It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts. – Thomas Huxley
As I predicted in last week’s links column, I had a surfeit of material this week, so much so that I cut off the flow Friday and allotted the links which came in yesterday to next week’s column (which may be short again due to the Thanksgiving holiday). This week’s champ was perennial Linkfinder General Radley Balko (who contributed everything down to the first video), but five others contributed two links each: Jesse Walker (first video and the first link below it), Walter Olson (“baseball bat” and “psychotic judge”), Furry Girl (“fan death” and the one just above it), Lenore Skenazy (“zip ties” and “oak trees”) and Franklin Harris (“omnishambles” and “sphinx”). “Bird passwords” was contributed by Antonio Lorusso, “tased boy” by Thomas Larson, “d20” by Nick Tolman, “Hays code” by Cthulhuchick and the last link before the second video by Melissa Gira Grant. One more thing: most of you have probably heard that Irish doctors murdered a pregnant Indian dentist this week, but because the defenders of the law which allowed this travesty to happen have thrown up a cloud of obfuscation, here’s an explanation of what happened by regular reader Korhomme.
- Headlines of the week.
- Cops tase man for trying to put out a fire.
- Dear Jezebel: snitching to “authorities” is worse than juvenile racism.
- Journalism student suspended and threatened by university for practicing journalism.
- NOT an Onion story: Top Georgia GOP lawmakers host briefing on secret Obama mind-control plot.
- Cops kick 5’3” (161 cm) tall handcuffed, disabled man in the head, then set fire to his disabled mother.
In 28 years we’ll be able to laugh at the more extreme “trafficking” excesses as easily as we laugh at this sample of “Satanic” hysteria from a May, 1984 episode of the Today show.
- Long but interesting: “The Great New England Vampire Panic”.
- The bird that teaches secret passwords to its unhatched chicks.
- Reminder to attorneys: Don’t beat your clients with a baseball bat.
- Legislators in four more states announce bills to legalize marijuana.
- Korean fan death.
- How to escape from zip ties.
- The OED’s word of the year is the superb “omnishambles”.
- Cops pepper-spray and tase 14-year-old boy hiding under a van.
- For the D&D player who has everything: a d20 from Ptolemaic Egypt.
- I’ve often mentioned the Hays Code, but y’all might like to know what was actually in it.
- Woman demands that city chop down oak trees because her children are allergic to nuts.
- Apparently, this particular call by a radical Islamist to destroy the sphinx and pyramids is not a hoax.
- Chicago re-elects incompetent judge who is prone to psychotic episodes and currently suspended due to being charged with criminal battery.
- “The FBI…devoted substantial resources [and] engaged in highly invasive surveillance…to…find out who was very mildly harassing [a friend of one of its agents] by email.”
Rachel Bloom (the “Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury” girl) has a new video:
- As above, so below: “The sun…had a companion…that tipped the solar nebula…then fled the scene after the planets arose.”
- Only in a sick, puritanical culture could giving in to begging be classified as “felony assault”.
- This woman really needs to read and understand my column “Honored in the Breach”.
- FBI agents smash into house and shoot at teenage girl for no apparent reason.
- How to remove yourself from “people search” websites.
- I’ve always found rogue planets fascinating.
On this “Obama Mind Control” thing … Man, Conservatives have totally flipped out. It may be that not many of them think he has “jedi-like” mind control powers – but MANY now do believe the man is capable of conspiracies that involve hundreds of people. A sect out there even believes the election was “stolen”. And I don’t know how many Conservatives have said to me … “Hope David Petraeus has a lot of life insurance!” LMFAO!!
Not to let the libbies off though – they were equally weird in their reactions to the Bush win in 2004.
Hey people – it mattered not a nary bit who won this election. We should be happy that the better looking crash test dummy won and call it good.
But, But, BushHitler!
RE: Satanic Toaster
“It seems to be aware”. That’s the line that got me.
Also, the embedded video window, after Satanic Toaster is done playing, has the option to play Best of Just for Laughs Gags – Best Sexy Pranks, which is quite funny.
The line that really got me, though was;
“So, why do you keep the toaster around?”
“Well, in the end, it makes good toast.”
LMFAO
Satan loves his toast.
😉 – Well Satan burns so many calories he doesn’t have to worry about it going to his belly 😉
RE: Tasered for trying to put out fire.
From Bay New 9
Police said they can sympathize with the stress Jensen, a 42-year-old commercial fisherman, was under. But they said he put himself and officers in danger when he refused to back down from fighting the fire.
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2012/11/13/pinellas_park_man_sa.html
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Miami Herald
Pinellas Park Capt. Sanfield Forseth said although Dan Jensen wasn’t physically fighting officers, they feared for his safety – and their own.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/13/3094917_florida-man-describes-being-shot.html
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WTPS 10 news
Captain Forseth with the Pinellas Park Police Department said they exhausted all other options, and that their goal was to keep Daniel and the officers safe from the fire.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/282431/8/Pinellas-Park-man-tasered-by-police-calls-it-brutal
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
( Police have no duty to protect individuals ) Google that phrase, you will find the police have no duty to protect you, so their claim of saving Dan is b/s.
Yup,
Officer’s “Fearing for their safety” is the after action equivalent of “Stop Resisting” as they kick and punch the handcuffed citizen on video.
Maggie,
Greenwald makes a good point. Too bad it is too far over the head of hoi polloi types. You know, vox pop and all that.
India Knight has written a far more eloquent column in today’s Sunday Times about Savita than I ever could. Sadly, it’s behind a paywall.
Sorry Maggie, maybe I am too puritanical but I have some issues with a 38 year old married woman having sex with a 16 year old student. I don’t think it should be felony assault but her husband should divorce her and she should lose her job.
If her husband were my friend, I would support his decision to divorce her, and I would also say that a school has the right to make rules against fraternization between teachers and students. However, that’s a far different thing from criminalization of nonviolent, non-coercive behavior, infantilization of young adults and promotion of the myth that sex is innately harmful.
I lost my virginity when I was 16 or 17 to a 35 yo divorcee. She knew I was a big gentle kid but she could see I was frustrated. I really thank God for her. Most of my friends have awkward tales of their first time.
Mine was not awkward. She explained everything to me. She told me I’d be “quick” the first time and just let it happen and don’t worry. Then she told me the “real fun” was about to begin.
She’s one of the most loved people of my entire life. I would do anything for her to this day.
Not quite the same situation. This woman was married and this hurt her husband. The kid was a student and she was a teacher. I don’t really buy the “begging” angle. A 38 year old married teacher should know better.
Still think felony assault is too much. That should be reserved for violent crimes.
Not everything wrong is criminal, but our society increasingly pretends that it is. My upcoming column of December 5th examines the serious problems this creates.
I’ll agree with that. Not all consequences should be imposed by the state.
Trying to legislate morality is dangerous.
I do think there is a point where adults having sex with children should be a crime. I don’t think 16 is it. I’m sure 6 should be. People are different, the age would probably be different for each individual. Problem is that laws are one size fits all.
I’m with Maggie on this one. A woman having sex with a boy is simply not capable of hurting him, and the law should reflect that. Now if she found a way to penetrate him, that would be different.
Not all harm to others is physical.
Strictly speaking, you’re right, it’s not. However, the notion of psych{ic|ological} harm has been so abused that we’d all be better off if the law, on all levels, stopped recognizing its existence.
If fan death were real, my eldest nephew would not only be dead, but reincarnated and dead again many times over. He’s alive and well.
When I was fourteen, I escaped from a pair of steel handcuffs. It was a long and arduous process, no Houdini me, and I wouldn’t’ve been able to do it if there had been anybody around trying to stop me. I did however win five bucks.