New Developments III

[Greg]

Colin Kaepernick jersey sales have skyrocketed since he began his protest:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/colin ... s-protest/

[Greg]

Sex Toy-Wielding Students Protest Gun Law at University of Texas:

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/201 ... y-of-texas

[Greg]

Stephen Hawking could finally win Nobel prize after scientist 'PROVES' black hole theory:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/6 ... -radiation

[OscarGuy]

And Sanders officially endorses Clinton, meaning the convention will not be a clusterfuck.

I find it amusing that one of the people interviewed in the CNN article talks about Bernie's integrity and honesty and that she'd follow him anywhere except to Clinton. So, either he has integrity or he doesn't. You don't get to pick and choose which part of his personality and rhetoric are filled with integrity and which aren't because if he doesn't have integrity in one area, then he cannot be a candidate of integrity.

[Big Magilla]

Speaking of Giuliani...

http://www.nydailynews.com/ne<em>ws/pol ... -1.2707601

[Big Magilla]

Trump is not a law and order candidate although he may bellow like one. Anything can happen in the next few months, but I think most rational thinking people, and even some irrational ones, see through him.

Most of my close friends and family members are died-in-the-wool liberals and Democrats, but even the hard-nosed, gun-toting Republicans among them, the ones who wish George W. or Reagan were still President, see Hillary as the lesser of two evils. They won't vote for her, but they won't vote for him either. Let them stay home, which bodes well for the down ballot. I just wish if the Democrats do regain control of both Houses that they've learned their lesson well and won't do what they did the last time in trying to appease the Republicans by watering down bills that they won't vote for anyway.

[Mister Tee]

So, that eighth key is still hanging on there, Tee?

I'm not concerned about it. This was of course a very sad week, but hyping that into "it's almost like 1968" is the kind of thing the press does to try to generate attention. If things were to escalate substantially -- retaliatory killings, truly violent protests, rage in the streets -- then there'd be something to the analogy. But what I hear from most corners -- with the exception of bone-deep assholes like Guiliani -- is a desire and determination that none of that happen; that this not split into "you either excuse all police misconduct or you're anti-cop". I have to say, the Dallas police have themselves helped mightily with this...their behavior both at the demonstration and subsequently is a model of what law enforcement should aim for.

[Sabin]

So, that eighth key is still hanging on there, Tee?

[mlrg]

Portugal european football champions! Fuck yeahhhhhh!

[Heksagon]

It was you who started out by describing Britain as an "austerity regime". But when I pointed out that the British economy has actually done pretty well during that time, you point me to articles that downplay the amount of austerity that Cameron has implemented, thereby effectively undercutting your own initial argument.

You're not the first person I've seen do this. When governments introduce austerity, the critics will predict disaster, and when their predictions don't turn out to be correct, they will try to downplay the amount of austerity that was actually implemented. What else can they say? I've even seen people argue that the Fiscal Cliff never happened.

It is true, of course, that the austerity measures that Cameron implemented were far more modest than what he initially suggested to push through. But the relatively good performance of the British economy since then makes it very difficult to argue that they would have been harmful.

it was in fact only the end of the austerity that produced economic gains:

You should also keep in mind what is the objective of austerity policies: To bring government deficits in control and thereby improving confidence in the economy. No one who advocates austerity, is saying that austerity policies should involve cutting governmental expenditures indefinitely, although the critics - including Krugman - often present that straw man.

Austerity is always supposed to be a temporary policy that will produce economic gains once it is completed. I don't believe austerity will help the economy just simply because the policy is ongoing, but it does appear to me that, for countries that have major budget deficits, if the policy is successful in bringing those deficits down, it will improve investor confidence, which will improve the economy. The benefits will be felt in the medium and long term, not overnight.

[Mister Tee]

This may not directly address your assertion, but two postings from the Shrill Nobelist that would dispute any view that austerity was good for Britain -- that it was in fact only the end of the austerity that produced economic gains:

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/0 ... austerity/
http://www.theguardian.com/business/ng- ... y-delusion

The second one's pretty long, and only really focuses on Britain toward the end.

[Heksagon]

the fact that Britain has suffered far more economically than we have thanks to the austerity regime since the Great Recession.

This isn't true. If you check the statistics on the unemployment rate and - especially - the employment rate, you will notice that Britain has done substantially better during this depression than USA has. Cameron's austerity policies appear to have been very successful at least in terms of creating jobs. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. jobs statistics have looked better since the fiscal cliff as well.

The relatively good performance of the British economy - when compared with what is going on across the Channel - is likely one of the reasons why the British felt (overly) confident to vote Leave. During the 60s and 70s the British economy was one of the worst performers among European democracies, and this played a big part in driving UK to the EU in the first place.

[Precious Doll]

It's funny reading through the posts and yet no one has mentioned the greatest threat facing mankind right now and into the future (and most other specifies on the planet for that matter) - man made climate change. We have more than likely passed the point of no return and whilst the consequences won't happen overnight the impact will become more obvious and devastating as time marches on….

[Mister Tee]

MIster Tee, since you singled out 1962-74, I thought you meant Sam Cooke.

You're right; I did some inadvertent conflation. That kind of thing happens when your youth is so far in the past.

Sam Cooke's killing, by the way, was a pretty muddled affair, with lots of confusion still over what happened and why. Lennon's killing by Hinckley, by contrast, seemed of a piece with the political assassinations of the 60s (or at least the Official Explanations thereof): a loner with some warped agenda specifically targeting a prominent celebrity.

The "I didn't know voting Leave meant we'd actually leave" crowd remind one of the 2000 Nader voters in Florida and New Hampshire, a number of whom were quoted saying "If I'd known this would happen, I'd have voted for Gore". Maybe this happening now, so prominently and so instantly regretted by many, will serve as loud warning to the Send a Message portion of Sanders dead-enders -- elections aren't for sending messages, they're for choosing winners and setting policy, and there's no take-backs allowed (though I agree with Sonic that there'll be an attempt at that in the UK, and a fair amount of sympathy for it, I'm not sure the logistics will make it possible).

I don't what it is about portions of the left, that they've persuaded themselves not voting is a way to get what they want -- they shunned Humphrey in '68, Carter in '80 and Gore in 2000, and the utter failure (and wide-ranging consequence) each time has still failed to convince some that it's a bad technique.

[OscarGuy]

It could also have a galvanizing effect on the racists, xenophobes and others and encourage them to vote more frequently. I think rather than a warning, it will be a rallying cry. It could also instill in younger voters and those who think their votes don't matter that they really do and sitting by and not voting could lead to dire consequences. That latter is the lesson I really hope American voters take when faced with the terrifying prospect of Trump.