Overnight Open Thread (8-26-2014)–Surprise Edition

So I Guess Your Name Isn't Destiny After All

Although American Douglas McAuthur McCain did die in combat while fighting in Syria for IS against another rebel group.

Getting Past Labels With LIVs

Always remember that the very fact that you're voluntarily reading this on this web site means that you're more than a little abnormal (and by a little I mean a lot). You are a political junkie so the political arguments that appeal to you probably won't to non-junkie-types i.e. normals.

Perhaps when we're trying to persuade the electorate as a whole, we have to toss out terms like "conservative" or "libertarian." Not because they're not accurate, but because they represent obscure hieroglyphics to a chunk of the people we're trying to persuade.

If you're one of these perpetually tuned-out voters, maybe words like "conservative" or "libertarian" are signals that indicate, Hey, this is that politics stuff that you don't like to hear about, so you can stop paying attention now. This is frustrating, and I understand and feel the irritation that we have to water down or dumb down our arguments because some voters can't be bothered to understand some concepts we find pretty basic.

We political junkies love political philosophies, and keep subdividing ourselves into smaller and more precise groupings. (Crunchy Cons! Neoconservatives! Libertarian Populism! Reform Conservatives! Eisenhower Anarchist!) We love these labels and terms, because we feel that they help explain a coherent way of looking at the world, government, the Constitution, human rights, society, etc. But to a lot of people, they might as well be Dungeons & Dragons character classes. They don't know which political philosophy best matches how they see the world because they flat-out don't understand the terms and, perhaps most maddeningly, are not convinced that they need to know them - nor much about anything else.

And never ever forget the dedicated work of generations of people before you that led to the technology you're enjoying at this very moment.

66% of Democrats Support Prosecuting Rick Perry for Doing What Governors Are Constitutionally Allowed to Do

In other words if a Republican does something you don't like, how can it not be a crime?

And 68% of Americans Want to Criminalize Kids Playing Unsupervised

A whopping 68 percent of Americans think there should be a law that prohibits kids 9 and under from playing at the park unsupervised, despite the fact that most of them no doubt grew up doing just that.

What's more: 43 percent feel the same way about 12-year-olds. They would like to criminalize all pre-teenagers playing outside on their own (and, I guess, arrest their no-good parents).

..."I doubt there has ever been a human culture, anywhere, anytime, that underestimates children's abilities more than we North Americans do today," says Boston College psychology professor emeritus Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn, a book that advocates for more unsupervised play, not less.

Jayvee No Longer

More like self-funding pros

The Islamic State, which now controls an area of Iraq and Syria larger than the U.K., may be raising more than $2 million dollars a day in revenue from oil sales, extortion, taxes and smuggling, according to U.S. intelligence officials and anti-terrorism finance experts.

Unlike other extremist groups' reliance on foreign donations that can be squeezed by sanctions, diplomacy and law enforcement, the Islamic State's predominantly local revenue stream poses a unique challenge to governments seeking to halt its advance and undermines its ability to launch terrorist attacks that in time might be aimed at the U.S. and Europe.

"The Islamic State is probably the wealthiest terrorist group we've ever known," said Matthew Levitt

The McDonalds Peace Theory Lives On

Russian officials have closed the McDonalds in Moscow due to 'health' reasons.

The McDonalds peace theory holds that no two countries prosperous enough to be under the golden arches will ever go to war. In what may be a possible fillip of hope for this theory, Russia has closed the famous McDonalds on Pushkin Square, along with at least three other locations. The Pushkin Square restaurant was big news when it opened, as a symbol of new Soviet openness to Western ways and money. ...So maybe we could amend the theory this way: if two countries with a McDonalds do go to war, one of the countries will get rid of the fast food chain.

The USS Houston Found After 72 Years

Discovery of the Houston's final resting place solves the final mystery surrounding the legendary ship.  While the cruiser's loss was affirmed shortly after the battle, the exact spot where it went down remained unknown until the recent location and analysis of the wreckage near Java.

Unfortunately, media accounts of the discovery gloss over the history of the USS Houston, and its legacy as a fighting ship.  For members of the World War II generation, the ship was a symbol of determination, heroism and sacrifice against long odds. 

Indeed, for many months after the Houston went down, it was assumed that all hands were lost with the ship.  In fact, almost 300 members of the crew survived the sinking, only to be taken prisoner by the Japanese.  They endured hellish conditions in POW camps immortalized by the book and film "Bridge on the River Kwai."  William Holden's character in the film, Lieutenant Commander Shears, was identified as a survivor from the Houston.  Shears' escape from the POW camp mirrors that of five Houston sailors who managed to reach Allied lines and report that roughly one-third of the crew had survived.  At the end of the war, 291 were repatriated and returned home.

"Our enemies have given us the chance to prove that there will be another USS Houston, and yet another USS Houston if that becomes necessary, and still another USS Houston as long as American ideals are in jeopardy."

-- FDR on 12 October 1942 renaming the Vicksburg to the Houston (CL-81)

The current USS Houston is still in service.

WHO Calls For Ban on Indoor Vaping and Fruity E-Cigs

The World Health Organization (WHO) today published a report calling for a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes indoors, as well as restrictions on e-cigarette advertising and sales to minors. The report also calls for regulations on the contents of e-cigarettes and raised concerns over the interests of major tobacco companies, which have begun to command a greater share of a market that saw $3 billion in sales last year.

Because it's really about controlling your behavior and making sure the bad, wrong people are punished.

2014 or 1814: Horse and Buggy Robbed by Masked Gunmen

East Lampeter Township police say an armed, masked gunman robbed the occupants of a horse and buggy after forcing the buggy off the road.

At approximately 12:40 a.m. Monday, the buggy, carrying three people, was traveling east in the 300 block of East Eby Road when a westbound white minivan pulled into its lane, forcing the buggy to stop.

An armed man - with his face covered - exited the van and demanded money at gunpoint police said.

The victims tossed their wallets to the suspects. One of them threw his wallet behind the robber, according to East Lampeter police Lt. Robin Weaver.

When the robber turned around to get the wallet, the driver of the buggy directed his horse to take off into an adjacent field.

Possible ID here.

Porn Stars Minus Makeup

You have been warned. But hey you're an adult and responsible for your own illusions.

The AoSHQ group. Watch yer cornhole.

Teh Tweet!

Tonight's post brought to you by multiplication Asian-style:

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posted by Maetenloch at 08:50 PM

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