Q. Do any of y’all knowledgeable on Virginia, early US history, or the history of slavery know of any evidential basis or explanation for the following assertion about Virginia law: “For only 8 years was it legal. Virtually from its inception c. 1650 to 1865, freeing slaves in Virginia was illegal . . .” Made here: http://ift.tt/Mm86Rq as part of a partial apologia for Thomas Jefferson? The Virginia statute books from both before and from years after Jefferson’s death seem directly to contradict this: http://ift.tt/1mP3X3f http://ift.tt/Mm84sL Maybe there is something that I am missing? But if so, what?

From a popular liberal Twitter stream: http://ift.tt/RhpUwX “I am a Socialist [sic] Because I Like the Military, Police, . . . FBI, CIA, Student Loans, etc.” Jesus. You said it, man, not me.

More prison-nation fascism from Boss Arpaio.

http://ift.tt/1mYhIPN “Insofar as the targets of their ire . . . only question the worth of wealthy females in that way, they have a valid, important point. My point in writing this post is different, however. My response to their outrage is that libertarians and anarchists severely doubt the deservedness of every billionaire’s fortune and, in fact, the fortunes of many millionaires in business, industry, and politics. Our doubt as to the legitimacy of the fortunes of many large business owners, CEOs, and the like is practically a given. The illegitimacy of their fortunes is so understood that we hardly mention it explicitly. Instead, we tend to focus on the success of large corporations and other businesses when their success is owed in part to State interference in the economy. We assume as a matter of course that large businesses (and therefore their owners and executives) amassed such power and wealth through at least partially nefarious means, either by design (through lobbying and rent-seeking) or more indirectly (such as by incidentally benefiting from a regulation or barrier to entry, or by consciously taking advantage of regulations already on the books).” – John @ Blagnet.net

I don’t give a damn that Simply Orange is extensively processed in order to produce incredibly delicious orange juice; in fact I think this is a triumph of modern civilization. However, I am saddened and grossed out to find out that it’s owned by Coca-Cola. Ugh.

Paneer vindaloo, definitely one of the delightfully non-horrible products of Portuguese imperialism.

http://ift.tt/1jFcB4z Yes, they should.

Dear Platformist and/or Syndicalist: Signing your polemical note advancing your own strongly-held view against insurrectionary anarchists with, “Love, Platformists, Syndicalists, and the entire rest of the Working Class.” . . . is a rhetorical act of astonishing arrogance, and an immensely patronizing bit of rev-oh-loooshunerry ventriloquism in the name of a narrowly sectarian point. Even if your narrowly sectarian point is absolutely right-on (maybe it is; there’s plenty of cases where this has been true); even if you’ve correctly foreseen something that a lot of other working-class people will believe or want to say, your view is yours, and if you think your exact sentiments are guaranteed to be shared by the vast, monolithic and unanimous hive-mind of The Working Class as a whole, you’re probably wrong. Even if you were right that really everybody really thinks this, not just your political compas, then everybody ought to be allowed the chance to say so in their own voice. Have the courage, please, to speak only for yourself. Love, Charles W. Johnson A Solitary Individual

Best vegan pizza? 1. I recommend no imitation cheeze, of any kind. Some are better than others, but none of them are as good as a well-chosen set of vegetable toppings. 2. Extra sauce. 3. You generally need about 3-4 veg toppings to make it work. My own view is that at least one of them should be chunky, strong-flavored on its own and cover some surface area; for example, broccoli, onions, and sliced tomatoes, possibly toss in some bell peppers depending on mood. Consider a thin crust.

O.K., yes, of course, but, real talk, your pick for the best season of Babylon 5. No ties allowed. This is like torture for me but I am going to have to say Season 4. I would actually stick up for 1, but 4 wins out not only on the strength of the season but also for including the best episode of science-fiction television ever made.