Who Needs Friends When You Have Enemies Like Us.

ISIS Has $1B Worth Of US Made Humvee Armored Vehicles
Now Being Used in Suicide Attacks

IBT - As Islamic State group fighters pillage their way across swaths of Syria and Iraq, they’ve managed to build up their military capability by commandeering U.S.-made Humvee armored vehicles, including one used Monday in a suicide bombing at an army base near Baghdad that killed at least 45 people. In an interview on Iraqiya TV, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said ISIS gained thousands of Humvees when it overran the northern city of Mosul on June 10 of last year.

"In the collapse of Mosul, we lost a lot of weapons," Abbadi said an interview Sunday, as translated by Al-Jazeera. "We lost 2,300 Humvees in Mosul alone."

The vehicles taken from Mosul would have been worth more than $1 billion if sold new. Late last year, the U.S. State Department approved a deal to sell Iraq 175 M1A1 Abrams tanks, worth $12.4 billion, and 1,000 military Humvees, valued at $579 million. Congress has yet to approve the sale, and some lawmakers have expressed concern about the hardware falling into enemy hands. The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), or military Humvee, is made by Indiana-based heavy vehicle manufacturer AM General. The Humvees stolen from Mosul probably were part of the large amount hardware the U.S. left behind in Iraq after U.S. forces began pulling out in 2009.

Militants like ISIS generally rely on civilian vehicles like Toyota’s Hilux and Land Cruiser trucks. These stolen Humvees are much sturdier and can be used as lead vehicles in attacks like the one that took place on Monday against Iraq security forces at a base near the capital. The attack involved three explosives-laden car bombs escorted by one of the stolen Humvees, according to the BBC. 

Has Trump's Trash Talk Finally Caught Up With Him?

Why Trump’s Poll Numbers Are Falling in Iowa

The Spectacle

Donald Trump is baffled as to why his poll numbers are suddenly falling in Iowa in favor of Ben Carson. On Sunday, during an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday he said, "I don't understand Iowa because frankly, I just left and we had tremendous crowds and tremendous enthusiasm." Trump told the folks at MSNBC's Morning Joe, "I don't get it," as he plans to head back to Iowa today.

Since October 22nd, Trump's poll numbers against Carson in Iowa have been falling and I think it's pretty obvious why. That day Trump sent out a tweet which read:

"@mygreenhippo #BenCarson is now leading in the #polls in #Iowa. Too much #Monsanto in the #corn creates issues in the brain? #Trump #GOP"

Donald Trump forgot the first rule of politics - don't insult people who you are trying to persuade to vote for you.

Sure, Iowans might have enjoyed it when Trump dissed Jeb Bush, insulted Megyn Kelly and threw Jorge Ramos out of his press conference. But Iowans become the target of Trump's ire they don't like it so much. And yet this surprises Trump? I can see how though. Almost everything Trump has touched has turned to gold for the past four months. If he could get away with insulting Jeb, Kelly and Ramos then he probably he figured he could away with insulting voters in Iowa. My friends this is called hubris.

A secondary reason for Trump's decline is his denigration of Ben Carson's faith. Last Saturday, at a rally in Jacksonville, Florida, Trump said, "I'm Presbyterian. Boy, that's down the middle of the road, folks, in all fairness. I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about."

Now I have some strong reservations about Carson. Nevertheless, if Trump wants to regain top spot in Iowa he will have to better than knock Carson's faith. Of course, if Trump has a strong debate tonight in Colorado, then Carson's lead in Iowa (and nationally) could prove short-lived. But any rebound by Trump could also prove short-lived if he insists on cheaply insulting the people who might vote for him and cheaply insulting his opponents who are well liked by said voters.

Muslims All Butt-hurt Over Walmart Halloween Costume.

Customers shopping online for various items of interest, or just simply looking for something to be offended by, found the latter in the Halloween section of the retailer's website. Nestled among the typical witch and superhero costumes for kids was a costume of a different kind that Arabs found to be in extremely poor taste. 

It's beyond me who would want to dress up as an Arab Sheik or Achmed the mad bomber, but it freakin Halloween. It's a big holiday for kids and extrovert adults who never grew up to get out of themselves for a while.

At some point Muslims must realize that the world doesn’t revolve around them and their inherent hate for anyone and everyone who aren’t followers of Islam. Stores can and should sell whatever they want, whether it offends them or not. Now, only time will tell how Walmart reacts to the insistence that their merchandise is offensive, whether they bow down to a culture that incessantly complains, or cater to the people who shop in their stores and made them a success.

(h/t MadWorld)

For Those Who Like Their Coffee Overpriced and Bitter.

For every four cups of coffee you buy, they give a free cup to somebody else. And every cup is served by an angry unionized bureaucrat and accompanied by a possible stern lecture on gun control and sustainable development.

The Jebster Baffled By Zippers, Magnets..... Life Itself

This awkward moment was not captured by some devious macaca liberal with an iThingy, smeared across the interwebs to humiliate the Jebster who apparently does not possess functioning opposable thumbs.

Oh no. This clip of #JebNoFilter is from the Jeb! YouTube page, apparently because Jeb or the social media moron on his team — probably the same one whose Photoshop skills need ALL the work, unless Jeb’s hand was supposed to look black, figured this candid moment of Jeb not knowing how to put on a freakin' sweatshirt would ......we don’t even know what they figured, honestly. Making fun of Jeb is starting to feel mean. Like kicking a three-legged puppy or something. So please, Jeb, for the love of whatever “really cool things” you hold dear, just stop it already.  Put yourself out of your own misery, and put us out of your misery too, because watching you fail harder than the average Bush is so excruciating, we almost cannot bring ourselves to mock you for it anymore. Almost.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Who Doesn't Have an Oscar Yet, Slept Inside an Animal Carcass for His New Movie.....

For the love of God, somebody give him an Oscar so he can stop torturing himself on set. 

Oscar, is that you? It's me, Leo. Look at my beard and cuts

Actor and carbon footprint abuser, climate change scientist and professional heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio describes the brutal behind-the-scenes conditions he faced while filming his new movie, "The Revenant".

The epic film, coming out in December, depicts the true story of an early 19th century frontiersman who was buried alive after a vicious bear attack. It details what lengths a man will go to simply to survive in Hollywood without an Academy Award.

"It’s going to be one of the most unique film-going experiences that audiences have seen in modern times. I can name 30 or 40 sequences that were some of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Whether it’s going in and out of frozen rivers, or sleeping in animal carcasses, or what I ate on set. [I was] enduring freezing cold and possible hypothermia constantly."

DiCaprio opened up to Yahoo! about the grueling conditions he endured while filming his movie. He had to be really cold and eat gross stuff!  No Leo, maybe if you stand waist deep in a Paris sewer blowing bubbles out your butt and juggling three hamsters while singing the sound tract from to The Sound of Music, we'll consider you a great actor.....maybe.

Dare to be scared by Gender-Queer Apparitions, Ball-Busting Butches, and Never-Married, Happy-as-Hell Spinsters......

 Lesbian Feminist Haunted House

Mocks Radical Feminism

MCR - For those looking for something truly horrifying this Halloween, there is a lesbian feminist haunted house appropriately named “KillJoy’s Kastle.”

Inspired by the hell houses built by “radical evangelical groups,” Toronto artists Deirdre Logue and Allyson Mitchell seek to “reclaim this hellish scenario with their sex positive, trans inclusive, queer lesbian-feminist-fear-fighting celebration.”

“Dare to be scared by gender-queer apparitions, ball-busting butches, and never-married, happy-as-hell spinsters. Get down on riot ghouls and radical vampiric grannies while channeling your inner consciousness hell-raiser. Each evening of nightmarishly non-assimilated lesbian mayhem will include multiple live performances from a spirited group of international and local weirdos,” the website reads.

A “demented women’s studies” tour guide takes individuals through the house, which includes  an actress portraying Valerie Solanas, dead lesbian folk singers performing acoustic songs, a “Giant Bearded Clam,” a punching bag named “Capitalism,” polyamorous vampires, and women who screech, “Problematic!”

The tongue-in-cheek nightmarish production, however, has drawn anger from the individuals it lightheartedly mocks. One commenter took offense to the “transphobic” comments made by the actress portraying Solanas. The “ball-busting lesbians” exhibit was decried as transphobic. The processing room, which individuals use to talk about their experiences, is allegedly not a “safe space.”

The exhibit is currently on display at the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries. It runs from Oct. 16-30.

A Good Monday Morning

The City of Oakland California Creates “Department of Race and Equity”

Cali Political Review

Once again California proves that it in competition with 1960 Alabama for being the most racist, bigoted State in American history. The City Council of Oakland is “borrowing a bigot from Portland, Oregon to head up a city council version of the KKK—the “Department of Race and Equity.” The city has determined that government policy is to be based on race and bigotry, so it needs  Pay, job opportunities, housing, education—all to be based on race—sounds like Alabama in 1960—using government to promote racism and bigotry.

Earlier this year, Councilmember Desley Brooks proposed the creation of Oakland’s first department dedicated to achieving racial and social equity in the city. The department was approved during the June budget season with the end of the year targeted for its debut.”

The Oakland City Council Rules Committee on Thursday scheduled an agenda item for Nov. 3 to approve the three-month temporary hiring of Dante James, who has led Portland’s equity department since its inception in 2012.  

Bigotry pays well in 2015 in California—your taxes at work. James earns over $147,000 a year, according to the report, making him one of the highest paid employees in Portland city government.  

James, who's sister is former KPIX news anchor Dana King, would retain his position in Portland, said the report, but Oakland would assume James’ salary while he works to set up the new department, in addition, to advising the city on hiring its first director.

It is also no surprise Oakland city leaders are reaching out to Portland for guidance. Brooks often recognized the city, along with King County, Washington as inspiration for her proposal.

h/t Beth Rogers

The Planetarium Gift Shop Manager is Playing Around on the Twitter Again....