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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Open Thread

Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  November 5, 201311:47 am| 155 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Open Threads

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santas_helpers

I’ve just returned from a perfectly lovely mini-vacation in the Keys. How lovely was it? So lovely that even the Gators’ allowing a sub-par Georgia team to beat them like a circus monkey for three quarters only to attempt and fall short of a come-back couldn’t prompt more than a brief frown. So lovely that even the hapless Tampa Bay Bucs’ blowing a 21-point lead in an epic fourth quarter collapse to remain winless couldn’t elicit more than an incredulous guffaw.

The Keys (the middle part, anyway) are even more overrun with iguanas than they were last time I visited. I spent much of my time lolling in a hammock, from which I could observe a clump of scrub palms that seemed to serve as the hub of local iguana operations: They issued forth from this cluster of vegetation to stalk insects all over the property.

It was too windy to boat or fish (in my opinion — others differed!), so I read, lounged, ate gourmet fare mostly prepared by people who were not me, drank champagne and wine, played games and paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to news or politics.

On this trip, I was vacationing with friends rather than family, which is unusual for me. When I got home and flopped on the couch, my dogs (who weigh around 60 pounds each) came up on the sofa and sat on me for an hour or so to make sure I was really staying. My daughter showed me this hideous concoction she had made with homemade icing and candy corn that was supposed to resemble corn on the cob. Luckily, I wasn’t expected to eat it, given my delicate post-vacation condition.

Looks like we’ve been having some technical difficulties, maybe? Or could be just me? Anyway, what’s new?

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Reader Interactions

155Comments

  1. 1.

    Cacti

    November 5, 2013 at 11:51 am

    Remember, remember, the 5th of November…

    And that the guy who’s visage you dudebros like to wear on masks was a religious terrorist trying to re-establish Roman Catholic dominance of Great Britain.

    I wonder if 400 years from now, kids will wear masks of Timothy McVeigh or Osama bin Laden.

  2. 2.

    Cervantes

    November 5, 2013 at 11:53 am

    Did you get to Kokomo?

    That’s where you wanna go, I have it on good authority.

  3. 3.

    Violet

    November 5, 2013 at 11:53 am

    It’s Voting Day! I am going to vote shortly. I’m still trying to read up on a bunch of propositions that need voting on. I was too busy to vote early and the last couple of times I did vote early the lines were ridiculous. It’s easier to vote on the actual day–short lines.

  4. 4.

    spudvol

    November 5, 2013 at 11:55 am

    Sad to say, but this blog is on auto-pilot.

  5. 5.

    shortstop

    November 5, 2013 at 11:57 am

    Glad you had fun. Wherever I am, I could watch the local wildlife all day long.

    Mind telling us where you stayed? Always looking for Keys spots.

  6. 6.

    jeffreyw

    November 5, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    Thread needs moar Ginger kitteh.

  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 5, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Anyway, what’s new?

    Rand Paul got busted for plagiarizing stuff for his book. Oh wait a minute, you asked what was new… Nothing. Republicans are still Republicans, Democrats are still Democrats, and independents are still both.

  8. 8.

    ranchandsyrup

    November 5, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Didja do any wine foil sculptures, Betty?

  9. 9.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    @jeffreyw: Is Homer still jealous.

  10. 10.

    Ash Can

    November 5, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    No, it’s not just you; the server has indeed crapped its pants again. It seems to have been OK for the past hour or so, though.

    And what the heck is that? Municipal Christmas decorations going up in your neck of the woods already? I suppose that when you live somewhere that doesn’t have an obvious change of seasons, one holiday looks like another.

  11. 11.

    MomSense

    November 5, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Going to vote today!! I love voting for good candidates. Also too our candidate for governor Mike Michaud came out in a big way yesterday. He is getting a bad rap on some progressive blogs because he is a blue dog–however he is a pro choice, pro ACA, pro union, pro teacher, pro environment blue dog or just socially conservative enough to win our conservative 2nd District.

    People should also know that the independent Elliott Cutler is not a progressive on many economic issues and Kay would not approve of his school choice ideas.

  12. 12.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    Sub-Par my ass

    South Carolina
    LSU
    Florida

  13. 13.

    Xantar

    November 5, 2013 at 12:13 pm

    Why is Newsmax reporting about Obama getting a private screening of Mandela? Are we supposed to think seeing Idris Elba on the screen is going to radicalize our president or something?

  14. 14.

    the Conster

    November 5, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    I bet Richie Incognito wishes he was. What a fucking asshole.

  15. 15.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 5, 2013 at 12:16 pm

    Speaking of technical difficulties, has anyone else been unable to access Maddowblog today? I keep getting a 404.

  16. 16.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 12:18 pm

    @Ash Can: OMG does that mean we are soon going to hear the awful Christmas music from now until bebbeh Jebus’s birfdai in all the stores soon?

  17. 17.

    Napoleon

    November 5, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    @low-tech cyclist:

    I haven’t had an issue (Windows with IE is what I am using)

  18. 18.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 12:19 pm

    @raven: the SEC has been a bit of a mess this year, and the string of injuries the Bulldogs have had doesn’t help much. An OT win against Tennessee (that they were losing most of the way), loses to Missouri (which is not as bad as it sounds) and Vanderbilt doesn’t exactly scream “rousing success” either.

  19. 19.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    @Ash Can: saw some parking lot Christmas decorations yesterday here in Southern California. At least they waited until after Halloween.

  20. 20.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    BTW I has been sick with the flu and the cold and sad bebbeh kitteh made it to the ICHC/lolcats FP over the weekend.

  21. 21.

    Yatsuno

    November 5, 2013 at 12:22 pm

    @jeffreyw: Comfy kitteh iz comfy.

    Finishing off spheroids of baby sheep and rice for work today. They taste amazeballs.

  22. 22.

    srv

    November 5, 2013 at 12:22 pm

    So Floridians that live on the beach vacate in The Keys?

    Seems weird.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 12:22 pm

    @jeffreyw:

    I dunno, those are some pretty big paws. Homer should be nice to the new kitteh just in case new kitteh grows into those paws and puts the smackdown on Homer.

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    @raven: C’mon, Raven — you have every reason to be happy about the last few FL-GA games, but you’re not seriously trying to argue that this isn’t a sub-par year for the Dawgs, are you? If you have a great football program — and Georgia generally does! — three losses = sub-par.

  25. 25.

    lamh36

    November 5, 2013 at 12:26 pm

    @Xantar: Newsmax can make any thing sinister…can’t wait to see what the headline they would come up with if they screened 12 Years A Slave.

    BTW, as a big fan of both brothers, I’m hoping that Pete Souza’s camera is full of film and I get lots of pics of my fav brothers together.

  26. 26.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:27 pm

    @KG: Tennessee led for exactly one minute in the entire game. If you saw the Vandy game you know exactly what happened there.

  27. 27.

    Rosalita

    November 5, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    I’ve noticed the site burping a bit this morning. I’m glad you had a fabulous vacation Betty!

    Some Yankee Christmas decorations for your viewing pleasure

  28. 28.

    Suffern ACE

    November 5, 2013 at 12:29 pm

    Voted. And that’s about it for my political participation for the day. I had village, town and county leaders to fill, plus village and town legislators to fill. I don’t trust either party to run the county and trust the anti-corruption reformers even less.

  29. 29.

    Gator90

    November 5, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I would think Georgia would aspire to more than SEC East also-ran status. I know Florida does, and we are definitely sub-par.

  30. 30.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    @Gator90: We have a shot, we’ve played the run better than the pass but Auburn is crankin ir out. What we need is for you weenies to do just enough to keep that idiot as coach for another decade.

  31. 31.

    Chyron HR

    November 5, 2013 at 12:33 pm

    @Xantar:

    It proves that Obama is a modern-day Nero, Stringering while Rome burns.

  32. 32.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Sub par season yes, that’s not what you said.

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    @Gator90: What are your thoughts on Muschamp? I’m thinking we mortgage the clock tower for a salary sufficient to lure Charlie Strong home.

  34. 34.

    Another Holocene Human

    November 5, 2013 at 12:34 pm

    Sounds like you had a good time, Betty.

    Crist announced he’s running for governor as a Democrat. Gators lost, FSU won. Heh heh heh.

    Fest 12 was awesome. Started in Ybor City then wound its way up to Gainesville to take the edge off the way they fratty crowd trashed the place on Thursday. I wish Fest happened twice a year. Love it.

  35. 35.

    Another Holocene Human

    November 5, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    @Xantar: He has a home theatre. ELITIST!

  36. 36.

    Ripley

    November 5, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    @Xantar:

    Why is Newsmax reporting about Obama getting a private screening of Mandela?

    Because: Black.

  37. 37.

    Suffern ACE

    November 5, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    @Xantar: (psst. Black President is watching black movie. Just like he invites those mau mauing gansta rappers like Common to soil the white house.)

  38. 38.

    JCJ

    November 5, 2013 at 12:37 pm

    @lamh36:

    Is today your birthday? If so, Happy Day!

  39. 39.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    @raven: misremembered the Tennessee game. And I get that there were a ton of injuries this year (which I even mentioned). But as @Betty Cracker said, UGA tends to have higher standards than most other programs. It’s not a bad thing to be a program that looks at a season with 3 or 4 losses as a bad year. I mean, would you rather be Kentucky, where 4 WINS is considered a great year?

  40. 40.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    @raven: Team, season — I’d stand by both statements, actually. That said, “sub-par” is better than “subterranean,” which is where my reptiles are at…Georgia alum Muschamp needs to get the hell out of Gainesville. I suspect he is a mole!

  41. 41.

    Gator90

    November 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    @raven: LOL, know what you mean. I remember saying something similar about Ray Goff years ago.

  42. 42.

    Ash Can

    November 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: Gah. I haven’t heard any around here yet (probably because store owners know that October is all about Halloween in these parts), but then, I tend to tune that crap out. I keep my radio at home tuned to the local classical station, and the Christmas music they play is the kind of music that makes for good listening all year round.

  43. 43.

    Steeplejack

    November 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    @raven:

    Lighten up, Francis. She said “a sub-par Georgia team,” in which team is virtually synonymous with season, unless Georgia is playing the same people for five or 10 years. Which they might be. I don’t know. It’s irresponsible not to speculate.

  44. 44.

    Another Holocene Human

    November 5, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Don’t even joke about auctioning the carillon tower. That’s just plain mean.

    Unless you mean the courthouse clock tower downtown. Which is even crueler when you think about it.

    /have to stop talking about this b/c I’m just going to start crying about the income inequality here, which is not funny at all

  45. 45.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 5, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    @Napoleon: OK, I can get there in IE, which normally I don’t use at all.

    When I copy the URL into Firefox, it does a really odd thing: it replaces ‘msnbc’ with ‘nbcnews’ which results in a URL for a nonexistent page. It’s never done that before.

  46. 46.

    Citizen_X

    November 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    @the Conster: I’m gonna call it right now: Incognito is going to be the new Teatard hero. Why? Here’s the sign he had in his locker (and tweeted!): “THERE ARE TWO THINGS RICHIE INCOGNITO DOES NOT LIKE: TAXES AND ROOKIES.”

    Here is a description of how he’s been a punk-ass thug his whole life, if you so desire.

  47. 47.

    Amir Khalid

    November 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    @lamh36:
    Happy birfdai. Will you be updatng your nym to Iamh37?

  48. 48.

    Violet

    November 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn has been diagnosed with a recurrence of prostate cancer and is seeking treatment.

    A spokesman says Coburn, a survivor of a 2011 bout with the disease, is “undergoing further evaluation and treatment.”

    Coburn has battled colon cancer and melanoma in the past.

    Link.

  49. 49.

    IowaOldLady

    November 5, 2013 at 12:44 pm

    When I voted this morning, my fellow little old ladies asked me to scan my driver’s license. I asked if Iowa had a voter ID law and they said no, it was just to “make it easier for the computer.” Then they asked me the month and date of my birth, which I assume is some sort of voter verification tactic, though at least it’s one everyone could deliver on, I suppose. I let them scan my license. After I got home I wondered what would have happened if I didn’t have a license.

  50. 50.

    Another Holocene Human

    November 5, 2013 at 12:44 pm

    @lamh36: Will be catching that movie next monday. So pissed about the limited release… couldn’t find anywhere in driving distance where it was showing although maybe the website was just being coy. fuckyounewyorkcityfuckingfuckers!!!

    the worst thing is that Thor Chronicles Legacy II comes out the same day & my wife is hormonal about Loki so We Must See It possibly on the same day meh, damn, and blast. It looks really stupid and I won’t be able to see the Agents of SHIELD tie in episode until 2 weeks later, I think, since I watch it on abc.com and they are annoying. Look, dickbags, I do know how you use torrent. And your ads are annoying. Just think on that and get back to me. Ugh.

  51. 51.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:44 pm

    @Gator90: One Play Away Ray

  52. 52.

    Citizen_X

    November 5, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    @Citizen_X: allow me to clarify. White thug, so: hero.

  53. 53.

    Poopyman

    November 5, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    My theory is that FYWP is operated by Republicans. Maybe MaddowBlog is on WordPress?

    @lamh3637: Happy Birthday!

  54. 54.

    handsmile

    November 5, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    @lamh36:

    Hope you’re enjoying a lovely birthday and that Mr. Elba is obeying all of your instructions.

    And while he’s preparing your lunch, you might like to watch this BBC report of Mandela‘s opening in Johannesburg:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24799928

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Some of today’s election results may be good for what ails you. Hope you’re feeling better soon. :)

  55. 55.

    ruemara

    November 5, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    @low-tech cyclist: Difficulties with the website? This means we should shut down MSNBC and start over.

    I keep getting up and wondering where the cats are. Or why I don’t hear someone in the litter box. Or why they haven’t come to explain to me that it’s up time and they’d like breakfast please. On the positive side, I’ve officially started collecting all the things to have a yard sale this weekend. I can’t wait to clear out the crap the ex dropped off before he left. Literally, he stayed over to get the cats’ things together and the last night he was here, I left a normal apartment and came back to apartment + .33 another apartment. Obviously, “I’ve taken care of all my stuff” meant, “I’ve dumped this on you and-oh look-my flight, good luck!”

    @lamh36: Hippy Hoppy Bithudah!

  56. 56.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 5, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    @low-tech cyclist: I lost Benen (as far as my bookmark) a couple weeks ago when MSNBC launched their new website. I think if you go through MSNBC dot com you could find it again, but I keep forgetting

    @Violet: for which I’m sure he will refuse any Medicare

  57. 57.

    Violet

    November 5, 2013 at 12:48 pm

    @ruemara: Hey, making money off the crap he left isn’t too bad of a deal. Except for the work of holding a yard sale. Treat yourself to something nice with the money you make.

  58. 58.

    Ferdzy

    November 5, 2013 at 12:49 pm

    Should anyone here still be following the story, it looks like Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford. has admitted to smoking crack. But he’s totes not an addict or an alcoholic!

    Thanks, Rob. I do like to get my daily dose of schadenford.

  59. 59.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    We’re going to take a four-day weekend in a couple of weeks and I.cannot.wait. When your week-long summer “vacation” is herding the cats to get everyone to your dad’s memorial, it isn’t very relaxing (to say the least).

  60. 60.

    Comrade Mary

    November 5, 2013 at 12:51 pm

    I am not making this up: Rob Ford admits smoking crack just once, probably in one of his drunken stupors, he can’t exactly remember when.

  61. 61.

    Ash Can

    November 5, 2013 at 12:52 pm

    @Citizen_X: I’m sure the Dolphins knew they were getting a head case when they took him on. They’re at fault for not acting accordingly and keeping him on a short leash. I blame Incognito for doing it in the first place, and I’m blaming the Dolphins for not coming down on him like a ton of bricks for so much as looking at his teammate funny.

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    @ruemara:

    Well, at least you can sell his excess crap with a clear conscience. It’s not like he didn’t know you were having a yard sale, right?

    Also, too, I’ve always heard that the trick with a yard sale is to sell everything you can and arrange to have the charity truck there either at the end of the day or first thing in the morning so you don’t take all of the unsold crap back into the house. If people don’t buy it at the sale, just give it away and take the tax break.

  63. 63.

    Eric U.

    November 5, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    our new rescue escaped and went on a fairly extensive romp just as I was leaving for work. He was a stray, so I was pretty worried he was gone for good before we had even signed the papers. But when I finally gave up looking and went home, there he was. He fell for the old trick where you offer to take him on a walk if only he will jump in the car.

  64. 64.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    @Comrade Mary:

    Is that the Canadian version of, “I did not have sex with that woman?”

  65. 65.

    Cervantes

    November 5, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    @Xantar: Why is Newsmax reporting about Obama getting a private screening of Mandela?

    Just goes to show that Obama hasn’t stopped palling around with terrorists.

  66. 66.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    @low-tech cyclist: iT HAS A NEW EARL

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

  67. 67.

    GregB

    November 5, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    Ford’s excuse for smoking crack was that he was too effed-up on meth, bath salts and krokodil to know what he was doing.

  68. 68.

    Ash Can

    November 5, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    @Comrade Mary: Did he inhale?

  69. 69.

    Comrade Mary

    November 5, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    The video of his confession today. Pretty sad, actually.

  70. 70.

    Mike in NC

    November 5, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    @lamh36:

    Newsmax can make any thing sinister…can’t wait to see what the headline they would come up with if they screened 12 Years A Slave.

    “The Best Years of Their Lives”

  71. 71.

    RobertDSC-iPhone 4

    November 5, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    As much as I enjoy reading Benen’s work, I utterly detest the layout of the Maddow site. I dislike it so much that I’ve given up on reading him. I haz a sad.

  72. 72.

    Comrade Mary

    November 5, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    @GregB: Pretty close, if you substitute booze for that list. Seriously.

  73. 73.

    piratedan

    November 5, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    IF YOU HAVEN’T VOTED, GO VOTE!

  74. 74.

    Gator90

    November 5, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I’m not sure what I think of Muschamp. To me, so much comes down to how you recruit the quarterback position. Jimbo Fisher recruited Jameis Winston and is now a genius. Charlie Strong is a hot commodity in large part because he recruited Teddy Bridgewater. Muschamp’s big QB recruit was … Driskel. If Driskel were better, Muschamp would appear smarter. With that said, I like your Charlie Strong plan because he did a great job for UF in the past and is a proven recruiter.

  75. 75.

    Joey Maloney

    November 5, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    @Ash Can: It’s the happiest time of the year!

    …to live in Israel.

  76. 76.

    Sophist

    November 5, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    @Violet:

    Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn has been diagnosed with a recurrence of prostate cancer and is seeking treatment.

    Good thing he spends most of his time with his head up his ass, makes early detection a snap.

  77. 77.

    Goblue72

    November 5, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    @Violet: Dude has butt cancer? Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!

    Maybe there is a God after all.

  78. 78.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    @lamh36: Happy Birthday and dreams without interruptions!

  79. 79.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    @piratedan: but there’s no election here.

  80. 80.

    Sophist

    November 5, 2013 at 1:05 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Republicans are still Republicans, Democrats are still Democrats, and independents are still both Republicans who don’t want to cop to it.

  81. 81.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 5, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    @Comrade Mary: Funny how this tawdry tale is putting a spotlight on Toronto, which is usually an out-of-sight, out-of-mind place as far as most Americans are concerned. Ford really needs to resign. Not being prudish but if you’re so drunk that you can’t remember whether you smoked crack, you need to get help.

  82. 82.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    @shortstop: Marathon. It’s kind of my go-to Keys spot.

  83. 83.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 5, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    @lamh36: Happy B’Day to ya!

  84. 84.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    @lamh36: Birthday gift especially for you!

  85. 85.

    Another Holocene Human

    November 5, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    @Patricia Kayden: couldn’t happen to a better trolley hater

    fuck rob ford and the suburban suv resentment sundae he rode in on

  86. 86.

    Geoduck

    November 5, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Washington state does it entirely by mail now, so I voted a couple of days ago. The only thing that I’m really interested in is Initiative 522, which would require labeling of genetically-modified foods. The corps have been pouring in money to get it voted down; we’ll see if the resulting advertising blitz succeeds or not.

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 5, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Is that the Canadian version of, “I did not have sex with that woman?”

    Sounds to me more like a version of “I am not gay, I have never been gay, I have a very wide stance”

  88. 88.

    danielx

    November 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    Anyway, what’s new?

    Not much…

    Ted Cruz is still an asshole of biblical proportions.

    mclaren is still off his medications.

    Worthy of note – the John Cole we know and love briefly returned, complete with appropriate snarls to and from various commentators. Did my heart good. Anytime you get 339 responses to a post (even counting repeats and trolls), you’re doing something right.

  89. 89.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    @KG: I have enough of a problem with Georgia fans bad mouthing this team. I won’t stand for it from lizard breaths. I have taken great care to always be civil to Betty and will continue to do so but beating their sorry fucking asses three years in a row is a cause for great joy up in here.

  90. 90.

    Amir Khalid

    November 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    @Patricia Kayden:
    I think the problem is, if you’ve got such a sense of entitlement that you think you can get away with getting so drunk that you can’t remember afterwards if you smoked any crack, then you’re a long way off realising that you shouldn’t be in public office.

  91. 91.

    Joey Maloney

    November 5, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    @Comrade Mary: Yeah, I can’t quite bring myself to roll a tear for him. He’s going to keep his cushy government job despite having admitted to felonies.

    I don’t know Canadian law; is there any provision to remove him before the next election?

  92. 92.

    Steeplejack

    November 5, 2013 at 1:16 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Linky no work. I fix.

  93. 93.

    danielx

    November 5, 2013 at 1:19 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Betty, can also recommend Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge, if you feel like going farther down. Laid back and wonderful, and fantastic snorkeling. However, beware of the raccoons if camping or walking at night, the bastards move around in packs and they ain’t skeered of nothin’. Learned a valuable lesson about NEVER leaving anything edible in the tent…

  94. 94.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    @Steeplejack: Thanks, I lubs me some Gingerbatch!

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    November 5, 2013 at 1:22 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Cummerbund Bandersnatch. He’s pretty good in The Fifth Estate, and the movie is not bad.

  96. 96.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    @raven: Why does the St. John’s River flow north? ;-)

  97. 97.

    tybee

    November 5, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    ’cause jacksonville sux

  98. 98.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    @Steeplejack: Yeah, although Bleached Batch is not a good look for him. I have not seen the movie, only the trailer.

  99. 99.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:26 pm

    @tybee: You seen the pictures of the garbage on the beach at Tybee? My Athens eco-facebookers are in a frenzy.

  100. 100.

    SiubhanDuinne

    November 5, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    I thoroughly and passionately disagree with Tom Coburn on pretty much every policy position he’s ever taken. I wouldn’t vote for him for street sweeper and I hope he will resign his Senate seat very soon on account of health problems (he’s already announced he won’t be running for a third term in 2016). By all means, let’s call out his hypocrisy, and let’s hope he’s not in a position of power much longer.

    But c’mon, Juicers. To celebrate the fact that someone has cancer??? Aren’t we better than that?*

    *Rhetorical question. And i admit my own hypocrisy is showing, as I plan to make an exception for the individual who preceded Joe Biden as VPOTUS. That day can’t come fast enough, and whether it’s cancer, heart, or a fatal whiff of garlic, I expect it to be a gleeful moment.

  101. 101.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    @raven: St Simons

  102. 102.

    shortstop

    November 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Right, I was hoping you could be more specific, but I understand why you might not want to here.

    I think my problem with the Middle Keys — all the Keys, really — is that I always want everything to go for about 1992 prices. This is ludicrous, because it’s not like I ever even went to the Keys in the 1990s, plus I have no trouble adjusting my mind to present-day prices anywhere else. Anyway, there seems to be a dearth of options in the space between luxury joints and truly scary roach motels in the Keys, so I’m always looking for ideas.

  103. 103.

    Ash Can

    November 5, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    @Joey Maloney: Hey, I love Christmas festivities. Just not before Thanksgiving, that’s all.

  104. 104.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: And Cheney?

  105. 105.

    Bob In Portland

    November 5, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    @Geoduck: Watching the ads across the Columbia has piqued my interest. You know when they have the serious Asian woman in the white coat with the stethoscope hanging around her neck warning you about the dangers of knowing what you put in your body that the stakes are high.

  106. 106.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    @Ash Can: My feelings exactly and I would actually love the Christmas music if they restricted it to the week of Christmas!

  107. 107.

    tybee

    November 5, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    @raven: nope but if there was a lot of garbage, either it was a typical weekend or the locals are sunning themselves.

    tybee beach after a weekend is truly a garbage dump. the city of tybee does a fine job of cleaning it up but the visitors are pigs.

    was there a particular garbage incident on the beach? i was pretty much all over tybee yesterday, documenting the high tides for the city of tybee’s sea rise project but i didn’t notice much out of the ordinary.

  108. 108.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    @tybee: I meant St Simons. We have friends that live on Tybee and it sounds like they just stay off the beach on the weekends.

  109. 109.

    ruemara

    November 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m not celebrating. I’m just marvelously free of sympathy for him. However, I do recognize that people who love him are concerned and I wish them well.

  110. 110.

    Comrade Mary

    November 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    @Joey Maloney: He can’t be removed from office: Toronto has no no impeachment, no recall elections. The only way he can be made to leave if he is charged, tried, convicted and imprisoned.

    But city council was already moving to neuter him before his admission, as they have a couple of motions in play that will require that he fully comply with the cops (he won’t speak with them, as he has not yet been arrested or charged), plus suspending his ability to appoint and remove members of his executive committee.

  111. 111.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    @shortstop: I’d be glad to share the actual place via email, but if you’re looking for a bargain (as I usually am as well), this definitely ain’t it. I’ve been going to the keys for decades, and you’re right about the dearth of middle-range options. I usually lean toward the skeevier “botels” myself, but the folks who coordinated this recent shindig have higher standards and deeper pockets.

  112. 112.

    Botsplainer

    November 5, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    What are your thoughts on Muschamp? I’m thinking we mortgage the clock tower for a salary sufficient to lure Charlie Strong home.

    Can’t have Charlie. He’s got a home here as long as he wants, with as much money as he wants.

  113. 113.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I can’t wait for our Thanksgiving week on the Emerald Coast!

  114. 114.

    tybee

    November 5, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    @raven:

    frat beach sounds like the orange crush party held on tybee

  115. 115.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    @tybee: Except way white.

  116. 116.

    burnspbesq

    November 5, 2013 at 1:48 pm

    @KG:

    At least they waited until after Halloween.

    Barely. I was at South Coast Plaza at 5:00 a.m. on 11/1 and they were hard at work putting the “Holiday” stuff up.

  117. 117.

    some guy

    November 5, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    @shortstop:

    some affordable motels in Big Pine Key. we are campers, so if Bahia Honda is booked we head over to the KOA on Big Pine Key.

  118. 118.

    jeffreyw

    November 5, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: Homer is just an asshole kitteh. He got up in Toby’s business once too often and the Tobster whipped his ass. The fur flew, all of it Homer’s. He ran and hid under the couch.

  119. 119.

    shortstop

    November 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Thanks — will follow up!

    @some guy: And thanks to you, too. I like Big Pine for the deer and convenience to the great beach at Bahia Honda.

  120. 120.

    handsmile

    November 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    Last night’s Daily Show segment on Rob Ford, the crack mayor of Toronto (with crack as a noun, not adjective), was Jon Stewart at his sardonic and vulgar best:

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-gets-the-jon-stewart-treatment-video

    Of course, the segment that followed it (“correspondent” Al Madrigal reporting on the Virginia gubernatorial race) was nothing less than damning evidence for the indictment that Stewart/TDS is Broder 2.0. (with a doctor’s permission, find your own link)

  121. 121.

    burnspbesq

    November 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    This is pretty cool.

    http://laxmagazine.com/college_women/DI/2012-13/news/110413_northwestern_to_host_southern_california_womens_lacrosse_at_chicago_wrigley_field

  122. 122.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    @burnspbesq: I avoid South Coast Plaza whenever possible

  123. 123.

    Anoniminous

    November 5, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    Tis the season wherein tens of millions of Americans will purchase useless shit, mostly at price plus 23% interest, to give to people that don’t want it who gave them useless shit they don’t want, mostly at price plus 23% interest.

    Bah. Humbug.

  124. 124.

    shelly

    November 5, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    Newsmax can make any thing sinister…

    And they’re shocked…shocked to discover that Obama actually plays golf. Has any other President played that dastardly sport?

  125. 125.

    KG

    November 5, 2013 at 1:58 pm

    @handsmile: I don’t know, the spot on the VA race seemed like fair play to me. Everyone has been through an election or two where the nominees seemed like terrible choices. That’s how I felt on the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004 and any election in California involving Gray Davis

  126. 126.

    some guy

    November 5, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    @shortstop:

    KOA also has a campground at Sugraloaf Key. Other affordable optiosn we have stayed at are the Dolphin Marina at Little torch key, and the Looee Key Dive Resort at Ramrod Key. Bahai Honda you need to make reservations a year in advance. :-(

  127. 127.

    debit

    November 5, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    @jeffreyw: He reminds of my cat Oliver. Is it possible Homer is a (or part) Turkish Van? Oliver ruthlessly beat down every other animal in the house until his authority was established, and now rules the house with an iron paw.

    (He’s a little frustrated with our rescue kitten who, sadly, thinks these attempts at dominance are instead play and enthusiastically reciprocates.)

  128. 128.

    Jebediah, RBG

    November 5, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    Do you [⌘-c] [⌘-v] with Rand?

  129. 129.

    piratedan

    November 5, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    @KG: don’t be giving me these pitiful excuses, now get out there and exercise your duty civic

  130. 130.

    handsmile

    November 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    @KG:

    Well, in the Virginia gubernatorial race, there is only one “terrible” choice. A point that might be expanded upon should any of that state’s BJ regulars choose to weigh in here.

    As for 2000 and 2004, really? There was some hesitation on your part to vote for Gore or Kerry rather than Dubya?

  131. 131.

    debit

    November 5, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    For reference, rescue kitten Julian. He ‘s the one I trapped on the Greenway and thought was 4 months old at the time. The vet said closer to 8 weeks. He’s going to be a monster.

  132. 132.

    jeffreyw

    November 5, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    @debit: We have no idea what kind of cat Homer is, the color on your boy looks similar. Is his tail colored?

  133. 133.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    @Botsplainer: I’d feel that way too if I were a Loo-uh-vull fan. But Charlie’s the real deal, and he’s going to want to compete for national championships eventually, plus stick a finger in the eye of those pricks who wouldn’t hire him when they had a chance. We’ll get him back.

  134. 134.

    Trollhattan

    November 5, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    @RobertDSC-iPhone 4:
    New site is horribly slow, regardless of browser, and oddly organized.

    I blame Obamacare!

  135. 135.

    nastybrutishntall

    November 5, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    “It’s almost like Schrodinger’s Crack.”

    Since the Heisenberg of Ice was already taken, I think Ford chose wisely to go 80’s retro on the unwise drug choice. Branding-wise.

  136. 136.

    debit

    November 5, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    @jeffreyw: He has just a ghosting of color on his tail, the same tabby pattern on his head. He has the rabbit soft fur of a Turkish Van, but not the body, so our vet thinks he’s a mix.

  137. 137.

    tybee

    November 5, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    @nastybrutishntall:

    lolwhut?

  138. 138.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    @Betty Cracker: And if you were him you’d move back to Florida? Seriously.

  139. 139.

    eemom

    November 5, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @handsmile:

    I’d weigh in, except I’m too depressed to see the conventional clueless rearing its dumbshit head on this otherwise pleasant thread.

    @KG:

    Go read Cole’s post on this very topic and fucking learn something.

    Though, given your remarks re 2000 and 2004, you’re likely beyond hope.

  140. 140.

    schrodinger's cat

    November 5, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @jeffreyw: Teenage Kitteh has a tude!

  141. 141.

    jeffreyw

    November 5, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    Bad pile up on 7.

  142. 142.

    Gator90

    November 5, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    @raven: Don’t forget, you’ve still lost 18 of the last 24.

  143. 143.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    @raven: I have it on very good authoriteh that Mr. Strong loves Florida, even though he did feel (with justification, IMO) dissed by not getting the gig in the first place. Let’s just say I would not be shocked if he came back and would obviously rejoice.

  144. 144.

    Betty Cracker

    November 5, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    @jeffreyw: Nothing cuter on this planet than a pile o’ pups.

  145. 145.

    Cassidy

    November 5, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    @Betty Cracker: No, we talk Bill Cowher out of retirement.

  146. 146.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    @debit:

    What you’ve got there is a (at least part) Maine Coon. Congratulations and prepare to be (benevolently) ruled for life.

  147. 147.

    raven

    November 5, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I guess if she’s comfortable with it who am I to say. I know there is plenty of thinking that Turner Gill didn’t get the Auburn job because of a similar family situation.

  148. 148.

    debit

    November 5, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Oh, I am his most loyal subject already. You remember how in Bambi all the animals in the spring were twitterpated? I am so stupid in love with him that my daughter calls me kittenpated.

  149. 149.

    burnspbesq

    November 5, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Y’all can have anyone you want. Except David Cutcliffe.

  150. 150.

    JR in WV

    November 5, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    @Violet:

    Probly from clenching his ass too tight when black thug got elected presnit, TWICE!!!

  151. 151.

    SiubhanDuinne

    November 5, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    @raven: That’s who I meant.

  152. 152.

    CarolDuhart2

    November 5, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: Unfortunately for you, yes. I like listening to Christmas music early, but at home in privacy. Keep the public stuff off until the day after Thanksgiving.

    Ahh..nostalgia. I can remember when there was such a thing as a “Christmas Eve Rush” when everybody stormed the stores the day before Xmas. Now it’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving Eve-and oh what the ell…

    and of course things are bad the other way….Valentine stuff on the shelves the day after Xmas combined with a few New Years Eve tsotckseses as well.

    No point on the calendar is allowed to be neutral and holiday free anymore.

  153. 153.

    PaulW

    November 5, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    As for my beloved Bucs: FIRE SCHIANO

    SCHIANO DELENDA EST

  154. 154.

    Mnemosyne

    November 5, 2013 at 5:45 pm

    @debit:

    That’s the Maine Coon in him. Our most frequent nickname for Keaton (our MC mix) is “Mr. Charm and Personality.”

    You’ll know for sure if he keeps his tiny kittenish “mews” into adulthood. People who see me at the vet with Keaton’s carrier think I have a kitten in there, and are shocked when they find out he’s a full-grown 15-pounder.

  155. 155.

    John Weiss

    November 5, 2013 at 10:14 pm

    @Geoduck: Oregonians vote by mail as well. I can’t understand why the ‘turnout’ isn’t higher. It costs a stamp or a trip to the drop-off box.

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