Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

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

Republicans do not pay their debts.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

T R E 4 5 O N

In my day, never was longer.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

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

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

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Open Thread about ANYTHING BUT Glenn Greenwald

Reader Interactions

179Comments

  2. 2.

    Santa Fe

    Why thank you sir. Thinking of watching a movie this evening. Catch Me If You Can, probably.

  4. 4.

    gussie

    I think the real Greenwald Rule is, ‘whatever the truth is, nobody’s opinion will change.’

  7. 7.

    burnspbesq

    Everybody on Balloon-Juice is about to become already experts on British anti-terrorism laws.

    FTFY. Don’t believe me? Just ask them.

  8. 8.

    Mnemosyne

    Yeah, it’s probably about time to head out on that bike ride I’ve been promising myself for weeks. I’m very curious to see how the Fitbit counts it.

  10. 10.

    PeakVT

    Trolling the commentariat AND declaring the bait out of bounds?

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Grunt.

  13. 13.

    Belafon

    Other than when something happens right before your eyes, that’s probably a good rule to follow in general.

  14. 14.

    MikeJ

    @burnspbesq: I thought Crystal Palace looked good. They had some real chances. Of course Gareth Bale was out, and Tottenham isn’t the same team without him.

  15. 15.

    longtime lurk

    @LT:
    Yes, and seconds after Cole was on twitter lamenting the decline of Cesca’s blog (and twitter-fighting with Cesca himself), voila, said blog is pimped on the front page of Cole’s blog.

  17. 17.

    burnspbesq

    @MikeJ:

    I’m always happy that I don’t have to be in the same room as Piers Morgan, but after yesterday’s stinker by Arsenal, I’m even more happy about that today.

  18. 18.

    drew42

    Going to watch the Giants / Colts in a little bit. Over the last few years, I’ve been enjoying preseason NFL more than regular season games. There’s no stress, and it’s fun later in the game to root for the little guys.

  19. 19.

    Suffern ACE

    I want…something exciting, but instead I’m watching a marathon of barter kings while running a training module on my company’s new CRM. Missed the training last week due to a conflicting meeting, so it’s as good as new. Anyone want an unused SAP training module? I’ll consider any serious offers.

  20. 20.

    Amir Khalid

    @burnspbesq:
    At least the EPL looks like being more of a contest than the Spanish Primera Liga. Real Madrid barely scraped a 2-1 home win over Real Betis while Barca thumped Levante 7-nil. Can you have a two-horse race with only one horse in the running?

  21. 21.

    rikyrah

    3CHICSPOLITICO Reviews Lee Daniels’ The Butler:

    I went to see The Butler, and since I know Ametia’s going to see it too, I thought we’d write our own thoughts about the movie.

    I really liked it. I had trepidation going into it, but came out of it really liking it.

    I liked it because I thought Daniels brought a lot of Black Pain in vivid color, pretty much from the opening scene, with Mariah Carey and David Banner, which was about as ugly and truthful as anything in Black History.

    For me, all the scenes with regards to Black Pain was brutal, honest, forthright, and I appreciated them being put ‘in color’. I have seen numerous pieces on Black History, especially with the Civil Rights Movement, but they were usually in Black and White. By bringing those scenes in color, IMO, makes it real for generations who don’t even know their history.

    http://3chicspolitico.com/2013/08/18/3chics-reviews-lee-daniels-the-butler/

  22. 22.

    srv

    I suggest you Darrell’s of the Left start forming a support group, because Angry Sober John is going to be the new normal.

    For the rest of you, stock up on popcorn.

  25. 25.

    MikeJ

    @burnspbesq: Arsenal deserve to lose. They have pots of money and won’t spend any of it. If I were one of their supporters I’d be pissed. Well, every time I’ve ever met one he was pissed in the British sense of the word, but they have a right to be pissed in the American sense too.

  27. 27.

    FlipYrWhig

    @srv: Oh, good, the internet has a real shortage of anger-fueled civil libertarians who try to be the quickest to agree with Glenn Greenwald.

  28. 28.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @jeffreyw: For the first time in almost 30 years of being a cat slave, I have kitties who love the dryer. It’s disconcerting.

  30. 30.

    burnspbesq

    @MikeJ:

    Forest are alone atop the Championship after three weeks, with nine points and no goals conceded. Expectation management is starting to become an issue.

  31. 31.

    MomSense

    I took the best bike ride today past farms and fields to a beautiful cove. Had a swim and took a nap before riding home. The water was actually warm enough to swim.

    Now to make a light supper to eat on the porch and enjoy the last bit of sunshine before the work week starts again.

  32. 32.

    something fabulous

    @Mnemosyne: Hey! Been meaning to catch you. We have an “organizer” in the Chicago suburbs for my dad, so he doesn’t have to deal with bill-paying or checkbook-balancing any more, since his kids both live so far away (my brother is in Paris!). We’ve been using her for several years now and she is AWESOME. She also helped to arrange his move for us when we sold the childhood home, and tracks his Drs’ appts; all kinds of things. Can’t recommend her highly enough. If that seems like it might be useful for your situation, let me know here and we can figure out how to get you the info…

  38. 38.

    shirt

    I’m 64 and look every bit of those years. Today, at target, I got carded. Not only that, they wanted to scan my ID.

    Who the fuck do they thing they are? The NSA? To what end do they want a copy of my ID? They’re not verifying my age, mind you, they want a copy of my ID! There can not be any good reason for this intrusive requirement. I just wonder if it’s just an insurance company or an info net set up by insurance companies or their own bright-ass idea to sell their infogathering capabilities.

    Shirt

  40. 40.

    something fabulous

    @Mnemosyne:Great! Asked her, and she says she could always use new clients. Info comin’ atcha now, from an undisclosed yahoo account (mwha-ha-ha…)!

  41. 41.

    Santa Fe

    Caught Elysium on Thursday night with my better half, on the recommendation of our 21 year old sci-fi geek son. Hella good movie, highly recommend it. Nice to see original R-rated sci-fi in the movies, like back in the day.

  43. 43.

    Yatsuno

    Laundry is done, kitchen will get scrubbed after dinner tonight, pretty much all caught up on housework. Just me, tea, and cookies.

  44. 44.

    Mnemosyne

    @Wag:

    I just got the Flex, which is the one you wear on your wrist, so I’m curious to see how it goes. Do you usually just go with the step count you get, or do you enter it as a bike ride in the Dashboard and let the program adjust the “steps”?

  45. 45.

    Wag

    @Mnemosyne:

    I actually leave the fitbit at home and us an app, Strava, that I have on my iPhone. I’ve true several gps apps, and Strava is by far the best. Super accurate maps of your route, helpful info about grades of climbs, etc.

  46. 46.

    Jane2

    @efgoldman: That’s a new one. I found out I have to keep up with meth ingredients since I found out why I couldn’t find any real decongestants…just the namby pamby stuff with Tylenol. Turns out they’re behind the counters now and tracked.

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    @Wag:

    I’ve mostly been using Map My Ride, partly because I also use Map My Walk, but also because I’m not a very serious cyclist. This is my much beloved ride, but I’m under no illusions that she’s a speed demon — in fact, riding more than 15 or 20 miles is kind of a chore, but she’s a terrific urban/commuter bike.

  48. 48.

    Jane2

    @Mnemosyne: I’d like to know how it works for you. I have the clip-on Fitbit and I’m walking a lot more now that I can’t pretend I’ve taken 3000 steps to go get chips and back to the couch.

  51. 51.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    I just turned in the article I’ve been ‘working’ on all week. It probably won’t get published for a couple of months. It will take the editors at least that long to correct all of the grammatical howlers I’ve committed and make sense of my convoluted text.
    At least the item I invented/built/described works, which is more than I can say for my writing.
    Can’t link to it here, unfortunately. It’s got my true nym on it and I want to keep my snarky online presence separate.
    I got to learn a bit about Word Press Dashboard in the process. Sincerest sympathies to bloggers who have to use that all day.
    Gotta wrap up my weekend and get packed. 7:20 am plane out of town for work. Blerg.

  52. 52.

    Mnemosyne

    @Jane2:

    So far, I really like it. It seems reasonably accurate (and, more importantly, consistent day-to-day) and it is motivating to know I have X number of steps left before I get to my 10,000 step goal.

    I used to have a Phillips Active Link through Weight Watchers and it drove me crazy that it didn’t tell me how much additional activity I needed to get to my goal, just that I needed “more.” So it’s nice to know that I need, say, 775 steps to get to 10,000, because I know I can walk around the block and get that.

    ETA: My husband just reminded me that talking about going out for a bike ride and doing it are not actually the same thing, so I suppose I should wander out now since I don’t get steps for typing.

  53. 53.

    Yatsuno

    @gene108: Cleaning up after just one person helps. But really just doing productivity in short bursts rather than thinking you need to CLEAN ALL THE THINGS!!! at once. For example, most folks would clean the whole kitchen, where I just did the dishes and cleaned the sink. The counters and cook tops are to be completed after evening meal.

  54. 54.

    PIGL

    @FlipYrWhig: No shortage of stalky trolls, though. Never has been, not since we sent messages to each on stone tablets over UUCP. Why they feel the need to stay to scoff remains the deepest of mysterys.

    If you don’t like our host and his blog, why not start your own forum for sensible correct-thinking political discussions. Or if that’s too much trouble, and I think it would be, why not hie thee to the comments section of the NYT or WaPo? You’d find a whole community of sober-thinking, responsible, very serious commenters, soberly discussing mainstream liberal opinion of surveillance and civil liberties.

  56. 56.

    FlipYrWhig

    @shirt: Were you buying alcohol? I think they went to a policy where they scan everyone’s ID rather than leaving it to the cashier’s discretion. I’m 41 and was flattered the first few times it happened locally until it dawned on me that they weren’t complimenting my youthful joie de vivre, they were just doing it to everyone.

  58. 58.

    Joey Giraud

    All I ever see here is how Greenwald is such a (insert insult here,) and how anyone who pays attention to him is a fool of some kind.

    Perhaps an instance of him being wrong? Or since everyone is wrong sometime, perhaps a list of his errors to really drive the point home?

    My only issue with GG is his continual state of high dudgeon, which gets tiresome. But I’m not an outrage junkie either.

  59. 59.

    Thlayli

    @MikeJ:

    I didn’t see the game (I’m out West for the weekend, and a 5:30 AM kickoff wasn’t happening). The comments from Spurs fans online were very positive about the new signings, especially Capoue.

    I’d like to see how AVB makes the rotation work once the midweek games start up.

  61. 61.

    MikeJ

    @schrodinger’s cat: Single mom of teenage daughter story works better while the daughter is still a teenager and living at home. Not that it didn’t have its moments after Rory went to Yale.

  63. 63.

    Steeplejack

    @MikeJ:

    Even Hull City looked pretty good in the second half of their loss to Chelsea. Like the awe at being in the Premier League had worn off already.

  67. 67.

    Mustang Bobby

    Nothing whatsoever to do with Glenn Greenwald.

    I am in the process of saying goodbye to the hometown I grew up in; Perrysburg, Ohio. My parents are moving this fall to Cincinnati, so this is probably my last trip here.

  73. 73.

    Jennifer

    More to the point, you’d think the authorities would have learned by now that the WORST thing they can do is to make the story any more about Glenn Greenwald than it already was.

  76. 76.

    shirt

    @FlipYrWhig: Yep, a bottle of Pinot.

    If they can’t trust their cashier’s discretion, I should trust them with my ID? And, OK, so they scan the ID and verify I’m an old fart — well, I am — do you really think they dispose of that info inrto a bit bucket or do they match it up with their pharmacy info? Would YOU trust them irrespective of what they said their reasons are?

    This is not neccesary, not to be toerated and I am following efgoldman’s suggestion, I’m pulling my business out of there. Too bad! they have a first rate pharmacy group.

    Shirt

  79. 79.

    max

    @Joey Giraud: Perhaps an instance of him being wrong? Or since everyone is wrong sometime, perhaps a list of his errors to really drive the point home?

    Drones and the legality thereof.

    My only issue with GG is his continual state of high dudgeon, which gets tiresome.

    Sure. Dude lives for drama.

    max
    [‘Lots of people do.’]

  82. 82.

    Roger Moore

    @Jennifer:

    More to the point, you’d think the authorities would have learned by now that the WORST thing they can do is to make the story any more about Glenn Greenwald than it already was.

    Really? I’d think that they would want the story to be as much as possible about personalities rather than facts. As long as the story is about Greenwald, it’s not about the NSA and what it did or didn’t do.

  83. 83.

    MikeJ

    @burnspbesq: I didn’t really know anything about Ruffian, and had never even heard of the movie.

    The last horse racing movie I remember watching was that dreadful one about Secretariat which was wall to wall whining by rich people. Oh noes, I just inherited thirty million dollars! Woe is me! I wanted to kill every character in that movie and then beat the actors for being stupid enough to portray such a bunch of twats. Probably something in between for writer and director. Maybe waterboarding.

  84. 84.

    trollhattan

    @Wag:

    Also sweet. Bought my spousal unit the Felt Claire, which has the prettiest paintjob I’ve ever seen on a bike. Weighs a zillion pounds, but what the hey, it’s flat here.

  87. 87.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Santa Fe: If you go to IMDB, you’ll see a few threads started by angry T’Baggers who hate the “political” message of the film and claim that it’s socialism/communism, etc, etc.

    Loved it. Thought it was a great sci-fi flick. Matt Damon and Jodi Foster were great as was the South African villain.

  88. 88.

    Botsplainer

    @eemom:

    Grumble. HATE it when I miss the Greenwald par-tay.

    Ever since Glenn decided he’d block critical tweets, it all got less fun.

  89. 89.

    eemom

    @PIGL:

    Calling Flip a “stalky troll”?

    And the best YOU can come up with is that “start your own blog” tripe that was threadbare when yer “stone tablets” were young?

    You are a pitiful one, aren’t you.

  90. 90.

    Wag

    @trollhattan:

    My daughter has the Felt Claire for riding round campus. I agree. beautiful bike. Actually, all the bikes in the Felt lineup are stellar. My race bike is a Felt.

  92. 92.

    Keith P

    Charles Johnson has a Greenwald rule that’s something like “skip over everything until you get to the part where he says the government has the ability to do something, then see if the government has actually done that”. I know I’m not getting it quite right, but it’s something to that effect. The gist is that Greenwald typically extrapolates capability into action and does so breathlessly.

  95. 95.

    gbear

    @eemom: If I’m going to read 250 comments on a GG post, I’d rather do it at LGF than BJ. At least they have front pagers posting info updates in the comments over there. It’s 99% troll bait over here. The front pagers put it up and then run away laughing.

  98. 98.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @eemom: Need a walker, I got a spare. 151? Your age or the proof of the rum you’ll consume? Is the 23rd really your b-day? Friend from college’s b-day is the 23rd.

  99. 99.

    Randy P

    Just saw The Butler. Fantastic movie, alternately laugh-out-loud funny and heartrending. Oprah Winfrey and Forrest Whitaker are amazing, but so is everyone else. And for you Alan Rickman fans, Rickman plays Reagan, with Jane Fonda a surprisingly convincing Nancy.

  100. 100.

    PaulW

    So… what about a separate Breaking Bad Open Thread?

    Otherwise I’m just gonna shill this humor-horror anthology Strangely Funny until I can be certain someone buys a copy.

    Either that or talk about the Rays’ post-season chances.

    Or discuss the proper way to cope with the fact that (insert favorite actress here) will never call any of us thanking us for that handmade Saturnalia card we sent them last year. By the way, we need more Saturnalia wallpaper art for computer desktop screens, serious, any graphic artists here?

    Oh, and can we also discuss (gets tackled by angry mob)

  101. 101.

    Suffern ACE

    @Randy P: Lord knows, my FB friends have reminded me that Jane Fonda is a traitor and therefore the movie is a slap in the face to Reagan. And did you know that the President is about to give Fonda the “Woman of the Century” award? You have forgotten what she did, but my high school friends haven’t. (Or so they say…they were ( -2) years old when those events were taking place.).

  103. 103.

    Chris

    @Santa Fe:

    Caught Elysium on Thursday night with my better half, on the recommendation of our 21 year old sci-fi geek son. Hella good movie, highly recommend it. Nice to see original R-rated sci-fi in the movies, like back in the day.

    I just saw it with family and quite enjoyed it too. I always like sci-fi dystopias (the world’s gotten worse, but the gadgets are cooler!) and Elysium was pretty on the nose as one. The 1% actually going Galt in the grandest possible way (though of course, not to the point that they don’t still depend on the 99% to do all the labor). The guy losing a half day at work thanks to overzealous cops only to have the douchebag manager yell that he doesn’t realize how lucky he is to work in a sweatshop at all. All the less than subtle references to health care (world’s best – if you can afford it!) and illegal immigration.

  112. 112.

    Keith P

    @Botsplainer: Decent show by HBO standards, but I really hate Buscemi as the leading man. The voice and the face just do not go along with the character.

    I wound up watching Breaking Bad last week live instead of True Blood, and I’m really glad I did. TB had one of its worst episodes last week, with half of it dedicated to eulogies for Terry Fucking Belfeur. Then there was the part where way more vampires were running around in the daylight than I recall being in the sun room drinking Bill’s blood.

  113. 113.

    TooManyJens

    Any and all threads around here about national security issues should be burned down and the ground sown with salt. Too many shouty assholes who don’t seem to care about anything except establishing whether being pro- or anti-YouKnowWho makes you more holy. Fuck holiness, I’m an atheist.

    The last horse racing movie I remember watching was that dreadful one about Secretariat which was wall to wall whining by rich people.

    I dropped my last therapist because she kept trying to get me to watch that movie. Mind you, I’ve never seen the movie and don’t have an opinion on it. But it was like this woman had absorbed nothing about me other than that I was a woman who was unhappy with her life and who used to be a horse racing fan. So on more than one occasion (because she would forget that she had said this before), she would tell me I should watch Secretariat because it was about a woman who didn’t let anything stop her from accomplishing her dreams, or something. Yeah, that’ll fix me right up, thanks.

  114. 114.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Greenwald sent his significant other on the trip because he was too damn chicken shit to take it himself. Way to throw your spouse under the fucking bus Glen.

  117. 117.

    NR

    @Litlebritdifrnt: The scary thing is, I can’t tell whether this comment is serious or snark. I guess all I can say is that if it’s serious, you’ll fit right in around here.

  118. 118.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @PIGL:

    I’ve heard something like before but said in another way: “America, love it or leave it!”

    @BillinGlendaleCA: “Breitbart is still dead. “

    But his heart beats on in Cheney’s chest.

  119. 119.

    Comrade Luke

    @Mnemosyne: Let me know how it goes. I’ve found that motorcycles and golf carts really screw it up.

    ETA: I’m a Strava guy, too. They give you basically everything you want at the free level, unless you’re super hard core.

  123. 123.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @NR:

    Really? He sent his spouse on a trip paid for by the Guardian to meet up with another operative in his leaking scheme on a flight that he knew was going through London, a “victim” in the leaking scheme. What the fuck did he think was going to happen? He knew that if he took the trip he would have been detained or worse arrested, so instead he sent his spouse. Fucking chicken shit.

  124. 124.

    Randy P

    @Suffern ACE: Nah, I haven’t forgotten. I was born in ’57 and I’ve been listening to “Hanoi Jane” comments all my life. Goes along with all the other hippie-punching. Even if I cared and was as mad at her as the hippie-punchers, I would put it in the same box as Tom Cruise’s, Larry Niven’s and Orson Scott Card’s personal nuttiness: the “who cares about the off-screen persona” box.

  127. 127.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Keith P: “The gist is that Greenwald typically extrapolates capability into action and does so breathlessly. “

    and then he tosses in the actual facts about capability waaaayyy later in the article (I think Charles said three paragraphs down is where to look).

  128. 128.

    fuckwit

    @gbear: And, in this case, put it up and then issue instructions not to discuss it. (I guess this is meta, so maybe qualifies as OK, I dunno.)

    It is like throwing an armed grenade into a room, slamming the door shut again, taking cover, and waiting for the big boom.

    In other news, I just discovered http://internetkhole.blogspot.com

  130. 130.

    jamick6000

    The only thing Bob Cesca does well is write about Glenn Beck and the tea party because he is also a half-witted reactionary and so he understands them.

  131. 131.

    lamh36

    Nothing to do with “he that shall not be named”, but other than on political blogs and political twitter among people I know (I’m African American), political and not political, the attitude on all this stuff with “you know who” is one of “the US government has been spying on the Black community since they were taping MLK’s phone and recording his conversations, heck even before that and NOW white folk are angry about the gov’t looking at their shit…well welcome to where we live white people, step right on it.”

    It comes across for many non-political folks as violate “those people” civil liberties…meh, but how dare you violate “OUR” civil liberties too.

  132. 132.

    Mike in NC

    @raven: FDR’s favorite ship was USS Houston and he took a fishing cruise on her almost every year before WW2. See “Ship of Ghosts”.

  133. 133.

    Ruckus

    @shirt:
    Looking at my ID, I can see that. And I’m 64 with a white beard.
    Scanning my ID? Cops can do that, stores, not so much. At that point I just take back my ID and walk out. Fuck them. Course I don’t drink hardly at all any more so haven’t bought booze in maybe a year? But that is still my policy, commercial entities don’t get to scan my ID. And if they try that’s the last time I shop there.

  134. 134.

    Robert

    Elysium is a really good sci-fi movie until you start to ask questions. Then it all falls apart as fast as your average James Cameron movie. I want to believe, so I’m just going to stop asking questions. I’ll pretend I never unraveled the entire premise of the story by backtracking from one really unrealistic character change in the final moments of the film and just accept it as a pretty, well-acted sci-fi film with a lot of strong world-building. A sieve still holds a little bit of water if you don’t shake it out, right?

  135. 135.

    MomSense

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    There is something about Maine that gets in your bones. I forgot to take my camera today otherwise I would post some pictures. Blue sky, dark green trees, golden fields of hay with clover and goldenrod, stark white farmhouses and red barns, blueberry bushes with the first signs of turning russet, gray blue ocean, the smell of sweet fern in the woods, warm sun and a cool breeze. I found a nice big outcropping of rock that was smooth and warm from the sun. There was just a bit of ocean water left in one of the depressions, and I just rested in complete relaxation with my fingertips in the water. Sound of seagulls and people swimming. A “the way life should be” kind of day.

  136. 136.

    Randy P

    Is this thread still alive? If so, can I ask BJers for recommendations for live audio and video music recording (classical piano) on the cheap? Doesn’t have to be CD quality, but I’m thinking of recording myself, and would like it to be decent enough not to sound like crap when posted to Youtube.

  137. 137.

    chopper

    Whenever something is written by or about Glenn Greenwald, it’s almost always wise to wait 24 hours to see what the truth really is.

    this is why i avoid GG-based threads here. invariably, cole reads some GG post, takes it completely at its word, and calls the situation described ‘fascism’ or some such. then it comes out that the actual story is something different, and it’s crickets.

  138. 138.

    lamh36

    @lamh36: Also, we have “police states” to worry about right here on the old US-of A shores.

    Apperently, Black folk cannot gather together to PAY THEIR MONEY to watch a film that involves political turmoil without there being a police presence.

    Regal Movie Theater Has #TheButler Audience Antagonized by Armed Gaurds

    @MsFlowersTweets
    [email protected]_alan and I went to see #TheButler @regalmovies last night and let me tell you what an unpleasant experience it was…

    @MsFlowersTweets
    [email protected]_alan and I went to see #TheButler @regalmovies last night and let me tell you what an unpleasant experience it was…

    @MsFlowersTweets
    Tickets were double validated. First they get torn then upon entering the theater (10 FT. AWAY) we were asked for stubs again. @regalmovies

    Not only were there police officers “herding traffic” into the theatre, the was also police officer in the theatre facing the crowd.

    How’s that for a police state?

  139. 139.

    Johannes

    Palisers Marathon Day 4: Phineas Redux (in which our second male lead goes on trial for a murder he did not–we are reliably informed–commit.).

    Needz Moar Planty Pall!

  140. 140.

    lamh36

    Also, we have “police states” to worry about right here on the old US-of A shores.

    Apperently, Black folk cannot gather together to PAY THEIR MONEY to watch a film that involves political turmoil without there being a police presence.

    Regal Movie Theater Has #TheButler Audience Antagonized by Armed Gaurds

    @MsFlowersTweets
    [email protected]_alan and I went to see #TheButler @regalmovies last night and let me tell you what an unpleasant experience it was…

    apparently, not only were there police officers “herding traffic” into the theatre, the was also police officer in the theatre facing the crowd.

    How’s that for a police state?

  141. 141.

    chopper

    Elysium is a really good sci-fi movie until you start to ask questions. Then it all falls apart as fast as your average James Cameron movie.

    so, just like almost any american sci-fi movie of the last, oh, say 20 years.

  142. 142.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @Ruckus: Target does that here, too. (Trader Joe’s doesn’t.) It’s annoying to be carded over buying a bottle of wine or some allergy medication, but there are more important things to get annoyed about, I think.

    Like who knows what they’re doing with the information most of these stores collect when you use their “rewards” cards or even play with plastic. :-/

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (No, I don’t want to “like” a multi-$B corporation – thanks.)

  143. 143.

    rikyrah

    @lamh36:

    they spied on MLK’s Daddy and Granddaddy…

    sent tapes to Mrs. King of MLK’s ‘extracurricular activities’

    and Black folks are supposed to be ‘surprised’ about Government surveillance

    REALLY?

  144. 144.

    Mike in NC

    @MomSense: I was stationed in Maine for 14 months in the early 1980’s and would move back in a heartbeat, but the wife hates snow, so we’re trapped in the south.

  149. 149.

    Mnemosyne

    @Comrade Luke:

    Unfortunately, it was not a success — the vibration from the road kept putting it to sleep. :-( Luckily, I was able to enter the distance in manually and Fitbit adjusted the step count.

    I’m considering trying to wear it on my ankle next time — should get less vibration that way.

  150. 150.

    burnspbesq

    @lamh36:

    How’s that for a police state?

    Seriously weak tea. In a real police state, people would have been grabbed the second they got out of their cars, regardless of what movie they were actually there to see, tossed into paddy wagons, and disappeared. And everyone associated with the production of the film would be long since dead.

    If you want to gin up outrage, bring something outrageous.

  152. 152.

    Botsplainer

    @raven:

    You mean YOU started watching Tuesday?

    Yup. You were right – it started slow. Just finished the Republcan Convention episode – wow!

  153. 153.

    lamh36

    From NYT:

    Britain Detains the Partner of a Reporter Tied to Leaks

    ..Mr. Miranda was in Berlin to deliver documents related to Mr. Greenwald’s investigation into government surveillance to Ms. Poitras, Mr. Greenwald said. Ms. Poitras, in turn, gave Mr. Miranda different documents to pass to Mr. Greenwald. Those documents, which were stored on encrypted thumb drives, were confiscated by airport security, Mr. Greenwald said. All of the documents came from the trove of materials provided to the two journalists by Mr. Snowden. The British authorities seized all of his electronic media — including video games, DVDs and data storage devices — and did not return them, Mr. Greenwald said…

    Ok, serious question, why send your partner/spouse who is NOT a journalist with these documents when you know the gov’t is watching your every move. My guess is that a non-journalist was used, 1) because maybe they figured they wouldn’t stop him, and 2) a bigger stink would be made if he did get caught/detained since he was a “civilian” and therefore a more sympathetic figure to supporters of the cause to be outraged over their treatment?

  155. 155.

    lamh36

    @Suffern ACE: Shoot, it would be like MLK sending out Coretta to exchange notes with someone even knowing the guv’t watching. I just can’ t see MLK doing that to someone he loves, but ok

  156. 156.

    Suffern ACE

    @lamh36: Coretta was very involved with her husband’s work and part of the movement in her own right.

    I know it’s fun to note the difference in ages between Glenn and his partner, but he might not be the mindless boy toy Latin lover folks want him to be.

  157. 157.

    Robert

    @chopper: I think that’s taking it too far. I’d say it’s the same as any big budget Hollywood sci-fi movie of the last 20 years. There’s some solid indie stuff like Sound of My Voice that holds up very well since the creators work on a slim budget and keep creative control over the story. No outside interference demanding retribution for bad actions or a general dumbing down of exposition for a wider audience.

    I’m just glad District 9 was independently financed since it probably would have received a happily ever after if the studio system coughed up the cash for it.

    I mean, the Weinsteins of all people want 20-30 minutes of Joon-ho Bong’s Snowpiercer cut so it appeals to Middle America; cutting 20-30 minutes (based on the early preview I saw) would mean cutting all the social commentary and keeping the running and gunning with no story.

  159. 159.

    lamh36

    @Suffern ACE: I am aware of Coretta involvement in the movement. I AM caught up on my Black History thx.

    what I am saying is that however deep Corettas involvement was I can’t see MLK sending Coretta off to exchange messages of such a sensitive matter that he knew the govt was salivating to have. Firstly because they were still lynching Black folk then and second seeing as the King fam was no stranger to threats on their live, that he wouldn’t send Coretta into a situation like
    also too, this:

    I know it’s fun to note the difference in ages between Glenn and his partner, but he might not be the mindless boy toy Latin lover folks want him to be.

    is not anything I have ever insinuated more does it come from anything I said in my comments above.

  160. 160.

    Chris

    @Robert:

    I think the Matrix is probably the worst offender in terms of “wait, this world makes no SENSE!” to me at least. My philosophy is pretty much like yours when it comes to movies like that. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

  161. 161.

    Suffern ACE

    @lamh36: no. I was swiping at Botsplainer.

    Anyway, you know, this isn’t like Ghandi sending his wife to the front of the line in a salt strike. My guess is that Miranda had nothing and was safe. Being detained and questioned sucks, but I don’t think he was in danger.

  162. 162.

    Redshirt

    @Mike in NC: Maine is better as an idea (or a vacation) than it is for real. A few glorious weeks; the rest is some form of sublime torture.

    For example, when the weather finally gets great? Bring on the endless swarms of biting bugs.

  164. 164.

    lamh36

    @Suffern ACE: no I don’t believe he was in danger, in fact he’s already out, but damnit.

    Ok, here’s the problem. The discussion needs to happen…yes. There should be adult discussion…yes.

    But tell me how can you have these conversation when one party seems to be more interested in getting headlines and page clicks an sensationalsm (The Guardian)

    And you know what, I would include Greenwald in this group too. Here’s the thing, I’m not as computer saavy as some people, but even I know there are “stelthier” ways to exchange information, isn’t there?

    We know this, I damn sure bet Greenwald knows this, and damn sure bet Snowden knows this. So the use of his partner, and NOT just any random journo was blatant and deliberate to grab the attention of journos and headline makers across US and non-journos by giving them a more sympathethic, “he’s not even a journalist”, type of figure than Grenwald, Snowden, et al.

    which is fine I guess, but damn, don’t be too cute by half and act like it wasn’t a deliberate decision to do it and get mad cause the “sensationalism” wins out over the deep discussion and completely muddles the conversation.

    Ugh, anyway, it’s obvious since the beginning that the sides have been chosen in this debacle and neither side is listening to the other anyway.

  165. 165.

    Botsplainer

    @lamh36:

    Ok, serious question, why send your partner/spouse who is NOT a journalist with these documents when you know the gov’t is watching your every move

    Because Greenwald always was an incompetent lawyer, and anybody who relies on his analysis and advice always sees his life turn to shit.

    His fingerprints are all over the Manning disaster, he fucked Snowden, and now he got his lover in a jam.

    He’s like the lesbian girlfriend in “Orange is the New Black”.

  166. 166.

    Botsplainer

    @lamh36:

    I know there are “stelthier” ways to exchange information, isn’t there?

    Poitras could’ve asked a trusted nobody to ship thumb drives to a Greenwald trusted nobody. That would’ve worked like a charm.

    It also would have assumed something not in evidence, that being professional competence on he part of Greenwald.

  167. 167.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    So much for “anything but,” (aside by a commenter who replies in all topics as if they were open threads -encouraged by raven’s example). Stunningly gorgeous Perrysburg house, Mustang Bobby. What neighborhood have your folks picked in Cinti?

  168. 168.

    J R in WV

    @Randy P:

    B&H Photo has good digital stereo recorders for low 3 digit prices. They always have as good a price as anyone else, know what they’re talking about if you chat or call them, and seem to have a good reputation for returns.

  170. 170.

    Yatsuno

    @Soonergrunt: Jeebus. Just make me re-live my whole childhood trauma why don’t you!

    (I had the brain but by high school I was so damn bored it wasn’t funny. Band got me through it.)

  171. 171.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Botsplainer:

    It’s almost too obvious that Greenwald knew what the outcome would be but he knows his blind supporters won’t care to think about it for a moment and ask themselves why he would do such a stupid thing as this. All they care about is that it fits the narrative that they want to believe in. There are so many other ways that he could have accomplished the same thing without drawing any attention. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to find the drives full of encrypted messages saying neenerneenerneener…. Gigabytes of it, every character typed furiously by Greenwald.

    All Greenwald cares about is keeping his name in the news in a way that promotes his career.

  172. 172.

    PopeRatzo

    @Botsplainer: The question I have to keep asking myself is, “Has Glenn Greenwald done anything as wrong as spending five years working to make the United States more of a police state?”

    Is it worse to be a dick or a tool? I just can’t make myself be as mad at Glenn Greenwald as I am at Barack Obama/Eric Holder/et al. I never voted for Glenn Greenwald, so I can’t really say he betrayed me, my work, my time, my money and my vote. In the Hell of Perfidy pool of shit, Glenn Greenwald will be standing on Barack Obama’s shoulders.

  173. 173.

    FlipYrWhig

    @NR: don’t lecture LitleBrit like she’s a newbie. She’s been posting since 2008 at least. (LitleBrit, if “she” isn’t your pronoun of choice, my apologies.)

  174. 174.

    amk

    @PopeRatzo: Shorter moronic idjit you: kenyan muslin and his black sidekick stole all our freedumbs of our previous utopian land. I wanna take my country back.

  176. 176.

    rikyrah

    Good Lord, I love me some Spandan.

    Spank them, Spandan.

    Spank.them

    ……………………….

    Professional Left’s Professional Pimp Julian Assange Comes Out as Far Right Extremist
    Sunday, August 18, 2013 | Posted by Spandan C at 12:21 PM

    For some time now, the pragmatic Left has been warning that Wikileaks, its Founder Julian Assange, and their cohorts in The Guardian (think Glenn Greenwald) are nothing more than right wing libertarian moles trying to fool the Left in America, just as Ed Snowden did. That truth came into some stark relief yesterday:

    The strong turn of Julian Assange and Wikileaks toward partisan electoral politics continued this weekend, as Assange told an online audience that he’s “a big admirer of Ron Paul and Rand Paul for their very principled positions in the U.S. Congress on a number of issues” and insisted that the libertarian wing the Republican Party represented the “only hope” for reform in American politics.

    But but but, you say. It’s not like Assange was celebrating the entire political ideology of the Pauls; he was merely speaking approvingly of Rand Paul’s crusade against domestic surveillance programs of the NSA. Well, beyond completely ignoring the fact that nothing is being done by the government that is illegal, abusive or unchecked, the idea that Assange is merely advancing the libertarians’ anti-surveillance agenda is devastatingly incorrect. In Assange’s own words:

    “The position of the Libertarian Republican, or a better description Right, coming from a principle of non-violence which is the American Libertarian tradition. That produces interesting results.

    “So, non-violence: well, don’t go and invade a foreign country. Non-violence: don’t force people at the barrel of a gun to serve in the U.S. Army. Non-violence: doesn’t extort taxes from people to the federal Government with a policeman. Similarly, other aspects of non-violence in relation to abortion that they hold.”

    Isn’t that great? The Professional Left’s Great White Hope and worshiped hero is not only avoiding extradition on sexual assault charges (because for some reason, it is appropriate to be outraged over sexual assaults in the military – and it is – and at the same time rank-canonize a man who is accused of sexual assualt of multiple women), but is also takes extreme anti-tax positions and believes that abortion is “violence.”

    http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2013/08/professional-lefts-professional-pimp.html

  177. 177.

    ralphb

    Wikileaks Party scrambles to explain election decisions

    The Wikileaks Party, established to give Julian AssangeTM a seat in Australia’s Senate, has found itself scrambling to explain why it seems to endorse far-right-wing parties ahead of the Australian political mainstream in New South Wales, and is punishing The Greens in Western Australia.

    The row emerged after the Australian Electoral Commission published declarations filed by political contenders for senate seats, in which they identify how they will distribute preferences for “above-the-line” senate votes.

    Anomolies identified in the Wikileaks ticket included:

    In NSW, the extreme-right Australia First Party would receive preference votes ahead of any mainstream party. Other NSW far-right parties receiving Wikileaks Party preferences ahead of the mainstream include gun-advocates Shooters and Fishers and Australian Voice.
    In Western Australia, agrarian conservatives The Nationals would receive preference votes ahead of The Greens.

    Along with his associations in Russia, his praise of Ron and Rand Paul, and this latest, it’s starting to look like Assange is more than a bit of a fascist.

  178. 178.

    MomSense

    @Mike in NC:

    Nice!! So you will appreciate that I rode all through Pennelville and Middle Bay and clambered on the rocks at Simpson’s Point.

  179. 179.

    Chris

    @ralphb:

    Along with his associations in Russia, his praise of Ron and Rand Paul, and this latest, it’s starting to look like Assange is more than a bit of a fascist.

    So, not even “libertarian” like a coked out college hippie who thinks libertarianism ROCKS because it has the word “liberty” in it, the government won’t let him smoke pot, and liberalism and conservatism are too mainstream (maaann), but actually “libertarian” in the right wing militia “I’m against the government because it’s stopping me from oppressing other people” sense.

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