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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread

Open Thread

by John Cole|  September 7, 20108:33 pm| 30 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Sorry- been dealing with RL nonsense.

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Reader Interactions

30Comments

  1. 1.

    debit

    September 7, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    The Pirate Bay has been raided. And BTJunkie is down as well.

  2. 2.

    schrodinger's cat

    September 7, 2010 at 8:40 pm

    Tunch, we need him

  3. 3.

    slag

    September 7, 2010 at 8:41 pm

    And that’s why you don’t go participating in the real world! Jesus, Cole, didn’t the one-armed man teach you anything about life?

    Speaking of cultural artifacts, I strongly recommend seeing The American. Not a perfect movie, but a very provocative movie. Well worth the price of admission, which is a rare attribute.

  4. 4.

    fasteddie9318

    September 7, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    Mr. Cole, your inattention to the needs of this site makes me wonder whether I need honor you and pretend that you are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that you will abuse.

    I’m going to work this thing into everyday conversation if it kills me.

  5. 5.

    Cliff

    September 7, 2010 at 8:50 pm

    A interesting quote from a email I got From:

    FreedomWorks: 9/12 Taxpayer March on Washington

    quote –
    snip
    What we need to do is change the culture in Tacoma and Yakima and Seattle — in the real Washington. We need to change the culture in your home town. We need to change the culture in America, knowing that we cannot leave public policy to “experts” astride the levers of power in the Nation’s Capital.

    What the tea party movement represents at its best is a national rediscovery of our mandate from the Founding Fathers. Each of us, as best we can, must be eternally vigilant in defense of the liberties promised in our Constitution. This is how it has to be. There can be no going back to the way it was before.

    The vast, decentralized network of citizen activists in the Tea Party movement, many of whom marched last September 12th, has now fully embraced the monumental task of Taking America Back. In Republican primaries across the country, tax and spend establishment Republicans have been replaced by principled fiscal conservatives. Dick Armey and I like to refer to this amazing string of political victories as a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. Next target: The Democrats.
    snip

    – endquote

    Muuaaahhaaahaa!!!!

    *emphasis in original.

  6. 6.

    TaMara (BHF)

    September 7, 2010 at 8:54 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: I could use some Tunch, Lily and Rosie. It’s been a long day.

    There’s a big wildfire burning here (Colorado) not far from my offices. We have clients in all of the evacuated areas, talked to one this morning – fire was close by when they were evacuated. I worry about the animals, as always. The holding area for people’s pets (large and small: horses, chickens, parrot and the regular house pets) is about 2 miles from my house. I’m thinking of seeing if they need volunteers for feeding, watering and poop cleanup. Already have 50 horses and one very talkative parrot.

  7. 7.

    TaMara (BHF)

    September 7, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    And I loved the Tapper posts. Great distraction as I needed it today. Can’t wait to have a quiet moment to read all one gazillion comments.

  8. 8.

    Corner Stone

    September 7, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Already have 50 horses and one very talkative parrot.

    Stuck lives with you?

  9. 9.

    stuckinred

    September 7, 2010 at 8:57 pm

    @Corner Stone: Yea jackass, make a joke about that.

  10. 10.

    mark

    September 7, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    You know when republicans have more members in congress, majority or not, they’ll force a 10 year extension or some other crap to make the 2 year (ONLY, WE SWEAR) extension quasi-permanent.

    Thats why obama should want them ended as scheduled if possible. Dems won’t have the numbers to do great things ever again.

    FKING LOSERS these DEMS!! Why does it always have to be so painful to vote for their incompetent arses???

  11. 11.

    Cliff

    September 7, 2010 at 9:06 pm

    @TaMara (BHF):

    How about Molly Chillin out on top of a boulder?

    mollymaesden.blogspot.com/2010/09/nice-morning.html

  12. 12.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    September 7, 2010 at 9:10 pm

    I’m sorry for your RL nonsense. There seems to be a lot of that about lately. Good luck with it, whatever manner of nonsense it may be.

  13. 13.

    Arclite

    September 7, 2010 at 9:17 pm

    For all you geeks out there, here’s Wil Wheaton talking at Pax a couple of days ago. He’s a great speaker, and relates a story about gaming with his wife.

    youtube.com/watch?v=KkGx3q4M3jw

  14. 14.

    cleek

    September 7, 2010 at 9:20 pm

    generic ballot: Dems and Reps tied. quite a change from the 10 pt spread of last week.

  15. 15.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    September 7, 2010 at 9:21 pm

    Am I going to exploit this Open Thread to once again flog the post I wrote as my head exploded from the bullshit of Marty Peretz?

    You bet I am!

    Marty Peretz wrote over at TNR the other day that “Muslim life is cheap” and that he wonders

    whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.

    So, yeah…. My head -> assplode.

    emilylhauserinmyhead.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/muslim-life-is-cheap-wtf/

  16. 16.

    TaMara (BHF)

    September 7, 2010 at 9:22 pm

    @Cliff: She posted this morning, so I’m going to hope that means she’s out of harm’s way. I actually didn’t realize she was in Boulder, though from the photos, I suspected it was somewhere near here.

  17. 17.

    WaterGirl

    September 7, 2010 at 9:23 pm

    Hey soonergrunt, my brother-in-law was in the hospital recently and they had computers for patients to use in the hospital, so I think it’s possible that you might be reading BJ today.

    If you are, know that I (and about a million other balloon juice commenters and lurkers) am thinking about you and sending good thoughts and prayers and positive energy your way.

    Will look for your posts again in about a week!

  18. 18.

    jl

    September 7, 2010 at 9:24 pm

    I assme RL nonsense means Real Life nonsense.
    I am also astonished that a master of the blogosphere would still have to deal with such trivia. In any case, good luck with it, whatever it is.

    I know Mr. Cole and the Balloon Juice community likes to watch TV, so here is something really exciting.

    Joseph Stiglitz on Free Markets and the World Economy
    fora.tv/2010/07/26/Joseph_Stiglitz_on_Free_Markets_and_the_World_Economy

    This liberal evildoer is wandering around Australia spreading his Islamocommufascist poison, and I thought the dhimmocrats here would enjoy watching his ravings with horrified fascination.

    I think it is almost as groovy as Jersey Shore, but that is probably just me.

  19. 19.

    Arclite

    September 7, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    Irony alert:

    A Michigan prof is developing a portable fiber optic laser that can be used as anti missile defense for use on helicopters. The device is designed to defeat man portable anti air missiles like the Stinger and Russian SA-7/14 family that could be used by Islamic terrorists to shoot down allied helicopters in Afghanistan.

    The professor’s name? Wait for it…

    Mohammed Islam

    wired.com/dangerroom/2010/09/army-turns-to-lasers-for-copter-defense/

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    September 7, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    RL nonsense = RosieLily??

  21. 21.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    September 7, 2010 at 10:04 pm

    @Arclite: That is many kinds of awesome.

  22. 22.

    danimal

    September 7, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    Josh at TPM absolutely nails the importance of this fall’s election and the likely effect on the surviving Dem congresscritters if the GOP wins big.

    We simply can not afford to think that things will be ok if the GOP wins. They will use their power to destroy everything we value. Eventually, they will overreach, but they will do a lot of damage if given the opportunity, and the Dems aren’t known for their courage under hostile fire.

  23. 23.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    September 7, 2010 at 10:08 pm

    @Arclite: In fact, it is so many kinds of awesome that I just tweeted it.

    Boo-ya!

    (That’s what one says under such circumstances, right?)

  24. 24.

    Corner Stone

    September 7, 2010 at 10:10 pm

    @stuckinred: Well, since there are 50 horses there obviously there’s a horse’s ass too.
    So I guess you live there as well?

  25. 25.

    Arclite

    September 7, 2010 at 10:14 pm

    @Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther:

    Boo-ya!
    (That’s what one says under such circumstances, right?)

    I don’t know. I’m not a soldier, but I play one in blog comment threads.

  26. 26.

    Linda Featheringill

    September 7, 2010 at 11:48 pm

    @danimal:

    Josh at TPM:

    What are all these people going to do if the Dems don’t go straight to hell on election day?

    Are they going to find something else to talk about?

    A few comments up, cleek referred us to this site:

    generic ballot: Dems and Reps tied. quite a change from the 10 pt spread of last week.

    It can be found at: motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/09/chart-day-follow-bouncing-ball

    It looks to me like the numbers have been going back and forth for some time. Where is the hard evidence that the Dems are going to be totally trounced?

  27. 27.

    Linda Featheringill

    September 8, 2010 at 12:00 am

    Serious question here:

    I went over to 538 and came away confused. Nate’s analysis of numbers is so different from mine.

    He has done everything but order a casket to buy the Democrats.

    Am I out of touch with reality? Or has Nate gone over to the Dark Side?

  28. 28.

    Cliff

    September 8, 2010 at 12:01 am

    @TaMara (BHF):

    I sense crossed wires .. I posted Molly the dog on A boulder the rock … not Boulder CO =D

    re:

    I could use some Tunch, Lily and Rosie. It’s been a long day.

  29. 29.

    Ross Hershberger

    September 8, 2010 at 1:15 am

    Ralph Lauren nonsense? I dunno. Always been pretty reliable for me.

  30. 30.

    Cliff

    September 8, 2010 at 3:11 am

    @Cliff:

    Ah, I gotcha now, Molly lives Here: neclimbs.com/index.php?PageName=weather

    More Pics from the area:
    mountwashington.org/photos/journal/index.php?month=06&year=2000

    … just a wee bit far from Colorado.

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