Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

This fight is for everything.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

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

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

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

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

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70Comments

  1. 1.

    Mike Kay

    I watched the NBA games.

    Kinda odd, making black people put on a show and entertain us on MLK day.

  2. 2.

    ronin122

    I avoid television on such days: you end up either learning nothing or getting wrong facts. Besides, not like anyone is going to be honest about MLK, Jr., like his being more or less a soci4li5t (fywp…) who went from focusing on race to class in his later years.

  3. 3.

    ronin122

    @Mike Kay: I thought there was something very weird about having so many NBA games on today, honestly. I mean, yes having 13 NBA games on a night is apparently quite common (3 such nights this week) and obviously better not to do it during the NFL playoff night but if not for that you’d think a bitter irony from it.

  4. 4.

    WereBear

    We watched some of the movies on TCM which touched on the race issues of their day.

    Then we had to take the kitten to the vet who gave him free treatment when he was 3 weeks old to stabilize him before we fostered him; we decided to take him back for his “tutoring” as a way of thanking her.

    We miss the little nut already.

  5. 5.

    Violet

    I saw the barriers and the police and the news helicopter but not the parade.

    I didn’t go to the bank or post office because they were closed.

  6. 6.

    geg6

    The campus does a day of service. I put in a couple of hours supervising some of our students as they repainted a mural in a park in a once-thriving mill town, now a crumbling low income, majority minority town that has produced some of the greats of the NFL, Aliquippa, PA. In fact, the park is named Mike Ditka Sports and Recreation Complex.

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: I had a moment of panic, thinking you had given Tristan to another home! Does tutoring mean having him neutered? Did you have to leave him overnight?

  8. 8.

    lamh32

    I actually had to work today (funny enough, most of the people of color were at work, and the white guys were off…slackers).

    I miss the MLK parade in New Orleans. It’s the ONLY one I have ever gone to, and maybe it’s because I no longer live at whome, but I don’t really like to go to the one here in DFW.

    BTW, John, you may or may not know this, but anyone worth there salt will tell you that there is one song that is ALWAYS sung/played on MLK Day, maybe you could link to it. It was written and recorded by Stevie Wonder especially for MLK Holiday.

    Stevie Wonder – Happy Birthday

  9. 9.

    JPL

    I live outside of Atlanta and the local channels cover his life and legacy. Normally I watch the service on TV at Ebeneezer Baptist Church but this year I didn’t. What I did do is read several articles some of which were linked to from this site. One about a Jewish rabbi and King trapped in a house until help arrived and King discussed attending a Passover Seder. Another article was about his working on a farm in CT during summer break when he was in college. ABC news covered the little known story about his summer in CT on the nightly news.
    Normally I volunteer but since my dental cobra only runs from the 1st to the 25th of January this year, I decided to replace a few large fillings with crowns. Today and Thursday are crown days.

  10. 10.

    alwhite

    Had the pleasure of hearing Cory Booker speak at the Minneapolis MLK Breakfast. It was very emotional, the guy is a great speaker & his call for service deserves a wider hearing.

    The talk was carried on the local public radio, if they post the audio I will link to it. This was one hell of a speech, worthy of King himself.

  13. 13.

    Trainrunner

    I’m about to watch St. Sarah of Wasilla at the Altar of Hannity break the long arc of justice and smash it into little tiny pieces.

  14. 14.

    WereBear

    @WaterGirl: Sorry our little family joke caused you distress!

    Yes, he’s being neutered, chipped, shots and a checkup. Four and a half months old; but he was also doing a lot of neck biting, and was swinging a pair already.

    Despite the fact that he’s a bit rowdy for a small apartment and a sick husband… we can’t bear to part with him. So I will bring my considerable Cat-Fu to bear on the situation.

    Though he’s not alone in the world, after all, dropped from the sky — we found a littermate!

    Click here for article with pics.

  16. 16.

    lacp

    I went to work today. I work for a food bank. Everybody showed up. Hopefully we will run our usual Tuesday schedule tomorrow.

  18. 18.

    General Stuck

    No teevee, but remember well the day of learning he was taken from the world. I was at baseball practice in HS, which also reminds me how old I am. Was later that year playing an American Legion baseball game, when learning about RFK, and thinking to myself, they are going to kill everyone. Pol violence in general was, or seemed to be ordinary daily news back then. Hope it doesn’t get that way again. The nuts come out of the woodwork, when that general atmosphere takes hold.

    Abraham, Martin and John

  19. 19.

    Lisa

    I went to the parade downtown. Then helped pick up litter for a while at Patterson Park. Then sat on the stoop and drank beer (and a couple of swigs of cheap brandy) with my neighbors. Total B’More holiday.

  20. 20.

    mumphrey

    I spent a good part of the day in bed wrasslin’ with a nasty cold or flu. Dozed at times, but I did have a dream…

  21. 21.

    4jkb4ia

    13-0 Pitt in enormous game vs. Syracuse. Nasir Robinson scored first 9 points.

    Finishing exigent letter report (2010 wants its post back) which has some relevance to MLK. As snarky as an OIG report can get.

  22. 22.

    suzanne

    I didn’t really do anything—there was a parade this morning (yes, even here in AZ, there was an MLK Day parade), but the lack of public restrooms dissuaded me. I really hate changing diapers on the sidewalk.

    I did, however, learn that today is also the 50th anniversary of a pretty big, important speech.

    And I did take my seven-year-old out to sell Girl Scout cookies. Her troop decided to take donation orders to send cookies to the troops in Afghanistan and to donate part of their earnings to a local homeless shelter. She’s such a good kid.

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: Deep breath, okay, I am fine now. :-)

    What a cutie the litter mate is! And of course I am crazy about Tristan. Not sure if you know how much Tristan looks like my girl. I couldn’t find a great photo, but you might be able to tell from this set of photos.

  24. 24.

    lamh32

    @alwhite:

    I actually like both songs. But of course “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is not singularly about MLK. “Happy Birthday” is played at EVERY MLK parade, I would contend that it’s rarely played any other time than MLK day. “Life Every Voice and Sing” is played/sung anytime the CRM is discussed, but especially played and heard alot in Feb.

    Personally, I love it. I actually play the chorus for anyone who has a birthday.

  25. 25.

    4jkb4ia

    @4jkb4ia:
    (Yesterday banged head on table. FBI officials were realizing that they needed some kind of NSL-type legal process to be served on the telecom representatives because the latter were asking for it. Adventures in regulatory capture)

  28. 28.

    cat48

    Watched/attended nothing. Read some King and then articles mostly written by white folks telling Obama how disappointed Dr. King would be in him. Sad day.

  29. 29.

    suzanne

    @JPL: Uhhh, I don’t really know. This is only my daughter’s second year selling cookies, and she did it at the same time last year. I don’t remember what time of year I did it when I was a kid.

  31. 31.

    General Stuck

    @cat48:

    It is unfortunate that when finally something happened that would be a pinnacle in MLK’s dream, the first black president elected, that at the same time, so many white people would also lose their motherfucking minds. They claim it’s over government spending and soshulism. I have my doubts.

  32. 32.

    Darkrose

    I watched the inside of my eyelids. I was having a migraine, so at least the colors were pretty.

  33. 33.

    Ked

    Hey, the site is looking pretty good tonight. I might suggest notching the font up just one more point, and there’s still a slightly overwhelming whitespace effect, but I can read it without sunglasses now.

  37. 37.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I spent the day working on a pro bono case for a woman who is being screwed over by the system.

  38. 38.

    Aaron Baker

    Northwestern University has a celebration every year–this was my first time going to it. Not bad at all. An excellent student choir and student jazz band, and a memorable speech by Tavis Smiley. I knew Smiley only from his TV & radio interviews and had no idea how rousing a public speaker he is. He was very good on the real MLK (the one who lost many of his former allies by opposing the War in Vietnam) vs. the pale projection of him we get from the media today.

  39. 39.

    Comrade Baron Elmo

    Read some King and then articles mostly written by white folks telling Obama how disappointed Dr. King would be in him. Sad day.

    Be sure to check out Roy Edroso’s annual round-up of wingnut bloggers and their take on MLK day… hysterical.

    Near as I can tell, the conservative responses to King fall into three catagories:

    1) Marxist Luther King is a commie scumbag who helped destroy America.

    2) We have no need to honor Dr, King, as racism no longer exists. (But wait! How come blacks can say “n*gg*r,” and I can’t?)

    3) If Dr. King were still alive, he would be a fervent right-winger, and also Sarah Palin’s best buddy EVAR!!

  46. 46.

    WereBear

    @WaterGirl: Willow is so adorable! It is reminiscent of Tristan’s patterns; but the nose is quite different :)

    And that Bear is a delightful fellow; he looks very fluffy.

    They are both absolute dolls.

  47. 47.

    Tax Analyst

    @General Stuck:

    No teevee, but remember well the day of learning he was taken from the world. I was at baseball practice in HS, which also reminds me how old I am. Was later that year playing an American Legion baseball game, when learning about RFK, and thinking to myself, they are going to kill everyone. Pol violence in general was, or seemed to be ordinary daily news back then. Hope it doesn’t get that way again. The nuts come out of the woodwork, when that general atmosphere takes hold.

    I had just left the local Junior College (that’s what they called them way back then), having decided to skip my next class, and had stopped at a pizza joint for a couple slices and a coke. It was announced on the portable radio the owner had on.

    RFK? I had just moved back into my parents house and I had a little B&W portable TV in my room. I had stayed up to watch the CA Primary results and I guess I fell asleep shortly after they announced Kennedy had won. The TV was still on and I awoke to the sound of frantic pandemonium at whatever station it was on, and then a breathless announcement that RFK had been shot. For a moment I wasn’t sure if it was really happening or just a very bad dream. But I sat up and watched it and learned that it too awfully true. I didn’t want to wake my parents…they would find out soon enough without being troubled after midnight. I just sat there in my room the whole night feeling absolutely like shit.

  48. 48.

    Benjamin Cisco

    Had to work (went in at oh-dark-thirty, in fact). I reflected on the fact that if not for the events of years ago, I’d be sweeping the floor of the place instead of running the network that runs it.

  49. 49.

    Lisa

    @Benjamin Cisco: Word. I always think about that too. I figure I would not have been “volunteering” to pretty up Baltimore, because it would have been my regular job – the only one I could get.

  52. 52.

    Ruckus

    @Benjamin Cisco:
    @Lisa:
    I figure from the sounds of your posts that you have more in common with MLK than me. I share a last name, not that that means anything. So considering how things are now you might have been one of the unemployed over 99ers or locked up for little to no reason.

  54. 54.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    Well, here I am, finally able to do my usual round of the internet, and you up and provide me with the perfect opportunity to blog flog.

    But I’m singing the praises of my 11 year old son this time!

    He was given a class assignment last week to write a speech in the tone of the I Have a Dream speech, and this is what he produced: http://emilylhauserinmyhead.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/guest-blogger-the-boy/

    He read it to us at the dinner table, and I would lying if I said I didn’t start crying about two grafs in.

    (And as long as I’m flogging the blog, here’s my MLK Day post: http://emilylhauserinmyhead.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/our-god-is-able/ But really, if you pick one, go with my kid’s. It’s something else).

  56. 56.

    Seanly

    Took dog to vet to get staples out, went to lunch to celebrates wife’s 5 year annivesary and then back to work. Yeah, I had to work, same as most people.

  60. 60.

    Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther

    @Omnes Omnibus: So proud you can’t even imagine.

    All that, by the way, and he’s stinkin’ funny, too. Cracks his mom up on the daily, and I tell you what, I do not know what I would do if my kids weren’t funny. (His sister is also a peach — smart, funny, and compassionate, at age 7.5 — but I’m fighting the urge to run around the intertrons telling everyone that, as I put her brother’s speech out there for the world to see!)(Though I appear to have just done that here. Oh well. His sister’s a peach, too!)

  62. 62.

    alwhite

    @Tax Analyst:
    JFK – was the flag patrol on Case & Arkwright at lunch – kid coming back to school told us the president had been shot, we laughed because it was too stupid to be true
    Malcolm – On the way to Aunts birthday party, my dad said “he had it coming” then said “thats not true”
    Dr. King – was doing my homework for Black History class, teacher gave all white kids an F for that assignment, I think he might have been angry.
    RFK – Brother-in-law woke me coming home from his 2nd shift job. Since I was angry at the Kennedy family for trying to torpedo HHH I was not as upset as I should have been.
    George Wallace – “God please don’t let it be a black man that shot that fucker”.
    Reagan – “At least Bush is sane”

    I remember everyone of those days quite well, sadly.

  64. 64.

    El Cid

    I just want to say that I hate these fucking people. I don’t give a shit how nice they are to their grandchildren or how many jobs they held or sacrificed to keep their family in a home. They shouldn’t have any role in public life whatsoever. Their brains are putrid little jars of festering shit.

  67. 67.

    planetjanet

    My local Democratic committee prepared and served lunch at the hypothermia center. I fixed my barbeque, we had subs, lasagna and Jim’s mac and cheese. I think about 30 people came and we had plenty of leftovers. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: My kitties thank you! i don’t see the difference in the nose – you will have to explain that to me sometime.

    Bear is like a stuffed animal, he seems weightless and just melts into you to snuggle. He is my surfer dude, as you described some cats, just a happy go lucky boy. I am so lucky to have both of them!

  70. 70.

    Gustopher

    I had a chocolate milk shake. Or should I say, MiLK shake?

    It’s a family tradition. (My family is made up of racist punsters)

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