Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

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

“But what about the lurkers?”

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

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

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Let there be snark.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Second rate reporter says what?

The willow is too close to the house.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Bark louder, little dog.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

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

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

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128Comments

  2. 2.

    some guy

    al-Qaida is now operating in Syria. Congratulations, Jeffrey Feltman, outstanding fucking job.

  5. 5.

    jl

    @Keith: Good idea. We’ve seen Tunch as a zeppelin hovering over an ottoman, a serene supertanker and a fleeceberg. What is he today?

  10. 10.

    Ben Cisco

    The Daily Show’s Larry Wilmore on Romneytron 3000’s three minute, colorless ad:

    “Putting black people in the ad could help Romney, in the same way that jumping helps you get closer to the sun.”

  11. 11.

    Cain

    I failed to see what kind of traction Al-Qaida is going to get in Syria.. they aren’t a bunch of religious dudes.. they are angry, and it’s not the West they are angry at.

  13. 13.

    Hill Dweller

    Thankfully John Oliver and Larry Wilmore did bits on the Daily Show tonight, saving us from Stewart trying to be funny for a full segment.

  14. 14.

    The Dangerman

    @Martin:

    I’m not sure the Kings would even earn 6th.

    Maybe 6th PRO team.

    ETA: About the only communities that really rally around the Kings are the South Bay types (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan); I read someplace that all but one of the Kings live in one of those three locales. Oh, the parties on Pier Avenue in Hermosa tonight!

  15. 15.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @some guy:

    Oh, please.

    The Assad regime claims al-Qaida is responsible for the several massacres that have taken place, but he’s got blood on his dentist hands.

    And not in the Jack Nicholson/Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors sort of way.

  16. 16.

    jl

    That rather flawed study that used records of internet searches to try to predict Obama’s chances in swing states that was a BJ post earlier today. I noticed that it one of the featured yahoo news stories. Not sure it that was the famous BJ bump, or Freddie found it there, or a sign of the discriminating nose for the next big thing savvy of BJ front posters.

    When it Comes to Politics, Are We More Racist Than We Think?
    By Lylah M. Alphonse
    http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/comes-politics-more-racist-think-185600847.html

  20. 20.

    some guy

    @Cain:

    they provide a nice compliment to the jihadi Salafi’s who dominate the Syrian National Council and the FSA.

    funny, how the Western press has given so little coverage to the kidnapping of Lebanese travelers by the FSA thugs. guess it might interrupt their All Propaganda, All the Time coverage. but at least the Guardian (one of the worst catapults of Ihkwan propaganda) has to admit that yes, al-Qaida is operating in Syria, and heck, if the jihadi’s can take over Tripoli why shouldn’t they be allowed to rule over Damascus?

    the utter silence of the usual rightwing Islamaphobes regarding the SNC and their promotion of a sectarian civil war is stunning. or not, I guess.

  22. 22.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Cain:

    Well, part of the thing here is al-Qaida is militantly Sunni. The Assad regime is made up of Alawites, who are a Shiite offshoot.

    More than enough religious disagreement there. Which explains Iran’s backing of the Assad regime, even though they’re nominally, at least, Baathist.

  24. 24.

    Valdivia

    @ant:

    this is the week they will write all the Obama lost his MoJo stories (see Daily Beast for that one) and the ones you linked. it will be a long while til November but I think this everything is horrible cycle will end and something new and shiny will capture their attention.

  26. 26.

    srv

    @Cain: Whut? Syrians aren’t religious? Just because the Alawi minority leaders are somewhat secular doesn’t mean the Alawi Twelvers and the Sunni making up the other 75% of the population aren’t religious.

    Saudi whackjobs see lots of opportunity. AQ is just another tool. Probably getting old KSA weapons stocks to fight for freedom with a wink from Hillary’s Right-To-Protect nutjobs.

  27. 27.

    muddy

    @jl:

    : Good idea. We’ve seen Tunch as a zeppelin hovering over an ottoman, a serene supertanker and a fleeceberg. What is he today?

    Speaking of huge white things, I have a medication tip that some might like. Prescription potassium supplements come in either a packet of salt/orange, which is nasty, and makes me puke. Or it comes in the largest caplet I have ever seen (the aforementioned huge white thing). If you cut it in half, then it is 2 giant cubes, still no good. Caplet makes me puke.

    Pharmacist tells me the potassium is sealed inside teeny wax balls, so “dissolve” it (not really dissolve, use cold water). You can’t taste the salt due to the wax. Well, that was keen, but the balls are wee but heavy and it took multiple rinses of the glass to get it all.

    My improvement on the method is to put it in the smallest amount of water possible, 1 teaspoon. It breaks up in seconds. Then I put the teaspoon of stuff into some yogurt or applesauce, and easily get it all in. Hope this helps someone else.

  28. 28.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @some guy:

    Yeah. Right. We should trust the Brits. They were on our side as we launched our illegal invasion of Iraq.

    If al-Qaida is operating in Syria, it’s against Assad. Assad says the massacres (of Sunnis, mind you) are the doing of al-Qaida.

    Sorry, does not compute.

  31. 31.

    ditch digger

    Lakers blew it, Clippers blew it, the LA Kings just posted the 2nd most dominant Cup run ever behind the ’85 Oilers. Might be 6th normally, but they’ll be #1 till October.

  32. 32.

    muddy

    @Hill Dweller: He really got after some conservative guest last week, on economics. I’ve never seen him tear into someone like that. It went into overtime, I didn’t watch that part, hopefully he did not smarm off at the end. It was sweet.

  34. 34.

    danielx

    Let’s see, I have a huge mess in my kitchen but so far things are going as planned and sequenced. Plumber showed up on time to cut and cap sink plumbing, cabinet guys showed up on time to pull countertop and cabinets. Tomorrow the hard core day of breaking up concrete and patching my plumbing leak, then – hopefully – the cabinet guys come back Wednesday to reinstall cabinets, dishwasher, countertop and disposal. With any luck at all the plumber will then be back Weds afternoon to reconnect the plumbing for the kitchen sink and all will be done. Close to two grand to fix a goddamned plumbing leak….what was I thinking when I bought a house built on a slab? Aside from the screened in back porch, that is.

  35. 35.

    muddy

    I saw Syrian army regulars proudly displaying their army IDs while going back to their villages to fight for the other side, on CBS evening news. They were brandishing their weapons, don’t know how much ammo they snuck out. If most of the army just refused to fire on their own citizens it would end in a hurry. They seemed pretty excited to be on tv, too.

  37. 37.

    some guy

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    it does not compute because you have not been paying attention. the Saudi’s and the Qatari’s have been flooding the zone with weapons and money. the FSA is simply a collection of jihadi militants who the LCC have distanced themselves from.

    it’s so sad to watch a popular nonviolent revolt against the regime become hijacked by the Saudi-funded jihadi’s so quickly and so easily. as I said above, outstanding job, Jeffrey Feltman. no wonder Team Obama has kicked him to the curb

  40. 40.

    Cacti

    @ditch digger:

    Might be 6th normally, but they’ll be #1 till October.

    Nah, if the Dodgers are still in the division race by September, the Kings will still be stepchildren.

  43. 43.

    danielx

    @some guy:

    Eh, one more example of Our Nation’s foreign policy elite at work. Kind of makes you wonder if there has been a competent negotiator – maybe aside from Richard Holbrook – for oh, the last forty years or so. Can’t anybody here play this game?

    As always, this is good news for John McCain.

  44. 44.

    srv

    @jl: I learned a new knot this weekend. The Zeppelin Bend.

    John should research if he’s had any mooring issues.

  46. 46.

    MikeJ

    Finally relaxing after spending yesterday in the ER with my dad after he was attacked by a pit bull(that’s what the owner called it), and then today driving him to his regular doc.

    So now his arm is bandaged with a split that sort of gives him the appearance of having a paw. Since he’s supposed to keep it elevated, he looks like a lucky money cat. Fortunately the bleeding has mostly stopped and they loaded him up with pain killers and anti biotics. I was unaware that they don’t suture animal bites these days.

    Animal control is supposed to call him tomorrow to verify the medical status of the beast.

  47. 47.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    Picked up the guitar last week for the first time in a year and a half. After a few days I suck much less than I did last week. I may not have to throw them all off the Bay Bridge after all.

  48. 48.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Yutsano:

    My bad.

    OK, trying to think of a sadistic optometrist in popular culture, and coming up blank.

    @some guy:

    Saudis and Qataris: Sunni.

    Assad and his cronies: Shiite.

    al Qaida: Sunni.

    Assad’s government has claimed that al Qaida (knowing damn well that al Qaida is the west’s Emmanuel Goldstein) is responsible for the massacres of Sunnis.

    That does not compute.

  49. 49.

    jl

    @srv:

    Are you mooring airships? I waana pic of your airhsip!


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend

    “Zeppelin bend (also Rosendahl bend) is a general purpose bend knot. It is a secure, easily tied, and jam-resistant way to connect two ropes. Though its simplicity and security may be matched by other bends, it is unique in the ease with which it is untied, even after heavy loading.

    Both names for this knot stem from its use to moor airships:”

    Edit: wikipedia has a great knots section. I been thinking of getting knot book to brush up, especially since I have more of use for knots now that I am hiking and camping again. Boyscout know how is rusty.

    But, dude, just check out list of knots on Wikipedia.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_knots

  52. 52.

    Yutsano

    @MikeJ: IIRC in King County that’s an automatic kill order. Your dad is lucky the dog didn’t try for the throat.

    @asiangrrlMN: Hi hon. I got let out of the house today. :)

  53. 53.

    jl

    @srv: I replied to your comment with the wikipedia article on the zeppelin knot, but it is in moderation.

    Knots are a naughty topic now?

  54. 54.

    snetzky

    Had a job interview today, hoping to stave off unemployment at the end of the month when my contract runs out at my current gig.

  56. 56.

    some guy

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    yeah, sure. got it.

    Negroes like watermelon.
    Irish people drink excessively.
    Asians are really bad drivers.

    now I understand. does NOT compute. good luck with that.

  57. 57.

    snetzky

    Hunting for a job is like dating, only you get the dear John letter before the first date most of the time.

  59. 59.

    danielx

    http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/grover-norquist-jeb-bush-ronald-reagan-taxes.php?ref=fpa

    Jeb Bush sez that Ronald Reagan and his father would both be too moderate for today’s Republican Party; draws furious reply from Grover Norquist (R-unelectedassholeatlarge). I draw three conclusions:

    1. Grover Norquist is determined to defend the Reagan myth, based on complete horseshit though it may be.

    2. Jeb Bush is a fucking Zen master of the blindingly obvious.

    3. Jeb Bush no longer cares about running for electoral office as a Republican, most particularly as VP to the Marquis du Mittens.

    You heard it here first.

  60. 60.

    Yutsano

    @Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant): There’s defining your own reality and then there’s insisting the sky is green. That was a prime example of the latter. They are all gonna lose it when THAT ONE wins again and the Democrats keep the Senate.

  63. 63.

    Steve in DC

    @some guy:

    Well the Irish do drink, and they are white so it’s OK to call them out. Asians aren’t exactly bad off so it’s OK to call that out as well.

    The other, can’t do that, cism…

  64. 64.

    Cain

    Thanks for answering my questions on AQ. I suppose I didn’t think about the Sunni/Shia thing. I always thought AQ more of a “let’s start a muslim war against the West” propoganda machine more than anything else. But I suppose a secondary goal is the supremacy of Sunni religion. I suppose shit will hit the fan if the Sunnis take over.

    Bleah, this will turn into a gigantic fucking mess. On the other hand, if the Sunnis take over, Iran is going to be really fucking busy..

  65. 65.

    jl

    @danielx: And Jeb, like Luger, Huntsman, Snowe, Hagel, are the noxious but sane ones the Dems should seek out to work with.

    Seems like they are getting thrown out of the camp at a fast clip.

    If Obama has to pretend such a person exists in order to get elected, fine by me. But the GOP is a party of nuts.

    I think I mentioned a few months ago, all the sane Republicans in my family left the party and are Dem or independent now. Only the teanuts are left.

  66. 66.

    Steve in DC

    @danielx:

    1. Norquist is a power player, that’s all he cares about. Thinking anything about him other than “what can I do for me” is thinking a tad too hard here. He’s also a social liberal, which fits right in for his “me me me me me me” stance and his economics, oh well.

    2/3. Same thing, the reason is I doubt he can. No reason he can’t get a job up here at say a think tank or the Carlyle Group or any other “that sort of organization” that exists here and yet never makes the press despite what they actually do (give you a hint, if you think, Bain, Blackwater, and the Koch’s are bad, you ain’t see SHIT).

  69. 69.

    Punchy

    @Yutsano: But but but waaaait! Pits are friendly, family pets that lick and love and have an unfair and highly inaccurate rep of attacking and mauling innocent people. Or so Im told by others in this blog.

  71. 71.

    danielx

    @Steve in DC:

    True dat. The Carlyle Group is into stuff kills people right now; to wit, weapons manufacture and sales among other things. Which is not to say that Bain, Blackwater, the Kochs, etc aren’t noxious corrupt assholes.

  72. 72.

    jl

    @srv:

    ” It depends on who you are tying up. ”

    Oh. I thought it would be a change of pace for Cole, and he could meet a new crowd.

    I guess I’ll stick to screaming for pet pics.

    Speaking of which, been about an hour and no pet pics.

    I thought this was a full service blog. What’s the hold up?

  73. 73.

    Steve in DC

    @Yutsano:

    Norquist is hardcore anti drug, anti prison complex, pro gay marriage, and pro Muslim and minority rights, also pro immigration. He’s worked hard on these issues.

    The MONEY bosses of the GOP are insanely socially liberal when you get down to it. Hence why Goldman Sachs and the other bosses got us gay marriage in NYC at the expense of a minimum pay raise and a tax increase… also why Goldman Sachs is the face of the HRC down here in DC.

    Make no mistakes, the most hardcore Randians are the ones backing social liberalism, and they have been making these trades since the 70’s. Goldman Sachs is also world famous for it’s liberal policies on women.

    That’s the trade the Democrats make, give up the new deal, get some social liberalism and then scream “progress”, make no fucking mistake about this, it’s also how my work gets funding. Medical care slashed in the US and we get the cash to spend it in other nations rich liberals care about.

    You’re being sold down the creek, economic justice or social liberalism, pick one, because with these parties you can’t have both. And as soon as you pick one, you are against the other.

  74. 74.

    Mnemosyne

    @MikeJ:

    Ouch! They gave me a nasty, heavy-duty triple antibiotic after my brother’s cat bit me — I think Cipro was part of the combination.

    From what they told me at the ER, dog bites are less likely to get infected than cat bites, so at least there’s that tiny ray of sunshine for him. Still, it’s very freaky to be attacked by a domestic animal, and I wasn’t even attacked by one that could potentially have killed me like a large dog.

  75. 75.

    Yutsano

    @Steve in DC:

    Norquist is hardcore anti drug, anti prison complex, pro gay marriage, and pro Muslim and minority rights, also pro immigration. He’s worked hard on these issues.

    Show your work.

  76. 76.

    Steve in DC

    @danielx:

    An NGO I worked for partnered with Carlyle, and if anybody wants check out their website and their “funds” and “partners” it’s rather comical. They have a nice office down here that holds a lot of others, cute place, still have friends that work there. But I can’t get too far into it, most of the juice is on their site if you aren’t daft.

  80. 80.

    jl

    @Yutsano: I want to see the documentation too. And, so what if Norquist is liberal on social policies? Except for some, partial, incremental process on gay rights, nothing is happening on those fronts to improve things.

    What counts is what happens. So at best, Norquist is very powerful on anti tax nuttery, and ineffectual on other issues, assuming he really works on them. So, so what? Net, he is a lousy influence.

  81. 81.

    Steve in DC

    @Yutsano:

    He’s on GOProud, he’s married to a Paliestinian and advocates for the Muslim Brotherhood, he worked with the NAACP on prisons, you can google-fu it on your own… but Norquist is a flat out Paultard first. He got thrown out of CPAC multiple times for gay and Muslim issues.

    The dude has a huge track record for this, granted it’s pretty much “DC major money groups” only shit that doesn’t get broadcast outside of this place, but those are the dice.

    You need to grasp that libertarians now run the GOP, Norquist is one of them, and they are extremely socially liberal when you are talking about the urban elite cocktail types. Sorry to burst your bubble but Norquist is a bigger Washington backer of gay issues than Obama.

  82. 82.

    jl

    @Steve in DC: As I said above, so what? What difference does it make what Norquist does on those issues? I see no effect of him at all. Only his anti tax nuttery has any influence.

  83. 83.

    Yutsano

    @Steve in DC:

    Sorry to burst your bubble but Norquist is a bigger Washington backer of gay issues than Obama.

    Because he’s a member of GOProud? LOL! And what was their last advocacy for gay rights? Oh yeah, tax cuts. Get back to me when he’s as fierce an advocate for hospital visitation as his precious pledge.

    you can google-fu it on your own

    Not how this works Stevie Boy. You assert, you prove. Or you’re talking out your ass again. And you don’t have a reputation for veracity here.

  84. 84.

    Steve in DC

    @jl: @jl:

    I’m not completely against you on this, but he has had an impact. But painting him the entire “crush social security cut taxes crowd” as social liberals is just fucking wrong.

    When it comes to policy, those on your side on social issues are against you on state welfare issues in BOTH parties. It breaks down outside of that, but for the elites, social liberalism here goes hand in hand with slashing the Welfare State, and there is GOOD reason for this, hide the assholery behind a good cause.

    Norquist is like the reverse Rick Santorum (who actually supported unions and social security at one point).

    But to “LOL” at a mans social liberalism when he’s on GOProud, wants gay marriage, worked with the NAACP on drug and prison issues, supports the Muslim Brotherhood and was thrown out of CPAC for marrying a woman from Palestine is fucking comical and ignorant as fuck.

    And his socially liberal causes do have influence, with major Democrats, that’s what the “permanent majority” was all about, it’s an economically conservative majority, the social liberalism will come. The dude is a fucking libertarian.

  85. 85.

    Steve in DC

    All right since none of you here know what google is

    http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/04/07/naacp-grover-norquist-team-up-on-prison-reform/

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/06/grover_norquist_joins_goproud.html

    Shall I go on?

    He has a LONG history of this, sorry if you guys thought he was a bible thumper, but you just aren’t informed at all of DC information, this is all common information here and laughed off as “well, both sides can work on this” which translates into Friedman style “let’s liberal a bit on social issues and cut some taxes”

  86. 86.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steve in DC:

    You need to grasp that libertarians now run the GOP, Norquist is one of them, and they are extremely socially liberal when you are talking about the urban elite cocktail types.

    I realize this has already been explained to you 1,503,505 times, but libertarian =/= social liberal. Thinking that it’s okay for rich white men to marry each other is not the same thing as being socially liberal.

  87. 87.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    If you’re interested at all in the International Space Station, and use Twitter, check out Twisst, which will send you alerts to when the station will pass over your location, using whatever location put in your profile. It’s quite accurate.

  88. 88.

    danielx

    @Steve in DC:

    I’ve read that, and Norquist has bought some immunity on his lobbying for various causes unpopular with GOP fundamentalists on the basis of his opposition to taxes.

    But, but, but – Grover is yesterday’s news. He’s too tightly connected with the GOP establishment, or what’s left of it, to be popular with the Tea Party folk, who are most definitely not tolerant on social issues. They aren’t libertarians, they’re just mean assholes who equate suffering with virtue.

    These days opposition to tax increases among GOP office holders and candidates alike is taken as a given. You’re against tax increases? Big whoop; you have to say you think corporate taxes ought to be eliminated and billionaires should pay no more thab $20k a year in taxes. Any kind of taxes; after all, these folks are job creators and the proles should plummet to their knees and fellate billionaires on demand. Show us where you’re going to pledge to lock up everyone arrested for misdemeanor drug offenses for at least a year, pledge to execute openly gay people, nuke any country where an anti-American demonstration takes place and bite the head off a live bat while a guest on the Rush Limbaugh show. Then you’ll be a Republican instead of a RINO.

  90. 90.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steve in DC:

    Also, Norquist isn’t involved in prison reform to help black people. He’s in it for — you guessed it — the tax savings:

    Significantly, while an emerging left-right coalition agrees on the need to find better uses of our prison money, they predictably disagree on what should be done with the savings. At a time when some states spend as much per inmate as a year’s tuition to Harvard, the NAACP understandably wants the savings to be redirected to public education. Norquist would just as soon return it to the taxpayers. Hey, they can’t agree on everything.

    But, hey, nothing says “socially liberal” like cutting taxes on rich people, amirite?

  91. 91.

    srv

    @Steve in DC: For some reason, fly over liberals think they have a lot in common with DC and Gotham liberals.

    I suppose their short-term memory tells them that Triangulation was some sexy knot.

  93. 93.

    Steve in DC

    @danielx:

    I don’t disagree with of what just said at all. My point was that he’s a social liberal, which is where people went ape shit.

    I’d just ask you look at the same groups that fund Norquist, compare them to those who fund Democrats, and then ask why our social policies and tax policies match up on both sides for the most part. Because the truth is only the rate of change on either side varies, the end goal is the same.

    Which is why I say pick a side, and just one, and work on that. You can’t have both. Not that we as the public can’t do it, but that our leaders can’t do it because they are all rotten. Either it’s economic issues and nothing but… or it’s everything else and fuck economics.

    If you value anything above higher taxes and the social safety net, you are an enemy of it. That’s the way the game is rigged.

  94. 94.

    Mnemosyne

    @srv:

    California is flyover country? And here I thought we were one of those decadent coastal enclaves. Who knew?

  96. 96.

    Steve in DC

    @srv:

    Nobody on the coasts gives a fuck about them, que Maher but he is RIGHT. If you are white, oh well you had the privs and you fucked it up, stupid hick. Pay more for services here, hell no.

    It’s not just class income stratfication, it’s localities. Raise taxes on above 200k in DC or NYC, yeah over dead bodies… that’s your BASE. So let’s not raise the minimum wage, cut taxes, cut services, and then toss the rabid base some gay marriage.

    There is a reason this happens. We got bought out long ago and it’s cheaper to play identity politics over gender, race, and sexuality than it is to restore the working class. And the increasingly educated urban elite wants cheaper prices on their services and is increasingly Democratic… because of social issues.

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steve in DC:

    My point was that he’s a social liberal, which is where people went ape shit.

    And the reason people went apeshit is that he’s clearly NOT a social liberal except by the weird definition you’ve cooked up inside your own head. How much work has he done against discrimination in the workplace? Did he support the Lily Ledbetter law? Does he support improving public schools? Does he support increased financing of our nation’s infrastructure?

    Do you have any evidence of actual social liberalism? Not hating rich white men who happen to be gay is not really a strong piece of evidence to prove that Norquist has the same goals as, say, this guy.

  98. 98.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I’m taking a small break to think everything over after having ripped the complete ignition system out of my wife’s car, tossing half of it in the garbage, machining an adapter plate, making an adapter harness, mounting/connecting the new components to the adapter and then installing it in the car.

    Real fun. Not. But the car was my wife’s mother’s last (and favorite) car and my job is to keep it alive for as long as possible, despite GM’s engineering (or lack thereof). The ignition system ‘brain box’ used to fry every six months to a year. It seems that geniuses at GM decided to mount the sensitive electrical components under a metal cover bolted to the top of a hot, vibrating four cylinder, twin-cammed engine. Right between the cams. It’s a great place if you like to sell replacement parts but not if you have to buy them.

    I moved the brain box to a remote location under the hood about ten years ago and it has worked great since then. The problem is that I had to leave behind the ‘battleship’, which is a box that houses the ignition coils and distributes the sparks to the plugs (no plug wires). After replacing that behemoth every four years (at a cost of about $150.00 each time), I have ripped it all out and am replacing it with remote coils and plug wires.

    I have everything on one aluminum plate that mounts in a nice cool place. With all of the clutter underhood, it was hell trying to locate that nice cool place but I did! Now it’s time to test the new setup and I have high hopes that it won’t need to be replaced regularly, invariably at very inconvenient times, like the original parts.

    I think I have covered all of the bases so off I go to twist the key and blow it up!

  99. 99.

    mai naem

    @muddy: Actually you can get two 10meqs in a yellow smaller caplet(little bigger than a 200 mg ibuprofen) instead of the white 20 meq horse pill.
    @Yutsano: Not to be nitpicky but Assad’s an opthamologist not an optometrist.

    The Romney unemployment ad was all white and I think it was intentional because they are aiming to peel off enough white working class people. Seriously, if you are stupid enough to vote for a mofo who was very happy closing down American factories then you deserve everything you got coming. The problem is that I get to along as a back seat passenger in this four year road trip with a drunk driver.

  101. 101.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne:

    I knew Norquist had a Muslim wife, and read he had pushed back against anti Muslim prejudice. I knew he was not anti gay, though did not know he was in some GOP organization that was pushing for equal rights.

    But, even though I only see TV news talk shows where they play in hotels, and airports, and public eateries and whatnot, I have seen Norquist frothing at the mouth about taxes, slandering cops, teachers, any union person of any type or description, any one getting tax breaks (except for rich people).

    I have never heard him say a word about anything else.

    So, I say, so what?

  102. 102.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Annnnd…. Boom! Actually, it works quite nicely! I had to clean the garage right afterward because our Manx was giving me dirty looks because it’s getting dark and her perch (the Mustang) isn’t in the her garage.

    All is well in both of our worlds now. :)

  103. 103.

    Yutsano

    @jl: I read Steve’s linked article. He primarily joined them because they agree with his anti-tax philosophy. Wonderful gay rights advocacy there! We’ll have marriage in Wyoming tomorrow!

  104. 104.

    jl

    @Steve in DC:

    I did not understand your last couple of comments. Could you summarize them in simple English?

    You seem to be diagnosing some political action malady common among something you call a ‘fly-over’ liberal (I have no idea what that is)?

    And we are all not fighting for one big thing, so are actually against everything?

  105. 105.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Clearly you haven’t been in this argument with SteveinDC before. Norquist is proof — PROOF, I say! — that anyone who wants civil rights for Americans also wants conservative economic policies. Since we can’t have both an equal society and economic prosperity, we have to get rid of civil rights so we can prosper economically again.

    Of course, Steve somehow “forgets” that the prosperity of the 1950s depended on women and minorities getting paid less than white men and getting stuck in shit jobs so white men could benefit from a less competitive labor market.

    Basically, Steve is lamenting the death of white supremacy and calling for it to be restored so he can do better economically. He, like, totally promises to throw an extra $5 to Maria after she cleans his house as long as his kids don’t have to compete against hers for their entrance to Harvard.

  106. 106.

    jl

    @Yutsano:

    Our policy trade offs may differ from theirs, I suspect, on gay rights, immigration, insane drug laws, etc.

    I imagine Norquist would give in a mile on any other issue if he could get taxes lowered an inch, especially for the rich.

  107. 107.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steve in DC:

    And the increasingly educated urban elite wants cheaper prices on their services and is increasingly Democratic… because of social issues.

    IOW, they fled the Republican Party because they couldn’t stand the bigotry and speaking in tongues any longer, so therefore those refugees from the Republicans represent the beliefs of all liberals and the people left in the Republican Party are all secretly yearning to become economic populists because … nah, I still can’t parse it.

  109. 109.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    @jl:

    You seem to be diagnosing some political action malady common among something you call a ‘fly-over’ liberal (I have no idea what that is)?

    “Fly-over liberal” is someone who lives on the West or East Coast, and flies between them, never stopping in the middle; thus not a Real American. Essentially, a form of snobbery.

  110. 110.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne:

    I have no clue whether what Steve in DC says is true. If so, again, so what if the Dems have picked up some skeery white wealthy people. Does that make the Dems bad? Being a big tent party has its problems, and we will have to deal with them.

    IMO, from my observations, most better off white guys I know who are hung up on women and minorities and fair shakes, etc., are in at least some major aspects of their lives, inadequate goofs with male security issues. I’m part of the white guy club, so I can observe them in the natural habitat. In the wild, as it were.

    The tough cases are lower class lower educated males who have gotten a bad deal…

    These retrograde white dudes, what can we do with them. Any suggestions?

  111. 111.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting — I’ve pointed out to Steve multiple times that the actual history behind his claims shows that the success of his economic program depends on artificially suppressing the opportunities available to minorities and women just like in the good ol’ days, and convenient amnesia always sets in.

  112. 112.

    jl

    @The prophet Nostradumbass:

    This liberal grew up in the aggie boonies around Fresno, which I think geographically is on the left coast. I don’t have a snooty background.

    So, I snagged a job in SF Bay Area, so am I instantly snootified?

    I guess if I got a teach job in Fresno or Bakersfield, I would be a backward All American inbred stalwart hick again, right?

  113. 113.

    srv

    @Mnemosyne: Well. most folks see Diane and Nancy as Inside Beltway types now.

    But you’re right, I could go to Zietgeist tonight and find a lot of liberals who would be quite comfortable drinking with the Grover. And they’d bitch and whine about Diane the Torturer.

  117. 117.

    Mnemosyne

    @srv:

    most folks see Diane and Nancy as Inside Beltway types now.

    Dianne definitely is a Republican in Democrat’s clothing. But Nancy? Uh, no. Not even close. Did you bother to look at the legislation Nancy got passed in the House during the first two years of Obama’s term?

    Note that all of those bills are ones that were voted on in the House and PASSED, not just bills that were introduced. Though I’m sure Steve can explain how the Improved Financial and Commodity Markets Oversight and Accountability Act was just more social liberalism at work.

  118. 118.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:

    Gotta build those calluses! I regularly file my fingers with emery boards to keep them in good shape. It helps to keep the calluses in good condition if I am taking a break from the strings for a bit.

    If you ever decide to throw your guitars in the Bay, let me know and I’ll pay for shipping to my place instead. ;p

  119. 119.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    @Mnemosyne: I think you’re being unfair to Feinstein. I’m not a huge fan of her, but here are some of her votes:

    NO on DOMA, Yes on repeal of DADT, NO on the implementation of DADT, Yes on PPACA, Yes on prohibiting interest rate increases on student loans, NO on the Keystone XL pipeline. There are a lot more.

    You can look at her voting record here. She is not nearly as much of a conservadem as she’s made out to be. I prefer Boxer, but the alternative to her is awful to think about.

  120. 120.

    Mnemosyne

    @The prophet Nostradumbass:

    The good thing I will say about Feinstein is that, unlike a lot of the other conservadems, she will bitch and moan in public but vote with her party when it counts. Unlike, say, Baucus.

    It’s her Iraq War and security state bullshit that I’m most bitter about, really.

    ETA: And, sadly, our bench here in California is not nearly as deep as it should be for a state as blue as we are. If (gods forbid) Feinstein were to have a stroke tomorrow, I have no idea which state politician would be able to step up and win in her place. Buncha milquetoasts.

  122. 122.

    Yutsano

    @Mnemosyne: She’s 71 years old and has to be thinking this is her last term. Hopefully someone will step forward and take on the mantle in six years.. I kind of like the idea of Villagarosa figuring out his personal life and stepping up to the plate. We need a good Latino representative in the Senate.

  123. 123.

    Mnemosyne

    @The prophet Nostradumbass:

    Newsom has that John Edwards weasel vibe, and I’m not just saying that because Newsom cheated on his wife. He seems to be someone who talks a good game but always has a million reasons why he can’t follow through on his liberal pronouncements.

    Of all of the hundreds (literally) of Democratic politicans here in Cali, I can’t think of anyone who could run for US Senate. Hell, I can’t even picture who the Democratic candidate for governor could be after Brown is done.

  124. 124.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Steve in DC:

    When it comes to policy, those on your side…

    Mighty white of you to tell us about your secret sauce. Yeah, that’s exactly what we need, advice from the other side…lol!

    Go help your own, they need it. Or is that what you are doing here?

  125. 125.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    @Mnemosyne: Hey, how about Jean Quan, or Chuck Reed? (HA HA HA HA)

    Among others, John Garamendi would be a pretty decent choice. He’s currently in the House, but he has statewide recognition already, having held state office before.

  126. 126.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yutsano:

    I’m not a big Villaraigosa fan, in part because he had the same “keeping it in his goddamned pants” problem that Newsom had.

    I kinda like Eric Garcetti, who’s running for mayor this year, so we’ll see how he does. His family is a little bit like the Browns (his father is former DA Gil Garcetti) but with the added benefit of being Latino.

  128. 128.

    muddy

    @mai naem:

    @muddy: Actually you can get two 10meqs in a yellow smaller caplet(little bigger than a 200 mg ibuprofen) instead of the white 20 meq horse pill.

    My insurance won’t pay for that.

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