Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Republicans do not pay their debts.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Come on, man.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Second rate reporter says what?

People are complicated. Love is not.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

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

Battle won, war still ongoing.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Bumper sticker wisdom

Bumper sticker wisdom

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In an earlier thread someone suggested that I should make a bumper sticker of that quote from King. That does does not sound like a bad idea at all. Here is a draft of what I have in mind.

king2

I would appreciate the opinion of any readers with graphic design experience. If people like it and nobody thinks there are copyright restrictions to using the image or quote, I can try to add it to the Balloon Juice store.

Reader Interactions

313Comments

  1. 1.

    Schlemazel

    I love the look of it as is but wonder if the letters would be too small to easily read at 70 MPH.

  4. 4.

    AMinNC

    Love the sticker, but I would also suggest contacting the King estate – I seem to recall that his children are super restrictive about usage rights.

  5. 5.

    mai naem mobile

    In about 4 months:
    Don’t Blame Me
    I Didn’t Vote For
    (Orange Hitlers Face)

    Also a pic of upside down MAGA hat with
    “Brother Can You Spare Me A Dime”

    I like it buy as mentioned already its too many small words to see from far.

  6. 6.

    ArchTeryx

    From a graphic designer who does it for part of his (meager) living:

    The layout is okay, but the block of text is way too thin and hard to read in a glance, plus the emphasis words “All of us” are orphaned (on separate lines). Bad juju there.

    I’d actually shrink the text until you can get it down to two lines, and for pasta’s sake make sure the bolded text is on one line! If you can, change the font to a heavier style (a “black” font with smaller letters would still be far more visible then a “thin” font with bigger letters).

  7. 7.

    Peter H Desmond

    the king family, his heirs, are sticklers for copyright law and demand high fees for permissions to use. however, it seems to me your snippet is short enough to constitute “fair use,” though that’s not a legal opinion.

    the family’s record of parsimony probably explains why there are so few of king’s relics in the national museum of african american history and culture.

    https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/collection/search?edan_q=martin+luther+king%2C+jr.&edan_local=1&op=Search

  8. 8.

    Patricia Kayden

    The King offspring are very litigious. I wonder if they would be alright with you selling those. I would buy one immediately. It’s perfect.

  12. 12.

    NotMax

    Loathe to say it, but guesstimating somewhere around 60 – 70% of the people on the road won’t recognize the image. Ditch it in favor of quotation marks.

  16. 16.

    Pogonip

    @NotMax: Do you really think so? Out here in West Deplorable, at least, you see a whole lot of King on TV during the first half of January; I think it would be hard for West Deploreans NOT to recognize him.

  19. 19.

    annie

    Action alert:

    via Ron Wyden today

    Ann,

    The federal government has a new plan to hack Americans’ computers.

    And if Congress doesn’t do something by December 1st, Donald Trump and the FBI will get expansive new hacking powers that will require only one judge to sign one warrant to potentially hack computers all over the world.

    I’ve introduced a bill, the Stopping Mass Hacking Act (S.2952), that will stop this change from going through.

    And, while it has Republican and Democratic co-sponsors, with our deadlocked Congress, I need your help.

    Please, stand with me and sign my petition urging Congress to pass the Stopping Mass Hacking Act!

    The Justice Department is using an obscure rule of federal criminal procedure – called Rule 41 – to sneak this expansion through.

    The DOJ says it’s just a small change to how judges issue warrants. But this is much more than just a small change.

    Right now, when an FBI agent wants to hack computers of potential suspects or innocen

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    @Pogonip

    Sadly, I do. Ancient history for several generations (2018 will mark 50 years since his assassination).

    on TV during the first half of January

    And forgotten (or vaguely noticed as a face seen somewhere but not associated with a name) by the first half of February.

    Perhaps overly cynical, but wanted to put the thought out there.

  23. 23.

    Roger Moore

    @Lizzy L:
    I wish I could take credit. I saw one like that but with Shrub’s mug back in the 2000’s. Given that the Shitgibbon is intent on having Breitbart as his own MiniTrue, it seems extremely appropriate to bring back an updated version.

  30. 30.

    Botsplainer

    @annie:

    Oh. So now we’re back to worrying about the hentai and porn collections of lardass bronies.

    Fuck them. I saw no reciprocal concern or effort for the privacy of John Podesta, nor anti Wikileaks counter from Anonymous.

  31. 31.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    CALIFORNIA PEOPLE:

    Please Call Senator Barbara Boxer (The highest-ranking Dem on Foreign Relations Committee) and Ask that she investigate Russia’s Influence on our Election:

    (916) 448-2787

    Lindsey Graham has already asked Congress to investigate, and we need to turn up the heat on this issue. I believe it would be the most effective method of robbing the Trump administration of legitimacy if we could expose the extensive Russian ties.

  34. 34.

    bupalos

    Also a designer, agree with previous, especially on an extrabold or black typeface. Also I personally would have Dr. King facing his words, rather than away, so suggest swapping text and image right/left.

    I don’t think there’s any rights issue with using the likeness and I wouldn’t ask.

  38. 38.

    Schlemazel

    @Pogonip:
    What a lot of unadulterated horseshit spread thick on a solid base of bullshit

    It is hard to even know where to begin but I’d say the fact that he can compare outrage in 2000 and 2016 for the second place finisher being awarded the Presidency with the Republican reaction to losing in 2008 makes anything that follows empty noise.

  42. 42.

    Schlemazel

    @Steeplejack:
    UHG! The second one is worse than the first. I can only guess why I have not heard of this douchnozzel before Why he does not have a seat on CNN or Fox to serve as the “Even the liberal douchnozzel says . . . ” is a mystery

  44. 44.

    debbie

    @ArchTeryx:

    I say skip the silhouette altogether. Put the sentence on 2 lines and King’s name on the third. Heavyish sans serif, all the same weight, but 2-color to emphasize the “all of us are free.”

  47. 47.

    Timurid

    @AMinNC:

    Yeah, Cersei, Joffrey and the other King heirs are notoriously litigious.
    There’s a reason you don’t see lots of MLK T-shirts and posters while random dopes like Che Guevara are everywhere…

  50. 50.

    Schlemazel

    @WereBear:
    I would bet all of Trumps money he did. Would not be surprised to learn he didn’t vote for Clinton this year. Truly an intellect to be ignored.

  53. 53.

    Gary K

    @Iowa Old Lady: You should research this some more. Most grammarians think “None are” is preferable, or present a more elaborate rule. None of them are in favor of always using a singular verb.

  56. 56.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    The problem is that Trump voters see this saying and think “as long as *those people* are free, I’m not free.” When you’re used to having your white privilege be supported, equality feels like oppression.

  57. 57.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Special addendum to vile Jeebofascist shit Mike Pence: Without freedom FROM religion, there is no freedom OF religion. He and his god, Mammon, can go fuck themselves sideways with a rusty, unlubed chainsaw.

  61. 61.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    @Mnemosyne: I’m in California so focused on Boxer. Yes, EVERYONE should call their Senator about this. Republicans and GOP. (Looks like she isn’t ranking member either, my bad.) Call your Senator below:

    On the Republican Side:
    Chairman, Bob Corker
    Republican – Tennessee

    James E. Risch
    Republican – Idaho

    Marco Rubio
    Republican – Florida

    Ron Johnson
    Republican – Wisconsin

    Jeff Flake
    Republican – Arizona

    Cory Gardner
    R – Colorado

    David Perdue
    R – Georgia

    Johnny Isakson
    Republican – Georgia

    Rand Paul
    Republican – Kentucky

    John Barrasso
    Republican – Wyoming

    **Bolded names are known anti-Trump hardliners.***

    On the Democratic side:

    Ranking Member, Ben Cardin
    Democrat – Maryland

    Barbara Boxer
    Democrat – California

    Bob Menendez
    Democrat – New Jersey

    Jeanne Shaheen
    Democrat – New Hampshire

    Christopher Coons
    Democrat – Delaware

    Tom Udall
    Democrat – New Mexico

    Chris Murphy
    Democrat – Connecticut

    Tim Kaine
    Democrat – Virginia

    Edward J. Markey
    Democrat – MA

  62. 62.

    Gary K

    It’s surprisingly hard to find evidence that King uttered or wrote these exact words. You find variants around the internet, e.g., “Until all are free, none are free,” but nothing that I can find gives a precise citation to a speech or essay.

  63. 63.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Gary K:

    I prefer The Internationale’s lyrics.

    Freedom is merely privilege extended
    Unless enjoyed by one and all

  64. 64.

    beth

    The news is reporting that Nikki Haley is in the mix for Secy of State. Interesting choice for her – take the job, do it well and she could be the 1st woman president. On the other hand do you really want to be part of the shitshow that Trump’s foreign policy is sure to be?

  65. 65.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    @beth: It’s all smoke and mirrors. They’ve released like 5 or 6 candidates now. WTF cares at this point.

    FWIW, Nikki Haley is best of bunch so far and I’d take her over Trump / Pence any day of the week.

  66. 66.

    CaseyL

    Copying my comment from a dead thread about calling our Senators and Representatives:

    I reached Senator Murray’s Seattle office. They advised me that Murray had already made a strong statement the day after the election that she would fight Trump’s bigoted agenda. I said that was great (and it is) but is the Senator aware of, and getting ready to fight, specific legislative agendas such as the plan to privatize Medicare and SocSec?

    I noted that the GOP would want to ram through a lot of things very quickly, because we’ve already seem them do that (when W was selected), and therefore the Dems also have to mobilize very very quickly, and be ready to oppose immediately, a show of solidarity and strength.

    The office person said the issue was too broad and undefined for her to respond to, and I should call the Senator’s DC office.

  67. 67.

    japa21

    @Dog Dawg Damn: If she were the first name dropped, we might have a more negative reaction. But after Newt, Giuliani, Bolton, etc. she seems like a marvelous choice.

  69. 69.

    goblue72

    @trollhattan: You kidding me? Best thing that could happen to completely kill Michelle Rhee’s future as an “education reformer” is to have her brand associated with the Trump administration.

    There’s a reason Trump is having such a hard time finding anyone sober with serious policy chops to fill his administration. Nobody who takes their future career seriously wants to be associated with his administration. It might wind up being fun for 4 years, but then its over and your career is in the toilet. (A HUGE gold plated toilet, but a toilet nonetheless.)

  73. 73.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @japa21:

    If she were the first name dropped, we might have a more negative reaction. But after Newt, Giuliani, Bolton, etc. she seems like a marvelous choice.

    I am getting WAY too cynical. It was always a bit beyond belief that Newt/Rudy/Bolton would make it through vetting or confirmation. I believe those names were thrown out as dekes so that we would all breathe a big sigh of relief at the popular and harmless Nikki. (I’ve interacted with her, and I know her mentor reasonably well. She’s a nut job. She did a good thing in taking down the confederate flag last year, but she’s still a nut job.) I am not reassured.

  74. 74.

    beth

    @SiubhanDuinne: I truly wonder if they think she’d be good for the job because she’s “foreign looking”. I wouldn’t put it past Trump to think that way. She has absolutely no foreign policy experience.

  75. 75.

    ThresherK

    @mai naem mobile:

    Once I ruined a health plan, just for fun
    Just to spite who weren’t mine
    Once I ruined a health plan, now it’s gone
    Brother can you spare a dime?

    “Remember my forgotten Man” can be rewritten by someone else. (ETA: Yeah, not Yip Harburg, but Al Dubin, in da house at Warner Bros.)

  76. 76.

    hovercraft

    @Cacti:

    “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted With The Majority.”

    This one I like, it will drive them nuts, not to mention the shitgibbon.

  77. 77.

    Timurid

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    MEDIA: Trump to name Adolf Hitler as Secretary of State!
    TRUMP: What kind of monster do you think I am? I’m going with Pol Pot.
    MEDIA: Pol Pot is just barely not as bad as Hitler…. hey, guys, HE’S PIVOTING! What a STATESMAN! I’M IN LUV!!!XXXXOOOOOXXXXXXX

  79. 79.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mary G:

    That is one fucking crazy awesome great list!! (Although I confess I am always surprised, again, each time, to realize that Newt Minow is still alive. And I’m old enough to remember the “vast wasteland” statement. I was in college.)

  81. 81.

    FlipYrWhig

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: By the by, what’s the basis of Sanders’s claim to a working-class background? I don’t think I’ve heard much about the way he grew up. His Wikipedia page doesn’t give much information about his early life.

  84. 84.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @weaselone:

    She’s also less qualified to be Secretary of State than I am.

    I’m so sorry, I don’t really know anything about your qualifications. But I shall take you at your word.

  85. 85.

    hovercraft

    @trollhattan:

    Holy fuckballs, Michelle Rhee possible Secretary of Education?

    Grifters gotta stick together, it did say it wanted to get rid of the Department of Education didn’t it? So this way he keeps it in place as a dispensary for our tax dollars straight into the pockets of the for profit charter schools. Doesn’t she own a piece of one of the biggest charter corps or something, I remember reading something to that effect? Oh and Bill Clinton was on the board of a for profit college, the shitgibbon stole the death benefits of soldiers wives, but Bill was worse right? And we can look forward to the return of for profit degree mills which produce phony certifications that are not worth the paper they are written on but leave the recipients in debt with no way to pay the loans back, and without the ability to declare bankruptcy.

  89. 89.

    Ian

    @Pogonip:
    The article in question that Steeplejack linked too said Trump won because of poor voters. It completely ignores the fact that poor and lower income voters voted for Clinton, and middle/upper middle class voted for Trump.

  90. 90.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @FlipYrWhig:

    He was unemployed until his late 30s, got kicked out of a commune for being a PITA non-contributor (shocking, I know), tried to be a carpenter until his friends told him he sucked, then got elected and has been a government employee ever since. He’s full of shit.

  91. 91.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mary G:

    Have wondered in odd moments about the kinds of people Trump will award various honors in his purview. And I know he (or any POTUS) doesn’t have input into Kennedy Center Honors, at least not officially, but I am scared shitless that 2017 will see KCH Laureates Ted Nugent and Victoria Jackson.

  92. 92.

    FlipYrWhig

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: One side of my family includes recently-arrived-from-the-old-country New York Jews from roughly the era of Sanders’s parents (following the descriptions on his Wiki page). They had a stationery store. IMHO there’s a fairly major political/connotative difference between “working class” and “petit bourgeois,” and I’d be curious to know which side of the divide the Sanders family was on.

  93. 93.

    hovercraft

    @FlipYrWhig:
    He grew up in Brooklyn to working class parents.
    From Mother Jones VIDEO
    “They loved the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt.”

    One of the most touching moments of the Democratic National Convention came during Tuesday’s roll call of the states, when Larry Sanders cast his vote for his brother, Bernie, saying their parents would be proud of their son’s campaign. Eli Sanders, a Polish Jewish immigrant, and Dorothy Glassberg Sanders both died when the brothers were young. As Larry spoke, Bernie Sanders could be seen choking back tears in the seats above.

  94. 94.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    It’s a good message but I would drop the King image. It would just trigger the “I am NOT racists, I just hate uppify (retracted)” in the conservatard mind and we really want to them to start thinking about that concept – that it’s someone else rights taken away today, their right taken away tomorrow. (Well, heck, I would just settle for conservatives thinking at all)

  95. 95.

    Peale

    Is it just me or is Trump just name dropping celebrities for these posts at this point? Like in 2000 when Bush was doing this, a name would pop up and I’d go “who” or “I kinda heard of him”. If someone would have said “Doug Feith” I would have been thinking “don’t know him. Wo cares?” But I know all these people who are being named.

  98. 98.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @SiubhanDuinne: Damn, no Secratary of State Newt. And I was so looking forward to seeing that smug jackass bumble from capital to capital with our allies looking on emberassed. The dream is dead.

  99. 99.

    FlipYrWhig

    @hovercraft: I’m not trying to be a dick, or any more of a dick than usual, but not well off, or supporting the New Deal, isn’t to my mind the same thing as “working class.” It needs to have that manual, industrial aspect. Were they garment workers? In the trades? What was the work that made them “working class”? I’d like to know that, not necessarily to stick it to Bernie Sanders, but because it might illuminate what that descriptor signifies.

  101. 101.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @hovercraft:

    how nice the DEMOCRATS honored his upbringing. The Trump voters of those days, and these days, would bar/deport immigrants, and happily march him into an oven the first chance they get, because according to Bannon and that gang, as a Jew, he’s not white, not to be trusted, and is part of a global conspiracy. Also as I recall from my early childhood, the people that he’s embarrassed Democrats aren’t appealing to, also believe he killed Christ and has horns. Literally.

  102. 102.

    Schlemazel

    @FlipYrWhig:
    Well, he didn’t have a job until he was 30. Had to steal electricity for a time because he failed to pay his utility bills. So you know, not-yet-working class

  103. 103.

    Schlemazel

    @Ian:
    We live in the post-truth era. Reality does not fit the clowns firmly held beliefs so he substitutes his own “reality” for reality.

    I am sure he has brown eyes

  105. 105.

    Joyce H

    I was just watching MSNBC and saw one of these ‘issue’ ads, and it was about privatizing Medicare. One of these scary sepia-toned deals with storm clouds rolling, while the announcer informed the viewer that the Republicans in Congress were planning to abolish Medicare and replace it with a Risky Experiment that would place millions of our vulnerable seniors at risk. I didn’t catch who put out the ad, but I have to say I was glad to see that someone is geared up already and jumping into the fray.

  106. 106.

    Awkward Afterlife

    I like it. And I would proudly rock MLK’s silhouette. Rather than placing the image on the right, i would suggest flipping the image so MLK is facing the text. IOW, looking forwards, rather than backwards as currently depicted.

    I’m broke af but I would lay a few bucks down to put this on my car’s unsullied back end.

  107. 107.

    mai naem mobile

    @Peale: this. I really think they’re doing a gish gallop version of a transition/presidency where the media / Dems/ and everybody else is running and cannot keep up with the poop being shot out of Trump Inc.

  109. 109.

    Ian

    @Pogonip:
    Sure thing

    working class Americans—fed up with being treated by the Democratic Party as the one American minority that it’s okay to hate—delivered a stinging rebuke to the politics of business as usual.

    The 20% or so of Americans who have benefited from the jobless recovery of the last eight years, and the broader neoliberal economic agenda of the last four decades, very rarely leave the echo-chamber environments where they spend their days to find out what the rest of the country is thinking. If they’d done so a bit more often in the last year, they would have watched Trump signs sprouting all over the stark landscapes of poverty that have spread so widely in the America they never see.

    To me this sounds like the author is making this sound like the poor impoverished bottom of society put Trump over the top. They did not. Relatively well off middle class people did.

  112. 112.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Ian: If you’re reading an article and hit the word “neoliberal” being used seriously, do yourself a favor and just scroll down or toss the paper in the garbage.

  116. 116.

    SiubhanDuinne

    ALERT (insert spinning red lights here):

    Sounds like Hillary is giving an address soon, her first since the concession speech a week ago. I’m listening to MSNBC on car radio, but assume it will be widely covered.

  117. 117.

    cmorenc

    @NotMax:

    At least no one named Cheney is being touted.

    The terrible irony is that Cheney would actually be a huge improvement over most of the names being floated for various defense/national security posts. Of course, the scale we’re measuring “improvement” on is so vastly warped toward far-right crazy that saying this about Cheney still places him light-years from acceptable. Just less colossally unacceptable than the sort of jackasses Trump is considering.

  118. 118.

    Pogonip

    @Ian: No, what he’s telling you is what the local Deplorables–you know, those people a presidential candidate needs to win electoral votes–thought of the issues and why they voted as they did. This is useful information for Democratic strategists to have. I gather some of you are Democratic strategists, which is why I advised readers of the article. You don’t have to like the Archdruid, you can lump him in with the Deplorables for all I care, but he’s giving you excellent information that Democrats can use to their benefit.

  123. 123.

    Schlemazel

    @Pogonip:
    He give false information as fact yet we need to listen to him to save ourselves? Yeah, I’ll getright on that but first I want to see what Bill O’Reily thinks we should do.

  124. 124.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Pogonip:

    In the exit polling, those that voted based on the economy voted overwhelmingly for Clinton. I don’t know how Democrats can appeal to the others without lying about everything – IOW, giving up on truth and facts. If we do that, all is definitely lost if it isn’t already.

  125. 125.

    Adam L Silverman

    1) Flip Dr. King’s portrait so he’s facing the text. 2) Work a rippling National flag into the background but faded/washed out so it doesn’t overpower the text. I’m not kidding, if you want to visually appeal to people that would normally discount this, the flag is going to create a mental hook.

  130. 130.

    Ian

    @Pogonip:
    I am not trying to attack the author, I just question the message. He/she says Democrats attack and stigmatize the working class. No example of this is provided. He/she then claims on several occasions that this is the message we should be learning from the election, not other better lessons than say better GOTV in urban areas or fighting voter suppression. It also somewhat ignores the racial and misogynist angle of all of this.

  133. 133.

    rikyrah

    nowYourObama Retweeted
    Hend Amry
    12m
    Hend Amry‏ @LibyaLiberty
    Oh it’s just migrants from ISIS areas.
    Oh it’s just for Arab region migrants.
    Oh it’s just for foreign Muslims.
    Ok now it’s for all Muslims.

    KnowYourObama Retweeted
    Hend Amry
    18m
    Hend Amry‏ @LibyaLiberty
    Many will defend Muslim registry cuz it’s just for migrants. That’s how civil liberties go-by little steps that don’t shock the public.

  137. 137.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: If this actually happens, everyone who is willing that is not Muslim needs to register. There’s no real identifying physical markings for Muslims versus non Muslims. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

  139. 139.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    Addressing the Children’s Defense Fund, honoring Marian Wright Edelman, one of her oldest friends and allies.

  142. 142.

    Pogonip

    @Ian: You read it again! Good for you!

    The Archdruid is a he, and a good thing–have you seen that beard?

    After the infamous “Deplorables” remark he may have felt he didn’t need to provide examples.

  143. 143.

    Corner Stone

    @Baud:

    Why is she speaking?

    I think it’s just because she wants to break my heart. Because she is breaking my fucking heart, again.

  144. 144.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @Ian:

    THE WHITE WORKING/MIDDLE CLASS IS A BUNCH OF DUMBASS SEXIST RACIST CULTURAL RESENTFUL DEAD ENDERS WHO HATE DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS, EDUCATION AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT, AND AREN’T INTERESTED IN CIVIL RIGHTS, PROGRESS OR JUSTICE FOR ALL IF “THOSE PEOPLE” BENEFIT TOO. I hope they all die of overdoses, alcoholism, diabetes and suicide with no health insurance or other government services. If that makes me a bad person, I accept it.

  151. 151.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    Adam L Silverman:

    Hey off topic, but any dystopian / political comics you recommend? I’m re-reading Transmetropolitan and looking to queue something else up as I’m almost finished and have nothing left that will satiate the thirst.

  154. 154.

    Pogonip

    @Adam L Silverman: I’d register. Let ’em wonder why I’m the only Muslim in America who can recite the Credo, the Paternoster, the Ave Maria, the Gloria, and the Memorare in English and Spanish.

    Seriously, there’s too darn much spying on the citizenry as it is and they’re trying to break us up to divide and conquer. I say register as everything. That’ll fry their circuits.

    Harrumph. I’m going to go play computer scrabble.

  155. 155.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Pogonip: Does “because Pogonip says so and I endorse this message!” work?

    More seriously, and to go very, very classic and quite Sifu Sun:

    If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

    A large portion of what Sifu Sun is referring to hear is actually capability, as it is almost impossible to truly know someone else’s intentions. That said, he is also, and the commentaries in the Bin Fa literature make this clear, referring to knowing about them. What they belief, how they act, their understanding of leadership, their theology and doctrine, how they understand state and society. How they communicate – are the high or low context? Are they an honor/shame society? Are they polychronic or monochronic (do they do everything at once or do they one or a few things at a time)? Things like that. A failure to do so means you are devising policies and strategies, and then plans and contingencies, and ultimately choosing tactics without all the necessary information. This will always lead to defeat.

    How’s that?

  158. 158.

    rikyrah

    Brian Beutler ‏@brianbeutler 17h17 hours ago

    Regular reminder: Republicans shrugging off Bannon referred to every qualified, non-racist Obama adviser as a nefarious “czar” of some kind.

  162. 162.

    rikyrah

    Don’t start none. Won’t be none.

    …………………………

    Student wearing Trump hat, arguing with protesters, is punched, kicked to ground
    November 16 at 5:20 PM

    A Maryland high school student wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap was injured and taken to the hospital Wednesday morning after he scuffled with a group of anti-Trump protesters who punched and kicked him, according to police.

    About 10:30 a.m., as the students streamed up Maryland Avenue, a confrontation broke out between the student wearing the cap that had Trump’s campaign slogan on it and another student, said Rockville Police Maj. Michael England.

    Soon, four other students jumped in, and the student wearing the Trump hat was punched and kicked, England said. The student ended up on the ground in the grass near the county office building.
    {…}
    A parent who looked on as the students marched said she saw the Trump supporter join the marchers belatedly and begin to argue with them. She said she tried to defuse the situation and that the student argued with her, too. She said he told her, “I have my right to free speech too,” and then he looked at the crowd and said, “Go home.” She did not see the later physical confrontation.

  163. 163.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @rikyrah:

    Has pointing out Republican hypocrisy ever worked with the media? The only thing that might wake them up is when Homeland Security starts disappearing them. Maybe not even then.

  164. 164.

    FEMA Camp Counselor

    @Schlemazel:

    I swear to god, people who follow the guy air drop into blogs I like on a semi-regular basis with this kook’s nonsense writing and expect people to bite.

    Haven’t bought into Greer’s apocalyptic ramblings since I first learned about him, don’t plan on starting now.

  165. 165.

    Schlemazel

    @Baud:
    Yes, it was the racists, she cited them and she did a masterful job quoting examples and highlighting cases. Morons like the writer we are currently spending 100% more time on then he deserves has decided that is not important and that it was WWC voters that she called deplorable. Just yet another reason to drop this troll like a warm trud

  168. 168.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    It goes without saying that if Herr DrumpenFuhrer attempts to go full Fascist, we are gonna troll the fuck out of him at every turn.

  173. 173.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    @Pogonip: I’m trying to retreat to fiction to avoid a trauma-induced psychotic break.

    So far I’ve read Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” & “The Conspiracy Against the Human Race” by Thomas Ligotti.

    Sooo, keeping it light, you know.

  174. 174.

    Aardvark Cheeselog

    @Pogonip:

    You don’t have to like the Archdruid, you can lump him in with the Deplorables for all I care, but he’s giving you excellent information that Democrats can use to their benefit.

    Considering how far removed from reality his opening paragraphs are, I’m going with “you’ve got that one wrong.” I don’t have enough minutes left in my life to spend any of them reading that kind of drivel.

  177. 177.

    Pogonip

    @Adam L Silverman: Well, yes, “because Pogonip says so” SHOULD be sufficient, but I suppose it won’t hurt to share the stage with that Sun fellow now and again.

    I don’t know about you, but I spent 5 whole years studying the art of war, and I am somewhat taken aback by the realization that I’m probably more qualified for SecDef than Donald Rumsfeld was.

    NOW I’m going to go play computer scrabble.

  178. 178.

    tobie

    Just listened to what MSNBC broadcast of Hillary’s speech from the Children’s Defense Fund. Man, that woman is strong. And she found the grace to talk about impoverished children in general, of all races and in all locations, while still acknowledging the disproportionate percentage of minority children in poverty.

    If Elizabeth Warren is to be the standard bearer for the party, I hope she can take a page from HRC’s book tonight. Otherwise we are really, really screwed.

  179. 179.

    rikyrah

    Immigration hardliner says Trump team preparing plans for wall, mulling Muslim registry
    Tue Nov 15, 2016 | 8:53pm EST

    An architect of anti-immigration efforts who says he is advising President-elect Donald Trump said the new administration could push ahead rapidly on construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall without seeking immediate congressional approval.

    Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who helped write tough immigration laws in Arizona and elsewhere, said in an interview that Trump’s policy advisers had also discussed drafting a proposal for his consideration to reinstate a registry for immigrants from Muslim countries.

    Kobach, who media reports say is a key member of Trump’s transition team, said he had participated in regular conference calls with about a dozen Trump immigration advisers for the past two to three months.

  180. 180.

    JPL

    Uhoh.. She said God Bless you and and God Bless the work of the Children’s Defense Fund. How much time will Fox spend criticizing her for not saying America.

  182. 182.

    rikyrah

    I worry a lot about them. 20 million Americans got access to healthcare because of President Obama.

    ………………

    Preparing For The End Of Obamacare
    People who got health care thanks to Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy are worrying over what comes next.
    posted on Nov. 16, 2016, at 3:39 p.m.

    excerpt:
    Joel Walker, 30, of Dayton, Ohio, began to fix his rotting teeth after he got health care coverage for the first time in ten years under a Medicare expansion. He’s waiting now to be fitted for dentures. “It should be the first time in — wow — a decade that I’ll be able to smile with a mouthful of teeth,” Walker said.

    Walker, who is also taking medication for a heart condition, said he has felt as though he was “inside a steel cage of depression” since the election, worrying what will happen if he loses access to his dentist, cardiologist, or the medicine he’s dependent on if the ACA is repealed. He voted for Hillary Clinton, but for the first time in 28 years, his county, Montgomery, flipped Republican. “To put it bluntly, I felt a little betrayed,” Walker said.

  183. 183.

    JPL

    Although not surprised, I am disappointed that MSNBC and CNN did not cover her speech. Maybe we really don’t care about the Children’s Defense Fund and what they have accomplished.

  185. 185.

    tobie

    @Quinerly: Her resolve and commitment are amazing. I don’t know what reservoirs of strength and faith you have to have to pick yourself up so quickly after such a devastating blow.

  186. 186.

    Miss Bianca

    @Timurid: Have you seen the movie version? any thoughts about it? I saw it at the library the other day and almost got it, but then remembering how grossed out I was by the movie version of “Watchmen” stayed my hand.

  187. 187.

    gogol's wife

    @Dog Dawg Damn:

    Not me. It’s Vanity Fair that seems to be doing something for me. Thackeray’s bitter, sarcastic voice and his utter contempt for humankind is really the ticket right now.

  189. 189.

    JPL

    @tobie: Maybe from her mom. Her speech was amazing and I hope that she is a presence in rebuilding the party. More important, I hope she is a presence in destroying Trump and the Republican party.

  191. 191.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dog Dawg Damn: The classic X-Men Days of Future Past comes right to mind. Its dated, but its still a classic.

    I’m thinking DC Comics Trinity Vol. 1, 2, and 3 might work:
    https://www.amazon.com/Trinity-Vol-DC-Comics/dp/1401222773/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479347747&sr=8-4&keywords=DC+comics+trinity

    Both of these are dystopian and the X-Men one is also definitely political. I generally don’t read dystopian or political comics, so I’m probably the wrong guy to ask unless they’ve done a story arc that includes them. I know that Dwayne McDuffie’s Icon, originally in the Dakotaverse and now part of DC’s regular continuity, dealt with a lot of political themes. I think most of them have been collected in graphic novel/omnibus format. Icon is an alien that crash lands in the ante-bellum south and is rescued by an enslaved African American woman. His capsule alters his form to hers and she raises him. So we’ve got African American appearing alien of amazing powers. Given that he’s practically immortal he occasionally changes his identity, but he’s a bar qualified lawyer who eventually becomes the superhero Icon and the hero’s arc, which is political, is that his understanding of the political, social, economic systems, as well as race and ethnicity undergo some major adjustments as he leaves his sheltered confines.

    I think that a lot of the Black Panther comics are similarly political.

    Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.

  194. 194.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dog Dawg Damn: *Lindsey Graham* has asked for an investigation into Russian influence on the election? Holy God, *I* may need a fainting couch for that news!

  196. 196.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Pogonip: I’m Jewish and I can do most of those in Spanish (Jesuit High School, Tampa, FL – Spanish teachers were very Catholic Bautistaites that had fled ahead of Castro).

  198. 198.

    Quinerly

    @tobie:
    I posted this morning but the thread was dying. If you want to be sick, cruise over to a favorite blog, No More Mister Nice Blog…he has an entry with all the post election conspiracies about her behavior election night. Disgusting lies. One site linked is insistent that CNN is covering up the story. I didn’t click the links just read the blog entry.

  201. 201.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @tobie:
    @Quinerly:
    @JPL:

    She is so strong. I admire her lavishly. I hope, after she spends some justified time curling up in a fetal position sucking her thumb, like all the rest of us, she will find some wonderful noisy public position to inspire us to action. I’m ready intellectually but not yet emotionally. Hillary is an inspiration.

  202. 202.

    Dog Dawg Damn

    Good Morning America is reporting that Michael Flynn will be National Security Advisor. This is a 5 alarm fire, folks.

  208. 208.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SiubhanDuinne: There is a part of me that hopes that she will just go play with her grandchild and enjoy her life. “Fuck it; I’m done.” That same part of me wants the Obamas to do the same. “This is what you fuckers want? Fine, wallow in it, assholes.”

    They won’t, but it would be justified.

  212. 212.

    Quinerly

    @Mary G:
    She looked good…a little different. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Probably just exhausted and NMFTG re having to do all the make up shit, etc….She was in her element…voice strong, cute expressions, great smiles…those didn’t look forced. A terrible injustice has been done in this country. In my 56 years, other than the death of my parents, I have never had anything affect me this hard. Just not bouncing back. Talked to a stranger…woman about my age in Lowe’s today. We both just looked at each other and started crying. A Black salesman…young…came over and just “knew.” We didn’t say what we were crying about. He just looked at us and said, “my mother is devastated.”

  213. 213.

    Miss Bianca

    @cmorenc: this is the thing that enrages me: that these assholes could make me feel almost NOSTALGIC for Shrub and Cheney. The mind reels. I didn’t think it was *possible* to get worse than them!

    @Major Major Major Major: Oh, ye of little faith.

  220. 220.

    Deborah

    @Joyce H: Women are planning a protest march in Washington on Jan 21. Why not also make it a “Save Medicare and Social Security” protest?

  223. 223.

    Corner Stone

    I can’t stand to watch a second of that fucking piece of shit Trump or any of his god damned kids, and I can’t get enough of the grace and calm and inner strength of either President Obama or HRC.
    This fucking country.

  224. 224.

    tobie

    @Quinerly: I’ve been genuinely horrified at the viciousness directed at HRC since her defeat not only from the right (which I expected) but from the left. It’s more than unseemly. It’s like gang violence. I really feel compelled to stand up against it. If this is what the Democratic party has become, I don’t want any part of it.

  225. 225.

    Quinerly

    @FlipYrWhig:
    Speaking of yard signs, chatting with a friend on the phone this AM. We both live in the city of St. Louis…different neighborhoods. We both have noticed MORE HRC yard signs post election than before. Call Peggy Noonan (or was it Jennifer Rubin?…my brain is truly fried….Kathleen Parker?)

  226. 226.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Deborah: I am not an organizer of the march so it is not up to me, but I think that one of the problems on the left is the tendency to make a protest be all things to all people. Let this one be about women’s rights. Do one the next week or next month on Medicare. Let each one have meaning. No “Free Mumia” signs and no giant puppets.

  227. 227.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mary G: My niece was one of those!

    The only good thing, for me personally, is that I see this national debacle bringing me and my sisters and my nieces closer together. Most of the men in my family – trump voters, one and all. Maybe not my one nephew who is in the diplomatic corps and actually groks how grotesquely unqualified for the job trump is, but the others – not so much.

    @Omnes Omnibus: No…no giant puppets? Awww…(political theater person Haz a Sad).

  230. 230.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: Except Kobach doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You can’t divert dedicated funds for other uses. DHS or Department of Interior or whatever can’t simply stop funding a program and use the funding for something else. Its against the law. I’m always wondering where these folks all got their law degrees from.

  231. 231.

    Peale

    @Miss Bianca: I know. Someone needs to make one of those “this is not normal” lists about the Bush II administration so that we remember just how awful that was. We don’t want nostalgia to blind us to our history.

  232. 232.

    Quinerly

    @tobie:
    You don’t want to get me started on this topic….I went off on a nutcase BS supporter over the weekend. He was vicious in some remarks…personal about her, called her a hag…then started bitching over her Iraq war vote. Turns out he is an unrepentant 2000 Nader voter…still proud of it. I almost slapped him.

  234. 234.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: I talked to my brother tonight. He called; He waited until today because he figure that after a week I could probably face talking to people.* He said that he is seriously reconsidering lifelong friendships. That, if these people are so fundamentally different in their beliefs from him, their shared experiences and sports team loyalties really don’t mean all that much.

    *Mom gave me until last Sunday evening.

  237. 237.

    smintheus

    “Don’t be afraid.”

    I really think those words of Donald Trump should be memorialized too. A former teacher once joked about Nixon’s most famous statement (“not a crook”): “How many presidents would tell you that?”

    I feel the same way about Trump’s most famous assurance. How many presidents-elect would ever need to say that?

  239. 239.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Miss Bianca: Its actually very good. They did a good job updating it – the context is more the Bush/Blair 00s than the Reagan/Thatcher 80s – and removing the maguffin and a few of the odder bits from the graphic novel. The casting was, by and large excellent (if you want an itty bitty brunette actress with an English accent, hire Keira Knightly, not Natalie Portman – morons!) and the acting was good. I highly recommend it!

  244. 244.

    Miss Bianca

    @Adam L Silverman: most excellent, I thank you! ‘Twill be cued up after “Dr. Strangelove”. Funny, this is the first time in 30 + years I’m actually *craving* to watch that movie again!

    @Omnes Omnibus: “Symptom of the rot”?! You’re killing me, over here…but then, perhaps you’d disapprove of “Ladies Against Women”, as well…oh, my heart, my heart!

  246. 246.

    Corner Stone

    @Miss Bianca: Its actually very good.

    Do not, DO NOT, Listen to him. The movie “V for Vendetta” is fucking awful. If you thought Watchmen was no good, very bad, awful? V for Vendetta is right in that slot. It is an awful movie and a waste of time in so many ways. Stay away.
    I once spent two weeks one night watching Watchmen. Never again. And the same for V.

  247. 247.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dog Dawg Damn: It is not unexpected. He doesn’t need Senate confirmation, nor does he need a waiver from DOD as he would for a Senate confirmation position.

  248. 248.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Miss Bianca: no the puppets were dumb. Nothing that makes you look dumb, people.

    Imagine one of those “I Am A Man” protests except 9% of the people are dressed like they just got back from Burning Man and 1% are violent anarchists, and you can see the problem with modern leftist protests.

  252. 252.

    dogwood

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    I’ve been blabbing a lot here because my close friends aren’t yet at a place where we can talk about it. A few short texts back and forth checking in is about all we can handle right now.

  255. 255.

    Corner Stone

    @schrodinger’s cat: I want to retreat into a reality that doesn’t have this disgusting attempt at a human being leading my country. Unfortunately I can’t make that happen for a few more years, if ever.

  257. 257.

    Miss Bianca

    @Major Major Major Major: Oh, dear God…LOL over here! Course, my experience with puppets is when they’re in the hands of masters who are actually trying to say something with them…

    Leftists in general are annoying me these days, whether it’s their ineptitude at putting on a show or their gullibility or their too-ready embrace of misogyny and victim-blaming. Is it wrong?

  258. 258.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I just emailed you and ruemara (if she’s around) about Saturday. Short version: Southern Californian is paranoid about rain and wondering if she’s being a big baby. I actually don’t mind tromping around in it a bit as long as I have an umbrella and raincoat, but it makes seating more limited.

  259. 259.

    Corner Stone

    @Miss Bianca: I will fight any motherfucker who attempts to make the argument that the movie versions of Watchmen or V for Vendetta are good and/or watchable.
    They should be mazel tov cocktailed in their abode if they try that fucking bullshit on.

  261. 261.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Omnes Omnibus: back when I was involved in protest organizing (way back in the day like ten years lol) we were extremely careful to stay on message and toss out the rabble. We also coordinated our civil disobedience, as far as possible, with the relevant authorities. These were folks trained by Cleve Jones. It’s not exactly a lost art.

  271. 271.

    Peale

    @Miss Bianca: yeah. I guess I can get the “identity” protests more readily than I can the economic left. They aren’t really for jobs. They don’t like corporations. If we managed to bring back coal mining jobs to Kentucky, they’d hate us for being corporate neoliberal toadies, even though those are the jobs the people say they want. They expect us to win without taking more than 50 cent donations. They hate the democrats who actually have won in those blue collar states, except Bernie Sanders, the last honest man in the world.

  277. 277.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Dog Dawg Damn: You’re welcome then. The Trinity story is three volumes. You have to read carefully as there is a continuity shift in the story and its easy to get lost.

  280. 280.

    Mnemosyne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    From previous meetup experience, I’ll say that you don’t want a place that’s too loud/noisy, or we won’t be able to have a conversation. But I am very fond of Vietnamese food.

    I’m traveling with a backpack, so now I’m trying to figure out how to stay warm and dry while shlepping my laptop with me all day. First World Problems!

  281. 281.

    Miss Bianca

    @Peale: word.

    @Dog Dawg Damn: and for non-dystopian (but not “utopian” by any means) graphic novels offerings these days, may I suggest “March, Book One” by Congressman John Lewis with Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell? Heartbreaking and inspiring. Inspiring for diving into these dark days of renewed white supremacism….

  283. 283.

    dogwood

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Protests like those organized by Rev. Barber serve an important role. But taking to the streets, waving signs and sparking altercations with counter-protesters hurt the cause. One third of the protesters who were arrested in Portland didn’t even vote.

  288. 288.

    Peale

    @dogwood: yep. Were they expecting us to do the voting? Because we did. Maybe that’s because we’re well off? Maybe because we thought that would help us win and cause Trump to lose? Maybe we weren’t fooled that he was a closet left winger based on who he hung out with? Maybe because we don’t like breaking things?

  292. 292.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Corner Stone: Watchmen is/was, indeed, horrible. I felt the same way about the graphic novel. In many ways the movie was actually better than the graphic novel, but they are both still awful.

    I respectfully disagree with you on V for Vendetta.

  293. 293.

    Peale

    I mean, seriously leftists who didn’t vote. You didn’t win. Hillary’s loss doesn’t mean you won. Trump won. We came in second by a hair.

  294. 294.

    Mnemosyne

    @dogwood:

    Vietnamese food is one of the reasons I mock people who hate cultural appropriation. The Vietnamese took their own food, combined it with French cuisine, and created the best food on the planet. A bahn mi is the world’s perfect sandwich.

  296. 296.

    dogwood

    @Peale:
    I always hate it when Republicans talk about democrats hating America. But I’ve never been under any illusion that leftists don’t hate this country.

  299. 299.

    Mary G

    @Miss Bianca: Don’t tell Corner Stone, but I really enjoyed “V for Vendetta” too. Hugo Weaving is a great actor even in that unmoving mask and Natalie Portman isn’t as annoying as she can be. If you’re in a “burn it all down” mood you might enjoy it.

  302. 302.

    dogwood

    @Mnemosyne:
    There are Thai influences as well. Years ago I went to Kauai for Christmas, and straight from the airport my friends dragged me to their employee Christmas party. They run a vacation rental/property management company. That year they had the party at a condo and had the head of housekeeping and her husband do the food. There were at least 20 dishes. Best meal I’ve ever had.

  308. 308.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mnemosyne:

    A bahn mi is the world’s perfect sandwich.

    Sorry, it’s banh mi, and it’s the world’s second-best sandwich. The Reuben, of course, is the first. But for banh mi, you have to go to Hanoi or (ideally) Hoi An.

  311. 311.

    ChrisGrrr

    @Patricia Kayden: Yes, even if his likeness was, uh, not obtainable and a tagline with his name had to do.

    I’d rather see it on there, even if dolts would read too much into seeing him. Others made a good call – flip the image of King, or at least put it on the right side. A “fatter” font, perhaps but not ideally in a bold condensed or (ulp) narrow derivative, would be easier.

    I’d want a couple of stickers, or a T-shirt…

  312. 312.

    ChrisGrrr

    @Corner Stone: Well, I haven’t seen “Watchmen” but I bought “V” so I may be a m-fer fixin’ to tussle.

    Now, I just made a note for my to-do list to read “V” and I will admit to being only a little less ignorant than I was about pertinent history… so I might change my tune, okay. But I was quite surprised by how compelling the movie was. Weaving, Fry and even Portman were far better than I expected. The writing and direction have to be part of the reason why.

    But for now, bring it on.

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