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HA Bible Study: Jeremiah 10:2-4

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Jeremiah 10:2-4

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

Discuss.

Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

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Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) uses big numbers.

Obama: The top 10 things that happened in 2015:

David Pakman: Health care costs rise slowest since 1961 thanks to ObamaCare..

Minute Physics: Why December has the longest days.

Obama wins the War on Christmas™.

Maddow: Debate audiences crush records.

Thom: The Good, The Bad and the Very Very Ludibriously Ugly.

Congressional Hits and Misses: Best of the Rules Committee.

David Pakman: 2015 lies of the year.

White House: West Wing Week.

The 2016 Carnival of Crazy:

Obamas’ Christmas address

Library of Congress highlights the first book printed in America.

Jimmy Dore: Far right kook wonders how he became so liberal:

Young Turks: Senator Cotton suggests that disability benefits lead to heroin abuse.

Maddow: Best campaign ads tell the story of U.S. politics.

White House: A historic agreement to combat climate change.

The Young Turks: Is Chick-fil-A going gay?

Stephen is ready to go to Mars.

Thom: Are the Koch prison reforms only helping executive & white collar crimes?

The FAUX News Chelsea Clinton conspiracy theory.

Twelve rejected political parody videos:

Maddow: NASA to survey belching, toxic gas leak.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

HA sullies your Christmas

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Mental Floss: 25 holiday film facts.

Mark Fiore: The Real War on Christmas.

What does Santa want for Christmas.

Young Turks: Santa Claus field trip causes controversy

The uncensored 12 Days of Christmas:

David Pakman: Some alternative Christmas carols.

A holiday message from Hillary Clinton.

What do Syrian refugees want for Christmas?

Unaired SNL Christmas with fighting siblings.

Thom: Mystery meat for the holidays?

Uncensored office Santa.

Black Santa is very in demand.

The pagan origins of Christmas:

Key of Awesome Christmas Parody Spectacular.

Young Turks: Cheesy politician Christmas cards.

Best Christmas gift ever.

Happy Holidays from Boston Dynamics.

Dear Homeland Security: Why the Fuck Did You Flag My Passport?

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Goldy al Hmar

Just look at that punim. Does that look like the face of a terrorist to you?

Monday evening, returning to the US from our “vacation of a lifetime” to the Galapagos*, I was detained by Customs and Border Patrol agents at Miami International Airport.

I hadn’t flown internationally in 15 years, so I was unfamiliar with the reentry process. As instructed, my daughter and I used the automated kiosks provided for US citizens. We scanned our passports. We answered the questions honestly—”no” to everything that would warrant further inspection—and had our photos taken. (The touch-screen kiosk is actually pretty nifty; it automatically adjusted its height lower to take my daughter’s photo.) Katie’s reentry pass printed out with a slightly goofy surprised smile. Mine printed out with a big X printed across my face, and instructions to go see an agent… who promptly confiscated my passport and called an armed agent to escort me to a holding area. My passport had been “flagged,” I was told.

imessage

Only after the fact did I learn I wasn’t allowed to use my phone at CPB. Oops!

“How long will this take?” I asked the agent, mentioning that we had a connecting flight to catch.

“Could be five minutes; could be five hours,” he offered uncooperatively. “Could be five years,” he added with a slightly ominous tone.

Yikes.

While others were escorted into rooms for their interviews, my daughter and I sat and waited, making plans for her to continue to Seattle without me or our luggage if the process dragged out too long. After about 45 minutes, I was called to a counter, handed my passport, and instructed to take a left, head down a hallway, and then go through a gray door. It was only once I opened the door that I realized it was an exit. It would have been useful had they told me they were done with me, considering my daughter was still waiting in the sitting area around the front.

I retrieved my daughter, and after a bit of a search, our luggage (our flight information had scrolled off the monitor, and no airport personnel could tell us on what carousel it had arrived, so we had to sort through thousands of bags). The process leaving the baggage area was routine. At no time during my encounter with CBP was I questioned; at no time was my body or belongings searched. Fortunately, we had a three-hour layover, so we made our connecting flight.

But the question remains: Why the fuck was my passport flagged?

I suppose it could have something to do with this. Or this. Or maybe this, this, or this. But although I’ve been a brash and frequent critic of the security theater that has characterized the Orwellian-named Department of Homeland Security in the post-9/11 era, nothing I’ve said or written could reasonably be interpreted as an actual threat. Still, I’ve always entertained the possibility that my writing could leave me open to some sort of retaliation.

But assuming this incident was intentional rather than due to some weird glitch (and to be clear, there was nothing random or routine about my detainment), I’m guessing it probably had more to do with something like this. Or even more likely, this. And if it was, judging from their actual lack of interest in me or my belongings, I can only characterize this experience as an episode of official harassment.

Okay. Lesson learned: From this point forward I will always speak my mind clearly and forcefully—even recklessly—without any fear of the consequences. I’ll just never, ever book a return to the US again expecting to make a connecting flight.

Suck on that, DHS.

 

* And yes, it was a vacation of a lifetime.

 

Drinking Liberally — Seattle

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DLBottlePlease join us this evening for a holiday edition of the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet tonight and every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the small room at the back of the tavern. We start at 8:00pm.



Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings happening this week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. And the Burien chapter meets on Wednesday.

There are 186 chapters of Living Liberally, including eighteen in Washington state, three in Oregon and one in Idaho. Find—or start—a chapter near you.

Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

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Stephen: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power explains the world.

Minute Physics: The physics of car crashes.

The 2016 Krazzzy Klown Kar:

David Hawkings’ Whiteboard: 2016 Calendar.

Phillip Chang comedy: It ain’t easy being Asian-American.

Mental Floss: Misconceptions about holidays.

Farron Cousins and Howard Nations: Koch brothers attempt to infiltrate progressive organizations.

Young Turks: Judge swears in on Koran to “conservative” outrage.

Climate Summit:

Stephen: Walk like a Putin.

Maddow: Anti-Muslim attacks in U.S. more than double.

Thom: Time to cure 21st century America of its original sin and prosecute Bush, Cheney, & Co.

Adam Ruins Everything: The reason we thing vitamin supplements are good for us.

Thom: The Good, The Bad & The Very Very Clinquantly Ugly!

Merry War On Christmas:

Young Turks: Congressman pranked by C-SPAN Caller.

Jimmy Dore: Your fear is being used against you.

Stephen: Creepy advertisements.

White House: West Wing Week.

Sydney Robinson: Baby boomers brought us this Republican creep show.

David Pakman: The disastrous impact of income & wealth inequality.

Non-Shutdown Accomplished:

Thom: The Good, The Bad and The Very, Very Orecticly Ugly!.

Songify the News: The Fish Awakens:

Congressional hits and misses of the week.

Maddow: New clues about mysterious buyer of Nevada’s largest newspaper.

Adam Ruins Everything: Why orange juice is so unnatural.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Donald Trump for President…

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For months now, pundits have been trying to explain Donald Trump.

“He’s not serious,” we heard in the early days of the campaign.

“He’s a Clinton plant,” some right-wing insiders have declared.

Following his “ban Muslims from entering the U.S.” statement, some have claimed Trump is trying to stir up feelings of oppression among one fifth of the world’s population in order to catalyze world-wide Islamic jihad.

The Truth is out there…and Jeb!™ knows the truth. During last night’s G.O.P. debate, he made a startling revelation:

So Donald, you know, is great at the one-liners, but he’s a KAOS candidate, and he’d be a KAOS President.

That explains it! It all makes sense now: totally serious, not a Clinton plant, not a jihad-enabler.

Image of Trump as President of KAOS

President of KAOS

Trump is running for President of KAOS. It all makes sense now.

Donald Trump for President…of KAOS!

Mr. Trump would totally be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency of KAOS.

G.O.P. Debate Open Thread

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The debate should start at 5:30. I’ll be at Drinking Liberally and live-blogging the event (internet bandwidth permitting).

To get this thread started, here is an interesting video that was released today:

Does this provide any insights about one particular G.O.P. candidate’s (1) truthfulness, (2) great memory, (3) campaign substance?

5:10: The kiddie debate is over. Caught the closing statements. Sen. Man-on-dog wins just because he had such an upbeat way of talking about death.

5:25: What the fuck, CNN? “Trump arrives at debate” isn’t fucking news.

5:33: Someone named “Rinse Prius” or something is giving some bullshit talk. He sounds like a used car salesman.

5:36: Is Donald Trump holding up the show? Holy fuck…start without him!

5:43: Rand Paul has morphed into Ron Paul: Unelectable oddball.

5:44: Red ties are in.

5:46: Again?!? Seriously? The national anthem? This debate better involve some sort of physical test of skill!

5:48: Did Paul just say the Constitution is wrong?

5:52: Hey, Chris Christie, those LA father’s are probably thankful they aren’t crossing a bridge in NJ!

5:55: Jeb Bush: “I’ll keep our country safe, secure, and free”…just like my Brother did.

5:58: Carson pauses for a moment of silence. Don’t be fooled…he just REALLY needed to close his eyes.

6:02: Jeb: “Trump would be a Kaos president.” Get Smart!

6:05: Cruz is a one issue candidate tonight: “Obama won’t say ‘radical Islamic Terrorism’, so vote for me.

6:08: Is Christie wearing a “junk” pin on his lapel?

6:20: Christie needs to make an executive decision to straighten his tie.

6:22: Carson bails on a question…and looks really bad doing it. Wow.

6:26: Fiorina throws around “CEO” as if Americans have a positive association with the term.

6:36: Aaaaaaahhhh…a Muslimey looking questioner! Everyone duck under your podiums!!! (podia?)

6:39: Actually, Donald, Bush seems a little more energetic than you do this evening….

7:08: This debate has become exceptionally empty and repetitive.

7:11: “Punch Russia in ‘The Nose'” Nikolai Gogol smiled.

7:12: Earth to Fiorina: The withdrawal from Iraq was Bush’s doing.

7:19: Trump hurt himself with his juvenile “tough guy” insults to Jeb and then talking poll numbers. He should save that crap for campaign events.

7:32: Donald Trump. A totally low energy debater. Low ENERGY. Am I right?

7:37: Kasich says stuff that doesn’t sound extreme. But doesn’t really say anything at all.

7:45: As President, Dr. Carson could do brain surgery on “unstable” Kim Jong Un

7:45: Carson memorized a bunch of military stuff!

7:47: Ummm…Jeb Bush used a private email server while Gubernator of FL.

7:55: At this point Carson seems almost incapable of speaking…

8:03: Jeb bush stumbles his way through his closing comments. He was doing okish until then.

8:04: Rubio: “Now millions of Americans feel left behind”…like most Muslim Americans?

8:05: Carson’s “exceptionalism” closing statement makes him sound like he munched on lead paint chips as a lad.

Wrap-up. Another retched debate. My complaints is that WAAAAYYYYYY too much time was spent on security and terrorism. Fact is…foreign terrorism is a pretty minor threat in the U.S. Domestic terrorism is a much bigger threat, but no real discussion of that. That’s because IT DOESN’T SCARE VOTERS enough. I missed a chunk of the debate, but I didn’t hear anything about climate change, the environment, air polution, the economy, health care, domestic infrastructure, gun safety, white collar & Wall Street crime, higher education, primary education, mass transit & reducing traffic congestion, tax relief for the poor, reducing income inequality, energy independence, credit card fraud, etc., etc. These are issues that affect Americans every single day. And there was nothing.

These guys are in a political campaign bubble, and completely out of touch with the real America. But they got that fear thing going….

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