Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

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

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

I really should read my own blog.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You cannot shame the shameless.

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

Joe Lieberman disappointingly reemerged to remind us that he’s still alive.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

No Justins, No Peace

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Open Thread: The Silence of the Shills

Open Thread: The Silence of the Shills

by | 156 Comments

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I think this is one possible answer to the questions raised by DougJ’s last thread. Via Billmon, ThinkProgress:

As his fellow panelists sought to sidestep criticisms of the financial industry on the five-year anniversary of the bank failure that kicked the financial crisis and Great Recession into full swing, former congressman Barney Frank asked a simple question that brought Wall Street’s defenders up short. “To your question about those poor beleaguered bankers who have been forced to do so much,” Frank said, “why are they paying themselves so much money? Where did these enormous salaries come from if they were in fact in such serious trouble?”…

Transcript at the link. It’s not that Larry Summers has the self-awareness to realize that Barney Frank signals a willingness among “rogue Democrats” like Elizabeth Warren to raise uncomfortable questions about the Wall Street banksters. But the people propping up his normination may have come to understand just how “toxic” it would be for their own interests to give DFHs like Barney an opening.

Reader Interactions

156Comments

  1. 1.

    Rabble Arouser

    Larry Summers just bowed out of consideration for Fed chair, so we’ve got that going for us, at least.

  3. 3.

    feebog

    Barney Frank, speaking truth to power even as a retiree. Saw that little gem this morning. All I could think of was zing!

  15. 15.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    @JPL:

    She thought Sarah Palin was intelligent . Maria interviewed her in Alaska and spent lots of time praising her.

    I don’t see how any thought at all could have gone into forming the opinion that Palin is intelligent. Unless she thought Palin was smart for using her looks for political advancement. That I could understand.

  16. 16.

    the Conster

    At least we have the enduring image of asshole Summers giving the insufferable Winklevii twins a big sad. Hope to never hear of any of them again.

  17. 17.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ben Franklin:

    Palin is hot. I want to see her in her jammies.

    There are jammies and then there are jammies. Are you thinking skimpy baby-doll style, or are you thinking collar-to-toe red flannels with feet and a drop-bottom flap?

  19. 19.

    Anne Laurie

    @JPL: I’ve been on a few days semi-vacation; had the Garden Chat “scheduled” to come up this morning at the usual time, but FYWP failed to post!

    Look for it tomorrow morning, as something to start the work week that isn’t depressing…

  20. 20.

    Belafon

    But the people propping up his normination may have come to understand just how “toxic” it would be for their own interests to give DFHs like Barney an opening.

    Won’t anyone up for nomination have to answer to Warren? What kind of opening does this give Frank that he hasn’t had before?

  21. 21.

    Walker

    @JPL:

    Have you seen her interviews? Palin is much smarter than Bartaromo. And that is not met to be a complement to Palin.

  23. 23.

    gogol's wife

    Mnemosyne — when I hit “reply” it takes me to the blog. Anyway, that’s a great post! I’m really looking forward to more.

  24. 24.

    eemom

    @the Conster:

    At least we have the enduring image of asshole Summers giving the insufferable Winklevii twins a big sad. Hope to never hear of any of them again.

    Yup, ya DO gotta give him that, however worthless and/or toxic the entire rest of his existence might be.

    Just shows to go, it’s an asshole eat asshole world. Or something.

  25. 25.

    Anne Laurie

    @Ahh says fywp: See DougJ’s earlier post, which I linked at the top.

    Of course, Larry may be expecting a vast outcry among the Master Classes which will cause the President to stop dilly-dallying and appoint him first thing Monday morning. Despite what you may have read from some commentors, I have more than enough faith in President Obama to believe that he will accept Summers’ offer to withdraw without further embarrassing the man’s vast modesty.

  27. 27.

    different-church-lady

    @gogol’s wife: Same here: it appears the link tag wasn’t closed. Too late to edit it now, so perhaps someone with admin privs will take a look.

    In the meantime, I hacked together a proper link for my reply at 22, so folks could copy and paste that link when replying to Mnemmy.

  30. 30.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @gogol’s wife:
    @Mnemosyne

    I had the same issue (reply takes me to the blog, not to your comment). I think it is a really interesting topic — about which I know less than nothing, so it’s all good — and very well written.

    My one suggestion, and maybe it’s just me (and maybe it’s just me on iPad) is to tone down the graphic photo in the background a bit. I would make it a very pale maybe 5%. As it is, it’s a fight (for me, anyhow) between reading the text and being constantly distracted by the photo. But it’s a minor point, and one I can learn to deal with.

    WiFi/3G acting up so could not view the film clips. Hope that will change later tonight.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    @Walker: It’s been years since I’ve had cable and I haven’t missed her insights.
    What I remember most about the Palin interview and the discussion on hunting.

  33. 33.

    TaMara (BHF)

    OT: More flood stuff. This has been catastrophic for the eastern side (Front Range) of Colorado. The rain continued all day today. 19,000 homes damaged. I have no idea how they’re going to repair the miles of damaged infrastructure – roads, bridges, sewer systems, before snow falls. Many people unaccounted for.

    I keep thinking I’ll be able to find a path to work tomorrow, but they’ve been finding more and more bridge and road damage as the waters recede. And what was a viable route a few hours ago is now half shutdown.

    Video of some of the worst damage in my little town here.

    Keep a good thought for us.

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    O/T: mmmm, dark chocolate ginger wasabi with Mediterranean sea salt, accompanied by a nice Pinot noir.

  35. 35.

    Anne Laurie

    @SiubhanDuinne: True story: Every year Cedar Springs, MI, “The Red Flannel Town”, elects a Red Flannel Queen. Thirty years ago, according to my then college dormmate and CS native, the Red Flannel Queen rode on the parade float wearing a red-flannel union suit (but then, that roommate also managed to convince another dormmate that our large Midwestern University had a blood-type quota under which AB donors got special admission priority).

    You are now free to imagine the young pageant-contestant Sarah Palin in drop-flap flannels on a parade float. (And this year’s “Button Down the Hatches” pirate-themed Red Flannel Festival is only two weeks away!)

  36. 36.

    Cassidy

    Oooh, another emoprog “I whined on a blog and made the POTUS respect my purity” thread. But, will we ever get an emoprog “I was a fucking moron about Syria” thread? Time will tell, but I won’t hold my breath.

  37. 37.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @TaMara (BHF):

    Lots and lots of good thoughts for you and all the other Coloradans who are affected by the flooding. This includes my sister, in Aurora — I don’t know yet whether she’s been impacted at all, but hope to talk with her later tonight. Please stay safe.

  42. 42.

    Anne Laurie

    @Belafon:

    What kind of opening does this give Frank that he hasn’t had before?

    I’d read “chatter” that Sen. Warren wouldn’t press Summers too hard, because it would be unseemly for a freshman Democrat to challenge the President. Frank being mean to Maria Money-Honey and Dancin’ Dave Gregory would be a very public “I spit on your seemliness” signal, which would have a strong effect on Summers, even if we assume President Obama wouldn’t care. It’s quite possible that the potential for being held up to public ridicule would cause Larry Summers to withdraw, with or without a promise from the White House that he’d be their number one candidate.

  44. 44.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ben Cisco: Jeezopete. If that is an accurate transcript, she is both an idiot and an ignoramus. Never could understand why she is so lionized by so many.

  46. 46.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @cathyx: No offense taken. I can’t even be in the same room with an open jar of peanut butter, I hate it so much, but I do love the odd spicy quirky dark chocolate bars that show up now and then. And this ginger-wasabi-sea salt combo is amazing.

  49. 49.

    browser

    GREGORY: But your point is to get beyond the resentment…

    I’m just a simple BJ lurker, but I’m pretty sure Barney’s point was that the bankers were lying through their reptilian teeth.

  50. 50.

    sacrablue

    @TaMara (BHF): I’m glad you are safe and dry. Work will still be there when the roads have been cleared. Stay safe and stick with the tortilla soup if that is what helps.

  52. 52.

    jl

    At the very end Gregory starts talking about “get beyond some of the resentment of bankers”.

    Does he mean we saps need to get beyond our resentment of bankers?

    Or is he worried that our august bankers won’t be able to get pas their resentment of us for being treated so shabbily, and we need to do something more for the poor darlings?

  54. 54.

    Anne Laurie

    @Cassidy: I said we couldn’t afford to bomb Syria. I still think we can’t afford to bomb Syria. I’m very glad we’re not (yet) going to bomb Syria. Don’t care that President Obama didn’t bother to read my personal opinion, I’m just glad we are not (yet) spending money we can’t afford to bomb Syria!

  55. 55.

    IowaOldLady

    @cathyx: God in heaven, where do you work? In what circumstances could someone need camo panties? If you’re stripped to your panties and trying to blend in, the panties are the least of your problem.

  56. 56.

    cathyx

    @IowaOldLady: I work at a farm and ranch store. The rednecks here love their women folk in cute manly, but feminine, attire. We sell purses with concealed handgun pockets too.

  58. 58.

    patrick II

    @browser:

    It was very noticeable how Gregory, the supposed neutral moderator, stepped in to steer the conversation away from anyone having to answer Barney’s question. I have never seen Dave stepping in to stop the “resentment” when his panelists complain about “high” social security payments, or feeding poor children with school programs or food stamps. Those people need to be resented because they are “takers”.

  59. 59.

    Irony Abounds

    @browser: That was the first thing that struck me from the clip. Rather than allow the Money Honey to answer the difficult question posed by Frank, Gregory bailed her out by changing the topic. What a tool.

  60. 60.

    Anne Laurie

    @IowaOldLady:

    In what circumstances could someone need camo panties? If you’re stripped to your panties and trying to blend in, the panties are the least of your problem.

    Well, as CathyX explained, it’s the redneck fashion. But the tongue-in-cheek defence (my late father-in-law was in the bowhunting business) is that a lady needing to relieve herself while at the deer stand wouldn’t want to have her white panties mistaken for the flash of a buck’s tail.

    Since innocent bystanders are regularly shot for flashing white mittens, hats, or hankies while in the woods during Buck Season, the idea might not be entirely tongue in cheek, either!

  62. 62.

    Anne Laurie

    @browser:

    I’m pretty sure Barney’s point was that the bankers were lying through their reptilian teeth.

    Bingo!

    Dave Gregory, the man who was proud to serve as a back-up dancer for Karl Rove, is not gonna let that kind of ugly talk happen on his teevee show, thangyewverramuch…

  63. 63.

    nancy darling

    @TaMara (BHF): TaMara, I can’t tell for sure, but google maps looks like there has been a lot of clear cutting in the watersheds. Do you have any info on that? I know the amount of rain you’ve been getting is unprecedented, but clear cuts could make the results a lot worse.

  64. 64.

    Mike G

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    She is/was a cute face for a predominantly male demographic to ogle on TV, who was chosen over many other more knowledgeable people who didn’t look as good on camera. She’s barely one step above the parade of blond bimbos on Fox.

  66. 66.

    jl

    @patrick II:
    @Irony Abounds:

    Thanks for your replied to browsers comment, which I missed.

    That was what struck me at the end, Gregory changes to topic, or rather, misdirects Frank’s question into one of resentment of the supposedly pitiable banking tycoons.

    I suppose “Barney is right, should’t we finally put these class warfare type resentments aside” briefly flashed through Gregory’s head, but that would be over the top.

  68. 68.

    Origuy

    @nancy darling: Might be clearcuts, might be fires. I have a friend in Laporte, north of Fort Collins. There was a real bad fire last summer that burned down to the ridge west of her house. She was evacuated twice during that. I heard from her a few days ago; her house hasn’t been flooded, but downtown Laporte has been hit hard. She couldn’t get to work, but she’ll be busy when she does. She works at State Farm.

  69. 69.

    J

    The strained awkwardness and painfully forced laughter were something to behold. It’s as though Frank used a naughty word and embarrassed everyone.

  70. 70.

    Citizen_X

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    There are jammies and then there are jammies. Are you thinking skimpy baby-doll style, or are you thinking collar-to-toe red flannels with feet and a drop-bottom flap?

    Palin? I’m thinking bunny suit with feet, and a binky.

  71. 71.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @Ben Franklin: Maria looks like a wide mouthed bass every time she gets her lips done. It is not like it is not obvious, I mean seriously? You go from normal looking lips one day to looking like a blobfish the next? Please girl. Leave the lip thing alone.

  72. 72.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @nancy darling: I don’t think they clear cut here. We’re pretty protective of our mountains, they’re big tourist attractions and many people live here to enjoy the mountains. What you might be seeing is the burn areas and beetle kill. Two events that have devastated our forests. Most of this flooding was created by unprecedented rainfall, 13 inches in 36 hours and it hasn’t stopped.

    Or what @Origuy: said.

  73. 73.

    Honus

    I’m trying to send mnemosyne a nude photo of an 18 year old Barbara Stanwyck, but there is no e-mail or way to post photos on his movie site, and when I try to reply to his post here FYWP opens the home page of his site. So nobody will get to see Barbara.

  74. 74.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @cathyx:

    It is a given that my husbands students are going to out of school on the first days of hunting season. It is a given. No one disputes it. Everyone from the principal on down knows it.

  75. 75.

    Mandaly

    @Rob Wolfe:

    Gee if only Barney had ever been in a position to do something about all this bad behavior.

    Well said. Frank was a fearless attack dog with some great one-liners, but he was mediocre at actually implementing meaningful financial reform with real teeth. There’s no hint that he was corrupt, and he is certainly not stupid, but his achievements with regard to Wall St. were pretty meh.

    A poor man’s Elizabeth Warren.

  79. 79.

    Honus

    @IowaOldLady: You miss the point. Nobody needs camo panties. Hell, most camo is worthless anyway. It’s designed to look good in the store, not really for effective concealment.

  82. 82.

    TaMara (BHF)

    BTW, thanks for the well wishes everyone. Just got notice they are evacuating two blocks from here. We’re still ok, because the neighborhood is at the top of the hill.

    Of course now I want French Onion soup, and I don’t have the ingredients (the Chicken Tortilla soup was great but I had to drive to several places to get the ingredients because of the grocery store rush.) I’ll have to be satisfied with what I can make from the freezer. I like the small problems, makes things feel more normal.

  86. 86.

    Roger Moore

    @TaMara (BHF):

    This has been catastrophic for the eastern side (Front Range) of Colorado. The rain continued all day today. 19,000 homes damaged. I have no idea how they’re going to repair the miles of damaged infrastructure – roads, bridges, sewer systems, before snow falls.

    The short answer is that there’s no way they’ll be able to have repairs done before the first snowfall. They’re going to have to prioritize the most important projects and let others wait. It took something like 5 years to fix all the road damage from the Big Thompson flood of 1976, and that was geographically much more restricted. I need to check up with my parents (who still live in Loveland) to find out just how bad things are for them.

  89. 89.

    SIA

    @TaMara (BHF): Definitely keeping you all in my thoughts. I’ve been working on a project up there and have been In Denver several times over the last 18 months. The people are so nice. Please be careful.

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    @cathyx: Our schools close up for deer season, old tradition since strong hunting regulations have been imposed by the government which has led to massive over population of whtetail deer over the past 50 years.

    The bankers. They say they have to pay such high salaries to attract the best managers. So if they hire only the most highly qualified banksters, how come they went broke without the government handouts to save their lame asses? Those “bankers” are nothing but a bunch of thieves, and they should all be in Guantanamo, Cuba, next to the 8 terrorists still imprisoned down there.

    The F’ing bankers did more damage and killed more American people over the past 5 years than Arabian terrorists did in the past 20 years!

    If the government can bail out the banks to great applause, how come the Republicans hate the fact that Obama bailed out GM and Chrysler? I see lots of big Dodge trucks with “Hate Obama” bumper stickers, and I wondered if those redneck bigots paid the least little thought to where they would get repair and maintenance parts for those big Dodge Cummins 3500 RAM trucks if Obama hadn’t rescued the masters of finance who ran the world economy into the worlds biggest financial mudhole?!?!

    Just my $0.25 cents worth… up from $0.02 for Republican bankster inflation!

    You all keep up the bloging and posting, the truth needs exposure!

    JR

  92. 92.

    Mike E

    CIA guy on 60 Mins sez Syrian settlement is the only outcome of the civil war. That way, ‘institutions’ like the army and security forces can pivot and then defeat al Qaeda.

    Next segment is on medical marijuana.

  94. 94.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @Roger Moore: Prioritizing is going to be interesting because so much critical infrastructure was damaged.

    BTW, Loveland, like Longmont, has been cut in half by the flood. And much like here, some areas are really bad and others are untouched. I hope they’re safe and dry like I am.

  95. 95.

    JPL

    @TaMara (BHF): The last few days, I’ve been checking the What’s 4 Dinner site. I appreciate your keeping everyone informed. The pictures and videos are amazing and frightening.

  99. 99.

    Southern Beale

    Here are a couple of Wisconsin dumbasses who had to openly carry their AR-15s at the Appleton Farmer’s Market Saturday for “self-defense.” Police detained them.

    I think we’re going to see more people doing stupid shit like this to challenge openly carry laws (and attitudes). This will be fine until some idiot accidentally shoots someone and then the lawsuits will fly.

  101. 101.

    jl

    @Southern Beale:

    ‘ who had to openly carry their AR-15s at the Appleton Farmer’s Market Saturday for “self-defense.” ‘

    There’s a lot of cover in the piles of greens at farmers markets. Perfect places for an ambush. I don’t blame them.

  102. 102.

    Southern Beale

    I loved this from the Wisconsin story:

    “In Georgia they have rallies at the state capitol and people bring AR-15s over their shoulders. The first year they detained the lead organizers and people freaked out, and now it’s just a common thing,” Pratt said. “People are a lot safer when there are good guys with guns because bad guys won’t want to go to those places.”

    WTF are these people smoking? You know who else doesn’t want to go anywhere where people with AR-15s are waltzing around? NORMAL PEOPLE. I’d stay far, far away from that farmer’s market if I knew that shit was going on.

    These people and their never-ending need to be the hero of their fantasy movie. It’s sick. Take a fucking pill.

  107. 107.

    Southern Beale

    @efgoldman:

    …its secondary to intimidating the shit out of people.

    Probably but when I see someone who doesn’t feel safe going any place like a Farmer’s Market without their security blanket, I just want to say, “sorry about your p3nis.”

    Clearly compensating for something….

  108. 108.

    Debbie(aussie)

    @TaMara (BHF): am so sorry. Much worse than the terrible flooding we had inSE Qld in Jan 2011. Only one person died. I read that many are missing, the devastation horrible, with winter coming, I shudder (have no experience of snow) best wishes to you and your fellow Coloradons(?).

  111. 111.

    jl

    I’ve enjoyed the trips I’ve taken to Florida in the past. But not sure I want to go back there for awhile. The ‘issues’ they have down there are growing every day.

    At least the place has been keeping the California jokes at bay recently.

    Herpes-Infected Monkeys Invade Florida

    ” A small handful of the wild animals originally landed in the state in the 1930s, courtesy of “Colonel” Tooey, a tour operator who wanted to give visitors a Tarzan-inspired experience of Florida’s Silver River State Park.

    Tooey kept the monkeys sequestered on an island, but they’ve since taught themselves how to swim, easily reaching the mainland and putting down roots as far as Jacksonville, which is hundreds of miles away. ”

    http://news.yahoo.com/herpes-infected-monkeys-invade-florida-153637867.html

    Edit: And what is with some of the state parks in southern states? Why would you have some goofy bogus ‘Tarzan-like experience” at a state park? And who was this “Colonel” Tooey to put one on? I’ve seen similar in Louisiana, state ‘historical’ museums that remind me of the Ripley’s Believe it or not museum on Fisherman’s Wharf (if it’s still open).

  114. 114.

    Southern Beale

    @jl:

    Tooey kept the monkeys sequestered on an island, but they’ve since taught themselves how to swim, easily reaching the mainland and putting down roots as far as Jacksonville, which is hundreds of miles away. ”

    Well THAT was 100% predictable. Have these people never seen a movie in their entire fucking lives?

  115. 115.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mike E:

    CIA guy on 60 Mins sez Syrian settlement is the only outcome of the civil war. That way, ‘institutions’ like the army and security forces can pivot and then defeat al Qaeda.

    Next segment is on medical marijuana.

    Yeah, I agree it sounds like CIA guy has already been self-medicating!

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    @TaMara (BHF):
    I just got off the phone with my dad. Their house is high enough that they’re in no serious danger, but he’s not looking forward to tomorrow’s commute.

    For those who are wondering about the large number of unaccounted for, most of those are people who are just out of communication. My family was backpacking during the devastating 1976 Big Thompson flood, and we were officially unaccounted for until we got home and had a chance to reassure our neighbors that we were fine. IIRC, we hadn’t even been rained on.

  117. 117.

    muddy

    @raven: That’s uncivilized. My dogs love to go, and are offered many treats by the stall holders. They know which ones have the better offerings.

  118. 118.

    TaMara (BHF)

    @raven: As far as I know, BlackHawk has been unaffected. The mountain towns that got hit worst were several above Boulder – mostly because of the burn scars and Estes Park and Lyons. Then down by Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs has been struggling with flash floods all summer, again because of the burn scars.

  119. 119.

    Roger Moore

    @raven:

    Well in this fucking Georgia town I can’t take my goddamn DOGS in the Farmer’s Market!

    Sure, but there’s a good hygiene reason for that, and there’s no constitutional right to walk your dog.

  123. 123.

    muddy

    @efgoldman: This part of the story is just perfect:

    Ironically, Appleton’s city code outlaws carrying fake or toy guns in public. “No person may carry or display a facsimile firearm in a manner that could reasonably be expected to alarm, intimidate, threaten or terrify another person,” the ordinance says.

    So no fake guns that might scare people, but real guns that more reasonably scare people are A-OK. Jeezum.

  124. 124.

    IowaOldLady

    @Roger Moore: The juxtaposition of the camo panty thread and the open carry thread (not to mention the herpes monkies) says something weird is in the air.

  125. 125.

    Anne Laurie

    @cathyx:

    I know several women whose entire family go hunting every season. The kids are taken out of school and it’s a family affair.

    But doesn’t that spoil the “Second Week of Deer Camp” ?

    Note to hunters & Michigan readers: I kid because I love. Srsly. Will never regret spending fifteen years as a Michigander, or acquiring Patrick McManus in hardcover, either.

  129. 129.

    Roger Moore

    @TaMara (BHF):
    That’s interesting, because it’s my mom I’d expect people to recognize. She’s been very active in public service (e.g. planning commission, school board, library board, etc.) for as long as I can remember. If you ever went to the Old Fashioned Political Rally, she was the one who organized it.

  130. 130.

    muddy

    @Anne Laurie: That is just wonderful! I have a lot of friends that will recognize themselves. When I was young, the first time I was dating a hunter, he was showing me his packing for deer camp. I did not expect to see a case of liquor. Silly me.

    There’s a joke about a guy who asks his wife to pack for him for deer camp, so he can rush right out after work. Afterwards when he comes home venison-free, his wife asks if she remembered everything. Yes he says, only you didn’t pack any spare underwear for me – but as it was deer camp, it was no big thing.

    She says, Did you check in your rifle case?

  131. 131.

    Southern Beale

    @muddy:

    The fake guns are so no one confuses them with a real gun. But that was before America went off the deep end and everyone decided they needed to carry real guns everywhere.

    Anyway, this is a publicity ploy and lawsuit-trolling by that crackpot group out of Virginia mentioned in the story. And I’m sure they’re finding loons in all 52 states to parade around with their assault rifles strapped to their backs.

    Would love to find out who’s financing this group. Bet it’s the NRA and gun-manufacturers.

  132. 132.

    Roger Moore

    @Southern Beale:

    And I’m sure they’re finding loons in all 52 states to parade around with their assault rifles strapped to their backs.

    It won’t go off so well here in California, where that kind of thing has been illegal since St. Ronnie of Raygun was governor.

  133. 133.

    muddy

    @Southern Beale: In Vermont, a hunting license is license to carry. But people would think you were a real asshole if you walked around like that. I know a number of absolute gun loons, and they would all think it was pretty uncool to go strapped to the farmer’s market. I’d be really surprised to see it here, unless they were very young or flatlanders or similar “don’t know better” types.

    Hopefully this bullshit will be peer limited.

  134. 134.

    nineone

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Never could understand why she is so lionized by so many

    I blame Joey Ramone, may he rest in peace.

    @Honus:

    So nobody will get to see Barbara.

    That seems a little unfair to the rest of us.

  135. 135.

    Citizen_X

    @Southern Beale:

    Charles A. Branstrom and Ross A. Bauman claimed they were carrying the guns for self-defense.

    Yeah, right. Has anyone ever heard of anyone (besides a criminal or a psychopath) getting into a firefight with rifles, “defensively?” Especially in a public place.

  137. 137.

    burnspbesq

    @tybee:

    capitalist crimes of that nature

    Really. Which specific sections of Title 18, which nobody has been convicted of violating because there’s insufficient evidence to even get indictments, would you like to see made capital offenses?

    Blind, incoherent anger is tired. How about a real policy idea? Just one.

  138. 138.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @different-church-lady:

    Primarily Pre-Code.  I will probably also occasionally talk about the independent producer/directors who were able to operate outside of the Code (like Samuel Fuller and Oscar Micheaux) and I’ll probably do some comparison of Pre-Code and Production Code versions of the same story (like the two versions of Imitation of Life).  But I think there’s plenty of coverage of Production Code movies out there already, so I probably won’t talk about them often.

    @Honus:

    I’m a she, so maybe not.  :-)  Though I will definitely be covering some of the more scandalous scenes and images from Pre-Code for others to enjoy on a different level.

  139. 139.

    Citizen_X

    @muddy: Imma start carrying around a saumarai sword at the farmers’ market, stomping around like Toshira Mifune and giving everyone the stinkeye. Especially assholes with AR-15s strapped to their backs.

  140. 140.

    burnspbesq

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    I am glad Obama listened.

    I’d say the evidence on that is a little equivocal. Summers can count well enough to realize that with three Dems on the banking committee already pledged to vote no, his nomination was DOA.

  143. 143.

    burnspbesq

    @cathyx:

    I saw a disgusting flavored snack today. Chocolate, peanut butter Bugles.

    Tain’t nuthin’. Frito-Lay is getting ready to roll out Pepsi-flavored Cheetos in Japan.

  145. 145.

    Kay

    Bernie Sanders says goodbye to Larry Summers:

    “I applaud Larry Summers for withdrawing his name from consideration. The truth is that it was unlikely he would have been confirmed by the Senate. What the American people want now is a Fed chairman prepared to stand up to the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street, not a Wall Street insider whose deregulation efforts helped pave the way for a horrendous financial crisis and the worst economic downturn in the country since the Great Depression. The Fed now must help develop policies which create millions of decent-paying jobs and rebuild the middle class.”

    I applaud Larry Summers

    From Bernie Sanders! :)

  147. 147.

    Kay

    @muddy:

    Right.

    What Bernie Sanders said:

    “I applaud Larry Summers for withdrawing his name from consideration

    What Larry Summers heard:

    “I applaud Larry Summers

  148. 148.

    muddy

    @Kay: From the first time I saw Summers’ picture, he has always freaked me out. He has “evil-face”. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes someone just strikes me that way on first glance. Something’s wrong with that one.

    I like Bernie in person especially. On tv he looks like regular size, but he is quite tall, and when he starts raising his long skinny arms to the sides he looks like a condor. Remarkable wingspan, if not plumage.

  149. 149.

    Davis X. Machina

    U3 at 5% by Christmas. 4.5% GDP growth in Q4!

    Yellen will make it so!

    Borges called the Falklands War “Two bald men fighting over a comb”.

    We’ve watched the central banking version of this play out for a couple months.

    And one of the two bald guys just bailed.

    Wow. Earthshattering.

  150. 150.

    xenos

    @Southern Beale: Somebody ought to just walk up to those gun-nuts when they do that and bitch-slap them. They would have no idea what to do and would be humiliated.

    What use is a rifle when you are in a public place and have to let someone walk right up to your face? A concealed knife beats a rifle, or a still-concealed gun, every time for that matter.

  151. 151.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Southern Beale: Jesus Fucking Christ. I went to undergrad at the LAC in Appleton. This is insane. My school was pretty liberal overall. Town vs. Gown was always a bit of a thing. In addition, the headquarters of Wisconsin’s Posse Comitatus wasn’t too far away. Also too, Joe McCarthy is buried in Appleton. Ultimately theough, Appleton is a reasonably well-off and sophisticated place in which carrying arms would have been a huge shock.

    ETA: the president of Lawrence from 1977-2004 passed away over the weekend from cancer. Honestly, I have trouble imagining the university without his face attached to it. Cheers, Rik.

  152. 152.

    mai naem

    Maria Antoinette Bartiromo used to come on Mornin’ Ho a couple of days during the week, but I think they were getting so much blowback they stopped. Or she got so much crap, she told them she wasn’t coming on. Also too, she looked like she’d slept in her previous day’s work clothes after getting drunk at a bar, literally rolled out of bed, showed up on the set and the make up people had done her up the best they could. She looked just awful.

    Also also too, I cannot stop myself from watching Game Change whenever I see it on HBO. I’ve casually watched it probably like ten times. Does it make me a bad person that I lurv seeing the trainwreck that was the Palin/McCain campaign? I always freaking laugh when Nicole Wallace says “Well, she doesn’t know why North Korea and South Korea were separated?” and one of the Palin “fixer uppers” telling Steve Schmidt “Well, did you guys consider that she might be mentally unstable?” Ha ha ha.

  153. 153.

    Gvg

    Silver Springs was a tourist attraction not a state park, for decades. Since the 30’s I think, maybe earlier though. It only got taken over by the state recently, when it went bankrupt and public sentiment didn’t want to let it disappear, not to mention the wild animals needed taking care off. The monkeys were naturalized but rarely a problem. the were other animals displayed in cages plus a water park and boat rides that 8 wouldn’t’t think we’re safe to just abandon.
    I’ve never heard these monkeys swam to Jacksonville and I don’t really believe it. Monkey’s in small road side tourist stands go way back and are all over the place decades ago. In addition there are still plenty of fools who get pet monkeys somehow and they get loose. there are too many sources possible with decades to move around. still they aren’t much of a problem. the escaped breeding populations of boas bother me more and even those haven’t done much.
    They make good weird stories about somewhere else but this problem is a big nothing burger. I’ll bet there are stories about your home you don’t pay any attention too except when you want to tease out of state guests.

  156. 156.

    polyorchnid octopunch

    @burnspbesq: There’s something you’ve got to realise Burns. It’s not reasonable to necessarily expect a lot of people without the domain specific knowledge to be able to go and come up with policy. It is reasonable to expect that if our elites continue to dismiss their real anger at real abuses to find them taking up the policy of torches and pitchforks, or as is more likely given the US, night vision goggles and rifles.

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