Initech

Initech's Journal

July 29, 2016

Dumb Criminals: Georgia Man Spends 3 Million Lottery Winnings On Meth

The question of whether to take the annuity or the lump sum for a lottery winner is an important one. Each has its advantages: The annuity guarantees moderation and the lump sum can maximize total windfall thanks to investing.

But one man in Georgia has gone down a unique path that involved neither squandering on toys or success in the stock market. Instead, Ronnie Music Jr. took his $3 million dollar check from the Georgia Lottery and decided to invest in methamphetamine, federal prosecutors say. In terms of an investment, the New York Times called his business “thriving,” but after being caught with over $1 million worth of guns, drugs, and vehicles, Mr. Music is now facing amused contempt and jail time from justice department.

“Defendant Music decided to test his luck by sinking millions of dollars of lottery winnings into the purchase and sale of crystal meth,” US Attorney Ed Tarver said in a statement. “As a result of his unsound investment strategy, Music now faces decades in a federal prison.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/after-a-dollar3-million-lottery-win-man-decides-to-invest-in-meth/ar-BBuZJMg?li=BBnbfcL

Florida Man's cousin?

July 29, 2016

AFA's "One Million Moms" Angry At Nickelodeon Over... You Guessed It...

The Christian watchdog group One Million Moms is alerting all parents on Nickelodeon's animated show "The Loud House," since it featured a married same-sex couple in the episode "Overnight Success," which was aired on July 20.

One Million Moms thinks it's unfortunate how children are now being exposed to same-sex marriage on a network that is designed just for kids.

"Just because something may be legal or because some are choosing a lifestyle doesn't make it morally correct. Nickelodeon should stick to entertaining instead of pushing an agenda. Nickelodeon has decided to be politically correct instead of providing family-friendly programming," the group writes on its website.

Kids face dangers when they are exposed to same-sex marriages this early. One Million Moms says Nickelodeon is forcing "a premature discussion on sexual orientation that is completely uncalled for."

The group hopes conservative families would press Nickelodeon to avoid controversial topics that are beyond children's comprehension, and stick to wholesome entertainment.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/one.million.moms.raps.nickelodeon.for.featuring.same.sex.couple.on.the.loud.house.animated.show.for.kids/91578.htm

I would like to tell the AFA and their group "~~One Million Moms~~ 17 Angry Guys On Laptops" where they can shove their "morals"...

July 27, 2016

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #37: Bromancing The Trump Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #37: Bromancing The Trump Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! So I’ve been talking about Star Trek Beyond the last couple of weeks, and I finally saw it this weekend. I have to say – WOW, amazing movie. I have really liked the rebooted Star Trek series, but this might be the best one so far. Even if you don’t like the new movies it’s worth going to for very moving tributes to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin, and a great use of the Beastie Boys’ song “Sabotage”. Anyway, how great was it on Friday to see Jon Stewart back on TV and completely owning the GOP? The RNC as predicted was, exactly as Bill Maher called it, a category 5 shit storm. But that was about as batshit crazy as it got. I loved seeing the Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Friday just to see the return of the great Jon Stewart, who has been sadly missing from my TV. Well anyway enough of my rambling, here’s the clip itself:

So where do we begin this week? Well the top spot this week definitely has to go to our returning champion who has been featured in nearly every Idiots list so far and that’s possible future president Donald J. Trump. In the first slot, there’s a possible e-mail hack scandal brewing involving the Trump campaign and Russian hackers. Grab your tin foil hats for this one! In the second slot, the RNC was an absolute disaster and we’ve got everything that we didn’t get covered last week this week. In the third slot is Melania Trump (3). The possible First Lady is experiencing a lot of shit for plagiarizing her speech at the RNC last Tuesday. Moving ahead to the DNC, Deborah Wasserman Shultz (4) caused quite the shit show with her scandal involving predatory pay day loan vendors, and it is causing her to step down as the opening speaker of the DNC. At number 5 is Fox News. So Roger Ailes got shit canned, Sean Hannity cranks up the whambulance at Jon Stewart, and their viewers are proving to be as misogynistic as Roger Ailes is over Megan Kelly’s choice of outfit. At number 6, Alex Jones was ever more prevalent at the RNC, and sadly led a one man protest against The Young Turks. At number 7 we are going to talk about RNC Dissenters (7). So last week I briefly mentioned that Rush Limbaugh was going to take one for the team when Hillary is elected in November. But he's not the only one. In the number 8 slot we’re going to take a dip in the international conservative idiots file and head back to Rio (8) to talk about the upcoming summer Olympics which is promising to be a shit storm, and I’m not just referring to the river of poop that the men’s and women’s canoe teams are going to be rowing in. Taking the number 9 (NEIN!) slot, Caitlyn Jenner (9) made an absurd claim that it was easier for her to come out as a trans woman than it was for her to come out as a republican. Well let’s do some fact-checking, shall we? We are not making this one up. Finally this week we’re going to talk about the republicans and music (10). You know last week Donald Trump got a lot of shit for using Queen’s “We Are The Champions”. But he’s not the first. Oh no, my friends, he is definitely not the first. We are going to go down the wormhole on this one and post a GOP greatest hits, including John Oliver’s recent jab. So grab your guitars and let’s get shredding! But rather than poke holes at the GOP's schemes, we're instead going to kind of bridge the gap if you will, and offer some alternatives that they actually can use! Musicians and celebrities who actually support Donald Trump. Plus we have not one, but two bonus idiots for you this week – the Holy Land Experience is going under, and was recently named one of the worst theme parks in America by MSN, while Milo Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter after directing vile toward Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones. Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]

So you know the theme of this year’s RNC was “Make America (Whatever) Again”, right? Well one of my favorite flicks is Simon Pegg’s 2006 action comedy “Hot Fuzz”. If you haven’t seen it, I highly suggest you do, without spoiling much of the movie, there’s a scene where Simon Pegg is talking to Frank Butterman, the police chief and he says that he wants to “Make Sanford Great Again”. I figured it out – Donald Trump is Frank Butterman! Can we roll that scene?

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/efb0cb65-0f79-44fd-a58c-e765d75eb661

And just like the Sanford Chief Of Police, Donald Trump is planning on purging America just like Frank Butterman in lots of extremely horrifying ways. You know Trumpenfuror and Vladimir Putin are BFFs right? I pointed this out back in Idiots #9 (NEIN!!!). This could be a dangerous combination. In fact it’s already leading up to this:

The FBI suspects that Russian government hackers breached the networks of the Democratic National Committee and stole emails that were posted to the anti-secrecy site WikiLeaks on Friday. It’s an operation that several U.S. officials now suspect was a deliberate attempt to influence the presidential election in favor of Donald Trump, according to five individuals familiar with the investigation of the breach.

The theory that Moscow orchestrated the leaks to help Trump, who has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and practically called for the end of NATO, is fast gaining currency within the Obama administration because of the timing of the leaks and Trump’s own connections to the Russian government, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing and developing quickly.

About 20,000 internal DNC emails were disclosed just days before the beginning of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and several showed an effort by staffers to undermine Bernie Sanders’s campaign against Hillary Clinton. One email even discussed challenging Sanders’s religious faith. In response to the embarrassing revelations, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced she would step down after the convention.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/25/fbi-suspects-russia-hacked-dnc-u-s-officials-say-it-was-to-elect-donald-trump.html?via=mobile&source=twitter

Holy shit! So they found two e-mails in a stack of 20,000??? That is quite a ratio. To put things in perspective that would be like trying to find the least caloric item on the menu at the Cheesecake Factory. You know it’s there but you have to wade through 15000 extremely horrifying items to find it! I mean even the fucking vegetarian items on the menu at the Cheesecake Factory have 1,900 calories! And I’m not making this up either!

So let’s play the blame game shall we? *South Park Announcer Man Voice* Who hacked the DNC’s E-mail Server? Is it Russia? Is it Donald Trump? Is it the 1976 Denver Broncos?

Philadelphia (CNN)Hillary Clinton's campaign manager is alleging that Russian hackers are leaking Democratic National Committee emails critical of Bernie Sanders in an effort to help Donald Trump win the election in November.

It comes on the heels of "changes to the Republican platform to make it more pro-Russian," Robby Mook told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" Sunday.

"I don't think it's coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here, and I think that's disturbing," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/24/politics/robby-mook-russia-dnc-emails-trump/

So are the Russians trying to influence the election? Some people say yes, and some people say no, depends on who you talk to:

Donald Trump campaign are at odds over the extent of Russia’s influence. “I don't think it's coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here, and I think that's disturbing," Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He pointed to Trump’s reluctance to assist NATO allies over financial contributions as something that would help Russia. Trump’s camp wasn’t pleased. “These lies and the perpetuating of nonsense to try to gain some political capital is outrageous and he should be ashamed of himself,” Donald Trump, Jr. said of Mook on the same program. “If a Republican did that, they'd be calling for people to bring out the electric chair. Eric has more for Pros.

— WHAT WAS LEAKED, AND HOW IT FITS IN WITH OTHER LEAKS: WikiLeaks on Friday posted a trove of internal DNC emails that has proven to be more than a little embarrassing for the party. In addition to rants about unfriendly reporters and schemes to unmask insurgent candidate Bernie Sanders’s possible secret atheism, the leaked emails reveal that a hacker repeatedly breached the DNC’s “Factivists” rapid-response site — and that a committee press aide kept distributing new site passwords by email. (Here's another take, on the role of Wikileaks.)
http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-cybersecurity/2016/07/clinton-campaign-says-russian-hackers-trying-to-influence-election-215507

Wait – go back. Let’s explore the Wikileaks angle a bit shall we? Who needs some hot buttered popcorn? I have your hot buttered popcorn right here!

Close your eyes and imagine that a hacking group backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin broke into the email system of a major U.S. political party. The group stole thousands of sensitive messages and then published them through an obliging third party in a way that was strategically timed to influence the United States presidential election. Now open your eyes, because that’s what just happened.

On Friday, Wikileaks published 20,000 emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee. They reveal, among other things, thuggish infighting, a push by a top DNC official to use Bernie Sanders’ religious convictions against him in the South, and attempts to strong-arm media outlets. In other words, they reveal the Washington campaign monster for what it is.

But leave aside the purported content of the Wikileaks data dump (to which numerous other outlets have devoted considerable attention) and consider the source. Considerable evidence shows that the Wikileaks dump was an orchestrated act by the Russian government, working through proxies, to undermine Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign.
http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/07/how-putin-weaponized-wikileaks-influence-election-american-president/130163/

That’s right, shit did just get real. So it looks like the Russian government is indeed trying to influence the election by publishing these stolen e-mails. And in case you were wondering the bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is a thing. #BromancingTheTrump :

"Over the last year there has been a recurrent refrain about the seeming bromance between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. More seriously, but relatedly, many believe Trump is an admirer and would-be emulator of Putin's increasingly autocratic and illiberal rule. But there's quite a bit more to the story. At a minimum, Trump appears to have a deep financial dependence on Russian money from persons close to Putin. And this is matched to a conspicuous solicitousness to Russian foreign policy interests where they come into conflict with US policies which go back decades through administrations of both parties. There is also something between a non-trivial and a substantial amount of evidence suggesting Putin-backed financial support of Trump or a non-tacit alliance between the two men."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-putin-yes-it-s-really-a-thing

In fact the White House got involved in this brewing scandal, which I’m sure Fox News will be all over and Congress will call infinite circular firing squad investigations into.

A top official with Hillary Clinton’s campaign on Sunday accused the Russian government of orchestrating the release of damaging Democratic Party records to help the campaign of Republican Donald Trump — and some cybersecurity experts agree.

The extraordinary charge came as some national security officials have been growing increasingly concerned about possible efforts by Russia to meddle in the election, according to several individuals familiar with the situation.

Late last week, hours before the records were released by the website WikiLeaks, the White House convened a high-level security meeting to discuss reports that Russia had hacked into systems at the Democratic National Committee.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-campaign--and-some-cyber-experts--say-russia-is-behind-email-release/2016/07/24/5b5428e6-51a8-11e6-bbf5-957ad17b4385_story.html

[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]

That’s real. That happened.

We’ll get into how batshit crazy that entrance was in the 10th spot for this edition. But it was so crazy that Stephen Colbert prompted his own spoof of the entrance:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite promising "the truth, and nothing else" in his convention speech, Donald Trump presented the nation with a series of previously debunked claims and some new ones Thursday night — about the U.S. tax burden, the perils facing police, Hillary Clinton's record and more.

A look at some of the Republican presidential candidate's claims and how they compare with the facts:

TRUMP: "Decades of progress made in bringing down crime are now being reversed by this administration's rollback of criminal enforcement. Homicides last year increased by 17 percent in America's 50 largest cities. That's the largest increase in 25 years."

THE FACTS: A rollback? President Barack Obama has actually achieved some big increases in spending for state and local law enforcement, including billions in grants provided through the 2009 stimulus. While FBI crime statistics for 2015 are not yet available, Trump's claim about rising homicides appears to come from a Washington Post analysis published in January. While Trump accurately quotes part of the analysis, he omits that the statistical jump was so large because homicides are still very low by historical standards. In the 50 cities cited by the Post, for example, half as many people were killed last year as in 1991.

TRUMP: "The number of new illegal immigrant families..............

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-fact-check-of-donald-trumps-speech-2016-7

I like that one. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom in Trumpenfuror’s speech. Oh no! In fact he pointed out that he will help protect the LGBT community! In fact we here at the Top 10 failed to point this out last week but for the Cleveland convention they were prepared with this unseeable image of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz on a billboard:

Planting Peace, the non-profit organization behind The Equality House, a rainbow-colored house that sits across the street from Westboro Baptist Church, is calling out Donald Trump and the Republican Party in a massive billboard that went up on Thursday in Cleveland, Ohio, where the RNC will take place next week. The billboard, below, shows an illustration of Trump poised to kiss Ted Cruz beside a caption that reads “Love trumps Hate. End homophobia.”

In the eyes of Aaron Jackson, President of Planting Peace, this high-profile move is intended as a direct response to the Republican party and the messages of hate it sends to marginalized groups ― particularly the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

“What Donald, Ted and the Republican party either fail to realize, or realize and just don’t seem to care about, is that their words and actions toward our LGBT family―especially LGBT children―have meaning and impact,” Jackson told The Huffington Post. “LGBT children hear these messages telling them they are nothing but second class citizens and are left feeling broken or ‘less than.’”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-cruz-billboard-rnc_us_57869167e4b03fc3ee4efde4

I love this story though, in pure Donald J. Trump fashion, he threw a Trump-esque temper tantrum at the hotel he was staying at and might skimp out on the bill:

Donald Trump is complaining about hot air at a Virginia hotel, and the hotel is pushing back.

Onstage, Trump, owner of luxury hotels, interrupted his remarks about free trade to berate the hotel about its air conditioning system.

"I don't know what hotel this is, but you ought to try turning on the air conditioning or we're not going to get you paid," Trump said.

Hotel officials told WDBJ in Roanoke that the air conditioning system "was on and working properly throughout the event." The hotel said temperatures in the 90s did pose "a challenge" while doors were open for two hours to let hundreds of people enter the ballroom. It says staff did everything possible to keep guests comfortable.

Read more: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/26/donald-trump-gripes-about-hotel-hot-air-says-he-might-not-pay-bill.html

But Rachel Maddow poses some interesting logic - is Donald Trump a "gateway drug" to straight KKK? Well Fox News loses their collective shit over this:

http://newcenturytimes.com/2016/07/23/watch-fox-news-loses-their-s-after-rachel-maddow-calls-trump-gateway-drug-for-kkk-video/

After Donald Trump’s bleak dystopian speech at the Republican National Convention, in which he painted himself as America’s golden savior, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow opined on how white supremacists like David Duke are finding traction among Trump’s supporters. Maddow said:
“(A) lot of people who are critical of Donald Trump generally look at praise like that from someone like Donald Duke and wonder if he’s a gateway drug, if there is something beyond Donald Trump himself, that means a much greater transformation of the Republican Party into something that is going to be new to mainstream politics.”

Ever the loyal Trump lapdogs, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and his Neo-con protégé, Ryan Girdusky from Red Alert Politics, spent an entire segment trying to figure out why their master’s speech drew such resounding criticism from the “Liberal media.”

In fact, they both seem shocked and disgusted at the backlash directed at Trump’s speech. Girdusky claimed that:
“The journalists at the Washington Post didn’t ‘have to worry about illegal immigrants killing their kid, if they have children, at over-flooded public schools.’ ‘They’re better than that now.’ (That being the Ohio neighborhoods that they lived from (sic)).”

The two men sat and growled about the liberal “elites” inability understand the dangers Trump warned about and begrudged the media for mentioning Trump’s close association with white supremacists.

And then Donald Trump wonders why women don't get him:

Also in case you were wondering the answer to that question that Ms. Maddow was asking, why yes Donald Trump’s wannabe BFF David Duke is clamoring to be a senator under a Donald Trump presidency:

Donald J. Trump’s campaign is dismissing questions about the white supremacist David Duke, after the former Ku Klux Klan leader said on his radio program that the Republican presidential nominee left open the possibility of supporting his Senate campaign.

* * *
When Mr. Trump was asked Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if he would support a Democrat over Mr. Duke in the general election, he replied: “I guess depending on who the Democrat is, but the answer would be yes. Look, the answer is as quick as you can say it — in fact, I want to answer you before you — because last time with another person in your position, I did it very quickly and they said he didn’t do it fast enough. Rebuked.”

On his radio program on Monday, Mr. Duke said that Mr. Trump was asked, “‘Would you vote for a Democrat against David Duke’ and Trump says, ‘Well, I guess it depends who the Democrat will be so the answer is yes.’”

He added: “You know, like maybe if there’s a good Democrat. But that’s not the answer they wanted and the headlines there were all over the place. You know, Trump basically said he could possibly vote, he could vote for David Duke if he was running against a liberal Democrat. So he did something. I think he felt like he did as much as he could do.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/us/politics/david-duke-donald-trump.html?_r=0

[font size="8"]Melania Trump[/font]

And the award for the most plagiarized speech goes to............. Melania Trump! Come on down! Take a bow!

You know this thing isn't going away any time soon. In fact it's about to get worse. Way worse than you would already think:

The speechwriters, Matthew Scully and John McConnell, sent Ms. Trump a draft last month, eager for her approval.

Weeks went by. They heard nothing.

Inside Trump Tower, it turned out, Ms. Trump had decided she was uncomfortable with the text, and began tearing it apart, leaving a small fraction of the original.

Her quiet plan to wrest the speech away and make it her own set in motion the most embarrassing moment of the convention: word-for-word repetition of phrases and borrowed themes from Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic convention eight years ago.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-convention-speech.html?_r=0

So they had weeks, WEEKS to prepare for this! And it all goes fuck up at the drop of a hat. And remember last week when I said that Donald Trump wasn't going to fire his speech writer for this flap?

An in-house writer and longtime friend of the Trump family has stepped forward with an apology for her involvement in the preparation of Melania Trump's address at the Republican National Convention Monday night, which bore similarities to a 2008 Michelle Obama speech.

Staffer Meredith McIver said she submitted her resignation Tuesday but the Trump family rejected it.

“A person she [Melania] has always liked is Michelle Obama. Over the phone, she read me some passages from Mrs. Obama’s speech as examples. I wrote them down and later included some of the phrasing in the draft that ultimately became the final speech,” McIver said in a statement, released this afternoon and written under Trump Organization letterhead. “This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant.”

McIver admitted she never crosschecked the text for duplicated lines from the first lady’s speeches.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/melania-trumps-speechwriter-forward-apologize/story?id=40736765

And in case you were wondering why yes the New York Times did compile a long list of things that were said about Melania’s speech:

Donald J. Trump and his campaign responded Monday night to the discovery that Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention contained lines that were strikingly similar to Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech. Mr. Trump’s advisers and surrogates offered a series of explanations and denials to the accusations. Here is a sampling of those statements:

“It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud! #GOPConvention” — Mr. Trump on Twitter after questions arose about the speech

“In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking. Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.” —Jason Miller, senior communications adviser in a statement
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/melania-trump-campaign.html

And I love the Obamas – Michelle proved to be every bit as classy as Melania wasn’t. There were no rick rolls in her speech. No mention of never going to give you up or let you down, or running around and deserting you. Of course – she also completely did not say anything about the Melania controversy:

With a speech that brought the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia repeatedly to its feet and united the fighting factions of the party, Michelle Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention tonight after a retrospective video produced by J.J. Abrams (watch it below).

Greeted with a standing ovation and Sara Bareilles’ “Brave,” the First Lady said, “It’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk to you about why I thought my husband should be President.” But there’s no doubt that Melania Trump’s plagiarized RNC speech of Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention remarks were in everyone’s mind tonight. The First Lady didn’t take the bait — likely knowing that rehashing it would create a hashtag that could only help the other side.

Her speech stressed party unity, but to the Bernie or Bust crowd — already a little edgy after Sarah Silverman told them they’re “being ridiculous” a little earlier — some of it might have been taken as a bit of a dig. To wit: “Who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of there lives? I am here tonight because in his election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility — only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be President of the United States. And that is our friend Hillary Clinton.”
http://deadline.com/2016/07/michelle-obamas-dnc-speech-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-1201792490/

[font size="8"]Deborah Wasserman-Shultz[/font]

Wait, what’s a registered democrat doing on the list of Top 10 Conservative Idiots? Get my writers out here! Come on what the hell is wrong with you people??? I mean seriously what the fuck!!!

OK now that I got that out of my system, one of the most controversial figures at the DNC is Deborah Wasserman-Shultz. In fact she was set to open this year’s DNC but bowed out because of certain circumstances and a massive scandal involving predatory pay day loan companies. Let’s go back to last December to explain what’s up.

Democratic party leaders have tapped Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to raise money and coach candidates in a high-stakes, aggressive bid to expand the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.

But as three Miami Democrats look to unseat three of her South Florida Republican colleagues, Wasserman Schultz is staying on the sidelines. So is Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat and loyal ally to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

This time around, Wasserman Schultz and Meek say their relationships with the Republican incumbents, Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother Mario, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, leave them little choice but to sit out the three races.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article24478039.html

So in addition to her overwhelming support for predatory pay day loan companies (who we have discussed here ad nauseum), she prevented what could have been a democratic super majority in Florida. And yes we’re talking about the state that gave us the hanging chad here. So it’s widely believed that Ms. Wasserman-Shultz is the catalyst for the leaked e-mails that have made the DNC well, less than pleasant to watch.

When Debbie Wasserman Schultz agreed to speak at a Florida delegation breakfast on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, it looked like the ultimate home game. The Florida congresswoman is a popular figure in the state, and this week was meant to be a celebratory moment as she watched Hillary Clinton formally claim the Democratic nomination.

Then 20,000 emails from Wasserman Schultz and her top staffers were leaked, painting the congresswoman and her committee as something short of even-handed in their treatment of Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during the primaries.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/25/debbie-wasserman-schultz-just-had-a-disastrous-moment-at-the-democratic-national-committee/?k88a88a8a

But guess who’s not a fan of Deborah Wasserman-Shultz, and it’s not just the Democratic National Committee. Yup! You guessed correctly! Points for you good sir / madam!

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will make a South Florida swing on Tuesday.

He’s holding a fundraiser at his Trump National Doral with Governor Rick Scott.

On Monday, during a campaign stop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Trump took a shot at Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Weston Democrat became embroiled in an scandal over the weekend after hacked emails suggested that some members of the Democratic National Committee, which she chaired, had favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.

“And I’ve watched her for years. And what she was is Hillary Clinton’s flunky. Okay? That’s what she was. You could say what you want. It was obvious. And the system is rigged and she was rigging the system for Hillary,” Trump told a crowd of supporters. “As soon as there’s heat, put on Hillary’s person, Hillary says you’re fired. Debbie, you’re fired.”
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/07/26/trump-to-host-fundraiser-in-doral-tuesday/

[font size="8"]Fox News[/font]

Fox News. You know that network you turn to when you want to have women in extremely low cut dresses tell you how to think when it comes to critical events. So by now you know that Roger Ailes is in extremely deep shit. But before we get into that, we have to address this. At the beginning of this edition, I showed Jon Stewart’s triumphant return to TV on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Well one particular Fox News correspondent won’t have any of it, and has turned the whambulence way past 11. I give you Sean Hannity.

After former Daily Show host Jon Stewart gave a legendary rant on The Late Show that called out flaws in Sean Hannity's (well, Stewart called him "Lumpy&quot

reasons to support Donald Trump, Hannity fired back (without directly addressing the points Stewart made against him).

"I see they brought that idiot, Jon Stewart, back from the dead," Hannity said in an expletive-laded response on his radio show. He continued:

"I was right about Obama and you were a fool who had your head so far up Obama's (bleep), Jon Stewart. I've never seen anybody kiss an (bleep) like you kiss his... and now you're sucking up to (Hillary Clinton), too... We've got 95 million Americans out of the labor force, Jon. Do you care about them? I know you're a rich liberal. You donating money to the 46 million American families on food stamps, Jon? Hey Jon, you helping out the 50 million Americans in poverty? Hey Jon, are you gonna use your wealth from all of your comedy writers that lay out the material for you, are you gonna help pay down the debt Obama has accumulated? More debt than every other president before him combined? Are you gonna help, Jon, the 1-in-5 American families in this country that don't have a single family member that have a job?"
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/07/24/jon-stewart-sean-hannity-late-show-fox/87502512/

What’s a “Lear Jet Liberal” and where I might go about obtaining some of this glorious money?

But now we get into what happened with Roger Ailes’ exit, er, firing, er, termination. You know something corporate fat cats do when one of their own gets caught with their pants down. And yes you can interpret this any way you like.

The chairman of Rupert Murdoch’s cable news operation, plagued by allegations of sexually harassing the on-air talent, was bounced to another 21st Century Fox building in Manhattan, New York Magazine national affairs editor Gabriel Sherman tweeted Thursday.

His much rumored departure from Fox News appears imminent, too. According to another Sherman tweet, the once invulnerable Ailes will take a $60 million golden parachute to leave the company behind.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/roger-ailes-kicked-fox-news-headquarters-office-article-1.2720469

That’s right. Not only did Ailes get asked to leave, he got kicked out!

But it gets better (or worse?) for him. In fact it would seem that Fox News is in a free fall. And I say good, they gave us 8 fucking years of George W. Bush, they deserve this to happen to them! In fact it’s not just Gretchen Carlson, Donald Trump’s favorite, um, target, Megyn Kelley also got harassed in the worst way possible.

It looks increasingly doubtful that the 76-year-old media titan can cling to power after two decades of running Fox News. Network anchor Megyn Kelly told investigators looking into sexual harassment accusations made by former “Fox & Friends” host Gretchen Carlson that Ailes had harassed her as well, according to a New York magazine report published Tuesday.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ann-coulter-roger-ailes_us_578e5fb2e4b07c722ebc5efd?

But of course Trumpenfuror would defend Ailes. “I know Roger Ailes, he’s a good friend of mine. Nobody is a better friend than he is. He uses the best words and he is also great with women.”

In transcripts released ahead of his Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stood by former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who stepped down on Thursday amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Toronto Star correspondent Daniel Dale published the transcripts on his Twitter feed Saturday evening.

Meet the Press host Chuck Dodd asked Trump about the allegations against Ailes, and the candidate replied, “Well I don’t want to comment. But he’s been a friend of mine for a really long time. And I can tell you that some of the women who are complaining, I know how much he’s helped them. And even recently. And when they write books that are fairly recently released, and they say wonderful things about him.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/trump-stands-by-roger-ailes-he-really-helped-those-women-who-are-complaining/

[font size="8"]Alex Jones[/font]

So we have talked a lot about what happened inside the RNC. But what about what happened outside? Well of course our favorite punching bag here at the Top 10 – Alex Jones – led a one man army against liberals covering the events of the RNC. I mean it’s no secret that professional blow hard and bullshit salesman Alex Jones is a Donald Trump fan all the way. But to do this? Dick move, Jones. Seriously, dick move.

CLEVELAND — On July 22, 1796, Moses Cleaveland arrived at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and determined that the land adjacent would be the capital of a new territory.

On July 18, 2016, Alex Jones stood in the same spot screaming “Hillary for Prison” at the top of his lungs.

On the first day of the Republican National Convention, the conspiracy theorist and Infowars radio host was nearing the end of a near 15-minute tirade, his hair swaying with the gentle breeze, as he was met by an unlikely foe.

A group of men blowing shofars announced the arrival of comedian Eric Andre, who trudged through the crowd holding a microphone attached to what appeared to be a mile-long stick. By the time he waded to the front, with interjections of Jones referring to him as a “Daily Show guy,” he was invited onstage so that the world could watch as he was humiliated by Jones’ supreme knowledge.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/18/alex-jones-roger-stone-bring-the-crazy-to-cleveland.html

Hillary for prison? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…. You know Alex the uber-wealthy don’t go to the same courts you and I were to go to. I mean due process doesn’t simply apply to the uber-wealthy and societal elite. And yes there is tape of this, sadly.

But there’s more. Alex Jones and his frequent collaborator Roger Stone were out in full force staging a 2-man protest against… something. What it is we’re not exactly clear of.

Many chaotic moments have occurred inside the Quicken Loans Arena this week - most notably the thunderous boos that greeted Ted Cruz last night and coincided with a technical glitch that made all the LED screens in the arena flicker and die, giving Cruz the aura of a supervillain bent on destroying not only the Trump campaign but the very building itself. But amidst all this onstage bedlam one moment in particular felt personal to me. It happened on Monday - Make America Safe Again night - right at the end of Pat Smith's speech. Pat Smith lost her computer programmer son, Sean, in Benghazi in 2012. It was a heart-wrenching speech. At one point she yelled - her voice raw, as if sandpapered by years of grief – “I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.”

And then came the moment. It started with a woman on the delegate floor yelling out, “Hillary for prison!” And Pat Smith replied, “That's right. Hillary for prison. She deserves to be in stripes.” Hillary for prison. With those three words Alex Jones - the man who coined the phrase - finally made it onto the stage of the Republican National Convention and right into the heart of mainstream American politics.
http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/07/21/the-2016-rnc-or-the-week-conspiracy-theorist-alex-jones-went-mainstream-on-the-floor-of-the-convention-hall

There you have it folks. Infowars has become self aware.

[font size="8"]RNC Dissenters[/font]

You know it's official now - Hillary Clinton is the democratic nominee for president!!!

PHILADELPHIA — Hillary Clinton is now officially the Democratic presidential nominee, making history as the first woman ever to secure the backing of a major American political party.

Clinton was formally nominated on the second evening of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, more than nine years after launching her first presidential bid. It was largely an evening of unity after an opening night marked by resistance from die-hard supporters of Democratic runner-up, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

As a symbolic gesture, Sanders' name also was placed in nomination. Her former foe smiled and applauded from a box seat as supporters praised his "revolution" and his fight for progressive policy proposals during the nomination procedure.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/hillary-clinton-becomes-first-female-nominee-major-u-s-political-n617406

So last week I mentioned that Rush Limbaugh is going to take one for the team if it means that Hillary Clinton loses in November.

In an effort to describe how much he doesn’t want Hillary Clinton to be the next president of the United States, media titan Rush Limbaugh said he would be fine with giving up his radio show if it guaranteed the former secretary of state would lose to Donald Trump.

“If Hillary Clinton losing meant the end of this program, then that’s what I would be for,” Limbaugh declared on his Monday broadcast. “If that’s what it took to save this country – meaning she loses, and that means my radio show goes away – then that’s what I would do.”

“I have no self-interest in this whatsoever,” Limbaugh continued. “I’m not looking forward to Hillary Clinton being in the White House so I can seek greater advertising revenues. I don’t have a problem with that as it is. I don’t need Democrats in office to be successful. My success is not determined by who wins elections and it never has been.”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/07/limbaugh-ok-with-losing-radio-show-if-it-means-hillary-loss/#OP4B7vOSRBQYwhGu.99

Remember when Ted Nugent said he'd be dead or in jail? Yeah it's 100% pure grade a, unfiltered bullshit.

And you know who else is considering deflecting if Hillary becomes president in November? This guy!

Appearing on Breitbart News Daily, reality TV star, apocalyptic anti-gay preacher, and child bride-advocate Phil Robertson made a promise regarding GOP nominee Donald Trump that we’re going to hold him to.

While urging the public to get out the vote for Trump, Robertson reminded listeners that the Republican party is currently locked in “spiritual warfare” with “the Evil One.”

Robertson, who formerly supported Trump’s now bitter enemy Ted Cruz, warned that the alternative to a Trump presidency is “depravity and “moral bankruptcy” – a condition that Robertson thinks is untenable.

“If the Republicans and the evangelicals do not get off their posteriors and vote, I think I’m going to head back to the woods and hide out.”
http://deadstate.org/duck-dynastys-phil-robertson-says-hell-to-go-into-hiding-if-donald-trump-loses/

And there's still more! Sean Hannity is threatening to leave the GOP!

The Republican establishment is furious at the success of conservative businessman Donald J. Trump. It’s clear that no establishment candidate can earn enough delegates to win the GOP nomination before the RNC meets in Cleveland.

Now, there are rumors that the rules might be changed to stop Trump so the power-brokers of the Republican party can install their own candidate. Perhaps Jeb Bush or Mitt Romney?

But Sean Hannity of Fox News is speaking out and made a bold threat against the GOP! He’s promising that if the election is stolen from Trump, he will walk away from supporting the party… and so will millions of his listeners.
http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/sean-hannity-makes-huge-threat-gop-steals-election-trump/

And if *you're* thinking of leaving the USA assuming Donald Trump gets elected in November, here's a few reasons why you might want to reconsider:

3. You really can’t afford it. Reason 6 above puts you in another country using your own resources. It neglects what bills you’ve left behind. A 2015 Harris Poll survey cites typical American debt at $130,922, with $15,762 on credit cards. That’s a lot of money. Even if you sell most of your stuff, some folks here are not going to want you to go. Get a Dave Ramsay book maybe, and dig yourself out of debt. He talks about freedom a lot. It sounds great, but working in another country is yet another hurdle.

2. You’re not a liar. Saying “I’m leaving” is just a way of expressing frustration. Unless you’re a Republican running for the nomination, probably no one calls you a liar. Don’t put yourself in a position where someone calls you up on Nov. 9, 2016, offers to help you pack, and you have to say something stupid.

1. You’re not a coward. This country is worth saving. No matter what side you’re on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are two of the most wonderful documents ever written. In the past, few have ever followed up on these empty threats. Stay. Get active in your party of choice. Donate. You’ve got a voice. It’s better to use it than to run.
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20160314-mary-ann-taylor-10-reasons-you-wont-leave-america-if-hillary-or-trump-are-elected.ece

[font size="8"]Rio Olympics[/font]

We need some appropriate music for this entry. Hit it!

The Olympics. Where you cheer for the USA to get the gold medal in that particular sport, despite the fact that you don’t know all the rules of said sport, nor do you know who’s playing said sport, nor do you really give a shit about said sport. I mean when any other time do you watch discus throwing? Or Greco-style wrestling? Well if you thought last week’s RNC was a shit show, wait until you see what Rio has in store. I mean what’s coming out of Rio is quite possibly batshit insane. I mean the Russian doping scandal is all over the news.

Nineteen more Russian rowers have been banned from competing at next month's Olympics, taking the number of Russian athletes suspended this week to 37.

Earlier on Tuesday, eight athletes across canoeing, modern pentathlon and sailing were banned, as seven swimmers and three rowers were on Monday.

Governing bodies are making the rulings following the damning World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report into state-sponsored doping in the country.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36894519

But that isn’t stopping Russia even if it means it has to host its’ *OWN* Olympics:

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the outspoken leader of Russia's LDPR party, has called for the country to host its own Olympics if track-and-field athletes are barred from competing at the upcoming games in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.

“If our team can't go to Rio, I think it would be appropriate to host our own parallel Olympics in Russia,” Zhirinovsky said to journalists on Monday. .
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russias-zhirinovsky-proposes-parallel-olympics-if-athlete-ban-upheld-53369

But that’s not all – there’s more to Rio’s pending disaster and possible international incident and it has more to do than just Russian dopers. Of which there are many.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Health experts in Brazil have a word of advice for the Olympic marathon swimmers, sailors and windsurfers competing in Rio de Janeiro’s picture-postcard waters next month: Keep your mouth closed.

Despite the government’s promises seven years ago to stem the waste that fouls Rio’s expansive Guanabara Bay and the city’s fabled ocean beaches, officials acknowledge that their efforts to treat raw sewage and scoop up household garbage have fallen far short.

In fact, environmentalists and scientists say Rio’s waters are much more contaminated than previously thought.

Recent tests by government and independent scientists revealed a veritable petri dish of pathogens in many of the city’s waters, from rotaviruses that can cause diarrhea and vomiting to drug-resistant “super bacteria” that can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/world/americas/brazil-rio-water-olympics.html?_r=0

You know I’m no environmental expert but I’m pretty sure that the key words “toxic stew” and “super bacteria” are bad.

But the environmental disaster isn’t the only thing plaguing the Rio Olympics. Blocked toilets, leaky pipes and exposed wires. Kind of like the hotel you stay at when you book the “Traveler’s Special” on Wikipedia.

Rio de Janeiro (CNN)Blocked toilets, leaky pipes and exposed wires -- just a few of the reasons Australia's Olympic delegation has refused to move in to the athletes village, now open to arriving Olympians.
The village, comprised of 31 17-storey towers, opened its doors on Sunday, less than two weeks before the start of Rio's Summer Games on August 5. But the first day was marred by controversy.

"We felt that our building was not safe, because of a combination of plumbing and electrical issues," the Australian Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller told journalists, adding that a stress test had been carried out -- opening taps and turning on lights simultaneously -- and discovered "significant leakages."
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/25/sport/olympics-2016-rio-village-australia/

And there’s a condom surplus among the Olympic Village in Rio. I am not making this up.

Seventeen days, 10,500 athletes, 33 venues, and 450,000 condoms. That’s how many camisinhas (little shirts in Brazilian slang) are being supplied by the International Olympics Committee for the 2016 Rio Summer Games. Forty-two per athlete, to be specific, which, even by Olympic standards, is a hell of a lot.

Welcome to the most promiscuous Olympics in history. The provision of 350,000 condoms, 100,000 female condoms and 175,000 packets of lubricant for Rio’s Olympic Village – the usual mix of ripped athletes, condos, shops, bars, clubs and, erm, McDonald’s - is three times higher than the London 2012 allowance of 150,000 condoms, which prompted tabloids to dub it “the raunchiest games ever”.

“It is an absolutely huge allocation of condoms,” admits Olympic rowing gold and silver medallist Zac Purchase, who retired from rowing in 2014 and competed in London and Beijing. “But it is all so far from the truth of what it’s like to be in there. It’s not some sexualised cauldron of activity. We’re talking about athletes who are focused on producing the best performance of their lives.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/shortcuts/2016/jul/18/rio-2016-42-condoms-per-athlete-olympic-village-sex

Absolutely huge… excuse me a minute!

#Absolutely Huge

[font size="8"]Caitlyn Jenner[/font]

You know most longtime viewers of the rebooted Top 10 know that I’m a fan of the Twittersphere. But the other day I was checking my feed, and I couldn’t help but notice that Caitlyn Jenner was trending. For what? Did she win an award? Did Keeping Up With The Kardashians finally get cancelled (which would be the greatest news ever!)? No it’s because she said something so jaw-droppingly batshit stupid in an interview it practically broke Twitter.

"It was easy to come out as trans. It was hard to come out as Republican," said Caitlyn Jenner at a Republican National Convention outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Wednesday morning.

She was mostly-joking, but had a point: Other than Donald Trump, himself, she was the most famous celebrity to touch down on Cleveland during the Republican National Convention. (And she wasn't actually speaking on the convention floor.)

Attendees at the event, which was put together by conservative group American Unity Fund and featured remarks from TV host Montel Williams, cheered for Jenner.

"Thank you, thank you, but they already nominated Donald last night," she said. "But I can make a difference."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/07/20/caitlyn-jenner-rnc-trump-cleveland/87337344/

Let’s contemplate that sentence for a second. “It was easy to come out as trans. It was hard to come out as Republican”? Is it? Is it really? I mean she’s only one of the wealthiest people on the planet. So yeah in that regard it was easy for her to come out as trans. Or was it?

Fresh off a divorce from Robert Kardashian and saddled with four young children, Kris Jenner thought she had found her Prince Charming in Olympic gold medalist, Bruce Jenner. Within months of their whirlwind courtship and quickie marriage, however, the shocking truth came to light: According to an insider, Kris walked in on Bruce secretly wearing her clothes, sparking a hateful meltdown and years of bitter humiliation and shame. Jenner has been living as a woman behind closed doors in Malibu and will break his silence about his transformation in an upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer.

“Kris had come home from early from a playdate with the kids, and she walked in on Bruce in one of her dresses,” the source revealed. “She was absolutely stunned, and immediately shamed Bruce, and told him to never let it happen again.” “Immediately going into denial mode, Bruce really wanted to explain it to his wife, but she wasn’t having it. Kris said if the information was ever made public, they would go broke as a family because back then, Bruce was the sole bread winner for the family,” the source continued. “It was a very sad, dark time for Bruce and it was never forgotten.”

Even after all these years, said the source, “Bruce still has the scars from that horrible time with Kris. There was hardly any information about people suffering from gender identity issues back then. Bruce didn’t know how to explain it other than he liked wearing women’s clothes. And Kris didn’t help the situation.”

Today, her reaction hasn’t been much better. After formally telling ex-wife Kris recently that he planned to undergo a sex change operation, her reaction “was less than enthusiastic,” a source told Radar. “Her main concern was how Bruce was going to go public with it, and if it could hurt the Kardashian empire. The only thing Kris has ever cared about is the superficial: designer clothes, over-the-top vacations and her public persona.” “This could have been a great moment for Kris to step up and support the father of their two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. Sadly, it’s just not who she is,” the source added.

http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2015/02/kris-jenner-shamed-bruce-jenner/

And the reaction to the announcement was less than enthralling for the public:

In addition to thinking the interview wouldn’t last long, Phil also believes Jenner may be “kind of past prime” to make the transition. “You’re almost 80—what’s the point?” Phil said of the gold medalist. (Jenner is actually 65.)
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/23/dr-phil-bruce-jenners-transition-hes-kind-past-his-prime

[font size="8"]Republicans V. Musicians[/font]

So by now you know that Donald Trump made his grand entrance to Queen’s “We Are The Champions”. In case you missed that well here it is again:

And in case you also weren’t aware, we had a problem of our own at the DNC. Yes they did bring out Paul Simon playing Bridge Over Troubled Waters. I mean really DNC??? Is that what you’re going to pull to bridge the gap between Hillary supporters and Bernie supporters? Really? Is that the song that really needs to be played? Why not Gwar’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends”? Can we roll the tape on that disaster?

Sarah Silverman is a great comedian and die hard liberal but really Bernie supporters that was a colossal fuck up. I thought we were better than this. Now that Hillary is the nominee, this is neither here nor there. The official stance of the Top 10 is that we support democrats 110% and we will not be divided here. I’m getting carried away here. But you know musicians and politicians generally do not get along – that is if you’re a republican. You know John Oliver had a great piece this week where he discussed the ramifications of what happens when politicians use songs without their permission.

So with that in mind there’s a few of these and we’ll go down the wormhole. You know last week this happened – once again the Republicans don’t get it.

British rock band Queen has blasted the GOP and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for using the group's 1977 rock anthem "We Are the Champions" at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, charging that neither Trump nor the party is authorized to use the song.

"An unauthorised use at the Republican Convention against our wishes — Queen," the group posted on its official Twitter account.

The song's publisher also released a statement complaining that "Sony/ATV Music Publishing has never been asked by Mr. Trump, the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization for permission to use 'We are the Champions' by Queen.

"On behalf of the band, we are frustrated by the repeated unauthorized use of the song after a previous request to desist, which has obviously been ignored by Mr. Trump and his campaign."

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/queen-asks-republicans-to-stop-using-we-are-the-champions-at-rnc/

And there’s more than just Donald Trump. Like how about “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Thin Lizzy?

The mother of “Thin Lizzy” singer Philip Lynott said this week that she was very offended at the Republican Party’s use of her son’s song “The Boys Are Back In Town” to introduce Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) during last week’s Republican National Convention.

“As far as I am concerned, Mitt Romney’s opposition to gay marriage and to civil unions for gays makes him anti-gay – which is not something that Philip would have supported. He had some wonderful gay friends, as indeed I do, and they deserve equal treatment in every respect, whether in Ireland or the United States,” Philomena Lynott said in an interview with music magazine Hot Press. “Neither would Philip have supported his policy of taxing the poor and offering tax cuts to the rich, which Paul Ryan is advocating. There is certainly no way that I would want the Lynott name to be associated with any of those ideas.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/04/thin-lizzy-singers-mother-blasts-republicans-for-abusing-bands-music/

Or how about the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”?

Punk rock and politics may have always shared a common unification, but that doesn’t mean bands like The Dropkick Murphys will allow their music to be used for just any political purpose, especially if that politician is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

When Scott recently took to the stage at the Iowa Freedom Summit to speak in front of many key members of the Republican party, he did so to the tune of Dropkick Murphy’s cover of the Woody Guthrie song “”I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” reported conservative news source Twitchy. Walker apparently didn’t realize that the Dropkick Murphys are assertively pro-union — an interest unlikely to find any common ground with the governor. Walker has become a national whipping boy for the anti-union cause, previously reported Inquisitr.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1785170/dropkick-murphys-order-scott-walker-to-stop-using-their-music-we-literally-hate-you/

Yes – the Dropkick Murphys literally hate Scott Walker. And as John Oliver pointed out, they actually used the word “literally” correctly. And they do like Martin O’Malley:

In interesting sidebar to what has been a bonkers presidential campaign–still four months until the Iowa caucuses–has been the candidates use and misuse of music.

Scott Walker got it started in a way only Scott Walker can–by using a Dropkicks Murphys song without the band’s permission. Then Rick Perry had his own music for his short-lived campaign. Most recently, Mike Huckabee, via his proxy Kim Davis, cued up Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” again without the band’s permission.

Leave it to a Democrat to get things right. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a musician in his own right, took to the stage this past weekend in New Hampshire to the strains of “Shipping Up to Boston” by the aforementioned Dropkick Murphys. Judging from their response, the band and O’Malley are singing from the same sheet of music.

http://bluenationreview.com/martin-omalley-strikes-a-chord-with-the-dropkick-murphys/

You know why don’t the republicans use some actual music from musicians that actually support the republican party? Like Ted Nugent?

Ted Nugent didn't refer to President Obama as a "subhuman mongrel" on Friday night. Nor did he issue calls for Obama and Hillary Clinton to be hung for their roles in the attacks on the American compound in Benghazi, as he's done in the past. In fact, Nugent — AKA the Motor City Madman, AKA "The Nuge" — was remarkably restrained for at least the first half of the Warehouse Live leg of his "Sonic Baptizm" tour, introducing familiar tunes like "Gonzo" and "Free-For-All" early on and generally coasting on the goodwill of the well-lubricated crowd.
www.houstonpress.com/music/ted-nugent-still-loves-guitar-solos-hates-obama-8574884

Yeah because he’s a friend of the Sean Hannity show ya know!

And you know what? There’s a lot of musicians that the GOP could pull from – and it’s not just limited to Scott Baio and Ted Nugent:

Jesse James
James, a TV personality and founder of West Coast Choppers, posted a lengthy Facebook message in January supporting his former "Celebrity Apprentice" boss.

Stephen Baldwin
Baldwin, who was fired by Trump on two different seasons of "The Celebrity Apprentice," said during an interview with Don Lemon on an episode of "CNN Tonight" that Trump would make a "great" president "because he's not a politician, and he doesn't care what anybody thinks."

Hulk Hogan
TMZ asked Hogan which 2016 Republican presidential candidate he would want to face in the ring, but instead of answering the question, he said he'd want to be Trump's running mate.

Wayne Newton
The Las Vegas entertainer announced his support on "Fox & Friends." "I love Donald, and he would make a great president," he said. But he also voiced his support for other hopefuls, such as Carly Fiorina, Jeb Bush, and Ben Carson.

Kid Rock showed his support for the presidential hopeful in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying that he's "digging Trump." He also added: "Let the motherf------ business guy run it like a f------ business. And his campaign has been entertaining as s---." Loretta Lynn
http://www.eveningtribune.com/zz/news/20160721/30-celebrities-who-love-and-endorse-donald-trump?Start=2

Or how about Gene Simmons?

Gene Simmons has been enjoying watching Donald Trump subvert the presidential race, calling it the most fascinating election he can remember and saying it was "bound to happen" in what he calls the "Age of Kardashian." "He is the truest political animal I've ever seen onstage," the Kiss vocalist-bassist tells Rolling Stone. "He has no speechwriters, no editing, no nothing. He's actually on tape going 'motherfucker.' You cannot turn away."
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/gene-simmons-on-donald-trump-hes-good-for-the-political-system-20160330

Or how about Mike Tyson?

Mike Tyson

The former heavyweight-boxing champion announced that he would endorse Trump while appearing on HuffPost Live in October 2015. "He should be president of the United States," Tyson said.

And he’s a guy who you don’t want to fuck with!

Or how about Tiffany Trump?

[font size="8"]Bonus Idiot:[/font]
[font size="8"]The Holy Land Experience[/font]

You know if you have seen Bill Maher’s documentary flick Religulous, you know there’s a scene in the movie where he visits the Holy Land Experience in Florida. Can we roll tape on that?

Well here’s an update for you, the theme park is unloading its’ assets in an effort to avoid bankruptcy! Can’t say we feel too sorry for them but that’s what happens when you make money off the uber-religious – eventually like all audiences, they will lose interest. I mean it’s not Jurassic World – people would still want to come see live dinosaurs despite that there was a “containment anomaly” in the last movie.

But it turns out no one is going to the Holy Land Experience:

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando's Holy Land Experience is selling off some of its property to help with a financial crunch.

The Christian theme park launched an estate sale Thursday.

Some of the items up for grabs include a motorcycle, nativity statues, mannequins and a gold-and silver-painted throne.

The Holy Land Experience is holding the sale amid declining revenue and fewer contributions.

IRS documents show that in 2014 the theme park had anywhere from $1.9 million to $2.5 million in contributions, down from $42 million in 2010.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/holy-land-experience-to-hold-estate-sale-amid-financial-trouble

Ouch!!! That is a hard pill to swallow. Although what the fuck is a theme park that takes place in Bible times doing with a Harley Davidson? I don’t remember that passage in the Bible!

There is literally a meme for everything. And you know speaking of using religion to control others, Jan Crouch recently passed away who owns the giant cathedral in my neck of the woods, Costa Mesa, CA:

The spread in front of me includes gold thrones with lion heads for arm rests, a life-size horse statue covered in a mosaic of tiny mirrors and what might be called a holy Harley — a motorcycle decked out in chrome and gold-painted angel wings.

If Noah and Liberace ever teamed up for a yard sale, this is what it would look like.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-holy-land-jan-crouch-beth-kassab-20160722-column.html

But TBN has been experiencing some problems of its’ own:

This comes as Trinity’s revenue has taken a precipitous dive, from $207 million in 2006 to $121.5 million in 2014, according to a Register review of its most recent tax filings. More on that in a minute.

Trinity is moving toward an internet-based model for the gift shop because people simply don’t visit brick-and-mortar gift shops like they used to, and “it simply is not economically sound to continue to operate under said conditions,” said spokeswoman Tanya Wiley. “This is a decision which has been reviewed and discussed for well over a year.”
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trinity-722411-million-crouch.html

And here's where the Holy Land Experience was named the worst theme park by a site called "The Daily Meal":

Holy Land Experience, Florida

If you’ve ever seen the episode of The Simpsons titled “I’m Goin’ to Praiseland,” you’ll probably have a good idea of what to expect at the Holy Land Experience in Florida — even though that episode was written prior to the park’s existence. The main difference is that the real version doesn’t have a hallucination-inducing gas leak (as far as we know), and instead contains a whole lot more guilt. Notice that it’s not called Holy Land Amusement Park; that’s because when the main “attraction” is a bloody Jesus walking around screaming in pain and waiting to be crucified, tortured, and killed, it’s hard to call the park amusing — especially after he makes his second trip of the day. Other features include a 2,000-seat auditorium, a “Scriptorium” library/research center, the Jerusalem Street Market, a model of the ancient “Eternal City,” and numerous prayer gardens. If this venue existed solely as a museum or a serious education center (and didn’t try to pass itself off as a fun theme park), then we could let it go. It’s worth noting that Holy Land also boasts the creepily named “Smile of a Child Adventure Land,” featuring rock climbing, face-painting, a game area, and a mini golf course. Just how Jesus envisioned it.
http://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/are-these-7-worst-amusement-and-theme-parks-america-slideshow/slide-5

[font size="8"]Bonus Idiot #2:[/font]
[font size="8"]Milo Yiannopoulos [/font]

You know since we are taking a break next week we've got one more bonus idiot for you. Like I said I'm a fan of the Twittersphere, but having such an open platform can generate controversy. Especially when something causes a certain group of people, say the scourge of the internet, men's rights activists to go overboard. Like the new Ghostbusters movie for instance.

What really sets off the haters is when women do things that men have traditionally done: Firefighter, sportswriter, Army Ranger, video game designer, commander in chief. Even a made-up occupation — Ghostbuster — is apparently off limits to women.

Yup, turns out that this weekend’s opening of the Ghostbuster’s movie reboot has turned into a ridiculous, gender-charged standoff.The haters vow that they’re not going to spend a dime or a minute on the update of their beloved movie, sullied by female leads. Feminists are calling on all women to head to the box office this weekend and get their ectoplasmic ooze on to support women’s rights.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ghostbusters-the-bros-who-hate-it-and-the-art-of-modern-misogyny/2016/07/14/1dfba61a-49bd-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html

Yup! Didn't stop the haters from coming out in full force despite the movie made $60 million on opening weekend, and that one guy went completely overboard. I'm looking at you, Milo. We may explore this further detail next time but for now there's even more to this and it's about as crazy as you would expect, and despite that Twitter has protections on online harassment, Milo is championing himself as a free speech icon.

A day after Leslie Jones complained to Twitter that she was being bombarded by racist and offensive tweets, the social media site announced today it had taken action against some users, which appears to include a permanent suspension of conservative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, who also serves as Breitbart’s tech editor.

"People should be able to express diverse opinions and beliefs on Twitter. But no one deserves to be subjected to targeted abuse online, and our rules prohibit inciting or engaging in the targeted abuse or harassment of others," Twitter wrote in a statement to ABC News. "Over the past 48 hours in particular, we’ve seen an uptick in the number of accounts violating these policies and have taken enforcement actions against these accounts, ranging from warnings that also require the deletion of Tweets violating our policies to permanent suspension."
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/twitter-suspends-conservative-commentator-ghostbusters-star-leslie-jones/story?id=40731147

We are going to take a break next week, we will be back on August 10th with a brand new edition!

See you in two weeks!

Ed. Note: The Top 10 Conservative Idiots - every Wednesday at 10:00 AM PST. Also please join our Twitter feed at @DUInitechTop10, and join the fight, won’t you?

July 23, 2016

Stephen Baldwin Says Gays Should Start Their Own Church If They Want To Marry

While attending the Republican National Convention this week, actor Stephen Baldwin offered up some eyebrow-raising views on same-sex marriage.

The 50-year-old “Usual Suspects” star told Katie Couric in a July 19 Yahoo! News interview that his stance on marriage equality was a bit of a “Jedi mind trick.” Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, he said, if they started their own churches and institutions that give them that right.

“I think anybody should be free to do whatever they want, but they shouldn’t ask other people to compromise what they believe in order to do so,” he said. “I don’t think there should be anything wrong with that at all.”

When Couric pressed him further, Baldwin noted that some of his “best friends in the world are gay folks,” before attempting a clarification that somehow wound up making his stance more convoluted than it had been previously.

“If they believe that they should have the right to have that kind of a union, and they believe that they should have the rights that come along with that,” he said, “they shouldn’t ask, for instance, the Catholic church to change its doctrine to accommodate that.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stephen-baldwin-gay-marriage_us_57926ae1e4b02d5d5ed18bde?section=

July 22, 2016

Mike Norris (Chuck's Son) Claims He Was Poisoned At Screening Of Conspiracy Theory Flick

Mike Norris, the first-born son of Chuck Norris, hired a bodyguard after allegedly being poisoned while promoting his new movie Amerigeddon. At a screening for Amerigeddon in Columbus, Ohio, recently, Norris, 53, claims that someone in a gray suit rubbed poison on the back of his neck, causing him to become violently ill on his drive back to Dayton. Mike Norris won’t say for sure that the stranger’s actions were nefarious, just “strange and scary” enough for him to hire a bodyguard approved by his martial artist father, Chuck Norris.

After having acted in over two dozen films, Mike Norris is still more well-known as the son of Chuck Norris, a martial arts champion and actor who rose to fame in the 1972 martial arts action film Way of the Dragon as Bruce Lee’s nemesis. Chuck Norris, 76, made his acting debut in 1963 when first-born son Mike Norris was only 6-years-old. Mike followed in his father’s acting footsteps at the young age of 16 as a pizza skateboarder in the Chuck Norris martial arts film A Force One. He’s also appeared in 26 other large- and small-screen movies before he decided to become a film director.

Mike Norris directed the 2016 film Amerigeddon, written by Texas businessman Gary Heavin. Amerigeddon is slightly controversial and is a film that the “government does not want people to see,” according to Heavin. Heavin says Amerigeddon is fictional, but the events in the film could be considered “very real threats.” Heavin, a 61-year-old millionaire who owns the fast-growing fitness franchise Curves, decided in 2013 to produce “movies that make a difference,” starting with the film Mission Air, a 2014 Christian movie about a mother and son’s mission trip to Mexico that was also directed by Mike Norris.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/3335678/mike-norris-son-of-chuck-norris-director-of-amerigeddon-hires-bodyguard-after-alleged-poisoning-attempt/#YO1Uv2zkzztf8O4O.99

Just... I have no words.

July 21, 2016

Stephen Colbert Mocks Donald Trump's "We Are The Champions" Entrance

July 20, 2016

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #36: Make America Twerk Again Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #36: Make America Twerk Again Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With the kids jingle belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Come on sing it with me! Can you believe it’s already here? Star Trek Beyond is in theaters RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!! No I’m kidding. I can’t wait to see that movie though. Of course I’m talking about the Republican National Convention, which as Bill Maher called it a “Category 5 Shit Storm”. So it's official - Donald Trump no longer is the presumptive nominee - he is the nominee. And that is some scary shit. We’ll talk about this later. I knew this was not going to leave me with a shortage of material but I had no idea how good this would be – and we’re only two days in!! this comes from an By the way, how hilarious was Stephen Colbert crashing the convention dressed like the host of the Hunger Games and launching his own Republican Hunger Games? I mean come on, that was pure genius, am I right? Well first Bill Maher slams the idea of 24/7 employment with unpaid overtime (if this New Rule doesn’t make you mad, it should) :

So where do we begin this week? Normally this is the RNC special edition. But for the top slot, we have a special report. We’re taking a dip in the international conservative idiots file and going overseas to Turkey where a real-life coup is taking place. And it is about as spectacular a fail as you might imagine, and their president Tayyip Erdogan (1) is turning from a mere elected president into a full blown fascist, North Korean-esque dictator right before our very eyes. And if you guessed that the revolution taking place in Turkey is aimed at us, you are correct! Getting back to our regularly scheduled programming, the second slot has to go to the RNC (2) and their amazing…? Lineup of pure 100% grade A bullshit they have for the RNC, we’ll break down the exhaustive lineup in Cleveland for you. At number 3 and 4 of course is the guest of honor, Trumpenfuror. In the third slot we’re going to discuss failed adventures in logo design, and talk about his insane appearance on 60 Minutes, while in the number 4 slot, we’re going to talk about the events leading up to, before, and after Trump’s announcement of his pick for vice president of Indiana Governor Mike Pence. And in case you’re unaware, last week there was that horrifying terror attack at France’s Bastille Day and of course Trumpenfuror managed to tie it to himself. At number 5 is Melania Trump (5). So Donald Trump’s wife gave a speech on Monday and if you guessed it ripped off the exact same speech Michelle Obama gave at the 2008 DNC, you are correct sir / madam! In the number 6 slot we’re going to bring back “People Who Somehow Got Elected”. And if you guessed this segment is going to talk about Trumpenfuror’s VP pick Mike Pence (6), you are correct sir / madam! Taking the seventh seed, we’re going to talk about sovereign citizens (7), and specifically the Baton Rouge Cop Killer. Plus some Fox News correspondents may or may not be screaming for a race war. On the lighter side – Paul Ryan (8) fails at social media when he Tweets a picture of the new class of Congressional Interns, and of course the internet loses their collective shit when they notice one fatal flaw in his plan. In the number 9 slot (NEIN!!!), we’ve got a couple of random conservative acts of stupidity to cover including Josh Dugger channeling Bart Simpson, while Ryan Bundy got caught trying to escape from prison, and Roger Ailes got fired from his job as the CEO of Fox News. Don't worry - he won't spend any time in CEO jail, get a nice severance package, and will go to another company to ruin. Finally this week, Pokemon Go (10) is the subject on the table, and we talked about it last week, but the most popular app of all time is attracting some strange bedfellows. And we’ve got all the weird news, extreme players, cheating significant others, stabbing victims, arrests, North Korea, and lots more mayhem as a result of Nintendo's insanely popular augmented reality game. Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[font size="8"]Coup De Turkey[/font]

We have a Top 10 Special Report for you. Hit it!

Turkey. That country you think so little about, you had no idea that this isn’t Turkey.

Ha! Fooled you! That’s actually Romania. But there’s been some serious shit going down in the world lately. You had a terror attack that killed 80 in France, and you had a real life coup take place in Turkey that didn’t end peacefully.

Nearly three days have passed since a faction within Turkey’s military attempted to overthrow the government, deploying tanks to the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, blocking bridges, arresting top military officers, seizing TV stations and launching coordinated attacks on police and security headquarters, promising to restore true democracy.

That effort was short-lived but bloody, with hundreds of lives lost and thousands wounded in the carnage. The capital city is pockmarked with tell-tale signs of the violence, abandoned tanks now a curiosity for locals posing on the metal carcasses left in the streets. Shattered glass and concrete adorn the grounds of local security and intelligence headquarters and the parliament building, itself bombed in an attack on democratic institutions of symbolic importance.

But as Turkey picks up the pieces after the failed coup, new details are emerging of how it unfolded, and just how close the military intervention came to succeeding. Many observers have labelled the attempt amateurish, but accounts by officials contradict this characterisation, describing it as well organised and very nearly successful.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/18/military-coup-was-well-planned-and-very-nearly-succeeded-say-turkish-officials

Yes it was over before people even batted an eye. But what are those “new details that are emerging”? I mean look at how corrupt Turkey’s government is / was. And it’s not over. Or is it? Some say it is and some say it isn’t.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan arrived at Istanbul's airport early Saturday and greeted crowds there, hours after elements of the military staged a coup and tried to seize power with tanks and aircraft.

Erdogan emerged from a vehicle at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport at around 4 a.m. Saturday local time (9 p.m. Friday ET). Speaking to the nation, Erdogan said a coup d'etat was attempted by a group in the military.

"They are going to pay for this in the harshest way," Erdogan vowed. He said his general secretary was abducted by coup makers and there is no information on the chief of the military staff. Clashes continued to be reported in Istanbul and the capital of Ankara early Saturday.

After elements of the military shut down bridges in Istanbul with tanks, shut down a state-controlled television station and attempted to seize power Friday, Erdogan had defiantly urged people to take to the streets in a show of support for the government.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/attempt-coup-turkey-prime-minister-says-n610531

So the Turkish military tried to stage a coup against its’ own government. And here’s where things get scary – Erdogan actually pulled a real life Purge. No, this didn’t involve crime being legal for 24 hours. Instead the opposite – he’s purging Turkey’s governors and leaders – nearly 8,000 members of the Turkish police force, and nearly 30 governors got fired as a result of this epic failure:

ISTANBUL — Turkey intensified a crackdown Monday on people allegedly linked to a failed coup plot, sacking more than 8,000 police in what U.S. and other Western officials fear could be an all-out purge by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Thousands of military officers, soldiers and other alleged conspirators have already been detained and fired amid concerns of chaos in Turkey’s powerful military following an attempt to overthrow Erdogan’s government late Friday. The country is a NATO member and important player in a U.S.-led international military coalition against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish media reported that prosecutors started interrogating more than two dozen generals, including the alleged coup leader. The reports said at least 30 governors — more than a third of the total — have been fired.

Authorities dismissed more than 8,000 members of Turkey’s police force nationwide in connection with the coup attempt, a senior official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkish-purges-spread-to-police-forces-in-the-wake-of-quashed-coup/2016/07/18/b31b37de-4cb9-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html

?w=500&c=1

But we’re still not done – who else is Erdogan firing? Why nearly all of Turkey’s education department:

More than 15,000 education staff in Turkey have been suspended after last week's failed coup, as a purge of state officials widens still further.

The Ministry of Education accused them of links to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric the Turkish government says was behind Friday's uprising.

Mr Gulen denies any involvement with the coup attempt .

Turkey's High Education board has also ordered the resignation of over 1,500 university deans, state media reported.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36838347

And we’re still not done – Erdogan has stated that he could bring back the death penalty.

(CNN)Turkey's President refuses to rule out the death penalty for thousands of people arrested after a failed military coup Friday, despite warnings that reintroducing capital punishment could dash Turkey's chances of joining the European Union.
Speaking through his translator in an exclusive interview with CNN's Becky Anderson, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the failed military coup a "clear crime of treason."

The Turkish people have made it clear they want death for the "terrorists" who plotted the coup, Erdogan said in his first interview since the July 15 attempt.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/18/europe/turkey-president-erdogan-interview-coup/index.html

So one thing you have to give Erdogan credit for – this guy has some balls. And I mean serious balls. Brass balls even.

But how did this whole thing get started? Remember when I said that they hated America? Well it turns out that they hate America for more reasons than you might think – and it starts with the US giving extradition to the guy who attempted a previous coup of Turkey’s government back in 1980, who has been living in the US without trial since 1999:

The United States would consider an extradition request for the Pennsylvania-based cleric blamed for the attempted military coup in Turkey, Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday.

In a televised speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. should extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who self-exiled from Turkey to the Poconos in 1999.

Erdogan and the Turkish government say Gulen is behind the clashes that broke out Friday night when the military attempted and failed to usurp the government. At least 194 people were killed in the turmoil.

But Gulen denied any involvement with the coup, telling reporters Saturday that he thinks it may have been "staged."

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/turkey-military-coup/attempted-turkey-coup-u-s-would-consider-extradition-request-blamed-n610906

Wait why would Erdogan stage his own coup? That makes absolutely no sense. Probably – it’s the Purge!!! *cue horror music*

Fethullah Gülen: Turkey Coup May Have Been 'Staged' By Erdoğan Regime

Fethullah Gülen, the reclusive cleric blamed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the failed coup in Turkey, believes the uprising by members of the country’s military could have been “staged” by the government it aimed to overthrow.

In a rare and brief interview on Saturday with a small group of journalists at his residence in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, Gülen rejected all accusations that he was behind the coup attempt.

“I don’t believe that the world believes the accusations made by President Erdoğan,” Gülen said. “There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup and it could be meant for further accusations .”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/16/fethullah-gulen-turkey-coup-erdogan

Oh and by the way in case you were wondering, Erdogan didn’t just TV in Turkey, he cancelled *ALL* of it, going full North Korea in the process:

Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish authorities on Tuesday scrapped all television and radio station licences linked to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of being behind Friday's failed coup.

The broadcasting watchdog said it had "cancelled all broadcasting rights and licences for media that had links to FETO/PDY", the acronym for the Gulen movement.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/turkey-cancels-tv-radio-licences-linked-gulen-watchdog-161735777.html?ref=gs

[font size="8"]RNC Schedule[/font]

Back to our regularly scheduled program. I love that Time Magazine posted this picture highlighting the four phases of the GOP convention in one picture:

Ooh can I play??

Phase 1 - America!!!! Fuck yeah motherfucker!!!!
Phase 2 - Either drunk from playing the RNC drinking game or horrified at the thought of what GOP candidates are proposing that it's causing projectile vomiting.
Phase 3 - Definitely blacked out from playing the RNC drinking game.
Phase 4 - Please change the channel!

And by the way does anyone notice that the stage looks like a giant toilet?

Also the Norovirus seems to be hitting Cleveland, and particularly the RNC pretty hard:

Convoluted excuses about Melania Trump's plagiarism weren't the only thing making the rounds at the Republican National Convention Tuesday—apparently, a group of staffers from California was also passing around a nasty strain of norovirus, STAT reports.

California's delegation chairman, Jim Brulte, told Buzzfeed News that at least 12 members of the staff who have shown symptoms of the virus have now been quarantined. Brulte confirmed that patient zero was one staffer who came to the convention sick, then most likely passed it to her husband, who is also a staffer on the trip.

The virus—which causes unfortunate bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain—is extremely contagious and can be spread by getting too close to someone who's infected, touching contaminated surfaces, as well as what STAT calls the "fecal-oral route." Luckily for the staffers, it passes through your system pretty quickly and usually decimates your insides for just a few days at most.

In an effort to keep the virus from ripping through the convention of roughly 50,000 people from all over the country, the staffers will be locked up until they've gone 24 hours without symptoms. In the meantime, everybody at the RNC should probably be wary of the ketchup and mustard stations.
http://www.vice.com/read/republican-national-convention-norovirus-outbreak-quarantine-vgtrn?utm_source=vicetwitterus

So the RNC is already off to a great start as Stephen Colbert crashed the party and launched his own version of the Republican Hunger Games:

Stephen Colbert crashed the stage during preparations for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Sunday to poke fun at presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

But “The Late Show” host’s stunt lasted less than a minute before a security guard quickly escorted him away.

The video below ― which shows the comedian seizing the microphone while dressed as Caesar Flickerman, the host from “The Hunger Games” movie franchise ― was posted online and is now going viral.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/colbert-trump-hunger-games-rnc_us_578cb01de4b03fc3ee515190

And here’s the tape:

But some good news – you know who is going to be joining Colbert for the RNC coverage? Why you guessed it – his longtime friend and collaborator Jon Stewart! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The kids (and myself) are really happy about this one, folks!

Jon Stewart just couldn't stay away from this year's election.

The former Daily Show host is set to take part in Stephen Colbert's Late Show live episodes for the Republican National Convention, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed. Stewart also will appear on the Late Show on Monday.

His role isn't yet clear, but Colbert, the former Daily Show correspondent, has two full weeks planned for The Late Show on CBS covering both the Republican and Democratic conventions, which he has dubbed: "The 2016 Trumpublican Donational Conventrump" and "The 2016 Democratic National Convincing, A Technically Historic Event: Death. Taxes. Hillary,” respectively.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jon-stewart-join-stephen-colbert-911798

So getting into the convention let’s go through the schedule shall we and pick out some choice items? I mean there’s this:

Daily Themes & Headliners:
Monday: Make America Safe Again
Headliners: Melania Trump, Lieutenant General (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jason Beardsley and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (Mont.).

Tuesday: Make America Work Again
Headliners: Donald Trump, Jr., U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Ben Carson and Kimberlin Brown.

Wednesday: Make America First Again
Headliners: Lynne Patton; Eric Trump; former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista; and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, whom Donald Trump has chosen as his vice presidential running mate.

Thursday: Make America One Again
Headliners: Peter Thiel, Tom Barrack, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump
http://convention.gop/post/147558746375/2016-gop-convention-program-announced

Gee they’re really going to town with the “Make America [blank] Again” theme aren’t they? You know they can talk shit about jobs all they want but the truth is they cater to the needs of the billionaires and don't do jack shit about the working class individuals. As George Carlin said "It's a big club and we're not in it. You and I are not in the big club.". So if they're going to make America "work" again, why don't we make America Twerk again? The difference there is everyone will be twerking. #MakeAmericaTwerkAgain

So who else do they have on the lineup?

Willie Robertson, CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, star of Duck Dynasty
The star of A&E’s hit series Duck Dynasty, Willie Robertson, is the CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander, a New York Times bestselling author, traveling speaker, father of five, and an avid outdoorsman.

Yup! One of our favorite punching bags here at the Top 10 – the Duck Dynasty clan. Ugh… could things get any worse?

Scott Baio, star of the sitcoms Charles in Charge and the Happy Days spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, has announced that he will speak at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland after being personally asked by Donald Trump. "I was at a fundraiser for Mr. Trump the other night with my wife and he invited me to speak at the convention, which was completely unexpected and out of left field," the actor told Fox News Saturday.

Baio provides Trump with a celebrity endorsement, something lacking from the list of expected convention speakers that includes Trump's wife and children, former GOP presidential hopefuls like Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, high-ranking Republicans, military veterans and UFC president Dana White. Football star Tim Tebow was initially named as a convention speaker before the quarterback quashed those rumors. Baio added in his Fox News interview that Trump was "a man that I believe in."
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/scott-baio-to-speak-at-republican-national-convention-w429544

But this guy has to be the craziest item on the list, and I’m really surprised that he wasn’t chosen as Trumpenfuror’s running mate:

In the lead-up to and during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, we’ll be profiling some of the activists and politicians invited to speak at the event. Find more of our Meet the Speakers series here.

The Republican National Convention released a partial list today of the politicians, activists, C-list celebrities and Donald Trump family members who will be speaking at next week’s convention. What the speakers’ list lacks in establishment GOP leaders it makes up for in fringe activists. One name especially stands out: Sheriff David Clarke, the Milwaukee law enforcement officer who has made a name for himself hurling anti-Obama vitriol on Fox News and elsewhere while quietly cozying up to anti-government extremist groups.

Clarke, who is African American, has built a conservative following by enthusiastically bashing President Obama, his Justice Department, Hillary Clinton and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Clarke has called the Black Lives Matter movement “black slime” that “needs to be eradicated from the American society and the American culture,” “garbage” and a “subversive movement” that seeks to overthrow the government, and said that the movement is driven by “an ideology of victimhood with a list of grievances that do not exist.” He has dismissed concerns about police brutality by saying that “black criminal abuse, black criminal brutality” is “the real brutality going on in the United States.” The real problem in “the American ghetto,” he has said, is “modern liberalism.”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/trump-invites-anti-government-extremist-sheriff-speak-gop-convention

Wow, I’m surprised Donald Trump didn’t pick this guy to be his running mate. Racism? Check. Sexism? Check. Hates the government? Checkity check check!

And by the way remember last week when I pointed out how the republicans declared porn a “health crisis”? Well………….

The party of Lincoln, it appears, is also the party of porn.

In Cleveland, where Donald Trump was nominated by his party’s delegates Tuesday afternoon, porn viewership has surpassed—for the first time—New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles, according to a leading adult-video streaming service.

The increase in Cleveland porn traffic during the Republican National Convention is allegedly 184 percent higher than usual, xHamster reports. Cleveland is making history in all sorts of ways, shattering its previous record for porn viewership while topping out at 873,294 views.

There are more people in Cleveland watching porn right now, xHamster says, than when the Cavaliers won the NBA championship (though, it’s not entirely clear what one has to do with the other).

more
http://www.dailydot.com/layer8/cleveland-porn-rnc-donald-trump/

[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]

So for this entry we got to talk about how to *NOT* design a campaign logo. Especially one that will be the butt of jokes of the internet. It didn’t even last a day, people! A fucking day! Of course cry baby Donald Trump is going to remove it when this happens. But before we get into some of the more creative logos, can we show the original please? Let’s throw that up there.

Not too bad until you see that Beavis heartily endorses this logo.

And then wait until you see what Samantha Bee did with it:

Come on even the guy who designed the logo is no fan of Trumpenfuror by any means! I mean come on, and I will post some cringe-worthy excerpts from the Wired article on the Trumppence Logo:

Graphic designers are no more or less biased than any other human being. And that colors how they see things. The trick is to penetrate those predilections. “If I didn’t hate this man with such an intense passion and pleasure, and if I didn’t think this Pence guy was somebody we should never have to hear from, I would say that the logo was pretty distinctive,” says renowned design critic Steven Heller. “It’s not bad. And it’s certainly better than the logo he was using before.”

Vit, too, acknowledges his prejudice, even as he tries to poke holes in it. “I’m not, by any means, a fan of Donald Trump,” he says, noting that it’s hard to disassociate all the nasty things Trump says from this new symbol. “Even if Trump’s campaign came up with the best logo ever,” he says, “I’d find something negative to say about it.”
http://www.wired.com/2016/07/ins-outs-new-trump-pence-logo/

I mean the logo didn’t even last a fucking day! Where’s your sense of respecting our leaders? Oh wait this guy who wants to be leader has respect for um, absolutely nobody!

Looks like the Trump-Pence campaign had a little talk with the graphic designer.

After a logo went out Friday that combined the T from Donald Trump’s last name and the P from Mike Pence’s name in an embrace, a lot of people questioned the positioning of the letters.

On Saturday during a speech introducing the Indiana governor as his official vice president (though it took quite some time for Pence to actually make it on the stage) the logo was noticeably missing.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/07/16/trump-pence-logo-republican-president-vice-president/87179386/

Can we throw the new logo up there?

Off to a great start guys! Really bravo well done!

By the way, GQ hilariously speculates how that horrible logo could have reared its’ ugly head:

People have wondered how a logo this terrible could happen. I imagine it went something like this:

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: "Okay, Mr. Trump, I have the final logo. It's simple. It takes what works about your current logo and just adds Pence's name."

TRUMP: Great. Just what I asked for.

The designer pulls up a logo.
http://www.gq.com/story/trump-pence-logo-design

“Yeah well… logo designers and graphic artists are stupid losers. See I need a logo that appeals to me, as well as appeals to Fox News viewers. What? You mean Roger Ailes is under indictment for sexual harassment? Shit.”

[font size="8"]Donald Trump[/font]

So two things you should know by now unless you’re living under a rock: 1. There was an absolutely horrifying terror attack in Nice, France where a guy plowed a truck into a Bastille Day celebration, started shooting, and killed 80. And no, it didn’t play out like the ending of Animal House. 10,000 marbles were not involved. 2. Donald Trump picked Mike Pence to be his running mate on the ticket for 2016. 3. Donald Trump was made aware of the terror attack in Nice, France. But he managed to, in pure Donald J. Trump fashion, managed to tie the entire thing back to himself.

Following a tumultuous 48 hours of international news, Donald Trump kicked off his vice-presidential announcement with a brief foray into foreign policy.

Addressing the terrorist attack in Nice, France, that killed at least 84, Trump said the world is experiencing "horror beyond belief, no matter where you look. And now it’s happening more and more, and it’s never going to stop."

"We need new leadership, we need new thinking. We need, in our country, law and order," Trump said. "And if I'm elected president, that will happen."

He then pivoted to the violent attempted coup in Turkey, where his comments were notably more vague.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-trump-kicks-off-vp-announcement-with-1468682682-htmlstory.html

“I’m the law and order candidate, I make the best laws, I write the best laws, and the best laws are made at Trump Tower. I love America!!!”

But at leasat Rush Limbaugh is willing to take one for the team if it means Hillary loses in November:

Yeah it’s World Nut Daily. Sue me.

And speaking of "Making America Safe Again", a delegate from Utah got assaulted in the bathroom by some Trump supporters. It's gonna get ugly before things are over.

CLEVELAND - A Utah delegate was reportedly threatened inside a bathroom at Quicken Loans Arena during the Republican National Convention Monday.

According to NBC, Utah delegate Kera Birkeland was on the floor during the Rules vote as one of the delegates calling for a roll call vote.

Birkeland reportedly went to the women's restroom and when she emerged from a stall, a group of Trump supporters surrounded her and threatened to kill her, urging her to leave the party and the state.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/politics/rnc/utah-delegate-threatened-in-rnc-bathroom/276234308

And then Queen has asked Trump to stop using "We Are The Champions". You know what is it with Republicans and music? Like every song they've ever tried to use dating back to the dawn of man has been rejected by the artists, I could post about a million examples.

Queen has lashed out at Donald Trump again for using their 1977 song "We Are the Champions" without permission.

Queen guitarist Brian May has vowed to stop Donald Trump's campaign from using the band's music.

"We are frustrated by the repeated unauthorized use of the song after a previous request to desist, which has obviously been ignored by Mr. Trump and his campaign," the band said in a statement issued by their publishing company, Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/queen-frustrated-by-donald-trump-after-rnc-song-usage-w429857

And then one of my favorite things – an LA street artist built a border wall around Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame:

The piece is described by a representative of the British-born street artist as a "grey concrete wall ... complete with 'keep out' signs and topped with razor wire."

Plastic Jesus is behind other headline-generating pieces, including a life-size Oscar statue that appears to be shooting up heroin.

His latest motto, "Stop making stupid people famous," is featured on the miniature wall.
http://www.laweekly.com/news/donald-trumps-walk-of-fame-star-gets-a-baby-border-wall-photos-7157242

[font size="8"]Melania Trump[/font]

You know one topic we’ve yet to touch on in the Top 10 is plagiarism. What happens when republicans get caught cheating. Well… never say never because it happened on Monday. So before we get into this entry here we’re going to play Melania Trump’s speech from the RNC on Monday night. I mean this sounds innocent enough right?

Well it sounds innocent enough right? Well let’s dig deeper.

A passage of Melania Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday night bore a striking resemblance to the speech delivered nearly eight years ago by another first lady hopeful, Michelle Obama.

As journalist Jarrett Hill flagged on Twitter, a portion of Trump's speech in which she discussed the values instilled in her by her parents appeared to be largely the same words uttered by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/melania-trump-michelle-obama-225793

That’s right – Melania Trump got caught cheating on her speech by ripping off nearly the exact same one Michelle Obama gave in 2008. Let’s play that one shall we?

Now let’s play the two side by side!

So of course the Trumpenfuror campaign is in full denial mode:

(CNN)Donald Trump's campaign manager denied allegations Tuesday that Melania Trump plagiarized a Michelle Obama speech on the first night of the Republican National Convention, calling the accusation "just really absurd."
"To think that she would do something like that knowing how scrutinized her speech was going to be last night is just really absurd," Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day."

At least one passage in Trump's speech Monday night plagiarized from Obama's address to the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/19/politics/melania-trump-michelle-obama-speech/

And of course now RNC chairman Reince Priebus (or Rinse Penis as I’ve heard him called

), is threatening to fire Trump’s speech writer over this:

Republican Party boss Reince Priebus said Tuesday he’d “probably” fire Melania Trump’s speechwriter if it were up to him, after her address came under fire for containing passages similar to the speech first lady Michelle Obama gave in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention.

Speaking at a Bloomberg Politics breakfast on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Priebus said he doesn’t blame Melania Trump.

“Some of these things are pretty common types of themes,” he said, describing her speech as “inspirational” and calling the flap a “distraction” -- while predicting they’d get “back to action this afternoon.”

But he said he’d probably fire the speechwriter.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/19/some-melania-trumps-speech-at-gop-convention-similar-to-michelle-obama-speech.html

But nope! In typical republican fasahion, let’s *NOT* fire the moronic speechwriter and instead let’s blame it on Hillary Clinton!

CLEVELAND — Donald Trump's campaign denied that Melania Trump intentionally plagiarized first lady Michelle Obama in a Monday night speech and claimed that the media and Hillary Clinton supporters are pushing the flap that roiled the Republican convention on Tuesday.

"There is a political tint to this whole issue," campaign manager Paul Manafort told reporters, declining to comment in detail as to how Mrs. Trump's speech was put together and indicating that the campaign did not plan to fire anyone over the incident.

Other Republicans expressed concern about the incident that marred the convention's opening night and suggested that consequences are in order. Ex-Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said Mrs. Trump's speechwriter should be fired, telling CNN: "I know what it's like to be fired by the Trump campaign."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/07/19/trump-campaign-denies-plagiarism-melanias-speech-blames-reaction-clinton/87282068/

But here’s my favorite part of this – teachers are now using this as a way to teach plagiarism to their students:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-36836599
Teachers and academics in the UK and the US have taken to Twitter to thank Donald Trump's wife for providing the perfect material to teach their students what plagiarism is and why it is wrong.

Melania Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention has notable similarities with a speech given by current first lady Michelle Obama in 2008.

Brad Francis, an English teacher at Davis Middle School in Evanston, Wyoming tweeted that he was "'jazzed" to have a "perfect video to teach my 8th graders students about plagiarism".

"Melania's speech is probably the most blatant example that I have ever seen. Eighth grade students need very literal examples, and her speech is basically verbatim to Michelle Obama's. It will help them learn absolutely what not to do in their writing," he told BBC News.

The most blatant example they’ve ever seen. Bravo! Well done!

But the question on the table isn’t necessarily did Mrs. Trump plagiarize Michelle Obama? No she Rick Rolled us!

If, somehow, you’ve used the internet and managed to escape the simultaneous torture and pleasure that is a good Rickroll, allow us to explain and kill the joke: You link a friend to something they actually want to read — but the link takes them to the YouTube page for Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” music video. Or you splice some clip from it into another video, or you call your friend and whisper the lyrics into the phone, and so on and so forth. Or, if you’re Melania Trump, you just wedge a few choice Astley lyrics into your big speech: “He will never, ever give you up. And, most importantly, he will never, ever let you down.”

Of course, Trump probably didn’t know she was quoting one of the most famed artists of the 21st century. (Just like she didn’t know she was quoting Michelle Obama.) Either way, that didn’t stop the internet train from chugging along and turning Trump’s speech into a true Rickroll video. Enjoy spending the rest of the day with 1987’s most annoying tune stuck in your brain.
http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/07/did-melania-trump-rickroll-us-all-at-the-republican-national-convention.html

And of course there’s a remix of it crossed with Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”:

Oh snap!!!!!!!!!!!

[font size="8"]Mike Pence[/font]

Now it’s time for another installment of “People Who Somehow Got Elected”. Hit it!

This week in “People Who Somehow Got Elected”, Indiana Governor and possible future vice presidential candidate Mike Pence. So in order to do this week’s entry we must first go back to 1999 when he railed on Disney with some Alex Jones level conspiracy theories about Disney’s then hit film Mulan:

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R), Donald Trump’s newly introduced running mate, is so extreme in his culture-war views that it’s hard to know where to start. His outrageous anti-LGBT views? His radical opposition to reproductive rights? The Republican’s rejection of climate science and evolution?

Perhaps the easiest way to capture Pence’s views on social issues is to consider this BuzzFeed report.

When Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence was a talk radio show host in Indiana, he wrote an op-ed declaring the film Mulan was an attempt by some “mischievous liberal” at Disney to influence the debate over women in the military.

The 1999 op-ed ran on a website for Pence’s radio program that was uncovered by BuzzFeed News.

“Despite her delicate features and voice, Disney expects us to believe that Mulan’s ingenuity and courage were enough to carry her to military success on an equal basis with her cloddish cohorts,” Pence wrote. “Obviously, this is Walt Disney’s attempt to add childhood expectation to the cultural debate over the role of women in the military.”
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mike-pence-saw-secret-propaganda-disney-film

That’s right – Mike Pence once claimed that Disney’s Mulan is a propaganda film. But how batshit crazy is Mike Pence? Why in 1990 he got caught using campaign finances to pay for his own mortgage. Sounds like he’s a good fit for Donald Trump:

Campaign finance records from the 1990 effort showed that Pence, then 31, had been using political donations to pay the mortgage on his house, his personal credit card bill, groceries, golf tournament fees and car payments for his wife.

The spending had not been illegal at the time. But it stunned voters — and undermined Pence’s strategy to portray the incumbent, Rep. Philip R. Sharp, as tainted by donations from special-interest political action committees".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mike-pence-used-campaign-funds-to-pay-his-mortgage--and-it-cost-him-an-election/2016/07/15/90858964-49ed-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html

Surely that's not the most horrible thing that Mike Pence has done right? Well how about his record on LGBT rights? He signed one of the harshest anti-LGBT bills in the entire country - even before North Carolina made the bathroom police famous.

Mike Pence won’t say whether he believes it’s OK to discriminate against LGBT people. The Indiana governor was repeatedly asked about his stance on the issue during a 2015 interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.” Stephanopoulos posed the question eight times. Pence wouldn’t say. More recently, he was asked the question during a town hall on February 11. “In a simple yes or no answer, do you believe that gay and transgender people should be able to be fired from their jobs just for that reason?” an audience member inquired.

He offered yet another trademark non-answer. “It’s a great privilege for me to be your governor,” Pence said, adding that he “will not support legislation that diminishes religious freedom.”
http://www.salon.com/2016/07/16/mike_pence_is_even_worse_than_you_think_trumps_vp_pick_has_a_long_disastrous_record_of_opposing_lgbt_rights/

Yes - Mike Pence is a firm believer in the concept of "religious freedom" - laws that have absolutely nothing to do with "religion" or "freedom" but everything to do with harassment and bigotry. There's more - he doesn't even have a 50% approval rating in his home state of Indiana, and Indiana is right next to Ohio - a key swing state:

Donald Trump has, begrudgingly, made his V.P. pick official. Much to my disappointment, it didn’t come about through an episode of The Apprentice: Vice President Edition featuring Dennis Rodman and Gary Busey fighting over the geopolitical implications of the Turkish military’s failed coup while seeing who can sell the most Nathan’s Red Hots during the lunch rush.

No, instead, the sacrificial lamb offered up to stabilize Trump’s campaign was Indiana Governor and Just for Men ‘before’ picture, Mike Pence. At first blush, the humdrum Hoosier appears to have been picked to act as counterweight to Mr. Trump’s unpredictable, firebrand style of oratory. In temperament, the two men are polar opposites, Trump’s brain controlled as it is by a magic eight ball of racism, misogyny, and egomania, whereas Pence’s personality is so bland and uninteresting that instant oatmeal stopped texting him back.
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/288144-mike-pence-out-of-touch-with-new-midwest

In fact take a look at his voting record - by taking the Donald Trump nomination he becomes the most far right candidate in US history. Bravo! Well done!

Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
Rated 100% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-life stance. (Dec 2006)
Rated 7% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
Rated 22% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
Rated 14% by UFCW, indicating a pro-management voting record. (May 2012)
Rated 17% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes. (Dec 2003)
http://www.ontheissues.org/IN/Mike_Pence.htm

That's pretty low. That's Mike Pence, another one of the:

[font size="8"]Police V. BLM[/font]

There’s going to be a trigger warning for this next entry. If you want to skip over to number 8, I will let you do so. Go! I’ll even give you some intermission music.

OK now that you’ve chosen to stick with us, we got to talk about the shit storm that went down in Baton Rouge over the weekend. So not even after a week after the police officers in Dallas were laid to rest, more shit went down in Baton Rouge over the weekend. 3 officers were shot by protestors. 3. Again same shit different day. And I won’t use any funny memes or video clips for this entry. So what happened?

Three police officers were shot dead and several others injured after a man dressed in black carrying an assault rifle opened fire in Baton Route, Louisiana.

The incident happened near the Old Hammond area in Baton Rouge.

"One suspect is dead, law enforcement believes two others may be at large," the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/17/baton-rouge-shooting-officers-feared-dead/

So we know that much, so who was this guy? Apparently he was what is known as a “soverign citizen” and can apparently do whatever he damn well pleases.

Long, who served five years in the U.S. Marines and about six months in Iraq, posted YouTube videos and social media tips about achieving “complete and full masculinity,” and he shared the anti-government views of the loosely organized sovereign citizen movement.

“This group believes that they are indigenous to the continent and therefore above all federal, state and local laws,” said author J.J. MacNab, an expert on anti-government extremists and a fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. “(Those) documents show Long’s attempt to separate his flesh and blood ‘indigenous’ self from his legal entity self.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/inside-the-moorish-sovereign-citizen-movement-that-motivated-the-baton-rouge-cop-killer/

So we have an ex marine with an anti-government complex who is looking to take his frustrations out on the police. Sounds almost exactly like Dallas where the killer was an ex marine with an anti-government complex who was taking his frustrations out on law enforcement. But here’s how the SPLC defines a “sovereign citizen”:

The movement is rooted in racism and anti-Semitism, though most sovereigns, many of whom are African American, are unaware of their beliefs' origins. In the early 1980s, the sovereign citizens movement mostly attracted white supremacists and anti-Semites, mainly because sovereign theories originated in groups that saw Jews as working behind the scenes to manipulate financial institutions and control the government. Most early sovereigns, and some of those who are still on the scene, believed that being white was a prerequisite to becoming a sovereign citizen. They argued that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guaranteed citizenship to African Americans and everyone else born on U.S. soil, also made black Americans permanently subject to federal and state governments, unlike themselves.
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-movement

Yikes.

But no racism isn’t a problem in America! Just look at what viral Youtube star and noted Christian terrorist Joshua Feuerstein is proposing. I mean if he were to go through with this, it would be grade A 100% pure terrorism. But now it's 100% grade A bullshit:

Viral evangelist Josh Feuerstein, known for starting the Starbucks cup controversy, urging Christians to arm themselves against gay rights advocates and to “punish Planned Parenthood” and make its employees “fear for their lives,” is once again advocating violence to his millions of followers.

In a video posted to his Facebook page this Sunday, Feuerstein references the Dallas and Baton Rouge cop killings and seemingly calls out the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Look, I’m calling on every American citizen — I love Jesus… I’m a preacher, but you know what?”

Josh then brandishes his handgun which he says is loaded with “20 rounds of pure brutality.”

“Look, I may love Jesus, but if I see you pull a gun on an officer — you want to know whose side I’m on? That’s right, I”m gonna fill you with 60 rounds of pure lead.”
http://deadstate.org/josh-feuerstein-to-black-lives-matter-i-will-fill-you-with-60-rounds-of-pure-lead/

I mean Fox News and Chris Matthews are both clamoring for a race war, but in reality they have as much power of starting a war as Cartman does! But this is how racism isn’t dead in America.

You can live stream the Republican National Convention on the RNC’s official YouTube page, but you can’t chat about it live anymore.

Why, you ask? Because the Republicans have now disabled the live chat window on the page after it got overrun by anti-Semitic Trump supporters.

As former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle gave a speech promoting inroads that Republicans have made with Jewish voters, as well as ripping the Democrats for allegedly being more hostile to Israel, Trump’s alt-right followers flooded the page with anti-Semitic vitriol.

Among other things, the Trump fans wrote “Press H for Hitler,” “JOOS,” “BAN JEWS,” “OY GEVALT,” and “KIKE.”

Some screen caps follow below:
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/rnc-forced-to-close-online-convention-chat-after-anti-semites-turn-it-into-a-jew-bashing-hatefest/

That’s right – the hate and racism was so prevalent that the RNC had to take down their chat room after not even a day. So what does this have to do with BLM? Well BLM were more classy than the RNC ever is, was, or will be.

WICHITA – What was originally planned as a protest march turned into a cookout where Wichita police and a diverse group of residents broke bread together.

The Wichita Eagle reports that organizers of the protest met with Police Chief Gordon Ramsay for several hours, ending with an agreement for the cookout, which took place Sunday at a city park. Several Wichita police officers took part.

Black Lives Matter protesters had planned to march on Sunday, but after organizers met with Chief Ramsay for hours, according to the protesters, they agreed to break bread together instead.

The goal was to open communication and build trust between police and the communities they serve. The crowd at the cookout included people who were white, black and Hispanic.
http://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article90247307.html

[font size="8"]Paul Ryan[/font]

Well I’m absolutely shocked, shocked I tell you, at this next entry. So Paul Ryan fails at the basic rule of social media – and that is that even if you’re unintentionally racist, people are going to figure it out. Did I say unintentionally? I meant at even the slightest hint that you’re a racist, social media is going to figure it out. Well of course it happened when Paul Ryan sent out this Tweet of the 2016 class of Congressional interns:

He thought was a harmless selfie with some of Capitol Hill’s interns.

The caption on the Instagram post read: “I think this sets a record for the most number of #CapitolHill interns in a single selfie. #SpeakerSelfie.”

What he failed to recognize was the overwhelming lack of diversity in the picture, symbolic of the overall lack of diversity among staffers in America’s capital.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/18/paul-ryan-intern-selfie-capitol-hill-diversity

Let’s throw that picture up there shall we?

There’s something about that picture that I can’t quite put my finger on. What could that be, I wonder?

The Republican party apparently thinks of diversity the same way Ron Burgundy does:

GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan loves to pretend that the GOP doesn’t have a race problem. The 2012 autopsy report from the spectacular loss of the Romney/Ryan ticket to President Obama and Vice President Biden had a lot of so-called “minority outreach” goals. Clearly, none of those goals have been accomplished. After all, the current GOP standard-bearer, Donald Trump, has run a campaign that is steeped in racism. He kicked off his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, he has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, has called women fat pigs and dogs, and accused Fox host and debate moderator Megyn Kelly of being menstrual when called out on this, and a whole host of other things that play to the bigotry that is so inherent in the current incarnation of the GOP.

All of that aside though, there is one very telling photo making the rounds on the internet that perfectly illustrates just how, well WHITE the Republican Party is, despite the wide range of diversity that makes up the actual country. It’s a priceless selfie of Paul Ryan showcasing himself with bunches of young republicans, and you won’t see one face of color in that grand sea of white. For your viewing pleasure (or disgust) here is the tweet of that photo:
http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/racism/paul-ryan-selfie-with-white-young-republicans-backfires-when-internet-notices-one-very-telling-detail/

[font size="8"]Random Acts Of Stupidity[/font]

Time for more *cue reverb* Random Acts Of Stupidity!! So there was so much conservative idiocy this week that was not just limited to Cleveland so we’ll post a couple of choice stories here. For instance did you know that Ryan Bundy attempted to break out of prison and got caught?

Federal prosecutors said Monday that Ryan Bundy tore his bed sheets and braided them together into 12–15 feet of rope in an attempt to escape Multnomah County Jail.

Bundy is at the jail awaiting trial for his role in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation earlier this year.

Speaking during a pretrial hearing in Portland, prosecutors said jail staff found the braided rope during a search of Bundy’s cell on April 8. Federal attorneys also said Bundy had stored a container of extra food in his cell.

Bundy denied that he had any plans to escape the jail, calling himself “a rancher trying to practice braiding rope.”

Read more: http://www.opb.org/news/series/burns-oregon-standoff-bundy-militia-news-updates/malheur-ryan-bundy-alleged-jail-escape-foiled/

Or that Josh Duggar attempted to justify his venture into child molestation by claiming “The devil made him do it?”

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2016/07/report-josh-duggar-wont-apologize-for-sex-abuse-because-devil-made-him-do-it/
Josh Duggar will not apologize for sexually abusing his underage sisters.

According to new reports Duggar will be returning to reality TV after completing a Christian “faith-based” rehabilitation program for sexual addiction earlier this year. Duggar entered the program after publicly admitting to molesting underage girls, including four of his sisters, as well as adultery and a pornography addiction....

The source goes on to explain that while Duggar will discuss sexually abusing his underage sisters as well as his marital infidelities and pornography addiction, he will not apologize for his actions, because the devil made him do it:
Josh will cover everything and he will maintain the family line that god has saved his soul and guided him back to the right path. But one thing you probably won’t hear is that he’s actually sorry, as he believes that external forces were to blame for his behavior.

Bottom line: When Josh blames “external forces” for his crimes, that’s code for “the devil made him do it.”

Who is this guy? Is he Bart Simpson now? Or is he listening to way too much heavy metal?

And Roger Ailes got fired from Fox News for allegations of sexual harassment *AFTER* Gretchen Carlson *AND* Megyn Kelly filed formal complaints:

Roger Ailes, who transformed Fox News Channel from a start-up into one of the nation’s most influential news organizations in under two decades, is leaving the 21st Century Fox-owned cable outlet in the wake of a bevy of sexual-harassment allegations leveled at him, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Spokespeople for both the network and the parent company were not available for immediate comment. An official announcement was said to be imminent, this person said.
http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/roger-ailes-fox-news-out-1201817638/

[font size="8"]Pokemon Go Becomes Self Aware[/font]

We need some appropriate theme music for this entry. Hit it!

So you know last week we had this entry for the number 9 (NEIN!) spot this week but there’s a lot of insanity surrounding the most popular app of all time. There’s everything from stabbings to armed robbery to dead bodies being found to insane things happening in Times Square to cemeteries being desecrated. All so people can catch ‘em all. And one guy is going so far out of his way to be a douche that he wanted to play this game *AFTER* being arraigned for securities fraud. Bet you didn’t think it was going to be him, did you? And you think you’re so smart!

Martin Shkreli, the pharmaceutical boss dubbed “the world’s most hated man” after he increased the price of a HIV-related drug by 5,000%, was on Thursday told he will face trial for fraud.

As he walked out of court , Shkreli had something more pressing on his mind. He asked his lawyer: “Can I play Pokémon Go now?” according to a New York Post reporter who overheard the question.

Shkreli, who hit the headlines last year after he hiked the price a life-saving drug often given to people with HIV or cancer from $13.50 to $750 a pill, is accused of defrauding investors in hedge funds he ran.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/14/martin-shkreli-fraud-trial-pokemon-go

Wow, what a douchebag. Just walking out of the fucking court he wants to play Pokemon Go.

But what else happened? Well there was a guy who was wanted playing the game outside a police station!

A Pokemon Go player who was trying to catch ‘em all ended up getting caught by police.

William Wilcox was arrested Thursday morning for an outstanding arrest warrant after police in Milford, Michigan, saw him playing Pokemon Go outside of the station, which is also a Pokemon gym.

“He made our job much easier for us that day,” Milford Police Chief Thomas Lindberg told Fox2Detroit.com.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pokemon-go-arrest_us_578d412fe4b0a0ae97c30bfb?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

I think the funnier part of this is that the police chief said “I think he was more upset that he had to stop playing the game.”

And Pokemon Go is becoming self aware by luring kids to a home where registered sex offenders live:

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The addictive cellphone game "Pokemon Go" has led people to unlikely places to collect digital monsters - including the gates of a central California ranch that houses alcoholics and sex offenders.

The location-based game has a "Pokestop" at the outdoor sign for Sunny Acres, a 72-acre ranch in San Luis Obispo that includes a sober-living facility where 35 people live, KSBY-TV reported Tuesday.

"We have some criminals, we have some alcoholics, we have drug addicts, we have mentally ill, there are some sex offenders, yes," Sunny Acres founder Dan De Vaul told the station.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pokemon-go-sex-offender-home-california-leads-players/

And then there’s this guy who was stabbed and rather than, I don’t know, go to a fucking hospital, decides to continue playing the game!!!

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - For one man, the ability to play the new Pokémon Go game was a matter of life and death.

Michael Baker of Forest Grove, Ore. was so focused on catching all the characters in the game that he kept playing even after he was stabbed.

You can read that again.

Baker continued to play the popular game even after a knife punctured his body.
http://www.local10.com/news/weird-news/pokmon-go-player-stabbed-keeps-playing

I like that one. Or how about the woman who caught her boyfriend cheating when he was playing Pokemon Go outside her house?

People’s addiction to Pokémon Go knows no bounds, from the man playing during his wife’s labour to the people unable to stop catching the little creatures even when in a Holocaust museum. But one man’s addiction to the game has resulted in the end of his relationship – because he was caught cheating.

For the uninitiated, Pokémon Go is an augmented reality smartphone game that allows users to catch the characters in the real-world. Due to the game’s GPS tracking it is possible to see the characters in your immediate real-world surroundings and record the places where they are caught.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/boyfriend-gets-caught-cheating-through-pok-mon-go-a7133911.html

But could Pokemon Go be the catalyst for world peace? In fact in Korea it’s causing a rush for the North Korean – South Korean border:

5. Several South Korean rushing to the North Korean border
A remote North Korean village, Sokcho has been hosting a rather unusual number of South Korean guests who do not mind going that extra mile (or several extra miles) to catch some Pokemons.

As per Reuters, "Due to government restrictions on maps data, it's impossible for Pokemon Go to work properly using Google Maps service in South Korea," which is exactly its residents are flocking to the North Korean town.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pokemon-go-game-nintendo-stampede-lifest-weird-incidents/1/718432.html

Even North Korea’s glorious dictator Kim Jong Un has apparently caught the Pokemon Go bug:

A whirlwind of memes and jokes about "Pokemon Go" are spiraling here because Nintendo's location-based hunting game is known to be available in North Korea.

Memes include North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, ordering his cyberforces to distribute rare pokemons in northern parts of the inter-Korean border so game-addicted South Koreans will cross the heavily armed demarcation line to catch them.

They also include Kim pointing at a huge pink fish, with the quote: "Just caught Magikarp," a game character.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/07/485_209487.html

See you next week!

Ed. Note: The Top 10 Conservative Idiots - every Wednesday at 10:00 AM PST. Also please join our Twitter feed at @DUInitechTop10, and join the fight, won’t you?

July 18, 2016

Mike Pence Once Claimed Disney's "Mulan" Is Propaganda Film

Not. The. Onion.

How did this guy get elected? Much less chosen as a possible Vice President of the US?

July 17, 2016

Bill Maher Slams The Idea Of 24/7 Employment

July 13, 2016

Bernie Sanders Supporters Are Having A "Fart-In" Protest During The DNC

NOT. THE. ONION.

Bernie Sanders's endorsement of Hillary Clinton on Tuesday isn’t stopping his supporters' plans to hold a “fart-in” at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) later this month.

The unusual political strategy will have Sanders delegates consuming a lot of beans before heading to Philadelphia later this month, according to US News and World Report.

Protest organizer Cheri Honkala, national coordinator for the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, has been stocking up on boxes of dry beans and canned beans.

The plan is for delegates to chow down, then let presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton smell what they think of her.

"The fart-in is to raise attention about things that really stink in our society,” said Dr. Walter Tsou, of the Philadelphia branch of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/287472-sanders-delegates-to-hold-fart-in-protest-at-convention

Profile Information

Member since: Sat Apr 2, 2005, 03:11 PM
Number of posts: 100,059

« Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Next »