Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

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

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Bark louder, little dog.

In my day, never was longer.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Second rate reporter says what?

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

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162Comments

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    Dunno about anti-tree but always, always anti-Bush.

    Vog has been playing hob with the sinuses for a long, long time; not nearly as debilitating as hay fever on the mainland, but bad enough (dependent on winds) in its own right.

    Trying one of those ower the counter nasal spray sinus treatments. Works okay on tamping down production of phlegm/mucus/snot, I guess, but makes my extremities numb, definitely makes mental processes fuzzier and occasional nausea manifests if have not eaten recently. May just go back to the shorter acting pills.

  8. 8.

    bystander

    The apple and pear trees around us are in bloom but I think the 32 degree overnight temps keep the pollen count down. Plus Flonase.

  9. 9.

    max

    Nobody sent gardening pictures. My allergies are griefing me so much I’m feeling anti-tree at the moment anyways.

    My little Apple tree survived a blizzard and 4 feet of snow and multiple deer attacks and is shooting out leaves all over the even though it is all bandaged up. Doin’ fine there.

    AND I have found black petunias so I’m pleased. Not done planting yet.

    max
    [‘I need back to bed.’]

  10. 10.

    HeartlandLiberal

    Well, at this point, 2,000 square feet of pretty bare dirt except for 25 small tomato plants, some collards, kale, and spinach starts, and eight bell peppers, does not really make for much of a dramatic photo. But, because I took advantage of two spells when ground was dry enough and got it tilled three weeks ago, I got almost my entire garden, plus a new strip in part shade I am dedicating to lettuces and onions, planted in just three days starting last weekend. That is the new last average frost date here in South Central Indiana. Mother nature demonstrated that by three days in a row, in mid-April, when daytime highs hid the MID EIGHTIES. I am soooooo glad to be reminded global warming is just a plot by evil academics to get grant monies, because, as my right wing friend tells me, they can’t get any such grants unless they pay to hew the global warming party line.

    As for the beauty of flowers, we did enjoy the tulips the past few weeks. And I noted last night that deer apparently decided they would enjoy them too sometime the previous night, since they had nibbled 90 percent of the remaining flowers and made them disappear. How kind of the deer.

    Which reminds me, I have kept that email from the city lawyer in which she very reluctantly admitted that although no I could not shoot a deer in my yard with my gun, I could in fact legally use my bow. Maybe this fall I will just sit on the deck during deer season and stock my freezer when Bambi comes to raid my garden.

  12. 12.

    Schlemazel Khan

    Too early? NEVER!
    You can see how little respect Obama gets from the military, real Presidents would have at least a Captain ho;ding his umbrella while his his class As.

    Raining here this AM, rocking and rolling pretty good with lots of really bright lighting flashes

  14. 14.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Pollen, pollen, pollen… every where you go, every where you look, but nary a sneeze in sight for me. (now come August…)

    A long time running buddy of mine’s wife decided to death was an acceptable option the last few months (refusing to go to a doc), than changed her mind week before last and went to the ER. They said, “You have 2 weeks.” Then upon further investigation, changed their minds and cracked her chest, replacing 2 valves on her heart and other stuff. I find out about this on Friday, call Dave on Saturday (he was a mess, been watching her slowly die for months but unable to get her to do anything) (Abigail is the only person in the world more stubborn than Dave) and went to see Miss Abigail in ICU on Monday. She looked like hell, bloated, bleeding (blood thinners got out of whack), hadn’t slept a wink in 36 hours, crabby snapping at any one and every one, did NOT want to see anyone…. I overheard the Doc say to Dave, “It all looks good at this point.” and Dave looking at her and thinking “Not really…”

    When we left Dave asked me, “Now you’ve seen her, how does she look?”
    I said, “She’s pissed off, Dave. Looks great to me.”
    “How’s that?”
    “Dying people don’t have the energy to be pissed off. She’s gonna be fine.”

    Miss Abigail came home yesterday (Dave is taking 2 months medical leave). We were going to go see her today, but I suspect it will be something of a zoo, so we’re gonna wait until tomorrow. Take them some decent food (Dave can fry, he can grill, and he can fry. Anything beyond that is getting takeout) and visit a bit.

    All of which is to say, “I’m gonna work in the garden today.” All my tomatoes are in, so I need to build the trellises for them, also got a buttload of weeding to do.

    Sunny and 80 is the prediction. Ticks aren’t too bad this year, but the gnats have gotten an early start at annoying me. So it will be a good day to be outside.
    Listening to my just returned from the Amazon Summer Tanager thru the window right now. Everything is green and beautiful. I think I’ll stick around this planet a little while longer too.

  15. 15.

    Aimai

    Tell me he does not have his hand on her rear? They are still in love! What a couple! Im going to miss them!

  16. 16.

    Lamh36

    Good morning.

    Last night was a great night for my kinda of music…and I never left my house ?

    Beyoncé and Lemonade, Prince on SNL and someone released Prince on the ’89? GRAMMYS performing Baby I’m A Star and essentially have a big jam session…check out Grace Jones at the end running on stage to jam.


    EVERYONE! It’s finally back, who know for how long. Prince, the Grammys, 1985, “Baby I’m a Star.” WATCH THIS.

    Check it out before it’s gone again.

    Another work day for me so I’m out see ya on the flip side BJ

  17. 17.

    Joel

    Revisiting the “smugness of liberalism’ topic from a few threads down. Emmett Rensin’s thinkpiece at Vox is the same lazy — dare I say smug? — bullshit that we hear from insulated white intellectuals all the time. And it’s lazy as fuck because it ignores one of the primary drivers of the working class split from the Democratic party. Quoting Jemelle Bouie here:

    The first is just history. That liberal smugness might deter the white working class from the Democratic Party seems reasonable, if unfalsifiable. But to suggest that it is a prime mover in their alienation from the party is to ignore the actual dynamics at work. The driving reason working-class whites abandoned the Democratic Party is race. The New Deal coalition Rensin describes was devoured by its own contradictions, chiefly, the racism needed to secure white allegiance even as the party tried to appeal to blacks.

  18. 18.

    Raven

    @OzarkHillbilly: Dang Dawg! Yesterday was the 12th anniversary of the death of one of my I close buddies. He was a paratrooper in the 173d but booze had gotten him to where he was about 275. He insisted in living way the fuck out in the boonies so when her had his heart attack he was too far out to get help in time.

  21. 21.

    Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class

    Sneezing after yesterday’s hike, and a little hung over.

    We treated ourselves to grilled chops, spaghetti squash, sweet chili pistachios and Grey Goose vodka martinis, since we’d hiked so hard.

    I make a really nice martini. Got the Goose, good vermouth, wood mallet, the Lewis bag for crushing, a proper shaker, metal olive picks and both artisan vermouth soaked and blue cheese olives. Three martinis apiece turned into five. She groaned six, but I don’t see it…

  22. 22.

    satby

    Good morning everyone! I would have sent daffodil and tulip pictures had I known. But instead, we have pictures from last nights prom of a different species of beautiful flower.

  23. 23.

    gene108

    Sometime in 1998, went to a nightclub in Philadelphia. There was $20 per person cover. It was much higher than normal, so my crew and I paid up, as did not feel like turning back.

    The club was packed despite the high cover. We wondered what was going on.

    Turns out Prince was doing an after concert there.

    A bit late in the night out comes Prince. He did not play any original material, but did covers of older songs.

    And all women were dancing, and I realized I had no shot with any of them, because I was competing with Prince for the amorous attention of the fairer sex; his charisma on stage traveled throughout the audience.

    I forget exactly how long he played, but it was not a brief show.

    He was very good.

    As the club was not set up for hosting live acts, the view was not great, and eventually involved standing on a bar stool. He did not seem as short as rumor made him out to be. He was just a couple of inches shorter than his band.

    After the show his band was filing out by where I was perched. I am 5’7″ and the band was a bit shorter than me or my height at best.

    Interesting staging tactic for Prince.

  24. 24.

    Phylllis

    Going through boxes stored in the attic for crap to sell at the town yard sale in a couple of weeks. We’re (slowly) cleaning out in preparation for moving on from tinytown when we retire in about 2.5 years.

  26. 26.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Raven: Fortunately, we have a hospital about 30 mins away. It ain’t the the greatest (when I got blood clots the first time I was only in it for 24 hrs before they decided my condition required care beyond their capabilities and shipped me off to STL) but the Docs are good and smart enuf to know what they don’t know. If for one reason or other I should die out here, well, it’s better than dying in a hospital.

  27. 27.

    Elizabelle

    @satby: The girls look beautiful.
    And no shoes in evidence. LOL. Did they have a good time? What was their takeaway?

  28. 28.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Joel:

    I was going to quote this same passage on the other thread. It’s all about race, white people. Whites seem to be able to endlessly dance around this fact, using millions of words and inventing hundreds of theories about the elephant in the room, when really the analysis about working class whites leaving the Democratic party can be explained in one word – racism. Stating that makes you the real racist though, and also smug in your certainty. So I’ve been told.

  30. 30.

    satby

    @HeartlandLiberal: Deer are all over here but they leave my tulips alone. I plant mixed beds of early, mid-, and late daffodils around the tulips, and deer don’t like daffodils at all. You could try that next year. The bonus is that the daffodils naturalized, so after a few years when the tulips are spent the flower bed is a sea of daffodils.

  31. 31.

    Immanentize

    @satby: Wowzer! Such beautiful prom bound women! And those dresses. They both look so happy in a strangely knowing way….
    Of course my prom included a big velvet bow tie and a lavender frilly shirt….

  32. 32.

    evodevo

    @bystander: A common misconception of non-botanists/dendrologists …you are NOT allergic to flowers/trees whose buds you are admiring. The average human is allergic to pollen from WIND-pollinated plants, i.e. elm, cedar, pine, maple, oaks, etc. whose “flowers” are tiny and inconspicuous, but prodigious pollen producers. Right now in Ky the cedars and elms are going crazy and so are my sinuses. I drove by a red cedar just as it was releasing a cloud of pollen yesterday. The whole area was yellow “dust”, until the breeze dispersed it. I sped up and left in a hurry. Later in the year it will be grasses and ragweed. Regular garden flowers, a lot of wildflowers and showy trees are INSECT-pollinated and their pollen is too heavy and sticky to be wind-borne. Keep that in mind when planting for pollen avoidance. Those gorgeous dogwoods, redbuds, cherries, plums, pears, apples, magnolias, black locusts, etc. are probably NOT causing your sinus problems.

  34. 34.

    satby

    @Elizabelle: the 4 inch heels are not quite enough to get Qunoot’s dress all the way off the ground. She’s in the beige hijab on the left, and the shoes are an exact match to the hijab. Valentina is on the right, and we had no shoe drama there. Both are wearing 3/4 sleeve t-shirts under those dresses to maintain proper Muslim modesty. They looked beautiful.
    And had a great time.
    The biggest excitement at the prom was one of the other girls going into labor. They all said she was dancing and jumping around so much, and was so huge with child, that they were joking she might, and then she did. Very gratifying for teenagers.

  35. 35.

    Immanentize

    In 1982 (the spring) I was in law school in Boston. My school was on the quarter system and it was right around second quarter finals. A few of us decided to catch a show at the Orpheum because my friend from the mid-west insisted it would be the best thing evah! Prince. Mind blowing. The show went back and forth from mad dancing to quiet audience just taking in the spectacle. The next day I bought his vinyl….

    Never had the chance to see him again, except on one screen or another.

  39. 39.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @evodevo:
    That is very interesting. I never had any problems till we moved to Florida. The first time the pine trees went nuts (and I do mean NUTS, every thing was coated in golden dust so thick you could write your name in it) I was hit by allergies. I still get them every spring despite no longer living there. I just assumed that the sensitivity was also to flowers & such now.

  42. 42.

    satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: They did. Though Qunoot was a bit disappointed that the girl in labor was taken out (probably to the ER) because she was hoping to live snapchat the birth.
    I’m not positive she wasn’t serious either.
    @MomSense, thanks!

  43. 43.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @satby:

    I have two grown daughters, and one of the things I miss about them being grown now is going prom dress shopping. One of those rites of passage that makes me wistful about getting old. The only thing I have yet to experience, and most likely won’t, is becoming a grandmother which is fine, I think. It’s a fucked up world to bring a baby into.

  44. 44.

    Aimai

    @Joel: this a thousand times. I hate the crappy “smugness” argument as well because it mistakes one of the results of the right wing culture war (anti semitic, anti urban, anti intellectualism) for one of the causes. The right wing has spent years and billions separating white voters from left actors (unions, activists, revolutionaries, higher education–hell contraception, abortion, psychiatry, and atheism) in order to prevent white people from realizing that there is help for their problems. And So as an outgrowth of their well taught fear they call liberals and outsidrs “smug” . Its not surprising. Should liberals also apologize for being christ and baby killing com symps?

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @evodevo:

    whose “flowers” are tiny and inconspicuous,

    Nothing inconspicuous about oak flowers. My gutters are fast filling up with them as I write and I have to clean them out before every rain storm so they can handle the water. (grumble grumble) Got another week or so to go.

  46. 46.

    Immanentize

    @satby: well that story will be told by everyone forever — including the newly born’s decendants. Prom win!

  47. 47.

    satby

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: My bio-sons are 33 and 30 and though one has been in a stable relationship for 8 years neither seems interested in getting married or having kids. That could change, but whatever they decide is right for them is fine. Several of my foster kids have had children, so I have been a “grandma” for almost 10 years now. I don’t see them often, but it’s nice when I do.

  48. 48.

    debbie

    @satby:

    Beautiful gowns! I’m so glad it all worked out for them.

    Here, the azaleas are starting to bloom. I didn’t think they’d survive the frosty nights a couple of weeks ago, but they have. Allergies or not, I’m getting out for a long walk today.

  49. 49.

    MomSense

    I need to find some coffee and head home. Boston you were a lot of fun. We are going home tired and happy.

  51. 51.

    Hal

    Doing my usual Sunday morning cooking show watching since the food network has decided it’s future is in competition cooking shows featuring kids or celebrities. Oh, and anything with Bobby Flay.

    Have republicans in congress officially voted to ban Beyonce for hurting the fee fees of racists everywhere yet?

    Oh, and Billy Corgan went on Alex Jones to rant about millenials.

    pitchfork.com/news/64926-billy-corgan-compares-social-justice-warriors-to-the-kkk/

    Corgan compared “this hashtag generation” to a cult, Maoists, and, finally, the Ku Klux Klan. “If you could go back to Selma 1932, and the Klan member spitting in some person of color’s face, don’t you think that guy thought he was right, too?,” he said. “So how is this any different?”

  53. 53.

    Elizabelle

    @satby:

    Qunoot and Valentina are seeing a lot on their visit, and taking it all in. LOL re the foiled snapchatting.

    They are going to miss you and their community here.

  54. 54.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @satby:

    My oldest daughter and her husband are both elementary school teachers so they say they have 60 kids, and a dog is all they can manage really with the demands of their schedules, but I think it’s also because child care here in Mass. is so prohibitively expensive and neither one of them can afford to take any break from their jobs, and I work full time so I can’t help with childcare. The younger one may still have leanings that way, but I see her perfectionist tendencies in the way she tries to control how and where her cat is allowed, and I can’t imagine how she and her demanding perfectionist husband would deal with a baby’s constant demands. Their house is like a magazine, and the thought of baby stuff everywhere simply does not compute.

  56. 56.

    Schlemazel Khan

    We get along great with our neighbor but for years she has imagined our property line closer to our house than hers. I thought it was a matter of inches & didn’t complain when she planted a tiny tree on what I assumed was the line. As part of the road reconstruction they put up property markers Friday, turns out that tree is about 2 feet into my yard.

    Now I am going to have to have an uncomfortable conversation with her. I am not going to make her move the tree or the small rock garden that it turns out is mostly in our yard but I am going to have to have some acknowledgement that they are on our land or else we lose it. Probably have to have a chat with a lawyer to make sure we are covered but I don’t want to anger a friend.

  57. 57.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Watching all these mostly old white men on these Sunday morning current events shows makes me crazy. Try to imagine switching through channels and seeing nothing but old white women, or black women of any age, or black men opining on everything. You can’t.

  58. 58.

    satby

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: and I think the relentless pressure that young couples used to get about having kids (sometimes starting right after the wedding) is much less, letting the ones who never really wanted kids to decide not too. Which is a good thing all around, because unwanted kids is how I ended up with quite a few extras to raise for a time. One kid’s family started throwing him out at age 12! My kids brought him home because they were worried about him sleeping in the park.
    The damage done to kids by not being wanted is lifelong, and very few get that damage addressed in our mental health lacking system.

    By the way, these were all middle class parents, one family was a headed by a teacher, one by a firefighter, one by a plumber with a successful business. None ever faced any consequences for their treatment of their children (no, not because they were all white either). Our systems are biased toward “successful” people.
    Fixed typos.

  59. 59.

    MomSense

    @Immanentize:

    I’m trying! I’ve been applying for all the jobs but they are getting thousands and thousands of resumes. Maybe I need to link cat videos or naked mopping photos. That would at least get some attention. My mom thinks I need to write my resume as if I were a precocious 25 year old but I’m pretty sure this is a current sitcom plot.

  60. 60.

    Pogonip

    @OzarkHillbilly: My father’s been very sick; kept telling us how wonderful we were and how he didn’t know what he’d have done without us. We were very worried. Last week he started lecturing again. What a relief!

  61. 61.

    satby

    @Schlemazel Khan: that happened to me, and my ultimate solution was to put up a fence just inside my property line on that side. After a stake survey just so that there was no room for dispute. They got over it after a while.

  63. 63.

    Chris

    @Aimai:

    I hate the crappy “smugness” argument as well because it mistakes one of the results of the right wing culture war (anti semitic, anti urban, anti intellectualism) for one of the causes.

    This.

    Also hated: the fact that this only works if you assume that this “smugness” is somehow specific to liberalism. It’s a debatable claim in general (all political movements will grow a demographic of disconnected assholes somewhere), but when you’re comparing liberals to the people in the other party, it becomes downright bizarre to claim that “smugness” is somehow the distinguishing factor. “Oh God, I hate that Harvard intellectual elitist Obama, he thinks he’s so much better than me. That’s why I’m voting for Mitt Romney, that relatable down to earth next-door-neighbor kind of guy who’s never talked down to anyone in his life.” Said no one ever.

  67. 67.

    satby

    @Schlemazel Khan: I hope not too, but it was a last straw after they announced they wanted to put in a driveway that would require 6 inches of my 50 foot city lot as part of it, not even including the obvious couple of feet clearance it would take to get in and out of a car on that side. My entire side yard, IOW.
    Nope.

  68. 68.

    WaterGirl

    Anne Laurie, I took garden photos this week. Why, oh why do you never post my garden photos?

    Is it because I take them so I can send them to you, but then I forget to send them? I have done this no less than a dozen times in the past 2 years. My mom used to say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I had better step up my game because I get kind of cranky when I’m too hot.

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I have one granddaughter. She might be my son’s daughter but she is MY Baby Girl, and she is the light of my life. When she is with us, my wife and I spoil her rotten. Not with stuff, but time spent doing whatever she wants. She likes crocheting, cooking, taking care of the chickens and I can even get her out in the garden some times. We read books, we go swimming in the river, hiking in the woods, etc. etc etc.

    When she gives her Paw Paw a hug, there is nothing in the world to compare. A grandchild is love, pure unadulterated love. You get to pour love in without all those other messy things like disciplining, making sure they eat all the right stuff, do their homework etc that come with parenting, because it’s not your job. As a grandparent one has one job and one job only: To love.

  70. 70.

    satby

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: I agree. Especially since universal free college does nothing for people uninterested or unsuited for college, but universal subsidized child care and free pre-k helps everyone and preps future generations to succeed in school, letting more become suitable and possibly interested in college. Better bang for the buck, if you ask me.

  72. 72.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    Oh fer fuck sake now it’s old white men opining on the Prince shows they saw once. So tired of listening to what old white men think about well, anything.

  73. 73.

    JMG

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: The smugness argument is simply more liberal hand-wringing (the real top skill as a group). If only we were NICER to our opponents, they’d see we were right and we’d all get along. It’s OUR fault they’re jerks.

  74. 74.

    hamletta

    @satby: 50-foot lot? Lord, there ain’t no room for that. I lived in an old streetcar suburb in East Nashville, and with lots that size, you can see and hear everything next door. You have to train yourself not to see what’s in your face just to maintain everybody’s privacy.

  75. 75.

    satby

    @MomSense: Hit me up at my Etsy site, I paid for some job hunting resources that I haven’t really used much due to the whole mom thing and I would be happy to share.

  79. 79.

    Immanentize

    I@Schlemazel Khan: some advice on the line issue. I am a lawyer but not a property lawyer — but my friend is one and he gave me the following advice which really worked:
    Have the chat you describe — “oh, we love the tree you planted, and the rock garden is nice, but we all know it’s on our side of the property line…. But we would like them to stay put if that’s OK with you. You can enjoy that patch of our property as much as we do!”
    Then, and this is the very important part — send them a letter (or email is good too) the next day referencing and repeating your conversation. That you discussed where the property line was and that you are not interested in moving anything right now, and that they can enjoy a bit of YOUR property of they like.
    That at least will stop any claim of adverse possession, because you have consented to the temporary use….

  81. 81.

    Chris

    @JMG:

    The smugness argument is simply more liberal hand-wringing (the real top skill as a group). If only we were NICER to our opponents, they’d see we were right and we’d all get along. It’s OUR fault they’re jerks.

    Yes, so much this.

  82. 82.

    Snarkworth, short-fingered Bulgarian

    What’s on the agenda for today?

    A lot of sneezing, that’s for sure.

  83. 83.

    satby

    @hamletta: solid 100 year old houses, and you do develop a blinders about your neighbors, but you also know when something is wrong or someone needs help. I miss it.

  84. 84.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Schlemazel Khan: Not sure, but I think you are overly concerned about ‘losing’ your property. It’s deeded and on file at the county. That doesn’t change just because she put a rock garden in. But by all means, talk to a real estate lawyer.

  86. 86.

    Gelfling545

    I just wanted to respond to something brought in the comments up in th “smug” post from last night which i just read this morning along with its comments.
    This is literally (and, yes, I know what that means) the only blog I read in which a post is automatically dead when a new one arrives and people get their undergarments in a twist over 2 arriving in close proximity. Even small, one person blogs manage to deal with rapid fire posts without anything being overlooked. I assume this must be something peculiar to the Balloon Juice culture. Is there an explanation? I would think that most people don’t have the opportunity to read & respond to a post the moment it hits so what’s the big deal?

  89. 89.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne:
    I think it is important for a simple reason. Some (white) folks don’t recognize something until a white guy explains it to them is a way they can understand. Prince could just be another black performer who died (probably drugs, you know). But an old white guy talking about how white southies and black roxburrians could get together and rock out serves as a marker for the clueless that Prince was something special. It is uncomfortable for sure but whites need to have crap whitesplained to them to help build understanding.

  90. 90.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: And quite possibly illegal. There are minimum setbacks from property lines for all new construction.

  92. 92.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @JMG:

    Yes, we’re supposed to find a non-smug, non-factual way to point out that the reason poor whites overwhelmingly vote for tax cuts for billionaires and eliminating the estate tax is because they want the government to stop giving *those people* free stuff.

    Watching Larry Wilmore now, stating the same thing. I guess only jesters are allowed to state the obvious. Same as it ever was.

  94. 94.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: Different states have different adverse possession laws. Here in Mass. your property can be lost by adverse possession unless it is a special type of bonded property deed which most residential property is not. “Open and continuous” use is the standard, but it is easily defeated by consent. But as OH says, different states protect property lines in different ways.

  98. 98.

    satby

    @OzarkHillbilly: they never did anything legally, the file on violations on that property was an inch thick. I was president of the local neighborhood association and we were in court with them multiple times over that year. I had a lot of vandalism to my property too.
    They were finally dragged out by the sheriffs a couple of weeks ago, the house was foreclosed on 4 years ago. My oldest son owns my house in Chicago now, and has been helping them get their stuff out. The wife was a hoarder and the bank is letting them take out stuff because a trash out would cost huge money.
    It’s all a sad story really.

  99. 99.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @Immanentize:
    That was sort of the approach I was going to take. I wondered if a registered letter was necessary. Adverse possession is exactly what I don’t want to happen & now that I know about it the clock is ticking. I don’t know what the rules are in MN (part of why I want to talk to a lawyer) but I don’t want to screw up the property or the friendship.

    20 years ago I worked with a guy who had an inflamed asshole of a neighbor. The neighbor caused trouble all the time. But he built a new garage 11 inches into my co-workers yard. When it was discovered the guy offered to buy the strip but co-worker said no & made him rip it down & move it the required 12 inches into his own lot. Cost the guy a ton of money for being a jerk.

  100. 100.

    different-church-lady

    Barack always looks so happy when he’s with his family. And B and Michelle always look like they’re having a good time together.

  101. 101.

    MattF

    Done my errands, skipping farmer’s market (I’m well-stocked at the moment), done the crosswords (discovered Black Ink, very good x-word software for OS X), some allergy-sneezing, will go out for a walk later. Expecting a quiet day.

  103. 103.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    “adverse possession” If I am aware she is using my property & it is publicly known after a period of time it is hers. Squatting is a branch of that, it is legal to take property if you do it right.

  105. 105.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    Have you thought about applying at temp agencies while continuing your job search? Sometimes it’s a way to get an opportunity for a full-time job.

  106. 106.

    otmar

    We’re electing a new president today here in Austria. Actually, we’re selecting the two who will be in the runoff-election, as it is pretty unlikely that anyone will get to 50% today.

    The role of the Austrian President is more ceremonial than day-to-day governing, so this is not comparable to the role of the US President.

    Anyhow, the polls paint a very interesting picture: both candidates from the old establishment (left-center: SPÖ, and right-center ÖVP) are likely to miss the run-off. Leading in the polls is the former head of the Green party. He’ll be dueling either a former supreme court justice who ran as independent or the representative of the far-right party.

    The last polling-stations close at 17h local time (in ~ 1.5h), it will be interesting to watch as the results come in.

    (As for the mechanics of voting in Vienna: We can do absentee voting. As Austria keeps track who is living where we are automatically enrolled for voting. We received the usual information-card by mail a few weeks ago. Our polling place was in a school just around the corner. Valid ID is required (which everybody has), the info-card helps the poll-workers to find the voter on their paper-based system. Voting itself is plain old paper/pen based. This election is extra simple: just choose one of 6 options. The whole process took 2 mins for me. Some of the volunteers are twittering about the duty, see #beifunk on twitter.)

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Schlemazel Khan: yep, and that’s what my neighbors were openly trying. They even pulled up the property stakes on that side (do you know how deep those suckers go?). So you have to do what you can to protect your property and yourself.
    Edited to add this: the fence actually improved the relationship, because the dispute was gone.

  109. 109.

    Elizabelle

    @Iowa Old Lady: I’ve been thinking about that young mother-to be attending her prom. Thinking on how much stuff has changed since my proms; she would have been dissuaded from going, or thought improper. Visible pregnancy was a no no; I only know of 2-3 young mothers in a school of maybe 1200 students.

    So I am very glad she got a last night of being a teenager at her prom. Although I wish, for her sake, she’d been able to delay parenthood for a few more years. It’s a huge responsibility, not to mention timesuck.

    Hope she gets a lot of lasting emotional and other support to help her raise her prom baby.

  111. 111.

    MattF

    @otmar: Visited Wein many years ago. All very civilized– but the only place where doors locked into the door frame when you turned the key. There was also the gentleman who screamed into my face one evening. Probably a good thing I don’t understand German.

  112. 112.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Elizabelle:

    Just a few years ago – maybe ten? there was a story about a prom goer having her baby in a toilet, and not telling anyone. I’m sure it was in one of those bible thumper communities where everyone humblebrags about how righteous and Christian and pro-life they are.

  113. 113.

    Baud

    @otmar:

    We’re electing a new president today here in Austria. Actually, we’re selecting the two who will be in the runoff-election, as it is pretty unlikely that anyone will get to 50% today.

    Der Baud! 2016!

  116. 116.

    Elizabelle

    @Schlemazel Khan: Strikes me that consulting a real estate lawyer, and having him/her send a letter, would be the best money spent in ages.

    No doubt your neighbor is delightful. Her heirs, or new owner when it comes time to sell the property, may not be.

  119. 119.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne:
    And to prove their compassion and understanding they prosecuted her to the fullest extent of the law. The father is probably doing OK though so thats good.

    As part of a plea agreement, Melissa Drexler pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter on August 20, 1998. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

  120. 120.

    Kathleen

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: Well, Wolf Blitzer must have heard Prince perform Purple Haze so that’s got to be worth listening to. (When I actually heard him comment he sounded like one of the clueless commentators in a Christopher Guest mocumentary).

  121. 121.

    satby

    @Elizabelle: I agree 100%. I remember girls being shuffled off to an alternative school or homeschool once they were pregnant enough to show. That was the early 70s.

  122. 122.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Today I start writing chapter three. I am finally getting back into the working groove after that godawful inner ear injury. Early feedback is that everyone loves my new heroine, and I’m getting a solid idea of the characters and themes I’ll use to flesh out the outline after this chapter.

  123. 123.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Schlemazel Khan:

    It is uncomfortable for sure but whites need to have crap whitesplained to them to help build understanding.

    You do that, then get called smug by non-liberals for thinking you’re better than them because you’re not as racist as them.

  125. 125.

    satby

    Shameless promotional plug: Mother’s Day is coming up fast, and I added a new assorted bath bomb gift box just in time. Shop early and often :)

    Oh yeah, use coupon code BALLOONJUICE for 20% off your purchase, good until June 30 for graduation gifts too ;)

  126. 126.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Kathleen:

    LOL. Wolf Blitzer is the dumbest fuck on TV, and the fact that he gets to opine on anything is Exhibit A on the state of institutionalized white male privilege.

  127. 127.

    Schlemazel Khan

    @MattF:
    Guilty as charged. I often post first than go back and read on new threads. For stuff already going I try to go back to my last comment & work from there but if I see something to reply to I do & then find out later others got there first & often better

  128. 128.

    Glidwrith

    @Aimai: I’d left this comment downstairs in the dead overnight thread and agree with you:

    I actually take issue with the whole concept of liberal “smugness”. It is the cheap cop out word used by conservatives that we know what is best for everyone and dictate how they should live.

    Yet, exactly where do we dictate this? We don’t force them to go to church. We don’t ask for loyalty oaths. We don’t attempt to gain benefits that are given solely to a small group of people.

    No, what we do is not allow them to use their own smug self-righteous certainties to dictate to everyone else access to healthcare, whom we marry, or how we worship.

    Smug and condescending? Pure right-wing projection bullshit, as usual.

  129. 129.

    MomSense

    @debbie:

    I’m working more than full time now but trying to relocate from where I now live to Massachusetts. I love everything about where I am except the lack of opportunity and perpetual funding issues in our state. Maine has become a state geared for tourists and retirees. It is on a completely unsustainable economic path. Gains we made have been completely undone by our stupid governor and the Republicans.

  133. 133.

    gogol's wife

    I’m afraid I do know some smug liberals (they mostly go to my church and are Bernie supporters), and I am one myself sometimes. But I prefer our smugness to their smugness. At least we try to be good people.

  134. 134.

    MattF

    @Gelfling545: Also, given Topic Drift, there’s a need to know where the ‘active’ spot is located. If there’s more than one active spot, people get confused and disoriented.

  135. 135.

    debbie

    @MomSense:

    Yeah, I had to leave New Hampshire a gazillion years ago because I couldn’t find a full-time job. Other than that, I would have loved staying there forever. Hope you find something wonderful soon.

  136. 136.

    Glidwrith

    @Aimai: The really hilarious part is I actually did make that argument once to a cab driver, just like all those pundits that claim they know what the Everyman is thinking.

    I actually got a thoughtful silence, which is the best one can hope for when trying to change someone’s mind.

  137. 137.

    Elizabelle

    @MomSense: I wish you well, MS. It’s a great plan, and better to move now.

    Employers need to MEET you. The resume screened by computer is not your friend. Get in their faces, for information interviews or have Juicers and your other friends give you some peeps to network with.

  141. 141.

    Miss Bianca

    I have to represent our circus group at some Amy Goodman event a local community radio station is hosting. I guess I’ll have to stay for the whole thing, since I used to work for said radio station and it’s a benefit for them. As long as AG sticks to speaking about the strength of community organizing, I’ll be OK with it.

    But after than I’m going riding, so it’s all cool. : )

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym: It’s queued up!

  142. 142.

    MomSense

    @debbie:

    New Hampshire’s economy is so much better than Maine’s now. Same for Vermont and Mass. My youngest is a total science/robotics geek and we now have to commute long distances to find activities for him. Even if we live in a shoebox in Mass, some of the schools have exactly the kinds of programs he wants without the travel and the aggravation.

    Some of my retired neighbors know I’m looking and have told me that they have friends (also returees) who would want the opportunity to buy my little house. The nickname one of my neighbor’s gave our street is god’s waiting room.

  144. 144.

    Glidwrith

    Perhaps this is a good thread to answer a question we, in general, have been trying to answer: How do we reach folks on the dark side to return to the light?

    I have been working on my right-wing bigoted parents for years. It is a wonder that they haven’t disowned me. And yes, that was a real threat if I ever brought home a black man.

    Here was the argument that produced the first crack in the wall of ‘free’ goodies for everyone (and it’s not terribly PC, but it worked):

    I told them they were in fact extraordinary people. And it’s true: they literally did bootstrap themselves up not once but two or three times. Your typical winger isn’t, but they are convinced they are smarter than all the stupid people around them. So, tell them they are exceptional, but most everyone else is stupid. Agree with them.

    Point out that every other country on the planet is investing in education. That even if Mr. Dumbfuck is dumb, that doesn’t mean his children are and at some point you can break the cycle of poverty. We need to invest in our society to get as many engineers, builders, architects, scientists (pick your flavor) to defend this country against the others that are looking to take it away.

    They objected to relying on the government. My response was that I/we didn’t. We have plans A, B, C and all the way through to Z. Government is what you use when you’ve done all you can.

    We’ll see how it works out, but they just bought a solar panel system and an electric Spark. For me, the world just tilted on its axis. They can be reached and it gives me hope.

  147. 147.

    Miss Bianca

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: Wouldn’t that be an awesome channel, tho? I’d love to see a show just of the old black women who used to hang out on their porches on the east side of Detroit. Just called, “Mm-HM”. Because the way they could deliver those syllables – tone, inflection, emphasis – told you *everything* you needed to know about *their* reaction to your f’d-up bullshit.

  150. 150.

    Anya

    @Patricia Kayden: They are not trans but non-binary which means they don’t identify as male or female & the ‘they’ is the prefered pronoun.

    In terms of POTUS’ answer, I was not actually impressed with his answer. I’ve seen him answer similar questions more strongly. I guess he went for the sympathy, encouragement pep talk rather than addressing policies. I would have liked him to strongly condomn North Carolina’s recent anti-LGBT law. But overall, it was a good town hall and yet another reminder why I will miss him so badly. I am already going through separation anxiety.

  151. 151.

    Steeplejack

    @satby:

    Beautiful picture of the beautiful girls! Although no glimpse of the shoes, alas.

    When I first looked at the picture—before reading your later comments—I got their names wrong. I thought Qunoot was the more “exotic” one on the right. Eek! Steeped Awash in my cis-het white-male normative Orientalism.

  152. 152.

    Miss Bianca

    @otmar: Fascinating!

    @Frankensteinbeck: Yeah! I’ve just started writing again too, after awful stupid writer’s block. And dealing with mildly acid comments from well-meaning housemate re “wasting time on someone else’s blog”. Ooh, SNAP!

  154. 154.

    Miss Bianca

    @Botsplainer, Cryptofascist Tool of the Oppressor Class: Their Rosso vermouth is quite awesome for a fruitier version of the martini. Take some Wood’s gin (the barrel-aged is best for this one), pink vermouth, and citrus-stuffed olives – if you can find them. They’ve stopped being available locally here – I’m going to have to break down and order them from Amazon.

  155. 155.

    gene108

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne:

    but I see her perfectionist tendencies in the way she tries to control how and where her cat is allowed, and I can’t imagine how she and her demanding perfectionist husband would deal with a baby’s constant demands. Their house is like a magazine, and the thought of baby stuff everywhere simply does not compute.

    I was surprised with how much my brother changed, with regards to acceptable levels of messiness, after my nephew was born. It was a complete day-night transformation.

  158. 158.

    satby

    @Steeplejack: @rikyrah: Thanks! Qunoot has just informed me that this picture is unsatisfactory because her left eyebrow is washed out in the sun and her makeup (“that I worked so hard on!!!”) doesn’t show. She’s an image Nazi, but she is only 16, and bravado hides a lot of insecurity at that age.

    Reading her all the “they look beautiful” comments mollified her a bit, though she pointed out people would hardly say they looked ugly. I just responded that if people thought that no one would say anything. She’s secretly very pleased with all the nice comments.

    It’s a lot like arguing with my late mother after Fox got her.

  159. 159.

    otmar

    fyi, first result are in. See orf.at/wahl/bp16/

    Looks like the Bradley effect skewed the polls, we have the right-wing guy leading the green candidate. This will be an interesting run-off election in four weeks.

  160. 160.

    Steeplejack

    @Miss Bianca:

    And dealing with mildly acid comments from well-meaning passive-aggressive housemate re “wasting time on someone else’s blog.”

    FTFY.

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