Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

The jury literally has a bell they can ring to force Trump to show up on command. Greatest thing ever!

Even though I know this is a bad idea, I’m off to do it anyway!

Please don’t feed the bears.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Everybody saw this coming.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Russia bombs Ukraine’s maternity hospitals; Republicans in the House can’t sort out supporting Ukraine.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Bark louder, little dog.

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35Comments

  3. 3.

    Quiddity

    Sorry, I have a comment but the blockquotes is messing up the strong tags somehow, so I’m just leaving this until I can figure it out.

  4. 4.

    Sator Arepo

    “The only musical instruments more disrespected than the bagpipes are the banjo and the accordion.”

    I guess everything’s relative…

    Q: How do you get two oboists to play in tune?
    A: Shoot one.

  5. 5.

    Quiddity

    The lastest news on the Catholic molestation story is about a priest in California and a letter the now-Pope Benedict wrote. But there’s something odd about the report. From the story, a rearrangement of elements to make clear the chronology: (emp add)

    ====================================
    [Rev. Stephen Kiesle] had been sentenced in 1978 to three years’ probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges of lewd conduct for tying up and molesting two young boys in a San Francisco Bay area church rectory.

    As his probation ended in 1981, Kiesle asked to leave the priesthood and the diocese submitted papers to Rome to defrock him.

    The diocese recommended removing Kiesle from the priesthood in 1981, the year Ratzinger was appointed to head the Vatican office that shared responsibility for disciplining abusive priests.

    The case then languished for four years at the Vatican before Ratzinger finally wrote to Oakland Bishop John Cummins. It was two more years before Kiesle was removed; during that time he continued to do volunteer work with children through the church.

    In the November 1985 letter, Ratzinger says the arguments for removing Kiesle were of “grave significance” but added that such actions required very careful review and more time. He also urged the bishop to provide Kiesle with “as much paternal care as possible” while awaiting the decision …

    The future pope also noted that any decision to defrock Kiesle must take into account the “good of the universal church” …
    ====================================

    If the priest admitted his acts, wanted out of the church, and the diocese agreed, then why wait at all? What kind of extensive review is needed in a situation like this?

    This is not a case of a priest being sheltered by the Catholic church at the priest’s request.

    So why did it unfold the way it did?

    This looks like a case of theology dictating action. Perhaps the priest is considered part of the collective and can’t be tossed out summarily without, somehow, injuring the church. Anybody have ideas about this? What explains this failure to act in accordance to the priest’s and diocese’s wishes? Also, why couldn’t the priest have just walked away and not be involved with the church? The actions by all parties, as reported, don’t make a lot of sense.

  6. 6.

    El Cid

    With the exception of bagpipes having to play “Amazing Grace” at a truly bizarrely high number of funerals.

    Was this the case before Star Trek II?

  7. 7.

    Balconesfault

    Old joke

    It’s a true sign of a gentleman if a man knows how to play the accordion …

    And doesn’t.

  8. 8.

    Caravelle

    Yay Anne Laurie ! As someone who played it for some years (mostly dances of various celtic stripes) it’s nice to see an American not hating on it for a change. I also love bagpipes (see previous parenthesis re celtic) but they’re definitely an outdoor instrument.

  10. 10.

    Mr. Prosser

    So true, Amish. I intend all three instruments to be played at my funeral while the preacher strums the washboard.

  11. 11.

    satby

    @El Cid:
    Bagpipes have been standard at Irish funerals (esp. for cops) for a lot longer than Star Trek’s been around. They played “Danny Boy” for my dad’s funeral.
    And Annie. thanks for this, now I have to get this band’s music.

  12. 12.

    Nathan

    It’s a truth universally recognized that the soprano sax is the most hated instrument in the world. (Except when it is in Coltrane’s hands.)

    Banjo? Hours of great bluegrass, country, and “For the Turnstiles” by Neil Young.

    Accordion? Zydeco, The Band, The Pogues, “We Can Work it Out” by the Beatles.

    Bagpipes? “It’s a Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC, and one of my favourite bands, Guh:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JecOMHZuXbU

    My case is rested.

  13. 13.

    SGEW

    For a while now, I’ve been wanting to start a punk band with someone who plays the accordion and bagpipes (maybe switch ’em up for different songs). It’d be awesome.

    I can live without the banjo, tho’.

  14. 14.

    lonelypedestrian

    There is accordian in both Argentine tango and Portuguese fado music.

    Mmmm…Sad and sexy accordian.

  16. 16.

    swalker

    Okay, I’m coming out of the closet, I must be free. I like bagpipe music. Ever since we went to see The Black Watch when I was a kid I’ve loved listening to it.

    Wow. That felt…good. I feel so free.

  19. 19.

    mai naem

    Why would anybody dislike the banjo? I like bluegrass music but a lot of it sounds all alike to me but then I say the same thing about rap music.
    OT, Ben Smith is on Wash Journal and they’re talking about Princess Sarah. They just got a caller who called Politico a liberal site. Can we stop talking about this stoopid woman? Please. She the epitome of “low information” voter.

  21. 21.

    SGEW

    Thinking of the accordion just reminded me of the intro to this good ol’ Ani song. Probably why I became interested in the instrument in the first place, back in my youth.

    Also, when I was a kid, there was a professional bagpipist who lived across the street from me. Grew up listening to him practice; loved it ever since.

    But banjos? Something about the tone (and the twang) just sets my teeth on edge. Harpsichord too. Ah well, non est disputandum and all that.

  22. 22.

    Citizen_X

    Good to see the Murphys rocking the banjo.

    Don’t get me started on the accordion hate. It’s rockist bullshit.* I have never been in a place with accordions being played–whether it was zydeco, conjunto, or trad Irish music–where a good time wasn’t being had by all. OTOH, I’ve been in all too many places where lead guitarists were stomping all over the music, just wanking away. Snore.

    *A few years back, there was an ad that depicted a young Jimi Hendrix stopping in front of a music shop. He stares back and forth between a strat and an accordion, and they play a wheezy accordion version of Purple Haze, followed by the words, “That was close.”

    Yeah, wouldn’t that have been terrible If he had picked up the accordion? He’d probably still be alive, still playing the keys.

    ETA: Plus, I actually have this shirt. Don’t fuck wit’ the accordion!

  25. 25.

    Svensker

    Then there’s German Metal Medieval with celtic bagpipes, etc. — someone posted this a few months ago. Still can’t decide whether I love it or am freaked out by it, but I keep listening.

  27. 27.

    The Golux

    From an article on Willie Nelson I read years ago:

    Q. What’s the definition of perfect pitch?

    A. When you throw an accordion out the window and it lands on a banjo.

    That said, I like both instruments. Bela Fleck is a genius. He can make the banjo fit in with any genre.

  28. 28.

    Bruuuuce

    Sorry. As a violist (among other things), I have to add the viola to that list. (See this archive, for example.)

    As it happens, I love all three of the other instruments, but haven’t yet tried the pipes or the accordion. Now, if they had strings…

  29. 29.

    Jamey

    A close fourth-place to banjos, accordions, and bagpipes would be a drummer/vocalist.

    DMs are batting for the awful-music cycle.

    But it looks good on them …

  30. 30.

    licensed to kill time

    There was a cartoon I once sent to an accordion playing friend of mine. It showed a guy with an accordion on a street corner with a sign saying “Will stop playing for money”.

    He laughed ruefully.

  31. 31.

    Billy K

    I play in a celtic group with pipes and banjo. I play in another group with an accordion. I’ve joked I would put the three together and call them “The Hated.”

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