Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Second rate reporter says what?

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Come on, man.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

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

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

“Squeaker” McCarthy

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

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Reader Interactions

180Comments

  5. 5.

    Mike Goetz

    Hey, man: Tim Tebow and the Broncettes are ensconced in a hotel less than a mile from my house right now. You have a message for him?

    I wish I had a firework that explodes into the shape of a middle finger.

  10. 10.

    Citizen_X

    Holy crap, that’s stink eye! I’m intimidated, and I’m on the other side of the intertubes.

  11. 11.

    LT

    Oh you lucky bastard, that is the funniest pirate/cat face I ever saw. Keith Richards would be envious.

    I think a new t-shirt is in order.

  15. 15.

    Anne Laurie

    @MikeJ:

    His eyes look uneven. Is he having a stroke?

    When a cat catches your attention and then lowers his lids, it means he loves & trusts you — equivalent to a primate air-kiss. John knows this perfectly well, but the ‘DIAF, Monkeythumbs’ caption is a better media narrative :)

  18. 18.

    jl

    thnx for epic Tunch pic.

    Clearly looking at Cole with thoughts of ‘WTF is that fool doing?’ in his head.

    Cole should take Tunch’s advice, for once. And also too: FEED the TunchForce, plz. Edit: has the mere human, and rather poor excuse for a, server of the house cat, obeyed yet?

  19. 19.

    General Stuck

    Just gave the pooch a bath, always an adventure. he does not like them, at least in the winter time. And heads underneath the bed when he sees the dread yellow hose being deployed. some pics maybe a little later.

  20. 20.

    Jim C.

    Tunch is a cat of discerning taste. MMORPG’s are the devil’s plaground of the gaming universe.

  21. 21.

    John O

    Tunch is just happy to be in the boss’s care is what I see in that pic. He’s not angry at all. Tunch is too smart and, uh, um…well-fed to be too pissed.

    Anyone who has ever witnessed an actual angry cat knows the difference. :-)

  23. 23.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    So Ron Paul wants Texas to force women into viewing ultrasounds before they get an abortion. Small government eh Paulnuts?! Please explain this Paulnuts!

  27. 27.

    MikeInSewickely

    Absolutely one of the best pictures ever!

    He has that one eye slightly closed / if I had an eyebrow it would be tilted up look!

    Better feed him before he uses his Vulcan neck pinch!

  30. 30.

    John O

    @Mr Stagger Lee:

    I’m hardly a Paultard for exactly the reasons you point out, but it sure would be nice to get off the Imperial path we’ve been on which has eventually destroyed every World #1 ever, as well as ingest anything that I felt like ingesting at the time.

    “We” need to move in that direction. Paul is unfortunately the vehicle for those sentiments, but even in GOP circles you can tell where things are headed by his support.

    Too bad it has to get as worse as it will before the rank and file voter gets it. We seek a candidate who espouses Paul’s better policy positions and rejects the rest.

  31. 31.

    p.a.

    In Tolkien’s original fantasy writings just after WW I the character that eventually evolved into Sauron was a cat. I believe we have just seen his face.

  37. 37.

    JGabriel

    John Cole @ Top:

    Trying to have a relaxing night at home, playing a little SWTOR while the snow comes down …

    You have snow?

    [Looks at NYC forecast, which shows no snow for next 10 days.]

    Jealous. We’ve had no snow since that kind of lame (at least in NYC) freak snowfall in October, and it doesn’t look like we’re getting any for the rest of the season — at least if the NAO continues to be as high as it has been lately.

    .

  38. 38.

    The Dangerman

    Kinda looks like Trigger, Roy Rogers’ horse that was on the front of a float in the Rose parade. Of course, the main difference is Trigger was stuffed (although, come to think of it, Tunch looks rather stuffed, too).

  42. 42.

    cathyx

    @jeffreyw: Now I have a flickr account too. I know you can add descriptions and titles to your pictures. Please do it. You’re just a big tease.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @General Stuck:

    Do you have ANY IDEA how long it’s been since we’ve seen a photo of Charlie?

    Wet, dry, clean dirty, cold weather or warm, we his adoring worshippers do not care. Pics will be welcome.

  47. 47.

    jeffreyw

    @cathyx: They are on there on the regular page, I like to link to the large size for the visual impact. Just go to the address box on top and delete everything after the numbers, hit enter and it will take you to the full info page.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    @Steeplejack: Big (belated) thanks for your info on cutting boards and the link last week. When I got back to the thread it was to late to respond. I am 5′ 3″, so I can’t really use a board that is 2.5 inches thick – that makes the cutting surface too high for me.

    But your links got me going and I found, and ordered, a maple cutting board by Boos on Amazon. One side is flat and the other side has the scoopy part that catches juice. I have oiled it twice, and it’s beautiful. I think I need to oil one more time before I use it. But I’m really excited. I have been wanting a cutting board for about 2 years. Yay. Thanks again.

  52. 52.

    gogol's wife

    @Anne Laurie:

    This blog has experts on everything. I was going to explain that, but I should have known someone would get there first.

    Tunch, I love you, please marry me.

  54. 54.

    Mnemosyne

    @smintheus:

    I didn’t know they let dudes study Home Economics. Looking at the 50s films, you’d think it was ladies only.

    (The MST3K version is much funnier, but it’s not on YouTube.)

  56. 56.

    amk

    gopolitico shilling headline in a loop – “Bain attacks may not stick in S.C. ”

    The fucker’s poll numbers has dropped like a sex addict’s pants and yet jonathan allen is still stroking mittens.

  57. 57.

    Chris from Arlington, VA

    I clicked on Balloon Juice to look for a late night update, and I get Tunch glaring at me.

    I’ll admit I busted out laughing and couldn’t stop for about 30 seconds.

    Best Tunch picture ever.

  60. 60.

    lamh35

    Went to podiatrist yesterday. Been having heel trouble. Dr gave me meds, but all trouble comes from breaking my ankle at 12 years old. My bone growth didn’t progress normally, so my right leg is shorter than my left and I’ve been overcompensating ever since! I’m actually gonna have to wear corrective insteps The podiatrist said it can also explain my knee pains and my back pains! And here I thought it was just cause of being overweight but it’s more complicated than that!

  61. 61.

    smintheus

    @Mnemosyne: A friend of mine in HS thought this was hilarious. The class ditz convinced herself she could become valedictorian by taking only the easiest classes the school had. That involved doubling up every year on Home Ec., plus a useless assortment of random ‘gut’ classes. She still came in 3rd in the class, just out of the money.

  62. 62.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @cathyx: Relax much, kitteh?

    And as you know, completely different message when your daughter gives you the look Tunch has on display.

  63. 63.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Does Tunch have jowls? Wowsers! ;p

    That is a look of pure evil intent. If a stare could injure you, John would be lying on the sidewalk with a broken shoulder.

    Wait, that already happened!

  64. 64.

    redshirt

    Is anyone working actively on raccoon domestication? Them big money boys should puts some bucks into that – imagine having friendly and well mannered raccoons as pets? Awesome.

  65. 65.

    Mnemosyne

    @smintheus:

    True story: the home ec teacher at my high school was Tom Morello’s mother. Yes, that Tom Morello.

    (Never met the man, though — he graduated before I started high school. And I was on the honors track, so I never took any of her classes, but one of my brothers did and remembers her fondly.)

  66. 66.

    columbusqueen

    Absolutely need to get a pic of Miss Kitty (aka Big Mama)posted here soon–I swear she and Tunch could be sibs. Scary as hell, esp. when she goes into FEED mode.

  68. 68.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @WaterGirl: I answered you in the thread below, but I’ll repeat it here.

    I do. Using “dominance” like holding a dog down by the shoulders, or rolling it over and holding there, is an outmoded method that is not useful and in fact is likely to make a dog fearful at best and dangerous at worst. There are current and productive ideas based on behavioral science as opposed to misinterpreted observations of packs of wolves (the alpha stuff). I understand that there is some, ah, spirited disagreement about this, but I have yet to meet a modern veterinarian who will endorse the alpha idea, even if they aren’t behaviorists – it’s purely a popular culture idea.

    I refer people to Dr. Sophia Yin’s site; she’s a vet and animal behaviorist and offers actual useful training tips. Among her books that are helpful is How to behave so your dog behaves. I’m not trying to start an argument as I know people are passionate the topic. But that’s my view.

    Oh, and we are Charlie picture deprived here. And Bitsy and Homer also to.

  76. 76.

    Raven

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: Just got the chev back after a month in the shop. I ended up taking it to a genuine truck repair joint and had the entire rear end rebuilt. I’m really happy with it but he changed my reverse pattern floor shifter to a traditional pattern and I’m going to have to relearn after 26 years of driving it the wrong way.

  77. 77.

    scav

    mea culpa, mea maxima culpa may his Tunchatude forgive me, I am still taking great pleasure in watching the NYT get solidly kicked by its readers whenever a minute chink opens in their comment firewall.

  81. 81.

    Cacti

    @Mr Stagger Lee:

    So Ron Paul wants Texas to force women into viewing ultrasounds before they get an abortion. Small government eh Paulnuts?! Please explain this Paulnuts

    I think there may be a correlation between this, and the loudest Paultroons being overwhelmingly male.

  83. 83.

    DanielX

    What a handsome (if rotund) guy. But…he does look semi-irritated. Just in the sense of bored, not in the sense of I-want-to-rip-out-your-heart-and-drag-your-corpse-under-the-house.

  86. 86.

    burnspbesq

    Australia is mopping the floor with India again. India went out for 161, which is really pathetic. Australia is at 230-2.

    This is getting monotonous.

  91. 91.

    John O

    @jl:

    At least we know his mass is a function of his energy, which I’m guessing to be relatively low, and his velocity, which in short bursts I imagine to be relatively high though not compared to light.

    +4

  94. 94.

    joeyess

    With the limited photos of Tunch at my disposal and about 15 minutes (including upload to YouTube) I have a video for all you Balloon Heads.

    Should have it in about 10 minutes.

  96. 96.

    suzanne

    @Cacti:

    I think there may be a correlation between this, and the loudest Paultroons being overwhelmingly male.

    But there’s no such thing as sexism. Apparently it’s all in our minds. Didn’t you get the memo.

    That cat looks like he’s gonna cut you in your sleep.

    So I went skiing last week. On my warm-up run down the bunny slope, I hit an ice patch and tumbled, uh, the technical term being ASS OVER TEAKETTLE. Then, because I’m smart, I skied e rest of the weekend anyway. It still fuckin’ hurts, and that was a week ago. CRAP.

    When did I get so damn OLD?

  101. 101.

    Raven

    @John O: No red meat for 20 years but I grew up in Villa Park and Poodles Beefs were the best. When I was a kid we’d get gravy sammy’s when we too broke for the real deal. The beefs came wrapped in waxed paper with fries rolled in with the beef. marone!

  102. 102.

    John O

    All I’m saying is that “italian beef sandwiches” are a uniquely Chicago thing, and it’s really weird and too bad. It’s quite a fine sandwich.

  108. 108.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @DCLaw1: Let me have cats about me that are fat,
    Sleek-headed cats and such as sleep a-nights.
    Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,
    He thinks too much; such cats are dangerous.

  109. 109.

    John O

    @Raven:

    Athens, GA? I’m surprised as I was under the understanding that the only Portillo’s outside the Chicagoland area was in LA, and it too did inexplicably poor business compared to every one I’ve been to in the Chicago area, which is probably at least 5, all of which appear to be MAJOR gold mines.

    My colleagues and I used to speculate there was no chance a Portillo’s would miss in a college town.

  110. 110.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    I was working registration at Further Confusion, the big furry convention in San Jose, got overwhelmed by all the people, and had to leave early. Bleh, I really want to have fun at FC.

  118. 118.

    Cap'n Phealy

    I’m not a cat person, but that is the most awesome picture ever taken, except, maybe, some of TBogg’s basset pr0n.

  119. 119.

    WaterGirl

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Thanks for the link. I took a quick look and will read more tomorrow.

    I am not entirely happy with my relationship with my new pup – he’s 6 months old and I have had him for 3 months. The puppy class was definitely run by folks who believe in the alpha style of training.

  123. 123.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven: Ever been to Carm’s? That’s the italian beef I grew up with in chicago. There is one place here in Champaign that comes closer than anywhere else I’ve tried italian beef.

    When I see Italian Beef on the menu somewhere, or as a special, it always turns out to be what I would call some boring hot beef sandwich, with some kind of boring au jus. Nothing like real italian beef.

  124. 124.

    stibbert

    why would one be doing multi-player war on the tubes, when there’s a kitty RIGHT NEXT TO YOU to trade scritches with?

  125. 125.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @WaterGirl: You’re very welcome. If you want or need additional links/ideas feel free to email flsgreen at gmail. The behavioral approach is so much more helpful for happy puppehs and happy owners.

  127. 127.

    Raven

    @WaterGirl: Nope, I left VP in 1966 and haven’t really lived in Chicago since. Can’t even remember a decent beef in C-U lo all those years ago.

  128. 128.

    General Stuck

    that droopy eyed badass pic of Tunch looks like a mugshot that came from the FBI’s ten most wanted Cats.

  135. 135.

    moe99

    Just got back from helping my friend inject liquids into her dehydrated kitty. Got my allergies acting up and I had to leave early. Good reminder, otherwise I’d be wanting to spirit Tunch away.

  138. 138.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Raven:

    Unless you are meticulous, like taking things apart and like getting greasy, taking it to a pro is the best thing to do, especially for that type of diff.

    You’ll learn the new pattern and temporarily forget it when distracted or preoccupied with something.

    That’s one of the hazards of gettin’ old. :)

  140. 140.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    Glad you found one you like. The Boos ones are good. That seems to be what most of the trendy TV chefs use on their shows.

    Mine (not a Boos) is only about 1½” thick. I don’t think you need a really thick one unless you’re going to be doing a lot of cleaver-type work.

  141. 141.

    MikeJ

    Since this is an ot, I’ll mention that Jerry Lewis is a genius. the Ladies Man is on right now, beautiful scene where the girls’ dorm awakens to trombone music.

  142. 142.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh35:

    Good that you’re getting that taken care of. My brother had a similar problem from a broken leg as a child, and getting an orthotic really helped him a lot.

    On an unrelated note (and in case you come back to this thread), did you see Person of Interest last night? I like the direction they seem to be taking.

  145. 145.

    Steeplejack

    @Rita R.:

    Tunch is named after an old Pittsburgh Steelers player. Whose name I can’t remember. Except for the Tunch part, of course.

  148. 148.

    BO_Bill

    I knew something was seriously wrong with the photo of the cat. Observe: the photo of the cat at the top of this blog-entry. Now, Observe this.

    Uncanny. Perhaps Tunch has been injected with some magic serum.

  149. 149.

    gwangung

    I find the commentariat much better behaved and less snappy at each other after new pictures of the cat are posted.

    Ergo…

    MOAR TUNCH!!

  151. 151.

    BO_Bill

    First, they came for the albinos, and I did nothing as I was not an albino. Then, they came for the pygmies, and I did nothing as I was not a pigmy. Then, they came for the children, and I did nothing because I had already graduated Eighth Grade. And when they finally came for Tunch, there was nothing that I could do.

    And now look at the poor guy.

  152. 152.

    kideni

    Ah, Tunch. Such a luxurious kitty. Today marks a year since my Stendhal died, so I’m a bit melancholy, but seeing Tunch in his heavy-lidded glory helps a bit.

    So does the fact that we’re at the end of the petition gathering here in Cheeseland, and so far so good. It looks like they even got enough signatures to recall the odious Greater Fitz, State Senator Scott Fitzgerald (and the story of how that happened is a fantastic lesson in grass-roots work).

  153. 153.

    Andre

    If you haven’t already, I thoroughly recommend playing though the Imperial Agent quest line. It’s probably the most coherent right from the start, and you get the option of saying “fuck off” to multiple Sith lords.

  159. 159.

    sfinny

    @Svensker: He is a strange cat, but if you entered the room he would be under my bed in a second. He chases me around the apartment, but won’t set foot in the hallway. So yes, he looks scary and is a big woos.
    I did love the picture.

  160. 160.

    Roger Moore

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Tunch Ilkin

    Who, interestingly enough, is Turkish. It’s never been clear to me if John’s decision to name his cat, who is apparently a Van, after a player born in Turkey was a coincidence or not.

  166. 166.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman: Dude, Sarah S&T is older than you, despite being fictional. On a serious note, how is the recovery coming? Well, I hope.

  168. 168.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @efgoldman: Kick ass! or some other appropriate comment. Musically, though, check out Anna Calvi. I think you will be, if not pleased, interested.

  171. 171.

    Anne Laurie

    @suzanne:

    So I went skiing last week. On my warm-up run down the bunny slope, I hit an ice patch and tumbled, uh, the technical term being ASS OVER TEAKETTLE. Then, because I’m smart, I skied e rest of the weekend anyway. It still fuckin’ hurts, and that was a week ago.

    You may want to get your kettle x-rayed, especially if it’s not bruised. Some yers ago, I fractured my knee slipping on a sidewalk, banging it on the granite curb. I limped around for several days before going over to the HMO ‘urgent care’, and they said pain & swelling without bruising frequently indicates a small fracture.

  174. 174.

    burnspbesq

    @John O:

    I hate you guys. Now you’ve got me jonesing for a sausage-and-peppers hero, and there is no such thing in OC.

    Guess I’ll have to settle for a chorizo-and-egg burrito.

  178. 178.

    MacKenna

    Me likes the gigantor pix of Tunch. More of these please.

    (Tunch is the James Cagney of cats.)

  180. 180.

    Another Steve

    If that photo doesn’t go on some BJ swag, it’ll be the biggest waste of resources since Hummer went belly-up.

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