Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This blog will pay for itself.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

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

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

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

Republicans in disarray!

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

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

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

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

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

The revolution will be supervised.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

by | 199 Comments

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pickles most popular guy in town

(Pickles via GoComics.com)
.

Earl Pickle, mascot for many of us in the Balloon Juice community. Local news claims Tuesday is now the most crowded Thanksgiving-travel day. Those of you who are about to depart, we salute you…

***********
Apart from the existential dread of knowing that your racist uncle/brother-in-law/parent will have a plethora of fascinating Fox News talking points to share, what’s on the agenda as we (Americans) prepare for the upcoming holiday?

Reader Interactions

199Comments

  2. 2.

    Mustang Bobby

    Fortunately I am spending Thanksgiving with like-minded people, and my crazy Fox-watching Newsmax-forwarding uncle is in South Carolina among his kind. The only debate will be over which flavor of cranberry relish is better. Oh, and whether or not the football game will be on during dinner. Go Lions.

  4. 4.

    gene108

    I didn’t think I’d live long enough to get to the “back when I was a kid” mode, but I wish – like back when I was a kid – that most shops stayed closed on Thanksgiving.

    It made the holiday special, unlike say Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, etc. where a lot of retail shops remain open.

    Oh well, I guess there’s no stopping progress…

  8. 8.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @gene108: Yup, madame has to work from 6pm on Thanksgiving to 4am on Black Friday. Oh, and return to work Black Friday in the evening. We having Thanksgiving diner tomorrow.

  10. 10.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Heh, my advice was that I had no advice regarding their computers. I do like my monitor, but a bug got caught inside it over to the left side. Yes, that’s right, my monitor has a bug!

    ETA: You’d definitely get madame’s vote with that stance.

  11. 11.

    Phylllis

    @Mustang Bobby: Just what we need here, another one. Thanks.

    It’ll be me and the hubby here in Casa de Craphole for the holiday weekend; suits me to avoid most of humanity during holiday periods such as these.

  13. 13.

    Keith G

    I think all of the family with whom I used to argue are now dead.

    So there’s that.

    Peace on Earth?

  14. 14.

    bemused

    @NotMax:

    I had to laugh seeing the table going through the doorway. Reminds me of many long ago holiday dinners with very creative table seating arrangements in small spaces.

  19. 19.

    kindness

    In hopes of family comity I say let the racist/drunk uncle have it. Tell him exactly what you think and let him go home thinking it is you who is crazy.

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Thanksgiving will be spent with the daughter’s conservative (pro-guns everywhere, climate change denying and very well off) and religious (pray before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but she had an abortion after having lost 4 out of 5 pregnancies) in-laws. Nice enuf folks, but we just don’t talk politics. I won’t be surprised if the refugee issue comes up tho. It will be an eye opener for them if they do.

  21. 21.

    Baud

    Uh oh

    Chicago leaders urge calm before police shooting video release

    Chicago (CNN)Leaders in Chicago are calling for calm ahead of the expected release of a video that reportedly shows a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times.

    Laquan McDonald was walking down a Chicago street the night of October 20, 2014, carrying a 4-inch knife and behaving erratically, authorities said.

    A police officer told the 17-year-old to drop the knife, but he didn’t listen and the officer fired on him out of fear for his life, according to a police union spokesman.

  23. 23.

    Botsplainer

    I’m boycotting all Christmas shopping at retailers which open Thanksgiving. This affects me WRT Old Navy most, unless they back off.

  26. 26.

    Patricia Kayden

    Woke up to hear that 3 White Supremacists shot up a BLM protest in Minneapolis last night. I guess we’ve come to that. We’re creeping back to the 60s where unarmed Black protesters are subjected to violence and the media reports this nonchalantly.

  27. 27.

    Baud

    @Baud:

    But there’s more to this story

    Reports: Chicago police officer to be charged with murder of black teen shot 16 times

    A white Chicago police officer is expected to be charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of an African American teenager caught on dash-cam video, sources close to the investigation told the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times Monday night.

    Unnamed officials told the news organizations that Officer Jason Van Dyke is expected to appear at a bond hearing at noon Tuesday at which time he is also expected to be charged with murder. His lawyer has said that the officer’s actions were lawful.

    “He believed in his heart of hearts that he was in fear for his life…he was concerned about the lives of [other] police officers,” Daniel Herbert told reporters last week.

    If Van Dyke is indicted, the case will mark the first time a Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality in 35 years, according to the Tribune.

    These reports come just a week after a judge ruled that the footage of the shooting must be released to the public by Wednesday.

  28. 28.

    NorthLeft12

    @Nemo_N: I did not realize “controversial” also meant false, slanderous, mendacious, dishonest, make-believe, unfounded, and truthless.

    I’ll have to get a new dictionary/Thesaurus as mine appear to be out of date.

  29. 29.

    NonyNony

    @Botsplainer:

    I’m boycotting all Christmas shopping at retailers which open Thanksgiving.

    I honestly wonder if they’re looking at the numbers and are making honest assessments of cost v. benefit of the whole “open on Thanksgiving” (or even, these days, “open at midnight on Black Friday”).

    I suspect that the gains that stores saw a decade ago have been washed out by online shopping and a more piecemeal approach to shopping in general. I know my bargain hunting relatives have gone from “doing all of their shopping for Christmas in one night” to “cherry picking the best sales, getting the rest online”. Part of that is probably age, but still.

    I know a number of stores around here have announced that they’ll open at 6am on Friday, but not any earlier than that. I still think that’s ridiculous – and I suspect that it just shifts sales from later in the day to earlier, rather than goosing sales – but at least it’s something.

  31. 31.

    bemused

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Check out citypages.com story Armed White Supremacists Threaten 4th Precinct with video of two neo-nazis driving to scope out the protest last Thurs night.

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Botsplainer: I have boycotted all x-mas shopping for decades. Just don’t do it. (tho last year I bought my wife a painted tile from a local artist, just happened at x-mas time)

  37. 37.

    Baud

    @JPL:

    Right. BLM should have said they heard the shooters yell “allahu akbar.” Everyone would be investigating then.

  38. 38.

    NorthLeft12

    @Mustang Bobby: I am a long suffering Lions fan TM, since 1968 or so. When we were one and seven, it looked like a return to the lively and sadly, normal discussion of who the Lions were going to secure with their top five pick in the draft……….at the halfway point of the season.

    You do know that there are a lot of Lions fans who are totally pissed off with them winning these last two games, right?

  40. 40.

    FlyingToaster (tablet)

    We travel 25miles each way on Thursday. This year will be the last involving a football game (I hope). Above freezing this year, so WarriorGirl will end up muddy.

  41. 41.

    NorthLeft12

    @Patricia Kayden: Cue the usual commenters and pundits who will blame the BLM protestors for “stirring things up” or even better, making a false report or setting up the shooting themselves.

  43. 43.

    Mustang Bobby

    @NorthLeft12: I go back to 1957 and long-suffering…sitting through Thanksgiving games in the bleachers of Tiger Stadium (and unable to see the last ten yards because of the overhang) when I was a kid, then driving back to Toledo for a glum Thanksgiving dinner: “Shoulda gone for the yardage on fourth down…” It was quite a shock to move to Miami for college in 1971 and have the Dolphins go undefeated. “What, that actually can happen?”

  44. 44.

    Botsplainer

    @NonyNony:

    When our oldest daughter worked at Old Navy, Thanksgiving planning was impossible. She was about an hour and a half away, and we’d have to go pick her up at the store. I made a point of glaring at every asshole I saw (overwhelmingly female, age 45+) going in to shop as we retrieved her – just a brusque store run through, a forced chipper greeting of “you ready for turkey day”, and a run out the door to distinguish myself from the lowlife white hoarders who couldn’t go one fucking day without buying ultimately disposable items for a holiday that I have come to despise as representing everything I loathe about my country.

  46. 46.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    So yesterday I take my car in for it’s smog check and the guy tells me he can’t check it cause it’s idling too fast and to take it to my mechanic to change it. I got my most recent repairs across the parking lot from the smog place, they adjusted the idling and sprayed some stuff on it and sent me back to the smog test place. He checks the idling and tells me it’s leaking gas, sure enough I see gas dripping out of a valve or some kind of dohicky. So back to the repair place and they said they’d have to order a part, though they’d get it smog tested after the repair. So I’m in LA without a car.

  49. 49.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    Lowe’s starting displaying their Christmas wares back in October. This can only mean the beginning of an endless holiday season.

  53. 53.

    debbie

    @NonyNony:

    Nordstrom not only won’t be open on Thanksgiving, they posted signs at the entrances apologizing for not putting up their Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.

  54. 54.

    Betty Cracker

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Oh, and whether or not the football game will be on during dinner.

    I’ve had exactly one Thanksgiving dinner in my life where this was controversial. I never ate there again.

  55. 55.

    Botsplainer

    @Baud:

    The only explanation I can think of on the radio stations going all in for Christmas is old white people(spit). They’re radio’s main loyal demographic.

  56. 56.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    In my area, people started their holiday light displays last week. It’s one part of the holidays I like, so it doesn’t bother me. Takes my mind off the holiday arguments I know are coming my way.

  59. 59.

    Germy

    “I Don’t Wanna Face It” (John Lennon)

    Say you’re looking for a place to go
    Where nobody knows your name
    You’re looking for oblivion
    With one
    Eye on the Hall of Fame

    I don’t wanna face it oh no
    I don’t wanna face it no no no no
    Well I can dish it out
    But I just can’t take it

    Say you’re looking for some peace and love
    Leader of a big old band
    You wanna save humanity
    But it’s people that you just can’t stand

  60. 60.

    Baud

    So I was reading the stories on the Minnesota shooting, and I came across this

    Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

    Which is apparently the real name for the state’s law enforcement agency.

  63. 63.

    Randy P

    @Baud: As a nice change from all-Christmas programming, the station my wife was listening to last night was having a “turkey shoot”, playing bad songs aka turkeys. She told me Keith Richards’ new album got some play. I offer that last without comment or opinion; I haven’t personally heard any of it.

    Edit: She also mentioned that, alas, there were no starship captains singing Christmas carols. A famous performance which for some reason I have not got around to listening to in my life yet.

  67. 67.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @debbie: I’m looking forward to the lights as well, my new camera should capture them nicely. Though some folk get a bit concerned when people take pics of their lights. Hey, what’s the point…

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Guardians last in a 4 part series on the poorest towns in America: A reservation town fighting alcoholism, obesity and ghosts from the past

    The reservation spent $200m building the Wild Horse Pass casino and hotel, the largest in the state when it was completed. The luxury resort now includes a concert venue, golf course and a motorsports race track. The tribal council, as on other reservations, won’t reveal how much it makes from the Wild Horse and two other casinos on Gila River but estimates put it at around $250m a year.

    The high-priced cocktails and luxury cars – and the wads of cash lost on the turn of a card – reflect a lifestyle those who live in Blackwater only glimpse if they trouble to venture to the other end of the reservation.

    More than half of Blackwater’s residents live below the poverty line. Half of those have an income that is less than half the level set as the poverty line. About one-third of the working-age population is unemployed. Yet the numbers are only part of the story.

    Ifn’s you’s interested…

  70. 70.

    OzarkHillbilly

    So, in moderation for a link-

    The Guardians last in a 4 part series on the poorest towns in America: A reservation town fighting alcoholism, obesity and ghosts from the past

    The reservation spent $200m building the Wild Horse Pass casino and hotel, the largest in the state when it was completed. The luxury resort now includes a concert venue, golf course and a motorsports race track. The tribal council, as on other reservations, won’t reveal how much it makes from the Wild Horse and two other casinos on Gila River but estimates put it at around $250m a year.

    The high-priced cocktails and luxury cars – and the wads of cash lost on the turn of a card – reflect a lifestyle those who live in Blackwater only glimpse if they trouble to venture to the other end of the reservation.

    More than half of Blackwater’s residents live below the poverty line. Half of those have an income that is less than half the level set as the poverty line. About one-third of the working-age population is unemployed. Yet the numbers are only part of the story.

    Surf on over ifn’s you’s interested…

  71. 71.

    debbie

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    I know that feeling! I’ve been working on an art project mapping out spring flowers in my neighborhood. The first step was taking notes for each yard, but it occurred to me that people might get suspicious.

    Hopefully, you’ve got a long lens and the protection of darkness.

  72. 72.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Guardians last in a 4 part series on the poorest towns in America: A reservation town fighting alcoholism, obesity and ghosts from the past

    The reservation spent $200m building the Wild Horse Pass [email protected]$1n0 and hotel, the largest in the state when it was completed. The luxury resort now includes a concert venue, golf course and a motorsports race track. The tribal council, as on other reservations, won’t reveal how much it makes from the Wild Horse and two other [email protected]$1n0s on Gila River but estimates put it at around $250m a year.

    The high-priced cocktails and luxury cars – and the wads of cash lost on the turn of a card – reflect a lifestyle those who live in Blackwater only glimpse if they trouble to venture to the other end of the reservation.

    More than half of Blackwater’s residents live below the poverty line. Half of those have an income that is less than half the level set as the poverty line. About one-third of the working-age population is unemployed. Yet the numbers are only part of the story.

    Ifn’s you’s interested…

    (took me 2 tries to realize why I was kicked to moderation… someday I’ll learn)

  73. 73.

    Satby

    So I got laid off last Thursday, Saturday during the winter storm that dumped about 5 inches of snow on our area I had a tire on the car go unrepairably flat, and now I have an overpriced halal turkey and my oven won’t turn on anymore. I think this is the point where tragedy turns into farce.
    Thanks to several Juicers shopping for Xmas, I can get the tire replaced today. And now I’m making barbecued turkey for Thanksgiving. Just wondering if I should still stuff it… thoughts?

  75. 75.

    Betty Cracker

    @Satby: Sorry about your run of bad luck! Regarding grilled turkey: one of my uncles always makes grilled turkey, and it’s awesome. They make the stuffing separately on the stove top and use a pan under the turkey on the grill to catch the drippings for use in the gravy.

  76. 76.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @debbie: I’ve got a 18-50mm and a 50-200mm lens; the 18-50mm lens would probably be good enough to shoot from across the street. I was shooting some pics at the local, very classy outdoor mall and was told by the mall nazi’s that I couldn’t take pics without management’s permission. That must be a very difficult rule to enforce when the new iPhones come out since they have an Apple store there. (Hint, they don’t enforce it).

  77. 77.

    Elizabelle

    @Satby: I like how resourceful you are about turning to a barbecued turkey. Am sure it will be delish, and your housemates will love it.

  79. 79.

    Satby

    @Betty Cracker: Better than no luck at all, right? Nah, good things happened too. The girls decided last night to experience the snow barefoot, that was pretty funny.
    And thanks for the tip, it’s going to be in the mid-50s so it’ll work to barbecue… May turn out even better!

  82. 82.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @debbie: Good point, I would definitely butterfly it, as it is very hard to maintain a steady temp for long periods (I’m assuming Satby is using charcoal?) on an open fire. Tho admittedly, I have no experience with turkey, just slow cooking large pork shoulders.

  85. 85.

    Germy

    It seems like November is just flying by. It’s the 24th already? What the hell is going on?

    Where does the time go? I haven’t even finished my christmas shopping. It’ll be 2016 in the wink of an eye. This time of year really goes by fast for me. (It used to seem to last forever.)

  86. 86.

    Satby

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Aren’t most point and shoots set at about a 35? I would think the longer zoom would give you more options, but it’s been eons since I used anything other than a digital zoom. And I see serious loss of focus at the top end of my zoomed pics.

  88. 88.

    PurpleGirl

    @Baud: Sixty-four comments before someone mentions the WKRP turkey drop scene. Yes, that is classic turkey day video of our time.

    T.J. Maxx, Marshall’s, and Home Goods will be closed on Thanksgiving. They have ads about this on the teevee. My Google search also highlights a bunch of other stores staying closed on Thursday.

  90. 90.

    Germy

    I hope no one is hurt during this year’s black friday stampede. Every year the TV news shows store surveillance footage of overweight people pushing and shoving their way into a store for great(?) deals on some electronic piece of sweatshop-made crap. It’s become tradition.

    But every year, someone gets stomped. I hope we can avoid that this year…

  91. 91.

    Punchy

    Do peeps really talk politics at Thanksgiving? I would expect that everyone knows thats verboten. My sis is a fire-breathing righty, but she knows well enough to shut her pie hole during the Holidays….doesnt everyone know this?

  92. 92.

    Satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: I have a gas grill. Last artifact of the old BF, as I preferred charcoal and he preferred gas. He complained enough that I traded my kid for a handmedown gas grill that my kid didn’t use because he prefers charcoal too. But for a turkey I’ll concede that gas will be much easier. The turkey is also only 12lbs.

  93. 93.

    Matt McIrvin

    My parents and sister and their families are all pretty much liberal Democrats, so we do talk politics but it’s pretty peaceful. My parents occasionally absorb some sort of Broderistic, both-sides-do-it ideas out of the Washington Post, and that’s about the extent of the disagreements that happen. When we get together with their fire-breathing righty relatives, the real hot-button issues tend to be out of bounds.

  95. 95.

    Satby

    @PurpleGirl: The bad press and vows to boycott did have an effect, but the expense of staying open for anemic sales also played a part. Turns out that more people want to avoid shopping on a major holiday, whodathunkit?

  96. 96.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Satby: I think most point and shoot cameras have zoom these days(I know the one I got in 2013 and the GalCam does), the only ones that don’t would be phone cameras. I think they have a wider angle, maybe around 20 or 25mm.

  99. 99.

    Mike in NC

    We’ve been abandoned in a house where on TV, the idiots on the Morning Joe shitshow are busy wringing their wingnut hands over America’s lack of leadership in defeating the threat of ISIS. The lineup includes reliable stooges like Ron Fournier and Peggy Noonan. Searching for the remote to change the channel.

  102. 102.

    Josie

    @Satby: Google spatchcocked turkey (not sure if I spelled it correctly) to see how to flatten the turkey for grilling. The stuffing can be done in a crockpot if you make it a bit more moist than usual. Sorry about your run of bad luck. I hope things get better for you soon. I can totally relate, since I had to replace three tires on my car this month instead of buying Christmas presents.

  104. 104.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Mike in NC: I thought the whole point of the stupid war in Iraq was to defeat the terrorists. What happened? Why did Bush 43’s war fail so badly that Rightwingers have to fear for their lives in 2015? Funny that I’m not whining and running around with my hair on fire since my fear is of homegrown terrorists rather than Muslim boogeymen.

  105. 105.

    debbie

    @Josie:

    What is it about holidays and tires? I flattened one a couple years ago driving home late at night the day before Christmas Eve. The AAA guy said it looked like the tire had been slashed by ice at the corner I’d just taken.

  108. 108.

    Elizabelle

    @Mike in NC: I fled an hour ago.

    Morning Joe was dripping derision at Obama’s handling of ISIL. If I was NBC, I would not let him do that. He makes the whole brand look bad. That show is a shitshow, but the outright contempt — after he and others discussed (Republican) voters fleeing establishment candidates — gee, I wonder why? This all purpose contempt cannot be aimed as well as the rather stupid Joe supposes.

    (PS: hadn’t watched the show in over a week, never since the Paris attacks. Just woke up with it on cuz I was tuned in to Lawrence O’D during a spell of insomnia overnight ….)

  109. 109.

    Germy

    @Patricia Kayden: Nothing they ever do actually works. Supply-side economics, endless war, etc. But they’ve got a big percentage of the population believing it’s OUR fault.

  114. 114.

    Germy

    The lesser stars of the GOP hopefuls have gotten some equal time from NBC. I think they’re each getting 12 minutes, to match Trump’s SNL duration.

    Except Pataki. I think Pataki’s people forgot to file.

  115. 115.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Germy:

    Hope you’re still here. You may not have seen that I posted yesterday, on a long-dead thread, effusive thanks to you for the introduction to poet Amir Darwish. I linked to “Sorry” on my Facebook page, after reading it three times. I love his work and am very grateful to you for bringing this wonderful writer to my attention. Thank you.

  122. 122.

    Baud

    @SiubhanDuinne: You were the friendliest person I could think of to use as a counterexample to my sociopathy. Sometimes it sounds better in the head than it is on the screen.

  123. 123.

    SenyorDave

    In a sane world, Trump’s popularity should take a huge blow after his retweeting of the racist graphic that says, among other lies, that 81% of whites are killed by blacks (in reality, 81% of whites are killed by whites). Instead I barely see any mention of it on the internet. Trump now realizes he can run an explicitly racist campaign with no risk of it blowing up in his face. After all, what GOP candidate would go after him on that one? He’s only saying what the base wants to hear. This country is in deep shit. The media? Too busy saying both sides do it.

  124. 124.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    @Germy:

    Please post about the poet again. Did see SDuinne’s thanks yesterday, but have not seen the work she enjoyed so much.

    Got to freshen up this thread after bringing up Morning Joe.

  125. 125.

    raven

    I fished from 7:30 until sunset yesterday.Caught a nice red but it turns out that wading way out up to my chest and throwing my bait is exhausting. I’m going out on a boat tomorrow so I’m going to try to limit my surf fishing today.

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    uh huh

    uh huh

    Five Black Lives Matter protesters shot in Minneapolis; police searching for white suspects

    By Michael E. Miller and Lindsey Bever

    November 24 at 8:53 AM

    Simmering racial tensions have boiled over yet again after several men shot five people who had been protesting the recent police killing of an African American man in Minneapolis.

    The shooting occurred late Monday night about a block from Minneapolis Police Department’s 4th Precinct, where protesters have held daily demonstrations since the fatal Nov. 15 police shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark.

    Police announced on social media that five people suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, and that officers were searching for “3 white male suspects” who fled the scene.

    A police spokesman confirmed to The Washington Post that those shot had been protesting outside the police station before the incident.

    “Tonight, white supremacists attacked the ‪#‎4thPrecinctShutDown‬ in an act of domestic terrorism,” Black Lives Matter Minneapolis said on Facebook. “We won’t be intimidated.”

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/24/five-people-shot-near-minneapolis-protest-cops-searching-for-3-white-male-suspects/?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_headlines

  131. 131.

    rikyrah

    Only reason why this is going through is because the tape was released. And, the State’s Attorney is up for re-election – that woman is crooked/incompetent. Could have charged him anytime during the past year. But, ONLY decided to charge him once the tape was released.

    UH HUH.
    UH HUH.

    …………………………………

    Reports: Chicago police officer to be charged with murder of black teen shot 16 times
    By Yanan Wang
    November 24 at 5:49 AM

    A white Chicago police officer is expected to be charged with murder in the 2014 shooting death of an African American teenager caught on dash-cam video, individuals close to the investigation told the Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times Monday night.

    Unnamed officials told the news organizations that Officer Jason Van Dyke is expected to appear at a bond hearing at noon Tuesday at which time he is also expected to be charged with murder. His lawyer has said that the officer’s actions were lawful.

    “He believed in his heart of hearts that he was in fear for his life … he was concerned about the lives of [other] police officers,” Daniel Herbert told reporters last week.

    If Van Dyke is indicted, the case will mark the first time a Chicago police officer has been charged with first-degree murder for an on-duty fatality in 35 years, according to the Tribune.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/11/24/reports-chicago-police-officer-to-be-charged-with-murder-of-black-teen-shot-16-times/?tid=pm_national_pop_b

  132. 132.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    Wow! That’s a huge compliment (largely undeserved), and I thank you for starting my day on such a positive note.

  133. 133.

    Elizabelle

    @SenyorDave: I don’t see something Trump level going on in England (BBC) or France (France 24) without getting addressed and put in context. Realize France is dealing with Marine LePen, and her late father before her. I can’t imagine France 24 trying to allege that she and Hollande are the same thing, no difference.

  135. 135.

    ruemara

    About to go get dressed up for this interview. I do the song and dance, grab a respite cup of coffee with a friend, come back and edit the pitch,.the trailer and send that off. Then I can figure outifi will be going anywhere Thanksgiving. I need to start the sweet roll dough and then there’s filling to make plus those citrus vermouth cupcakes, which means I need blackberry jam and cream cheese filling. Then, –> PROFIT! Wait, I mean get a bit fat. I might not sleep all night.

  137. 137.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Elizabelle:

    I won’t reprint the entire poem here, but this is what I put on my FB yesterday:

    I want to introduce you to a wonderful Syrian Kurdish poet named Amir Darwish. Maybe you already know his work. He is new to me, but not for long — I intend to seek out everything of his I can find. Moving and magnificent.

    Link below to extracts from his collection “Don’t Forget the Couscous,” scroll down to the sample poem “Sorry!” and read it straight through. I have read it three times this afternoon, and it takes my breath away every single time.

    http://smokestack-books.co.uk/book.php?book=113

  139. 139.

    rikyrah

    The Trump problem Republicans don’t know how to solve
    11/23/15 12:42 PM—UPDATED 11/23/15 02:40 PM
    By Steve Benen
    A Black Lives Matter protestor briefly interrupted a Donald Trump campaign event in Alabama over the weekend, and there’s video that suggests the African-American protester was punched and kicked by white men at the event.

    Asked about the incident, the Republican presidential hopeful responded, “[M]aybe he should have been roughed up.”

    Soon after, Trump turned to Twitter to share a racially charged image with crime statistics that were entirely incorrect.

    It was probably about this point that many Republican insiders and party officials slapped their foreheads, realizing not only that Trump’s message is resonating with many GOP voters, but also the fact that they have no idea how to interrupt his rising support.

    Republican insiders are, however, eager to try. Politico reported last week that John Kasich’s super PAC is “planning to invest $2.5 million in the most aggressive takedown” of Trump to date. The article added, “Rather than go after Trump for his business dealings or his past support for liberal causes, as some of his opponents have tried to do, the super PAC will paint Trump as someone who would be a deeply ineffective commander-in-chief and ill suited for the demands of the Oval Office.”

    The Wall Street Journal reported on a related effort from the GOP establishment, which includes “the first attempt to unite donors from rival camps into a single anti-Trump force.”
    A well-connected GOP operative is planning a “guerrilla campaign” backed by secret donors to “defeat and destroy” the celebrity businessman’s candidacy, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. […]

    The most concerted effort is Trump Card LLC, the self-styled guerrilla campaign being launched by Liz Mair, the former online communications director of the Republican National Committee. “In the absence of our efforts, Trump is exceedingly unlikely to implode or be forced out of the race,” according to the Trump Card memo.

    Let’s unwrap this a bit, because it’s likely to have a significant impact on the Republican race.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-trump-problem-republicans-dont-know-how-solve

  141. 141.

    rikyrah

    Voters see Clinton as the most trustworthy on battling terror
    11/24/15 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    In the wake of the terrorist violence in Paris, Republicans saw an opportunity to change the direction of the political conversation. The attacks reminded American voters about national security threats, which GOP officials necessarily see as good news for their party – since polls have consistently shown the public siding with Republicans on the issue, the party’s woeful track record notwithstanding.

    But these assumptions may be due for a reevaluation. Consider the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll.
    A crescendo of tough talk on Syrian refugees and terrorism seems to be elevating the toughest talkers in the GOP primary – most notably Donald Trump. But among the broader American public, the most trusted person to handle the issue is Hillary Clinton. […]

    By 50 percent to 42 percent, more Americans say they trust Clinton to handle the threat of terrorism than Trump, who leads the Republican field and responded to the Paris terrorist attacks by calling for heightened surveillance of mosques and redoubling his opposition to allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the U.S.
    Clinton’s eight-point advantage over Trump wasn’t unique: the same poll showed the Democratic frontrunner also leading Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Jeb Bush when respondents were asked, “Who would you trust more to handle the threat of terrorism?”

    This is obviously just one poll, and we’d need more data before drawing sweeping conclusions, but if the results are accurate, public attitudes appear quite rational. The question, after all, deals with preparedness. Clinton has the most foreign-policy experience of any presidential candidate in a generation, while nearly all of her Republican rivals are either literal or practical amateurs.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/voters-see-clinton-the-most-trustworthy-battling-terror

  143. 143.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Elizabelle:

    Damn, forgot about open links. Okay, this (with embedded link) is what I put on FB yesterday.

    I want to introduce you to a wonderful Syrian Kurdish poet named Amir Darwish. Maybe you already know his work. He is new to me, but not for long — I intend to seek out everything of his I can find. Moving and magnificent.

    Link below to extracts from his collection “Don’t Forget the Couscous,” scroll down to the sample poem “Sorry!” and read it straight through. I have read it three times this afternoon, and it takes my breath away every single time.

  146. 146.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Elizabelle:

    Thank Germy. He’s* the real discoverer.

    *(Have assumed Germy is a “he” but this may be unwarranted. If so, apologies. On the Internet, nobody knows….)

  147. 147.

    rikyrah

    Margaret and Helen have posted:

    2015 Thanksgiving Letter to the Family

    Dear Family,

    This will be my first Thanksgiving without my gallbladder. And I just learned that we have one more special needs eater in the family. I’ll tell you what, this year I will meet you all halfway. I’ll make the same meal I make every year and those of you with vegitarian, vegan and gluten issues can stop eating halfway through the meal. Problem solved.

    The other rules around the house will be a little lax this year as well. What can I say? I’m feeling generous.

    1. I have new floors. If it’s raining outside, leave your shoes outside. If it’s not raining, leave your shoes outside. Molly, those spikes you call heels better not come near my floors. Leave them at home because if you leave them outside the kids might use them for lawn darts.

    2. If you have children, then you are called a parent which means you should be parenting. Just because you don’t care what your house looks like, doesn’t mean I don’t care about mine. Keep an eye on your kids so I don’t have to keep an eye on my things.

    3. Despite modern advances in the food industry, turkeys are only so big. We are a large family and because of modern advances in the food industry our asses are big as well. So this leaves us with the need to achieve a delicate balance between how much we CAN eat vs. how much we WILL eat to make sure there is enough for everyone. Please monitor your children (see rule 2) and make sure they take only what they will eat. And if you don’t get enough, don’t worry. There’s always pie.

    4. I absolutely cook with bacon and bacon grease. I use lots of butter, cream, salt and even a little sugar. Thanks to the advances in modern medicine, you can bring your medical prescriptions with you and leave your dietary restrictions at home.

    http://margaretandhelen.com/2015/11/23/2015-thanksgiving-letter-to-the-family/

  149. 149.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne: It’s a good poem. Would get me to read more by Amir Darwish.

    I wonder what would happen if a teacher assigned any of those three poems in school in some communities. You might get a great discussion started among the students.

    It’s the parents and local pastors I would fear.

  150. 150.

    benw

    The benw clan is heading up to VT tonight for Thanksgiving with the in-laws. The only real debate will be exactly the level of awesomesauce that is Bernie. I hope I get a Bern sweatshirt for Jesus’ birthday this year, because my DEAN 2004 sweatshirt is getting a little ratty.

    In the meantime, I’m making some vegan chickpea blondies for breakfast. They are delicious.

    Oh, and I see the NYT is pimping Christie of all people this morning. Because of 9/11 and Paris and whatever. Do they throw darts at a bulletin board with GOP candidates’ names on it to decide who’s next in line?

  152. 152.

    Amir Khalid

    @Elizabelle:
    I checked up on Jean-Marie. His Wikipedia entry doesn’t list a death date, and neither does anything else I could find on him. Marine got him booted from the Front National a few months ago, and since then he’s founded another right-wing party, the Rassemblement Bleu Blanc Rouge. It appears he’s still active in politics

  154. 154.

    RaflW

    Our family steers clear of politics as well. Everyone knows it won’t go well (the decades-old tribal identities of the Dems and Repubs at the table are not going to change, so why ruin a perfectly good feast). Then we play silly card games and pictionary and just get along.

  155. 155.

    Kropadope

    Our family separates into the people who want to talk about politics and those who don’t.

    We pretty much just have a Republican circle jerk in one room and board games in another.

  156. 156.

    Patricia Kayden

    @SenyorDave: Yep. The only push back I see for Trump’s racist tweet is on leftwing blogs like Balloon Juice. The allegedly liberal mainstream media doesn’t seem to care.

  157. 157.

    Germy

    SNL did a filmed skit about a thanksgiving meal ruined by arguing relatives, but the day is saved by Adele.

  158. 158.

    dmsilev

    @benw:

    Oh, and I see the NYT is pimping Christie of all people this morning. Because of 9/11 and Paris and whatever. Do they throw darts at a bulletin board with GOP candidates’ names on it to decide who’s next in line?

    I saw that too. It isn’t going to work; Christie’s campaign was based on him being the biggest blustery bully in the field, and, well, Trump happened.

  159. 159.

    Elizabelle

    @RaflW: That’s the best way. Find a way to have fun together, and maintain a jovial truce.

    The older generation in my family played cards, the younger, not so much. I wish we played cards, at least as an option. It’s a low key way to chat.

  161. 161.

    Germy

    Can’t get this song out of my head. “Dedicated To You” (Mills Brothers with Ella Fitzgerald)

    If I should write a book for you
    That brought me fame and fortune too
    That book would be like my heart and me
    Dedicated to you.

    And, if I should paint a picture too
    That showed the loveliness of you
    My art would be, like my heart and me,
    Dedicated to you.

    To you, because your love is the beacon that lights up my way.
    To you because with you I know one lifetime could be just one heavenly day.

    If I should find a twinkling star
    One half so wonderous as you are.
    That star would be, like my heart and me,
    Dedicated to you.

  162. 162.

    Sherparick

    There is an interesting article in the National Journal about how over the Obama years conservative White Christians have essentially moved into the Republican Party. Also, Kevin Drum’s take on the Alec McGillis article on why White working class voters are voting Republican, and those whites who fall out of the working class don’t vote. http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/11/whats-matter-kentucky

    In some ways this is understandable. They are getting up every morning going to jobs that don’t pay much and which they hate and they see neighbors and relatives apparently skating by on Government checks. (Of course, if the disability checks are cut off, I don’t know how well they will take to Cousin Bob moving in with them.) I also note the nurse in the McGillis article who works in the dialysis center who complains about all the clients who “waltz in whenever she wants” has not put together in her head that ending the program that pays her salary would be a death sentence to the people using it, but would also put her out of a job. ps://www.propublica.org/article/who-turned-my-blue-state-red

  163. 163.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Patricia Kayden: Kevin Drum:

    This is not normal political hucksterism. It’s a pathological disregard for the truth. Trump knows that the conventions of print journalism mostly prevent reporters from really calling him out on this stuff, and he also knows that TV reporters won’t usually press him too hard because they want him back on their shows. And when he does get called out, he just bluffs his way through. He knows his followers will believe him when he says the fault-finding is just another example of how the liberal media has it out for him. Within a day or three, he’s repeated the lie often enough that it’s old news and enters the canon of what “everyone knows.” Journalists don’t even bother with it anymore because they’re already trying to play catch-up with his latest whopper.

  164. 164.

    Gin & Tonic

    @benw: I see the NYT is pimping Christie of all people this morning. Because of 9/11

    Not going to waste a click, but what in fuck-all does 9/11 have to do with anything on Christie’s resume? On Sep 11, 2001, Chris Christie held no elective or appointed political or executive office. He was a lobbyist working for a law firm in Trenton.

  165. 165.

    Germy

    Many of the old Mills Brothers recordings sound like they feature horn accompaniment. But the records are just voices and one guitar. They made the horn sounds themselves.

  168. 168.

    piratedan7

    Turkey Day here will be spent switching back and forth between the purveyors of sport and catching some of the classic MST3k Turkey Day marathon…..

  169. 169.

    Amir Khalid

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Marine was elected Front National president four years ago. Jean-Marie became the party’s elder statesman, if you want to call le premier RWNJ de France that. But then he publicly dismissed the gas chambers as a mere “detail” of the Holocaust, and I guess that made him a political liability.

  170. 170.

    gelfling545

    @NonyNony: I find it hard to believe that the retailers are making that much, nationwide, by being open on Thanksgiving. It seems to me they’re just spreading out their income from Black Friday sales & adding another layer of payroll/operating expenses. Here though, because of Canadian shoppers, the retailers are pretty much guaranteed customers for that day.

  171. 171.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Amir Khalid: I always kind of assumed the feuding reached back much further, like to about 5 secs after she exited the womb and became a competitor for her mother’s affections.

  173. 173.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Elizabelle:

    I love all three of the ones extracted. Have pre-ordered the book — looks as though it’s already available in the UK but not until January for the US. Don’t mind waiting an extra few weeks.

  175. 175.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Elizabelle:

    That’s likely where I got the idea.

    Although, in all seriousness, I find myself questioning all my assumptions these days. That probably makes me a marginally better person, but it sure is time-consuming :-)

  179. 179.

    benw

    @Gin & Tonic: The NYT headline: “Christie’s Bid Gains New Life as He Invokes Sept. 11”. So he’s going the full Guiliani, basically, without actually being the mayor of NY at the time, of course.

  180. 180.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I thought the whole point of the stupid war in Iraq was to defeat the terrorists. What happened? Why did Bush 43’s war fail so badly that Rightwingers have to fear for their lives in 2015?

    It was all going according to plan until Obama cut and ran! I am authorized to say that the action we were reporting may well have brought the war within measurable distance of its end! Victory, welcoming-as-liberators, democracy, whiskey and sexy were just one more Friedman unit away. Two, tops.

  182. 182.

    Elizabelle

    @schrodinger’s cat: Think Baud! just co-opted that claim because sociopathy is what all the Republican presidential candidates are wearing this year.

    Serious question: can anyone with a great sense of humor succeed at being a sociopath? There may be examples, but I’d think the humor helps keep things in perspective. Humor is based on keen observation, often, and it’s perhaps why there are not that many truly funny RW comedians out there. (Probably a few, we should give them their due.)

    Of course, there is the Hannibal Lecter level of humor. He’s fictional, but maybe he’s got a living counterpart. Lecter was mordantly amused at much, churches that fell in on worshipers, the stupidity of the average human. Know nothing about John Milton, but have been told that Satan got all the good lines in “Paradise Lost.”

    Maybe some people suspect God as being like that. The vengeful ominipotent who takes interest in truly awful things happening to lesser beings.

    Maybe that view is a prophylactic against the earnest wretchedness your fellow humans take in prostrating themselves before religion.

  183. 183.

    japa21

    For the first time that we can remember, my wife and I will not be around any family for Thanksgiving. After 40 years of marriage we decided to do something special for ourselves as a reward for each of us putting up with the other so long.

    Tomorrow we fly out to San Diego and on Thanksgiving board a cruise ship to Hawaii for 17 days. Never before and probably never again.

    Of course, my wife is so concerned about how horrible O’Hare will be, she thinks maybe we should go out there tonight to make sure we can get through security for a noon flight.

    Surprisingly, it appears there are still 31 open seats on the flight. Maybe we can talk them into an upgrade to 1st class for a low surcharge since 6 of those seats are still vacant.

  184. 184.

    Elizabelle

    @japa21: Good luck! And with the upgrade. Tell them it’s your first cruise ever; maybe they’ll want to be the first part of that specialness.

    Aloha. Mahalo. Whatever. Might not be a bad idea to go early; make it less frazzling.

  185. 185.

    debbie

    @Elizabelle:

    Serious question: can anyone with a great sense of humor succeed at being a sociopath?

    Who gets to define a “great” sense of humor? I’m listening to Glenn Beck, who thinks he has a great sense of humor, charging President Obama with intentionally creating and nurturing ISIS. He’s implying this is part of his intent to create a Caliphate in America, and he’s insisting any refugee allowed in the country by the president will be a sleeper agent for ISIS.

    Sounds like sociopath to me.

  187. 187.

    satby

    @Josie: I know, right? Things will get better… at least I’ve lived long enough to know nothing stays the same. Besides, it is funny, in a black comedy kind of way.
    Or a Lucy show, and I am a redhead.

  190. 190.

    Tripod

    A stroll around the outdoor mall… err “lifestyle center” is much preferable to pretending to give a shit about whatever crap matchup the NFL is dishing out. Especially after nibbling around poorly done turkey, and whatever that was your aunt made.

    It’s also a pretty big day in the restaurant and catering business. Population is getting older, extended families don’t have so many kids and grandkids, and they’re all somewhere else.

  191. 191.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Elizabelle: One of the scariest probable sociopaths I ever knew was this guy who lived on my dormitory floor, and he fancied himself a great wit, but his jokes always seemed too calculated to flatter whoever he was trying to butter up.

  192. 192.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @Satby:

    My uncle used to barbecue the turkey every year for Christmas, and we lived in the Chicago suburbs, so it should be fine. You’re not really supposed to cook the stuffing inside the raw bird anyway, for food safety reasons.

  193. 193.

    Tripod

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    How the heck are you going to get your recommended amount of Salmonella for the holiday if you don’t stuff the bird?

    Roasting a whole turkey is a mugs game, and a high percentage of once a year turkey chefs are going to fuck it up anyway. So there’s that. More consistent and better results are achieved from parting it prior to cooking, or even de-boning it if you like knife work. Consult youtube for detailed instructions.

    If it’s being done on a grill, and it’s cold out, it can be hard to keep the temp up. Stuffing just adds to the cook time.

  194. 194.

    Grumpy Code Monkey

    RoonieRoo and I have had our fill of turkey for the rest of our lives, and since it’s just the two of us we’re doing a duck, a green bean casserole (with beans from our garden!), some stuffing, and pie. Any more than that would go to waste. And waist. For the second time in my adult life I’m under 200 lbs, and I’d like to stay there thank you very much.

    Then, at some point before Christmas, I get to build her a new sewing table. If I manage to get it level and not lose more than one finger in the process, we’re going to call it a success. You know the saying from the Red Green show, “if they don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy?” It’s a good thing I’m good looking, since “handy” isn’t a description most people would apply to me.

  195. 195.

    BobS

    @Matt McIrvin: It would seem likely the Russian pilots had orders to not engage with American, French, etc planes, leaving them somewhat vulnerable to the ISIL – I mean Turkish – F16s. No doubt Erdogan and his generals are more than a little unhappy that the border with Syria has become increasingly closed to oil and weapons transit due to Russian interference in their war on Assad, and the opportunity to get NATO to adopt a more bellicose attitude toward Russia (in the wake of cooperation after Paris) was irresistible.

  196. 196.

    J R in WV

    @Matt McIrvin:

    “Where’s the debris from that plane? ”

    On the ground. ;-)

    In the wee hours this morning I saw photos of a plane on fire, and reports that the pilot(s?) had successfully ejected and were in the custody of a tribe of Turkomen. But there are probably lots of pix of planes on fire out there after decades of low-level warfare.

  197. 197.

    chopper

    @Satby:

    stuffing is best made on the side. i usually make a panade in a tall cake pan instead. looks better that way and slices up like a tall cake.

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