Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dead end MAGA boomers crying about Talyor Swift being a Dem is my kind of music. Turn it up.

A consequence of cucumbers

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

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

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

He imagines himself as The Big Bad, Who Is Universally Feared… instead of The Big Jagoff, Who Is Universally Mocked.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Another missed opportunity for Jamie Dimon to just shut the fuck up.

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

Can we lighten up on the doomsday scenarios?

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

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

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

This blog will pay for itself.

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread:

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whereaway kitten nest

A note from the Whereaways:

Wanted to let you know our rescued kittens went off to their new homes this past weekend. You Balloon Juice readers came through for them, and we are incredibly grateful.

Ideally, we wanted them to be adopted in pairs, so they’d always have a buddy, and that’s how it worked out. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Apart from being happy for the kittens / jealous of their new humans, what’s on the agenda for the day?

Reader Interactions

95Comments

  1. 1.

    Gin & Tonic

    Hello jet lag, my old friend. The fact that at my house it’s actually 5:00 am and dark doesn’t seem to be influencing my body much, which thinks it’s noon and says “hey, we need to be up and about.”

    Will make for a long day in the salt mines.

  2. 2.

    p.a.

    Good morn! Trying a new schedule: 5:15 alarm, check mail, gocomics, light housework, da juice, before beginning a normal day. Previously, 6:15 and no set sched for the above. So far so good.

  8. 8.

    p.a.

    @OzarkHillbilly: ugh. I had an attack 6/11, just lost the last after effects in the last 2 weeks. Garden work didn’t help; low head position is one of my causes.

  9. 9.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you:

    Audit finds Missouri Senate slush fund for lobbyist-financed meals

    JEFFERSON CITY • In another example of the cozy relationship between Missouri lawmakers and lobbyists, the Republican-controlled Senate has an off-the-books checking account used to collect contributions from lobbying firms. According to a stinging report issued Monday by state Auditor Nicole Galloway, the potentially illegal account is used to solicit checks in order to bankroll late-night meals during the legislative session.

    Think of it as pizza for play.

    Why yes, they are Republicans, why do you ask?

  10. 10.

    Immanentize

    Hello, All!
    @OzarkHillbilly: Sorry about the vertigo (is that your wife’s vertigo or you?). After your raves, I made Tim F.’s porkloin last night. Mmmmm. Thank you

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @p.a.: My wife has been suffering with it for a while. I think I must have gotten it from her pillow while she was in Spain last week. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

  15. 15.

    Kay

    The foundation must distance itself from politics, and the foreign and corporate money that risks tainting Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

    I’m “for” campaign finance reform and good government, so I accept this new higher ethical bar. But. All the people saying this better realize it’s a new, higher, special “Clinton Rule” though. This idea that Hillary Clinton is the only appointed or elected person who is at risk for “undue influence” or “special access” is absolute bullshit.

    If they’re planning on enforcing this new standard a lot of people will have to meet much higher ethical and conflict of interest norms, including a lot of media people. Morning Joe will have an empty set under these new rules. Donald Trump will require a MUCH more rigorous analysis than he’s now receiving, along with virtually every elected or appointed lawmaker.

    They better get busy. They have a million people to vet for any appearance of conflicts if we include state and local government and political media.

    The stern moralists aren’t going to much like the practical reality of this purity test. 99% of them fail.

  16. 16.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: So fine — I used baby Shitakes. And really simple as long as you thaw the pork early. Like I didn’t. But late dinner is so European!
    @raven: Happily On the mend, I hear. I hope you can get back in the pool soon.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    All the people saying this better realize it’s a new, higher, special “Clinton Rule” though.

    They won’t. You don’t see anyone pushing for legislation that will apply to everyone, do you?

  19. 19.

    Kay

    I read that people at AP met with the Trump campaign before they released that innumerate and ridiculous “analysis” of the Clinton Foundation.

    Undue influence! Special access! Release the emails! Meeting with the Trump campaign and then releasing a ludicrous piece that makes no sense on its face creates a appearance of impropriety.

    I’m thrilled that all of government and political media must avoid any and all appearances of undue influence but that pretty much sinks the entire political status quo, so I’ll expect mass resignations.

  21. 21.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Just pick one at random. Let’s start with Paul Ryan. I need his donor list and calendar. I’ll be reporting on any overlap. After that I want a list of everyone Andrea Mitchell knows and meets with. Rules are rules! Gosh, this will be “game-changing”! I think the entire political establishment including the media corps have to clean house.

  22. 22.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    I’ll repost this comment that I just made to an undoubtedly dead thread about the issue with Weiner. To me, the thing is huge not for Hillary, but for Abedin in terms of CPS.

    In my courts, his half hard cock shot with the kid in it would lead to sight and sound supervision (probably in a visitation center) for no more than an hour a week while he underwent treatment and presented a positive assessment and report. Figure at least 18 months before he could even think about unsupervised contact, and about 6 months beyond that for overnights.

    We don’t fuck around.

  23. 23.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    I’m thrilled that all of government and political media must avoid any and all appearances of undue influence but that pretty much sinks the entire political status quo,

    Of course it does Kay, that’s why it will only apply to Hillary. The fact is, it is an unmeetable standard, one that nobody in politics could possibly meet, which again is why it only applies to Hillary.

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:
    I am so glad that they were called out on that piece of shyt writing. They got all in their feelings too, and Twitter responded-we don’t give a rat’s azz.

  26. 26.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    It reminds me of how all of DC became absolutely faithful in their lifelong first marriages when Bill Clinton had an affair with an intern. He was a one-off. It’s never happened before or since. Thank God the moral order was restored.

    The more things change… I had to endure morality lectures from Newt Gingrich during Clinton I and now we’re getting them from Donald Trump on Clinton II. Is this a joke? They know no one believes this bullshit other than them, right?

  28. 28.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It isn’t even a “slippery slope”. It’s the obvious next step. WTF? Now meetings with donors are forbidden? There goes 80% of what these people do all day.

  30. 30.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    CNN hired a person who is paid by the Trump campaign and CNN. These are the people who are tut-tutting. They have no credibility. But now that they’ve “opened the door” I say we run right thru it. Let the purges begin.

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: The serial philanderer Donald Trump lecturing on morality. Irony is dead dead dead dead dead.

  35. 35.

    debbie

    @Kay:

    Kay,

    OT, but Kasich’s starting visiting NH again, ostensibly to support Sunnunu Jr., but also to plant the idea he’ll be running in 2020. Do you know if Ohio taxpayers are still paying for his travel expenses?

  36. 36.

    one_particular_harbour, fka Botsplainer

    @Kay:

    It’s as if nobody understands what prominent figures do in order to make a charity work.

    On another note, it is my fervent hope that the Trump candidacy explodes the notion of the wealthy (particularly those born to it) being smarter than the rest of us.

    Ever notice the right wing disdain for the self-made, if the self-made demonstrate an iota of concern for other people? They barely tolerate Gates, despise Buffett and really want bad things to happen to Soros.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Overlap! Undue influence! We’re going to need a governing board and sanctions but no one can know anyone else who sits on it. The safest thing to do is just conduct everything using a random lottery, really. Hillary Clinton may meet with every 27th person who takes the White House tour.

  38. 38.

    satby

    Good morning all!
    I got nothing, been moving stuff during the insanely humid days which wears me out, then binge watching Blacklist until I pass out at night. Can’t move much today, the floor finishing is in the final stage and needs to dry.
    And, of course it’s raining.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    You know, if they implemented that rule, and the 27th person just happened to be a VIP, there would be cries of manipulation and 8 congressional committees looking into the scandal.

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

    Hmmmm, they say money is speech. I don’t see a qualifier in the 1st Amendment where the exercising of one right negates another. Maybe I’m missing something.

  48. 48.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Democrats have bought into the concept of “The Liberal Media” as much as Republicans have.

  50. 50.

    Peale

    @Kay: I think we really go back to the more traditional way. Whenever a decision needs to be made, the leaders go into the wilderness, eat magic mushrooms and cast chicken bones in the fire. Certainly less costly than having hearings.

  51. 51.

    raven

    Yea, he’s not a dumbass:

    Not surprisingly, Kaepernick’s political beliefs are mostly vague generalities that lack any actionable basis or tangible goals. But he did offer one opinion that I thought would blow up into a large story. Responding to a question about the top candidates for President Kaepernick said he believed that Hillary Clinton should be in jail:

  52. 52.

    Baud

    @raven: Obviously, a plot by the Clinton campaign to distance themselves from Kap’s controversial actions, which he obviously did at the behest of the Clinton campaign.

    BTW, why would that writer believe a quarterback’s views on criminal law would blow up into a story?

  55. 55.

    satby

    @Baud: @OzarkHillbilly: I hear you.

    OH, AND I GOT A JOB! Part-time, in the Lenscrafters doctor’s office; ironically I used to work for the same eye doctor in the early 90s before I got divorced. I happened to go get my new glasses a month ago and mentioned I was moving to the area and would be looking for a job, out of the blue she called yesterday.
    Gosh, I’m so tired I almost forgot.

  58. 58.

    laurax

    @OzarkHillbilly: Hmmmmmm. Not to discount your theory, but any possibility of carbon monoxide in your house? Not really the season yet, but juicers don’t let juicers succumb to invisible poisonous gasses.

  59. 59.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    @satby: Woot!! Excellent news. Here’s hoping it’s just the beginning of a wonderful new path.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  60. 60.

    Kay

    @Peale:

    Once she wasn’t charged with anything then we’re in the realm of opinion and wholly arbitrary judgments that, in this case, don’t even hang together in any logical way. They should admit that.

    What I love about it is it doesn’t matter at all if a person is charged with anything. The moment she clears the bar on that the fuzzy, ever-shifting “rules” appear out of thin air.

  64. 64.

    amk

    Legislators in California have closed a loophole in sexual assault cases, whereby more lenient sentences could be issued if the victim did not resist.

    The change follows a high-profile sexual assault case in Stanford earlier this year.

    In June, Brock Turner, 20, was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on a university campus.

    The sentence was widely criticised for being overly lenient.

    /

    State assembly members voted unanimously to amend the law, and prevent the use of probation in such cases. The bill has been passed to Governor Jerry Brown for approval, but has not yet been signed into law.

  65. 65.

    NorthLeft12

    @Kay: I saw the CNN interview with the AP editor as she defended their “investigation”. It seemed all she had was that Hillary would not co-operate with them, so that’s why it may have appeared to be one sided.
    And then she defended the tweet about the story, calling it “sloppy” rather than the CNN host’s description of factually incorrect. Brian Stelter is impressing the hell out of me for calling out falsehoods from both politicians and the media.

  70. 70.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: By the way, ifn’s you’re still interested, a follow up article on that molotov attack:

    Survivor of Molotov cocktail attack takes it in stride, stays positive

    ST. LOUIS • One day after three men pulled up beside her in traffic and threw a flaming Molotov cocktail into her SUV, Floyda Nunley said she’s done a little bit of crying. “It’s not because I’m afraid; I’m crying because I feel joy,” she said. “I still have my life.”

    Nunley, who is 79, said she was on her way to church Sunday morning when a Monte Carlo with three young men inside pulled up beside her near the intersection of Riverview Boulevard and Orchid Avenue. “What’s up OG, don’t get too hot,” she heard one of the men tell her, using a slang abbreviation for “original gangster” — someone who’s been around.

    Then she heard a thump.

    “All of a sudden, I could smell smoke. I looked over my right shoulder, and there were flames,” she said. “My car caught fire almost instantly.” Nunley said she tried to put the car in park, but the gear shift wouldn’t cooperate. “I kept trying and trying and pushing that button until I finally got it. I didn’t really have time to be afraid,” she said. “All I did was grab my purse, and I jumped out of there.” Nunley made it out just before her SUV started making loud popping noises. The top half of the vehicle was nearly engulfed in flames, she said.

    Once outside, Nunley was suddenly surrounded by onlookers. She tried to go back to her vehicle to retrieve her Bible and her phone, but people on the scene stopped her. “I wanted my phone because it has all my contacts in it,” Nunley said. “One lady said to me, ‘Don’t go back, baby. You can always get a new phone.’ She was right, so I didn’t go back.”

    More at the link.

  71. 71.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    I may climb Mt. Lee(above the Hollywood sign) today, if there’s not too much haze. It’s supposed to be in the upper 90’s, so the marine layer should be non-existent. The kid agreed to hike up to Mt. Lowe next Tuesday(she only works 3 days a week, but 12 hour days), so I’m looking forward to that.

  72. 72.

    Kay

    @Peale:

    Fournier is still bringing up Benghazi. Can he tell me in one sentence what this means? It’s just a blanket assertion of general wrongdoing? They never found anything. Maybe they suspect…things but how does a person beat that rap? I don’t even know what they think they should have found.

  75. 75.

    Kay

    @Peale:

    This is “Benghazi” to me: Susan Rice said something that Jake Tapper found suspicious. I wouldn’t ground a 12 year old on this “evidence”. It’s not enough for anything.

  77. 77.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @laurax: No, no chance at all at this time of year. My real theory has to do with a hangover effect from some drugs a Doc prescribed to me that had such horrible side effects (light headedness among them) I stopped taking them after 1 day. The fly in that particular ointment is that that was 3 weeks ago and I just can’t see how after that much time it would affect me thus.

    shrug

  80. 80.

    Kay

    @NorthLeft12:

    It seemed all she had was that Hillary would not co-operate with them

    Not that it matters but I don’t even think that is true. I think the State Department either “cooperates” with them or not. She’s not the Supreme Ruler for Life. She doesn’t even work there anymore.

    Details. Technicalities. Don’t let “process” get in the way of a good smear.

  81. 81.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: I suspect Fournier is a shaved goat fucking pedarest with a life time supply of Wesson oil. Why won’t he prove me wrong?

  86. 86.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: Thanks! I still find it all very odd. I am not sure I will be driving anything, let alone that SUV, at 78. I really look forward to self driving cars

  89. 89.

    manyakitty

    @satby: That’s great! I spent 20+ years working for my dad, who is an optometrist.I did all of it: front desk, pre-testing, assisting, licensed optician. Now I’m a legal writer. Go figure.

  91. 91.

    tarragon

    Fun with medical suppliers…

    I take oxygen for cluster headaches. It can turn 60 minutes of a crippling headache into 10 minutes, so a really big deal.

    I emptied my last tank Sunday night thinking I had one more. Oops, but not a huge deal I can go a morning if I need to and tank exchange is walk in and walk out. I called Monday morning to set up the exchange. The call went something like this:

    Me: I need to exchange 4 D tanks.
    Them: Sure, no problem. What’s your name?
    Them: Hmmm, you need a new test result before I can release tanks.
    Me: I’ve never had to give you test results before, what test for headaches?
    Them: Headaches? We don’t support clients with headaches.
    Me: Since when?
    Them: At least the year I’ve been here.
    Me: You’ve done this for me since you bought my previous supplier.
    Them: We have no records of providing you any services for the past 5 years.
    Me: WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, I have 6 of your tanks in my car!

    That triggered a hell of a scramble as I tried to get a new prescription and a new provider before the Monday night headache. We failed, but it the headache was on the milder side so not terrible but not great.

    You have no idea how relieved I am that I just got the call that everything is complete and a couple tanks are waiting for me to pick up at the new supplier.

  92. 92.

    Glidwrith

    @tarragon: Wow and phew! I had not heard of using oxygen to treat for headaches. Would you mind enlightening me as I and others here suffer from various kinds of migraine?

  93. 93.

    satby

    Thanks all! The old adage “you have to let go of something old to receive something new.” really is coming true for me.
    And you all have been such wonderful support to me and the critters. I’m feeling quite lucky! Walterish, even!

  94. 94.

    tarragon

    @Glidwrith:
    Sure thing. Warning, wall of text.

    Oxygen helps most cluster sufferers. I understand that oxygen works for around 50% of migraine sufferers. If it works for you it’s a miracle, 10 minutes and the headache is gone or at least drastically knocked down. Definitely get your physician to look into it.

    High flow Oxygen Therapy ask ask ask.

    I get cluster headaches and not migraines. They have a lot of similarities and a few important differences. Clusters are neurological while migraines are vascular.

    Clusters are strongly body clock based. I’m a pretty typical sufferer, before we started getting it under control I got two clusters a year, one in the early spring and a second in early fall, each lasting 4 to 6 weeks. During a cluster I’ll get 2 or 3 headaches a day each lasting 60 to 90 minutes and at predicable times. Like, oh Tarragon has a headache it must be 9:17, predictable.

    Clusters come with pretty much all of the migraine fun; visual auras, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, all that. But it also comes with nervous tension so if I can stand I have to pace instead of lay in a dark room. And I do mean IF I can stand, they can be cripplingly painful. My worst was laying curled up in the bottom of the shower unable to reach up and turn off the water.

    A lot of the migraine meds can work but a triptan that works in 60-90 minutes for a migraine means nothing for a 60-90 minute cluster.

    I do have a couple of long term medicines that can reduce the severity of the cluster. Also, people usually age out of them, which I’m starting to do. So mine aren’t as severe or predictable as they have been, that’s why this year is early. And reduced is not eliminated I keep oxygen to take during the cluster.

    So anyway it’s as simple as can be. A tank of oxygen, regulator, and a non-rebreather mask. Then 0 liters a minute for 10 minutes, up to 30 for migraines. In those 10 minutes I’ll go from sitting on the couch just rocking to a manageable pain and able to return to my life.

    Try it. It’s cheap and a miracle for those that it works for.

  95. 95.

    JR in WV

    @laurax:

    We have had a CO invasion in the basement. New Water Heater, hired an old friend to install it, he got distracted and didn’t glue a joint in the exhaust line. Wife was getting headaches, finally pitched a tiny fit, I got gas detectors, they beeped, called pros, they found the gap in the exhaust that was leaking.

    Dan was a good friend for many years. Older than I was, he came down with an unusual dementia. But I think this particular problem was that he found a 63 inch shed snake skin on top of a big air return duct where he was plumbing the exhaust line, and that got him so excited he forgot to go back and glue that last joint.

    Still have the snake skin, next door biologist keyed it out to black king snake. No wonder we never saw rodents – not just the cats!

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