Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Everybody saw this coming.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Cole is on a roll !

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

I really should read my own blog.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

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Reader Interactions

114Comments

  1. 1.

    meh

    better than him trolling high schools with a sleeve of 18 oz plastic party cups and a pitcher of roofitinis I guess…

  2. 2.

    morzer

    I’d be more impressed if it kept him BEHIND bars.

    Sorry, Steelers fans, but I just can’t abide Roethlisberger.

    OTOH, I see that Favre is ready for the playoffs. No touchdowns and 2 interceptions! HAH!

  4. 4.

    Loon juice

    You don’t know that for sure, Ben may be hitting the beer stands at the stadium. I’ve been dealing with being Mr. Incompetent Fix-it with a washing machine instead of watching the game or True Blood. From what I’ve seen, the Steelers don’t seem to be doing so well.

  5. 5.

    Cat Lady

    Ben’s a meathead, and will always be a meathead.

    BTW, Patriots aren’t going anywhere this year unless they score 40 points a game. No defense : -(

  6. 6.

    General Stuck

    Reds won, Cards lost. Reds up 5 now going into the last month. Haven’t even thought about football, but being a Browns fan, that has been no great loss the past decade or so. But they did beat the Stillers last season, and have Holmgren captaining the ship, so it will be extra sweet to taking it to the Pitts burg.

  7. 7.

    PaulW

    All I care about right now is that the Rays are up on the BoSox 4-3. But it’s botton of the 6th… need two and a half more great innings.

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    and now, reports of gunfire at the mosque building site in Tennessee, while members inspect the damage from the fire.

    But it would be terribly unserious to point a finger at Krauthammer, Palin and the rest.

  10. 10.

    jharp

    “Pre-season football really is not that great.”

    Not that great? WTF?

    It’s the worst. And I apologize in advance for criticizing your post.

    I’ve got my eye on the Notre Dame Purdue matchup next Sat. My daughter just started school at Purdue.

    What fun.

  11. 11.

    arguingwithsignposts

    although I did not enroll in the BJ fantasy league, the league I am in had a draft tonight. I got Adrian Peterson – again. So I’m rooting for Favre to stop passing so damned much.

  13. 13.

    morzer

    @Cat Lady:

    Who’d a thought that the Bills would look like the AFC East’s form team in the preseason?! I fear this may be a long and bitter year for my beloved Dolphins.

  14. 14.

    The Commish

    This is the first time I’ve seen Tebow in the pros. Going into the draft I thought all that talk about his slow release was overblown. Now seeing him next to real NFL QBs…..wow, it is verrrrry slow. Maybe he can play fullback.

    Meanwhile, the Stillers better hope Big Ben lays a proper schmooze job on the commissioner and gets his suspension reduced to 4 games. Both the other QBs look awful.

  15. 15.

    ChrisNYC

    No matter what you think of Wikileaks and Assange, this sentence from the Daily Mail is fantastic, almost poetic:

    “Assange said he had a traditional Swedish crayfish party to attend and needed a power nap, so they lay side by side on the grass and he fell asleep.”

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1307137/Supporters-dismissed-rape-accusations-WikiLeaks-founder-Julian-Assange–women-involved-tell-different-story.html#ixzz0y3F8nroG

  16. 16.

    Joey Maloney in Paradise

    Oops.

    The Associated Press has withdrawn its story about Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Wright referred to people who wrongly believe Obama is Muslim as “sycophants,” not psychopaths.

    All those who think this will in any way stop or ameliorate the impending Fox ragegasm, raise your hands.

  17. 17.

    morzer

    Hallelujah, Saint Timbo has a “special presence” around him! Does he also glow with a soft and golden aura in the dark and pass perfectly formed stools with optimal fiber content?

  19. 19.

    MikeTheZ

    Why is it in every broadcasters contract that they need to verbally fellate Tim Tebow? He hangs his receiver out to dry infront of a strong safety, and Joe Buck says it was a good throw…

  21. 21.

    Gin & Tonic

    Since I neither know nor care a whit about football, here’s a wonderful line from a NYTimes story about the changing demographics of Orange County, CA: a Vietnamese immigrant in Westminster, saying that he had voted for Obama, says “The Republicans are for rich people”

  23. 23.

    debit

    @MikeTheZ: I don’t know. What I do know is that I hope the defense of every team the Broncos play makes it a personal goal to hit Tebow so hard he cries every game.

    @ open thread: And according to this ad, Tom Emmer should be governor because he fucked his wife at least 7 times. Cripes.

    In other news, Chloe is getting wise to the Benadryl in the cheese. She’s still greedy enough to take it, but chews instead of gulping it down and always gives me a reproachful look when she finally crunches into it.

  25. 25.

    Joseph Nobles

    Just heard, of all people, Sharron Angle with a sneaky brilliant argument on Social Security. She pointed to the way government has raided the Social Security trust fund and then made the case that Government couldn’t raid Social Security if we all had personal retirement accounts under Social Security like Harry Reid’s got a personal government retirement account. Bloody brilliant argument, one there’s no way in hell she thought up on her own.

    And utterly specious of course. Letting Wall Street raid Social Security instead of government officials is no actual choice. But I have to say, it might convince the 27% and the Very Serious pundits in the Village.

  27. 27.

    MikeTheZ

    Oh God, Tebow throws a horrible pick, and Aikman is like “This is good for Tebow!” Seriously, I have never before wished for a player to get hurt, but I want Tebow to get knocked out just so the announcers will stop blowing him.

  30. 30.

    MikeTheZ

    By the way, am I the only one watching Fox on a standard definition TV and losing the edges of the picture?

  32. 32.

    Hawes

    Watching Tebow throw is like watching old people screw.

    It takes forever and someone is likely to get hurt.

  33. 33.

    Kristine

    Waiting for hockey to start. Wondering if the ‘Hawks can repeat. Baseball is “meh,” and football is no longer on my radar. I don’t know what happened. I used to enjoy it so.

    In tomato news, I am hoping I can fend off the creeping blight long enough for the current wave of greenies to mature a little more. I don’t want to harvest them just yet.

    And tomorrow’s Monday. Less said about that, the better.

    I really don’t know how I manage to survive all this excitement, really I don’t.

  39. 39.

    Andy K

    @Kristine:

    Wondering if the ‘Hawks can repeat.

    I really hope not, and not just because I’m a Wings fan (and, no, the ‘Hawks are not our mortal enemy- that is and always will be the Leafs), but because last spring gave us the crappiest Stanley Cup playoffs that I’ve ever witnessed. No defense, no goaltending…Bleccch.

  41. 41.

    Corner Stone

    @The Commish:

    Now seeing him next to real NFL QBs…..wow, it is verrrrry slow. Maybe he can play fullback.

    That fucking release cost me $100 to You Don’t Say.

  43. 43.

    JWL

    I was born chicken-hearted. I’m also a life-long fan of the NFL. I mean, big time.

    But the medical realities inherent in playing the game have began to give me pause.

    Go Niners (I remember you, Red Hickey)!

  45. 45.

    JGabriel

    John Cole is no longer just an addict, now he’s a dealer: I have a World or Warcraft ad banner at the top of this page.

    .

  46. 46.

    Mark S.

    Shorter Chunky Bobo:

    I have no idea what the fuck identity politics means.

    That’s just my guess, since he claims politicians who engage in it include Bush, Obama, Palin, and Howard Dean.

  47. 47.

    sfinny

    Non-NFL related: Just got a jury notice for next month. Notice states that I can not bring any electronic equipment, including cell phones, blackberries, PDAs, laptops and the like to the courthouse.

    Good lord, I am almost hoping to get picked so I can just read a book without distractions.

  51. 51.

    adolphus

    @MiketheZ

    Me too. I can only tell what Denver’s score is and every time some talking head comes on, I can only see half his face.

    According to the announcers it is some experiment because the human eye sees better horizontally, some shit like that.

    Is Fox sports going to be doing this all season? (Maybe they just don’t want us to notice there is anything important on the left side of the screen)

  52. 52.

    That's Master of Accountancy to You, Pal (JMN)

    It’s been an “I told you so” week for the Dearborn Sparkplugs. Last off-season, I traded away the #1 pick in the draft (Strasburg) saying that I didn’t want that much value tied up in a single risky asset. Got a pile of picks and players that included the picks used on Mike Trout and Starling Marte. (Oh, and Luis Valbuena and Gabriel Noriega, so it’s not all good.)

    Last month, I traded away Tim Lincecum, because I thought something was wrong with him. I got Desmond Jewnnings, J.P. Arencibia and Tyler Skaggs. The doubters are starting to admit that I was right; there’s something wrong with Tim Lincecum.

    On the downside, I’m afraid the plumbing in this house is shot. Someone’s coming over tomorrow to start looking at it.

  54. 54.

    Sly

    Just for a laugh before this whole event gets swept away by the next political fixation: Glenn Beck wore a bullet-proof vest while delivering his speech. Though I don’t buy the notion that he wore it because he was afraid of his followers or detractors.

    I have family that live in New Canaan, CT, where Beck lives. It’s quite possibly the most lily-white town in the entire state, outside of Greenwich. Not nearly as Blue Blood either, but still WASP-central and very conservative (the only district in the entire state not to vote for Obama) as far as CT goes. Turns out that Beck was so concerned about security while living in one of the lasts bastions of pure white privilege that he wanted to build a six foot wall around his house. Presumably to keep out the ever-present danger of the local Girl Scout Troop. He actually brought a security guard with him to the town meetings when his request for a license came up for discussion.

    In other words, the man is a paranoid nut. He probably wears Kevlar while he sleeps at night.

  56. 56.

    RareSanity

    @General Stuck:

    and have Holmgren captaining the ship

    I don’t trust anybody that tells Jim Brown that he has no place with the Browns.

    @MikeTheZ:

    Why is it in every broadcasters contract that they need to verbally fellate Tim Tebow?

    They’re warming up for when Farve finally retires. I hear tell that Farve, kept coming back because there wasn’t anyone worthy of bequeathing the sports media circlejerk to.

    Enter Saint Timothy of Gainsville, Brett can retire in piece at the end of the season.

  58. 58.

    Steeplejack

    Night shift checking in. Feeling sort of out of it. This is the first day of my weekend. Spent it mostly shuffling around and recuperating from a tough week. Took a long nap in the afternoon just because I can–and also because my circadian rhythms are shot. Did some chores and ended up watching Casino Royale on network TV. Pretty good movie. I saw it when it came out, but I didn’t remember it being that good. Not awesomely great, but solid. Very good cinematography. This makes me want to see Quantum of Solace again.

    Having said that, nothing to say. Trying to avoid über-night-owl syndrome tonight so I can get up at a decent hour in the morning and get some things done, like I hear normal people do.

  59. 59.

    Joseph Nobles

    Was his Kevlar vest gold-plated?

    Glenn Beck may or may not be a paranoid nut, but he plays one on TV to sell gold. He’s who Kevin Trudeau wants to be when he grows up.

    @Sly: Ah, yes, I didn’t make the caveat that “raided Social Security” is an urban myth, but it’s a prevalent one, and that’s what perked my ears up. Sharron actually endorsed honoring the Treasurys in the trust fund. I was floored. “We made that promise and we should honor it,” is an honest paraphrase. She then went on to push for privatization, I mean, personalization of the funds, but it was a freaky moment for a minute.

    And I watched Season 1 of the new Who a month or so ago on Netflix. Maybe they cycle in and out. I had to order the first disc of Season 4 because they didn’t stream that first Xmas episode.

  60. 60.

    Hawes

    Can there ever be enough ageism?

    I have not personally watched the aged make sweet, sweet love, but I’m old enough to know that the best times are always fraught with the potential for sprains, muscle tears and hip dislocations.

  61. 61.

    Steeplejack

    Damn, can’t believe I got moderated. Was it cas&#105no? Jeezy-creezy, as Eddie Izzard would say.

    Repeat:

    Night shift checking in. Feeling sort of out of it. This is the first day of my weekend. Spent it mostly shuffling around and recuperating from a tough week. Took a long nap in the afternoon just because I can–and also because my circadian rhythms are shot. Did some chores and ended up watching Cas&#105no Royale on network TV. Pretty good movie. I saw it when it came out, but I didn’t remember it being that good. Not awesomely great, but solid. Very good cinematography. This makes me want to see Quantum of Solace again.

    Having said that, nothing to say. Trying to avoid über-night-owl syndrome tonight so I can get up at a decent hour in the morning and get some things done, like I hear normal people do.

  63. 63.

    RareSanity

    @morzer:

    In pieces, if there is a God.

    I don’t want him to get hurt, I’m actually rooting for him to play every game and suck in every game.

    I guess that falls inline with why I don’t believe in the death penalty. Spending the remainder of one’s life in a penitentiary seems like a much worse punishment.

    BTW, is anyone else ecstatic that Comedy Central resurrected Futurama?

  65. 65.

    JWL

    Medical concerns aside: I’m hoping Tebow falls back into bad habits (at least once).

    In particular, I’d just like to see him get his clock-cleaned (again, at least once) performing his patented ‘jump and throw over the pass rush’ move.

    After that, I’ll wish him the best of luck.

    Even before that, in fact.

    It’s easily explained. I’ve just never liked the Broncos. Rivalries aside, it’s just the way it goes with certain teams.

    Go Niners…

  67. 67.

    Warren Terra

    @scav
    Even 2005 might be a bit early for HD: when did US TV programs go HD? And how fast did the BBC?
    besides, it’s Doctor Who; be grateful the sets aren’t wobbling and the costumes don’t suck.

  68. 68.

    RareSanity

    @morzer:

    I’m scoopin’ what you’re poopin’…

    I don’t want to see him miss a single snap. There is no way in hell he can duplicate the season he had last year. I want to savor every one of his many upcoming interceptions…

  71. 71.

    fasteddie9318

    @Sly:

    Just for a laugh before this whole event gets swept away by the next political fixation: Glenn Beck wore a bullet-proof vest while delivering his speech.

    Hey, that actually improves my opinion of the guy, because I just assumed he used a human shield of poor white trash to protect himself.

  72. 72.

    Glenndacious Greenwaldian (formerly tim)

    I would love to be a fly on the wall in Tim and Troy’s room…

  73. 73.

    FlipYrWhig

    Sometimes I hope Tim Tebow has a long football career… so that it will delay the inevitable political career.

  74. 74.

    scav

    @Warren Terra: Exactly, although I’m actually rather fond of the wobbles. Being taken back to an era when bubble wrap was exotic and the Tardis is apparently made out of balsa with a christmas light on top does have a certain charm. All the cgi in the budget still can’t necessarily top the moment in The Time Robber when the Tardis explodes — and that’s even before you get to the free-floating rotor with its passengers.

  75. 75.

    burnspbesq

    @morzer:

    Not a fan of watching people batter each other into major health issues. Not much point in having $20 million in the bank if you can’t remember what a bank is, and can’t walk into one without a cane.

  77. 77.

    JWL

    “Sometimes I hope Tim Tebow has a long football career… so that it will delay the inevitable political career.”

    If Steve Young didn’t have the sense to settle in the Bay Area, at this point he could well be a governor, or congressman, or senator in 60% of the other states of the nation.

    But he’s still too smart to trade one for the other.

  79. 79.

    Joseph Nobles

    @akak: I know I was watching the 4th season just this past weekend. And I’ve got the last special episodes (except the final one where Matt Smith takes over) in my Instant Queue.

    ETA: To be clear, I’m talking about the new version of Doctor Who. Can you even say the old version had “seasons”? Other than sorting them by Doctors, that is, or companions in the case of Tom Baker…

  82. 82.

    wonkie

    This is a change of subject. No one has to respond to this. It’s after ten my time andmy face is sore from crying. I’m just writing this to get it out there so maybe i can go to sleep.

    Long story short: I just found out that the supposedly no kill shelter where I have been avolunteering for three years euthanized a dog I loved. Theydid it a over year ago and no one told me,

    Her name was Lassie. I met her on a nearby reservatinve where I work. She was scrounging in garbage cans for food. I started bring dog food for her and a nice lady let her live in the lady’s garage. We supportedher for about a year. late one winter night I found her inthe garage covdeered with blood from laceartions on her face and her paws were all swollen up. She was painfully skinny. The lady had been tossing hot dogs to her ( the lady was disabled and couldnot get out of herr house). I covered lassie witha blanket and brought her food and water. She lay her head on my lap and that’s when I named her lassie because she needed a home to come to. I promised her that I would be her guradian angel and look out for her.

    I fund a no kill dog rescue and brought her in. That’s how I became a volunteer at the shelter. i atrted out just going down to visit lassie but as time went by I got into it more and more so that now I am on the Board of Directors. Any way I tried to adopt lassie myslef but she’s an alpha and my elderly corgie mix was afraid of her. I have tiny condo, too small for two incompatible dogs. I couldnn’t give her a home.

    After seven month at the rescue she got adopted. it broke my heart ot say goodby to her. I though to f her often, wonderinng how her story ended. Her adopted family was kind enough to give their emial annd invited me to keep in touvh but I didn’t want to vilate their privacy so I didn’t contact them.

    After wo years of wondering how she was I finaly sent an email.

    I got he answer this evening. Thurns ot her adopted family returned her a couple months after they adopted her because she didn’t get along with thier cat and had develpoed guarding behaviors. Dogs that have never had homes will sometimes do that. it can be worked through but they lived in an apartment buildinng and couldn’t work on her with guardinng issues when they ahd to walk right past peole in hallways. Besides they ahd to think of their cat’s welfare. So they brogh herback.

    Annd the shelter, supposedly no kill, killed her. No one said a word about it to me. She never bit anyone, never killed an animal, never got a chance to be trained out of the gurading behavior. No one gave her a chnce.

    She woud have beenbeter off if I had never “rescued” her.

    I love that dog. I don’t think I have everloved a dog as much as I loved her.

    I’m sorry this is such a bummer post and thanks for letting me vent.

  83. 83.

    roshan

    Someone asked for a boycott of Koch products earlier today. The mighty left wing wurlitzer, GOS, delivers.

    (Georgia-Pacific products)

    Angel Soft toilet paper
    Brawny paper towels
    Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups
    Mardi Gras napkins and towels
    Quilted Northern toilet paper
    Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper
    Sparkle napkins
    Vanity fair napkins
    Zee napkins
    Georgia-Pacific paper products and envelopes

    Georgia Pacific Building products

    Dense Armor Drywall and Decking
    ToughArmor Gypsum board
    Georgia pacific Plytanium Plywood
    Flexrock
    Densglass sheathing
    G/P Industrial plasters (some products used by a lot of crafters)-

    Agricultural Plaster
    Arts & Crafts Plaster
    Dental Plaster
    General Purpose Plaster
    Glass-reinforced Gypsum (GRG)
    Industrial Tooling Plaster
    Investment Casting Plaster
    Medical Plaster
    Metal Casting Plaster
    Pottery Plaster
    FibreStrong Rim board
    G/P Lam board
    Blue Ribbon OSB Rated Sheathing
    Blue Ribbon Sub-floor
    DryGuard Enhanced OSB
    Nautilus Wall Sheathing
    Thermostat OSB Radiant Barrier Sheathing
    Broadspan Engineered Wood Products
    XJ 85 I-Joists
    FireDefender Banded Cores
    FireDefender FS
    FireDefender Mineral Core
    Hardboard and Thin MDF including Auto Hardboard,
    Perforated Hardboard and Thin MDF
    Wood Fiberboard –
    Commercial Roof Fiberboard
    Hushboard Sound Deadening Board
    Regular Fiberboard Sheathing
    Structural Fiberboard Sheathing

    INVISTA:

    COMFOREL® fiberfill
    COOLMAX® fabric
    CORDURA® fabric
    DACRON® fiber
    POLYSHIELD® resin
    SOLARMAX® fabric
    SOMERELLE® bedding products
    STAINMASTER® carpet
    SUPPLEX® fabric
    TACTEL® fiber
    TACTESSE® carpet fiber
    TERATE® polyols
    TERATHANE® polyether glycol
    THERMOLITE® fabric
    PHENREZ® resin
    POLARGUARD® fiber and
    LYCRA® fiber

  85. 85.

    Yutsano

    @wonkie: Oh wow. That is a huge bummer. If I were you I would have it out with the managers of the shelter. Lord only knows how many other animals they’ve done this to.

  87. 87.

    mss

    S1 of the new Who may have been originally recorded in HD, but it wasn’t produced in HD. At the time, the budget couldn’t accommodate HD post-production for visual effects (about 90 per episode). Torchwood has far fewer visual effects, and so was post-produced in HD from the start.

    The first fully HD Doctor Who is Planet of the Dead, one of the S4 specials. And the latest series, with Matt Smith, looks fantastic in HD.

  88. 88.

    fucen tarmal

    well that game sucked.

    i love how tebow is becoming the lightning rod for the right wing vs everyone else, he deserves every bit of that backlash.

    of course i would caution steeler haters to remember there isn’t a ham sandwich worth of evidence against ben roethlisberger. the down side, since he was never charged, he doesn’t get to present his side of the story. therefore the idiots of the world will go on saying what they say, unperturbed by the lack of supporting facts.

  89. 89.

    wonkie

    Wow you people sure are up late. I’m on the west coast and it’s late for me.

    I don’t know what to do. I think I have to resign. I love dog rescue and I have been a dog walker for the shelter three or four days a week ever since I brought Lassie in and that ws three summers ago. But I don’t think I can go down there now.

    I don’t know.

    Any way thanks. I know people here care about dogs so I knew people would understand.

    Goodnight eeryone and thanks againn

  90. 90.

    Warren Terra

    @scav
    Don’t get me wrong, I feel great fondness for the original Dr Who, especially Pertwee and Baker. I’m very glad that the BBC was willing to let its dramatic reach exceed its budgetary grasp, and do Science Fiction on the cheap rather than not do it at all. And I’m doubly glad that they (still!) do honest to god radio (where the sets don’t wobble, because they don’t exist – check out Mark Gatiss’s Nebulous some time, or the audio Doctor Who). But I can still joke about the production values of the Old Who because the sets did often wobble, and the costumes were often risible, and I can be glad that the new series has the resources to give us a little more believability, sometimes even grandeur.

  91. 91.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @wonkie:
    Late night crew represent!

    I can only suggest hanging in there. The good you do is far greater than the negative at this point. Of course, I am not you, so ymmv. It is the BJ way.

    good egg, wonkie.

  92. 92.

    YellowJournalism

    @wonkie: It’s a horrible story, make worse by the fact that no one told you the truth. (Isn’t that always the way it goes…you wouldn’t be as mad/upset if they’d just been honest and upfront to begin with!) Are there any other no-kill shelters in the area or another animal/dog charity you can join up with? Then it can be more about moving on to give to someone else rather than leaving on bad terms because of betrayal.

  93. 93.

    RadioOne

    @Cat Lady: the Patriots D isn’t too shabby this year. I think their biggest and perennial problem is the O-line. They’ve lost most of their best players on that front over the years, and they haven’t managed yet to fill in the gap.

  94. 94.

    Wannabe Speechwriter

    The first 4 seasons of Doctor Who were filmed in 576i quality digital video. I don’t think it’s possible to transfer over that to HD. However, I am consistently wrong and would love to know if this were possible.

  95. 95.

    MattR

    @wonkie: I am so sorry to hear this. Can’t really add much to the advice others have give. I would probably confront folks at the shelter about this, but you have to decide if you can still work there, if you want to work there or if there is somewhere else you can volunteer. Maybe staying at that shelter you can make changes so this doesn’t happen again. There’s really no wrong answer. And now I have to go snorgle my Ellie.

  96. 96.

    SciVo

    @Sly: Rich people (generalization alert!) only pay back debt that they’re legally obligated to. Moral obligations are for poor people. If they can convince enough people to change the law, then maybe they can do a partial default on the national debt, just the untradable special Treasuries held by Social Security — and repetition is only a logically fallacious argument, not a politically ineffective one. It would accomplish two goals at once: their future taxes would be lower (since they wouldn’t have to help repay that debt), and the little people would have lower incomes in their old age, making the rich doubly more better than the rest of us in one fell swoop. Huzzah! Break out the Cristal!

    Also, too: {{{wonkie}}}

  97. 97.

    chicago dyke

    i just wanted to thank John, or whomever, for the rotating header that says “how has obama failed you today.” i got a very nice giggle out of that, Sir.

  98. 98.

    chicago dyke

    @scav:

    ho ho ho, that is so true. i have a naughty love of really bad sci fi and sets made out of the garbage from the set of that season’s blockbuster production. “balsa,” snort.

  99. 99.

    MikeJ

    Reading Edroso has made me feel better for once, rather than overwhelmed by the stupidity in the world. He has a new post (and VV article) about Beckapalooza. I had Studiously ignored the media accounts of it. Edroso says that, thank god, the media at large aren’t buying Beck as the new MLK.

    Now if we could do something about those 27%ers.

  100. 100.

    NobodySpecial

    Tim Tebow will only sniff the field on wildcat formations because, unlike Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton is a real NFL quarterback. All that man does is win, I swear.

    And my Lions should take care of that Farve problem in Week 2, if what Suh did to Jake Delhomme is any indicator. Quoth Delhomme: “He tried to take my *#%(#&% head off!”

  101. 101.

    Sly

    @SciVo:

    A) Changing the law would require a constitutional amendment, which is not something you can tuck in to an appropriations bill three hours before a floor vote. SCOTUS ruled shortly after the 14th Amendment passed, in the Legal Tender Cases, that Congress can not pass a law that entails the refusal to pay a bond debt. It can change the method of payment (like FDR did by announcing that agreed upon gold payments would no longer be made with gold), and in doing so change the value of that debt, but they cannot default.

    And even if they could repeal Section 4 of the 14th, debt default would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, due to the operational procedures at the Treasury. The Treasury isn’t constrained by interest rates in its borrowing; it will pay whatever price the bond market demands, even if in the process it crowds out all private borrowing.

    B) Partial default is impossible, at least within the context of Social Security, as all Treasuries within the Trust Fund are backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal government. It doesn’t matter that they’re non-tradable; the government has to pony up the interest payments when they’re due before any other expenditure is made. Thus the only way the Treasury could conceivably default on a debt is if interest exceeded 100% of all Federal revenues. Right now its at about 10%.

    Incidentally, that was the whole point of the 1983 Greenspan commission’s consensus recommendation that the SS Trust buy more treasuries with its surplus: Their reliability as a revenue stream, at least in this country, is second to none.

  103. 103.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @roshan #83: Thanks for the list and the link! I can’t avoid all those brands but I can refrain frfom buying some of them.

    @Wonkie: Hugs. That’s very sad. I have no advice but I don’t blame you a bit for feeling betrayed.

  104. 104.

    asiangrrlMN

    @wonkie: I’m so sorry to hear this, wonkie. That’s just a damn shame. Talk to the manager/person in charge if you can, and give it a little time. Don’t go to the shelter if you can’t and think it over. If you truly cannot return there (and I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t), then maybe you can find somewhere else to volunteer. Hugs to you.

    @RareSanity: As a Vikings fan, I want the Vikes to win and Favre to get a concussion so he’s out. I do not want to see him being fluffed for the entire fucking season.

    @morzer: You. Suck. Then again, me likey when Favre fucks up–especially if the team still wins. Still. You. Suck.

    Cole, no kidding on Troy/Son of Jeebuz. He really is being groomed as the next Favre (read, great white hope). Sigh.

  105. 105.

    JWL

    “As a Vikings fan, I want the Vikes to win and Favre to get a concussion so he’s out. I do not want to see him being fluffed for the entire fucking season”.

    Being “fluffed”? What on earth are you talking about?

    Favre took the Vikes to the NFC championship game last year… the championship fucking game!

    And you wish on him a concussion?

    You’re not a football fan.

    Get lost, fade away….

  106. 106.

    asiangrrlMN

    @JWL: Fluffed as in being talked about as if he were the second coming which he is not. I also don’t want to hear how he’s a kid out there or Favre being Favre (after his tenth interception) or how he plays for the love of the game. And, what happened in the playoffs? What always happens in the fucking playoffs. We have a pretty damn good team without him. I wish he would just retire already. I am a football fan–just not a Favre fan.

  107. 107.

    Donald G

    @Wannabe Speechwriter:

    The first 4 seasons of Doctor Who were filmed in 576i quality digital video. I don’t think it’s possible to transfer over that to HD. However, I am consistently wrong and would love to know if this were possible.

    Wannabe Speechwriter has it correct. The first four series of the 2005 Doctor Who revival were captured in SD, as was the 2008 Christmas Special, “The Next Doctor”.

    Doctor Who didn’t go HD until the Easter 2009 special, “Planet of the Dead”.

    Torchwood was HD from the starting gate, and apparently, the production team had a fairly steep learning curve.

    Prior to the “gap year” specials, the production team felt that they couldn’t shoot Doctor Who in HD to the standard required on the budget allocated.

    Series Five is in HD, but … wait for it…. there’s been a budget cut.

  108. 108.

    Donald G

    @Joseph Nobles:

    ETA: To be clear, I’m talking about the new version of Doctor Who. Can you even say the old version had “seasons”? Other than sorting them by Doctors, that is, or companions in the case of Tom Baker…

    Actually, you can say that the old one had seasons, 26 of them to be exact.

    William Hartnell ran three full seasons, and relatively early in Season Four, he was replaced by Patrick Troughton, and then Troughton ran through the end of Season Six.

    Doctor Who went to colour with Jon Pertwee’s debut in Season Seven.

    The long-lasting Tom Baker era began with Season Twelve and lasted to the end of Season Eighteen.

    Peter Davison started Season Nineteen, but left a story prior to the end of Season Twenty-one (“Caves of Androzani”). Colin Baker’s debut story closed out the season.

    Colin Baker’s first year (Season Twenty-two) caught flack for being too grotesque and violent, and in a story too long to go into, the show was put on hiatus for 18 months (At the time, this was known as the Cancellation Crisis). Returning with Season Twenty-three’s “Trial of a Time Lord” storyline.

    Colin Baker was fired, and Sylvester McCoy finished out the final three seasons of the show, when, due to declining viewing figures, the program was not renewed for Season 27, which should have aired in 1990.

    BTW, Doctor Who was never officially cancelled as the Beeb didn’t want a repeat of the fan uproar of 1985. For years, it was said to be on hiatus.

  109. 109.

    REN

    Try being an ex Favre fan from Wisconsin. You can’t watch ESPN or the NFL network without seeing one of the commentators with his lips attached to Favre’s hind end.

  110. 110.

    scav

    @Warren Terra: Nebulous, eh? Will go searching, that does look good for a person that enjoys Quatermass. I’m rather still replaying Colditz at the moment on the audio end of things & the Forever Trap amused me for some reason, probably odd. If you like Nebulous, are you keeping up with Jasper Fforde, especially his last one Shades of Grey?

  111. 111.

    cmorenc

    I feel fortunate to not give a fig about football. Slow, boring game comprised of intermittent brief bursts of action between extended committee meetings, referee conferences, advertisements. It’s also too much like watching coaches playing a video game with action figures, except the controls are flaky and mushy.

    Golf is also too boring to regularly watch, except that especially in major championships there’s something wickedly delicious about watching the sheer capriciousness and unfairness of how a bump here, a bit too much or too little roll there, a tiny smidgen too far left or right on the trajectory of a shot, can so punitively humiliate the extremely skillful, or sometimes give outrageously undeserved reward.

  113. 113.

    Mnemosyne

    @Donald G:

    IIRC, the Brits refer to each season as a “series” since they’re much more casual about when and how things run. The BBC doesn’t have a “new fall season” like we do here.

  114. 114.

    Donald G

    True, the term season has been retroactively applied to classic Doctor Who, presumably starting with Lofficier’s Programme Guide ca. 1981 and subsequently published similar guides, such as the Cornell/Topping/Day DisCONTINUITY GUIDE and the Lawrence Miles/Tat Wood ABOUT TIME guides. The term seasons has been used in British fandom for a long time now, and in British magazines such as “Doctor Who Magazine.”

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