I figure we need another open thread, which I’ll seed with email from readers.
- Dan from Pruning Shears sends along another Xmas song
- Happy Valley News sends along an Xmas poem.
- Reader K sends along a video about the so-called arguments against gay marriage:
What are you up to?
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I’m still hoping, in vain, no doubt:
Dear Santa,
It seems that I’m in need of a personal assistant. The ideal qualifications are the face of Johnny Depp, the soul of Dennis Banks, the brain of Richard Feynman, the culinary chops of Marco Pierre White, along with the soft tenor, sophisticated chromatic stylings, and complex flatpicking skills of Dave Rawlings. An added bonus would be the wit of Oscar Wilde combined with the fluid prose of David Foster Wallace, and the body of Roberto Baggio. Duties to include all household management and 2-3x weekly massage therapy; extra compensation for gardening assistance. Must love animals.
I’ve been pretty good this year, despite any rumors to the contrary that you might have heard.
xox
Bella
PS – Mr. Q will pay top dollar if the above personal assistant is a better housekeeper than I am currently.
Happy holidays of whichever variety is appropriate to all Balloon Juicers.
demkat620
About to make Struffolli with my husband.
Merry Christmas everyone!
gogol's wife
There was an amazing demonstration again in Moscow today. I’m praying that something good happens in Russia (for a change).
Spaghetti Lee
My uncle’s here for Christmas, and I told him off the bat that we weren’t going to talk about politics (not that he’s a total wingnut-he’s kind of right-center, but insufferably full of himself), and, well, somehow the conversation took that turn, and that’s why I’m hiding out on the computer right now.
BO_Bill
Be sure to wash before and towel off after demkat620. Cleanliness being a Virtue.
tomvox1
Conor Friedersdorf, asshole:
Unless Conor is suggesting that Barack Obama made a huge pile of money off of his “associations” with Ayers & Wright, is this not the False Equivalency of the Year? Ye gads, what a prick.
Nate Dawg
Bored of Christmas. Can’t wait til it’s over. Bah Humbug.
Jennifer
I’ve got Patton Oswalt’s take on the worst Christmas song of all time posted over at my joint. I would tell you which song it is, but then for those of you who don’t go check out the video, you would have the most awful Christmas song of all time stuck in your head without the saving grace of Oswalt’s deconstruction of it, and that’s no way to wish anyone a happy holiday.
Villago Delenda Est
@tomvox1:
Yup, given that Obama’s “associations” are pretty much created out of whole cloth fantasy on the part of lower life forms like Mooselini, it’s pretty serious false equivalency.
But I’ve come to expect this sort of sloppy intellectual dishonesty from the likes of Libertarian slime molds like young Conor.
Mark S.
@tomvox1:
I like how Conor argues that Paul’s proposals would be better for minorities than anyone else’s. Yeah, destroying the safety net and returning to the gold standard would be awesome for poor minorities!
Trentrunner
1. Ron Paul wrote the f*cking newsletters. He earned f*cking income from them. His name is at the f*cking top of them. He often speaks in the first person about biographical details that apply only to him (“My son is about to graduate medical school…”) Obama neither wrote nor said what Ayers and Wright wrote and said.
2. Paul has not repudiated the newsletters’ content: It’s homophobic, racist, sexist, xenophobic. Obama repudiated Wright’s crazier stuff, and of course Obama’s record before and after confirms this. Ayers…WTF?
3. See #1. Paul wrote the f*cking things.
4. Paul earned income on these.
So, yes, Conor’s workin some serious false equivalency there.
Oh, and it’s worth checking out Sully’s notpology non-unendorsement today: Bottom line, he’s embarrassed or ashamed or something, but it’s different to endorse an “instrumental” candidate for the good of the party than a real person with “flaws.” Or something. He’s still a cunty git.
Citizen_X
@Tomvox1: What a cock. Ron Paul’s newsletters are his words and actions in public life. It’s his name on the newsletter. Who gives a shit whether he wrote it himself or paid some skinhead to write the racist screeds? I don’t know which of those options is more vile.
bystander
Just got back from a 2 mile walk with 4 Borzoi, 2 Aussies, and 3 Border Collies. The Zoi were on leash, for obvious reasons. It’s nap time around here.
Raven
Got up in Lynchburg. Drove to Blacksburg for brunch. Drove back to Lynchburg. Hanging watching football. Get up in the morning and drive to Appommatox for breakfast, drive back to Roanoke for lunch, drive back to Athens. It’s all about love.
HRA
Taking a much needed break from the prep work in the kitchen. I have this very bad way of 1) promising to make someone’s favorite dish 2) getting suckered in by my co-worker to try a new recipe and most of all not admitting I should slow down now.
The positive outlook is much better and much more familiar. With that in mind -I wish you all a Happy Holiday and a prosperous 2012.
Ruckus
I have a little nit to pick. This has been bugging me for a while.
Why can’t adults say fuck? We all know when we mean it. We misspell it, we us punctuation instead of letters.
You know you want to swear, it feels good to use it properly. Some of us swear when angry, some of us just have little pomposity and use it whenever it strikes us. Which may be too often but maybe we are trying to make up for it’s improper use.
I swear it’s OK to actually swear, when that’s what you want to do.
JCJ
Enjoy the winter solstice commemoration of your choosing, or if you choose to ignore the winter solstice and all of its associated hoopla in various flavors then just enjoy the weekend!
Phylllis
Ham is in the oven and butterbeans are simmering on the stove. Going to fix some cornbread and potato pancakes to go with. Later on we’re going to crack open some bubbly and go ahead and open presents. My packages for hubby are about to drive him crazy. Because he’s twelve, apparently.
Amir Khalid
@tomvox1:
I too found myself getting impatient with Conor Friedersdorf. Never mind that Ron Paul talks a good game about reforming certain policies. Politicians do that when they’re campaigning. If Paul’s excuses about the newsletter are true, then he was oblivious to what was going on right under his nose. If they are false, then Paul is a bigot, a liar and a coward. Either way, Paul is clearly unfit to be president. Friedersdorf should withdraw his endorsement, but he won’t.
Friedersdorf’s mention of Obama’s association with Bill Ayers And Jeremiah Wright isn’t just false equivalency, it’s misrepresentation of the very facts. Obama was a child living abroad when Ayers was a radical and saying radical things; their only association was when they served on a committee decades later. Obama was in Wright’s congregation for many years, true; but congregants do not tell a minister what to say. Obama never condoned or endorsed the objectionable utterances of either man, and he left Wright’s congregation over what Wright had said.
dr. luba
I’m getting ready for the big day. Presents are (mostly) wrapped, food prepared wine mulling. And I took photos of my ornament eggs, and sent them out as a holiday greeting to everyone on my e-mail list. You can see my snowflake pysanky here.
Happy holidays!
Веселих Свят!
Merry Christmas!
Salubrious Solstice!
Festive Festivus!
Happy Hannukah!
And, of course, for my Pastafarian friends, Happy Holiday!
Miki
La Casa Miki (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvlymikimoto/5313033823/)is tidied and readied for tomorrow’s influx of Family – a small influx, necessarily ‘cus La Casa Miki is quite small – but quite primed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/luvlymikimoto/5313033823/)for the Big Guy to visit w/loads of non-heart-healthy food.
[Please, someone tell me how to post photos w/o having to post a link. I feel like an idyiot.]
Warren Terra
Since you’re collecting Xmas songs, I’ll mention the Christmas Song episode of Mitch Benn’s comedy song podcast; playlist:
Raven
An’ here I sit so patiently
Waiting to find out what price
You have to pay to get out of
Going through all these things twice.
Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again.
Raven
Present Face
AbNormal_mobile
iPad enabling comment…
MikeJ
Skittles!
Console
The funny thing is that jeremiah wright’s initial sins are pretty much Ron Paul’s sins.
I know we’ve all put this shit down the memory hole, but “blowback” and “chickens coming home to roost” aren’t exactly miles apart. And that’s from Paul himself, not some news letter.
Of course after the controversy, Wright decided to go full crazy old guy at the barbershop persona on us… which was a bit more inexcusable.
notjenna
@Ruckus:
Stephen fucking Fry explains…
Mnemosyne
We did the drive from L.A. to Phoenix in 7 hours on 5 hours of sleep, and I’m tired as fuck.
(That was for Ruckus.)
moderateindy
Yes, because hanging out with someone who says stupid shit is the same as paying someone to say stupid shit in your name. In fact they were acting as if they actually were you, and not just someone writing stuff for your newsletter. It brings the concept of false equivalency to a whole new level. Also, does Mr. Paul actually contend that he never read his own newsletter? Because does anyone want a President that is so lazy that he isn’t even prepared to read his own newsletter…I’m sorry W already answered that question didn’t he. Lazy incurious half-asser? sounds right up the Republican’s alley
At Talaq
@Citizen_X:
IOKIADDI.
It’s OK if a Dem does it.