again

And I for one am tremendously excited to blur the genetic and cultural roles that two separate sexes have fit in rather nicely for...oh...our entire natural history. Because only good will become of that. For starters, we won't have war, or for that matter any violence, because it is the heteronormative patriarchy that is the corrosive effect on our culture. Get rid of that, and its unicorns and skittles!

In 2014 a group called Play Unlimited founded No Gender December with the aim to end what they call 'gender-stereotyped toys'. They believe that with correct parental conditioning you can actually defy biological reality and scientific studies and make boys like girl's toys and girls like boy toys. Last year they were successful in lobbying major Australian retailers Big W and Target to end having gendered toy categories in their stores.

I think he is pretty confident of, and comfortable with his gender, and his wife's gender, and his daughters' genders. I'll bet he isn't confident of the future prospects of Australia though!

******
Chris Matthews: 'The Worst You Can Say About Democrats Is They're Too Pure'

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said Thursday that Democrats are setting such a high standard for personal property that they can only be criticized for their purity.

Matthews described the pain that Democrats went through to "sacrifice" the "respected" Sen. Al Franken (D., Minn.) in the service of purifying the party. Franken announced his resignation Thursday in the face of mounting allegations of groping, although he focused his speech on accusing Republicans of wrongdoing and insisting that he is not guilty.

Matthews ascribed Franken’s resignation to Democrats’ strong support of women’s rights, and he asked his guests if this would cause more Americans to support Democrats.

What the hell is there to say about this? The man may be the Democrat's best and most consistent shill, although I freely admit that the competition is fierce. But the sheer volume of intellectual contortion needed to think of this and then, wonder of wonders, actually speak it aloud is just phenomenal. I have to give the man credit, he is ferociously dedicated to his craft. And the bottle of Jameson's in his dressing room.
******
Feinstein Urges Trump Not to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, Despite Voting to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would be in line with a law that Congress passed in 1995 requiring "the relocation of the United States embassy in Israel to Jerusalem." The measure, which also called for the U.S. to recognize the city as the undivided capital of Israel, passed the Senate by an overwhelming 93-5 margin.

Among the senators who voted for the initial Jerusalem Embassy Act was one Dianne Feinstein.

Feinstein actually played a key role in getting the bill passed by inserting a provision that would allow the president to issue a waiver to delay the embassy move six months at a time, if the president determined it was in the U.S. national security interest.

Feinstein's move led 10 additional Democratic members to support the bill, giving it a veto-proof majority.

Shut your corrupt whore mouth. And while you are at it, why don't you rein in your corrupt thief of a husband. And get a new fvcking hair style: that one has been old for about 35 years.

Israel is a sovereign nation, and it is nobody's business but their own where they put their capital. That it is an issue is a testament to the hatred that the world holds for Jews, Judaism, and their current incarnation, The State of Israel. Everyone is just so, so disappointed that Hitler didn't finish the job, and the world still has some Jews floating around causing trouble. And they even had the balls to recreate their own country from the ashes of its first go-round, which lasted about 1,000 years in a little corner of the Middle East. You know, where their culture and religion started.

The "Palestinians" are a convenient excuse for Jew-hate, and in fact their cause is an entirely fictional one, created by the Arab League before Israel fought and won the Six Day War, and took back some of its ancestral territory.

And Diane Feinstein buys into that, or it's just a naked political play to criticize President Trump. Either way, she is a harridan and a thief and a destructive influence on any sort of coherent foreign policy.

******

Close it up

Mid-Morning Open Thread

—CBD

The Morning Report 12/11/17

—J.J. Sefton

Good morning kids. Monday again and we are loaded with linkage so let's dive right in. First up, the massive wildfires continue to devastate southern California. So far upwards of 200,000 acres have been consumed and now the beautiful seaside town of Santa Barbara is directly in the path of the destruction. Prayers for all affected and hoping the firefighters can get this thing under control ASAP. Of course, Governor Moonbeam blames global warming (what's the point in providing a link to that?).

Election eve in Alabama and as Roy Moore continues to maintain his lead in the polls, which are of course designed to shape public opinion and not reflect it, by tomorrow there should be a much more accurate picture of the situation. The Left, with the usual gang of Soros- and Obama-led organizations has now poured over $4 million into this race. This time, unlike an insignificant House seat, a Senate seat - especially in the heart of red state America - would be a major victory. I don't think it's going to happen but it goes without saying that Alabama morons should vote early and often.

In news from the insurrection, it seems that Fusion GPS was attempting to tie the President to Clinton's pedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein and a new report about the so-called John Doe investigations/persecutions of Scott Walker and other Wisconsin Republicans was more extensive and hideous than previously thought.

We have a mixed bag of links from the Tax Reform follies. First, one story from the Wall Street Journal claims that some people and businesses might get upwards of a 100% marginal tax rate (yes, RATE, not increase), while another link touts the economic and political benefits of forcing blue states to finally pay for their profligacy. And Rep. Luke Messer from Indiana is fighting to keep his amendment in the overall bill: that is no more free money to illegal aliens and their dependent aliens.

The Groperdammerung follies continue as another woman steps forward to accuse a 9th Circus Judge of sexual assault, Gayle King makes a fool of herself on TV (BIRM), and a fine essay about the hypocrisy of the #MeToo movement.

Penultimately, we have a trio of links about the state of education in our nation. As I have always said, this is the real battle for the heart, soul and future of America. Ultimately, we will not be overwhelmed from an across the border invasion of people subsuming America; we will be subsumed from within by future generations of native-born Marxist pod-people if we don't stop the brainwashing factories now. It may already be too late considering what we see happening all over from K through post-grad.

Lastly, there has been a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the wake of the President's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We have the great Daniel Greenfield checking in on that and the superstar of the Trump administration, Ambassador Nikki Haley reading the riot act to the United Nations. I hope she becomes the first female president of the US one day. She has "iron lady" potential. And considering his mindset, I would not be unhappy at all with Steve King either.

Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.

• Santa Barbara Now Under Threat as Massive Wildfire Spreads Across 200,000 Acres
  
• Moore Defiant: I Did Not Date or Molest Underage Women
  
• Obama Campaigners Spent $468G Against Moore in One Day; Total Now Tops $4 MIllion
  
• Moore Strategist: A Vote for Doug Jones is a Vote Against President Trump
  
• Roy Moore Proves Media Only Destroys Itself in Elections
  
• Fusion GPS Tried to Tie PDT to Clinton Pedophile Pal Jeff Epstein as Part of Smear Campaign
  
• Bombshell Report: Political Persecution of Scott Walker Swept Up High-Level GOP Officials
  
• Huh?! Senate Tax Bill Has Marginal Rates That Could Hit 100% for Some...
  
• ...Then Again, GOP Tax Plan Could Tie the Hands of Blue State Governments...
  
• ...Rep. Messer: "We Can't Continue to Reward People Who Come to Our Country Illegally"
  
• Steve King Tweets Truth About Diversity, Leftist/NeverTrumper Heads Explode
  
• Groperdammerung File: Seventh Woman Steps Forward Accusing 9th Circus Judge Kozinski of Sexual Assault
  
• #MeToo Nothing More Than a Shoddy Retread of the War on Women Hoax
  
• CBS' Gayle King Hits on Jon Thune After Discussing Sexual Harassment
  
• Joe Arpaio Mulls Run for Fake Flake's Arizona Senate Seat
  
• Fugitive Chinese Billionaire Wants Regime Change for Beijing
  
• Grandstanding Hack Cory Booker Calls on the President to Resign, or Something
  
• Poll: Fewer Americans Say Life Is - Or Even Should Be - Fair
  
• The Time Has Come for Higher Ed-ageddon
  
• Can America's Schools Be Saved? An Insider Weighs In
  
• MO High School Punishes Student for Referencing Facts About Muslim Extremism
  
• Disperse the Swamp? Decentralizing DC is an Idea Whose Time Has Com
  
• More Than 1 in 4 Americans Postpones Medical Treatment Because of the Expense
  
• NASA Readies Big Announcement Thursday on Possible Alien Life
  
• Ambassador Nikki Haley Exposes, Excoriates UN's Anti-Israel Kangaroo Court
  
• Time Flies When You're Torching Synagogues
  
• Greenfield: An Anti-Semitic Allahu Akbar in Amsterdam

Sunday Overnight Thread (12/10/17) The Weekend Is Gone Edition

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Quote I

"I am horrified to learn again just how invasive this witch hunt was into nearly every part of every major Wisconsin conservative’s life. Now it's confirmed that it reached my own, even so far as to collect private medical information included in my emails with my daughter … The thought of my government intentionally and illegally targeting me is sickening." WI State Senator, Leah Vukmir-Republican

Frightening.

Quote II

“I had a boyfriend many years ago, he was my first boyfriend who had his own house, and one day I went outside to see what he was doing, and he was hoisting an American flag up the flagpole in his front yard. And I instantly felt very weird. It didn’t make sense, but I felt … scared." Sarah Silverman

Quote III

“Why? Because there are things in this world that are more important than ourselves. Freedom. The Constitution of the United States. Our way of life. Mom, baseball, apple pie; these things and so many more that make us uniquely American. We belong to something greater than ourselves. As complex and diverse and discordant as it is, this thing, this idea called America, binds us together in citizenship and community and brotherhood.”Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penny.

Sarah Silverman, if you weren't such a despicable piece of shit, you might learn something from this woman.

Quote IV

“The appalling House vote for concealed carry reciprocity puts all New Yorkers at risk. This legislation would let individuals from out-of-state convicted of certain crimes carry hidden, loaded weapons in New York, in violation of New York’s much better, safer law. Only the NRA could propose something so ill-considered, dangerous and vile. New York passed the strongest gun safety measures in the country, and instead of joining the fight against senseless gun violence, Washington is trying to make New York and the rest of the nation less safe.”Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D-NY)

What f*cking laws, Andy?

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Firearms manufacturers and the conundrum they face.

Gun store owners say they’re seeing a drop in sales as a result of bargain hunting and President Trump’s pro-Second Amendment support, Bloomberg reported.

The maker of Smith and Wesson — American Outdoor Brands Corp. — said it has seen its annual profit drop by as much as 45 percent as gun purchasers look for better deals elsewhere. The report credits the president’s staunch pro-Second Amendment support giving gun owners security that their firearms will not be taken away or restricted as in past administrations.

Despite the mass shootings, which in the past have drawn gun owners to stores as they fear impending lawmaker restriction, gun store owners say they have not seen this so-called “fear-based” buying.

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Jerusalem and Donald Trump as seen by Paul Joseph Watson. There may be a naughty word or three. So you have been warned.

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The ONT thinks that most Vets who use VA facilities would like to have prompt treatment and be shown respect. But, let's add quackery to the lousy service.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has announced (VHA Directive 1137: VA Provision of Complementary & Integrative Health) that acupuncture, reiki, and reflexology, among other “complementary and integrative health [CIH] practices” will now be included in the standard veterans’ medical benefits package. [Translation: You, the taxpayer, will foot the bill.] The VHA found “adequate evidence exists to support the use” of some of these CIH practices, despite their own evidence review showing otherwise (“List I”). These must be offered at all VHA medical facilities, either on-site or by referral to community providers. Other CIH approaches (“List II”) will be included in veterans’ medical benefits because they “are generally considered to be safe,” any pretense of efficacy having been totally abandoned; whether to offer them at any particular facility is optional.

I have heard that this time of year cookies and milk can be comforting as well. Fruit cake optional.

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Gloria Steinem and others of her ilk assisted in releasing the proverbial genie from the bottle in the 1960s. The summer of love. Women's liberation. Yadda, yadda, yadda. By God we will tell you what Erotica is good and what is bad.

“It is a hub that, in this moment of consciousness that is engulfing this country now, we must realize is the source of the poison that is in our system,” Steinem said, the New York Daily News reported.

Steinem said that erotica is healthy but that mainstream porn was not healthy erotica, arguing that Pornhub normalizes the degradation of girls and women.

I suppose when you are old and want to remain relevant you'll do just about anything for attention.

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Is it an angel or did someone shove a tree up Hillary Clinton's ass?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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Funny stories from local newspapers.

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The ONT Musical Interlude

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And finally, Making Christmas Great Again.

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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned or tonight's Genius Award Winner.

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The little things in life we take forgranted. Tonight's Feel Good Story of The Day.

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Tonight's ONT has been brought to you by Nostalgia.

Notice: Posted with permission by AceCorp, LLC. Proud step-parent of the The Deplorable Gourmet.

Weekly commenter stats for week of 12-10-2017

Top 10 commenters:
1 [623 comments] 'logprof' [87.48 posts/day]
2 [533 comments] 'Insomniac - Nobody in Particular'
3 [526 comments] 'Deplorable Jay Guevara'
4 [520 comments] 'Christopher R Taylor'
5 [493 comments] 'runner'
6 [445 comments] 'Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine, Booking Agent, Aero Pinochet'
7 [390 comments] 'JackStraw'
8 [365 comments] 'Skip'
9 [363 comments] 'garrett'
10 [357 comments] 'Miklos Molnar'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [262 names] 'Miklos Molnar' [36.79 unique names/day]
2 [71 names] 'Hands Solo'
3 [62 names] 'The Political Hat'
4 [41 names] 'Duncanthrax'
5 [40 names] 'John Marston'
6 [39 names] 'Buzzsaw90'
7 [38 names] 'Steve and Cold Bear'
8 [36 names] 'logprof'
9 [36 names] 'Under Fire'
10 [34 names] 'Jeff SezZzions'

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The Weekend Gun Thread

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

Beautiful pieces of art.

Do you want a new 1911? Is money no object? If you are that Moron here is the gun for you. The Big Bang Pistol set.

Long before man discovered the metallurgical innovations that ushered in the Iron Age, iron weapons were forged, carved and shaped from crashed iron-meteorite. They were implements unlike anything available here on earth. Mankind’s innate desire for protection leads him to seek out the best in strength, workability, and longevity. Of this storied recounting of the past, a present has emerged and a future is guaranteed. Now, revealed to the world is a modern meteorite weapon – the Cabot Guns’ Big Bang Pistol Set.

h/t Jim (Sunk New Dawn) TX.

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President Trump and a group of young people. Who are those young people and what are they doing with our President? "The record-setting championship West Virginia rifle team visited the White House Friday and met President Donald Trump. They visited as part of the Collegiate National Champions of 2016 and 2017 event."

h/t hillbillyking

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Trying to live up to the reputation of a smart military blog.

Rare color gun camera films show AAF fighters engaging Japanese aircraft and targets on the ground near the end of World War II in the Pacific. The film is silent; actual air-cooled .50-caliber machine gun sounds and additional audio were added. Some viewers liked the audio, some muted it, and a few complained about it. We have a hard time figuring out the fuss -- if you want it the way it originally was, simply mute it and enjoy it your way. And we get it that some of you don't like this audio. It was what we had available back when this was produced, but we are looking at other options for future productions. And to answer other questions that crop up -- yes, this is color, and no, they did not always use black-and-white film in gun camera magazines. If you have seen any of this footage elsewhere in black-and-white, that is because after the original was shot in color, it could be used in other black-and-white productions of the era; it was much easier to copy and process black and white than color film. We have noticed this as we research archival film holdings. Some color footage shows up elsewhere in black and white. And yes, this is Pacific footage; no, you don't see German aircraft in here even if you think some of the airframes resemble them. And yes, Japan is verdant and green like this, and AAF P-51s were making ground attacks on Japan proper in the summer of 1945.

h/t Jim (Sunk New Dawn) TX.

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As a child cowboys and indians and cops and robbers were a mainstay games to be played. 10 things you didn't know about the Ruger Blackhawk.

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If you have something you like to share with us petmorons at gmail

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Food Thread: Our Long National Nightmare Has Just Begun: The Moron Cookbook Is Here!

—CBD

[Why bacon? Why the hell not?]

I got my copy yesterday, and it far exceeded my expectations! I was hoping for a fun, amateur cookbook with some clever Horde memes worked into it. But it is a thoroughly professional effort that is a pleasure to read. It is laid out well, it is humorous, some of the recipes look fantastic and the rest are fun to read and certainly worth a try, and definitely a chuckle.

The net proceeds will be donated to Toys for Tots and Fisher House, both highly rated charities according to "Charity Navigator."

Below the fold is a note from Bluebell and Weasel, but before you click to the rest of the post, head over to the sidebar and buy a few dozen copies of the cookbook. Or at least one...it really is a hoot.

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Horde, we did it! We, the Moron Horde of Ace of Spades HQ, are published authors! Congratulations, and many, many thanks to ALL OF YOU who sent in recipes. The cookbook is a wonderful sample of Moron cuisine from all over our country and even around the world. We loved reading the stories of how you all came to have these recipes, and feel honored that you shared the best of your kitchen with us.

Besides the contributors, we also wish to thank the following people by name (well, nic): Bandersnatch, for all the artwork, including that awesome cover; Muldoon, for his limericks sprinkled throughout the book; our proofreaders – JTB and Mrs. JTB, moki, Miley the Duchess, westminsterdogshow, cfo mom, and booknlass; and RedMindBlueState, who gave us some valuable advice early on in this endeavor. THANK YOU!! Thank you also to everyone who encouraged us from the very start, including our early cookbook committee!

Very special thanks goes to CBD, without whom this project would never have gotten off the ground (CBD, you’d better not change one word of this). He went to Ace for us and requested and received permission to go forward with this project, posted the submission website for us on the sidebar for three weeks, gave us much-appreciated counsel behind the scenes, devoted lots of space in the food thread to this effort, whenever we asked him to and even when we didn’t, and did so much more. We couldn’t have done it without him, and that is the truth.

And of course, our heartfelt thanks to Ace, who let us dream up this audacious project and see it through to completion right here on the blog. At his request, the net proceeds will all go to charity. We will split the money 50/50 between Toys for Tots and Fisher House.

And finally, because I (bluebell) am writing this, I wish to thank Weasel, for proposing this project, bringing me into it, and doing all the hard work, and no, I’m not kidding. He did a ton of research, talked to countless publishers on the phone, submitted applications and paperwork for all sorts of things, handled all the communication with our publisher, and did all the technical work with CreateSpace, Kindle Direct Publishing, and Amazon. And, AND, was very supportive and patient with his plodding co-editor. If it were not for Weasel, there would be no Moron cookbook. Weasel, you’re the best.

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Why yes, I am a bit compulsive. Why do you ask?

As avocados ripen they seem to compress and deform, so what better way to prevent that than to use a foam holder? Yes folks, it's the new, patent-pending 'Cado-Cuddler^TM! Available soon from Dildo Manufacturing Corporation.

By the way, that anemic and dried-out looking lime is a direct result of a conspicuous lack of tonic water. I bought the lime, gleefully skipped home, and discovered that some idiot hadn't bought fresh tonic! Speaking of which, why does it go flat so quickly? It's probably a plot, carefully orchestrated by Big Tonic.

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From commenter "Emmie," a video I have never seen....it's great!

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If you want to have a good time, head over to the See's Candy website and build yourself a box of chocolates. It's just like going to one of their stores, although you don't get a sample from the nice lady behind the counter.

I used to wander over to the See's store in Berkeley every now and then, back before it was bought by Warren Buffett, and back before they took anything other than cash. The chocolates were great then, and they are great now. They are not expensive either, so it's not like buying fancy Belgian or Swiss chocolates or truffles for $50/lb.

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I took a short detour on Friday and miraculously ended up in the parking lot of Balthazar Bakery, one of the better bakeries in the NY metro area, and the bread source for its eponymous restaurant in lower Manhattan. Wonderful fresh breads and beautiful pastries, and an efficient and friendly staff. Great place.

But...what to do with all of that bread? Another detour, this time to a local market, where I bought far too much cheese. If that is possible.

Good cheese on good bread is one of those things that is always good, and last night was no exception. Hell, even a chunk of plain old cheddar on a piece of their sourdough is fantastic.

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Here's a Christmas cookie recipe that sounds like fun.
(Annotated slightly by Bluebell)

Neapolitan Cookies

(from Southern Living Christmas Cookies cookbook)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• red food coloring
• ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1 1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate, melted

Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loafpan with waxed paper.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; add to creamed mixture, beating just until blended.

Divide dough into thirds. Add almond extract and 5 drops red food coloring to one portion; spread mixture evenly in prepared pan. (You’ll have to pat it in there.) Add pecans to second portion; spread mixture evenly over dough in pan. Add melted chocolate to remaining portion; spread mixture evenly over dough in pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Turn dough out of pan, and remove waxed paper. Cut dough in half length-wise; cut each half crosswise into 1/8-inch slices. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight container.

Yield: 5 dozen (although I must slice them a little thinner; I usually get at about 6 dozen).

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ADDENDUM
Oh hell, I completely forgot to tell you maniacs that there will be three cookbooks given away during this thread. Hopefully Weasel will explain, but in the meantime, there are three random numbers that have been chosen, and the authors of comments that correspond to those numbers will receive a free cookbook! All you have to do is supply a mailing address to Weasel, obviously off the blog, and you will get your rare, limited edition that is sure to become a much sought after classic of culinary publishing history.
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Food and cooking tips, real Maraschino cherries, Perfectly marbled prime NY strips, good biscuits (not the crap I made for Thanksgiving) and other goodies with impressive girth: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com

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Not Just A River In Egypt

—Misanthropic Humanitarian

(The Left is still in denial)