Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

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

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

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

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

A consequence of cucumbers

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Joe Biden can go out like FDR, not by dying in office, but by crushing the fascists.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Let’s finish the job.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

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

Reader Interactions

207Comments

  5. 5.

    SIA

    The grief comes in waves, that slowly get further apart. Sometimes it’s much better and then out of nowhere you get blindsided. And it takes longer, I think, when the loss is shocking. At least it did for me. So glad the piglets are on the case. Sweetie pies.

  6. 6.

    Elizabelle

    Yeah, like you were going to be away for days on end.

    Those are two cute little bums.

  7. 7.

    Ted & Hellen

    Awww…I would tuck them both into the crook of my waist/bell, and spoon them for days on end with only potty and food breaks.

    Thinking of you and yours.

  9. 9.

    Comrade Dread

    They miss the big guy. Luckily they’ve got each other and you.

    I remember things got so bad with our youngest wienerdog after the two older ones passed away that she couldn’t be alone and had to be in my wife’s or my lap. We finally had to swallow our grief and get her a companion to help her through her abandonment/grief.

    And then the first time we had to take the new dog into the vet, she was convinced that the new dog wasn’t coming back and started howling.

    It’s really weird that we don’t always think about how aware animals are and how they have their own emotional states.

  13. 13.

    Violet

    Awww…so sweet. So impressed with Rosie stepping up in your time of need. Lily, of course, is a wonder. But Rosie! Good girl!

  14. 14.

    Amir Khalid

    I am not a musician, nor do I live in the US. Why does Gibson USA think I’m in the market for a Les Paul Classic Custom?

    Puppeh butts. They look so cute.

  15. 15.

    Nicole

    I stopped in PetCo with my toddler this afternoon and we looked at the rescue cats. One was a little black and white girl who had been found inside a car engine- her tail had been so badly burned it had to be amputated. And, remembering, your description of Lily when you first met her, smelling of pee and missing hair, I thought, “This is exactly the sort of cat John Cole will look for when he’s ready.” Lucky cat, whoever it will be.

    I’m sorry we couldn’t consider taking this one, but my husband is so severely allergic to cats that, were I to bring one home, it would later be used as evidence in my trial for his murder.

  18. 18.

    shortstop

    You’re doing great. Take it one hour, sometimes one minute at a time. Remember that the big setbacks are only temporary, and that the wry grins at the memories will become more numerous than the sobs.

  22. 22.

    Helmut Monotreme

    @Amir Khalid: Maybe it’s a sign from Google. It’s time, to pick up the guitar, learn to rock, and change the world.

    Or their ad choosing algorithm is borked again. whatever.

  23. 23.

    Shakezula

    You’re going to have to start putting a Sob warning on these. Some of us don’t have cubicles at their work spaces and the sound of sniveling carries.

  29. 29.

    Violet

    Even from just being able to see that much of them, Lily looks relaxed and Rosie looks ready for action. Doggie body language.

  31. 31.

    Cacti

    One of the biggest takeaways I’ve gotten from white friends over the past few days is that…

    “George Zimmerman isn’t white, he’s hispanic.”

    Who knew that Lionel Messi and David Ortiz were part of the same racial group.

  32. 32.

    eataTREE

    FWIW I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Cole. This has been just a brutal weekend for many good people for many reasons.

    I still miss my twenty-one year old cat whom I had to put to sleep four years ago.

  34. 34.

    LolaDelGato

    Puppeh love will slowly shrink the hole in your head and your heart heals too. Grief sux. Me and my cats are keeping you in our atheist prayers.

  35. 35.

    quannlace

    Hotter ‘n hell here in NJ. And supposed to stay that way all week. At first they were predicting 102 on Thursday, but have dialed that back a bit. Jeepers!

  36. 36.

    Mary G

    Now if you can take that clear of a picture of their back ends, you have no excuse for blurry pictures of their fronts.

    Hang in there, John.

  38. 38.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    @quannlace:

    The trip to work was fuuuun today. Especially since the PATH stations, unlike the trains themselves, don’t have the luxury of air conditioning, and some don’t even have fans.

  39. 39.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Amir Khalid: Not a clue, but it’s a better ad than it could be! BTW, Happy Belated Birthday. I’d have offered greetings sooner, but, well you know.

  40. 40.

    Keith G

    From Cole a bit earlier…

    I will never rub his belly again or yell at him for bitching at me or hear him chirp or purr or feel him rub between my legs or have him fight my hand as I tried to use the mouse while working or headbutt me when he….
    I can’t fucking take this.

    I protected him for years and then he was killed sunning himself in our yard…..

    This was a sad turn and it is very good to give voice to the frustration and anger. I grew up with cats, dogs and horses and it was never easy to say good bye – and the violent one are the worst since we anthropomorphize so much. Loosing a gentle dog to a neighboring farmer who should have picked up a phone instead of a rifle was the worst.

    There is a companion cat out there who will not be the same as Tunch, but who will be able to connect to you in ways Tunch wouldn’t. There will be new purrs and meows. A different look of “Hey Bud, get off your ass and feed me”. A cat who gets impatient when you are up past bedtime because some important cuddles are being lost.

    When my companion cat, Tapestry, passed on, I never thought I would get another, much less find one who could so knowingly interact with the human world……Then a bit later, I met the very young sisters Izzy and Meredith at a rescue shelter. Izzy is the companion cat, She is not Tapestry in many ways, yet she is much more my girl than Tappy was.

    So Cole, feel the loss and celebrate a friend who is gone…and…know that there is another who deserves a chance to win your love.

  41. 41.

    johio

    For those of us needing a good laugh, Michele Bachman gave some sort of interview where she talked about the President’s “magic wand” and how she wants to spank him. Benen has the details but there’s nothing like a totally unaware rightwing idiot to lighten my mood.

    We will miss the girl with the faraway eyes (credit C Pierce)

  42. 42.

    Seanly

    @SIA:

    I too can attest to this. We had to put down a beloved dog about a month before my wife started treatment for lymphoma. Spent the first week as shambles and very down – it took a while, but we recovered. I would think about her everyday for a long time.

    John – I don’t know if you read the comments, but keep an eye on your pups about 3 weeks from now. Three weeks after Ginnie passed, her pup Duncan (over 8.5 years old at that point) started defecating in the house very badly. The consistency was also rather soft. He had always been very good about going out. It happened several times so we took him to the vet, worried that he might have contracted something.

    Our vet said that he’d seen that behavior before with dogs who lost a companion animal. His theory was that it took the 3 weeks for the passed animal’s scent to fade and the remaining dog to notice the persistent abscence of a famaliar animal. He said to give Duncan tummy-friendly foods (like rice with broth) and it should clear up. And it did. I don’t know how close Rosie & Lily were to Tunch, but keep an eye on them even if they don’t seem to be aware of his abscence.

    Crap, just talking about Ginnie and thinking about the sadness you’re going through is making me tear up. And remember that whatever way you are grieving is the best thing for you. Take care.

  43. 43.

    dance around in your bones

    Puppy booties! So tiny, so cute! I’m glad you have them for comfort in your dutch oven of grief.

    I knew you’d be back :)

  45. 45.

    Baud

    OT: Harry Reid trolls Twitter

    @SenatorReid: I’m hearing from many of you that there are 2 major problems with the Senate: 1) gridlock and 2) not getting enough done. Is that right?

  46. 46.

    Amir Khalid

    @a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
    My 52nd is actually on Wednesday, the day of the Boston meetup. (My reading comprehender suffered a momentary glitch.) So your good wishes are not belated.

    I did learn something interesting on Saturday: Google Translate’s attempts at Malay grammar are, shall we say, entertaining.

  49. 49.

    donnah

    They know what you need, John. When our cat Chloe died, our dog and our other cat were very still. And when our dog heard me crying, she would whine and lick my face.

    Our two current cats wouldn’t give two hoots if the other disappeared, but they would read my emotions and respond to me.

    Some folks say we wrongly attribute human emotions to our pets, but I’ve seen jealousy, anger, mourning, and fear in all of them. They know when we’re hurting.

  50. 50.

    The Moar You Know

    Isn’t Gibson the outfit that had the problem with importing wood from endangered trees to make guitars with?

    @Amir Khalid: The wood – Indian rosewood – is not at all endangered. Here’s the deal, and it gets kinda complicated:

    1. Gibson wants Indian rosewood for fingerboards. It’s grown in India. You buy it from a state-run supplier, as all wood in India is property of the federal government.
    2. Gibson, being run by a son-of-a-bitch beyond compare, decides to save a few bucks and buy it on the side.
    3. Wood is delivered.
    4. Someone, and I would bet every asset I own it was a disgruntled former employee, as Gibson produces almost as many of those as they do guitars, rats them out.
    5. Feds come and ask for the paperwork.
    6. There ain’t no fucking paperwork.
    7. Feds take Gibson’s wood, as a crime has been committed. Henry, who knows how to handle anything so long as it involves being a son-of-a-bitch, calls the Wingnut Wurlitzer, who fire up the engines and start spraying shit everywhere. It is what they do best.
    8. After a year and a half of milking the outrage machine, Gibson very quietly pays the fine and gets their wood back. They are a conservative cause celebre. Hilariously enough, Gibsons are so fucking expensive that all the droolers screaming about how Obama is torpedoing American business wouldn’t have been able to afford one before the wood seizure, and still can’t afford one now.

    Yes, I worked in the business. Not for Gibson, though. Met Henry a few times. Worked for years with several of his former employees. God, he sucks.

  54. 54.

    brighid

    @Comrade Dread: I remember when we lost our lab, we were prepared for the other dog to grieve but the cat really lost it and we were completely unprepared for that. She sat at the front door for days meowing mournfully and it killed me. In retrospect it should have occurred to us , the lab and the pastel calico were best buds but it didn’t. Animals do have a much richer emotional life than we acknowledge. Hang in there Mr. Cole these will be rough days for you and yours. Be good to yourself and the pups.

  55. 55.

    TR Donoghue

    Hi John,

    I’ve been traveling for fun and was absolutely shocked at what I read yesterday. I seriously started to tear up while I was at lunch. My wife and I have a big “grumpy” cat right about the same age as Tunch and I can’t imagine losing her. I rarely post but I want you to know that Tunch was loved and appreciated all across the tubes. My thoughts are with you.

    TR

  56. 56.

    TR Donoghue

    Hi John,

    I’ve been traveling for fun and was absolutely shocked at what I read yesterday. I seriously started to tear up while I was at lunch. My wife and I have a big “grumpy” cat right about the same age as Tunch and I can’t imagine losing her. I rarely post but I want you to know that Tunch was loved and appreciated all across the tubes. My thoughts are with you.

    TR

  57. 57.

    RaflW

    Oh, and Cole, I’m glad to see that this morning’s

    Fuck it all. I’m going away from the blog for a few days

    has about as much force of fact as a typical GOP press release.

  59. 59.

    Seanly

    EDIT to Post #41 – the lymphoma treatments for my wife weren’t the reason we put down Ginnie. Our sweet girl had been having liver & other internal organ ailments (all sorts of complicated auto-immune issues) for a couple of years. She’d gotten to the point where it was a Whack-A-Mole of sickness. When we told the vet we were thinking of putting her down, she didn’t make any protests. We tore ourselves up about it the choice for a while, but think that Ginnie had probably been in lots of pain for a couple of years.

    Oh, she was the sweetest girl. She got free from a groomer once when we lived in Harrisburg and I made it home first to find her afraid at the back door. After that, she was daddy’s little girl.

  63. 63.

    gbear

    It’s interesting to hear people’s stories about how much their pets missed a pet that passed away. About three years ago one of my cats passed away very peacefully of old age. When the time came, it was pretty obvious that it was coming on quickly. My other cat, who had played second fiddle for six years (despite my best efforts – the cats kind of established their own order) had no reaction whatsoever to the death of her housemate. She was curled up in a cat bed right next to the older cat when she passed away and had no reaction at all. I always felt like a bad dad for creating an environment where the cat’s didn’t bond. They were both Torts so I may have been wishing for the impossible…

  64. 64.

    Yatsuno

    PUPPEHS!!!

    @Cacti: I was wondering how long it would take for him to become brown again. I’m kinda surprised it took that long.

  65. 65.

    Helmut Monotreme

    @The Moar You Know: I’m not a guitarist, but I did hear something about this at the time. Pessimist that I am, I just assumed that everyone making anything out of wood is doing it with illegally logged irreplaceable 5000 year old bristlecone pines or ancient redwoods or something.

  66. 66.

    Citizen_X

    @The Moar You Know:

    Gibsons are so fucking expensive

    You misspelled “overpriced.”

    I bought my ~1983 SG a loooonnnggg time ago for about $350. (It was, and still is, beat to shit, but that was still in the range for SGs then.) It plays and sounds WAY better than the crap they’re charging $1700 and up for these days.

  67. 67.

    Rosalita

    Good to see a post from you. Animals always seem to know when you need them; I’m glad you have your little puppeh angels

  69. 69.

    raven

    My story of how Bohdi was pivotal in the diagnoses of Raven’s cancer has already been told her. I will say that as much as they romped together Bohdi showed NO reaction to Raven’s death at all. I’m not saying the stories of grieving pets are not true but they are not universal.

  71. 71.

    RenoRick

    I didn’t read the blog this weekend due to not enough free time/breaking up with my girlfriend. I was DEVASTATED to learn about Tunch. My sincere condolences to you John.

  72. 72.

    maya

    @The Moar You Know: Henry Gibson? I didn’t know that guy from Laugh In owned a geetar biz.

    JC, feed them puppehs lots and lots of beans mixed with cabbage and topped off with some old hard boiled eggs.

  73. 73.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    I’m not a guitarist, but I did hear something about this at the time. Pessimist that I am, I just assumed that everyone making anything out of wood is doing it with illegally logged irreplaceable 5000 year old bristlecone pines or ancient redwoods or something.

    @Helmut Monotreme: In this case, there are two reasons that doesn’t happen – guitar builders actually give a shit about wood and ensuring a decent supply thereof ( a lot of them were hippies at one point, which helps) and they also like working in cheaper wood if possible to keep costs down. I can’t say the same of quite a few furniture makers.

    @Amir Khalid: Thanks. Helped being on the inside of that industry for 20 years, and personally knowing most of the people involved. The news coverage, from every end of the ideological spectrum, got it completely and totally wrong. Keep that in mind next time you read something in the news.

    @Citizen_X: Gibson’s current pricing structure makes zero sense. I could go on about why for hours, but work – which currently has nothing to do with making sawdust, unfortunately – calls.

  75. 75.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    I’m not a guitarist, but I did hear something about this at the time. Pessimist that I am, I just assumed that everyone making anything out of wood is doing it with illegally logged irreplaceable 5000 year old bristlecone pines or ancient redwoods or something.

    @Helmut Monotreme: In this case, there are two reasons that doesn’t happen – guitar builders actually give a shit about wood and ensuring a decent supply thereof ( a lot of them were hippies at one point, which helps) and they also like working in cheaper wood if possible to keep costs down. I can’t say the same of quite a few furniture makers.

    @Amir Khalid: Thanks. Helped being on the inside of that industry for 20 years, and personally knowing most of the people involved. The news coverage, from every end of the ideological spectrum, got it completely and totally wrong. Keep that in mind next time you read something in the news.

    @Citizen_X: Gibson’s current pricing structure makes zero sense. I could go on about why for hours, but work – which currently has nothing to do with making sawdust, unfortunately – calls.

  76. 76.

    A Ghost To Most

    Off to the Foothills Animal Shelter, to look for an emergency backup cat. Quit my old job today; three weeks off until the new one starts, so I can supervise the installation of a new roof.

    John, you might have a look at this video if you get a chance; it always cheers me up.

    Eighteen Wheels of Love

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k22_1TBLGrQ

  77. 77.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    @maya: Henry Juszkiewicz. I don’t think anyone named “Gibson” has been involved with the company since the forties.

  79. 79.

    JPL

    John, Since Tunch was the best internet cat ever, is it possible to sell T-shirts and such with Tunch and his big wings.
    The two butts might make interesting t-shirts also.

  83. 83.

    Shakezula

    @brighid: Yes they do grieve. When my husband spent a month in hospital his cat became very depressed. And even though my female cat died at home, her brother went around the house giving his special call for her and checking places she liked to hang out for about a week. It seemed more like two eternities pasted together, I thought maybe seeing her would help him understand. I guess he forgot?

    Oh my God, those cats are all dead and gone and it is still hard.

  89. 89.

    Ted & Hellen

    @John Cole:

    Keeping your red meat, know nothing base well-fed, I see!

    Always advisable for a grifting blogmaster with clicks to accumulate.

  90. 90.

    Chyron HR

    @Ted & Hellen:

    Buh-but we’re best buddies, right? That time you called me a reprehensible asshole and threatened to ban me was just a joke, right?

  91. 91.

    Ted & Hellen

    @Fred Fnord:

    Oh god. Dog farts.

    It is for this reason and this reason alone that I do not put MY head under the covers when cuddling with the doglets.

    They seem remarkably nonchalant about my own stinkers.

  94. 94.

    Eric S

    I saw the Tunch news this morning. I was duly shocked and remain profoundly sad. I wanted to run home and give lap time to my boy, Ozzie. Soon enough, but first I have to stop off at the gf’s house to look in on her kitteh while she’s on vacation.

    My thoughts and a few tears are with you, JC.

  96. 96.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    Next you’ll be telling me that nobody named Martin owns C.F. Martin and Co.

    @maya: LOL. One of the rarities. I think Chris Martin is either the 4th or 5th Martin, and he’s done more good for that company than anyone save the founder. And he walks the talk when it comes to wood conservation.

  97. 97.

    Cathy W

    I missed things over the weekend, too. I was absolutely stunned when I heard what happened, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain to co-workers that “this guy on the Internet’s cat was killed” is why I’ve been sad all day in a way that doesn’t make them want to medicate me.

    (Also happy to hear your dad is not down a finger.)

  99. 99.

    Mnemosyne

    I think I said in another thread that Boris went looking for Natasha the night she died, even though he was actually in the apartment when she passed. (G came home at lunch and found her body.)

    When we got Keaton, he immediately decided that he was Boris’s bestest buddy in the whole world, no matter what Boris thought of it. Boris eventually resigned himself to wrestling matches with a kitten half his age as long as it meant he also got groomed. The vets always said that Boris was the best-groomed dying cat they’d ever seen because Keaton did it for him.

    Poor Keaton was not meant to be an only cat, so he went a little stir-crazy after Boris died, so we got him Annie. It took several months before we were allowed to pet her (she had been living with ferals and didn’t trust humans), but she loved Keaton from day one.

    So, yes, animals have a whole emotional life outside of us, at least in my experience. Boris wasn’t scrambling underneath dressers looking for Tashi as some kind of a show for me — he was searching for her for his own reasons.

  101. 101.

    Forum Transmitted Disease

    Did you think it was impossible for the Koch brothers to be bigger assholes? You were wrong.

    @kc: I’m honestly stunned. Those guys really will stop at nothing, will they?

    The only way their lives end with any justice is by having their dismembered bodies fed to pigs.

  104. 104.

    John Mc in NC

    In honor of the memory of the King of teh Internets, I changed my FB profile pic to Tunch’s FEED poster today, I hope that is alright with you. If not, just reply here and I’ll take it down. Still feeling for you, man.

  108. 108.

    lamh35

    Reason #1,000,900,001 why far-left faux-gressives can KMNBA

    ‏@davidsirota 15m
    Those outraged by Zimmerman verdict but fine w/ drone killing children of color show partisan politics defines their supposed principles.
    ‏@davidsirota 18m
    It’s consistent to be outraged by BOTH Zimmerman verdict & killing of 16 yr old Awlaki. It’s inconsistent to only be outraged by the fmr

    So the comparison is that Barack Obama is George Zimmerman and Travyon Martin is Al Awaki!!!!

    Really mofo! Really!!!

    I swear if I EVER saw David Sirota in the streets and I knew who he was, I would smack him across his face….period.

    The Dem party should thank their lucky stars that David Sirota is not known by anyone but the INTERNET left, cause that right there, faux-gressive logic or not, is how you piss people off.

    ETA: Another person who can KMNBA is the juror who’s allegedly gonna be writing a book (if true). And I’m supposed to “respect this verdict” and this person (allegedly) is already writing a book about it!!!!

    This is what feeds the simmering anger I was talking about the other day

  111. 111.

    Cassidy

    @lamh35: All the FB libertarians immediately went into false equivalence as soon as the verdict came out. I had to take some time away from FB just for that and I told people that I like them and want to continue liking them so I’m going to let several hour go by and let tha tshit get pushed to the bottom. Idiots. Can’t have a conversation without going DROOOOOONNNNEEESSS!!!

    @Yatsuno: Better yours than mine.

  113. 113.

    zombie rotten mcdonald

    @Amir Khalid:

    I am not a musician, nor do I live in the US. Why does Gibson USA think I’m in the market for a Les Paul Classic Custom?

    They are encouraging you to buy me one.

  114. 114.

    Helmut Monotreme

    @Forum Transmitted Disease:
    I’ve always thought Gretsch guitars looked and sounded amazing. They’re not made by wingnuts out of lead or the souls of the damned or furniture stolen from the repossessed houses of handicapped veterans or something are they?

  115. 115.

    lamh35

    @lamh35: oh and another person added to the KMNBA list. Barbara Walters can MISS me with this shhh.

    @BarbaraJWalters 36m
    Tonight, I interview George ‪#‎Zimmerman‬’s parents, Robert and Gladys, about their son’s trial, verdict and future.

  120. 120.

    Baud

    @lamh35:

    The Dem party should thank their lucky stars that David Sirota is not known by anyone but the INTERNET left, cause that right there, faux-gressive logic or not, is how you piss people off.

    I’ve seen him on Chris Hayes’s show a few times, so that’s about 5 more people who know who he is.

  122. 122.

    Cermet

    Still can’t believe Tunch is gone … he was so iconic for this blog. I miss him and refused, at first, to believe that it was true. Strange thing is, I don’t even like cats but Tunch and John’s posts/pictures made him so likable that I really wish I could have meet him or at least had the chance to get that look from him (the cat) … at least it was fast and mostly painless – it is all most of us can hope for, and rarely get, in the end.

  123. 123.

    Chyron HR

    @Ted & Hellen:

    W-w-w-we have a code! I call him Cole, and he tells me to fuck off and die! He really thinks Zimmerman is the greatest American who ever lived, he’s just grifting the botspaliners with red meat when he pretends to side with Tray-Tray!

    So are you even managing to fool yourself with this horseshit?

  124. 124.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @lamh35: That’s pretty much equivalent to “If you are against drones then you are for another 9-11”. Totally stupid comparison.

  125. 125.

    beltane

    @lamh35: Maybe Robert and Gladys Zimmerman are also writing a book. It’s a family that eats what they kill.

    I thought Barbara Walters had retired. Is this what she emerged from the crypt for?

  127. 127.

    muddy

    We’ve often spoken of Tunch’s gravity(well). These poor sweet butts have been knocked off their orbit.

  128. 128.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh35: Sirota…FFS….what an asshole.

    Regarding the juror who signed with a literary agent, there may eventually have to be a law stopping jurors from cashing in on high-profile trials. IIRC, there was a man who was in the original (large) jury pool who was pimping his objectivity and lack of knowledge about the case to the lawyers, but he got kicked out of the pool when someone got wind that he’d discussed it on FB. Basically, he saw it as a huge opportunity. Getting called to jury duty in a high-profile case shouldn’t be like finding a Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar.

  129. 129.

    Hill Dweller

    @beltane: Zimmerman’s father released an e-book just before the trial. In it, he called nearly every black person in the country racist.

  130. 130.

    Yatsuno

    @beltane: She officially retires in 2014. Until then she gets to present this dreck. I think this was scheduled long before the verdict, but it’s still disgusting.

  131. 131.

    joes527

    @Betty Cracker:

    Getting called to jury duty in a high-profile case shouldn’t be like finding a Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar.

    If memory serves … that actually ended badly in most cases.

  132. 132.

    becca

    I gotta tell ya, it was a Hallmark Card Moment for me when you wrote of Ole Rosie knowing what was what. That will be the moment you remember when Rosie goes back to being, well, you know…Rosie.

  133. 133.

    Cacti

    @Hill Dweller:

    Zimmerman’s father released an e-book just before the trial. In it, he called nearly every black person in the country racist.

    Black people have always been the real racists, ever since racism was invented by Jesse Jackson.

  134. 134.

    beltane

    @Betty Cracker: Jurors should be forbidden from cashing in on performing their civic duty period. At the very least, they should be barred from cashing in for a reasonable period of time such a ten years or more. I don’t see how a juror who who is soliciting book deals, etc. is any less corruptible than a juror who takes an outright bribe from one of the parties. A juror who is out there pimping looking to pimp their vote is not an impartial juror.

    This case has been a sordid mess from start to finish.

  137. 137.

    Amir Khalid

    Actors aren’t all rich celebrities. This happened to a member of the Game of Thrones supporting cast, thanks to a government screw-up. At least it wasn’t five years jail plus 14 more for trying to escape.

  138. 138.

    lamh35

    @beltane: @Betty Cracker:

    Exactly. We are going around telling people to “respect the jury” or “the jury has spoken” and less than 48 hrs after verdict we have a juror siging with a fuckin’ literary agent.

    Seriously, WTF!!! Simmering anger people, simmering anger.

  139. 139.

    Betty Cracker

    @beltane: Exactly. At the very least, having financial motives could prompt them to tailor their answers in the pre-trial hearing to improve their chance of selection. This needs to be nipped in the bud.

  140. 140.

    Mike in DC

    I know others have made this point more eloquently than I, but thank you for sharing Tunch with us. I know I always looked forward to the Tunch posts, as did many others.

  142. 142.

    ThresherK

    I may be going to the meetup in Mass Wed nite, and I may be bringing baked goods.

    What food allergies do planned attendees have for me to watch out for?

  145. 145.

    kc

    @ranchandsyrup:

    You know . . . in their minds, they are the real victims.

    I thought about posting some snarky comment to the effect that I can only dream of the day when a white Christian might hope to achieve a position of power and influence in this country, but I refrained. I have to see these people in a couple of months.

    Of course, the snark might have gone over their heads . . .

  146. 146.

    khead

    @ranchandsyrup:

    Same here. Throw in the fact that it is many of same folks who thought Paula Deen getting let go by corporations was a national tragedy and it’s flat out craptacular.

  147. 147.

    Cacti

    Robert Zimmerman, Jr. (brother of the killer) makes least self-aware comment in human history:

    I’m concerned someone might take the law into their own hands and kill my brother.

    July 14, 2013

  148. 148.

    Violet

    @Betty Cracker: I posted something similar in a previous thread. If jurors can make money off being on a jury and then writing a book, how can that not be seen as a possible conflict of interest. Won’t some unscrupulous jurors be thinking, “Which verdict gives me the better story for my book deal?”

  149. 149.

    khead

    @Cacti:

    And I didn’t think he could get less self-aware after the “looking over his shoulder comment”.

    Silly me.

  150. 150.

    beltane

    @Cacti: It sounds like he is acknowledging that his brother got away with murder. If this family possessed even a modicum of decency they would just STFU. How much damage do they have to do before they stop with the victimization crap?

  151. 151.

    Journeywoman

    Put a check down for me in the “animals don’t always grieve” column. At one point we had two brothers, Tigger and Roo, who had lived together their whole 12 years; we also had a Siamese and a Maine coon mix. When Roo got cancer and we took him in for the final time, we wanted to bring the body back home so that Tigger would know he was gone before we handed Roo over for cremation. Tigger sniffed at him with an apparent shrug of “Ehh – didn’t like him much anyway,” the Maine coon could barely be bothered to put in an appearance, and the Siamese started jumping in and out of the cardboard box we brought him home in. So, yeah – animals can grieve, but clearly not every relationship is worth the trouble.

  152. 152.

    Jebediah

    Beautiful doggies really, really want you to feel better.
    When I first saw the news and started…reacting… Juno wouldn’t stay off me, standing in my lap and kiss kiss kissing me for as long as I would let her. She obviously did not know why I was upset, but wanted to make it better.
    And Otto has taken another little downturn, and Chucky is visibly distressed by it, even though he is usually kind of a dick to her. So yeah, I agree that critters’ emotional lives might have a little more going on than we used to think.

  154. 154.

    Hungry Joe

    I heard that the ever-intrepid Barbara Walters also scored an interview — maybe even an American exclusive! — with a woman who does gigs as a Kate Middleton lookalike.

    How that woman ever got a job in journalism, much less kept one, not to mention how she became !!!***BARBARA WALTERS***!!!, is way, way beyond me.

  156. 156.

    lamh35

    @Hungry Joe: because before she lobbed softball questions to Oscar-nominated celebs. She was the first female anchor and reporter for evening news and such. Then somehow she started doing the lame ass Oscar specials

  161. 161.

    Burt Hutt

    I am delurking to add my voice to those already mourning the losses of Tunch and General (or Comrade) Stuck.

    I also am facing my own agonizing decision regarding my and my wife’s companion for 14.5 years: a lovable lab named Montana who can no longer walk without our assistance but tries to follow wherever we go and tries to kiss everyone she meets. She has helped us with corraling three children as they joined her family and has frustrated us with her penchant for barking at spider farts. I love reading this blog for its concern for people and pets alike (with snark for the former and without reservation for the latter). As we make our choice to say goodbye I let all of this community’s stories inspire or inform and come to grips with our inevitable loss.

  167. 167.

    eclare

    @Cacti: Words fail. The stupidity, it burns, burns deep. My only solace is that GZ is a complete fuckup who no doubt will be back in jail for something, sooner than you think.

  168. 168.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud:

    so that’s about 5 more people who know who he is.

    Four, I quit watching Chris last week.

  171. 171.

    Lotti

    @Journeywoman: animals can grieve, but clearly not every relationship is worth the trouble.

    Or possibly animals unlike humans sense that when the animating spirit is gone what is left is not the real thing.

  172. 172.

    kc

    @eclare:

    My only solace is that GZ is a complete fuckup who no doubt will be back in jail for something, sooner than you think.

    Hopefully not for killing another teenager.

  175. 175.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Burt Hutt:
    The moment we take a pet into our lives we take responsibility for the pet’s well being. That includes facing The Day and all of the heartbreak that goes along with it. Takes some courage and the willingness to have your heart broken. Whatever, whenever, your decision I wish you courage and beam you my very best.

  178. 178.

    Kay

    I listened to Eugene Robinson on Chris Mathews (on the radio) and he was as angry and upset as I have ever heard him. Clear, crisp, but really upset and passionate.
    I agree with everything he said.

  184. 184.

    Journeywoman

    @Lotti: Could be – animals might be more likely to ignore an actual body but still react to the companion’s absence. Sill, Tigger didn’t show any obvious signs of grief or depression in the weeks following Roo’s death, so I think the point still stands. (Though to be fair, Roo did become a bit of a bully in his later years, able – and clearly willing – to kick Tigger’s ass for no apparent reason, so Tigger might actually have been enjoying this particular companion’s absence, brother or no.)

  186. 186.

    dance around in your bones

    @Burt Hutt:

    Our old shep mix was in the same state – we had to pick her up under her belly to get her on her feet – and we finally made the call for a vet to come out the next day and put her down. That night she quietly expired in the backyard. It still hurt like hell.

    I don’t know if we ever feel like we did the right thing – sometimes shit just happens.

    eta: best wishes and good thoughts to you and your family, whatever you decide to do.

  187. 187.

    Journeywoman

    @Mnemosyne: it may well have ended up that way, but they started out pretty close – we have many pictures of them from their early years either curled up together or apart but mirroring each other on the couch. We now have two Siamese half-siblings just over a year old who adore each other, but I’m afraid the same thing might happen to them some day – the sister has outgrown serious roughhousing, but the brother still insists on chasing her around and it obviously ticks her off. And it’s too hot to cuddle right now – I really hope they haven’t lost that closeness by the time it gets cold again, because they are the cutest things ever when they’re snuggling together…

  188. 188.

    A Ghost To Most

    Back from the animal shelter with our new cat, Maple. Two years old, and seems to be a sweet confident kitty. She is exploring now; our main cat is pissed at the moment. Hopefully this works out.

  189. 189.

    schrodinger's cat

    @lamh35: I once saw one of Baba Wawa’s old interviews, she was interviewing John Warner who was a Senate candidate and Liz Taylor, and guess who she reserved the most pointed questions for?

    ETA: Either they were recently engaged or married and he was campaigning for Senate.

  190. 190.

    WereBear

    @A Ghost To Most: I would keep the new cat in a room of her own and merge territories later.

    Unless your present cat is social and likes companionship, one has to be careful of too much, too soon.

  191. 191.

    gbear

    @WereBear: I’ll second that it’s better to keep them apart for a while. They can get to know each other under a door. You should also get a check up at the vet before they’re together in case the new kitty is bringing in germs that you’re other kitty has never been exposed to.

  192. 192.

    Pogonip

    @Burt Hutt: I am very sorry about your dog, but I could not help but think that “Barks at Spider Farts” could be a Kevin Costner movie.

  193. 193.

    Burt Hutt

    Thanks for all the words of encouragement. She’s not the first pup either of us had to put down but she was the first to make our family three and has been with either of us for this long. As friendly as she is, the thing that attracted us to her as a pup was that she was the only pup to not back down from the breeder’s cat. Maybe she and Tunch can have epic staring battles over the rainbow bridge when her time comes.

    And, yes, the nym is a twist on the time-honored BJ lexicon.

  194. 194.

    Gretchen

    When my old dog Wolfgang passed, the younger dog Ivy moped around looking depressed until we got her a puppy, and then she was back to normal. When she passed, the puppy, then grown into a big old Bosley, didn’t seem to notice. But he wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb on the porch, poor guy.

  195. 195.

    Pogonip

    John, did your sister decide what to do about the offending dog? If I were she ( and thank God I’m not, this has to be terribly upsetting and embarrassing for her), I believe I would have it put down, for fear that the next time might involve a child. Some dogs just have such strong predatory drives that they aren’t meant to be pets, and that’s a darn shame. Also, how is your dad?

  196. 196.

    A Ghost To Most

    Main cat is outside, and calming down. Maple is surprisingly calm, and checking things out. She has already found the spots my old cat used to hang in to get away from Winnie.

    So far so good.

  197. 197.

    SIA

    @Burt Hutt: Of the five dogs I’ve had as an adult, three were labs or lab mix. 14 seems to be the age, at least it was for two of them. Our youngest is a Pyr/Lab, mix, just 9 months old. She’s a trip.

    We were able to improve their ability to move by going to a canine acupuncturist and chiropractor, if there’s one available in your area, you might try that. You can also massage them to help ease their discomfort. Best wishes.

  198. 198.

    Anna in PDX

    I didn’t hear about this until midday today and am still in shock and so sad for you JC. I just ordered a Tunch mug and T-shirt… I am so glad you have two loving dogs to keep you company.

  199. 199.

    A Ghost To Most

    @Burt Hutt:

    When Polly, my best-cat-ever, stopped eating and was obviously getting uncomfortable, we made the decision after she had a great day in the yard. It was hard, but I am happy we didn’t let her suffer. I hope you can be comfortable in your decision; life is hard some times.

  201. 201.

    pat

    @Burt Hutt:

    I’ve lost three cats under conditions that were not under my control. I think you have the chance to evaluate the situation and take charge in order to limit suffering, and when you are sure you are making the right decision, you will feel better than if you watch your dear doggie slowly get more and more incapacitated….

    My two cents.

  202. 202.

    pat

    @Journeywoman:

    We had two littermates, Tigger and Susy Q. Tigger was by far the dominant cat, and when we lost him a few years ago, Susy did not seem to notice. Of course Mommy (me) thought she must be LONELY so we brought in another cat. Well, Susy thought this was her chance to dominate, but boy was she wrong. Rather than let our poor old Susy being bullied (chased into the basement, being run up to and hit on her back) we had to give the younger cat back.

    Susy seems to be entirely content with her role as an ONLY KITTEH.

  204. 204.

    gluon1

    I missed the original happening but, FWIW, I would like to add my condolences to the many already provided. I’ll also commend to Mr. Cole and all those who have lost someone, including General Stuck, the Mourner’s Bill of Rights. It has done good work in helping members of my family deal with the unfortunate feelings of guilt that all too often can accompany grief on losing a loved one.

  205. 205.

    MikeInSewickley

    First time back to BJ since your self-imposed exile of a couple of hours ago.

    I’m glad you came back to show us who is helping you through this.
    They know Tunch is gone and you need them more than ever.

    Good girls.

  206. 206.

    Mnemosyne

    @WereBear:

    It so depends on the cat, though. Keaton never let us keep new arrivals behind closed doors — he immediately wanted to meet them and would spend lots of time poking his paw under the door and chirruping at them even when we tried to keep them apart for health reasons.

    What can I say — Keaton is a lion at heart and he’s not happy unless he has a pride to be in charge of.

  207. 207.

    Chaplain Weasle

    Glad you have helper puppies!
    Animals raised in loving homes like yours have sympathy, empathy & emotions like us humans do… and they know when their peoples are sad or having a bad/down day.
    They love you & miss Tunch too… glad you have each other.

    Also, today is the 9th of Av, a day of sorrow & mourning in the Jewish faith, I’m sending prayers for you guys & lit a candle for His Mighty Largeness & In Chargeness

Comments are closed.