Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

All hail the time of the bunny!

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

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

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

In after Baud. Damn.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

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

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

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

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

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Site Notes

Site Notes

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In case you don’t read the comments and wonder why the site’s been slow, John’s post on the bombings was on the front page of Reddit for most of yesterday afternoon and evening. That post has 3566 comments at the moment, and over 60,000 Redditors have voted it up or down. So, we got crushed. In the spirit of Reddit, here’s a picture of a dog with a butt-sniff cam installed. (This is a real thing, btw.) Open thread.

Reader Interactions

60Comments

  2. 2.

    Schlemizel

    @raven:

    Thats how I treat KOS – here is different.

    The power of Reddit is a thing to behold though isn’t it? Who knew posting kitten pictures, atheist rants and occasional boob shots would draw such an audience?

    I am not sure if I want a lot of people from reddit making the jump to BJ. THis is a pretty nice place but too much attention could draw the wrong sorts if you know what I mean B-{D

  3. 3.

    Schlemizel

    BTW – I am surprised to see John’s post only has a couple hundred comments. Given the reddit crowd & the numbers in which they afflicted us with yesterday I half expected to see 1000+

  4. 4.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @raven: I have started to avoid threads that already have ~100 comments before I go in. Unless it’s hilarious. The good thing about waking up early is you get in before the crowd and can read most all of the comments and respond.

  5. 5.

    Ash Can

    @Schlemizel: If all of the “wrong sort” who already comment here left the site, John would be able to fit his readership into his front room.

  7. 7.

    Poopyman

    With a single mount point and such a high profile I don’t think that’s going to stay put too long on an “Extreme” (theverge’s word)dog’s back.

    @Schlemizel:

    Who knew posting kitten pictures, atheist rants and occasional boob shots would draw such an audience?

    Except for boobies, that’s a pretty good description of hereabouts. Or have I just been missing the boobs? (/straightline)

  10. 10.

    RoonieRoo

    Good to know. I was a surprised that BJ was biting it again so soon after the db error.

  12. 12.

    James Hare

    I saw that yesterday and was kind of gobsmacked. This little old blog? On the front page of Reddit? Our humble bloghost? At the same time, John’s post was great. It’s exactly the right sentiment toward the bombings and media coverage of the bombings. That’s one of the reasons I keep coming back — you can almost always be sure John will have something both thoughtful and levelheaded to say about a situation like this. Well that and Tunch pix.

  14. 14.

    magurakurin

    Caught the Osaka news here tonight over dinner. They reported on the events in the States. First they updated on the Boston bombing and reported that the police are now looking for a white male. Next they reported on the explosion at the fertilizer plant in West, Texas. But then they very quickly pointed out that West is very, very near Waco and that the anniversary of the Waco attack was this very day. And then they quickly reminded us that the 20th is the anniversary of the OK City bombing, which used a fertilizer bomb. The announcer didn’t then explicitly connect the dots, but the inference was pretty goddamn clear: Americans did the bombing in Boston and further was the explosion really an accident? I thought it was all very interesting.

    Also, I see that the police are about to release photos of two suspects…and it is pretty obvious now that they are white…yet on the Google News feed Boston bombing is dropping down the charts. What is it like in the Homeland? Is the media going silent now that it seems to be coming clear that an American did this? Or does the Japanese media, who doesn’t even really much give a shit, move faster in admitting that it was Americans who did this against Americans.

    curiouser and curiouser

  15. 15.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    I’ve seen Ashcroft and Ridge on MSNBC this morning. Is Bush still in office and if not, what are these imbeciles doing on MSNBC?

    Oh, it’s Chuck Todd’s show.

  17. 17.

    Ahasuerus

    @Soonergrunt: How did I know that’s what you were going to link to even before I clicked? :)

    They are weird looking things, aren’t they?

  20. 20.

    Poopyman

    How many times can we use the word boobies in this post before it starts to show up in some 14-year-old’s pr0n search?

  22. 22.

    MikeJ

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: The day of the attack NBC had some Bush era loser on during the nightly news telling about the idea of using a second bomb after the responders show up. Which of course is true, and completely fucking irrelevant to what actually happened.

    If Bushies had any shame they would have never been Bushies, but if general Sarnoff’s casket were properly wired the spinning could power 30 Rock.

  23. 23.

    Cassidy

    @Poopyman:

    Or have I just been missing the boobs? (/straightline)

    Not for lack of trying. The wimmens get in here and talk about their misspent youth, but when you say “pics or it didn’t happen”, they get all coy and shit. SMH.

  25. 25.

    Poopyman

    @magurakurin: The WaPo is saying the authorities believe it started as an accidental fire. Totally probable, imo, given the nature of high-nitrogen fertilizer.

  27. 27.

    magurakurin

    @Poopyman: I didn’t really think that the explosion was related myself, but I did think it was very interesting the way it was framed here. They just rattled them off one after another with a recap and explanation of the Waco incident and the OK City bombing. That stuff isn’t common knowledge here like back home.

    I am quite sure that a right wing nut job did the Boston bombing though.

  28. 28.

    Cacti

    @magurakurin:

    Caught the Osaka news here tonight over dinner. They reported on the events in the States. First they updated on the Boston bombing and reported that the police are now looking for a white male. Next they reported on the explosion at the fertilizer plant in West, Texas. But then they very quickly pointed out that West is very, very near Waco and that the anniversary of the Waco attack was this very day. And then they quickly reminded us that the 20th is the anniversary of the OK City bombing, which used a fertilizer bomb. The announcer didn’t then explicitly connect the dots, but the inference was pretty goddamn clear: Americans did the bombing in Boston and further was the explosion really an accident? I thought it was all very interesting.

    Did they say anything about the chained CPI?

  29. 29.

    dan

    “Stop using the shooting victims as props!” says person waving picture of dead fetus at anti-abortion march.

  30. 30.

    magurakurin

    @Cacti:

    No, but before the Fiscal Cliff fiasco there was quite a lot of discussion about it. Most of it ending with the guests on the little panels looking very confused and puzzled as to how such a large and powerful nation could function with such a fucked up political system.

  32. 32.

    ericblair

    @magurakurin:

    Most of it ending with the guests on the little panels looking very confused and puzzled as to how such a large and powerful nation could function with such a fucked up political system.

    I guess when you’ve got the Japanese saying things like that, it means you’re really fucked up.

  34. 34.

    Roger Moore

    @dan:

    “Stop using the shooting victims as props!” says person waving picture of dead fetus at anti-abortion march.

    “Stop using the shooting victims as props!” say people who used 9/11 to justify invading Iraq.

  36. 36.

    Redshirt

    Reddit is a strange beast. So much good stuff. So much truly horrid stuff. I suppose it is a great example of “It is what you make of it”.

  37. 37.

    Mike E

    You’re almost better served getting your news from Inside Edition; their coverage is better than CNN, plus, boobies.

  39. 39.

    The Moar You Know

    Is the media going silent now that it seems to be coming clear that an American did this?

    @magurakurin: An American did what?

    Ain’t been no bombings in this part of the world, mister.

  40. 40.

    PsiFighter37

    I suppose this means we’ll all be getting a check in Balloon Juice dollars. Right?

  43. 43.

    kindness

    ‘Butt-Sniff Cam’.

    Is the camera pointing forward or backward? Reddit readers will want to know.

  45. 45.

    mzrad

    Hello. Is anyone aware of a graphic novel representation of Sinclair’s The Jungle that’s made for adults (not YA)? Thanks.

  46. 46.

    Redshirt

    I just put up a bird feeder, and have questions:

    1. How do the birds find it? I’m in the middle of the woods, on top of a mountain. There’s no other houses nearby.

    2. Once one species of bird finds it, how do other species?

    3. Are certain species of birds more likely to be tolerant of other species of birds at the feeder?

    4. Is the presence of many birds at the feeder area likely to reduce local bug population too?

    It’s like the Bird UN out there right now. I’ve counted four species all eating at the same time. Then the two Blue Jays sweep in and everyone scatters. No one likes Blue Jays.

  47. 47.

    sonofsamantha

    Ahh yes reddit. A site full of gamers,amateur porn enthusiasts, and moderator douche baggery. Oh they also have frequent fake movie star posts. Most recently a fake Morgan Freeman AMA (Ask Me Anything).

    Sounds like a good fit for Balloon Juice. A site full of firebaggers who like to be wrong about everything, report news stories that are wrong, with a site owner that hasn’t been right about anything his entire life.

    So much FAIL when you add the two up.

  50. 50.

    Keith G

    @Redshirt: The answer to one and two is social networking.

    If you put a variety of seeds in the feeder, you will find it attracts a variety of birds which feed on the different seeds.

    Some species are more tolerant of community dining than others. That’s the way life works.

    Monitor the squirrels and other rodents. You may have to modify your feeder.

  52. 52.

    Keith G

    @Redshirt: Birds are visual and more omnipresent than you might think. It will be found. In a short span of time, it will be a known hang out.

  53. 53.

    Redshirt

    @Keith G: Yeah, it was one day and whammo! Dozens of birds. It’s been fun watching them all interact.

    I dread the inevitable arrival of Mr. Squirrel. I put the feeder up in the Fall and a squirrel emptied it in a day. I said “no more for now”. He was ballsy too – I’d walk up to about 5 feet from the feeder and he’d just sit there looking at me, stuffing his cheeks.

  54. 54.

    Suffern ACE

    @Redshirt:

    It’s like the Bird UN out there right now. I’ve counted four species all eating at the same time. Then the two Blue Jays sweep in and everyone scatters. No one likes Blue Jays.

    Someday, you’ll have a few days when you can’t find many birds and you’ll wonder where they all went. You won’t notice the hawk that has been attacted to your feeder because you have attracted its food, but it’s around somewhere. No one likes to dine with the hawks.

  55. 55.

    Redshirt

    @Suffern ACE: Can a hawk really catch a chickadee? The chickadees seem incredibly fast and agile.

    Where do ravens fit into the picture? I’ve got a family that lives somewhere near by.

  56. 56.

    Suffern ACE

    @Redshirt: Anything that doesn’t have eyes on the top of its head can be snatched by a hawk. I’m not certain about the ravens. I think they feed on the seed that falls to the ground from your feeder. That’s where I’ve seen them most. Mourning doves like the seed on the ground as well, or in open trays.

  58. 58.

    Phoebe

    Good. Thank you for front-paging the Reddit thing — I haven’t had time to look at much on the web these past few days, including comments, and wouldn’t have known.

    I’m mostly a lurker around here, but that was an amazing post, the kind you want everyone you know (and everyone you don’t know) to read and take to heart, and that you hope that everyone is linking to. I’m glad to know that in this case everyone was.

  60. 60.

    Keith G

    @Redshirt: I would think not as vultures have not the appetite nor the equipment to feed on the vital and most prey animals are keenly aware of who presents the real danger.

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