That's How They Get You!

When Obama endorsed same-sex marriage...

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:09:31 -0400

… I knew we’d still have a tough fight ahead of us, but whatevs:

Giant elephant face on Mars is proof of giant elephant people on Mars

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:35:56 -0400

Scientists say that this giant elephant-like face spotted on Mars is from an ancient lava flow, but that’s just what they want you to think so you don’t start panicking about the idea of giant elephant people on Mars. But you probably should panic over giant Martian elephant people, because that’s the only logical explanation.

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Are you ready for a Mitt Romney presidency?

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:21:21 -0400

Are you ready for a Mitt Romney presidency?

Federal Judge Caught Emailing Racist Bestiality-Themed Joke About President Obama

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:00:00 -0400

Federal Judge Caught Emailing Racist Bestiality-Themed Joke About President Obama :

I’ll get straight to it. The subject line of the email, which Cebull sent from his official courthouse email address on Feb. 20 at 3:42 p.m., reads: “A MOM’S MEMORY.”

The forwarded text reads as follow:

“Normally I don’t send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.

“A little boy said to his mother; ‘Mommy, how come I’m black and you’re white?’” the email joke reads. “His mother replied, ‘Don’t even go there Barack! From what I can remember about that party, you’re lucky you don’t bark!’”

Then get this, get this!… his excuse was, and I quote, “I didn’t send it as a racist, although that’s what it is.”

Wow.

What did you send it as? A unicorn?! You’re a nut.

Today's Misinformation - Santorum: Obama Admin ‘Seems To Favor Pornographers Over Children And Families’

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:31:00 -0400

Today's Misinformation - Santorum: Obama Admin ‘Seems To Favor Pornographers Over Children And Families’ :

You’d think Rich Santorum would be concerned with creating jobs or stopping the polar ice caps from melting and the ozone from disappearing or something. But no, he’s worried about how much porn you watch. And he’s really concerned that President Obama is not concerned with how much porn you watch. The following statement was posted to his website:

America is suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography. A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences. Addiction to pornography is now common for adults and even for some children. The average age of first exposure to hard-core, Internet pornography is now 11. Pornography is toxic to marriages and relationships. It contributes to misogyny and violence against women. It is a contributing factor to prostitution and sex trafficking.

Every family must now be concerned about the harm from pornography. As a parent, I am concerned about the widespread distribution of illegal obscene pornography and its profound effects on our culture.

For many decades, the American public has actively petitioned the United States Congress for laws prohibiting distribution of hard-core adult pornography.

Congress has responded. Current federal “obscenity” laws prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier. Rick Santorum believes that federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced. “If elected President, I will appoint an Attorney General who will do so.”

The Obama Administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws. While the Obama Department of Justice seems to favor pornographers over children and families, that will change under a Santorum Administration.

I proudly support the efforts of the War on Illegal Pornography Coalition that has tirelessly fought to get federal obscenity laws enforced. That coalition is composed of 120 national, state, and local groups, including Morality in Media, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Cornerstone Family Council of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania Family Institute, Concerned Women for America, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a host of other groups. Together we will prevail.

What I’m wondering is based on what facts is he deeming that the Obama administration has turned a blind eye? Rick is obviously pandering to special interests. The Potus has to have priorities and Rick just wants to shift the dialog towards his personal ideology. It’s an old trick, Rick, and smart folks know better.

And Attorney General to do… what? Sounds like someone’s getting quite the head start on thinking up ideas that are guaranteed to waste taxpayer’s money.

Colbert On GOP Race: Just Like Hillary Vs. Obama Magic, ‘Minus...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:04:53 -0400

Colbert On GOP Race: Just Like Hillary Vs. Obama Magic, ‘Minus Any Women Or Black People’

Sarah Palin recently told Fox News host Sean Hannity she...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:35:00 -0400

Sarah Palin recently told Fox News host Sean Hannity she believes President Obama is trying to take the country back to times “before the Civil War.” Palin said that our country has come a long way and that the people know that we are all “created equal.” Think Progress reports that Sarah Palin believes that Obama wants to return to a time when Americans were separated by race and income.

“He is bringing us back to, you can harken back to days before the Civil War when unfortunately too many Americans mistakenly believed that not all men were created equal and it was the Civil War that began the codification of the truth that…”

And she goes on and on. I’m going to be honest, I don’t know what the hell Sarah Palin is talking about. I don’t know what could have prompted this vehement tirade. Seems to me that she just hates President Obama and thinks he’s the root of all evil. But what is President Obama but a man who is trying to be the best president he can be. No one is perfect so of course Obama cannot be perfect.

If I could speak to Sarah Palin, I would have this to say. How do you draw the conclusion that the first black president who has a history of community organizing would want to bring the country back to pre-Civil War times when black people were slaves? And how do you credit the Civil War in 1861-1865 to the “codification of the truth that here in American yes we are equal and we have equal opportunities,” and ignore the fact that black people had to fight and die and suffer through Jim Crow for another century just to obtain basic rights in the 1960’s? How do you talk about the realization in this country that all men are created equal stemming from a war when that realization didn’t become a reality but for many a generation later, not through war, but through peace, community building, cooperation and through black self-actualization. Even through all this it remains a tilted field because history is not that easily overcome.

So really, how do you even form your mouth to say something so ignorant and insensitive?

Mistruth, thy name is Palin. And you suck in life.

Rick Santorum Compares Entitlement Programs To ‘Guy With A Dime Bag’

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:26:00 -0500

Rick Santorum Compares Entitlement Programs To ‘Guy With A Dime Bag’ :

Rick Santorum thinks entitlement programs are a drug. He compares the government to a “guy with a dime bag.” Taking Santorum’s lead, here’s a list of programs that every American should “just say no” to. And remember, if you ever take advantage of any of these at any point in your lifetime, you’re a socialist.

United States Government Entitlement Programs:
529 or Coverdell
Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
Hope or Lifetime Learning Tax Credit
Student Loans
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
Earned Income Tax Credit
Social Security — Retirement & Survivors
Pell Grants
Unemployment Insurance
Veterans Benefits
G.I. Bill
Medicare
Head Start
Social Security Disability
SSI — Supplemental Security Income
Medicaid
Welfare/Public Assistance
Government Subsidized Housing
Food Stamps

Facebook says that Brands are People. And I'm like, "no."

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:58:00 -0500

Facebook says that Brands are People. And I'm like, "no.":

Facebook wants you to think that brands are people so that you engage with brand content in the same way that you do with your friends and family. I totally understand on the surface the idea is to improve the quality of content. Advertising can be really annoying when it’s obvious.

But if we are to consider brands people, I think it’s important to consider the nature of the corporation. There has been plenty of study on the pathology and psychopathic tendencies of corporations, including lack of morality and concern for society. A corporation’s main objective is to seek profit and increase profit for its shareholders. Corporations are self-interested and amoral, even though the are legal persons.

Knowing that a corporation is not a friend but a stranger, and the brand that you engage with online is nothing more than a community manager tasked with increasing engagement for the ultimate goal of driving traffic and profits, I prefer to keep a healthy separation between my friends and family and brands.

Even something as harmless as the photo above, taken from Captain Morgan’s Facebook Timeline, illustrates a shift towards blurring authentic history and fiction. And really, don’t we we already have enough of that in the media today. [Insert latest political truthiness here.]

The moral of the story is if you can think of something...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:57:46 -0500

The moral of the story is if you can think of something ridiculous enough that no one has attempted it before, and you’ve got a bunch of friends with nothing better to do, you too can become a world record holder.

"Human nature dictates that people have a hard time genuinely connecting with, being close to, or..."

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:20:00 -0500

““Human nature dictates that people have a hard time genuinely connecting with, being close to, or really trusting other humans who (pretend to) have no weaknesses, flaws, or mistakes…””

- Flawsome

Now you know why you don’t have any friends. I’m looking at you Mitt Romney.

futurejournalismproject: Made in the USA Clever touch: Barack...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:30:00 -0500

futurejournalismproject:

Made in the USA

Clever touch: Barack Obama’s timeline is up on Facebook. It begins (or ends, depending on which way we’re scrolling) with this coffee cup birth certificate.

fuckyeahdrugpolicy: Undercover Cops Seduce Teens, Bust Them for...

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:28:05 -0500

fuckyeahdrugpolicy:

Undercover Cops Seduce Teens, Bust Them for Drugs? | Opposing Views

Last year in three high schools in Florida, several undercover police officers posed as students. The undercover cops went to classes, became Facebook friends and flirted with the other students. One 18-year-old honor student named Justin fell in love with an attractive 25-year-old undercover cop after spending weeks sharing stories about their lives, texting and flirting with each other.

One day she asked Justin if he smoked pot. Even though he didn’t smoke marijuana, the love-struck teen promised to help find some for her. Every couple of days she would text him asking if he had the marijuana. Finally, Justin was able to get it to her. She tried to give him $25 for the marijuana and he said he didn’t want the money — he got it for her as a present.

A short while later, the police did a big sweep and arrest 31 students — including Justin. Almost all were charged with selling a small amount of marijuana to the undercover cops. Justin has been convicted of selling pot inside a school, a felony in Florida. He is no longer eligible to join the Armed Forces as he had planned to do upon graduation and is now attending community college.

This is not an isolated incident. Click to continue reading.

sign the petition: Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio: Stop sending undercover officers into your high schools

In Palm Beach County the police have already used this tactic to arrest and convict over 80 students at numerous high schools. And sadly, this tactic is not unique to sunny Palm Beach.

In the Huffington Post, Tony Newman likened this story to that of 18-year-old Mitchell Lawrence, a student from Great Barrington, Mass. who served two years in jail for selling a joint to an undercover cop. According to Newman, “the officer befriended Lawrence and his friends, hanging out with them after school. One day the cop asked if Lawrence had any weed. Lawrence gave the cop a joint and the cop handed him $20. Lawrence hesitated, but the cop insisted on giving him the money. Because they were less than 100 feet from school, “selling” the joint carried a two-year mandatory minimum sentence.”

No police department should expend taxpayer money to trick kids into becoming one-time drug dealers just to slap a felony conviction on their record. It’s shameful and robs too many of a better future. Nancy Reagan once told us that the drug war was fought to protect our kids, but with these tactics it’s more often taking away their future.

We can’t change this disgraceful practice across the country with one campaign, but we can start the ball rolling by changing them in Palm Beach. Tell Mayor Gail Coniglio to stop sending undercover police officers into her high schools. Beefing up the county’s drug conviction rate is not worth robbing more kids of their future.

Who are the biggest super PAC donors, and what do they want?

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:26:45 -0500

Who are the biggest super PAC donors, and what do they want?:

source2012:

Want to know more about the wealthy individuals who are spending millions to influence the 2012 election? A new reading guide from ProPublica profiles the 10 biggest super PAC contributors through Jan. 31, highlighting their background, how much they’re worth and why they might be pouring so much cash into the outside groups.

The Sunlight Foundation also has a new analysis of top super PAC benefactors, comparing their recent donations to past election cycles. While these super donors are no strangers to political giving, this time they’re donating more money earlier in the campaign than they have in the past, Sunlight found. We’ll be keeping watch to see if their generosity continues as we draw closer to election day.

How can someone say that reading their kid’s text messages...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:19:00 -0500

How can someone say that reading their kid’s text messages is perfectly acceptable and in the same breath say “If you’re gonna to treat you’re child like you don’t trust them, I believe that’s leading to trouble?”

The answer? I don’t know. It takes a very twisted and most likely Republican mind to say such things. But that’s exactly what Kathy Ireland said on The View. To Ireland, spying on your kid’s text messages is totally cool. Elisabeth Hasselbeck chimed in to agree, adding that phone companies are criminals for charging extra for the feature. But when asked by Barbara Walters if reading her kid’s diary is okay, she jumps on her high horse and says “That’s crossing the line.”

::Kanye Shrug::

I also want to suggest that Ireland is making a statement about socieoeconomic status and parenting as well… I’m too tired to spell it out, but it’s in there. Just think about it…

At the end of the day, just talk to your kids and you can find out whatever you need to know (that’s everything you need to know, you don’t need to know everything). And if you don’t want your kid sexting then just turn off the text messaging feature. It’s not hard and the phone still works. You just have to actually speak to your kid now when they contact you to pick them up from the movie theater.

The reluctant sex lube salesman

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:58:00 -0500

The reluctant sex lube salesman:

Nick Bergus recently posted a link on Facebook to a 55-gallon drum of personal lubricant sold by Amazon — it’s only $1500! Then the post got sponsored and his family and friends started seeing it when they used Facebook, turning Bergus into a pitchman of sorts for an absurd amount of sex lube.

A week later, a friend posts a screen capture and tells me that my post has been showing up next to his news feed as a sponsored story, meaning Amazon is paying Facebook to highlight my link to a giant tub of personal lubricant.

Other people start reporting that they’re seeing it, too. A fellow roller derby referee. A former employee of a magazine I still write for. My co-worker’s wife. They’re not seeing just once, but regularly. Said one friend: “It has shown up as one on mine every single time I log in.”

Get used to this…promoted word of mouth is how a lot of advertising will work in the future.

revamceachern: @MosDefOfficial has a profound retort to Jay-Z...

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:12:23 -0500

revamceachern:

@MosDefOfficial has a profound retort to Jay-Z and Kanye’s “Niggas in Paris,” as Yasiin Bey he delivers “N****s in Poorest.”

Although I enjoy Kanye’s and Jay-Z’s music as much as the next person - their style of ego-rap is like a drug that enables you to pretend you are as rich, famous and influential as they seem to be on stage in front of thousands - Mos Def gives us the medicine we need. As Yasiin Bey, he delivers an important message not to be caught up in money and material possessions, and to remember the struggles that people in our urban communities face every day. Shout out to Mos Def and other hip-hop artists who make music that moves us and educates us at the same time. We need artists that can give us a dose of reality as much as we need artists who help us escape from it sometimes. #realtalk #realhiphop

Barbara Walters talks 'Vagina' with Joan Rivers... #tmi

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:14:56 -0500

Barbara: What do you say to people who say, ‘Joan Rivers, you have just done too much?’
Joan: “I say mind your business. And if it’s a man I always look at the wife, who is usually 11 years old with fake breasts.
Barbara: *Giggling* Okay. And what’s the most extreme kind of plastic surgery that you’ve heard of?
Joan: Oh, uh, vaginas now.
Barbara: What?
Joan: They’re tightening their vaginas. Well, vaginas can get loose—
Barbara: I see.
Joan: If you’ve had a couple of children, and, you know, you’re in an earthquake and you suction yourself suddenly to the floor — time for tightening
Barbara: I never thought I would ask you this question, Joan. Have you had your vagina tightened?
Joan: Why bother? There’s no hope, Barbara.”

Some asshole named Dave Ackerman puts on blackface and asks BYU...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:02:14 -0500

Some asshole named Dave Ackerman puts on blackface and asks BYU students about Black History Month… and that’s just the tip of the fuckery.

Whoops: Shredded Paper Thrown During Giants’ Parade Contained...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:55:37 -0500

Whoops: Shredded Paper Thrown During Giants’ Parade Contained People’s Personal Information