SAR #14161

“ 'Everyone was doing it' is not a valid defense.” Jesse

Bipanderingship: In a 421-0 vote (no typo), the House of Representatives passed a bill to give veterans treatment from local doctors' rather than provide the VA sufficient funds and oversight to actually fix the system.

Financial Planning: If you bear “a fiduciary responsibility” for gold and silver bullion delivery and do not have actual physical possession of the metal you might want to lawyer up and consider offshore accounts and residency. “You can always try for a Presidential pardon later on.” 
 
Hot Seat: Scientists have now discovered that Thwaites Glacier, part of the rapidly dissolving West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is not only being eroded by the ocean, it's being melted from below by geothermal heat. Which means the whole thing is melting faster than thought just a few weeks ago. This is not good news.

Forgive Him, Father, For He's An Idiot: St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson claims that until just a few days ago he didn't know it was against the law for priests to abuse children. He probably thinks lying is okay, too.

Progress Report: Oklahoma Republican legislative wannabe advocates the death penalty for being homosexual. Go team.

Reflection: Make a list of all the reasons you would chose to continue living in the United States. Hold it up to the light. Now make a list of places where you might like relocate, for those very same reasons.

What Could Go Wrong? The feds have given BP a license to use drones in their pursuit of profits.

Program, Getch'ur Program: Five American Special Operations soldiers were killed by a 'precision airstrike' from a B-1 bomber, which the Air Force still pretends is a workable substitute for the A-10 Warthog, which had successfully completed such missions for decades but wasn't expensive or sexy enough to be used any more.

Is Our Children Learning? A first grader in New Kensington, PA is facing expulsion because he turned himself in for accidentally bringing a toy gun to school in his backpack.

Half A Loaf: The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, having captured and held Falujah and most of Anwar province for several months, has taken over Mosul, Iraq's second largest city. Do you think we can get some of our billions back?

Freeing The Information: Immediately after receiving cell-phone surveillance records from local police under a FOIA request, the ACLU office was stormed by US Marshals who arrested the records and carted them off, charging the records with being a danger to national security.

Scrub A Dub Dub: Putting itsy bitsy plastic beads in soap for smoother skin and higher profits was a good idea. Until, that is, all those billions and billions of microscopic beads ended up in the aquatic food chain, killing fish. It is such a danger that Illinois has outlawed the manufacture and sale of products containing microbeads immediately by 2019.

Porn O'Graph: Hot enough for ya?

The Parting Shot: