First, Radley, my tone in that earlier comment was crappy, and for that I apologize.

I’m not “people on the Left who have started coming to the site.” I’ve read The Agitator pretty regularly for years, back to before Overkill came out. I’ve visited this site probably 5 times as often as I’ve visited DailyKos.

I’m a little to your left on spending but I’d still like to see libertarians have a louder voice on fiscal policy, as a counterweight to the “tax the rich and throw their money at every problem” attitude on the far left. And, of course, I agree with you to a large degree on many issues like the drug war and civil liberties, and a lot of foreign adventures.

I’m far from alone, and the fact is there’s a lot of common ground between you and big chunks of the Democratic party. I’m not saying libertarians should drink the Dem Kool-Aid, but there’s room for Dems and libertarians to work together to effect positive change on issues we agree on.

Unfortunately, as exemplified by this post and what i feel is the false equivalence drawn – too many libertarians seem intent on marginalizing themselves, with an apparent goal of carving out a place as righteously independent, but irrelevant, curmudgeons. This attitude is also reflected in your “go elsewhere” comment.

I’m not going anywhere, your reporting and commentary on many issues important to me is too valuable.

There was some talk a while back about an alliance between libertarians and “liberaltarians.” What happened to all that?

And I’m not sure why it was weird to bring up Myerson’s column, since the only reference I’ve seen to it at The Agitator was this post.

You seriously think that if the majority was 51/49 right now, the democrats would be doing something different?

While you’re obviously free to slam whichever commenters you want, I think that the comment you’re replying to was trying to observe that there’s a slight difference between what Republicans were doing (and threatening) during their own possession of the majority and what is happening now. So yes, a pox on both of their houses, but in this particular case, the Republicans seems to be serving up an extra helping of douchiness with this, because the Democrats aren’t doing/threatening any of the extreme measures that the Republicans did.

And thank you for highlighting the hypocrisy of both parties on this issue. Of course Republicans have the right to filibuster.

Well, get used to it. Because both houses damned well deserve to be inflicted with a variety of poxes.

Don’t like it, go elsewhere. If you want to be spoon-fed DNC talking points with a smattering of civil liberties stories, try Daily Kos. This is a libertarian website. Which means I have no love for either of the two major parties.

I’m seriously sick of this “criticizing Democrats is beneath you, Radley” crap from people on the left who have started coming to this site. It’s haughty, smug, self-righteous, and frankly, bullshit.

As for the point of the post, either you believe bills should pass the Senate with a majority, or you believe the minority should have the option to filibuster. Whether they filibuster with 41 votes or 49 votes is beside the point. It’s even weirder that you’d make this criticism on a post criticizing Republicans.

Notice in the video he linked to the training officer says that using the taser as a stun gun just inflicts pain, but does not incapacitate. He specifically says a person can still “pull away, still fight back”. So what is the point of using it then? As retribution? Just to torture or “discipline” the child? Is that what people now consider the proper role of police officers?

No longer. Having read Slim Neri’s (post number 5) contribution of unalloyed brilliance, delivered with the sort of eloquence one expects from a poet of the first rank, and formulated in a logic so pure that its crystalline beauty makes me want to weep in joy and awe that such a mind would deign to move in circles such as ours, I realize that that time is now over for us all. I am deeply sorry, fellow agitators, for the granite that is Slim Neri’s arguments, the infallible logic that is his reason, have demonstrated beyond doubt that Radley’s head is, in fact, made entirely of shit. Rend your garments and nash your teeth; our erstwhile hero has been brought low. Alas, that we were blind for so long!

Here’s where it gets weird. The officer was charged with manslaughter. He’s been arrested and is on paid vacation while the police conduct their “investigation”. He’ll be in court on Nov. 24.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d63_1258554864

The video is from another cruiser, also returning from the same call. Officer Jason Anderson, the criminal in this case, passed the recording car on the right (illegally), making me wonder if they were racing.

The victims are Ashlie Krakowski and David Servin, both just 19 years old. They were coming from a party, and cops are now claiming that they were drunk. You can see where this is going. Watching the video, I think any sane person will agree that their condition had nothing to do with it.

From this article:
http://www.connpost.com/ci_13817417

“The power control module from the police vehicle indicated that for the nearly nine seconds leading up to the crash, Anderson “was at 100 percent of the accelerator pedal and 99.5 of the engine throttle.”

Smells like racing.

Also, as Milbank suggested and Steve Benen has highlighted….in 2003 Republicans claimed that filibuster by a 49-seat minority was a threat to constitutional government, and threatened the Nuclear Option; in 2009 with a 60 seat majority Dems have complained but mostly accpeted the reality of the filibuster by, for example, attempting to tailor the health care bill to win 60 votes.

2003/2009: one of these things is not like the other.

I love your work on crime, the drug war, and police abuses, RB. But the knee-jerk “pox on both their houses” stuff is below your usual grade.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/11/18/maloney.ar.girl.tasered.KHBS

“He had no other choice. He had to get the child under control.”

Poor cop, it must just suck to be forced to taser a kid.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/man-claims-deputy-dressed-up-deer-antlers-relocated-pornography-404741.html

They spent 4 hours “searching” his house while he was handcuffed in the cruiser. During this time, they pulled out the porn tapes, sex toys, and guns, and left all in plain sight.

Really strange.

“I opposed filibusters before,” the Alabaman said with his trademark twang. But in this case, he went on, “I don’t agree with his judicial philosophy. Therefore, I believe this side cannot acquiesce into a philosophy that says that Democratic presidents can get their judges confirmed with 50 votes.”

Really????? You opposed filibusters before, but this is a special case because you don’t agree with his judicial philosophy. Is that all it takes? Do you think other Sentators have been using the filibuster when they agree with the nominee’s judicial philosophy?

If that’s supposed to be sarcasm, I’m not getting it.