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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Late Night Horrowshow Open Thread: Such A Lovely Family

Late Night Horrowshow Open Thread: Such A Lovely Family

by Anne Laurie|  June 8, 201511:53 pm| 93 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Crime Syndicate - aka the Bush Admin.

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Parties. pic.twitter.com/96Q2XNiJqA

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) June 8, 2015

Barbara Bush (codename: "Tranquility") turns 90 today. In 1992 MCW explained in @VanityFair why she wasn't tranquil. http://t.co/TrPIKZOLPK

— Timothy Noah (@TimothyNoah1) June 8, 2015

No, I am never gonna just let it go. From the article:

Even Barbara Bush’s stepmother is afraid of her. Over the course of a half-hour interview, Willa Pierce, the South Carolina painter the First Lady’s widowed father married in 1952, hasn’t commented on anything much more controversial than her famous stepdaughter’s shoe size. But now, in a quavering voice, she is re-evaluating her decision to say anything at all.

“I could get in so much trouble if I said something she didn’t agree with,” the elderly widow says pleadingly. “Because you know how she is: she knows how she wants to appear to the world.”…

As the rich WASP version of Livia Soprano, if she were capable of being honest. She raised a litter of hellhounds, with very little help beyond genetics and a fat Rolodex from her slightly-less-repulsive but far-more-politically-powerful husband. And our suffering republic will never be rid of them…

George W. Bush charged $100k earlier this year to give a one-hour speech near Dallas for a homeless shelter. http://t.co/FajsFauPAP

— Timothy Noah (@TimothyNoah1) June 7, 2015

Deep Kennebunkport dive from @edatpost Check out pic – Jeb dons Cubs jacket as Poppy/W wear Rangers. http://t.co/Vj1iXcJ12Y

— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) June 6, 2015

Ed O’Keefe, professional Republican apologist strategist:

… The past month has brought into stark relief the fundamental dilemma posed by Bush’s lineage, even as his front-runner status fades. He repeatedly stumbled to answer questions about the now-unpopular Iraq war started by his brother and has been visibly conflicted about whether to embrace or play down the policies and reputations of his closest relatives…

But when asked last Tuesday by Fox News whether he’ll use his brother on the campaign trail, he said: “Absolutely. I will use my brother, my sister, every relative, every person I can.”…

Yeah, that’s the family motto, “I will use… every person I can.”

To be fair, they’ve put in a lot of work to make it the national GOP slogan, as well.

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Reader Interactions

93Comments

  1. 1.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:00 am

    That family photo. It’s like Duggars, only with little brown ones.

  2. 2.

    Comrade Dread

    June 9, 2015 at 12:08 am

    Aristocrats are the same in any era and should always be greeted with pitchforks, torches, and guillotines.

    +3

  3. 3.

    Cacti

    June 9, 2015 at 12:09 am

    All reasonable people can agree, it’s only wrong for Bill Clinton to make money giving speeches.

  4. 4.

    Aleta

    June 9, 2015 at 12:10 am

    Here’s Barbara pouring tea for her dog.

    Speaking of dogs:

    Sad but true: The solar system lacks locales named after canine deities

    . https://www.sciencenews.org/article/modest-plutonian-proposal

  5. 5.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 12:13 am

    @Comrade Dread: Would you say the same to Kennedy or Kerry/Heinz family photo?

    @Cacti: Honestly and to be fair, It was wrong for Hillary to have made any money as well.

  6. 6.

    joel hanes

    June 9, 2015 at 12:16 am

    @Aleta:

    The solar system lacks locales named after canine deities

    MICKEY: Pluto! Pluto!

  7. 7.

    Comrade Dread

    June 9, 2015 at 12:16 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: If they’d be okay with a 90% income tax rate and a capital gains tax rate much higher than it is today, I’ll give them a pass.

  8. 8.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2015 at 12:16 am

    A Reagan thread and now a Bush family thread?

    Yuckaroonie².

  9. 9.

    Mike J

    June 9, 2015 at 12:17 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think we can all agree it’s wrong for any Democrat anywhere at any time to do anything to make a living.

  10. 10.

    srv

    June 9, 2015 at 12:17 am

    41 and 45 make 43 look like a munchkin.

  11. 11.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2015 at 12:18 am

    @Aleta

    Sirius-ly?

  12. 12.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 12:23 am

    @Comrade Dread: I bow to you purity.

    @Mike J: Hey, the Housemartins only paid themselves the amount paid by the dole. Why can’t all Dems imitate that?

  13. 13.

    VFX Lurker

    June 9, 2015 at 12:24 am

    @NotMax: As much as I love Sirius, it is outside of our solar system.

  14. 14.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 12:24 am

    @NotMax: Star.

  15. 15.

    Valdivia

    June 9, 2015 at 12:25 am

    @Cacti: Can’t wait to see how their heads explode once Obama is out of office. I wonder it they will continue to focus on him as a source of outrage.

  16. 16.

    srv

    June 9, 2015 at 12:25 am

    And you people say Black Helicopters aren’t real.

    Eschewing reality.

  17. 17.

    Tree With Water

    June 9, 2015 at 12:32 am

    I wonder how often GW-Cheney and the all the other conspirators visit VA hospitals? At all?

    I particularly recall a reporter’s account of wounded GI’s in one such hospital, written during the first year or so of the War in Iraq. In the report, a soldier’s mother spoke of her envy of a double amputee’s wound as that soldier dragged himself down a corridor, for she deemed it a less debilitating wound than that which resulted in her son’s brain damage and blindness.

  18. 18.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:33 am

    Gather ’round children, and I will tell you a true tale of my dysfunctional family:

    As I posted yesterday, my brother passed away at 6:30 am on Sunday morning. By 12:00 pm — less than 6 hours after the hospice nurse made the declaration of death — his estranged wife showed up at his house with a U-Haul, her new boyfriend, and three teenagers, ostensibly to pick up my nine-year-old’s niece’s belongings, which would barely have fit in the trunk of a sedan. I think she expected to start loading up the furniture but her helpers were not enthusiastic about the project, particularly since one of the teenagers was my 14-year-old niece, who was one of the bereaved children of the deceased. Also, my brother’s girlfriend’s cop friend was there and prevented estranged wifey from entering the house.

    I arrived around 12:30 pm and I tell you, kiddies, my jaw fucking dropped. My brother’s body was not even cold, and she expected to back a U-Haul up to his girlfriend’s house and clean it out.

  19. 19.

    Culture of Truth

    June 9, 2015 at 12:41 am

    His campaign lit – pamphlets, pins, buttons, bumper stickers – will probably all say “JEB” which is ironic since that’s not his real name.

  20. 20.

    srv

    June 9, 2015 at 12:43 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Ugh.

    At my Aunt’s wake, her oldest son related to me he’d come home from arrangements that morning to find his little sister ransacking the closets and taking pictures of their mom’s stuff. She’d already been listing them on eBay.

    There must be a word for this, probably German.

  21. 21.

    Culture of Truth

    June 9, 2015 at 12:43 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Sorry to hear about your loss. And the other family issues.

  22. 22.

    greennotGreen

    June 9, 2015 at 12:44 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Wow. Estranged wife has got some serious chutzpah! Or she’s a sociopath. Probably sociopath.

  23. 23.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:45 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    Was that your jaw my jaw just knocked into? ‘Cause mine dropped to the floor too.

    That’s just … it’s just so … yikes.

    Condolences again, Mnem, not only on your brother’s passing but on the fresh grief being inflicted by the ex-wife. Does she have any legal rights? Can you get some kind of restraining order against her?

  24. 24.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:47 am

    @srv:

    The thing that bothers me most is dragging the kids into it. Seriously, you’re going to tell your 14-year-old daughter WHOSE FATHER DIED LESS THAN 6 HOURS AGO to come with you to try and take his stuff? What the ever-loving fucking fuck!?

  25. 25.

    greennotGreen

    June 9, 2015 at 12:47 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): I hope your brother’s passing was peaceful. I’m sorry for your loss.

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:48 am

    @srv:

    And you people say Black Helicopters aren’t real.

    They are real and they are laughing.

  27. 27.

    Valdivia

    June 9, 2015 at 12:49 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): no words. talk about narcissism.

    @SiubhanDuinne: soon enough the credenza will appear :)

  28. 28.

    Elizabelle

    June 9, 2015 at 12:49 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Horrorshow indeed. I am triply sorry for your niece now.

    I wonder if such a bad example will be a teaching moment for the kids. Don’t try this. You could, but maybe you should not ….

    How are you and your mom holding up?

  29. 29.

    Karen in GA

    June 9, 2015 at 12:52 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Jesus Christ. I’m so sorry for your loss, and for the subsequent insanity.

  30. 30.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:52 am

    @greennotGreen:

    I say Narcissistic Personality Disorder, which is hard to distinguish from sociopathy. And she has three kids under 18 who are being thrown back into her custody.

    The only semi-saving grace is that my brother signed a Power of Attorney over to my mom that overrides some of her spousal rights, so she has no say over things like the disposition of his remains. But as far as the kids go, we’re hosed until she does something bad enough to get her file with DCFS re-opened. Until that day comes, we’re watching her like fucking hawks.

  31. 31.

    Karen in GA

    June 9, 2015 at 12:53 am

    @Valdivia: Switching on the fax machine now.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:53 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): What. The. Fuck. That shit is craaaaaazy.

  33. 33.

    Suzanne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:55 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Can you and your mom get frequent visitation with the kids, so that you can keep eyes on them and also be a sane influence?

  34. 34.

    opiejeanne

    June 9, 2015 at 12:55 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): I am so sorry for your loss, and now I’m grateful that my immediate family isn’t worse than they are, which seems pretty bad at times but isn’t a patch on what you just described.

  35. 35.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:56 am

    @Elizabelle:

    We’re semi-okay. Ironically, the drama is keeping us from wallowing too much, but it will probably hit us hard later.

    I’m hoping to see my youngest niece for a few minutes tomorrow because her mom is supposed to bring her and the 14 YO by for an appointment with a social worker/child grief counselor. If she doesn’t, it’s fucking being documented as non-cooperation.

  36. 36.

    Valdivia

    June 9, 2015 at 12:56 am

    @Karen in GA: :D

  37. 37.

    Aleta

    June 9, 2015 at 12:56 am

    @NotMax: Where did Ur-anus go?

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:59 am

    @Suzanne:

    Non-parents have zero rights. Our only hope is to stay on the semi-good side of the sociopath. I’m trying to be civil while blocking her from further mischief.

    I have to go because my mom and I are roomies right now and the light from the iPad is keeping her awake. More later, and thanks to everyone for their condolences.

  39. 39.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2015 at 1:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus — VFX Lurker

    No sh*t. It’s still worth bending the parameters it for the joke.

    /Kobayashi Maru humor interlude

  40. 40.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 1:03 am

    THE. HELICOPTERS. ARE. NOT. LAUGHING!

  41. 41.

    NotMax

    June 9, 2015 at 1:08 am

    @Aleta

    By Jupiter, just plopped right down into the driver’s seat of a Saturn, made an orbit around the Mercury dealer and then stopped to get a Mars bar.

  42. 42.

    srv

    June 9, 2015 at 1:09 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): I don’t know how to make at any easier for you, sorry for another horror story, but the lesson is – whatever you have to do for the kid. Evil will always drag the kid(s) into it.

    On the other side of my family, cousin’s husband abandoned her and cleaned out her bank accounts. Bank foreclosed, she and her son moved in with friends. She had a cancer relapse. She was too ashamed to tell any of us until it was almost over.

    When she was uncouncious and on deathbed, husband showed up and found out one of her brothers had been made executor. He stomped out, glared at her mom, and said “you will never see your grandson again.”

    He showed up at the funeral sans their son. Her other brother had played the “good” guy trying to maintain contact for his nephew’s sake. Husband, at funeral, asks brother if he could tell his nephew his mom was gone. He hadn’t told his own son.

    We all had to hug him and be friendly, whatever we had to do to try to maintain contact. My cousin punched a hole in his hotel room later.

    Months of stroking that motherfucker – but the grandson comes every summer. Whatever it takes.

  43. 43.

    Tree With Water

    June 9, 2015 at 1:10 am

    @srv: That’s one scenario that I’m sure is all too common. Another scenario unfolded between two close family members in my clan, who were on the outs for years over what turned out to be a misunderstanding concerning an inheritance. I had only the vaguest understanding of their problem, and never realized its depth until after their reconciliation. But for the reconciliation, it would have proved an unalloyed tragedy for the both of them. It was sad enough as it was..

  44. 44.

    Valdivia

    June 9, 2015 at 1:15 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: That still manages to crack me up every single time.

  45. 45.

    Aleta

    June 9, 2015 at 1:15 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): With a power of attorney, perhaps your mother can have someone (such as an appraiser) document the household items. Then the estr. w’s removal attempts will be countered with documentation, and the kids’ interests protected. I know not much about that, but I do know the horror you describe, and how destructive. Over the years, taking the kids on vacations and sending them letters can help a lot. Horrible that the estranged w has your brother’s family trapped, since the kids are at stake. The worst. I’m sorry.

  46. 46.

    Aimai

    June 9, 2015 at 1:17 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): holy crap. Mnemo this story gets worse and worse. The most terrifying thing is imagining the vulnerable children left in her care. What, if anything, can be done to protect the children?

  47. 47.

    Aleta

    June 9, 2015 at 1:18 am

    @NotMax: There’s some kind of offer going on right now where you can get a free round trip around the Sun once a year for the rest of your life.

  48. 48.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2015 at 1:24 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: How long ago was that? 3 years? 5 years? It seems like so long ago, and like yesterday.

  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 1:26 am

    @Valdivia: I so regret that that I only came upon it the next day. I merely played with the remains.

  50. 50.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2015 at 1:33 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: It was a thing of beauty in real time. I wonder if it holds up well over time?

    Bad form: I just asked two questions and now I am headed for bed.

  51. 51.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 9, 2015 at 1:35 am

    @WaterGirl: I think there is a link in the archives. I may be wrong, but if I am, i shouldn’t be.

  52. 52.

    Valdivia

    June 9, 2015 at 1:39 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I saw the beginning of it then woke up to find the full epicness of it. I had ot put my coffee down until I was done reading it. Too much laughter.

    @WaterGirl: good night!

  53. 53.

    srv

    June 9, 2015 at 1:49 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I don’t know why Balloon Boy was not made a mascot here.

    https://balloon-juice.com/2009/10/15/now-it-can-be-told/#comment-1403768

  54. 54.

    opiejeanne

    June 9, 2015 at 1:50 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: But I am.

    Thank you to the people who pointed me toward that thread. It made great reading.

  55. 55.

    ruemara

    June 9, 2015 at 1:53 am

    This mini-bleg seems strangely appropriate for this thread. I try to do a little good thing from time to time for homeless shelters near me. I don’t ask for money, I’m asking for you to consider adding a little shopping for the homeless to your purchases.

    Here’s your good deed for the summer. Homeless shelters get tons of clothes and shoes, but people always forget the little things that make us feel whole and human. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is locate a local shelter you wish to adopt. Then, go to a 99 cent store with $20 and fill a bag with personal care items, depending on the populations that shelter serves. General shelters or drop in shelters for adults, will need all the adult things. Ones that serve at risk women, children or families, will need the childcare and infant stuff. And toilet paper, don’t forget that. You can also call ahead and see if there’s a special item they might like, like dvds of movies or educational programs for a rec room.

    Men’s items:
    sunscreen
    Deodorant
    Shaving cream
    Bags of disposable razors
    shampoo
    conditioner
    handiwipe portable packs
    toilet paper
    toothbrushes
    toothpaste

    Women’s items:
    Deodorant
    Shaving cream
    Bags of disposable razors
    shampoo
    conditioner
    handiwipe portable packs
    toilet paper
    toothbrushes
    toothpaste
    tampons
    pads
    bladder control pads
    lotion
    sunscreen

    Children’s items:
    kid’s shampoo/conditioner
    children’s toothbrushes/toothpaste
    baby wash
    diapers
    baby powder
    baby butt ointment, like desitin
    sunscreen

    Bonus actions: pack some bottled water in your car. Often times, people, especially those with pets, are happy to take a bottle or two during hot days.

    Where to get started if you don’t know where a local shelter is? Try here http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/ or http://www.211.org/
    And if you can spare as little as $5 for toilet paper and shampoo, you’re going to make a shelter director very happy. Thanks for considering doing this.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    June 9, 2015 at 2:03 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): I’m sorry to hear about your brother.

  57. 57.

    sharl

    June 9, 2015 at 2:22 am

    Oh boy, Bobo is waxing all philosophical ‘n’ shit on BBC World. Good ‘get’ you guys!

  58. 58.

    lamh36

    June 9, 2015 at 2:26 am

    I think I posted this video last night, but if I didn’t…so needed something to smile about and cleanse that McKinney pool party video out of my head.

    So check out this lil girl channeling Aretha Franklin, and try not to smile.

    This lil girl is awesome and she’s doing Re-Re’s “Respect” proud!!

    https://youtu.be/y9vto-eWPaY

  59. 59.

    Goblue72

    June 9, 2015 at 2:27 am

    It’s like looking at photos of Berchtesgaden.

  60. 60.

    sharl

    June 9, 2015 at 2:29 am

    Ah, memories from 2009 of Balloon Boy and laughing helicopters again, I see. The genesis of all that has already been linked upthread by srv at #53, but it was a follow-on group effort the next day by the creative commentariat here that truly germinated that seed to full, glorious flower. Steeplejack tracked all that stuff down a couple weeks ago.

  61. 61.

    Baud

    June 9, 2015 at 2:30 am

    @lamh36: Upstaging the other two!

  62. 62.

    Gian

    June 9, 2015 at 2:46 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    uncles raided my grandfather’s house and unloaded what was honestly valuable 40s era furniture for a fraction of the worth. It was mass produced yes, but local, in the 30s and 40s by well paid workers in new England. Death, plus greed is bad.
    when my wife’s uncle passed, same thing, she went to the funeral and the survivors were fighting over the very little property he left.

    but really, stuff is in the end stuff. if you ask if I’d rather have a brother or a cousin, or a fucking piece of furniture, the answer should be obvious. I guess the human world needs it’s vultures and Tasmanian devils.

  63. 63.

    lamh36

    June 9, 2015 at 2:50 am

    @Baud: she totally is. I did feel bad for the girls but I think it pretty obvious why she in the lead middle and unlike the other girls she’s has the steps down.

    Even with all her hamming, she never seemed to lose a step. I guessing she’s either a vet in the dance group or they had her be leader since she’s done so well

    But ham or not I still can’t help but smile and I love her dad’s reaction (he’s filming I believe)

  64. 64.

    Baud

    June 9, 2015 at 4:13 am

    @lamh36:

    Yeah, I think that one girl was giving her the evil eye.

  65. 65.

    Anne Laurie

    June 9, 2015 at 4:43 am

    @Baud: Aw, on the dubiousity scale, I’d grade that no higher than “hairy eyeball“…

  66. 66.

    Anne Laurie

    June 9, 2015 at 4:47 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Condolences on your brother’s death, and the ensuing drama.

  67. 67.

    SRW1

    June 9, 2015 at 4:51 am

    @srv:

    There must be a word for this, probably German.

    Leichenfledderer.

    To the Inglese also known as ghoul.

  68. 68.

    Kay

    June 9, 2015 at 6:06 am

    I hate the speech circuit for former pols. I just do. I think it’s gross.

    I also think charitable foundations are out of control and have become completely opaque and undemocratic quasi-governmenal actors.

    But if they’re all going to do it I’m glad they’re reporting on both sides.

    Next they can delve into Jeb’s foundation, which is dedicated to privatizing public schools and lobbies your state government whether you are aware of it or not.

  69. 69.

    Kay

    June 9, 2015 at 6:15 am

    Can anyone think of a single instance where a former pol made news or broke new ground with a paid speech? Is anyone leaving these things saying “well, I had no idea what Bill Clinton thought about welfare reform prior to this evening!”

    It’s just purely about the former pol and the influence and clout of the people who invite them.

  70. 70.

    evodevo

    June 9, 2015 at 6:55 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Sorry to say – that situation is more common than you would believe….seen it several times among relatives/friends.

  71. 71.

    Bobby Thomson

    June 9, 2015 at 7:11 am

    @Culture of Truth: tell it to Ike.

  72. 72.

    raven

    June 9, 2015 at 7:16 am

    This pup had his eye on us this morning.

  73. 73.

    Kay

    June 9, 2015 at 7:23 am

    A Republican here was telling me yesterday that “I’ll know” the strategy when we find out if Buhs or Walker wins the primary.

    If Bush wins, it will be a “centrist” election and if Walker wins it will be a “base” election. I told him I remember the 2004 Bush election and that was no “centrist” strategy.

    So really it doesn’t matter. It’ll be a GOP base general election.

  74. 74.

    satby

    June 9, 2015 at 7:35 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Late to the thread but just wanted to express my condolences on the passing of your brother. These ugly family things just exacerbate the wound. Glad you have some support in countering the evil ex, and as long as the kids know you’re out there and loving them they will wait until they are old enough to get out from under her thumb.

  75. 75.

    lurker dean

    June 9, 2015 at 8:08 am

    so sorry for your loss, mnem. those poor children :o(

  76. 76.

    rikyrah

    June 9, 2015 at 9:06 am

    As the rich WASP version of Livia Soprano,

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

  77. 77.

    rikyrah

    June 9, 2015 at 9:07 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    sorry about your loss.
    Just let your niece know you’re there for her. You’re part of her village – always.

  78. 78.

    boatboy_srq

    June 9, 2015 at 9:21 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Every family has one. My sister tried that with Mum’s stuff – and Mum was still breathing (and walking and talking, come to that).

  79. 79.

    The Pale Scot

    June 9, 2015 at 9:56 am

    Off James McMurty’s Aughts album;

    You know what Nixon said about Barbara,

    Well George, he’s OK, he can do his job. Barbara, now she’s interesting, she knows how to hate.

  80. 80.

    dww44

    June 9, 2015 at 10:14 am

    @Kay:
    @Kay:
    @Kay:

    So glad I returned to last night’s thread today. Otherwise I would have missed out on your always clear-eyed and unbiased observations of the political scene. As one who worries about our public schools with so many GOP’ers in control of our states, I doubly appreciate your insight there. Did not KNOW that about Jeb’s foundation.

    Are you ever going to return to being a front pager?

  81. 81.

    Gian

    June 9, 2015 at 10:17 am

    @Kay:
    Churchill had failed to get re-elected when he gave the iron curtain speech:

    http://history1900s.about.com/od/churchillwinston/a/Iron-Curtain.htm

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    June 9, 2015 at 10:33 am

    @raven: That’s adorable!

  83. 83.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    June 9, 2015 at 10:47 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): This shit happens all the time, if that helps. And I’m sure it doesn’t.

    My mother’s sister had their parent’s house emptied out and sold off – including giving my grandfather’s entire gun collection to her son, who is a wanted felon (that’s how the guns get out there, kids!) by the time he stopped breathing. She in fact missed his death, as she was at her lawyer’s office trying to get a restraining order against my mother and her brother to prevent them from entering the parental house or taking an inventory.

    Then there was my neighbor, whose estranged daughters simply broke into his house once he was toted off to a nursing home, piled all his shit into the garage, and were about to haul it off when the cops showed up. His next door neighbor had called them.

    The cops, being cops, put the next-door neighbor in cuffs (3 hours, back of a cop car, dude was 78 at the time) when one of the felonious daughters claimed he’d hit her, and let them take all the stuff with them.

    Mistakes were made.

    At any rate, death brings out the very worst in families and that is a rule, not an exception.

  84. 84.

    Denali

    June 9, 2015 at 11:02 am

    What stories, these

  85. 85.

    J R in WV

    June 9, 2015 at 11:30 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    My best friend’s Grandfather was 87 when he fell and his tractor ran over him! Broke a lot of bones in his chest, but he made it to the hospital, and so had a fighting chance. The next morning Joe (my friend) noticed that Grandfather’s herd of cattle were gone – 21 of them, prime beef, at the time they were worth a bundle.

    He called his aunt, the most greedy member of the family, and told her that she wouldn’t be prosecuted for grand larceny if the cattle were home by dawn the next day. Sure enough, there they were as the sun rose over the family farm. His grandfather lived another 10 years, and sold those cattle for enough to pay his hospital bill – not what Aunt Peg had in mind at all!

    So I’m not a bit surprised by the ex showing up to take what she could steal, just that she waited for him to die, really.

    Sorry for your family to run smack into that much greed at such a painful moment! Best wishes for everyone but the ex!

  86. 86.

    shawn

    June 9, 2015 at 11:55 am

    There are real things to criticize President Bush and Governor Bush. Attacking their mother undercuts that fact. The same can be said for anybody who made a deal about Bill Clinton’s sex life or Barack Obama’s birthplace. I always thought anybody who attacked on anything other than the issues was basically saying, I don’t really know what I am talking about but please listen to me a la TMZ.

    By the way, EVERY politician of every party has used many, most or all the people they can to be elected to whichever office. That’s what politicians do. I don’t know why I am constantly surprised when either side ignores their own group’s imperfections to scream about essentially identical imperfections in the other group while at the same time using the original screaming as evidence that the other side controls the media. One of the best things about President Obama is the fact the he isn’t a Bush or a Clinton.

  87. 87.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    June 9, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    @Aleta:

    I mentioned that to my brother’s girlfriend today, and she was not terribly receptive to the idea. She’s a cop, so she’s used to being able to walk into court and have things automatically go her way. She doesn’t seem to have any concept that it ain’t going to work like that in a civil court where she’s just another civilian.

  88. 88.

    SuperHrefna

    June 9, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone): Big hugs, what a nightmare. I’m so sorry for your loss and for this whole mess. In my family we had to play nice with a sibling’s psychopathic ex for the same reason and it was so hard. So very hard. The good thing for your nieces is that you are prepared for what is ahead. Hang in there for them. It will be hard but it will be worth it.

  89. 89.

    Tree With Water

    June 9, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    “Attacking their mother undercuts that fact”.

    Bingo. Babs has always struck me as a real piece of work. But she’s 90 years old, and I cannot bring myself to speak ill of her now. I feel exactly the same about Nancy Reagan. At this point, I wish for them both nothing but the best.

  90. 90.

    Elie

    June 9, 2015 at 4:23 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    Sorry for your loss, M — Its a hard thing to lose a sibling…

    Sorry also about the other sad goings on—

  91. 91.

    Another Holocene Human

    June 9, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    But as far as the kids go, we’re hosed until she does something bad enough to get her file with DCFS re-opened. Until that day comes, we’re watching her like fucking hawks.

    I am terribly sorry to hear that. Best wishes. Feel terrible for those kids. NPD in a parent–subtle, painful, insidious.

  92. 92.

    psychobroad

    June 9, 2015 at 10:58 pm

    @<a href="#comment-53@greennotGreen: 4230″>greennotG Nice to focus onthe brother and not the awful ex. Hopefully comforting to Mnemosyn.

  93. 93.

    brantl

    June 10, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    @shawn: Sorry, Barbara Bush looked out on poor people, in misery, having lost what little they DID have, and sniffed that they were poor anyway, so wasn’t this a step up. In other words, the Mother Of All Douchebags, wrapped in douchebag imprinted wrapping paper, with an end-of-the-world Douchebag bow on top of it. I wish her AND Nancy Reagan, nothing but the worst, just as Karma, evening up. Cheney and all but one of his kin, too.

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