Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

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

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

No Justins, No Peace

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

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

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

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

Let’s finish the job.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

… among the most cringeworthy communications in the history of the alphabet!

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

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

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

Reader Interactions

85Comments

  1. 1.

    Soonergrunt

    No, really. I saw that it had been a while since a thread went up, but I’m busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, so I can’t give you anything substantive right now.

  3. 3.

    Chris

    Okay, question to the public, then: anyone got any good heist/caper movies they would recommend for someone who’s currently on a binge?

    I’ve seen The Sting, both Italian Jobs, the Thomas Crown Affair remake, Entrapment, and just plugged a gaping hole in my pop culture by screening the Ocean’s trilogy (definitely my favorite of all the above).

    Anything else?

  8. 8.

    balconesfault

    Just listening to NPRs Talk of the Nation doing a call-in for Iraq vets to relate their experiences … and hearing the host pushing back against the almost uniform “what a clusterf**k” tone.

    With one caller, an active duty guy with 2 Iraq and 1 Afghanistan tour who complained that Iraq mainly diverted our attention from the more important conflict, the host offered “arguably” … and when the caller noted that taking out Saddam eliminated the major buffer against Iranian dominance of the region’s geopolitics, the host added “but we also took out a brutal dictator”.

    Nice of him to let the troops get in a few words, though.

  9. 9.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    Fifty hours until the puck drops on the Frozen Four. The Gophers need two more wins to complete a perfect season.

  13. 13.

    Anoniminous

    @Chris:

    CNBC is running a nice heist caper. Seems there is a German criminal organization allied to an international protection racket trying to rob bank depositors in the eurozone.

  14. 14.

    Anoniminous

    @Chris:

    CNBC is running a nice heist caper. The plot is there is a German criminal organization allied to an international protection racket trying to rob bank depositors in the eurozone.

  15. 15.

    srv

    And here’s what raven’s favorite blogger of all time reposted from 2004: Drinking the Kool-Aid

    What was the “problem”? The sincerely held beliefs of a small group of people who think they are the “bearers” of a uniquely correct view of the world, sought to dominate the foreign policy of the United States in the Bush 43 administration, and succeeded in doing so through a practice of excluding all who disagreed with them. Those they could not drive from government they bullied and undermined until they, too, had drunk from the vat.

    What was the result? The war in Iraq. It is not anything like over yet, and the body count is still mounting. As of March 2004, there were 554 American soldiers dead, several thousand wounded, and more than 15,000 Iraqis dead

  18. 18.

    Trollhattan

    My advice to pretty much everybody: steer well clear of Yakima, Washington.

    Item, the first, “I want to be just like Oscar.”:

    The Yakima County sheriff’s office says a man mistook his pregnant wife for an intruder at their Terrace Heights home and shot her, leaving her in critical condition. Deputy Robert Udell says investigators don’t suspect any criminal activity and that the woman’s husband is cooperating.

    Udell says the woman is eight weeks pregnant. She was shot once early Friday morning in the couple’s bedroom. She is in the hospital in critical but stable condition. The couple’s names were not released. Both are in their twenties.

    Udell says the husband served in the military, but that doesn’t seem to be a factor.

    Hasn’t he suffered enough, already?

    http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020528712_apwamistakenlyshootswife.html

    Item, the second “What would Jesus pack?”:

    YAKIMA — Sharon Eggleston filed into the Open Bible Christian Center recently not to worship, but to learn how to shoot a gun.

    “Actually, I’ve been praying about it,” the 70-year-old said about taking the gun-training class at the Yakima church. “For protection.”

    She was among more than a dozen women enrolled in the five-hour class in how to properly handle and shoot a gun.

    Since the Newtown, Conn., massacre in December, at least a dozen churches across the country have been holding similar classes as a way to reach out to non-Christians and attract new members, according to news reports. The movement has led lawmakers in several states, including Arkansas, South Carolina, Wyoming and Louisiana, to scrap state laws barring guns from churches, and has polarized some Christians, according to reports.

    In Washington, there is no law barring guns from churches.

    The Open Bible Christian Center’s effort is part of a bigger mission to make the church a safer place, said Pastor Mike Lyon. Last month, the church brought in a certified trainer from Oregon to teach personal protection, including lessons to prevent child abductions, women’s basic self-defense and an “all-threat” security training for faith-based organizations.

    “We’re not a militia church,” said Lyon, a gun owner. “We’re just a regular group of people that just wants to be safe.”

    He said the idea for the classes stemmed from church discussion that revealed several gun owners, mostly men, in his 350-member congregation. After three women said they were not confident using the guns their husbands bought them, he began looking into classes.

    http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020596571_yakimachurchxml.html

    Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

  19. 19.

    Yutsano

    I’m running on cough drops and slightly grumpy attitude. And I still got a little old lady to love me today.

  26. 26.

    LanceThruster

    My writings online have been pro-Palestinian since shortly after 9/11 (rationale below). I am about to seriously start dating a woman who turns out to have been a volunteer for the IDF. She is very sweet, but at some point I’m going to point out my views of the I/P conflict, despite my concern that this might sour her on me. I’ve always felt Carville/Matalin was a bit of a offensive farce, becuae the actual difference in ideologies is quite pronounced, thought they’re both essentially hired guns.

    I’d be willing to not discuss international politics with her, but Gilad Atzmon and Mordechai Vanunu are heroes of mine with whom I’ve had warm correspondences (is that grammatically correct?). I would imagine to her they’d be the enemy. She’s not the first IDF I’ve encountered, but certainly the first that a dating situation arose.

    Comments or suggestions?

  27. 27.

    Suffern ACE

    @balconesfault: The troops are clearly looking the the wrong end of the binoculars. Or whatever they said about the problem with Hagel being an enlistedman.

  29. 29.

    Haydnseek

    @Chris: How to Steal a Million. Directed by William Wyler. Oh, what the hell. Just Wiki the title. Stylish, funny, excellent.

  32. 32.

    Chris

    Thanks for all the suggestions (and please keep ’em coming, newcomers to the thread!)

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    There’s something seriously wrong with you.

    Only one thing? I’m better off than I thought.

    I rank Ocean’s 11 and The Sting at the top of those movies I listed, but Ocean’s 11 just a little ahead simply because it also had a really good caper at the center of it, but made me laugh a lot more.

    If you’d like me to really double down on the blasphemy, I also preferred the Italian Job remake to the original with Michael Caine.

    @Anoniminous:

    Oooooh. Oh, that’s a good one! In fact, forget heist movies. On that kind of scale, it sounds more like material for the next James Bond movie.

    It’s such a good thing that we live in a world where our 1%ers are men of honor who would never end themselves to such enterprises.

    … :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    @Chris

    Two from the same director:

    Topkapi
    Rififi

    A few with a lighter touch:

    The Lavender Hill Mob
    The Runaway Bus
    Steelyard Blues

  34. 34.

    Amir Khalid

    @Chris:
    I remember seeing Entrapment — most of it’s set right here in KL. Hollywood has a long tradition of getting the details wrong about other cities. For instance, there have never been any slums in the upmarket area where the Petronas Towers are; let alone any high-rise ones from which the 44th floor bridge between the Towers would be at eye level. (The Malaysian government was kinda ticked off about this.)

  36. 36.

    Chris

    @LanceThruster:

    I’d say go for it. The nice thing about citizen-soldier models like Israel’s is that absolutely all kinds of people get to serve in the military, so I wouldn’t judge her politics based on that alone – even if she is a volunteer and not a draftee.

  38. 38.

    Shana

    @Chris: Charade, which also has the advantage of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, and great 60s clothes if that sort of thing interests you.

  39. 39.

    Haydnseek

    @Chris: “Whisky Galor,” (British title) released as “Tight Little Island” in the U.S. While not exactly a heist film per se, it still revolves around a very entertaining theft and its subsequent coverup. As always, candy is dandy but Wiki is quicker. You will love this.

  40. 40.

    Haydnseek

    @Shana: AAARGHHH! I forgot this one! Thanks so much for adding it to the list. It’s a wonderful film, and stylish as hell…..

  41. 41.

    Anoniminous

    @Chris:

    They’ve jumped the shark with the latest episode by dragging in the Russian mafia as one of the potential victims. Who writes this stuff? Totally unbelievable.

  43. 43.

    Scamp Dog

    @LanceThruster: Got no advice on how to discuss things with the lady, but I can say that you’re gramatically correct.

    I think this is a violation of some kind of internet code; we’re only supposed to notice mistakes, not provide support to people. :)

  44. 44.

    Thoughtcrime

    @Chris:

    Darker heist movies: “Thief”, “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead”, “The Silent Partner”.

  45. 45.

    Chris

    @Amir Khalid:

    Amen on Hollywood getting other cities (or just other places) wrong. I want to throw a shoe at the TV every time I see high-rise buildings pictured in Washington, DC. Or mountains anywhere in Florida.

    @TooManyJens:

    I watch Leverage from time to time, and enjoy it when I do. Speaking of Iraq as we have been, I like that one of their very first episodes had them taking on a PMC that had ripped off U.S. government funds and harmed soldiers to do it.

    Also, I forgot to add this to my initial lineup, but the original Pink Panther was fantastic.

  46. 46.

    sacrablue

    I am tech illiterate. I updated my firefox yesterday for the first time in forever. Before the update, I would click the refresh arrow, the comments would update and the screen would stay at the last comment that existed before the refresh. Now it reverts to the top of the comments. Can I fix this or do I have to go through life pissed at the world for the rest of my life?

  48. 48.

    Chris

    @Soonergrunt:

    True. I just think all-volunteer forces tend to skew more right wing than draftee/citizen-soldier armies… please correct me if I’m wrong, I rather hope I am actually.

    ETA: I do stand corrected however and should’ve added that it’s no guarantee even in AVFs. Clearly.

  49. 49.

    Haydnseek

    @LanceThruster: Be honest. Be true to yourself. If this results in you not being as warm at night, I’m still willing to bet you’ll sleep better…….

  53. 53.

    LanceThruster

    @Anoniminous:

    I agree entirely. I’ve known too many people who could not keep their lies straight. Considering my position as a Russian-American (all American actually as I have no ties to the motherland, culturally or otherwise), I wonder if dating a Russian-Jew (speaks Russian and English…don’t know about Hebrew) will just be an “agree to disagree” situation, or be a serious point of contention. As with my atheism, I always tell people it’s a sign of respect to share your views openly and honestly, even when at odds with another’s.

  54. 54.

    NotMax

    @Chris

    And one more forgot about earlier, if for no other reason the variety of the casting (Clint Eastwood + Don Rickles):

    Kelly’s Heroes

  56. 56.

    sparky

    @TooManyJens: That doesn’t work; I tried it and get sent to the top (with the URL inserting top#. I’m obviously having the same problem sacra is having. So far solution is to refresh, page down, scroll up to the last comment I read. It reminds me of dialing a phone in some weird way.

    Also, too, if I comment, it returns me to my comment like it’s supposed to. And identifies the comment in the URL.

  57. 57.

    LanceThruster

    @LanceThruster:

    Ooops. Left off the “rationale” that I spoke of for my change in understanding.

    from: http://mondoweiss.net/profile/lancethruster

    I grew up with the conventional wisdom believing that the Israelis were the “white hats” and that the Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims were the “black hats.” After 9/11, I wanted to know more about the conflict in the ME. I came to the realization that the narrative was totally one-sided. I largely credit many outstanding Jewish voices (my close friend Bernie the Attorney for one) for opening my eyes. I see on a daily basis the efforts by Zionists and their stooges to dismiss truth-tellers in the most reprehensible manner, up to and including threats of violence. Truth needs no army of thugs to establish it; only lies need enforcers.

    Thanks to everyone who offered comments and suggestions. They are much appreciated.

  58. 58.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    @Schlemizel: I am, but there’s also the realization that we’re about 96 hours away from having to wait six months for the next game. I say if the ladies want to earn their scholarships, they play all year round to keep me entertained.

  59. 59.

    Soonergrunt

    @Chris: ” I just think all-volunteer forces tend to skew more right wing than draftee/citizen-soldier armies… please correct me if I’m wrong, I rather hope I am actually.”
    You are not, unfortunately. Having said that, in my personal experience, a large percentage (~50%) of the enlisted ranks tend to be pretty noncommittal in their political beliefs, and senior officers tend to be fairly moderate.

  60. 60.

    LanceThruster

    @NotMax:

    The character “Sgt. Oddball” is a classic. Had the pleasure to meet Donald Sutherland at an atheist lecture (CFI-West) with Harlan Ellison.

    Oddball: Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?
    Moriarty: Crap!

  61. 61.

    sacrablue

    @TooManyJens: Thanks, that worked. Just another annoying step. I have to do this every time? Now a cat just kicked me out of my chair. All the four-legged furry creatures are annoyed because there is liquid dripping out of the clouds and I can’t fix it either. I’m too old for this crap.

    Get off my lawn!

  62. 62.

    Schlemizel

    @NotMax:

    Mrs. S’s favorite war movie (the only one she will watch). I find it hilarious mainly because of the tank crew. Donald Sutherland as a doper tank commander and Capt. Stubing/Murry from MTM show as the negative driver.

    After having read Dick Winters autobiography (“dick” being the operative word BTW. If you admire him from Band of Brothers DO NOT read his auto!) I found the scene of the officer stealing a huge sailboat to be about the only accurate bit in the film.

  63. 63.

    West of the Rockies

    @Chris: Topkapi (from 1964) I’ve heard a few good things about. Supposedly, Pierce Brosnan was working on a remake.

  64. 64.

    West of the Rockies

    @balconesfault: Neal Conan (great voice) is ever trying to be the voice of impartial reason (though, in my mind, his right-wing bent is evident).

  65. 65.

    Chris

    @Soonergrunt:

    I knew about the enlisted ranks being fairly politically disengaged compared with the officers, but I did not know that the same was true of the senior officers.

    If anything, I would’ve thought they’d be more politicized, if only to catch the eye of important people in Washington whose friendship was good for careers.

  66. 66.

    West of the Rockies

    @balconesfault: Neal Conan (great voice) is ever trying to be the voice of impartial reason (though, in my mind, his right-wing bent is evident).@Roger Moore: Roger, you are a man of unsuspected depth! (to quote Jimmy Stewart in The Philadelphia Story). Isn’t that a very early Miyazaki anime?

  67. 67.

    sacrablue

    @sparky: It works intermittently for me. Maybe I will stop bitchin til after the redesign. Or I’m just getting the internet I deserve.

  69. 69.

    raven

    ‘Poppy is taking this extremely personally as a woman,’ said one executive. ‘She’s outraged that someone would think she’d do such a thing’ as slant her coverage toward rapists. ‘It’s gotten so out of control.’

    discuss

  70. 70.

    Schlemizel

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN):

    Yeah, we do sort of yearn for winter every spring. We go to a lot of games, high school and college that keep us entertained all winter long. Its a shame the NHL isn’t 40 games and the colleges play 82 game seasons.

  71. 71.

    West of the Rockies

    @LanceThruster: Is she hot?

    Just kidding… Personally, I’d be a little nervous about dating someone who had very different ideas from mine on certain issues where it seems — in my eyes — that the basic issue is pretty clear. If she recognizes the humanity in both sides of the conflict, then give it a go. If she sees one side as pure evil, back away. That’s my fairly worthless opinion.

  72. 72.

    Trollhattan

    @raven:

    Poppy should have shut her yap earlier, and this fauxtrage ain’t helping. Also, too, “Poppy?”

  73. 73.

    LanceThruster

    @West of the Rockies:

    As I define ‘hot’ as someone who doesn’t find me repulsive she is definitely hot (for ‘our’ age group at least). Sweet personality; freindly and funny. Gleaned “Jewish” from her dietary preferences (no pork or shellfish). I am full-blown atheist but if I restricted my dating only to the godless I wouldn’t get out much. Still I believe it is correct that often secular Jews will observe various dietary customs. She doesn’t eat beef either so the diet list goes beyond being observant. I am tickled myself that some people I know (a former co-worker) find a cheeseburger abhorrent. It’s nature’s perfect food (all 4 food groups) and if God hadn’t wanted us to eat them, She wouldn’t have made them taste so good. Throw some bacon and avacado on top and I’m truly in heaven.

  75. 75.

    LanceThruster

    @Schlemizel:

    Interesting observation about Dick Winters as even in the interviews shown with the actual Bnd of Brothers series, he seemed decent enough.

  78. 78.

    LanceThruster

    She said it was not that long ago (her volunteer IDF service) and Operation Cast Lead wasn’t that far back. I feel that was an atrocity and a war crime based on the international rules against collective punishment.

  79. 79.

    Suffern ACE

    @Trollhattan: I was watching CNN a bit yesterday and they had on that stellar legal team to discuss the latest case of the week – the Grandma who shot her grandson. And what the testimony meant.

    And you could tell that they really wanted to play up the story of the sweet Grandma. How sincere her testimony was. How nice it was that she kept saying that she couldn’t remeber, rather than hiring an expert to talk about any age related memory problems. Blah blah. But she kept interrupted herself to let the audience know that she was in no way o.k. with murder.

    Anyway, its good to know that we got to her. BUT how about this. Why doesn’t she just, you know, tell us what Granny said rather than what it looked like and maybe fill us in on the legal matters at hand rather than trying to sell us on how we should feel and how she feels and her hypotheticals about what makes a good story. If she’d try that, all of her troubles would go away.

  80. 80.

    Schlemizel

    @LanceThruster:

    He is a much better person than you, much more moral & blessed by God because he is superior to you.

    Also, it became clear that his major problem with Sobel was that he committed the unpardonable sin of being a Jew. He mentions it several times.

    I tried really not to read that into what he wrote but it just got to the point that I couldn’t interpret it any other way. Maybe the guy was just a clumsy writer but the book really killed my opinion of him.

  81. 81.

    LanceThruster

    @Schlemizel:

    For myself, it’s amazing how I can be on the same page as another human being and then when they tell me the path their life has taken is somehow proof of a wise and benevolent God, my first thought is that they’re somewhat delusional.

    Also, I did feel he had the type of taskmaster personality that makes him particularly suited to rise up through the ranks. Those character traits can be both positive and negative depending on how you rate them.

  82. 82.

    mclaren

    Awww…not even going to express the wish that fellow Democrats “die in a fire” because they disagree with you?

    You need to get back in touch with your inner sociopath.

  84. 84.

    West of the Rockies

    @LanceThruster: My wife and I have a young lady living with us at present (she’s a family friend relocating from Florida). She’s truly beautiful (wants to be an actress and was in an independent film). But her main interests seem to be staying out till the bars close, sleeping until mid-afternoon, watching dreadful television, and facebooking. (I don’t think it matters especially, but she’s lesbian; she’s not out knocking boots with stupid frat boys at least — maybe stupid sorority girls….) Don’t know if her habits are essentially representational of her age group. But I cannot imagine (were I to be single again) having any interest in a woman under the age of 45. (I’m 51.)

    So if the lady you write about is not a mono-maniacal winger, give it a go!

  85. 85.

    Mnemosyne

    @LanceThruster:

    I’m assuming she’s originally Israeli (or at least has Israeli parents) and is not a US citizen who traveled to Israel to volunteer for the IDF, yes? The circumstances of how she ended up volunteering will probably tell you everything you need to know since IIRC there can be some very practical reasons for doing it (along the lines of the US military paying for people’s education, etc.)

    Also IIRC, secular Israelis tend to be more outwardly observant than secular American Jews when it comes to things like diet, so that also may not say much about any wingnut tendencies. I’m afraid the only real way to find out is to have a conversation.

Comments are closed.