Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Please don’t feed the bears.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

The problem people have with Biden’s age is the color of the VPs skin.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

No one could have predicted…

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

A consequence of cucumbers

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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Open Thread

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

cleek, Green Pepper.

x-green-pepper

Joshua Trupin, Autumn’s Rainbow.

autumns-rainbow

Email me a link to your one or two favorite pics on a photo site like Flickr (do not send the image itself please) and I will put up favorites in open threads. Send a short caption if you want one.

Click on the photos for a link to the photographer’s website. To see all photo threads, click on ‘photo blogging’ at the bottom of the post.

If your computer cannot read our email links at top right, my email is (remove the zeroes): portus0jackson0ii at yahoo dot com.

Reader Interactions

54Comments

  3. 3.

    Atanarjuat

    Nice job on the pepper, Cleek. Very verdant and sensuous.

    I’m reminded of Edward Weston’s classic shot from the 1930s (at least I think it was Weston — my memory isn’t what it used to be).

    -A

  6. 6.

    jeffreyw

    I don’t see how the pepper pic can be seen as sensuous since it doesn’t have a pen is or a vagina. Oiling would be a nice touch, though. A fragrant extra virgin olive oil. hee hee extra virgin, what the fuck is that? A spare in case the first one is a lesbian?

  9. 9.

    aimai

    Holy shit, cleek! All that *and* your comments always win my silent admiration? Its too much.

    And whoever did that other photo–great vision.

    aimai

  10. 10.

    Doctor Science

    I put up online “jigsaw” puzzles at goodbookoftheday, and today’s is based on a photo by dmsilev from an earlier open thread.

    Joshua Trupin, would you permit me to use one of your pictures for a puzzle, with attribution and linkback, of course? I’m not requesting for a particular one yet because so many of them are so wonderful. p.s. I love your “Nudes” category.

    cleek, how about you? I’m thinking of this one: pepper_shelf.jpg in particular, or tricksey_bears.jpg if you have it in a slightly larger format.

  15. 15.

    Martin

    And another tip for good reporting, thanks to TPM.

    I have to say, that article does so much better a job of explaining what’s good in the Senate HCR bill (with a lot of credit going to Baucus) than anything I’ve read so far. If the Democrats could actually get that kind of wonkiness pushed into the mainstream, I think we’d see a strong shift in public perception of HCR.

  16. 16.

    General Winfield Stuck

    Here comes the next wingnut blog storm. KY state police now say that Bill Sparkman , census worker, staged his own suicide to collect a whopping 10,000 gov life insurance policy for his son. I am from KY and would not believe the State Police there on something like this, without backup from the feds and further reporting.

  17. 17.

    Persia

    cleek, that’s lovely.

    Peppers make great art– they’re just really fun to photograph/draw/paint, etc.

    Authorities are now saying the murdered census worker committed suicide. I am still a bit skeptical, just because I can’t quite figure out how you manage the duct tape then hanging. Anyone have any more details/theories/thoughts?

  18. 18.

    Legalize

    I have an incredibly difficult time believing that Sparkman’s death was a suicide. Not saying he was killed because of anti-government sentiment. But how does one bind himself with duck tape and hang himself? Seems like a pretty far-fetched life insurance scheme to me, given that he evidently took out a policy that actually covered suicide. Not to impugn the KY authorities, but, I know a little about the Commonwealth, and, well … come on.

  19. 19.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Persia:

    . Anyone have any more details/theories/thoughts?

    Busy reporters and others are likely scrambling to come up with those. I am skeptical too/ But will wait for further details to make a judgment.

  21. 21.

    Shell

    Beautiful photos. That green pepper looks like it’s been pumping iron.
    It also takes me back to Painting 101, when one of the assignments was to do an extreme closeup study of a fruit or veg.

  23. 23.

    kay

    @Martin:

    I have to say, that article does so much better a job of explaining what’s good in the Senate HCR bill (with a lot of credit going to Baucus) than anything I’ve read so far. If the Democrats could actually get that kind of wonkiness pushed into the mainstream, I think we’d see a strong shift in public perception of HCR.

    Democrats are reigning in Medicare entitlements, Martin, and that truth is starting to seep out (despite best efforts).

    How do I know? The libertarian budget hawks are scrambling to deny them credit.

    Here’s McCardle on why it doesn’t matter:

    [Government bankruptcy] is not inevitable; it is theoretically possible to raise taxes to cope with Medicare growth, though it would be extraordinarily painful to do so. In the face of fiscal crisis, it might also be possible to make Medicare cuts that we have otherwise been unable to stick with. But as any competent development economist will be happy to tell you, every dollar you add, or interest group you create, makes it less likely that this sort of resolution will happen.

    She’s freaking terrified that they may have actually succeeded in “bending the cost curve” after 30 years of conservatives pretending they were going to do that.

  24. 24.

    Paul L.

    Paging Doug J, your crow is ready
    Anti-government terrorism

    The Moderate Voice has an intersesting post on the tragic murder of a census worker in Clay County, Kentucky. The point is that anti-government terrorism should not be defined too narrowly. When Michelle Bachman says crazy things about census workers, her audience isn’t just official Tea Party members, it’s all kinds of weirdos and nuts.

    Calling For Sparkman Apologies

    The Kentucky state police announced that the death of Bill Sparkman was an elaborate suicide made to look like a murder

    Looks like Doug J has some company for his feast.

    I’ll let others delve into all the sordid facts. What I want are some apologies from all the left-wing blog ghouls who danced on Bill Sparkman’s grave hoping to score points by blaming conservatives for the death

  25. 25.

    soonergrunt

    Census Worker Bill Sparkman NOT murdered in Kentucky, according to Talking Points Memo.

    State police, working with the FBI, said at a press conference moments ago that Sparkman had recently taken out two life insurance policies that would not pay out for suicide. It appears Sparkman hoped that the scheme would benefit his son, Josh Sparkman.

    The elder Sparkman was found dead in September in a rural part of Kentucky, hanging from a tree with a rope around his neck and the word “Fed” written on his chest, his hands and feet bound and duct tape over his mouth.

    Police said today that Sparkman’s wrists were bound in front of him, in a position from which he could easily have wriggled free.

  29. 29.

    soonergrunt

    @Paul L.:
    So Sparkman killed himself. He’s still dead. You’re still an asshole and Bachmann’s still a freak.
    Somehow it doesn’t seem as if all that much has changed.

  32. 32.

    General Winfield Stuck

    From the KY State Police Statement from TPM

    The investigation, based upon evidence and witness testimony, has concluded that Mr. Sparkman died during an intentional, self-inflicted act that was staged to appear as a homicide. While all the details of the investigation will not be released at this time, the unusual level of attention and speculation attributed to Mr. Sparkman’s death necessitates this release of information.

    Bullshit meter whistling Dixie.

  33. 33.

    Martin

    @kay:

    I had my private health insurance executive roundtable 2 weeks ago (family get-together) and they were clearly more versed on the bill than I was, but at the same time they seemed to be rather evasive on the cost issue. I’ve been trying to figure out why that was and now I know. If these bills actually do cut costs, that’ll be good in one way for the insurance guys mainly because forward costs will be more predictable, but the for-profit insurers are worried. They’re the ones with the plans about to be taxed, which is going to hurt their bottom lines a lot – those cadillac plans (it’s it time to replace that with a better premium brand) turn good profits, but in addition, if costs get contained, then their revenue growth suffers – and that’s what has been helping drive their stock prices.

    The sense I now get is that we misread what they were trying to do in the Senate – and I now think they were trying to do the right thing. If they can fix costs, then insurance will to some degree fix itself. It won’t fix pre-existing and canceling policies, but it will help bring premiums in line and hopefully make policies more affordable. That’s not enough, but it’s not nothing either. But with costs under control, then, after a few years, tackling the payment side of the problem gets a shitload easier. Hell, it gets easier enough that expanding medicare into a single-payer option might actually get a discussion.

    But if all they focus on is the payment side – on insurance, and costs keep skyrocketing, then even the public option will look like shit. I had given up on any real hope of cost containment and was instead hoping that we could get everyone covered which at least puts the cost problem in front of everybody – no passing the buck. If the Senate bill really is that strong on cost containment, then I’d be willing to take it even without a public option. It screws people over for a few years, but after a few years, we might actually get a much better coverage system put through – better than what’s currently being debated. Cost containment is the harder problem to solve, after all.

  34. 34.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Paul L.:

    Not a narrative, and further details will enlighten. If true, it’s only one chapter deleted out of several violent acts against liberals, or liberalism in recent times. And unfortunately likely more to come.

  38. 38.

    kay

    @Martin:

    The sense I now get is that we misread what they were trying to do in the Senate – and I now think they were trying to do the right thing. If they can fix costs, then insurance will to some degree fix itself.

    I agree completely. I would add that it would have been politically untenable to sell it that way, so maybe this was deliberate. I’m pleased, though. If it “works”, cost containment on Medicare alone will be a huge gift to younger people.
    I read the Marketplace section of the WSJ yesterday and insurers who offer private Medicare plan “products” are reconciled to losing that 15% they were billing the feds for, in excess of standard reimbursement rates. We’ve been paying a 15% markup for 5 years, on Med Advantage plans, because no one would say “no”. Amazing. Anyway, that made me smile.
    It took me so long to get here, because I was approaching it from the insurance cost angle, and, of course, that’s just half the problem.
    In my opinion, if they pull this off, it puts the final nail in the (always bogus) conservative claim to budget constraint seriousness. Conservatives talked a good game for thirty years on entitlements, but never had the balls to try something big to address the cost problem.

    It’s a HUGE subject, health care reform. We all need a day-long tutorial.

  40. 40.

    Wile E. Quixote

    Want to know how to keep Paul L. and Jules Crittenden from posting here? Blow their website links away or redirect them to another site. Paul’s attention trolling here hoping that someone who doesn’t know what a dipshit he is will click through to his site. Delete the link, or redirect it to another site, say http://www.mandate.com (where Paul probably spends a lot of his time, not that there’s anything wrong with that) and you’ll see Paul go away very quicky.

  41. 41.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @Martin

    Yes, I suppose the ‘War on Conservatives’ has been redeclared. Next thing you know we’ll be shooting them in their churches. Oh, wait…

    I can’t wait for a ‘War on Conservatives’ to be declared. I’ve got the guns and the ammo and am ready to rock and roll, and let’s face it, conservatives are weak-assed punks. Yeah, guys like Jonah Goldberg, Erick Erickson, Dan Riehl and Paul talk tough on their blogs, but face it, in real life they’re cowards and weaklings who make the average prison punk who’s being traded around the cellblock for cigarettes look like a paragon of manly courage.

  42. 42.

    soonergrunt

    @Paul L.: Naratives?
    The only narative I’m aware of here is the voice-over that accompanies footage of your birth with “he was such an asshole even at birth that the hospital kicked his mother out” followed by the voice-over on the video of the first day of school with the bus driver refusing to pick up “that little asshole on the corner,” and the interview with the woman who reports that when she was 12, you tried to get her to hold hands at the skating rink but she wouldn’t “because everybody knew he was an asshole,” and the surveillance video outside the DMV of the examiner throwing your license at you with “take it and get the fuck out, you asshole!” followed by the postal worker on your eighteenth birthday taking your draft registration and saying “thanks for doing your duty, you asshole,” and your faculty advisor in college suggesting that you join the college republicans because “you’d fit right in with them, you asshole,” and the Dean of your school handing you your degree and saying “congratulations, asshole.”
    And here we are today.

  43. 43.

    Elie

    Cleek —

    amazing pepper that is…sensuous, deeply resonant color for me — luscious dark green on velvety black and green

    Thanks to BJ for the pics. Keep ’em coming…very appreciated!

  44. 44.

    Elie

    General Winfield Stuck:

    Did you see the image of the little rufus hummingbird in National Geographic that was eaten by a Preying Mantis?
    Totally unbelievable shot taken at a feeder. The caption says that after it had finished, the Mantis went back to lurking in its hiding place next to the feeder

    Check this out!

  46. 46.

    General Winfield Stuck

    Fabulous light and shadow Cleek!!

    And the leaves are a feast of color, Trupin. Well composed!!!

  47. 47.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Elie:

    Jeepers. That is gruesome Elie. I saw a photo last year of a hummer that got speared by some insect flying by a bush. Can’t remember if it was a P Mantis, or something else.

    The Female Mantis is a fearsome little predator. Just ask her mate. poor dood has a risky life.

  48. 48.

    Elie

    General Winfield:

    VERY gruesome! For some reason, that really stayed with me when I saw it. How did the mantis do that? A flying bird????

    Nature is amazing — cruel as well as awesome and unpredictable. Gotta respect it…

  49. 49.

    Elie

    General:

    You said:

    Poor dood has a risky life

    Yeah, but he was productive at least. Boy, she was fast in the link you sent…

  50. 50.

    JBerardi

    In case people haven’t seen it: Edward Weston’s Pepper No. 30

    Cleek presents a worthy tribute. The biggest difference I see (besides the obvious b&w v. color) is that Weston used (apparently; I wasn’t there) multiple light sources surrounding the pepper for his, whereas the Cleek version appears to be using a single light source from the upper right. As a result, the pepper gets kinda lost in the lower-left quadrant. Of course, it’s very difficult to light something from all sides and still maintain contrast the way Weston did.

  51. 51.

    Cynicor

    (Hey, I’m Josh of “rainbow leaf” fame.)

    Hey @SiubhanDuinne – You can actually order prints right from the site. Just open the site (trupin.com) and click the Buy button. Thanks!

    @Doctor Science – Just let me know which one you’d like to use, and let me know when you use it so I can look at it.

  54. 54.

    cleek

    whereas the Cleek version appears to be using a single light source from the upper right

    just FYI, the here’s the setup.

    the image has been rotated 90 deg from how it was shot. the light source, was a window, with the sun coming from top-left. i think i used a reflector of sorts, maybe just a piece of paper, to get a little bit of light onto the front side. the yellow reflection is, i think, the house across the street.

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