Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

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

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

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

People are complicated. Love is not.

T R E 4 5 O N

Usually wrong but never in doubt

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

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

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

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

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

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

I really should read my own blog.

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

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You are here: Home / We’re Going To Need A Bigger Popcorn Bucket

We’re Going To Need A Bigger Popcorn Bucket

by | 114 Comments

This post is in: 

What part of this sentence does not fit with the other:

“We, the free men and women of this great nation, affirm everyone’s natural right to speak their mind but we cannot and will not abide the unjust, personal broadside your aide Jonathan Collegio leveled against a man whose family has dedicated itself to advancing the cause of liberty for over half a century…”

Thus, via TPM, we learn how, in the midst of the latest skirmish within the GOP, our friends across the aisle remain Unclear On The Concept…

Mine with extra butter, please.

Popcorn, 2008

Image: Andrew Stevovich, ‘Popcorn’ 2008

Reader Interactions

114Comments

  2. 2.

    Yutsano

    Shorter conservatives: RESPECT OUR AUTHORITAH!! Don’t you know who we ARE? How DARE you criticise your betters?

  6. 6.

    Capri

    It occurred to me that the answer to the R’s problems is to undo the gerrymandered state districts – the ones that are so deep red that any Bozo with a R after their name can get elected. If the only republicans that get elected are ones that can succeed in semi-diverse districts, the Bozo problem takes care of itself overnight. Sure, you’d have a few less Republicans in office overall, but they’d all be able to talk in public.

    These nutso rep.s are the equivalent of rare orchids that can only survive in an artificial hot house. This problem is going to be solved by taking down the greenhouses, not by trying to convince folks to only grow daisies in them.

    One of those unintended consequences thingies…

  9. 9.

    Forked Tongue

    Let us not forget that Bozell’s dad was so dedicated to the cause of liberty that he moved the family to Spain so they could know the joys of living under Franco.

  11. 11.

    Alex

    That letter is hilarious. Really, read the whole thing.

    It almost peaks when it starts listing his illustrious uncles, but the last two lines turn it into AMAZING.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    @Alex:

    Bozell has two uncles. Scandalous.

    I also like the Left is capitalized. That’s right, motherfuckers, we are a proper noun. Respect.

  15. 15.

    Ash Can

    crunchmunchmunchmunchmunch
    crunchmunchmunchmunch

    ::waves pennant that reads “GO INJURIES!”::

  16. 16.

    jibeaux

    I might have demanded his firing for having used the word “like” unnecessarily three times in one short sentence. I’m guessing that having a guy who does that plus says “hater”, though, represents their youth outreach, and they can’t afford to let him go.

  18. 18.

    MikeJ

    @Capri:

    It occurred to me that the answer to the R’s problems is to undo the gerrymandered state districts – the ones that are so deep red that any Bozo with a R after their name can get elected.

    Gerrymandering actually makes it harder for any individual Republican to win, but maximizes the number of Republicans.

  19. 19.

    jibeaux

    @Alex: it’s like the violent bizarro world of that hymn “let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

  21. 21.

    Ash Can

    @SteveM:

    Oh, they’ll patch this up in time to get Marco Dreamboat elected president in 2016.

    I see a wisp of something in my crystal ball, something along the lines of Obama sweet-talking Rubio into helping out with immigration reform efforts, maybe giving him a prominent platform for contributing to the drafting of new policies, engaging him to the extent that when reform is passed, Rubio is so delighted with the success of the effort and all the congratulatory phone calls his office is getting from happy Hispanic constituents that he gives the Prez a big ol’ hug as the cameras roll…

    Now, my crystal ball can be plenty goofy sometimes. But then again, so can the Republicans.

  22. 22.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @MikeJ:

    Gerrymandering actually makes it harder for any individual Republican to win, but maximizes the number of Republicans.

    Here in CA some of the Gerrymandered districts were so deep red that Republicans didn’t have to worry about a challenge from the Left, but they damn’ sure had to worry about a challenge from the right.

  24. 24.

    ? Martin

    Man, what a mess going on out here in SoCal. Two people dead, one cop dead, two other cops shot, police have shot at two sets of innocent people thinking they were the suspect, and a military base now locked down because they think they may have him there, but who the fuck knows.

  25. 25.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Cassidy:

    So far they suspect him of killing two civilians and one police officer. They also suspect him of wounding two other officers.

  27. 27.

    Cassidy

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate: I read his manifesto Raven linked to and all I could think was “wow”. If even half of that is true, and this guy is half as good as he thinks he is, there might be some dead cops for a little while. That’s just one of those einformation overload things where you don’t really know what to think.

  33. 33.

    Raven

    Just a taste for thosen who missed it:

    Do you know why we are unsuccessful in asymmetrical and guerrilla warfare in CENTCOM theatre of operations? I’ll tell you. It’s not the inefficiency of our combatant commanders, planning, readiness or training of troops. Much like the Vietnam war, ACM, AAF, foreign fighters, Jihadist, and JAM have nothing to lose. They embrace death as it is a way of life. I simply don’t fear it. I am the walking exigent circumstance you created.

    The Violence of action will be HIGH. I am the reason TAC alert was established. I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty. ISR is my strength and your weakness. You will now live the life of the prey. Your RD’s and homes away from work will be my AO and battle space. I will utilize every tool within INT collections that I learned from NMITC in Dam Neck. You have misjudged a sleeping giant. There is no conventional threat assessment for me. JAM, New Ba’ath party, 1920 rev BGE, ACM, AAF, AQAP, AQIM and AQIZ have nothing on me. Do not deploy airships or gunships. SA-7 Manpads will be waiting. As you know I also own Barrett .50′s so your APC are defunct and futile.”

  34. 34.

    ? Martin

    @Raven: The couple that was killed in Irvine, one was the daughter of an LAPD officer and apparently killed in revenge, along with her boyfriend.

    So yeah, high alert. This sounds like Lethal Weapon movie playing out.

  36. 36.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @Ash Can: Someone needs to sell that. Be able to buy all sorts of sporting stuff with “Injuries” printed on them. I want the foam finger version.

  37. 37.

    ? Martin

    Yeah, news just broke in and said that Dorner isn’t at Point Loma. They don’t have him yet.

  42. 42.

    Cassidy

    @Ben Franklin: Nope. Former LAPD. Claims he was terminated unjustly because he reported another officer for excessive force, career as a police officer and anvy career ended over it, and has declared war on the LAPD.

  43. 43.

    Ben Franklin

    Another confrontation in Corona. Officer grazed by shoulder-fired weapon (no doubt it’s ‘select’ fire)

  44. 44.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Raven:

    Oh, shit. If those Barretts are firing full-house .50 cal BMG rounds the max range is 6800 meters and the max effective range is between 1800 and 2000 meters.

    Heaven help the cops on this one.

  45. 45.

    Ben Franklin

    @Cassidy:

    Sounds mental, to me. Brain tumor? He was depressed. Psychotropic drugs or anti-depressants. You make it sound like this is a labor dispute.

  50. 50.

    Seanly

    Me loves some internecine squabbling on the right. I’m rooting for both sides to step it up a notch (or several).

  51. 51.

    Cassidy

    @Ben Franklin: Not saying he didn’t crack. I’m saying chalking it up to a “mental health patient” gone wild ignores significant portions of the story. The sad part is that in this day and age, we don’t know how much of it is true, yet his whole version sounds entirely plausible.

  52. 52.

    Ben Franklin

    @Raven:

    The question is, what would you do to clear your name?

    Well, I would kill the daughter of my former Captain and her fiance, then I would go kill a couple more cops.

    Yep, that would take care of y reputation.

  53. 53.

    patroclus

    My uncles actually did fight for liberty – one was a Naval officer who served in a tanker off Okinawa during WWII and the other was an Air Force pilot for something like 30 years. Neither were right-wing blowhards who grifted off the media for decades though…

  55. 55.

    The Dangerman

    Turns out that the poor Asian women this morning were approaching a high value target in the wrong color vehicle and with the headlights turned off. Wonder if they even speak English if the Cops were ordering them to stop?

    At any rate, KACHING! for them, there should be a nice settlement in their future.

    ETA: Anyone else having flashbacks to the SLA shootouot back in the 70’s? Last time I can recall anything quite like this matter. Probably will have a similar outcome.

  57. 57.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Cassidy:

    Not saying he didn’t crack. I’m saying chalking it up to a “mental health patient” gone wild ignores significant portions of the story.

    Isn’t chalking it up to mental illness something that the NRA does whenever there’s a horrific shooting?

  58. 58.

    Paul in KY

    @Cassidy: He’s probably not as good as he thinks he is.

    I read the manifesto (not all of it, started skimming a bit after word 1,000). This guy seems like one of those avuncular seeming individuals who bottles it all up…until it goes.

  60. 60.

    Ben Franklin

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate:

    Isn’t chalking it up to mental illness something that the NRA does whenever there’s a horrific shooting?

    I am not a member. How could this guy’s behavior, not represent a breakdown?

  65. 65.

    trollhattan

    They finally got to the bottom of the mystery money source of last fall’s no-on-Prop-30 campaign in California–engineers who want to privatize all state engineering. They sure went through a lot of hoops to hide their role and intentions.

    Corporations are people, my friends.

    A group that backs privatizing public infrastructure engineering work gave $400,000 to an opaque, out-of-state organization that injected millions of dollars – and plenty of controversy – into California’s initiative campaigns last year.

    New state campaign filings show that the American Council of Engineering Companies California made a $150,000 donation to a Virginia-based nonprofit in July and another $250,000 in September.

    That nonprofit, Americans for Job Security, in turn, gave money to another nonprofit organization based in Arizona, which then contributed $11 million to a California committee that opposed Gov. Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 tax hike and supported Proposition 32, which sought to end payroll- deducted political contributions.

    The engineering business group’s donation surfaced Friday because California law requires political action committees to show their spending, including money that goes to issue-advocacy groups.

    http://www.sacbee.com/2013/02/05/5165855/private-engineers-group-gave-400k.html#storylink=cpy

  67. 67.

    MomSense

    From the article.
    “Collegio went on WMAL in Washington, D.C. Wednesday morning and said Bozell is a “hater” for opposing American Crossroads’ new offshoot, the Conservative Victory Project, a super PAC aiming to back disciplined Republican candidates to win back a majority in the Senate.”

    “disciplined Republican candidates” ????

    Is that another way of saying candidates who keep their wingnut on the down low?

  68. 68.

    trollhattan

    @Raven:

    Ugh, ugh, ugh. More 2nd Amendment remedies to personal demons. Not unlike the airline pilot in the Sierra Foothills last weekend, except for the shooting-himself-afterwards thing.

    No more bodies, please.

  69. 69.

    The Red Pen

    Mr. Collegio calling Mr. Bozell a “hater” publicly on WMAL radio this morning reflects the language of the establishment Republicans. It is the divisive language of the Left.

    They have a point.

    The divisive language of the right would be more like “usurper” or “Communist” or “pervert” or “traitor” or really any number of completely delusional accusations. The mild, and completely subjective, epithet “hater” is something a non-deranged person — like those on the left — might choose.

    I really have to hand them this point.

  70. 70.

    MikeJ

    @MomSense:

    “disciplined Republican candidates” ????

    All I can think of is Full Metal Jacket.

    Anyone who runs for office is a teabagger. Anyone who doesn’t run is a well disciplined teabagger.

  73. 73.

    drew42

    Bullshit. There’s no conflict.

    This is all just more chest thumping self-promotion on both “sides” of the GOP. There’s no disagreement in ideas or policy, just in how they want to brand themselves. And it’s not really even a conflict of branding — they’re just throwing it all out there to see which type of branding makes them more money.

    It’s hollower than Coke vs. Pepsi. It’s more like Diet Dr. Pepper vs. Dr. Pepper 10.

  74. 74.

    maurinsky

    Why am I reminded of the West Coast rap vs. East Coast rap wars of the 90s? Those last two lines are indeed the ones that made me laugh the most. Circular firing squad, assemble!

  76. 76.

    ? Martin

    @Cassidy: And the story right under the lead story at LATimes is:

    Deputies tied to secret clique to be fired
    …
    The seven belonged to an organization, dubbed the Jump Out Boys, that promoted aggressive policing, celebrated shootings and branded its members with matching tattoos, left.

    So, yeah. His story is hardly implausible. But that little rant quoted above sounds as much like a former neighbor of mine who was schizophrenic. That’s how he’d talk just as he went off his meds. Another day later he’d be completely incoherent, so that was our warning.

  78. 78.

    ? Martin

    @Paul in KY:

    He’s probably not as good as he thinks he is.

    They never are.

    But the LAPD response tells you something about how good they think he is. They’re actively guarding police stations. They’re not taking any chances with this guy.

  79. 79.

    TG Chicago

    I agree with those who said that you need to read the full letter. From the implication of Conservative Royalty to the explicit inclusion of “establishment Republicans” into “the Left”, it’s just amazing.

    To me, the most preposterous part of the excerpt in the post was the notion than Brent Bozell — head of the Parents Television Council — is dedicated to “advancing the cause of liberty”. Liberty through repression! Freedom can only come through censorship!

  80. 80.

    Tonal Crow

    @maya:

    Is there a place they send Republican candidates to to become “disciplined”?

    Gitmo sounds like a good option.

  81. 81.

    Cassidy

    @? Martin: Ugh. Someone had to know this was not going to end well.

    On another note altogether, my apartment manager wants to conduct a meeting between the downstairs neighbor and I. I’m really not interested in anything more than an apology, but she’s a nice lady who has made a genuine attempt to resolve this and consider all aprties involved, so I said yes. We shall see what happens.

  82. 82.

    trollhattan

    @? Martin:

    Buddy of mine was a small city manager in LA county, and his city contracted with LA County Sheriffs for police services. He got to know both departments quite well and his tales comparing the sheriffs with their LAPD counterparts were hair-raising, to say the least.

  83. 83.

    Roger Moore

    @? Martin:
    Of course there’s no reason to assume that it’s an either/or situation. It’s entirely possible that he was wrongly terminated for exposing another cop’s improper use of force and that he’s a paranoid loon who’s doing something crazy that’s all out of proportion to the harm he suffered.

  84. 84.

    Tonal Crow

    @? Martin:

    Man, what a mess going on out here in SoCal. Two people dead, one cop dead, two other cops shot, police have shot at two sets of innocent people thinking they were the suspect, and a military base now locked down because they think they may have him there, but who the fuck knows.

    Where’s the NRA Klown Kar Posse Force?

  85. 85.

    ? Martin

    @Ben Franklin:

    How could this guy’s behavior, not represent a breakdown?

    Maybe he’s just really pissed off. Just because someone does something outside of our cultural norms doesn’t mean they have a mental health issue. Not every criminal is crazy. Most of them are just criminals.

  89. 89.

    trollhattan

    @? Martin:
    Here, in comments, when Sandy Hook was still unfolding, a gun fondler confidently proclaimed, “I guarantee he got his weapons illegally.”

    Take nothing to the bank and draw no conclusions on this LA savagery while it’s still occurring, other than the dead are yet more senseless gunfire victims.

  90. 90.

    Tonal Crow

    @? Martin: Well said. Defining every murderer (or even every mass murderer) as “mentally ill” perverts the term and cedes vital territory to the NRA.

  92. 92.

    The Moar You Know

    Sounds mental, to me. Brain tumor? He was depressed. Psychotropic drugs or anti-depressants. You make it sound like this is a labor dispute.

    @Ben Franklin: He’s not crazy.

    He’s been pushed beyond his breaking point, but he is not crazy.

    A problem is that they let current and retired LE buy any kind of weapon they can afford in this country. Class 3, full-auto, “destructive device”, you name it, they can get it legally. We might want to change that in light of what’s going on here today.

    Fucking glad I sold my dark blue Nissan pickup two years ago. This is a bad day to be driving a pickup truck around SoCal.

  93. 93.

    bemused

    LAPD on the manhunt shot and injured two women who were delivering newspapers in a blue pickup. The pickup was riddled with bullet shots.

    I think I would not want to be driving or outside at all anywhere in the area if police are this edgy/panicky.

  96. 96.

    GregB

    @Capri:

    Actually these GOP redistricting morons did exactly what I figured they’d which was to bite off their nose to spite their faces.

    In many states they made the Democrats’ districts more blue and watered down their districts to make more of them.

    They didn’t figure in future demographic shifts it seems.

    Idiots.

  97. 97.

    El Caganer

    After reading (some, not all) of the California shooter’s manifesto, I don’t think he’s any crazier than the Unabomber. Make of that what you will.

  98. 98.

    Another Halocene Human

    @El Caganer: The Unabomber was pretty deranged.

    So was Lee Harvey Oswald.

    OTOH, that Texas college shooter in the 60s was just butthurt, as I understand it.

    omg, fywp

  100. 100.

    ? Martin

    @trollhattan: Well, truck matching description rolls up with lights off while its still dark out. It looks suspicious.

    Would be nice if our local law enforcement knew that this was SOP for the folks that deliver the paper so they don’t wake everyone up shining their headlights in bedroom windows, though, and went the extra step to at least get a look at the driver. What a colossal fuckup.

    Glad that we know a bit more about the murders here from the weekend, though. Homicides are unusual here and almost never random. We tend toward the dramatic, though. The bioweapons guy was still the high point.

  101. 101.

    Hob

    @? Martin: Did you read the manifesto? That is not how someone who’s just righteously super-angry at injustice writes. That’s someone who’s lost all awareness of how human beings talk to each other and how they’re likely to respond to being shot at. For Christ’s sake, he even tells the children of the victims that they’ll get over it because their dad was a bad guy and anyway he’ll get a commemorative plaque. Not to mention that he seems totally obsessed with military acronyms.

  102. 102.

    Maude

    BJ WP forgot my name again.
    If this former LAPD officer killed people, doesn’t that make him a killer?
    I don’t care why he did it. He’s a cold blooded murderer.

  104. 104.

    Roger Moore

    @Hob:

    That is not how someone who’s just righteously super-angry at injustice writes.

    And he’s not behaving how somebody who’s just upset about injustice behaves. If you think somebody has wronged you, you go after that person, not their daughter and her fiance. In what universe does “the LAPD wronged me by ignoring my complaint about excessive force, so I’m going to murder their families to prove how wrong they were” make logical sense?

  105. 105.

    schrodinger's cat

    @GxB: Rubio is no Connery or even Patrick Stewart for that matter. While there are some exceptions, receding hairline does not a dreamboat make.

  106. 106.

    Tone in DC

    Rubio is no Connery or even Patrick Stewart for that matter. While there are some exceptions, receding hairline does not a dreamboat make.

    Somewhere, Carrot Top is smiling.

  107. 107.

    Tone in DC

    Would be nice if our local law enforcement knew that this was SOP for the folks that deliver the paper so they don’t wake everyone up shining their headlights in bedroom windows, though, and went the extra step to at least get a look at the driver. What a colossal fuckup.

    Hope this ends soon. It reminds me a bit of 2002 around here.

  108. 108.

    ? Martin

    @Hob:

    That’s someone who’s lost all awareness of how human beings talk to each other and how they’re likely to respond to being shot at.

    Like I said farther up, he sounds like my schizophrenic former-neighbor. I was just trying to refute the assertion that all criminals like this are crazy. They aren’t necessarily. Doesn’t really matter in this case – he’s dangerous and has guns.

    Now reporting he may be in Big Bear. They’re just grasping at straws here.

  109. 109.

    trollhattan

    @? Martin:

    Apparently the truck, or the same model truck, was found in flames. This is like a runaway “24” episode. Does he have a hovercraft hidden in the woods?

  110. 110.

    Ben Franklin

    @The Moar You Know:

    A problem is that they let current and retired LE buy any kind of weapon they can afford in this country. Class 3, full-auto, “destructive device”, you name it, they can get it legally. We might want to change that in light of what’s going on here today.

    He was terminated in 2008, but his wallet and BADGE were found in Riverside(?)

    No one on the news has asked a single question about the badge.

  111. 111.

    J R in W Va

    How can any person or group fashion that sentence without having heads explode all around?

    Not that I’m jumping to defend the subject, Bozo’ell – or perhaps Collegio, whoever he is….

  112. 112.

    polyorchnid octopunch

    The long recitation of Bozell’s family members reveals that the writers are really into aristocracy, and hate democracy and America.

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