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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #5: Power Of The Dark Side Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #5: Power Of The Dark Side Edition
Welcome back to the top 10 Conservative Idiots! To recap last week – it was a very Trump heavy edition. But that doesn't matter because the biggest movie of arguably this or any decade is just hours from being released to the theaters. Alvin & The Chipmunks: Road Chip. I kid, I kid. I'm of course talking about Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!). Yes the movie is finally here and to celebrate TTCI is going full Dark Side, and on Saturday we'll counter balance with a Light Side edition (or not, this group might prove that there is no conservative light side). Just in case this gets too dark for ya! Before we begin I'd like to start with this Star Wars – Donald Trump mashup that hit Youtube last week and it very perfectly captures the madness that is the Donald Trump campaign:
So where do we begin this week? Let's start with
[font size="8"]Emperor Palpatine[/font]
To kick things off on this Dark Side edition, can I get some Imperial March? Can I get a taste of that?
So to begin with, the GOP's very own version of Emperor Palpatine, Antonin Scalia was caught with his racist pants, er, robe down. In the last edition, I reported that thanks to Donald Trump, white spremacism has been enjoying an unprecedented surge in popularity. So much that even our supreme court justices – the very people who get lifetime appointments to judge the supreme laws of the land – aren't even trying to hide their racism anymore.
"There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well.
One of the briefs pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don't come from schools like the University of Texas.
They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they're being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them."
He went on to say, "I'm just not impressed by the fact the University of Texas may have fewer . Maybe it ought to have fewer. I don't think it stands to reason that it's a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/justice-scalia-suggests-blacks-belong-slower-colleges-fisher-university-texas
One of the briefs pointed out that most of the black scientists in this country don't come from schools like the University of Texas.
They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they're being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them."
He went on to say, "I'm just not impressed by the fact the University of Texas may have fewer . Maybe it ought to have fewer. I don't think it stands to reason that it's a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible."
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/12/justice-scalia-suggests-blacks-belong-slower-colleges-fisher-university-texas
Yes, that is Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia making the case against affirmative action by saying some incredibly racist shit.
[font size="8"]Montgomery Sheriff's Department[/font]
Montgomery, Ohio – it's a suburb of Cincinatti, and adjacent to Covington, where a large, life size replica of Noah's Ark is being constructed. Yes, someone is actually making a life size replica of Noah's fucking Ark. There was a hilarious bit on Reno 911, where the cops are called to the scene of a hate crime reported by the KKK. But in this case, there's a not so hilarious twist – the cops are the fucking KKK (warning: incredibly offensive language in this story).
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department revealed this week that five deputies were under investigation for allegedly sending racist text messages while on duty.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sheriff Phil Plummer said that two of the five deputies — Sheriff’s Capt. Thomas J. Flanders and Detective Michael J. Sollenberger — had been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave starting on Dec. 1.
According to WDTN, Flanders is in charge of the Montgomery County Jail, and Sollenberger works with the internal affairs unit and is a member of the SWAT team. The three other deputies had not been identified by name, and had not been suspended.
Sheriff Plummer said that the deputies sent racial messages on their personal phones between November 2011 and January 2013. Some messages were sent while the men were on duty, and some messages were directed at African-American deputies, he said.
http://www.rawstory.com/2014/12/i-hate-nggers-that-is-all-5-ohio-deputies-probed-for-years-of-racist-text-messages/
In a statement on Tuesday, Sheriff Phil Plummer said that two of the five deputies — Sheriff’s Capt. Thomas J. Flanders and Detective Michael J. Sollenberger — had been placed on indefinite paid administrative leave starting on Dec. 1.
According to WDTN, Flanders is in charge of the Montgomery County Jail, and Sollenberger works with the internal affairs unit and is a member of the SWAT team. The three other deputies had not been identified by name, and had not been suspended.
Sheriff Plummer said that the deputies sent racial messages on their personal phones between November 2011 and January 2013. Some messages were sent while the men were on duty, and some messages were directed at African-American deputies, he said.
http://www.rawstory.com/2014/12/i-hate-nggers-that-is-all-5-ohio-deputies-probed-for-years-of-racist-text-messages/
So that's the Sheriff's Department with a long list of racist text messages that go all the way back to 2011. When they get fired they had better have backup plans or they might find some nice company behind bars.
[font size="8"]Darth Trump[/font]
Last edition was the all Trump edition, but I'll save you the pain of another one with this hilarious twist of fate. It appears that the Donald has been completely banned from Scotland. This is not a joke.
LONDON -- An unrepentant Donald Trump responded Thursday to the backlash in the U.K. over his controversial statements on Muslims by saying that British politicians should be grateful that he has stated “what needed to be said.”
Writing in the Press and Journal, one of Scotland’s oldest newspapers, the leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate accused them of pandering to political correctness when instead they “should be thanking me.”
Trump has faced widespread outrage in the U.K. -- and indeed around the world -- over his calls for a complete ban on Muslims entering the United States. But while Trump has only doubled down since first making his incendiary remarks, he did appear to be put off by the reaction from Scotland.
On Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon dropped him as a business ambassador, revoking his membership in the GlobalScot business network. The Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen also stripped the billionaire developer of his honorary degree for statements it said were “wholly incompatible” with the values of the university.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/10/scotland-cuts-ties-with-donald-trump-he-says-it-should-be-thanking-me-instead/
Writing in the Press and Journal, one of Scotland’s oldest newspapers, the leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate accused them of pandering to political correctness when instead they “should be thanking me.”
Trump has faced widespread outrage in the U.K. -- and indeed around the world -- over his calls for a complete ban on Muslims entering the United States. But while Trump has only doubled down since first making his incendiary remarks, he did appear to be put off by the reaction from Scotland.
On Wednesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon dropped him as a business ambassador, revoking his membership in the GlobalScot business network. The Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen also stripped the billionaire developer of his honorary degree for statements it said were “wholly incompatible” with the values of the university.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/10/scotland-cuts-ties-with-donald-trump-he-says-it-should-be-thanking-me-instead/
I'll say this in the best Trump impression that I can: “Scotland are a bunch of stupid losers. I buy and sell countries like this before I have my first cup of coffee in the morning. And that's because I am very smart and very rich. The beauty of me is that I'm very rich.”
I love this graphic that just surfaced though of Donald Trump getting attacked by America's bird - the bald eagle. I could watch this all day!
And in even stranger Donald news, he revealed the secret to his hair - water regulations are for losers!
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump says water regulations are making it difficult for him to keep his famed mane clean.
Asked about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Waters of the United States” rule at a campaign event in Aiken, S.C., on Saturday, Trump said it significantly impairs his ability to rinse, lather and repeat.
“I’ll give you one regulation,” Trump said. “So I build, and I build a lot of stuff. And I go into areas where they have tremendous water. … And you have sinks where the water doesn’t come out.
“You have showers where I can’t wash my hair properly,” he added. “It’s a disaster.
“It’s true. They have restrictors put in. The problem is you stay under the shower for five times as long."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/263048-trump-i-cant-wash-my-hair-properly-because-of-water-regs
Asked about the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Waters of the United States” rule at a campaign event in Aiken, S.C., on Saturday, Trump said it significantly impairs his ability to rinse, lather and repeat.
“I’ll give you one regulation,” Trump said. “So I build, and I build a lot of stuff. And I go into areas where they have tremendous water. … And you have sinks where the water doesn’t come out.
“You have showers where I can’t wash my hair properly,” he added. “It’s a disaster.
“It’s true. They have restrictors put in. The problem is you stay under the shower for five times as long."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/263048-trump-i-cant-wash-my-hair-properly-because-of-water-regs
Although I do have to give a shout out to the Philadelphia Daily News, who nails it:
Meanwhile, CBS President Les Moonves wants all Trump, all the time because... money. And a Nazi salute at a Trump rally in Vegas nearly starts a riot (I'll delve more into that in Saturday's edition). And that's how America ended.
[font size="8"]Bill Cosby[/font]
Wow, I get to use just about every icon there is for this one don't I? Well there's a reason for that is
). It's truly disgusting what happened and it feels like an eternity since Hannibal Buress posted the original message on his Twitter feed that sparked all the outrage way back when. There's now been over 45 women who have accused Cosby of rape. And that's a lot of fucking accusations. And a lot of fucking accusations (different emphasis... ). I kid, I kid. But there's no joke as to the seriousness of what Cosby is facing. And what's a frustrated Cosby to do? Well you sue seven of the women who are your accusers.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2015/12/14/bill-cosby-countersues-accusers-in-massachusetts/77298438/
Bill Cosby is claiming defamation in a lawsuit filed Monday against seven of his accusers.
"Mr. Cosby states plainly that he neither drugged no sexually assaulted the defendants and that each defendant has maliciously and knowingly published multiple false statements and accusations from Fall 2014 through the current day in an effort to cause damage to Mr. Cosby's reputation and to extract financial gains," Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, tells USA TODAY in a statement.
The suit, filed in federal court, is aimed at Massachusetts accusers Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. The lawyer's statement adds that the "false...opportunistic" allegations have caused Cosby to suffer loss of jobs and "mortification."
Cosby's defamation suit against the seven women comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts refused to throw out their suit against him in October.
"This was expected," says attorney Joseph Cammarata, who represents the seven women named in the Massachusetts suit. "It’s a page out of a defense lawyer’s playbook. It’s curious to me how there can be scores of other ladies who have come out, and yet Mr. Cosby has singled out seven of them to bring a claim against. It’s seems a bit retaliatory to me.”
Bill Cosby is claiming defamation in a lawsuit filed Monday against seven of his accusers.
"Mr. Cosby states plainly that he neither drugged no sexually assaulted the defendants and that each defendant has maliciously and knowingly published multiple false statements and accusations from Fall 2014 through the current day in an effort to cause damage to Mr. Cosby's reputation and to extract financial gains," Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, tells USA TODAY in a statement.
The suit, filed in federal court, is aimed at Massachusetts accusers Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. The lawyer's statement adds that the "false...opportunistic" allegations have caused Cosby to suffer loss of jobs and "mortification."
Cosby's defamation suit against the seven women comes after a federal judge in Massachusetts refused to throw out their suit against him in October.
"This was expected," says attorney Joseph Cammarata, who represents the seven women named in the Massachusetts suit. "It’s a page out of a defense lawyer’s playbook. It’s curious to me how there can be scores of other ladies who have come out, and yet Mr. Cosby has singled out seven of them to bring a claim against. It’s seems a bit retaliatory to me.”
You know I'm no Vegas statistician, but I would be willing to bet some extremely good odds that this won't end well. There will be plenty of Jello pudding pops for Mr. Cosby to eat during his forthcoming tenure in prison.
[font size="8"]Ted Cruz[/font]
When one thinks of the best ways to save the environment, consulting an AM hate radio host probably is not the best way to go about doing things. And that's exactly what Ted Cruz did. During a recent climate change summit at Capitol Hill, Ted Cruz invited author Mark Steyn to testify on behalf of anti-climate change "science". Here, he went on an absolutely insane two minute rant where he called "low laying islands" like the island nation of Maldives irrelevant, and saying that everyone who lives in the Maldives should "move to that town in Belgium that produced the Paris terrorists." Because you know, all the practitioners of the religion of Sunni Muslim will blow the shit out of you. You cannot make this stuff up no matter how hard you try, and believe me, I have. Yes, these are the types of things I think about when I'm home alone and the power goes out.
Steyn did not embellish on why the religion of Maldive Islanders — who are predominantly Sunni Muslim — was relevant, but it is worth nothing that the United States is currently undergoing a significant rise in Islamophobia, following the Parisian attack by ISIS and a mass shooting in Southern California by a reportedly self-radicalized Muslim couple. Cruz’s fellow Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has called for a complete ban on Muslims entering the United States. (Cruz commended Trump for bringing the issue up.)
The rise of the Islamic State has been tied to a drought in Syria thought to be related to climate change. And national security professionals have repeatedly said that climate change poses a significant threat. A Pentagon report specifically tied rising seas and increased extreme weather to security.
. . . . .
Steyn, who does not have any national security experience or qualifications, took the complete opposite position at the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness hearing Tuesday, calling climate change a “cloud-cuckoo, fantasy-land, saving-the-planet type” concern. “I can’t tell you how absurd it is to be talking about the security threat ,” Steyn said. He then went on to talk about how the growing population of West Africa was a greater threat to international stability. “All those people are just going to get on a boat and walk into Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the idea that climate change is that is absolutely trivial to the remorselessness of those numbers.”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/09/3729959/mark-steyn-said-some-weird-things-at-this-hearing/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tptop3&utm_term=1&utm_content=1&elq=f1cc95bf2d0549cfa5ecc31835759c01&elqCampaignId=4585&elqaid=28450&elqat=1&elqTrackId=cb8950fbb3164c6ea768734ff04649db
The rise of the Islamic State has been tied to a drought in Syria thought to be related to climate change. And national security professionals have repeatedly said that climate change poses a significant threat. A Pentagon report specifically tied rising seas and increased extreme weather to security.
. . . . .
Steyn, who does not have any national security experience or qualifications, took the complete opposite position at the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness hearing Tuesday, calling climate change a “cloud-cuckoo, fantasy-land, saving-the-planet type” concern. “I can’t tell you how absurd it is to be talking about the security threat ,” Steyn said. He then went on to talk about how the growing population of West Africa was a greater threat to international stability. “All those people are just going to get on a boat and walk into Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the idea that climate change is that is absolutely trivial to the remorselessness of those numbers.”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/12/09/3729959/mark-steyn-said-some-weird-things-at-this-hearing/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tptop3&utm_term=1&utm_content=1&elq=f1cc95bf2d0549cfa5ecc31835759c01&elqCampaignId=4585&elqaid=28450&elqat=1&elqTrackId=cb8950fbb3164c6ea768734ff04649db
So we shouldn't study climate change in the Maldives because they are the same as the Belgian terrorists who blow shit up. That kind of hatred is jaw droppingly ignorant and it's a damn shame that Ted Cruz brought that kind of ignorance and nonsense to the Capitol. Really how is this guy still running? And how is he gaining in the polls?
[font size="8"]Liberty University[/font]
In Idiots #3, you may recall that after the terror attacks in San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, and the Bataclan in Paris, Jerry Falwell Jr. went on an absolutely insane pro gun rant during a mandatory assembly that they call "convocation" that urged students to sign up for the benefits provided by the campus concealed carry program. Because you know, you want to be the good guy with a gun in this situation. Well guess what - Liberty University just created a campus where you're more likely to get shot at any time because the board of directors, which includes Falwell, voted to allow guns on campus. Because... protection.
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said Wednesday the university will overturn its policy prohibiting concealed firearms in residence halls.
The school’s current weapons policy allows students, faculty and staff with concealed-carry permits and approval from the Liberty University Police Department to carry concealed guns on campus, except in dorms.
The decision to eliminate these “weapon-free” zones came after Falwell urged eligible students to get their concealed-carry permits during Friday’s convocation.
The school’s executive board supports the decision unanimously, Falwell said in a phone interview, though it hasn't voted on it.
This has been a breaking news update.
Read more: http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/falwell-liberty-university-to-allow-guns-in-dorms/article_6e29bcd6-9eb3-11e5-b613-d32e81240352.html
The school’s current weapons policy allows students, faculty and staff with concealed-carry permits and approval from the Liberty University Police Department to carry concealed guns on campus, except in dorms.
The decision to eliminate these “weapon-free” zones came after Falwell urged eligible students to get their concealed-carry permits during Friday’s convocation.
The school’s executive board supports the decision unanimously, Falwell said in a phone interview, though it hasn't voted on it.
This has been a breaking news update.
Read more: http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/falwell-liberty-university-to-allow-guns-in-dorms/article_6e29bcd6-9eb3-11e5-b613-d32e81240352.html
Yes the solution to America's gun crisis is to throw more guns at the problem. It's like saying that the solution to your weight loss lies at a five plate binge session at the Golden Corral. Go on, look for it it's there. Meanwhile an SF Gate columnist posted this damning piece on America's gun problem:
Guns are America’s greatest shame. A numb, unquestioned fetish for ultra-violence combined with a warped conviction that gun ownership somehow equals freedom, or safety, or that it represents a desirable, even honorable form of God-sanctioned patriotism (it is none of those) – this is our greatest sickness.
I’m not saying anything new. You have but to witness, once again, the numbing wave of moral desolation and powerlessness that sweeps over the land as we’re confronted, day in and day out, with evermore murderous, devastating headlines too savage, too inhuman to contemplate – roomfuls of dead schoolchildren, rows of massacred churchgoers, butchered holiday partygoers, dead moviegoers and bloodied college students, countless women (wives and girlfriends and mothers) shot to death by countless wrathful, contorted males.
Still, we panic. Still we conflate safety with violence, peace with paranoia. America enjoyed record gun sales on this past Black Friday; the FBI recorded the single highest number of newly registered firearms, more than 185,000, since records have been kept. There will soon be a 24-hour home shopping TV channel, Gun TV, dedicated solely to direct sales of firearms to Americans. In the days following the massacre of schoolchildren at Sandy Hook Elementary, sales of bullets in America skyrocketed. The fire is raging, and everyone is buying more gasoline.
Meanwhile, the facts keep ripping us apart, numbing us to the core: 2015 has seen more mass shootings (defined, unofficially, as four or more people shot in any kind of scenario) than we’ve had calendar days. Not good enough? How about this: More people have been killed by guns in America (nearly 1.4 million) than all our wars since 1776, combined
.
http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2015/12/04/can-anything-stop-americas-savage-gun-epidemic/
I’m not saying anything new. You have but to witness, once again, the numbing wave of moral desolation and powerlessness that sweeps over the land as we’re confronted, day in and day out, with evermore murderous, devastating headlines too savage, too inhuman to contemplate – roomfuls of dead schoolchildren, rows of massacred churchgoers, butchered holiday partygoers, dead moviegoers and bloodied college students, countless women (wives and girlfriends and mothers) shot to death by countless wrathful, contorted males.
Still, we panic. Still we conflate safety with violence, peace with paranoia. America enjoyed record gun sales on this past Black Friday; the FBI recorded the single highest number of newly registered firearms, more than 185,000, since records have been kept. There will soon be a 24-hour home shopping TV channel, Gun TV, dedicated solely to direct sales of firearms to Americans. In the days following the massacre of schoolchildren at Sandy Hook Elementary, sales of bullets in America skyrocketed. The fire is raging, and everyone is buying more gasoline.
Meanwhile, the facts keep ripping us apart, numbing us to the core: 2015 has seen more mass shootings (defined, unofficially, as four or more people shot in any kind of scenario) than we’ve had calendar days. Not good enough? How about this: More people have been killed by guns in America (nearly 1.4 million) than all our wars since 1776, combined
.
http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2015/12/04/can-anything-stop-americas-savage-gun-epidemic/
Yes once again throw guns at everything. Good idea!
[font size="8"]Carson Newman University[/font]
So this next story raises a lot of questions. Like mainly "Who the fuck is Carson Newman University"? In the universe of bat shit crazy religious schools like Regent, and Bob Jones, and Liberty, well they're an uber religious Title II school based in Knoxville, Tennessee. And they're not only fighting for Title XI tax exemption - the same enjoyed by religious institutions all over the United States, they're also fighting for their right to legally discriminate against LGBT citizens and well, anyone they damn well please. Which is exactly what Christ would do.
JEFFERSON CITY (WATE) – Carson-Newman University has received a waiver from the federal government, exempting the university from some sex discrimination rules. The university applied for Title IX exemption in May. Title IX states no one can be discriminated against in the U.S. on the basis of sex under any education program receiving federal aid and is probably best known for expanding women’s sports in the 1970s.
In a letter Carson-Newman President Dr. J Randall O’Brien sent to the U.S. Department of Education, he asked for the exemption because Title IX isn’t consistent with the school’s religious principles.
There is concern that the exemption technically allows the university to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity (including transgender status), sex outside of marriage, pregnancy and abortion. Dr. O’Brien said, though, that while those are listed in his letter, the letter was actually just a template from the university’s legal counsel, Jim Guenther, which was also given to several other universities that also filed for exemption.
http://wate.com/2015/12/11/carson-newman-university-gets-title-ix-exemption/
In a letter Carson-Newman President Dr. J Randall O’Brien sent to the U.S. Department of Education, he asked for the exemption because Title IX isn’t consistent with the school’s religious principles.
There is concern that the exemption technically allows the university to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity (including transgender status), sex outside of marriage, pregnancy and abortion. Dr. O’Brien said, though, that while those are listed in his letter, the letter was actually just a template from the university’s legal counsel, Jim Guenther, which was also given to several other universities that also filed for exemption.
http://wate.com/2015/12/11/carson-newman-university-gets-title-ix-exemption/
Yes. Be afraid, my fair LGBT DUers. Be very very afraid. The Title XI exemption applies to every school and religious institute in the country - and there are no exemptions to this rule currently. What CNU is planning to do is fight for the write to overwrite that exemption which will allow discrimination against anybody that they damn well please, and they especially targeted the transgender community. And this could have some exceptionally damning consequences should this case make it all the way to SCOTUS.
A Tennessee university has been granted the right by the federal government to ban students who go against their interpretation of Christianity.
Carson-Newman University President Dr. Randall O’Brien told WVLT that he had filed for a Title IX exemption from the federal government because his attorney recommended it.
The waiver allows the school to ban pregnant students, women who have had an abortion, single mothers, LGBT students and anyone else who does not fit their religious ideology.
http://www.alternet.org/education/tenn-school-wins-right-ban-gays-and-women-whove-had-sex-who-we-are
Yes this is who they are - disgusting religious bigots. And Dr. O'Brien said that he applied for Title IX because "his lawyer told him to". How is this not the shadiest fucking school in the country and how have they not been investigated by the IRS? And what self respecting student would go there after this?
[font size="8"]Wayne Rosen [/font]
The Democrats' mantra is a simple one: "give and get back". The republican's mantra might as well be that of Chris Pratt's Star Lord character from "Guardians Of The Galaxy" and that is "steal from everybody". So we're five issues into the new Top 10 Conservative Idiots. And no mention of the queen of conservative greed (and extremely dull, uninteresting long monologues about American capitalism), Ayn Rand, has surfaced yet. Well here ya go. From the "What Would Ayn Rand Do?" file, we go to Homestead Florida. And yes only in Florida could they produce the greediest of the greedy, because as Tracy Jordan called the state "America's penis". And well, here's a move that will make you absolutely cringe because this is a colossal dick move.
HOMESTEAD GIVES $3.5 MILLION IN ANTI-POVERTY FUNDS TO GOLF COURSE DEVELOPER
Wayne Rosen does not fit the bill of a low-income individual living in a blighted community. In fact, he's the wealthy owner of Shores Development, one of the biggest homebuilders in southwest Dade. Rosen himself lives in a $3 million Coral Gables mansion and enjoys showering political allies with donations and even — in one case that spurred an ethics investigation that went nowhere — a Mercedes sold at a discount rate.
So Rosen is an odd candidate to receive millions of dollars in federal funds meant to help distressed communities. Especially when you consider what he plans to do with that cash: Namely, to renovate a golf course in the middle of a neighborhood he helped to build.
Yet Homestead city commissioners decided that was the perfect use for $3.5 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They voted 4-2 last night to hand the money to Rosen — who just happens to be a major campaign funder for most of the politicians on the panel.
Of course, the feds will still have to sign off on the plan, which may be a tougher sell outside of a city commission where the developer and his companies dropped $45,000 on four sitting politicians in the last election cycle. (One of whom, Jon Burgess, voted against the plan last night, in fairness).
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/homestead-gives-35-million-in-anti-poverty-funds-to-golf-course-developer-8102862
Wayne Rosen does not fit the bill of a low-income individual living in a blighted community. In fact, he's the wealthy owner of Shores Development, one of the biggest homebuilders in southwest Dade. Rosen himself lives in a $3 million Coral Gables mansion and enjoys showering political allies with donations and even — in one case that spurred an ethics investigation that went nowhere — a Mercedes sold at a discount rate.
So Rosen is an odd candidate to receive millions of dollars in federal funds meant to help distressed communities. Especially when you consider what he plans to do with that cash: Namely, to renovate a golf course in the middle of a neighborhood he helped to build.
Yet Homestead city commissioners decided that was the perfect use for $3.5 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They voted 4-2 last night to hand the money to Rosen — who just happens to be a major campaign funder for most of the politicians on the panel.
Of course, the feds will still have to sign off on the plan, which may be a tougher sell outside of a city commission where the developer and his companies dropped $45,000 on four sitting politicians in the last election cycle. (One of whom, Jon Burgess, voted against the plan last night, in fairness).
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/homestead-gives-35-million-in-anti-poverty-funds-to-golf-course-developer-8102862
So... give a $45,000 donation, get $3.5 million assigned to help distressed communities in return. Nice return on investment, but it's a colossal dick move. It's the circle of greed and it fucks us all!
[font size="8"]Elizabeth Hasslebeck [/font]
"Your child has been shot" is probably the absolute worst sentence in the world for any parent to hear. And it's a sad reality in America that this happens on a daily basis. No child's death by gun shot is acceptable whether it's intentional or accidental, and there's a lot of both. But thankfully we can prepare children to handle life or death situations. And while you can't stop a guy with a gun in any situation, you can still survive a terror attack or a mass shootiing. But as Michael Weston said in Burn Notice: "No matter what the situation, a guy with a gun is a guy with a gun.". And that rings true in most situations. But there's one person in the entire world who should not be teaching gun survival class, and that's Elizabeth Hasslebeck. Wonkette explains:
Did we not just finish yelling at Elisabeth “Shouldn’t You Be Leaving Now?” Hasselbeck for doing something stupid on the “Fox & Friends” television program? Yes, yes we did. But apparently she wasn’t done, because during that same broadcast, Captain Brain Squad invited krav maga instructors on to show kids how to run headlong into gunfire and beat up active shooters who have, you know, big guns.
Because really, kids, you wanna get made fun of in gym class for being a pussy who hides? Hasselbeck notes, “In an active shooter situation, five seconds can mean the difference between life and death. But there are some things that you can do, and your children can do, to make a difference.”
1:30: Young krav maga children explain they have drills at school where they learn how to hide and protect themselves, which, as Media Matters sexplains, is what you are SUPPOSED to do:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has specific guidelines on how to act when one’s life is threatened in a shooting situation. The first objective is to evacuate, and if you cannot evacuate, objective two is to find a hiding place: “If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you.”
Sounds like that’s based on tried and true facts, so it’s probably a liberal conspiracy.
2:00: Fuck that noise, Hasselbeck wants a lesson in Bum-rushing Shooters, For Kids!
2:30: Completely serious demonstration of how a child can just come up behind a shooter and disarm him (OR HER, as we are A Ally) in two seconds.
Read more at http://wonkette.com/596794/fox-news-teaches-kids-how-to-run-toward-gunfire-what-could-go-wrong#0TI0m8SFdOq6m8YW.99
Because really, kids, you wanna get made fun of in gym class for being a pussy who hides? Hasselbeck notes, “In an active shooter situation, five seconds can mean the difference between life and death. But there are some things that you can do, and your children can do, to make a difference.”
1:30: Young krav maga children explain they have drills at school where they learn how to hide and protect themselves, which, as Media Matters sexplains, is what you are SUPPOSED to do:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has specific guidelines on how to act when one’s life is threatened in a shooting situation. The first objective is to evacuate, and if you cannot evacuate, objective two is to find a hiding place: “If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you.”
Sounds like that’s based on tried and true facts, so it’s probably a liberal conspiracy.
2:00: Fuck that noise, Hasselbeck wants a lesson in Bum-rushing Shooters, For Kids!
2:30: Completely serious demonstration of how a child can just come up behind a shooter and disarm him (OR HER, as we are A Ally) in two seconds.
Read more at http://wonkette.com/596794/fox-news-teaches-kids-how-to-run-toward-gunfire-what-could-go-wrong#0TI0m8SFdOq6m8YW.99
Yes teach your children to run toward gunfire and take the gun out of the shooter's hand, Jackie Chan style. That's like saying "Oh yes ignore the "do not attempt" warnings at the bottom of advertisements featuring extreme sports and jump a car off a ramp onto a high speed train. Go on, try it." God damn it.
[font size="8"]Good Guys With Guns[/font]
Gather around, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, LGBT and gender non conformers (don't want to forget anybody!) ! Let me tell you a tale of what happens when a "Good Guy With A Gun" takes matters into their own hands. The National Rifle Association. Making death and destruction fun and profitable since 1871. After the shooting in Sandy Hook and Aurora, Colorado, you may recall that Wayne La Pierre stated at the NRA convention that year that "good guys with guns" should always be present in the event a bad guy with a gun starts killing anything that moves. That's where this new feature comes in. Every time that the National Rifle Association tries to justify a mass shooting, I'll come back with a story about what happens when a "good guy with a gun" takes matters into their own hands. Because... go fuck yourselves with a rusty spoon, NRA! So with that in mind, we go to Michigan. Meet Tatiana Duva Rodriguez, who was merely exercising her second amendment right and opened fire on two men who were attempting to rob a grocery store. And this is my favorite part - she says "I was only trying to help!" That is the last phrase you want to utter after discharging live ammunition!
A Michigan woman complained after her sentencing that she was only trying to help when she opened fire at a pair of fleeing shoplifting suspects.
Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez pleaded no contest shortly after the October shooting to reckless discharge of a firearm, and she was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months of probation.
Her concealed carry permit was also revoked until 2023.
The 46-year-old Duva-Rodriguez said she opened fire on the getaway car in a Home Depot parking lot in Auburn Hills after she heard a scream and feared the incident was worse than a theft.
“I made a decision in a split second,” she told the sentencing judge. “Maybe it was not the right one, but I was trying to help.”
Neither shoplifting suspect was wounded, although a gunshot flattened one of their tires, and both men were later arrested.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/michigan-woman-pouts-after-losing-gun-permit-for-shooting-at-shoplifters-i-will-never-help-anybody-again/
Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez pleaded no contest shortly after the October shooting to reckless discharge of a firearm, and she was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months of probation.
Her concealed carry permit was also revoked until 2023.
The 46-year-old Duva-Rodriguez said she opened fire on the getaway car in a Home Depot parking lot in Auburn Hills after she heard a scream and feared the incident was worse than a theft.
“I made a decision in a split second,” she told the sentencing judge. “Maybe it was not the right one, but I was trying to help.”
Neither shoplifting suspect was wounded, although a gunshot flattened one of their tires, and both men were later arrested.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/michigan-woman-pouts-after-losing-gun-permit-for-shooting-at-shoplifters-i-will-never-help-anybody-again/
So to recap gun nut logic - everyone must have a gun. There must always be good guys with guns in every situation because you don't know when a bad guy with a gun will start killing anything that moves. But when a good guy (or woman in this case) with a gun tries to use the weapon for its' intended purpose, you get arrested and get your permit revoked for ten fucking years. Isn't it great? USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!
See you next week!
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I bow before your greatness! 
And man there is some serious shit going down! 