I can't believe it's not a democracy!

Not surprised:

Associated Press says U.S. government seized journalists' phone records. Of course this happened. Probably trying to find out who all WH leakers are so they can start prosecuting them and have a whole ward of Bradley Mannings. I am so so glad I did not vote for Obama for president. Holder was his pick for Attorney General. Period. I only hope that some journalists finally understand what this government is willing to do to keep all leaks from happening and start reporting the shit out of what is going on. With a handful of exceptions, DC is a fucking cesspit that needs a Herculean cleaning.

You can't even parody this stuff anymore:

Extreme Sustainability in London. The link takes you to a story about an East London furniture store that emphasizes sustainability.  What it really emphasizes is overpriced artisanal shit ala Portland and Brooklyn with an English spin.  And when you are done, this is what you get--"a sustainable chair": 

As one commenter noted, it looks like it wouldn't support a child.  Click the link if you wish to be diverted and appalled. 

Man, you cannot make this shit up:

Christian family values attorney arrested by FBI for sex crimes. What makes this increasingly typical story a bit more interesting is that there are a few twists we haven't seen before. Namely: the attorney is a middle-aged woman, who transported a teen across the U.S.-Canada border, she had the teen engage in sex and convinced her to let it be filmed, and, of course, there are allegations of drug possession, weapons, and threats. You know there is probably even more bad shit out there, but really, the list, as is, is already impressively bad. And what makes this story even sweeter is that this miscreant's employer, The Alliance Defense Fund, "made news this week by distributing a memo to county clerks in Maryland, Maine and Washington encouraging them not to issue same-sex marriage certificates to couples wishing to wed in those states." Because gay people are bad. But not christian attorney bad, that's for damn sure.

Here's another one who made it through the NYPD screening:

NYPD officer charged with plotting to kill and eat women. Something is seriously wrong with the process by which teh NYPD screens its applicants, no? The rot must be at the top, but the bottom isn't looking good either. Sigh.

Filthy fucking financial fucks:

Do you have any idea how to trade the next war? Find out!. Some blogger at marketwatch, a douchebag named Coddy Willard, actually wrote this shit:

A lot of folks out there think that war with Iran is a matter of when, not if. Do you know the best way to trade a war? What have stocks done historically when war breaks out? Let me start by stating my utter disdain for war, how vocal I have been and remain in fighting the warmongers from the Republican/Democrat Regime, and how any soldier can get all of my services for free, including the new game, by emailing us at support@tradingwithcodycom. Despite all of that, I spend my career helping people navigate such realities.

Aw, how big of him. Cody disdains war, but wars happen, so someone should make a buck off of them, no? So, do I know how to "trade the next war?" No, but I know who I hope is named as the first casuality. Take a guess.

They are monsters:

Dying Woman Humiliated at Sea-Tac Airport by TSA Security Search. The young woman was taking a "end of life" trip to Hawaii when these monsters "lifted bandages from recent surgeries, lifted her shirt to check feeding tubes and broke open an IV bag of saline solution, all in full view of other passengers." The poor young woman asked for a private search, but the TSA monsters denied her request saying, "the location is fine."

Fire them all. Yes, I mean it. I have no compassion for someone who thinks it is fine to collect a check for violating the 4th amendment rights of their fellow citizens. So fire them all, and hire some human beings to replace them. And while we are at it, replace the invasive and unconstitutional pat downs and "I can see you naked cancer machines" with effective prescreening of passengers (follow El Al guidelines) and xray all the luggage. If a well-trained TSA agent has a reasonable suspicion about a passenger, have the agent take the passenger to a more private space near the security station for a respectful pat down and/or questioning. I know that there's not as much money in my suggestions, but the facade is falling apart and I'm offering my idea of what can replace this filthy program designed to teach the masses that they are not entitled to dignity and respect. Oh, and this goddamn disgraceful program, while set up by that asshole W, came into being on Obama's watch. One of many reasons why I will not vote for him.

A: Professional Courtesy!

Q: Why did the TSA hired a defrocked priest without a background check? I'll be here all week.

Thanks to JDM for the link.

My tax dollars at work.

I'm on vacation this week.  A "staycation."  Hate that word, but I'm staying in town this week so I guess it fits.  Anyhow, a friend was going to join my last night for a visit to the gym in my building.  It's not a fancy gym, but it has what we need: an elliptical thing for her, an exercise bike for me, and various machines to tones legs, arms, and other bits.  But we couldn't use the gym last night because, well, because of what follows:

As my friend was nearing my place, she noticed a lot of cop cars, fire trucks, and ambulances around my building.  There was a cop in my building lobby, and he asked her where she was going.   Thinking that there was a crime scene somewhere nearby, she told him she was visiting a friend and asked where she should go in to the building and whether I should leave.  Oh, no problem, he said, and said something like "have a nice visit." 

So she comes up and tells me about the scene outside, which I missed because I had the blinds drawn.  We stop at the lobby on our way to the gym to see if we can learn anything.  Another tenant walked in after talking to a cop, and he told us that he was told that there was "an investigation going on."  My friend wondered if it was some nasty domestic dispute.  Still, we went down into the basement because we assumed that it was safe or the cops would have closed it down.  I wondered whether it could be a drill--they have these regularly in New York City to prepare for the unpreparable and to scare the citizenry who may have forgotten to be afraid.  

In the basement there was a cop in uniform.  Near him were four full red bags with the words "Infectious Materials" written on them.  And then I knew it was a fucking drill.  I asked him whether I was correct, and he had to concede it (but you could tell he didn't want to) when I pointed out the four potential dangerous if true bags o' pretend impending death.  And no, we couldn't go into the gym because some cops had changed in there and left their civilian clothes on the equipment and they didn't want us in there with their things.  

I know that the police, firemen, and EMTs have to drill to prepare for various possible scenarios.  But while gobs of money are spent on the security state which has institutionalized the continued violation of our 4th amendment rights through dataminging (because no one has said that it ended, have they?) and TSA genital gropings, there apparently is no money to investigate and prosecute bankers, provide health care to unisured Americans, or encourage the use of alternative energy, which are real and present dangers that the political class and their uber rich masters ignore on purpose.  

Maybe I shoud move to a small rural community and unplug.  

George Orwell was just off 30 years:

Airport-style screening to be considered for train and tube stations. If they try to do this in the U.S., I will stop taking Amtrak and I will walk over the fucking Brooklyn Bridge or telecommute rather than go through "I can see you naked cancer machines" every fucking day. It's all for show and so a small handful of rich assholes can make more money. Oh, and to remind the 99.9% of us that we are fucking proles. I bet these sick fuckers have already invested money in drug companies to deal with the spike in cancer 20 years hence. God, I hate them all.

Of course he was:

'Underwear bomber' was working for the CIA. The biggest terrorism threat we have is the fucking CIA/FBI/Homesland Security clusterfuck. Take the money, get the fuck out of Afghanistan and Iraq and every other goddamn place where we shouldn't be. Give reparations to the countries we fucked up (using the money we are saving not have a gazillion mlitary bases), keep the rest of the money that formerly went to the clusterfuck and use it for education, infrastructure repair and investment, and heavily subsidize alternative energy so that every American who wants to can buy electric cars or solar panels or whatever they need to remove themselves from Exxon's teat. Prosperity ensues.