Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Everybody saw this coming.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

Petty moves from a petty man.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

When we show up, we win.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Another Open Thread

Another Open Thread

by | 109 Comments

This post is in: 

I have nothing to say other than that I am still awake and y’all filled up the last thread with your inane babble. I’ll just pretend that the content of the post prompting said inane babble was actually important (ZOMG I LUV CABBAGE!!!).

It wasn’t.

Oh, did talk to the blogmistresses tonight and we may end up having to buy a server or two to deal with traffic issues. Would you all mind pitching in for that? I hate asking, but it has been two-three years since we did a fundraiser, I believe (other than the send Kay to Netroots last summer). If not, I will look into other options.

Reader Interactions

109Comments

  2. 2.

    jacy

    I say we put on a carnival in the barn. And maybe a good old fashioned dunking booth. And a cake walk.

    Or you could just go with the tip jar, but it’s not nearly as colorful. I’m in.

    (as soon as my taxes come back – ungrateful leech that I am)

  3. 3.

    John Cole

    @The prophet Nostradumbass: Then don’t. My goodness, if you are unemployed, I can’t imagine why you would give money to a website that will keep on keeping on regardless. This is for an upgrade. Keep your money to yourself, you need it, you silly but generous bastard.

  5. 5.

    Martin

    If I can remember my PayPal password, I’m in. I think it was two-three years since I last looked for it, come to think of it.

  7. 7.

    Unabogie

    Silly question, but why buy a server instead of getting on a cloud server somewhere? It’s cheaper and never needs upgrading.

  8. 8.

    binzinerator

    After 2-3 years since the last fundraiser surely I owe ya. (Yeah, I know, you’re name’s not Shirley. But seriously though, I recall some years back you had some funky name other than John Cole appear on the billing? Like Francis John or Willifred John or Gouverneur John Cole or summat like that?)

    Also, I forget where to send it. Can you add a link?

  11. 11.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    Actually pay money to something that wastes countless hours per week? Sure, why not? Where else can I read about the clueless who suddenly realize they’ve been drinking litter-box water? What a hoot!

  12. 12.

    Ms.B

    Geez,

    I just grabbed while lurking a half dozen recipes from that inane babble thread, copied & pasted to my recipe file (oh thank you recipe people, including the pinch-of-this and that folks), so I owe this website, so, yeah, I’d kick in for an upgrade.

  13. 13.

    nellcote

    I have nothing to say other than that I am still awake

    Today in depressing statistics, we have the number of meth labs busted in West Virginia for 2012. Unfortunately, it is a lot. On average, state police there have uncovered a total of 1.09 home meth labs per day so far this year — 59 labs discovered in 54 days, through February 24. That volume is on track to make 2012 a record year in meth-lab seizures in the state, according to today’s Charleston Gazette. “At the current pace, meth lab busts would exceed the state’s record seizure of 353 labs in 2005.” Current pace, by the way, yields 400 busted labs. The 2011 total was 229.

  16. 16.

    Martin

    @nellcote: 400 labs would be one meth lab for every 4500 people in the state. By comparison, there’s about one dentist for every 2500 people in the state.

    So yeah, that’s a lot.

  17. 17.

    binzinerator

    @Martin: My eye is totally distracted by the ad of the hawt babe with the JFL hair lounging in bed in a negligee and the caption over her saying “The 4 Dangers Destroying Men”.

    Gimme a minute… oh there’s actually lots of links here . Hmmm. “Donate via Paypal”. That’s prolly it. One last glance, then I’ll go…

  31. 31.

    amk

    I will chip in though I’m not ‘murkin.

    Will it be a separate post or you will have the fund raiser linky on the right ?

  36. 36.

    binzinerator

    No. Stop. Don’t donate anything tonight

    Oh well. Too late. Buy a doggie treat for that sweetie Lily. Or put it toward a maille coif for your self, so you can sleep without fear of bleeding out during the night from your sharp clawed and disgruntled overlord, Tunch.

  43. 43.

    Marcellus Shale, Public Dick

    @PeakVT:

    it will happen, but like the seventh seal, it may some day be the only thing standing between us and peak wingnut.

  47. 47.

    stibbert

    hi JC, mebbe do a fundraiser, & split the proceeds w/ Charlie’s Angels? i’d bet that most folks here want to keep BJ running, & throw some support towards the young kittycats, too.

  50. 50.

    JGabriel

    TPM:

    [Santorum’s] primaries party took place in a downtown hotel ballroom at the opulent Amway Grand …

    Is there anything that says cheesy hierarchical GOP scam like the phrase “opulent Amway Grand”?

    .

  51. 51.

    JGabriel

    TPM:

    [Santorum’s] primaries party took place in a downtown hotel ballroom at the opulent Amway Grand …

    Is there anything that says cheesy hierarchical GOP scam like the phrase “opulent Amway Grand”?

    .

  53. 53.

    JGabriel

    @amk:

    so snowe quit, huh ? sign of toxic us politics ?

    Pretty much. It’s gonna be portrayed as a both sides are too partisan story, but it seems clear that Snowe got sick of dealing with the ungrateful Tea Partiers and other miscellaneous wingnuts attacking her from the right — both at home and in the Senate.

    .

  54. 54.

    JGabriel

    @binzinerator:

    My eye is totally distracted by the ad of the hawt babe with the JFL hair lounging in bed …

    Okay, I had to google/bing JFL — which I’ve linked as a public service for everyone else equally behind the linguistic curve.

    .

  55. 55.

    Geeno

    Sadly, JC, the whole unemployment thing is preventing me from donating to a lot of causes. Even my own.

  56. 56.

    Watership

    Cole, your fundraising pitch needs a little work. Nevertheless, I’m happy to oblige when the time comes.

  57. 57.

    Anne Laurie

    @JGabriel:

    Is there anything that says cheesy hierarchical GOP scam like the phrase “opulent Amway Grand”?

    The DeVos family, founders of (sc)Amway, pretty much own that section of mid-Michigan. And if anyone thinks the Mormons are the meanest bunch of nasty self-satisfied authoritarian fundamentalist godbotherers in America, they’ve never met a paid-up member of DeVos’ “Christian Reformed Church in North America”, a/k/a “the Dutch Calvinists”. I’m sure Sanctorum felt very much at home there… but my Michigan friends who’ve been there say it’s pretty nice for a business-centric Midwestern hotel.

  60. 60.

    Pat In Massachusetts

    The Michigan Mandate:

    You can trash my job, but don’t tell me what to do with my sexy time!

  61. 61.

    freelancer

    Okay, full stop. I just took the trash out and right next to the dumpster was a bike. A mountain bike/hybrid with a decent frame, flat tires, both shifters fuxxored, and the chain rusted redder than Mars, but other than that, the bike is in decent condition that I could gather. Do I junk it or do I go forward with incremental repairs? The bike itself and the frame has no real damage, but the chain, and the shift levers leading to the derailleur are defunct. The brakes lines are okay, but right now this thing is unrideable. From the look of it, this thing has been sitting out in the weather for years by the look of the chain and the seat. Do I junk it, or is it worthy of recovering?

  62. 62.

    Raven

    I’m confused. I hit the link in the plea for dough and get the 2009 thread where it says to stop giving. Whatup wit dat?

  63. 63.

    JPL

    John, I’ll chip in a few dollars. The recipes on the previous post are worth a few dollars although I’m not sure about cooking with peanut butter.

  65. 65.

    tjmn

    I’m in. I get all my political news from y’all. Money well spent.

    Y’all make me laugh, too. Life is good.
    Thanks.

  67. 67.

    Betty Cracker

    @freelancer: Fix it! I found a really nice bike in similar condition a few years back. I’m not mechanically inclined, so I took it to a bike shop for rehab instead of fixing it myself. I ended up with a first-class cruiser for around $50.

  70. 70.

    bemused

    Sometimes reading replies to trolls are worthwhile. The response by R.Schmidt-Orren to makeweewee in the Bannister thread was thoroughly enjoyable. Yes, republicans are perpetual whiners who want everything on the dirt cheap.

  72. 72.

    JPL

    @Raven: As you know living in GA means that you can find several places selling boiled peanuts. I still prefer my peanuts roasted.

  77. 77.

    freelancer

    @Betty Cracker:

    That’s my instinct too. I felt it as my eyes ran over the frame, my Dad’s handyman genes kicked into high gear and I thought “Holy Shit!”.

    All this thing needs is a strip down, repolish, some new shift lines and Maybe a new seat (20 bucks tops), different tires on these rims, and I got me a city bike!

    My bike that I have right now is a 1980’s Raleigh Record Sprint road bike that my dad rebuilt and is lighter and quicker than ghost-shit and is made for pure speed on the open road. I lurve it, but if I had two bikes at the same price, that would be even better!

  78. 78.

    harlana

    @The prophet Nostradumbass:

    Rachel Maddow has a book coming out? Why had I not heard of this before?

    i guess b/c she’s not pimping it to death like Chris Matthews and his JFK book – but you’d think somebody on MSNBC would mention it!

  80. 80.

    harlana

    i can’t get the cat to shut up until i crank the heat up about 3 degrees so she can lay in front of the vent. her “sister” wouldn’t let anyone near the vent for many, many years – so it’s kinda sad in a way – normally i wouldn’t turn up the heat but i do it just for her b/c i’m sorry for the past and just because.

  83. 83.

    freelancer

    @Egg Berry:

    Thanks. I’m inclined to take Ms. Cracker’s advise and treat the frame as an incremental fixer-upper. My Pop was a genius at this kind of thing, and I inherited his interest in most things mechanical. Kind of a “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” kind of thing, but if I end up with a bike I have no practical use for, I will definitely look into paying it forward to someone who can use it in more beneficial ways than I can.

  88. 88.

    SuperHrefna

    @John Cole: Oops from me too – mind you I only put in a weeny bit of money just now so I’m good to put in a bit more when you do the fundraiser proper. Is your middle name really “Griffin”? That’s a good middle name.

  89. 89.

    mai naem

    Yeah,well,like what happened to all the Soros money Cole? I know Tunch is expensive to feed but jeez Bill Oreilly said you were cashing a big fat check from George Soros himself.

  90. 90.

    Arm The Homeless

    Oh sweet monkey-Jeezus, Cole. I just felt safe turning on NPR without having to be harangued for cash from local land-developers. Now I have to support your stray-animal habit too? Ok, Fine, I am in for some cash-monies.

  91. 91.

    El Cid

    In a year or two, is Anonymous going to target John Cole for not protecting his donations electronic info enough and we get all the e-mails released of him bragging about how he tricked all these readers into being ACORN dupes?

  92. 92.

    debit

    @freelancer: That bike is sexy. Judging from the frame you must be rather tall; will the bike you found be tall enough for you?

    As far as the cost of rehabbing it, I second the suggestion to take it to a shop. Try a bike coop if you have one, or look on Craiglists maybe for someone who does tuneups/repairs out of their home. A few years ago I found a somewhat trashed Specialized Crossroads hybrid on a garbage heap when the semester ended and all the students went home. I liked my older Crossroads, but I wanted a commuter with drop bars. I ended up buying everything but the frame and my garbage heap bargain ended up costing about $300, but even so, I don’t regret it. It’s bombproof as a grocery getter and still fun for commuting. I wish I had a before, because it was pretty sad, but here’s an after.

  94. 94.

    handsmile

    These somewhat bashful, apologetic fundraising requests from bloggers whom I respect and frequent always remind me of Steve Gilliard’s more forthright appeals.

    As I recall and paraphrase (inadequately), Gilliard declared that regular readers who would not hesitate to pay for subscriptions to magazines, journals or newspapers should be willing to contribute an equivalent amount to websites/bloggers who work determinedly to create independent and insightful perspectives, almost always without commensurate reward or recognition.

    That’s yet another reason why I admire(d) that fine and lamented man.

    So, of course, I’m in for a contribution to this site when requested. (A vehicle other than Paypal would be appreciated if possible.) But please no guest appearances by Andrea Bocelli, Andre Rieu, or Irish step dancers. Perhaps with new servers, even more “Dangers Destroying Men” will be disclosed.

  95. 95.

    flukebucket

    I will be glad to throw in a little bit. I will keep my eyes open for the contribution thread.

    Erik Erikson is calling on Bobby Jindal to ride in and save the party this morning.

    Bobby. Damn. Jindal.

    What would make anybody think that Bobby Jindal would be a better candidate than Mitt?

  96. 96.

    JustPeachyAndYou

    I will gladly chip in for a couple of servers or two, in honor of the great white whale that wakes John Cole up in the middle of the night and demands attention, and in honor of our own great grey whale with similiar inclinations, his skinnier brother who steals socks like a thief in the night, and the other feline denizens we serve.

  97. 97.

    Phyllis

    I’ll toss in a buck or two. The finances are easing up a bit and this place is many times the only sea of sanity I can find.

  99. 99.

    LarryB

    @Unabogie: Not so fast. A server in Amazon’s EC2 cloud costs between $1k and $6k per year to run, depending on size. That’s hardly chump change. Plus, they hit you for disk storage. Plus, they charge you each time data goes in or out of the cloud. It adds up. On the other hand, you are right that with the cloud, Amazon incurs the hassle of maintaining and upgrading the equipment. However, if you think that any of this will save a single minute of the John’s or the Blogmistress’ time, you are dreaming. A virtual machine in the cloud has all of the software hassles of a real machine, with extra cloudy goodness! I’m not knocking the cloud, per se, but it’s no magic bullet, and the startup costs can be daunting.

    /geek off/

    If there’s a fundraiser, I’ll chip in.

  100. 100.

    BenA

    I’m in even if the folks at your state university don’t know what it means to honor a contract. :-)

  103. 103.

    WaterGirl

    Cole, you need to post stuff like this on the first day of the month, not the last day! I will gladly contribute! Tomorrow. After I get paid.

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