May the Fourth ONT be With You

So today is May the 4th, that glorious day when geeks, nerds and dwebs joyfully celebrate what they think is the greatest sci-fi franchise* of all time

*They are wrong. Star Trek is in every way superior to Star Wars.

My Kind of Politics

Walter Lippmann on Calvin Coolidge:

Or perhaps the words of Barry Goldwater resonate with you:

I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed'' before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents "interests,'' I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.

Precious little of any of that in politics these days. Sad!

Update From Room 101

Google Redefines The Word ‘Fascism’ To Smear Conservatives, Protect Liberal Rioters

Google defines fascism as, “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.”

So now when people type the word into the world's most popular search engine, they will be informed that “a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” (definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster) is now “right-wing”. SMDH

Stunning Photograph

In 2013, U.S. Army Specialist Hilda Clayton was documenting Afghan soldiers training on mortars. She snapped this picture just as a round misfired in the tube. Tragically, the explosion killed both of the men in the photograph, along with Spc. Clayton and her Afghan counterpart. Spc. Clayton was the first combat photographer killed in Afghanistan. Rest In Peace, Soldier.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” -2 Timothy 4:7-8

Source

A Way With Words

Headline of the Week

We have several possibilities:

Man Caught With A Hundred Stolen Cellphones At Coachella After Festivalgoers Activate 'Find My iPhone' App Don't, you know, turn them off after stealing them or anything.

How Rape Survivor Wed School Sweetheart and Built a Family After Having Hit Man Kill Her Abusive Dad Some people just need killing.

Inside the Insane Feud Between a Vegan Strip Club and the Steak House Next Door The vegan place sounds like a better strip club, but the steak strip club has, well, steak

And the winner is.....

Transgender woman who 'suffered a broken penis when her lover had a heart attack and DIED during sex' sues the man's wife for damages Yeah, I know Ace did a thread on it when it happened, but still, the headline can't be beat.

Smart Dog

And a better fisherman than I am, using bread for bait.

God Bless Americans

Texas. Tornado Alley. In the aftermath of a storm, a truck is overturned in flood waters. Inside the truck: A baby and a toddler, both drowning. What happens next will, well, if you know Americans like I know Americans, it won't astound you at all. Into the flood waters rush bystanders. White men. Black men. Hispanic men. American men. Working together with their bare hands they manage to pull the dying children from the wreckage, get them to solid ground and begin resuscitation procedures. Throughout, a woman on the bank prays fervently to Jesus for help in saving these children's lives.

And they did.

There's a news story with a link to the raw video here.

Sad Story

Hiker Vanishes, 2 Years Later Police Discover What Happened

Clickbait site, but it tells a compelling story. A woman, 66, fulfilling her lifelong dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail. When her companion has to leave because of a family emergency, she decides to finish the last 200 miles solo. Sadly, she got off the trail and couldn't find her way back. She survived for several weeks, and it seems from the story that she did almost everything right, but unfortunately she succumbed to exposure and starvation.

The 1955 crash at Le Mans

Just How Horrifying Was The Worst Crash In Motorsports?

Pretty horrible. Anywhere from 80-130 people died as parts of the Mercedes car sliced through the crowd after a crash. To this day Mercedes won't race at Le Mans. Here's a newsreel about the event, including footage of the crash. You know how newscasters today preface every story with “Warning, this segment contains graphic footage which may be upsetting to some viewers”? Yeah, they didn't do that back then. Be warned

Stupid People

My experience of intimate partner violence, trapped in Turkey

“Intimate partner violence”. Smh. Self described “radical activist” type travels to Turkey for the cause, to help protest globalization and promote social justice and other stupid shit. Once she gets there, she finds out that the friendly man who lured her there wasn't going to be the love of her life. She wasn't riding off into some glorious brotherhood of progressive man and feminist woman sunset. No, what she had gotten herself into was a months long ordeal of drugs, alcohol, rape, abuse and torture as the “charming” man she thought she was going to see reverted to his cultural norm. The most mind boggling thing about the entire account is her absolute refusal to allow her actual experiences to overturn her Utopian ideology. I have no words (so I'll spare you my eloquence).

Our Best and Brightest

Returning Soon to a $15 Minimum Wage Area Near You

Why Taco Bell Killed the Secret Machine That Makes 900 Tacos per Hour

Watch the short video at the link. If I'm eating as Taco Bell, the last thing I want in my tacos is “love”. I don't even trust places that advertize “secret sauce”.

Miscellaneous Links

This Guy Proposed To His Girlfriend Live On Camera At Fenway Park. She Said No. Hilarity Ensued. He should have stuck to yelling the N-word at opposing ballplayers.

The Eagles sue Hotel California They stab it with their legal briefs, but they just can't kill the beast.

Tonight's ONT brought to you by peak goth:

The Yahoo Group thinks that she's probably just a fan of the Baltimore Ravens.

posted by WeirdDave at 09:59 PM

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