Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

After roe, women are no longer free.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

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

We still have time to mess this up!

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Republicans don’t trust women.

šŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockinā€™ šŸŽµ

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Iā€™d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

A democracy canā€™t function when people canā€™t distinguish facts from lies.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

This year has been the longest three days of putinā€™s life.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

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Reader Interactions

77Comments

  1. 1.

    Villago Delenda Est

    I thought the conspiracy might involve assholes running down manatees with their speedboats.

    I’m pretty sure that when you’re talking about redneck Floridians, there’s a conspiracy afoot to do something, like perhaps run cocaine or pot past the other rednecks who are the cops.

    As far as actual manatees are concerned, it’s a conspiracy to out cute kittens and puppies, which is something with which the kittens and puppies will not put.

  2. 2.

    pacem appellant

    Any BJers who live in the SF Bay Area (South Bay preferred) feel like getting together to complain about the insanely low primary turnout and the upcoming Khanna vs Honda fight that’s going on my district (CD-17)?

  3. 3.

    Mandalay

    An even handed view of rape…:

    Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur has described rape as a social crime, saying “sometimes it’s right, sometimes it’s wrong“, in the latest controversial remarks by an Indian politician about rape….Gaur also expressed sympathy with Mulayam Singh Yadav, head of the regional Samajwadi Party. In the recent election, Mulayam criticised legal changes that foresee the death penalty for gang rape, saying: “Boys commit mistakes: Will they be hanged for rape?”

    And on the use of rape in war:

    One United Nations peacekeeper, who has witnessed the suffering, said that it was now more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in modern wars.

    Armed gangs in the DRC rape 36 women or girls on an average every day. In the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, 50 children a week are being subjected to sexual violence.

    According to the report, post conflict Liberia reports as many as 87 per cent of all its children suffered some form sexual violation during its civil war, with 65 per cent of the rape survivors under 15.

    According to the report, the Balkans wars witnessed rape as an “instrument of terror”.

    Violence on women has to be right up there with climate change as the biggest problem the world has to address.

  4. 4.

    BGinCHI

    One of the other crimes was apparently aggravated cuteness with intent to cause SQUEEE!

  6. 6.

    geg6

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    I had the same thought initially. And I was getting all fired up because few things piss me off like the rednecks in Florida who have no thought or concern about those adorable manatees!

    I went diving in the Indian River once and the manatees just swam along with me like dogs.

  7. 7.

    NCSteve

    @Villago Delenda Est: I assumed it was some plan by the Scott Administration’s political appointees to the state fish and wildlife agency to slaughter manatees just because it would piss off liberals.

  8. 8.

    Trollhattan

    So, if instead of googling “Florida man” I google “Manatee man”…

    Manatee man paints American flag on home during dispute …

    Manatee man, impersonating police, stops Tampa officer

    Missing endangered Manatee man last seen Monday

    400-pound Manatee man subdued by stun gun after tussle

    Aaaand

    Fort Pierce man charged with molesting manatee …

    I think my work here is done.

  10. 10.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mandalay: Jeeze, those Indian politicians are swell guys, aren’t they? Regular Elliot Rodgers they are

    Some ass needs to be kicked there, ass belonging to Babulal Gaur and Mulayam Singh Yadav, Repeatedly. With hobnailed boots. Perhaps THEN these pricks will feel a bit of empathy.

  11. 11.

    WaterGirl

    @BGinCHI: It took me a minute to reconcile your comment with the one above yours. After reading the comment about war and rape, I had totally forgotten about the manatees.

  12. 12.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @NCSteve: Well, given that cleek’s Law seems to be running totally out of control all over the continent, yes, that’s not too outrageous an assumption to make.

  13. 13.

    Arclite

    The Bechdel test is often used to show the state of male-centric movie making. It’s not perfect however, as movies like Pacific Rim which has a strong female character with her own arc, fail the Bechdel test (regardless of how you felt about that movie).

    I stumbled upon the Mako Mori test:

    Letā€™s propose the Mako Mori test, to live alongside the Bechdel test (not to supplant it! My point is not that we shouldnā€™t care about women interactingā€”I care about this A LOTā€”but that isnā€™t the pinnacle of feminism or the only thing we should care about). The Mako Mori test is passed if the movie has: a) at least one female character; b) who gets her own narrative arc; c) that is not about supporting a manā€™s story. I think this is about as indicative of ā€œfeminismā€ (that is, minimally indicative, a pretty low bar) as the Bechdel test. It is a pretty basic test for the representation of women, as is the Bechdel test. It does not make a movie automatically feminist. (Many movies/shows would not pass it).

    Thought that was interesting and conversation worthy.

  14. 14.

    Betty Cracker

    @geg6: I’ll never forget the first time the mister saw a manatee up close. He was new to boating when we met, and I told him I knew where we could see some manatees in the water.

    We idled up to the spot, and I saw the swirls they make on the surface of the water with their tails, so I anchored and pointed out where to snorkel. He swam out, and then came swimming back moments later with his eyes HUGE behind the mask, spluttering, “It’s as big as a VAN!”

    That was 20 years ago, and I still tease him about being afraid of manatees, LOL!

  16. 16.

    Trollhattan

    Wait, there’s more.

    Manatee man solicited girl, 12, for ‘ghastly’ sex act, sheriff says
    Manatee man stabbed with scissors, then jailed on battery …

    Zzzap!

    FWC officer cites same Manatee man twice in week for …
    Manatee man accused of stabbing ex-girlfriend 25 times …
    Manatee Man Shot, Killed As Kids Practice Football
    Manatee man arrested after incident with knife

  17. 17.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Consider, if you will, a mod for the computer game Fallout, were 200 years in the future in post nuclear apocalypse Washington DC the zombified editorial board of the Washington Post debates how the Wanderor lacks the gravitas to oppose President Dick Richardson and the Enclave’s program of genocide to rebuild America is just bold, counter intuitive thinking.

  20. 20.

    kindness

    Was going to write snarky comment about shiftless Mantee’s wanting free Obamacare but those big lugs are so cute I can’t make up shit about them. I’d be a lousy Republican.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    At last, I can tell my manatee story:

    The now-hubby and I went to Sea World in San Diego and were part of a group gaping at the manatees in the tank.

    One woman says, “Oh, look, it’s nursing.”

    There was a pause, and someone else said, “That’s not a breast.” Upon which statement some people started brightly steering their kids along to the next exhibit.

    Yep, we got to witness some hot (well, extremely slow-motion) manatee-on-manatee action for the price of our ticket.

  22. 22.

    JMV Pyro

    @NCSteve:

    See, that’s what a normal Tea Party animal would do. Scott has a glass of fresh spilled manatee blood served to him daily. They said it would make him more youthful and charismatic.

  29. 29.

    PaulW

    Boy there hasn’t been an Open Thread this depressing since that Family Guy gag about Justin Beiber went nowhere.

    …what, too obscure a Manatee Gag?

  31. 31.

    scav

    @BGinCHI: But rape is a social crime, like white shoes after labor day or mocking the difficulty of tying bow ties. right?

  33. 33.

    raven

    Puppy Rescued by Obama Accused of Having Rabies

    WASHINGTON ā€“ A cocker spaniel puppy that President Obama rescued from a burning building has created an uproar in the U.S. Congress, where many leading lawmakers have accused the puppy of having rabies. ā€œThe President rushed into the burning building and yanked out the puppy, keeping all of us in the dark,ā€ said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S. Carolina). ā€œIf that rabid dog bites a single American, itā€™ll be on President Obamaā€™s watch.ā€ In the House, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) called for hearings on the burgeoning Doghazi scandal, with several prominent House members demanding the Presidentā€™s impeachment.

  34. 34.

    Woodrowfan

    but once they’re in prison they’ll end up joining some gray-supremacist gang..

  38. 38.

    Betty Cracker

    @the Conster: Awhile ago, I think I recall him saying something to the effect that this place was getting too firebaggy for him and that he planned to spend less time here. Either that happened, or I hallucinated it in an insomniac stupor, but I’m pretty sure it actually did occur.

  46. 46.

    scav

    @BGinCHI: I mean, how dare anyone protest his choice to bless them even with his simple presence. I rather think he’d enjoy the publicity and proof of man-manliness if they swooned and fanned themselves during the telling.

  52. 52.

    J R in WV

    What a combination of up and down. Manatees and Kittys and Rape!

    And what about that exploding radioactive waste treated with organic litter?

    What’s the world coming to?

    That’s Not a Breast?!?!?

    ;-)

    Please, no one accuse me of making light of rape, one of the most horrid crimes out there! It’s the thread’s fault!

  57. 57.

    Betty Cracker

    @SatanicPanic: I believe Cornerstone dropped in fairly recently, but it was a rare sighting. As for ed-Tay & Co., just please for the love of Christ don’t say “Beetledouche” three times.

    ETA: Annnnd Trollhattan beat me to the punch!

  59. 59.

    Ronzoni Rigatoni

    My boat was attacked by a goddam redneck manatee. Put-putting onto Terra Ceia Bay down here in Beautiful Manatee County, a giant manatee suddenly lifted my outboard out of the water (very slow speed, and very shallow channel) and slammed it back down against the stern board, cracking the brass mounts and costing me a $2500 repair. Dang things are bigger’n a cow and, from my experience, meaner’n hell. I fish off piers these days.

  68. 68.

    Jay C

    @feebog:

    Yeah, and whatever happened to BiP? As soon as the Ukrainian elections were over (and no one raised a swastika flag over Kiev or started shooting Jews) he just seems to have slunk away*. Maybe he’s off enjoying a couple of weeks at the Simferopol Peoples’ Recreational Hostel Number 375 and Spa? (Mudbaths complimentary!)

    * And good riddance!

  71. 71.

    Trollhattan

    @Jay C:
    No such luck, he was here briefly (whew!) in yesterday’s GoT thread, with the predictable and appropriate response from us.

  75. 75.

    another Holocene human

    @Mandalay: Richard the Lionhearted was alleged by contemporaries to have raped women during his wars in France. Plus ca change…

  77. 77.

    boatboy_srq

    @Betty Cracker @top: Have you been to Manatee County? Your headline is still appropriate.

Comments are closed.