Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

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

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

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

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

You are here: Home / Open Threads / RIP, Andrew Olmsted

Reader Interactions

31Comments

  1. 1.

    Yutsano

    One should never have to eulogize themselves. And the fact that he had the foresight to do so shows just what an amazing man he was. Pacem a tei good soldier. I bet you made at least one puppeh happy by meeting them at the Rainbow Bridge.

  2. 2.

    Tom Levenson

    Me either.

    Thinking of the good ones lost makes me rage yet more at chickenhawkery…but that’s for a different thread.

  4. 4.

    Yutsano

    @Tom Levenson: Oh did I want to go off on the Iraq war here. But I read the eulogy, and I shall honor the good man’s name by respecting his wish and not engaging in politics. Instead, I shall remember a man I never knew who three years after his departure from this existence touched my life.

  6. 6.

    aimai

    Time passes so fast in one world, and so slowly in others. When I saw the headline it was like a sharp pain, undulled by those three years. But for his family those three years must have dragged wearily, an eternity of time. Thanks for putting up this post and this link, John. He was a remarkable man.

    aimai

  8. 8.

    Yutsano

    @JGabriel: Justice. Although consider this: Cheney is essentially a zombie kept alive only by a machine plugged into his back. And he is guaranteed to be in a lot of pain no matter how many drugs they shoot him up with.

  12. 12.

    Libby

    It feels like a million years ago and it feels like yesterday but I’m just as sad at this moment as I was the first time I read that post. And as angry, but I’ll also honor his last wish and just say, RIP Andy. You’re still missed.

  14. 14.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    RIP:

    “So died these men as becomes Athenians. You, their survivors, must determine to have as unaltering a resolution in the field, though you may pray that it may have a happier outcome.”

  16. 16.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    I never read him and I can tell the loss is all mine:

    More likely I was caught by a marksman or an IED. But if there is an afterlife, I’m telling anyone who asks that I went down surrounded by hundreds of insurgents defending a village composed solely of innocent women and children. It’ll be our little secret, ok?

  17. 17.

    Soprano2

    He sounds like a great guy – what a terrible loss. Anyone who blogs as G’Kar is great in my book.

  20. 20.

    Mike in NC

    Cheney is essentially a zombie kept alive only by a machine plugged into his back. And he is guaranteed to be in a lot of pain no matter how many drugs they shoot him up with.

    It was reported tonight that Cheney needs a heart transplant — provided they can find a large enough rat to donate one.

  21. 21.

    PurpleGirl

    I don’t read ObWi much but I remember reading it that day three years ago. Yesterday Gary Farber did a long post at ObWi about Andrew Olmsted with many links to Olmsted’s writings. Olmsted’s loss is a tragedy for his family and the country; his was a voice and perspective we could have used to heal the wounds. I hope his family is comforted by the support of the blogging world.

  25. 25.

    JasonK

    Yeah I remember reading that post too 3 years ago. I also really miss Hilzoy’s writing on ObWi. Fantastic blogger that one.

  27. 27.

    Gary Farber

    Okay, hasty of me; I see other people linked in comments.

    Thanks, everyone.

    I’d appreciate it if everyone would keep in mind, as you’ll know if you read the comments on my post, that that Andrew’s father, Wes, mother, Nancy, brother, Eric, and so on, keeping up with the thread, as much as they can bear to, and Wes has told me that they’ll be printing out the whole thing, with all the comments, to add to their “Honor Corner” for Andy, which they keep.

    What I’m trying to say here is that even a single word of comment on that thread, by people, will be seen by the Olmsted family, and greatly appreciated by them.

    I hope everyone will keep that in mind, and perhaps drop a word, even one word, on that thread, to show they care, given that the Olmsteds aren’t going to be googling or reading other blogs, or looking anywhere else.

    Thanks immensely to anyone who will make such a comment on this thread, and link to the thread in posts.

    Please don’t, however, refer to this comment; I think security by obscurity will be sufficient, and no harm if any of the Olmsteds do see this, but I think the reason I ask is obvious.

    Thanks again to all.

    And, again, all Balloon Juicers are invited to try open threads at Obsidian Wings, and check out the site as a whole.

    We’ve been understandably dropping readership like crazy ever since Hilzoy left, and lots of former ObWiers are over here now, which is wonderful, but we’d love to see some folks come back, and we’d equally love to see more folks giving Obsidian Wings a look, seeing if you find anything worthwhile about the blog, and if anyone would like to start commenting, that would be most cromulent.

  30. 30.

    Gary Farber

    @Catsy:

    Thanks. Yeah, I know. Thus “right….”

    I’m a bit too busy to always remember, each time I comment somewhere, the idiosyncracies of all the hundreds of blogs I ever comment on, and all the hundreds of bloggers I know and vice versa, I’m afraid.

    My fault and problem, no one else’s. Not a complaint. Thanks muchly for response.

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