Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

Oppose, oppose, oppose. Do not congratulate. This is not business as usual.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

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

Never forget that he train is barreling down on Trump, even as he dances on the tracks.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

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Reader Interactions

61Comments

  2. 2.

    jl

    Is that thing your leader, SPaT?

    And if you take me to it, will it shoot some treats (instead of lame poker chips)?

  3. 3.

    jl

    For Gawd sake, my comment in moderation. To protec SPaT’s virgin ears from g m b l n g talk I guess.

    Is that thing your leader, SPaT?

    And if you take me to it, will it shoot some treats (instead of lame p * k * r chips)?

  4. 4.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    For a minute, I though the mom cat was running away in fear and leaving her kittens behind, and then I realized she was all, “Toy! Play! Again!”

    Also, why do all Japanese cats (on YouTube, anyway) seem to have that plush short fur? Is that how they breed them, or what?

  6. 6.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): My impression was that they were checking whether they could eat whatever the robot was shooting. And after they realized no food, then sort of put up with it and got whatever fun was available out of it.

  8. 8.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @jl:

    I have cats who fetch, so I’m assuming that was what the mom cat was doing. Two of my cats will run after the toy and also bring it back for me to throw again. It has to be exactly the right toy, though.

  9. 9.

    JPL

    @Sarah Proud and Tall: It wasn’t my link.. I saw it on the earlier post and loved the video. How are you doing? We don’t see you often enough.

    I loved the kittens from the shy ones to the bold ones.

  11. 11.

    Violet

    Video was sort of jerky for me. Just my computer or is that the way it is for everyone else? Took away from a bit of the cuteness.

  14. 14.

    trollhattan

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):

    Also, why do all Japanese cats (on YouTube, anyway) seem to have that plush short fur? Is that how they breed them, or what?

    Daily vacuuming, to go along with their absurdly tidy homes. Special Sanyo CatVac(tm).

  15. 15.

    Renie

    OT – Need some assistance. Been studying WW1 and watching Al Jeerza documentary. First episode was about the Arabs in WW1, second was about Ottoman Empire and third one was how the Mid East was shaped. Last one I am most interested in. I was able to watch first two on youtube but the third one gives me a message saying’ video blocked in your country.’

    What’s this about and is there a work around? Thanks for any help.

    Renie

  16. 16.

    Marc

    The NYT has a really great article on the strategies of successful nonviolent movements and the myths that sink the unsuccessful ones.

    I especially liked this line: “nonviolent struggle is a strategic campaign to force a dictator to cede power by depriving him of his pillars of support.”

    American protesters from Occupy to Ferguson could learn so much from this. If you aren’t finding ways to deprive your enemies of their support, you aren’t doing anything to stop them.

    And if you find yourself typing “well, at least they went out and DID something,” you are probably describing a movement that has already failed.

  18. 18.

    Another Holocene Human

    @Marc: There have been whole books written on this topic but of course it’s avoided in public school (an authoritarian and elite-loving place if there ever was one … yeah, let’s study Plato’s Republic again, all about how the stupid masses don’t deserve self governance and we’d just be so much better in a neo-con paradise: you know what classics lovers–flame away, I will always always always disagree with Plato’s politics and I don’t care if he was really a great guy, I mean, you know, despite all that shit he said about women in the Symposium, that would be judging him out of context, amirite? old white dead men forever, yo), and OWS was all about my ignorance is as good as your knowledge so don’t try to teach me a thing, grandpa. End the Fed! Chemtrails!

    I think the disatisfaction with mass movements in the US is that a lot of liberals have already done their own sort of political assessment and decided that “the revolution” isn’t the answer, that the institutions can be salvaged and a combination of lobbying, direct democracy, consciousness raising, and winning elections will achieve liberal goals, and since this so often does, they stick to it. Granted the endless war seems to not be subject to these rules and war protests have probably, no, definitely mobilized the most Americans in the streets of absolutely anything in my memory. And yeah, it wasn’t effective. For one thing Bush and Cheney felt no shame or fear, so that didn’t work. But, also, I think a war over there just doesn’t inflict enough pain over here to get the willingness to sacrifice that you see in successful non violent struggles. Food was put on the families throughout 2004. The institutions that Bush and his neo cons controlled were therefore strong, and not weakened. The crowds went home….

  19. 19.

    satby

    Perfect for an evening wind down.

    Having a year end clearance at the Etsy shop, expanded to all in stock, if anyone is interested. making room for new stuff!

  20. 20.

    Origuy

    @Renie: Look up hola.org and install their free unblocker. It sets your browser to use a proxy server that makes YouTube and other sites think they are in the country of the proxy server. I use it to watch BBC and other UK programs. Hard to say which country that video will play in; it depends on the user that uploaded it.

    By the way, there are a lot of WWI documentaries on BBC iPlayer. One of the best is David Olusoga’s The World’s War, about the Africans, Indians, and others who fought in the war.

  22. 22.

    shelley

    It’s as if the Terminator had a pet dog,er, spider…..uh dog/spider. The cats are adorable, but not sure if I’d want to hear that mechanical thing wheezing it’s way down a dark hallway in the middle of the night.

    Anybody remember that Tom Selleck movie ‘Runaway’ (1984)

  23. 23.

    Another Holocene Human

    One of OWS’ problems is that it was TOO ambitious, the idea was that American civilization had failed, let’s redo EVERYTHING. There was this implicit assumption that old people as part of “the system” were just stuck in the gestalt of failed policies and there was no room for mentorship, history, the passing of wisdom. OTOH, with the movements that arose in response to Trayvon Martin’s death and Ferguson, you do have the transmission of experience and knowledge intergenerationally even as younger people are taking the reins. What was really neat to see in NYC was the convergence of OWS alums, who had learned everything they knew about protest the hard way, and a very long standing but resolutely shut out by TPTB movement to curb police brutality against black and brown men in New York coming together through the magic of twitter to absolutely flood the streets in NYC. I think that really made the NYPD nervous, and has possibly-hopefully-led to Patrick Lynch’s political downfall.

    I saw a funny video once, it was an anti-police brutality march in NYC prior to Trayvon and some shitty provocateur communist cult group was there trying to derail shit. They were using the OWS-approved human microphone system but as the communist tool started saying crazy shit one of the victim’s family members just shut that whole thing down. It’s almost hypnotic, that slavishly repeating some bozo’s words, no matter how crazy. Well, not that group, not that day, great demonstration of the difference in culture between African American activists and white lefties. Boundaries. That woman had them.

  24. 24.

    Sarah, Proud and Tall

    @jl:

    p * k * r

    You said a bad word.

    @JPL:

    I understand. I started drinking early.

    I’m very well, thank you. I’ve been trying to spend as much time as possible on a couple of long form writing projects, and my Balloon Juice attendance has suffered. I’m trying to compromise by doing short and sweet posts on here before I knuckle down for the day.

    @MomSense:

    about this season of Doctor Who

    I liked it. A fine season with only one real stinker. Capaldi is wonderful – an odd, spiky, bugeyed creature halfway between Troughton and Pertwee – and Jenna Coleman and Clara have both bloomed. Her big scene in Deep Breath was magnificent.

    I loved Listen, but I think my favourite episode is probably Mummy or Flatline.

  27. 27.

    Pogonip

    And the Red [and white] Cuteness held sway over all!

    This is almost as good as the golden retriever at the obedience competition that checked out every toy and dish of food along the route.

  31. 31.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    Hi Sarah P&T!! I hope your summer’s going well. We miss you up here.

    Shop satby’s clearance, folks. Link to her etsy shop. It can also be linked from her nym.

  40. 40.

    Marc

    @Another Holocene Human:

    I think the disatisfaction with mass movements in the US is that a lot of liberals have already done their own sort of political assessment and decided that “the revolution” isn’t the answer, that the institutions can be salvaged and a combination of lobbying, direct democracy, consciousness raising, and winning elections will achieve liberal goals, and since this so often does, they stick to it. Granted the endless war seems to not be subject to these rules and war protests have probably, no, definitely mobilized the most Americans in the streets of absolutely anything in my memory.

    Maybe. But I know that getting Obama the nomination and the White House brought our troops home from Iraq faster than anything else we tried, and it set an important precedent that the Democratic party will hold its leaders accountable for supporting dumb wars. Score one for winning elections, and the hard work of normal politics.

  46. 46.

    Pogonip

    @Corner Stone: It means, “Bob, give it a rest!”

    There is a mentally retarded character in the “Game of Thrones” books who can say nothing but ” Hodor.”

  50. 50.

    Pogonip

    @Corner Stone: Hodor.

    Just out of curiosity, I did google Hodor, and learned that he and Bran will not be on the upcoming season of ” Game of Thrones.”. Maybe it sticks with King’s Landing or with Dany or Sansa.

  52. 52.

    trollhattan

    @Pogonip:
    Whoa, major plot hole there. Per Sophie Turner this season might be bloodier than the red wedding, so we have that. Methinks there be dragons.

  60. 60.

    celiadexter

    My kitten Stella, who recently started watching cat videos, was utterly transfixed by that clip. She liked it even better than Maru, so it must be the electronic critter. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on one, it will be quite a hit in our abode.

  61. 61.

    mainmati

    @Renie: This seems highly unlikely (video being blocked). No matter what right-wing thinks about al-Jezirra, it is not illegal and the US doe not block its content. Since you don’t provide links or other sources, it is hard to tell what you are referring to. There are a huge number of sources (print, online, video, etc. on the history of the Middle East). So if you can’t access Al-Jezirra, try a countless number of others.

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