Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It looks like winning debates is a black job!

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

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

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Let me file that under fuck it.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Donald Jessica Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Motown is Joe-Town!

The jury literally has a bell they can ring to force Trump to show up on command. Greatest thing ever!

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

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69Comments

  1. 1.

    Derelict

    Gee, think the author has any unresolved/unexplored issues with his own sexuality?

    I find it interesting that so many conservatives are sooooooooooooo straight that all they can think about is teh ghey.

  4. 4.

    scav

    Whew! No wonder we wants those flame-resistant bodies in the Army toot-suite and not tout suited! Greek Fire for the 21st century.

  6. 6.

    RaflW

    That’s funny. I do find myself wondering, are they ashamed of their tribal tattoos? Is that it?

  7. 7.

    Ash Can

    It’s been said* that many millions of copies of this book have been sold and can be found in the nightstand drawers of religious right-wingers throughout the nation.

    *by me

  8. 8.

    shelley

    Oh, if only this were true. How fast would it surpass Rush Limbaugh’s kid book on Amazon?

  10. 10.

    RaflW

    Anyway, since this is an open thread, I am wondering if Santa Barbara parent Richard Martinez has started getting death threats from gun fetishists.

    His statement indicting the N.R.A. and craven politicians was straight to the bullseye of the issue. And I’m sure they can’t handle that and any number of nutters will want to resort to very violent threats.

    Which, I am hoping, Mr. Martinez will document and pass along to the media. I also hope Mr. Martinez and his family have a deep circle of support. What a horrible situation. I am impressed that he had the wherewithal to stand up to the firearm freaks.

  12. 12.

    Amir Khalid

    @beltane:

    Is this for real?

    I myself dare not hope for such things. FSM is not usually so generous. Besides, this is not among the works listed in his Wikipedia entry.

    Where can I purchase this?

    You might find something like it, or close enough, at your local adult bookstore.

  15. 15.

    geg6

    @RaflW:

    This. His statement is a brave and needed thing. I admire him so much, as I do so many of the latest families of people who were murdered with the collusion of the NRA and our government, for speaking out. My thoughts are with him and all those others. I simply can’t imagine.

  18. 18.

    Amir Khalid

    Shah Rukh Khan is one of most successful and popular movie stars on Earth. But none of that counts because he doesn’t command much of an audience in America, where he’s a nobody who gets stopped by immigration because he has an Arabic name.

  20. 20.

    Rex Everything

    “Glenn Greenwald is a racist, and although this obvious fact has somehow escaped everyone from Digby to the Pulitzer committee, I can prove it with a poorly reasoned argument that would make Thomas More a satanist & the ACLU a hate group.”
    —Fairly typical BJ commentor

  21. 21.

    Keith P

    His description of the overweight legal clerk following a late-night gloryhole visit with an emotional scene on him crying in the shower, furiously scrubbing away his sins before finally giving away to even more furious masterbation is powerful, powerful stuff. And some of the bondage scenes seem overly cruel…I mean, I know it’s S&M, but have some compassion, Nino!

  22. 22.

    Higgs Boson's Mate

    @Amir Khalid:

    Thanks for your comment. I very much enjoy the occasional Bollywood film for the songs and the over-the-top production numbers. I just checked out Netflix and they have several titles starring Shah Rukh Khan. My next Bollywood fix will be one of them.

    On another note, the top ten list at your link is appalling. Jerry Seinfeld #1? Adam Sandler on the list at all? I always suspected that making a shitload of money in Sillywood doesn’t necessarily require talent and that turns out to be true.

  25. 25.

    hitchhiker

    Dog-sitting a charming Havanese who has a bark like a scream . . . picture me calmly checking my usual internet sites with a nice cup of French roast when suddenly he goes off like a lunatic at the sight of a bird landing on the deck.

    How do people get used to these dogs???

  26. 26.

    gbear

    @RaflW: I hadn’t seen that father’s statement yet so I googled it and chose very carefully from the choices that came up (no fucking way I was going to click on twitchy). I watched a CNN video clip via a People magazine link.

    I hope that statement gets played over and over like most of the stories on CNN (according to a BJ commenter who was stuck with jury duty last week). I’m not one for praying but my agnostic comforting thoughts go out to the family. I hope that they can keep themselves in a safe place and stay strong against the ugly backlash that will no doubt be unleashed by their statement. Millions of us agree with everything he said.

  27. 27.

    Weak troll attempt

    Glenn Greenwald
    Ed Snowden
    Ukraine
    Glenn Greenwald
    Jane Hamsher
    Glenn Greenwald!
    Balloon juice commenters

  28. 28.

    rikyrah

    MS Judge slaps black man and yells “Run, n-word, run!”

    A Madison County Justice Court judge is accused of striking a mentally challenged young man and using a racial slur.

    CANTON –In an echo of Mississippi’s past, a Justice Court judge here is accused of striking a mentally challenged young man and yelling, “Run, n—–, run.”

    The family has filed a complaint with police against Madison County Justice Court Judge Bill Weisenberger, who is white, alleging he struck their 20-year-old African-American son, Eric Rivers, on May 8 at the Canton Flea Market.

    “This is 2014,” said former Canton Mayor William Truly, president of the Canton branch of the NAACP, “not 1960, where someone could slap a young man and call out, ‘Run, n—–, run.”

    Darlene Ballard, executive director of the state Judicial Commission, said if the allegations are true, they would “violate multiple canons” of the Judicial Code of Conduct.

    Truly called on Weisenberger, a former law enforcement officer and former emergency operations director in Madison County, to step down from hearing cases until the matter is resolved — or simply to resign.

    http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/05/23/madison-county-judge-accused-racial-abuse/9518717/

  30. 30.

    rikyrah

    How the NRA Enables Massacres
    As a shooting spree leaves seven dead in California, the gun lobby is trying to thwart attempts to study gun deaths and officials who see gun violence as a public health crisis.
    BY Cliff Schecter

    ………………………….

    But this past week we’ve seen the other side of the coin. How the NRA works to suppress information that would lead to treating a public health catastrophe that claims over 30,000 lives per year and injures over 100,000 as that very thing, while fighting to ensure we have as little access to information as possible that might help save lives.

    The simple fact is, much like with their friends on the right from the tobacco industry to the oil industry to the megachurch, science and information are the enemies of the NRA. They have proven they will do whatever it takes to make sure we have less of it, and more Santa Barbaras.

    The clearest example, of course, is the NRA’s labeling a bill sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) to allow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to once again use its considerable expertise to research gun violence prevention, “unethical.” Yes, they actually said that.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/24/the-nra-s-all-out-assault-on-accurate-information-about-gun-deaths.html

  32. 32.

    gbear

    @rikyrah: I hope that Justice Sotomayor and her staff print out copies of these articles and pile them up into the inbox of Justice Robert and every member of his staff every fucking day.

  33. 33.

    YellowJournalism

    @schrodinger’s cat: that was my first Bollywood movie I ever saw! Great pick. I loved his performances so much my husband used to joke that he was my boyfriend.

    Devadasis just killed me, though. The man is wonderful in both comedic and dramatic moments.

  35. 35.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Sadly, that book cover is a joke. So we will never get to read of the overweight legal clerk trying to save America from Teh Gay Agenda, one glory hole at a time.

  36. 36.

    White Trash Liberal

    @Rex Everything:

    That’s a beautiful straw men, complete with passive aggressive appeals to authority!

    Your Lord and Master has taught you well [/wink]

  38. 38.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Amir Khalid: He’s pretty handsome! I’m not a real good example since I haven’t heard of so many US stars, but you’re right, I haven’t heard of him.

    I did, however, think Sayid (Naveen Andrews) was by far the hottest guy on Lost (of which I saw maybe 7 of the 1st year episodes ). Though I’ll admit the Sawyer dude was kinda cute in that semi-cowboy way.

  41. 41.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @rikyrah: Horrifying, and sadly not universally denounced as appalling, especially in the south.

  42. 42.

    JPL

    @gbear: Robert’s reply would be “if only he knew his place, it wouldn’t have happened”?
    The judge needs to have his balls cut.

    Also, everyone of his cases needs to be reviewed.

  43. 43.

    scav

    @rikyrah: That Southern Gentlemen is exhibiting all the hallmarks of the breed, as he doubled up with the interactions involving a female vender further down. “the judge replied he would only deal with her husband because he didn’t take orders from a woman”. two-bit tin-pot authoritarian.

  46. 46.

    JPL

    @Baud: In the olden days, they would cover trips like that.
    Now it seems that MSM only covers imaginary scandals.

  48. 48.

    Gin & Tonic

    Voting in Ukraine seems to be proceeding calmly, even in those areas of the south and east from which I’ve gotten reports. People in Kiev are waiting in hours-long lines to vote. The fascist putschist President stood in line for 45 minutes to vote for his successor.

    Meanwhile the brave anti-fascists in Donetsk and Luhansk have destroyed polling places and have prevented any from opening.

    Timothy Snyder: “Ukrainian elections mark the eastern boundary of European democracy, which is why they are so threatening for the Putin regime in Moscow.”

  50. 50.

    Cain

    @Amir Khalid:

    He’s also known as one of the nicest and talented actors in Bollywood. I’ve never met him. I’ve met Aamir Khan though. Got stuck on a shuttle with him and his crew going to the plane from the terminal at 6am. Didn’t say much to him. I’m not very chatty at that time of morning and I would think neither was he.

  51. 51.

    Cain

    @Higgs Boson’s Mate:

    Try “Don”, that’s a pretty decent one. It’s a remake of an Amitabh Bachchan version of the same name, but with a different twist. You should watch the 80s version and the updated version. I don’t think the 80s version though is on netflix. :(

  53. 53.

    Cain

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Stay away from Main Hoon Na though. It’s an over the top of tear jerker. The songs are excellent though. Just way too much forced crying by the acting crowd for me to take.

    If you don’t mind antoher suggestion, I highly suggest that you watch Dil Chahta Hai. Excellent story, great songs, and good pacing. I don’t like a lot of bollywood movies, but that one really shined for me because of the social taboos it attacks.

    Finally, “Wake up Sid” is really really awesome. :-) Another movie that challenges social norms and the actors in that movie are just top notch.

  54. 54.

    Elizabelle

    @RaflW:

    Very impressed with Mr. Martinez. Applaud his courage.

    The shooter/stabber/assailant with car had three legally purchased guns. And retained them, even after his videos were up online and he had a visit from local police, at his family’s request.

  55. 55.

    Cain

    @Ninedragonspot:

    Gay men and women of all ages would love that video, there is a lot of man flesh there. It is also a tongue in cheek, I can’t imagine SRK isn’t laughing his ass off for what he has to do in front of the camera in that song. Considering the guy was over 40 at the time. He’s still in pretty damn shape. That movie was pretty fun too.

  57. 57.

    Ninedragonspot

    @Cain: Yes, I think SRK worked his ass off to get in shape for that number. Since I’m fairly close to him in age, he does make me feel a slight sense of shame. Mad props, too, for director-choreographer Farah Khan. Some of the best dancing since the days of HELEN. Om Shanti Om was indeed a fun flick.

  61. 61.

    Elizabelle

    DC area (and all) Balloon Juicers:

    I would like to organize a series of candlelight vigils around the DC area, to protest gun violence and promote some common sense reforms.

    We can start with background checks, an idea vastly popular with the American public, but stalled because of too many paid for cowards in Congress.

    What happened in Isla Vista, and in Newtown, could happen in any American community. Enough.

    Who wants to help? We can join up with others.

    I don’t just want to complain on a blog.

    I want to show up and be counted.

    Will you help me get this organized?

  62. 62.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Frankensteinbeck: Svoboda and Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) together just barely managed to clear 2%, according to all the exit polls. Damn fascists can’t even seem to follow Bob’s script.

  63. 63.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @gnomedad: The stupid. It burns. The guy’s problem was he couldn’t get laid…by women…apparently because he just freaked them out too much.

    If you watch his over-the-top melodramatic rant, where he promises “retribution” in a manner that would make a Bond villain embarrassed, it’s pretty obvious that his problem was heterosexual frustration.

  64. 64.

    gnomedad

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    It’s not mere stupidity, IMO; more like utter indifference to reason and reality. Any sort of information processing that could be labeled smart of stupid don’t enter into it. Wingnut glossolalia. Or Mad-Libs, if you prefer.

  65. 65.

    rikyrah

    Ariz. Mom Who Left Kids in Car Is Granted Visits

    Shanesha Taylor of Phoenix can now see her 8-month-old and 2-year-old sons under supervision.

    By: Lynette Holloway
    Posted: May 24 2014 10:26 AM

    A homeless woman who left her children in a car during a job interview in Scottsdale, Ariz., can now have supervised visits with them, the Arizona Republic reports.

    Commissioner Richard Nothwehr ruled Thursday that the woman, Shanesha Taylor, 35, of Phoenix, could have supervised visits with her 8-month-old and 2-year-old sons, the report says.

    She had been prohibited from seeing them after she was arrested in March in Scottsdale on two felony counts of child abuse after police say she left the children in a hot car for 45 minutes while she went on a job interview. She pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the children have been with relatives and under the supervision of the Division of Child and Family Services.

    “This is a big victory for the defense,” attorney Benjamin Taylor said, according to the Arizona Republic. “My client is looking forward to seeing her kids once again.”

    http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/05/shanesha_taylor_wins_visitation_rights_after_leaving_kids_in_car_for_interview.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=90f13efe11&mc_eid=1e0cf17cc4

  67. 67.

    Jay C

    @Gin & Tonic:

    That’s OK: I’m sure BiP will be along sooner or later to “educate” we ovine simpletons here about how the Ukrainian election was a farce, how Petro Poroshenko is a CIA plant/Wall Street stooge who flavors his chocolate with the blood of Russian infants, how the fascists are going to be given secret control of the Government to disguise their supposedly “poor” election showing, and something German banks and something else burning people alive and something something Victoria Nuland, and why are Balloon juicers such a flock of fixated know-nothings as not see the simple basic “truth” about Ukraine…..?

    Or else he’s just working on a new troll-script to annoy us with.

  68. 68.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Jay C: In today’s EU elections, in contrast, the far right got 25% in France and 22% in the UK.

  69. 69.

    Ken

    Tony, Tony. Father Guiseppe died over forty years ago. He can’t hurt you again. You have to work to get past this.

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