Free Republic

North Korea instructed the country Monday to brace itself for possible famine and severe economic hardship — but not to despair, because “the road to revolution is long and arduous,” according to an editorial in the state-run newspaper. The article, published in Rodong Sinmun — the print mouthpiece of the North Korean government — comes less than a month after the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of slapping the Hermit Kingdom with tougher sanctions, after the country teased its potential nuclear and military capabilities earlier this year. The editorial stated that hardships to come might evoke another “arduous march”...

So. . . what are the rules for the inevitable Drinking Game for tonight's debate. I've seen the "Bernie Rule", every time Sanders pushes a "free" government program, you chug someone ELSE'S beer. And the Hillary! Debate technique of leaving the bar, taking the server with you, and having them make you drinks at home. But we need some point-scorers, gang. What do we drink to when the Teflon Leprechaun says something dumb. . .or bares his chest. . .or pulls out a musical instrument. What will Chaffee be tonight, Democrat, Republican, Independent, or just Confused. And what points can...

So question du jour (and I'm asking it in several places today: it was set off by the attached link and its' discussion here on FR. . ) Replacing low-skilled workers with automation, and now robots, has been an accellerating trend for over a century now, and really looks like we're soon going to hit the point where the curve goes hyperbolic. (especially with the push for $15/hour for minimum wage. . .) Given that, as more and more skilled jobs are automated out of existence. . . .what do we do about the now-unemployed, and likely permanently unemployable? So...

For most people in the southern African nation, where unemployment tops 80 percent and the economy continues to feel the after-effects of billion percent hyperinflation a decade ago, the uproar had all the hallmarks of a 'First World Problem'. "Are you saying that all this noise is about a dead lion? Lions are killed all the time in this country," said Tryphina Kaseke, a used-clothes hawker on the streets of Harare. "What is so special about this one?" As with many countries in Africa, in Zimbabwe big wild animals such as lions, elephants or hippos are seen either as a...

And all members of Worldcon get the Hugo Voters package, soft copies of the nominated works. Read them, and make your own decisions on the best SF and Fantasy of 2014. https://sasquan.swoc.us/sasquan/reg.php

Sen. Marco Rubio has emerged as the strongest candidate in the GOP presidential field, topping the rest of his announced and potential rivals for the nomination and running best against top Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a new Quinnipiac University Poll Thursday.

This is the era in which we are all being drafted in the Culture War. It doesn’t matter if you’re secular or religious, political or apolitical, frat boys or geeks, hipsters or bros. Nobody gets to be neutral or sit on the sidelines, because we’ll all be expected to make our obeisance to the latest politically correct opinion handed down to us by a Twitter mob. By now, we know the basic ingredients of a typical skirmish in Culture War 4.0. It goes something like this: a) a leftist claque starts loudly pushing the “correct” Culture War position onto b)...

Nothing TOO surprising here, but a list of stores and such the LibProgs hate. You know what to do. . . Because, OMG, these companies support (shudder) Conservative Values. Oh, the huge manatee!!! Admittedly, Mariott Hotels, Angel Soft, Brawny, and Dixie, and Urban Outfitters were a surprise. . .

Harry Reid is doubling down on his attacks on the Koch Brothers as the fount of all evil. . . . So here's an idea (shamelessly stolen from a poster on "Chicks On The Right". . .) When Reid is officially fired in January, we need to hold some kind of "Salute to Harry Reid." For his relentless attack on the Koch brothers, we'll call it "A Coke for Reid" day, in which everyone pours themselves a glass of Koch, errr, Coke, raises there glass, and drinks to Harry Reid's retirement. This could be as much fun as the icebucket...

OK, gang. We're seeing the railroading of Phil Robertson for the high crime of professing his faith in response to a direct question. 1. We need to overwhelm A&E with support for Phil. Here's the email I sent to feedback@aenetworks.com. . . To whom it may concern:Apparently, A&E Networks find it objectionable that Phil Robertson, when asked a direct question, gave a direct answer and referenced the teachings of his faith.For his honesty, which, frankly, is one of the charms of "Duck Dynasty", you've decided to put Phil on hiatus.Well, I've put A&E on hiatus. AND, I've also put buying...

Evil Thought of the Day: If the Park Service is evicting residents from homes built on Federal Park lands. . . . . . .isn't the White House on National Park Land. Under Equal Protection Under Law, shouldn't the Obama's be evicted, too ??? Not that it will happen, as Some Animals are More Equal than Others. but. . .

I've had an idea how to get the Budget process fixed, and maybe Capitol Hill as well: I have a genuinely bi-partisan solution to the underlying budget problem. An Amendment to the Constitution. With the following terms: A budget, NOT a continuing resolution, must be passed by the House and submitted to the Senate by June 1st of every year. The Senate must hold a vote on the budget by July 1st of every year. If the House and Senate cannot agree on a budget, they MUST go into conference on the budget on the next business day, and neither...

Realized something this morning. The general consensus is, that the Employer Mandate is being delayed to preserve the Democrats' chances of winning the House in 2014 Now, despite the plain language in the bill requiring the Mandate be in place 1 Jan 2014, the one-year slip is going to be an issue. BUT. . . of course, the Geniuses at the Most Transparent Administration EVER have forgotten something important, as is their usual level of "brilliance". The WARN Act ( http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/layoffs.htm ). You know. . . the one that requires companies with more than 100 employees to give 60 days...

WHAT is Operation Baen Bulk ?? OBB is a different kind of support for the troops. Instead of focusing on individuals, we support entire UNITS, by finding what they need, or want, and can't easily or quickly get while deployed. . .and get it to them. In LARGE quantities. Think of it as the Warehouse Club approach to Soldier Support: we use the power of buying and shipping in bulk, to maximize the stuff delivered to our troops, out at the pointy end of the spear, and minimize things like waste, shipping costs, etc. And in the process, generally deliver...

For former IRS staff and tax experts, the case confirms what they view as one of the agency's long-standing weaknesses: its inability to cope with the growing number of tax-exempt advocacy groups that appear to stretch the law to engage in politics. With the IRS now under fire for its practices, campaign finance lawyers anticipate that the agency will shy away even more from regulating such organizations. At the heart of the issue is the murky role occupied by nonprofit "social welfare" organizations, set up under Section 501(c)4 of the tax code, which are allowed under IRS regulations to engage...

Bill Whittle (of EjectEjectEject and PJTV fame) gives the speech we ALL need to hear. . . Whittle at Restoration Weekend

The National Weather Service's forecast center in College Park, Md., which watches winter storms, put out a long-range notice Thursday saying a nor'easter was possible for mid-Atlantic and New England states by Election Day through next Thursday. Forecaster Bruce Sullivan said it wouldn't be as bad as Superstorm Sandy and isn't tropical. But it could include snow in interior New England and New York, beach erosion and high winds for areas hit by Sandy and moderate or heavier rainfall. Winds could be about 30 to 40 mph. "I wouldn't get too alarmed yet," Sullivan said. "But it's something we're going...

The lyrics, re-calibrated to actual reality: Imagine an America Where the Lefties are running free Where all guns are nixed And politicians lie But the birth control is free We are not allowed to worship! Our news is good enough Give us higher tax And more business whacks As we bow to Chinese lords. . . We’re the children of Obama True Socialist through and through But they won’t let us re-distribute And so now we’re blaming you We haven’t killed all the jobs yet But it’s not for lack of trying Well, my dad was sacked The Fed is...

Anyone else getting "spam" emails linking to the "Innocence of Muslims" trailer, and asking you to Report it ??? I've gotten 4 today. . . Wonder if someone is trying to do an Astroturf. . . .

The Right’s Twenty Rules of Racism: 1. Anyone responsible for three hundred years of slavery would have to be a lot older than you and me. 2. There has to be some genetics in “racism’s” DNA, some DNA in its gene pool, or it just isn’t racism. 3. Racism could be eliminated in the United States if we could just eliminate the white liberals who so plainly depend on it so much and do so much to keep it going. 4. Reality isn’t racist: The reality is that there are pond-scummy gallows bait in every group. Some of those will...