Today's Facebook Looney

Whenever this crap shows up, I always try to post a comment that includes the question - what do you intend to do about the kids of the people you catch in your little dragnet? 

I have yet to hear from any of them.

But here's a message (to the pinch-faced prigs who think drug-testing is anything more than a way to make somebody's well-connected brother-in-law rich), from the guys who thought the 4th amendment to the US Constitution was of some importance to a free society: 

Go fuck yourselves.

Update BTW - how come we never hear from the Ammosexuals on this one? Something like - "I'm gonna avail myself of my 2nd amendment rights in order to secure my 4th amendment rights."

Can you say "Cherry-Picking"? I knew you could.

Who Are Those Guys?

Bratislav Zivkovic - leader of a Serbian militia, fighting in support of Russian troops as they fuck up Ukraine:

This guy is Fazal Hayat (aka: Fazlullah) - born in Pakistan, doing what he can to help the Taliban in Afghanistan:

Meet Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. Thomas enjoys jungle camping and the company of young boys in camo fatigues:

And bachelor #4 is lovable lug Stewart Rhodes - the founder of Oath Keepers right here at home in USAmerica Inc:

Wanna know the difference between these jagoffs?

Branding.

The Elders Will Decide

538.com:

There are plenty of reasons to be cautious of national polls that show Trump and Carson leading. They may fail to screen out casual voters, for instance, and leaders at this point in past years have eventually tanked. But perhaps the biggest reason to ditch stock in these polls is that they’re simulating a national vote that will never take place.

In reality, the GOP nominating contest will be decided by an intricate, state-by-state slog for the 2,472 delegates at stake between February and June. And thanks to the Republican National Committee’s allocation rules, the votes of “Blue Zone” Republicans — the more moderate GOP primary voters who live in Democratic-leaning states and congressional districts — could weigh more than those of more conservative voters who live in deeply red zones. Put another way: The Republican voters who will have little to no sway in the general election could have some of the most sway in the primary.

As The New York Times’ Nate Cohn astutely observed in January, Republicans in blue states hold surprising power in the GOP presidential primary process even though they are “all but extinct in Washington, since their candidates lose general elections to Democrats.” This explains why Republicans have selected relatively moderate presidential nominees while the party’s members in Congress have continued to veer right.

So, it sounds like: "Go ahead and have your little fling with Donald and Ben or whoever (it's not like we've been trying to discourage you from sowing a few wild oats), but in the end, Mommie and Daddy will call you in for supper and you'll sit politely at our table and you'll eat whatever the fuck we put in front of you."

So maybe, the reports of the GOP's demise may have been exaggerated(?) - I include myself in those doing that reporting btw.

But if that's how it plays out, how pissed are those rubes likely to be then?  Yikes.

That Might Leave A Mark

Carson will eventually fade, because his followers and devotees will magically discover they've suddenly forgotten everything they previously thought about him, and if the Press Poodles ever get around to asking, we'll hear most of them say they never even knew he was in the race at all and what was his name again...? 

There's also a small matter of his lying about applying to and then being accepted at West Point.

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The academy has occupied a central place in Carson’s tale for years. According to a story told in Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands,” the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by a “full scholarship” to the military academy.

--and--

Carson would have needed to seek admission in order to receive an offer of free education from West Point. Also, according to West Point, there is no such thing as a “full scholarship” to the military academy, as Carson represented in his book.

An application to West Point begins with a nomination by a member of Congress or another prominent government or military official. After that, a rigorous vetting process begins. If offered admission, all costs are covered for all students; indeed there are no “full scholarships,” per se.

The statement from Carson’s campaign manager on Friday went on to say: “There are ‘Service Connected’ nominations for stellar High School ROTC appointments. Again he was the top ROTC student in Detroit. I would argue strongly that an Appointment is indeed an amazing full scholarship. Having ran several Congressional Offices I am very familiar with the Nomination process.

“Again though his Senior Commander was in touch with West Point and told Dr. Carson he could get in, Dr. Carson did not seek admission.”

The concession from Carson’s campaign comes as serious questions about other points of fact in Carson’s personal narrative are questioned, including the seminal episode in which he claimed to have attempted to stab a close friend. Similarly, details have emerged that cast doubt on the nature of Carson’s encounter with one of the most prominent military men of that era.

Etch-A-Sketch me, bro. 

GIF Talent

@mtaibbi pic.twitter.com/fSezcNwSiX

— Fernando Garcia (@Senor_Fern) November 6, 2015

Today's Twittering Thingie

Gotta love the reply - "if you take this free lunch, it'll double your fundraising for the quarter".

Stopped by the Sub Station in SC. This sign must be for the dems. I know there's no such thing as a free lunch! pic.twitter.com/mhlAmYTVmH

— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) November 6, 2015

Ali Speaks

Ali was a hero for me.  It was difficult for me to hear him say these things because people around me were complaining about his politics, and I remember kinda going along with the thinking that he should just stick to boxing.  But there was (obviously) something else at work, and just as with Bill Russel and Jim Brown and Abdul-Jabbar, what I eventually came to realize was that these guys were even more amazing than I had tho't.  Because - how much greater could they have been if not for having to carry all that extra baggage?

http://deehenn.tumblr.com/post/128928717105/when-they-say-not-all-white-people

And btw, for anybody looking to turn this around and say it's a good example of "black racism" and "reverse discrimination" and "the same goes for a white guy having to face ten thousand black rattlesnakes" - that just boils down to Standard-Issue White Guilt Projection; you're voicing the fear that if you let up on him at all, the black guy would treat you just as shitty as you've been treating him, which means you're pretty much admitting to being the  bigot you're so afraid you're being accused of being. 

So try this instead - try to imagine what great things you could accomplish if you weren't having to carry all your extra baggage.  

Relaxed And Groovy

From Tiny Desk Concerts at NPR

hat tip = Little Green Footballs

Today's Gubmint Stoopid

From AP via TPM:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's reigning Teacher of the Year says she has resigned after state officials told her she's unqualified to teach in her fifth-grade classroom because of certification issues.

Veteran teacher Ann Marie Corgill said Alabama Department of Education officials recently informed her that she was not qualified despite her well-documented accomplishments. She said she grew tired of trying to prove herself, prompting her to submit a letter of resignation, dated Tuesday and obtained by Al.com. In the letter, Corgill cites her confusion.

"After 21 years of teaching in grades 1-6, I have no answers as to why this is a problem now, so instead of paying more fees, taking more tests and proving once again that I am qualified to teach, I am resigning," Corgill wrote.

Corgill has Class A and B certifications to teach primary school through third grade, according to certification records provided by The Alabama Department of Education. Corgill said she started this school year at Birmingham's Oliver Elementary School teaching second grade, but shortly after the semester began, she was moved to a fifth-grade classroom.

In a news release Thursday, the state Department of Education said it "did not determine Ms. Corgill was not qualified. However, when an inquiry was made, the department reported that her current teaching certificate covers primary grades through Grade 3. This does not carry with it a requirement for resignation."

But Corgill — a 2015 National Teacher of the Year finalist — holds National Board Certification to teach children ages 7 to 12, a group that would include most fifth-graders. That certification is valid until November 2020, according to the National Board Certification directory.

Birmingham City Schools spokeswoman Chandra Temple said Thursday that the district is working on the matter and had no further comment.

Somebody like Ms Corgill should be pulling down 6 figures, and she should be working at a school that looks like a 5-star resort.  

If we're gonna demand layers of certification and years of continuing education - pretty much the same as we demand of various other professionals - then we can sure as fuck pay them like we pay those other professionals.  Cuz, btw, where do we think all those big-deal professionals get their start?  Anybody believe they just pop up outa the ground?  No - they all started out in some version of an elementary school where a Ms Corgill takes a room filled with potential future cell block slugs and turns them into solid citizens who might give us a shot at making this joint a slightly better world to live in if we can just get our national head out of our national ass long enough to think in terms of investment instead of always falling for the bullshit of "Gubmint's too big and costs too much".

Do This Now

Right now, dammit.

And be sure to go thru their Amazon link when you start your Xmas shopping.