Overnight Open Thread (4-20-2014)

Quote of the Day

"LITTLE HITLERS: There is, as every petty official knows, a great deal of pleasure to be had from the obstruction of others, especially if they appear to be more fortunate, better placed, richer, or more intelligent than oneself. There is a pleasure in naysaying, all the greater if the naysayer is able to disguise from the victim the fact that he is not only doing his duty but gratifying himself. Indeed, there are many jobs, meaningless in themselves, in which the power to say no is the only non-monetary reward."

Quote of the Day II

The program is supposedly only for citizens or legal resident aliens, but in reality no one's checking. It will all run on the honor system, at the insistence of the dishonorable. The taxpayer will be robbed blind and anyone who doesn't like it is a bad Christian, anti-American, and of course racist.

Quote of the Day III

After his prepared remarks, Scalia took questions from eager law students who lined the aisles of the theatre. His remarks there were more candid, pointing to the Washington, D.C. v. Heller opinon - a second-amendment case - as his proudest moment on the court.

When another students asked about the constitutionality of income tax, he assured the student that the government could, in fact, take his money.

"But if reaches certain point, perhaps you should revolt," Scalia advised the young man.

It's Official: Americans Now Believe Obama is a Liar

61% say President Obama lies either "most of the time" or "some of the time," with a plurality of 37% opting for "most of the time."

Media Matters Loves Unions and Big Labor

But not among their staff.

Media Matters for America is apparently resisting an effort by Service Employees International Union Local 500 to unionize its staff.

Last week, the union filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board, indicating that the nonprofit media watchdog organization rejected an effort by the union to organize MMFA's staff through a Card Check election.

...MMFA has regularly presented itself as a supporter of organized labor. It has argued that "economists point to declining union participation as one cause of the growing economic rift in America" and claimed it was a fact that "unions increase productivity [and] do not reduce business competitiveness."

So why the objection, MM?

Meanwhile the NLRB wants to give unions a veto over an employer's decision to relocate.

Italian Facts of the Day

• The Italian Tourist Board spends an astounding 98 percent of its budget on salaries, with basically nothing left for its actual job of tourism promotion.
• There are trains in the Mezzogiorno that travel at an average speed of 8.7 miles an hour.
• Metaponto, in the Basilicata region east of Naples, has a five-track, marble-clad rail station, paid for by $25 million in European Union funds. But the last train out is an 8:21 a.m. express to Rome. If you want to go anywhere else, you have to take a bus.

Powdered Alcohol is Coming to a Liquor Store Near You

A new product that's somehow been approved by US regulators makes booze as discreet as a packet of sugar. It's called Palcohol, and it transforms a shot of vodka or rum into a pocketable pouch of powder. Tear it open, add some water, mix, and you've got hard liquor. Considering the age group that Palcohol is going to appeal to, however, the sweet, pre-mixed powders are probably going to be far more popular. To start off, the company plans to make margarita, mojito, cosmopolitan, and lemon drop flavors.

Dr. Cocktail: How To Drink A Dozen Cocktails Without Getting a Hangover

Beer Price Crisis On the Horizon?

Thank you FDA for solving a non-existent problem and costing everyone money.

Conservatives in the Mist

Eventually, we conservatives grow comfortable enough around them to return to our old patterns. We scratch and fight and do our gorilla things and the chronicler dutifully takes notes. The notes eventually make their way into an article for the New York Times or The New Yorker or Vanity Fair.

"Who knew?" the readers will say over their morning bagels and coffee in Southampton or Fire Island, "I had no idea conservatives were such intelligent creatures. Why they even have the capacity for emotion and even some rudimentary forms of kindness."

Instructional Diagrams for People Who Suck at Everyday Life

Thanks to tmi3rd.

10 Amazing Abandoned & Repurposed Railway Stations

All are fascinating but Detroit's Michigan Central Station may be the most magnificent and saddest of all.

Top 10 commenters:
1 [344 comments] 'Vic' [48.29 posts/day]
2 [318 comments] 'Costanza Defense'
3 [311 comments] 'Anna Puma (+SmuD)'
4 [292 comments] 'Boss Moss'
5 [258 comments] 'Niedermeyer's Dead Horse'
6 [253 comments] 'rickb223'
7 [244 comments] 'Mike Hammer'
8 [241 comments] 'Misanthropic Humanitarian '
9 [231 comments] 'thunderb'
10 [230 comments] 'RWC'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers:
1 [94 names] 'The Political Hat' [13.19 unique names/day]
2 [53 names] 'Adam'
3 [44 names] 'Brandon In Baton Rouge'
4 [42 names] 'Cicero (@cicero)'
5 [42 names] 'Obama For-ks America'
6 [36 names] 'Romeo13'
7 [29 names] 'andycanuck'
8 [29 names] 'Prez'nit 404'
9 [29 names] 'Hate Miser'
10 [28 names] '18-1'

The group. Yeah.

Where it's at - the Twitter

Tonight's post brought to you by Happy Easter:

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posted by Maetenloch at 10:02 PM

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