Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

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

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

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

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

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Reader Interactions

186Comments

  2. 2.

    Mnemosyne

    That is one pissed-off cat.

    In other cat news, Charlotte does not understand why one of her windows has vanished. We had an old tube TV set up under one of the windows of the old apartment with a cat bed on top of it where she could lay and look at the birds. We brought the TV to the new apartment but it’s not in front of a window any longer, so she is very upset that her window has disappeared.

  3. 3.

    Ben Cisco

    Former UN Ambassador John “p0rnstache” Bolton is currently appearing in ads funded by his own superpac for Tiny Thom Tillis. More of the scary “ISIS is coming to get us while Kay Hagan is fundraising” crap. Glad I early voted, the ads annoy me a LITTLE less now.

  5. 5.

    Punchy

    Just got back from Vegas and wow is my liver tired. Even the sight of another white russian may cause involuntary non-Ebola projectile vomiting.

  7. 7.

    c u n d gulag

    A cat WOULD do that!

    A dog never would set the house ablaze. (Probably, not smart enough – unlike a cat).

  12. 12.

    Anoniminous

    Wasted most of yesterday buying new hard drives, tearing the computers apart, physically installing them, started hooking them up, went to look for the SATA cables … nowhere to be found.

    -> First World Problems <-

  13. 13.

    Punchy

    Look at this quote from this article on Darren Wilson:

    Ed Magee, spokesperson for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, told NBC News the cases were all dismissed because Wilson “wasn’t available.” Wilson will not be penalized for this act, say Magee, adding “We don’t get people in trouble for not showing up for court.”

    No penalties for not doing your fucking job? He can just go completely AWOL from all job responsbilities and the PD is cool with that?

    What an abortion of a police unit.

  14. 14.

    srv

    (BBC) The president of the World Bank has made an emotional appeal for thousands of medical workers to volunteer and help contain the growing Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

    Jim Yong Kim said at least 5,000 medics and support staff were needed to beat the disease.

    Many potential recruits were too scared to travel to West Africa, he added.

    Probably more afraid of how they’ll be treated when they come back.

    Also, too:

    (BBC) A wi-fi signal named “Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork” (sic) has resulted in a long delay for passengers on a plane at Los Angeles airport.

    A passenger alerted American Airlines cabin crew when his smartphone identified the network as one available nearby and police were notified.

    After an investigation lasting several hours, police at the airport said no crime had been committed.

    The flight from LA to London on Sunday was eventually rescheduled for Monday.

  15. 15.

    Gin & Tonic

    For those who might be wondering what Putin is accomplishing in Ukraine outside of the immediate conflict zones, here’s a great infographic. It contrasts results of the 2012 and 2014 parliamentary elections (2014 are still preliminary) with the pro-Russian parties/candidates shown in blue, and the pro-Ukrainian/pro-EU side in orange. Districts in white are conflict zones where elections were impossible.

  16. 16.

    big ole hound

    Could it be that losing the Senate could be a great thing by showing the whole of the USA what asses the GOP are, thus ensuring a 2016 Democratic sweep of all three branches? Not enough to override an Obama veto but just good enough to show what a bunch of money grubbing assholes they have become so they take a huge fall.

  17. 17.

    Iowa Old Lady

    We got back from Europe at midnight, which is more than our luggage did. While there, we went cold turkey on internet and got only glimpses of news as we passed news stands and TVs. It was wonderful.

    I’m already sick of hate and fear being used to gin up political support.

  18. 18.

    gene108

    One week in with a personal trainer. Per their weigh-in, I’m down 3 pounds.

    They set a calorie limit of 1600/day, which is less than I though possible, but I am managing to stick within the range most days so far.

    Mood has improved, as I am focusing more on diet and not eating, when I get stressed.

    57 pounds to go to move from obese to just overweight.

  19. 19.

    cckids

    @Mnemosyne: I get that. We moved from a house to an apartment in June, and our 3 cats wonder 1st: “Where is the second story? You mean we all have to be on the same floor? All the time?; and 2nd: “Where is the back yard?”

    I take them out with me to the decent-sized patio, but it just isn’t the same. Other people walk by. With DOGS. They are getting accustomed to the smaller space, but they are not happy.

    They feel like deposed royalty. “Why are we in this slum? Where’s the palace?”

  20. 20.

    peach flavored shampoo

    @srv: I would have beat the living shit of said passenger. So one person’s nonsensical worry (how does a wireless network constitute a danger? And why would the police show up for this?) stranded an entire international flight for a whole day? Wonder if the airlines put passengers up in hotels, or if the airport was forced to eat that cost?

  21. 21.

    PurpleGirl

    @Manyakitty: Agree. JC should appreciate that one.

    I found most of the pictures lame and didn’t get why they were funny. One that I did like was thge kitty in front of the snow cat asking who did this.

  22. 22.

    gene108

    @big ole hound:

    Could it be that losing the Senate could be a great thing by showing the whole of the USA what asses the GOP are, thus ensuring a 2016 Democratic sweep of all three branches? Not enough to override an Obama veto but just good enough to show what a bunch of money grubbing assholes they have become so they take a huge fall.

    There are a lot of people, who like Republicans precisely because they are assholes to the queers, effeminate liberal elites, the blacks, Hispanics and other poor people and basically anyone, who is not just like them.

    Given how the Constitution favors small states / rural areas, with regards to representation in Congress, there is no down side for Republicans to be assholes.

    Also, too the media has adopted a “boys will be boys” attitude towards Republican assholery and treat it as an acceptable part of our current political environment.

  26. 26.

    Mustang Bobby

    In the middle of deep spreadsheet and budget work, the fire alarm goes off and we all had to troop down seven flights of stairs and stand on the sidewalk across the street. At least it was a nice day and I needed a cardio workout anyway.

    And it was a legitimate alarm: someone’s printer overheated and set off the smoke detector.

  28. 28.

    mai naem mobile

    @srv: yes because real al quaeda operatives would set up a wifi connection and name it free al quaeda terror connection. This country is stoopid.
    [email protected]big ole hound: no, the GOP will talk about how the election shows american support rwnjs and Obama is the real one filibustering apple pie and flagwaving.

  29. 29.

    Amir Khalid

    @JPL:
    I’m not so surprised about the dog. Accidents, even strange ones, will happen. I am wondering why the human would leave a laptop on the stove.

  30. 30.

    Tone In DC

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Standing around outside looking less than interested is always a good use of our worktime. Here in my sleepy Southern town, people leave for the day if the drill is at 2:30 or later.

    We are on the first floor, so when this happens, no cardio.

    Off topic… GO ‘SKINS!!!1!!!

  33. 33.

    c u n d gulag

    @JPL:
    What kind of a dumbass does that?!?!?!?!

    It’s a laptop – not a stovetop!

    Btw – the dog did it by accident.
    If it was a cat, I’d suspect that it did it on purpose – because one of the few times it wanted attention and a few scratches behind the ear or on its belly, the owner was busy with his/her laptop.
    TAKE THAT, HUMAN!!!
    HA!
    NOW YOU WILL LEARN WHO IS THE MASTER!!!
    BWAH-HA-MEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  36. 36.

    Mike E

    @Ben Cisco: The spots get muted if I’m quick on the remote trigger, esp. Hagan’s “Goldilocks” ad, ugh. I voted on Fri, and thru my gotv calls I heard they’re still lining up at that location, yay. I’ve got 6 phone shifts before Nov 4 and if anything those tv ads are motivating me.

  37. 37.

    rk

    Since yesterday I’ve been asked 3 times if I’ve been to Liberia ,Guinea, Nigeria or Sierra Leone in the last 21 days. Once when I scheduled my blood test, next when I went for the blood test, and then when I went for my for an X-ray. I had to resist the temptation to say yes. No one however asked me if I had had the flu shot and the place is full of elderly white patients. I mention white because I wonder if they’re trying to placate the most terrified peeing in their pants demographic.

  40. 40.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @rk: Will you please stop your attempts to disrupt the narrative? You’re supposed to be in a panic right now.

  41. 41.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @schrodinger’s cat: I, for one, would like to remind our new cow-worshiping overlords that I have not been seen at a McDonalds for over a month, and it was for breakfast which consisted of a sausage McMuffin and a sausage biscuit.

  43. 43.

    shortstop

    Confession: I temporarilly leave things on the stovetop all the time. It’s a nice flat ceramic surface and it extends our counter space, if only for an hour or two at a time.

    I think I’d balk at setting electronics there, though.

  46. 46.

    max

    @SatanicPanic: I could have sworn that Radley Balko article specifically said that they do prosecute people for not showing up in court. I guess that’s just the accused.

    Material witnesses. They just don’t prosecute cops.

    max
    [‘They can go after anybody for it.’]

  51. 51.

    piratedan

    @big ole hound: I dunno, I would like to think that the effective shutting down of the government, blocking rational gun restrictions and balances and checks and the attempted repeal of the ACA should have done the trick to anyone with a firing set of synapses, but who knows, I still believe that peak wingnut will continue to be a myth until someone’s little princess is finally given over to the CEO of Hobby Lobby because prima noctum has been implemented to restore us to what the founders intended.

  53. 53.

    Mike in NC

    @Mike E: Hagan needs to drop those moronic ads touting her centrist credentials and just keep hitting Tillis as the Koch-sucking sociopath that he really is. What sort of lunatic would propose a Constitutional amendment to ban birth control???

  54. 54.

    Origami Isopod

    @big ole hound: HEIGHTEN THE CONTRADICTIONS!!!

    That… doesn’t work. Evidence: U.S. history for the last ~40 years. Every time liberals thought, “Surely, the American people wouldn’t vote for someone that right wing,” the American people have replied, “Yes, we will, and don’t call us Shirley.”

  55. 55.

    mai naem mobile

    @schrodinger’s cat: mishra talks about indians the way dinesh dsouza talks about barack obama – hes anti american because of his dads anti colonial roots. There was a story in the atlantic about how indians werent buying chinese made diwali decorations because of the quality and that the indian manufacturers had decreased their prices slightly. Pretty impressed that indians could pull that off. If only americans had made that choice that 12-15 yrs ago.

  56. 56.

    Calouste

    @Mike in NC: That goes back to the old line that if people get the choice between a Republican and a Democrat masquerading as a Republican, they’ll choose the real thing every single time.

  57. 57.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mike in NC:

    What sort of lunatic would propose a Constitutional amendment to ban birth control???

    A member of the “back to Feudalism, the Renaissance was a big mistake, or bust!” 27%.

  58. 58.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Mike in NC: Mark Warner runs nothing but ads about centrism, bipartisanship, and veterans’ care, and he’s romping in Virginia. You and I don’t like those ads, but everything in politics is focus-grouped to death, so somebody does.

  59. 59.

    TooManyJens

    @SatanicPanic:

    I could have sworn that Radley Balko article specifically said that they do prosecute people for not showing up in court.

    I was gonna say. I guess “We don’t get people in trouble for not showing up for court” is true if you have a very narrow definition of “people”.

  60. 60.

    Amir Khalid

    @Punchy:
    If you don’t show up in court as required, that’s disrespecting the judicial process. That Wilson is a policeman with a professional duty to show up only aggravates the offence. I wonder why the judges involved here didn’t issue a warrant for his arrest.

  61. 61.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Calouste: Depends on where you live. In Virginia I’ve seen the rara-ist of avis-es: Scott Rigell, Republican Congressman, running on independence and bipartisanship. IOW, a Republican running against what you expect of Republicans. That’s what most of the Democrats already do vis-a-vis their party. But, again, this appeals to a lot of people. It’s frustrating, but that doesn’t make it not so.

  62. 62.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    This is a week late apparently but I hadn’t seen anything about it here or elsewhere until today: Apparently, Pennsylvania was ready to bad the practice of raising cats and dogs for the express purpose of human consumption, the Senate having passed it handily and enough votes in the House to send it to Gov. Corbett’s desk. Last Wed., it failed to reach the floor. Why? Because the NRA objected to the provision that also banned stupidly cruel pigeon shoot practices.

    In other words, NRA fucking owns our fucking world yet again.

  63. 63.

    Mandalay

    Well the chickens are coming home to roost for hatemonger Bill Maher:

    Comedian Bill Maher is scheduled to be the speaker at UC Berkeley’s mid-year commencement, but some students, who object to what they allege to be his anti-Muslim statements, are asking administrators to rescind the invitation.

    A petition urging the university to drop Maher from the Dec. 20 event has garnered more than 1,400 signatures, according to the student newspaper The Daily Californian. The protest was started by the Change.org group and is backed by the Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian Coalition on campus, the paper reported.

    “It’s not an issue of freedom of speech, it’s a matter of campus climate,” student senator Marium Navid told the newspaper. “The First Amendment gives him the right to speak his mind, but it doesn’t give him the right to speak at such an elevated platform as the commencement. That’s a privilege his racist and bigoted remarks don’t give him.”

    Quite right. Maher is rapidly turning into another Dennis Miller.

  64. 64.

    Belafon

    @Amir Khalid: Yeah, what’s special about Wilson that gets him out of trouble that doesn’t get the regular citizens, who show up on time to find the court closed because the judge started early, out of trouble?

  65. 65.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    (BBC) A wi-fi signal named “Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork” (sic) has resulted in a long delay for passengers on a plane at Los Angeles airport.

    A passenger alerted American Airlines cabin crew when his smartphone identified the network as one available nearby and police were notified.

    After an investigation lasting several hours, police at the airport said no crime had been committed.

    The flight from LA to London on Sunday was eventually rescheduled for Monday.

    @srv: I used to have my router SSID as “FBI KID PR0N STASH CLICK HERE”. Never had anyone try to piggyback on it, that’s for sure. The mystery passenger did the same thing is all.

    No sense of humor in this world anymore.

  67. 67.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @CONGRATULATIONS!: It’s not just a lack of a sense of humor, it’s a serious lack of the most rudimentary of critical thinking skills.

    The dipshit who reported that should not be allowed to breed.

  69. 69.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mandalay: You know, it wouldn’t be so bad if Maher was a bit more ecumenical in his dislikes, but it’s very obvious that he’s Muslim bashing because he perceives it to be a good marketing ploy. This sort of Ferengi mindset marks him as a twit to be ignored.

  72. 72.

    DanF

    Also funny – the current NewsMax headlines in the ad space:

    – 9 Reasons to Fear Ebola
    – Steve Forbes Warns of Dollar Plunge
    – Dems Fear GOP Wave That Will Sink Party for Years
    – Voting Machines May Be Rigged for Democrats
    – Al Gore Attacks Scientist for Exposing Global Warming Lie
    – New Probiotic Fat Burner Takes GNC by Storm
    – E-Cigarettes Can be a Healthy Alternative to Smoking
    – How to Win 50 American Silver Eagle Coins Worth $1,000 or More

    The lulz…

  73. 73.

    Punchy

    @Belafon: You’ve never eaten a hot dog? Collie-flower? Cream cheese and lox on a Beagle? Never chow chow’d down on something? Whippet’d cream from the can? Never had a bartender make you a greyhound?

    I’d say there’s an epidemic of dog food issues.

  74. 74.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @SatanicPanic: Oh, I don’t think that’s an inappropriate observation at all.

    East Asian cultures are a bit less sentimental about our canine and feline friends, and this disturbs people who are fully part of this culture. I recently got an email asking me to sign a petition about this, and I chucked it right away. I’d never knowingly eat dog or cat myself, but I’m not going to get all worked up over some Korean eating Gaegogi.

  75. 75.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @DanF: It’s like the Octoplex down at the mall on Memorial Day Weekend.

    All projection, all the time.

  76. 76.

    Belafon

    @DanF: I just saw that the Republicans are starting to get scared about losing next week (ONE WEEK):

    Voting Machines May Be Rigged for Democrats

    @shelley: Yep.

  77. 77.

    Josie

    My brother and sister kitties have always been outside cats. They never really went anywhere – just ate, pooped and slept in my small side yard. Now I have moved and am waiting to let them outside until they have gotten used to the new place. They are both upset and complain loudly every morning and look mournfully out the sliding glass door at the big new yard and the sunshine. They are also very interested in the two squirrels who hang out in the pecan tree back there. They keep trying to convince me to let them out and I explain the dangers of getting lost, etc. I am wondering how long to keep them in before giving them some freedom.

  79. 79.

    lol

    @Belafon:

    Because he’s a witness, not the defendant. Judge can’t compel him if the prosecution doesn’t want to call him to the stand. The defense certainly won’t for obvious reasons – they’re getting a freebie.

    I suspect the police and prosecutor’s office don’t want him anywhere near a witness stand where he would be subject to cross-examination, especially in this latest case where the (black) defendant alleged Wilson beat him while handcuffed.

  80. 80.

    Amir Khalid

    @SatanicPanic:
    I tend to associate eating dogs with certain parts of Asia — in some parts of Korea, Indochina, and yes, Indonesia. (Although, as I’ve said before, it’s a rather exotic meat and definitely not part of mainstream Muslim Javanese culture, and I know because my mother’s family is of Javanese heritage.) That said, dogs (and cats) are more and more popular now as pets in all these countries, and the idea of eating pet animals squicks people out everywhere.

  83. 83.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    @Belafon:
    @Amir Khalid:

    It was enough of an issue to get animal rights groups involved for quite a bit. And I dunno about the profitability, it’s not something I’d rather think about.

    Regardless, it’s more about why the bill got shelved to begin with.

  85. 85.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Belafon: Next we’ll be hearing about busloads of “illegals” being brought to polling places in Wisconsin and Florida to depose the vile sacks of shit called Walker and Scott.

  86. 86.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    @big ole dumbass: That’s one of the stupidest fucking things I’ve ever seen posted here, and that puts you in competition with some folks you really would never want to be compared to. Go think about it, and when you come back tell us all how you fucked up and why.

  89. 89.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Belafon: Yeah, while we were on vacation, some old white guy told me that Al Franken won because 15K felons voted when they weren’t eligible.

    Before we left, I promised Mr IOL I wouldn’t say anything rude to anyone, so I had to walk away.

  90. 90.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @SatanicPanic: The French (you know, the frog leg and snail eaters) also seem to regard horse meat as a delicacy, much to the consternation of the people across the channel.

  91. 91.

    boatboy_srq

    @Belafon: 14 years after hanging chads, and suddenly it’s an issue. Also too it’s 2014 and despite their best denials they can’t blame this one on ACORN.

  93. 93.

    Another Holocene Human

    @Punchy: Please tell me it was all traffic stuff and the judge ruled for the defendant by default.

    That’s what happens in our local court when the county officers fail to appear.

    The ins and outs of traffic court are kind of arbitrary … eh … can’t complain … I caused an accident once due to inexperience, but had a clean record due to whiteness*, and pretty much got off with no consequences. And my employer paid for the damage. I am one lucky ducky.

    *been pulled over a couple of times for the usual bullshit reasons, unfamiliar intersection, light on old car is dim, but never got issued a warning or a ticket. and I’m not a risk taker where I’ve been out there begging for a speeding ticket although there was this one time on the Connecticut Turnpike…

  95. 95.

    Corner Stone

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Next we’ll be hearing about busloads of “illegals” being brought to polling places in Wisconsin and Florida to depose the vile sacks of shit called Walker and Scott.

    I’ve been fighting that uphill fight on local boards for a while now.
    The stark racism and complete lack of empathy in the things they say. All casual, and the tropes you’d expect.
    I’ve been having a good time in between bans.

  96. 96.

    Mnemosyne

    @Josie:

    Also, too, re-reading that article makes me think once again that our Annie may actually be a Beta who had some bad life experiences, not a Gamma, because she is enjoying the hell out of the new place. Charlotte is the one who’s having adjustment issues (“where did you guys put my window, damn it?!”)

  97. 97.

    Corner Stone

    @Iowa Old Lady:

    Yeah, while we were on vacation, some old white guy told me that Al Franken won because 15K felons voted when they weren’t eligible.

    Had a guy cite a Breitbart link proving tens of thousands of non-citizens voted in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race.

  98. 98.

    Another Holocene Human

    @Gin & Tonic: Now that is a very different map.

    Poroshenko sounded pretty determined/encouraged on the radio the other night.

    I’m wonder how they’re going to spin their separatist elections. Couple of different ways they could play this but given their history of “disappearing” actual regional elected officials any legitimacy they derive from the exercise will be solely in their own minds.

  99. 99.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    No Labels is throwing its weight, whatever that might be, behind Cory Gardener, because the guy who has Rick Santorum’s endorsement because of “personhood”, voted to shut down the government and voted with Steve King and Michelle Bachman on immigration is a “problem solver”. The problem to be solved, of course, Social Security and Medicare.

  101. 101.

    Another Holocene Human

    @big ole hound: No.

    Long answer: if GOP gets control of the legislature that means that Obama becomes the obstructionist and he will have to bargain with the GOP on their terms, damaging the Democratic brand if he ends up losing on issues that base voters really care about (=entitlements. No, seriously, it’s entitlements*).

    Expect more cuts, more lying, more Democrats pissing their pants, and exhaustion and demoralization going into primary season. It might be Good For Hilary (“here comes the white knight to save the lost Dems”) but not good for the party. It’s not just the headliner–we need to fucking crush all of those downticket races in 2016 as well.

    *-for any lurkers out there who think I mean welfare of some sort, entitlements means Medicare and Social Security. Next!

  102. 102.

    Another Holocene Human

    @gene108:

    Also, too the media has adopted a “boys will be boys” attitude towards Republican assholery and treat it as an acceptable part of our current political environment.

    This, and I think it gets worse before it gets better.

  103. 103.

    Josie

    @Mnemosyne: I’ve been seriously thinking about keeping my two in the house permanently. They have been going into the garage to sleep at night and coming into the house during the daytime. They have seemed pretty relaxed except first thing in the morning when they want to go outside. The female hangs out in the garage in her carrier and the male finds a hidey hole in the house to nap in. I know they would be much safer as inside kitties.

  105. 105.

    Belafon

    @SFAW: The comments in that article are rather fascinating because, for the most part, the against-evolution people know they can’t use “you’re no Christian” against the for-evolution people. They have to do more than just scream “You’re going to hell,” though a couple try anyway.

  109. 109.

    JustRuss

    @Josie: When I inherited my mom’s sibling kitties, we kept them inside for 2 or 3 days. they weren’t happy, but they figured out it was their new home. Then a few weeks later we found a dead bat on the porch, and had to keep them quarantined for over a month. Good times….

  110. 110.

    Tree With Water

    The best performance by a cat in any movie ever made- including the scene stealing kitten with Brando in Godfather- was the psycho performance by the cat cast in Mouse Hunt.

  113. 113.

    Mike E

    @Mike in NC: Hopefully the deep blue contingent will well up–along with annoyed women–to swamp his dumb ass. I’ll be corresponding to Sen. Hagan afterwards to congratulate her on getting two shitty opponents in a row, and ask her going forward to stop negotiating with obstructionists domestic terrorists.

  116. 116.

    Johnny Coelacanth

    @gene108: Keep up the good work. I’m down about 40lbs from February, when I quit drinking booze, and stopped eating sugar, white flour, white rice, the usual. I just bought a Fitbit last week, and it’s very encouraging to see how much walking I’m getting in at work.

  117. 117.

    gene108

    @Another Holocene Human:

    This, and I think it gets worse before it gets better.

    It will only get better, when right-wingers are crushed again and again, election after election and no one with any power or influence wants anything to do with them.

    Unfortunately everyone with a few million dollars free-speech currency notes have more influence now, because they have so much more free-speech currency than the average Joe and they have spent the last 40 years building what is the modern Republican Party, therefore defeating the right-wingers is going to be a tall order.

  118. 118.

    TerryC

    @gene108: Hey, I’ve gone from 254 to 188. And kept it off. @Josie: My grandmother’s process for a new house was to spread butter on a cat’s paws before you let it out the first time. It will sit and lick them off and learn where it is. Seems to work.

  119. 119.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    @Another Holocene Human:

    At this point, I’ve stopped believing in ‘before it gets better’.

    The tide has turned in such a fucking dramatic way that it feels like there’s simply no hope. LIke the country has fucking rushed to the feet of the GOP, begging them to save the country from the horrors of the evil psycho-commie libs and the blah who they can’t decide is weak-kneed incompetent naif or a dictator worse than Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot combined. GOP projection has worked like gangbusters, and despite recognizing that Dems understand issues better, they think the GOP is somehow infinitely more competent and able to fix the very same issues they think they’re idiots on.

    I just….please, I’m on the ledge here. Tell me there’s something to look forward to, because it all looks like decades of “FUCK YOU, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY” GOP domination.

  120. 120.

    Mandalay

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    it’s very obvious that he’s Muslim bashing because he perceives it to be a good marketing ploy

    Really? It’s not obvious to me – I think he really believes all that hate he spews.

    Maher is actually far more dangerous than wingnut hatemongers like Hannity, Cruz, Limbaugh et al, because he’s not tied to any political party or advertising sponsors, so he can explicitly say stuff that they dare not.

    But even worse, he legitimizes the hatred, and creates new hatemongers. Hannity and Cruz are preaching to the choir – their audiences have already made up their minds – but Maher is preaching to a different audience who lap it up when he sticks up for pot and gays, and ridicules Republicans. So they are much more malleable, and open to becoming pot-smoking, fag-loving Muslim haters – just like Maher.

  121. 121.

    ? Martin

    @gene108: 1600 isn’t bad at all. I’ve been under 1200 for months, and under 1000 quite often. Wipe out the baked goods, soda, and dessert and you’re probably pretty close. You’ll find your appetite will contract pretty quickly. Tell yourself when eating that ‘not hungry’ is your goal. ‘Full’ means you ate too much.

    The best rule I have is ‘don’t drink sugar or calories’. Water, unsweetened tea, coffee (1 sugar allowed). Once you lose some of that sweet tooth, hitting 1600 gets MUCH easier.

  122. 122.

    Mandalay

    @The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik:

    Tell me there’s something to look forward to, because it all looks like decades of “FUCK YOU, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY” GOP domination.

    Well…
    – The governor races aren’t looking so bad for the Democrats.
    – In the 2016 House races the Republicans will be in a similar predicament to the Democrats right now.
    – It looks like the next president will be a Democrat.
    – Social changes pushed by Democrats are all but impossible to undo. Gay marriage isn’t going away (whatever Jimmy Carter might wish).
    – There is a dim hope that there will eventually be real reform on gerrymandering. I know both sides do it, but Republicans do it more.

  123. 123.

    Mandalay

    @? Martin: O/T: I just a got phone call on my land line from “Cardmember Services” trying to sell me crap even though I am on the do-not-call list. That kind of call is usually no biggie – I just block their number and I’m not bothered again.

    But these a**holes somehow managed to get my cell phone number, and make that appear in the caller ID. When I asked them why they did that they denied it, and when I asked them to put me on their do not call list they said that was impossible and hung up on me.

    Any ideas on how to fight back against outfits like that (since I really don’t want to block calls from my cell phone on my land line)?

  124. 124.

    Mike E

    @? Martin: I’ve heard tell that total calories is important, but if you can eat more frequently (5-6x) you’ll satiate/suppress the urge for the Big Meal…several nutritionally dense snacks a day is key. Also, breakfast that delivers steady energy before the next meal in the day is crucial.

  129. 129.

    Tree With Water

    @Mandalay: Seriously, call your congressional rep’s office. The laws being federal, the mechanisms of enforcement would be information they’d know or could find out about.

  130. 130.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @? Martin: Agreed.

    Another thing that works for me is periodically reminding myself of what “hunger” feels like. Too often I get into a mode where I want to eat because it’s time to eat – it’s habit. Not because I’m hungry. For me, real hunger is different from the nagging based on the time of day, and it’s a matter of developing good habits. Sometimes I fast for a day to reset things. Going 12 hours between meals is something that works pretty well for me now. People with blood sugar issues can’t do that, of course, but being willing to experiment as we get older is something worth considering.

    Also, a favorite aunt of mine had this mantra that lots of people confuse thirst for hunger. Drinking a glass of water before eating can help.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  133. 133.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @boatboy_srq: These idiots voted to defund ACORN after the organization disbanded.

    I don’t put it past them to bring out a dog that not only won’t hunt, but has been dead for years.

  134. 134.

    Jebediah, RBG

    Anybody see this? Don Surber says Darren Wilson “had to put this animal down.”

    If I didn’t have Chief Justice “Taney” Roberts to set me straight, I might think racism is still a problem in US America.

  136. 136.

    Mike in NC

    @Jebediah, RBG: Saw a cartoon in a magazine I was thumbing through today while getting an oil change. Two guys sitting in a bar.

    First guy says, “What’s the difference between ISIS and the Ferguson Police Department?” (Second guy shrugs like he has no clue.) First guy then replies, “Ferguson PD doesn’t make a video of their executions”.

  138. 138.

    ? Martin

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Yeah, resetting your ‘hunger’ impulse is important. And as Mike E alludes to, smaller meals definitely will train your stomach to fill on less food. I used to be able to eat a whole burrito (proper SoCal burrito) at a meal, and now that will make me sick.

    My approach was to serve myself half my usual meal, wait 30 minutes and if need be return for more. Sometimes I would, but more often I wouldn’t. I also added a well-rounded salad as an opening course. Lots of bulk and not much calories. I also walk ballpark 5 miles a day. A mile first thing, two at lunch, etc. 300 calories at lunch, no calories from drinking, and burning 80 calories per mile meant that I was net negative calories by dinner. Start with a salad, then half my usual dinner, and I was usually through the day content at about 800-1000. On days when I’d do more exercise, I’d follow up with yogurt/fruit roughly equal to what I burned off.

    I don’t really calorie count – I have a few 300 calorie lunches that I’ve come up with and I just make those. I simply eliminated a lot of the extra calories. I don’t worry about special occasions – I’ll eat cake and ice cream on the kids birthdays and I’ll eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving (but now I can’t eat nearly as much as I used to). The hardest part of the don’t drink calories rule is it effectively takes alcohol off the list. I’ve cut back but I do have a beer or drink now and then.

    I’ve been in no rush to lose weight. So long as the trend is down, I could care less about the slope, but for me personally, it’s easier to cut 1000 calories a day from my diet and then add some back in as needed than to try and come in 200 under some line by being super diligent about what I eat.

  139. 139.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Mandalay: Have you seen Maher’s Religulous? Maher starts out on various Christian types, moves on to Hasidim Jews, and winds up with Muslim bashing. The way it’s structured, I think it’s fairly obvious that Maher wanted to leave a distinct taste on the mouth on Islam, emphasizing that he was discussing mainstream Muslims, not the curious extremists of the other Abrahamic religions.

    It’s much more acceptable amongst even Christians to bash Muslims, even though Muslims worship the same deity as the Christians do, they just use a word in their language to name him, which somehow, to Christendom based cultures, makes that deity different.

    I think Maher is pandering to those types to keep his career going.

  142. 142.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Pogonip: From what I understand, there are different words for the two different types, and some breeds are raised specifically as a food source, and others are as taboo to eat as American culture sees them.

  143. 143.

    Aleta

    I have long suspected those “hero dogs” who wake up their family to warn them about the gas leak, the fire in the wiring … and then look all “aw I’m just a normal dog” in the press photos.

  144. 144.

    raven

    @Aleta: We had a water line to the clawfoot tub break in the middle of the night and Bohdi woke us up. And besides all the baloney you have read on BJ HE is the best dog in the world!

  145. 145.

    boatboy_srq

    @Villago Delenda Est: … so, ACORN is in the voting machine business these days, and importing the machines from Africa with Solar Soshulist Muslim ebola attachments? Not disagreeing, just trying to sort out the Reichwing memes for this election cycle.

    Speaking this way: perhaps we could affect the wingnut turnout if we spread a rumour that the ebola virus can survive on ballot stock for 6-12 months. It’d put paid to immediate recounts, too. (/snark?)

  146. 146.

    Mnemosyne

    @? Martin:

    While in the process of Weight Watchers, I discovered that I can’t have a salad as a starter — it actually makes me hungrier. I’m better off with a cup of vegetable soup. The warm food makes me feel full, unlike the cold salad. Strange but true.

  148. 148.

    gene108

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Have you tried Weight Watchers?

    Yes. I had some success with it, but I started “falling off the (points) wagon” and when I decided to get back on they changed how they calculate points and that threw me, so I gave up.

    @? Martin:

    The best rule I have is ‘don’t drink sugar or calories’. Water, unsweetened tea, coffee (1 sugar allowed). Once you lose some of that sweet tooth, hitting 1600 gets MUCH easier.

    For the past week, I’ve been able to stay around 1600 pretty easily. Went over a couple of times, by 200-300 calories, but nothing major.

    I think part of me is conditioned to view 2000 calories as what a person needs to survive, so anything less is sort of programmed to be a “starvation” diet, at first glance.

    I’ve just made better eating choices and that’s helped.

  150. 150.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @boatboy_srq: Whatever floats the boats of the wingnuts. A basis in actual reality is like holding a cross, or garlic, up to a vampire. It frightens them away.

  152. 152.

    ? Martin

    @gene108: I’ve been getting by just fine on almost half that, including 40 mi/week walking and three 5K runs per week. Once my fat reserves are gone (almost there) then that’s all going to change, but for now I’m mostly living off the reserves I spent the last decade building up.

    2000 is what you need if you are a manual laborer in good shape. I’m neither.

  153. 153.

    ? Martin

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, we’re all different. No way my wife could do what I do. Her blood sugar would crash for one. You have to figure out how your body and mind works, and use that to your advantage rather than fighting it head-on. For me, I can eat the same meal pretty much forever, so I spend some time working out the ideal lunch, and then I just eat it every damn day. And I work out how much I need to walk to balance the lunch out, and I do that every damn day. But that’s how I work. I offer ideas to others, not prescriptions.

  157. 157.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Trollhattan: We’ve got lots of crazies out here. Fortunately, they’re not prone to being organized, but they can do plenty of damage as random bouncing atoms.

  158. 158.

    chopper

    @? Martin:

    i walk about 6 miles a day. workout too, but i’m not nuts about it.

    i’ve noticed that since i started avoiding snacking that my initial hunger between meals started getting tamer. i think being hungry between meals helps signal the body to switch to fat burning which is pretty good.

    not that i’m aiming to lose any weight. but at about my age my dad’s metabolism switched from ‘skinny’ to ‘fat’, and i want to be prepared in case my body has the same idea.

  159. 159.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Over at Powder Blue Satan, Atrios points out the glaringly obvious to those of us with multiple working synapses::

    To the extent that there’s an Ebola freakout it’s because it comes from Africa and black people live there and it’s really scary.

    I do believe the nail has been hit squarely here, and our utterly worthless Ferengi Controlled Media Establishment just keeps on pumping the shit out.

  160. 160.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @Mike in NC:

    I think that’s encouraging – not everybody (well, everybody but us libtards) thinks it wasn’t a straight-up execution.

  161. 161.

    Jebediah, RBG

    @raven:
    Every dog deserves a human that thinks he or she is the best dog in the world!
    However, you are necessarily mistaken, as MY dogs are actually the best.

  166. 166.

    Elizabelle

    @? Martin:

    Do tell on some of your 300 calorie lunches. Seriously interested.

    I’ve been eating small meals and biking/walking more — dropping a little bit of weight.

    But I am still drinking my evening red wine. Bad, but I love it.

  167. 167.

    JPL

    @raven: Did you ever find the dead rodent?
    It appears that Perdue is now attacking Sen Sam Nunn. He’s still respected in the state, so I’m not sure how that will play.

  168. 168.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @BGinCHI: See above, Betty offers something that would be a tremendous distraction if only that stupid software had worked as advertised.

    Alas…

  169. 169.

    Mike in NC

    @raven: Back in Virginia we got to ride for free (twice) in a B-17, courtesy of our financial planner’s company, but I had to pay full price to do the same in a B-25 a couple of years ago. No longer in my budget.

  170. 170.

    raven

    @JPL: Nope and we got back from music last night at midnight and the smell pretty much killed my sleep. We’re a bit lucky we can have the windows open with a fan but it still an be pretty strong.

  171. 171.

    raven

    @Mike in NC: In the paper it said Vets free (just for the $12 admission). While I was driving out there I thought, “I’m going to pay it anyway, it’s a good cause”. They hit me at the gate and I just asked about the fee and the woman said “WWII and Korea Vets”. Funny how I was going to pay anyway but that irked me a bit.

  172. 172.

    raven

    Death of the Ball Turret Gunner

    From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State,
    And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
    Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
    I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
    When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

  173. 173.

    mai naem mobile

    @Villago Delenda Est: I was thinking about that the other day and it got me thinking about how it was an asian and black nurse who got it. I wonder if you are genetically more likely to get it if you are south east asian or black. The nbc cameraman is half asian as well. The doc and missionary lady were dealing with ebola patients constantly so its not shocking they got it. I don’t know if I am talking out of my ass, it just got me thinking since there probably were white nurses and other personnel who dealt with duncan.

  174. 174.

    Jay C

    @mai naem mobile:

    Don’t take it the wrong way, mn: but I think “talking out your ass” about racial predelictions for Ebola is probably an apt description: The fact that the nurses in Dallas who contracted it were non-white is most likely an occupational artifact: I’m not sure what the typical ratio is in Texas: I know that in New York, the proportion of non-white to white nursing staff is fairly high: that Nina Pham and Amber Vinson became infected is just by chance (or inadvertent carelessness). The (only) other US Ebola patient identified so far is white* (and the only fatality, so far a black African), so it seems like Ebola is pretty indiscriminate in its attacks.

    * as were the previous American victims transported here from Africa

  175. 175.

    Original Lee

    @big ole hound: Just read elsewhere that the GOP thinks they can take Senate seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Doubtful of accuracy because IIRC the South Dakota race is all fubar for the Republican candidate.

  176. 176.

    SWMBO

    @Betty I voted today just after lunch. Broward County so it trends blue. Early voting was at the Civic Center and there was no one in line. They had set up about30-40 voting stations and there were a few folks voting when I got there. There is a “politics free” zone around the building but outside of that it was signs everywhere. There are two parking lots on each side of the building. On the side my husband parked on, there was no one in the “politics allowed” zone. (He voted on the way to work this morning, I voted after lunch.) On the side that I parked on, there were people outside handing out pamphlets. The Democratic party had a “suggestion” sheet to tell what they recommended in voting. This was from Governor down to city commission races and for amendments and county bonds and judicial retention. It was brief, clearly laid out and easy to use. There was NO ONE on the Republican side handing out materials. I used the cheat sheet and gave it back so they wouldn’t run out. The Dems are much more organized it seems and really push local candidates and issues. I was vote 298 according to the poll station where I put in my ballot. Don’t know if that is how many have voted in my precinct or what but it does give me hope that if there is enough early voting, maybe we will be rid of Governor Voldemort. And for Jeebus sake, I hope Pam Bondi has to go home crying about the gays not liking her or voting for her.

  177. 177.

    Another Holocene Human

    @FlipYrWhig: This is an old Virginia kind of tradition, and apparently used to mean something, although not in the era of Eric Cantor. I think the old guard retired in the 1990s, could see they couldn’t hope to win elections any more, but, you know, not all of that electorate is dead so why not appeal to their sense of tradition?

  178. 178.

    Another Holocene Human

    @SatanicPanic: I don’t have any interest in eating horse but I can’t understand the antipathy towards people who do, and of course it is part of Western dietary traditions so WTF? Horses are not exactly super intelligent, so this is all sentiment.

    Of course the ban on horse-rendering means that hundreds of horses suffered unnecessarily after the market crashed and dozens of horsey people didn’t have money and couldn’t sell the horse for a quick buck so they just let them starve to death slowly. Charming.

    You know what PA should have been banning? Motherfucking puppy mills. No way a dog-for-food operation would mistreat dogs the way those sociopaths do.

  179. 179.

    Another Holocene Human

    @The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik:

    I just….please, I’m on the ledge here. Tell me there’s something to look forward to, because it all looks like decades of “FUCK YOU, THIS IS OUR COUNTRY” GOP domination.

    The bright spot is that Obama’s election caused the GOP to lose their leetle minds and so instead of building on GWB’s winning ‘broad’ coalition they’ve gone full metal racist and are shrinking their tent every fucking day. It’s hard for middle-aged people to shift parties, and yet the GOP is making it happen. Way to go! And the Millennial generation is less white than the ETA Lost Silent Generation, MUCH less white. Since GOP is driving every minority other than African-Americans the fuck away from them, including groups that used to be 50/50 or supporters, and African-Americans are in a multi-year cycle of increasing their voting muscle, DEMOGRAPHICS are going to f*ck the GOP for the next decade.

    Maybe in a decade they will take a long, hard look in the mirror and think about where they went wrong.

    Maybe.

    (But that’s the GOP. The GINI index/poverty/income redistribution/development measure/violence/outcome issues are going to keep getting worse for a while.)

  180. 180.

    The Fat Kate Middleton

    @big ole hound: Exactly what the spouse and I have been speculating on. But there’s also the possibility that this time would be used to consolidate the fascism they’re aiming for. Think what they could accomplish with the vote in the next 2-3 years.

  183. 183.

    Ruckus

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    Can beat that. 22 yrs since I’ve set foot in McDs. And the last 2 times were in different states, eating a sausage muffin for breakfast. Followed a few hrs later by it being forcefully removed from the wrong end. First time thought it was probably just the local shop, second time, it’s the home office.

  184. 184.

    Howard Beale IV

    @Robert Sneddon: I”ve been toying around with the idea of using some form of NSA with some other nasty sounding acronyms – but since I don’t broadcast my SSIDs anyway I think I’ll let it go-although the idea of reprogramming the firmware of one of my routers to natively support Tor does have a certain appeal to it.

  185. 185.

    Mnemosyne

    @Robert Sneddon:

    People at my office noticed that there are wireless stations nearby labeled “FBI Surveillance.” Unless somebody in the office park is having a laugh, I think we’ve run into the real-life equivalent of Michael Keaton’s character in Out of Sight.

    “Tell me, Ray, when you go undercover, do you wear a t-shirt that says ‘undercover’?”

  186. 186.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Howard Beale IV: I was tempted by the idea of labelling my router “Dirac Angestun Gesept #47” but that’s a very esoteric joke that I suspect no-one in range would get.

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