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So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

T R E 4 5 O N

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Come on, man.

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Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

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People are complicated. Love is not.

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

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

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You are here: Home / Politics / America / Today in Domestic Terrorism and Stochastic Violence: Cemetery Take 2

Today in Domestic Terrorism and Stochastic Violence: Cemetery Take 2

by Adam L Silverman|  February 26, 20174:09 pm| 110 Comments

This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, domestic terrorists, Election 2016, Open Threads, Politics, Post-racial America, Silverman on Security, Not Normal

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Headstones damaged at Philadelphia Jewish cemetery https://t.co/1ATqWl8hsG

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 26, 2017

WISSINOMING (WPVI) —

Dozens of headstones at a Jewish cemetery in the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia have been broken and overturned.

The Philadelphia police say this was an act of vandalism at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery on the corner of Frankford and Cheltenham avenues.

…

The damage is widespread all across the cemetery with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of headstones affected.

…

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia tells Action News they will be opening a mailbox at jewishphilly.org later Sunday to begin raising money to help speed up the repairs of the cemetery.

This isn’t the only activity so far today. There’s also this:

Vandals target Orchard Park cars, bridges with Nazi and racist graffiti in Buffalo. Evil and hatred must be stopped. Now.

— Emmanuel Nahshon (@EmmanuelNahshon) February 26, 2017

And in an update on the shooting in Olathe, KS we have the following two interesting pieces of information:

Sean Spicer’s official statement:

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that it was “absurd” to suggest any connection between President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and a triple shooting in Kansas that some witnesses described as racially motivated.

“Any loss of life is tragic but I’m not going to get into that kind of — to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd, so I’m not going to get any further than that,” Spicer told reporters during a press gaggle recorded by the Washington Post.

Juxtaposed below with the President’s remarks during the campaign about how words and ideas matter.

Trump: words are magical and their very utterance kills terrorists.

Spicer: Words are harmless, especially the racist and xenophobic ones. pic.twitter.com/veXUtVgfwo

— Daniel Denvir (@DanielDenvir) February 25, 2017

And preliminary evidence that words and ideas do indeed matter and seem to have for Adam Purinton the alleged shooter:

Madasani, also a Garmin engineer, told The New York Times on Friday that Purinton had been sitting near him and Kuchibhotla on the bar’s patio. Madasani said he asked them what type of visas they were on and whether they were in the U.S. illegally. Both were in the country legally.

Stay frosty!

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Reader Interactions

110Comments

  1. 1.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 4:13 pm

    Adam, I remember you saying with the previous cemetery desecration that there was a religious concern that meant that the bodies would have to be exhumed and moved. Is that only when the actual gravesite has been desecrated in some way, or is the toppling of the tombstone enough to make that necessary?

  2. 2.

    CarolDuhart2

    February 26, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    How soon will we see the revival of “self-defense” groups like the Panthers and the Jewish Defense League? Or congregations paying for armed guards to patrol properties at all times? I remember the 60’s when incidents like this led to that. Of course, back then, the authorities were less sympathetic.

    If one of those folks puts a cap into a vandal, so be it.

  3. 3.

    Jeffro

    February 26, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    When the shooter is white, it’s always a mystery as to what the motive could possibly have been…

    Not to take away from this, but for the week ahead, I’d sure like to see the media asking how Trumpov and Bannon are going to square this circle: New National Security Adviser essentially says, “It’s Dumb to Throw the Phrase ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’ Around For A Multitude of Reasons, You Jerkwads”

    Hey Trumpov, just a little pro tip for you: if you dismiss McMaster, you’re going to be in an even bigger world of hurt, with even more (numerous AND determined) enemies than last week. And last week, just for the record? You had a lot of determined enemies.

  4. 4.

    lollipopguild

    February 26, 2017 at 4:19 pm

    Whether we like it or not we are going to see a lot more of this. Trump has given people permission to act out their anger.

  5. 5.

    Ruckus

    February 26, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    @lollipopguild:
    Whether we like it or not we are going to see a lot more of this. Trump has given people permission to act out their anger fucking stupidity.
    FIXIT for you.

  6. 6.

    HRA

    February 26, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    Orchard Park is not in Buffalo, NY. It is a town and village outside of Buffalo where the Buffalo Bills stadium is located.

  7. 7.

    schrodingers_cat

    February 26, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    It would not have mattered a whit to this person if the two people who he shot were born in the United States.

  8. 8.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    @Mnemosyne: There are two different rules potentially in play. One is about not being able to consecrate space that has experienced violence. Two of the best known examples of this are 1) the remains under the Temple Mount – when the 2nd Temple was built they had to install these huge vaults between the original foundation (the site of violence when the 1st Temple was destroyed) and the foundation/base for the 2nd Temple and 2) Auschwitz. If you recall there was a bit of a to do when a Catholic religious order wanted to establish a shrine at the site. There’s no Jewish, as in religiously/ritual, shrine there because you can’t consecrate violent ground.

    The other has to do with reuse of a grave. So, for instance, when my Dad died we found out that they had buried someone else in the plot that had been purchased by my parents years before (three plots one for my now deceased Dad, one for my still very alive Mom, and one for her at the time very alive and subsequently deceased mother/my maternal grandmother). So Mom picked a new set of plots, we buried Dad, and made arrangements to have my grandmother’s remains moved per the original intentions. The plot/grave where my grandmother was originally buried cannot be reused – so it will remain a void in the cemetery.

    In this case, I’m pretty sure as long as the damage was superficial they’re just going to fix the headstones. The biggest issue is that this is quite an old cemetery – I’ve been there. So if headstones and other markers are sufficiently damaged, and they’re for some of the oldest graves, it can make replacing them difficult.

    Semi break

    Funny funeral story. When my Dad’s mom died it turned out that they had buried someone else in her pre purchased plot. A plot that was next to one for my grandfather and in a row adjacent to a number of our deceased relatives. When we got to the cemetery my crazy (and by crazy I mean bugfuck nuts) aunt lost and was demanding that they dig up the remains of the woman (also a distant relation by marriage) so that my grandmother could go into her spot. We finally got my aunt calm down (as much as she was ever calm), and the cemetery just moved my grandparents’ plots one row up. I honestly expect, on the day as far away as possible, that when we go to bury my Mom, they’ll have screwed up and buried someone else next to my Dad. And we’ll have to run through the drill all over again!

    And who said funerals can’t be fun!

  9. 9.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:29 pm

    @CarolDuhart2: I’ve done some consulting with local congregations about the best way to proceed. If yours, or anyone you know, have questions, please feel free to have them contact me. I’ll be happy to assist as best I can.

  10. 10.

    Oatler.

    February 26, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    We use passive verbs for all the evil shit that happens. An “incursion” took place in the cemetery; nobody “did” anything. Waiting to hear “officer-involved pogrom”.

  11. 11.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:32 pm

    @lollipopguild: An entire generation of it to be precise:
    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/02/cpac_invented_an_alternate_history_of_the_alt_right.html

    On Thursday, white nationalist Richard Spencer was thrown out of the Conservative Political Action Conference. As security escorted him to the door, a college junior in a blue blazer and fashy haircut followed him. “I’m representing the alt-right club at Penn State,” said James O’Mailia, who then invited Spencer to come and speak. “Please come!” he said. “We’ll host you and everything.”

    Michelle Goldberg
    MICHELLE GOLDBERG
    Michelle Goldberg is a columnist for Slate and the author, most recently, of The Goddess Pose.

    O’Mailia’s club, the Bull-Moose Party, was formed to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign; it made news last year for building a pro-Trump plywood wall around an American flag on campus. He says he grew up as a “George W. Bush conservative” and got into the alt-right, in part, through Breitbart. “It’s the new punk rock,” he said, meaning it’s edgy and subversive.

    O’Mailia was resentful that people on campus had called his group racist. “In this new social justice warrior–dominated society, people will look at someone waving the American flag as being a white supremacist,” he said. That may be, I replied, but he just invited Spencer, an actual white supremacist, to speak at his school. “I just think it’s a good idea to bring his opinion into it,” he shrugged.

    Much more interesting and disturbing reporting at the link.

  12. 12.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    @HRA: The guy works for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. From Tel Aviv, that’s good enough for government work.

  13. 13.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    @lollipopguild: Worse, you’re seeing CBP and ICE spin wildly out of control already. The are a hammer, and every individual has become a nail.

  14. 14.

    debbie

    February 26, 2017 at 4:36 pm

    @Jeffro:

    I cannot believe they’re using “alleged” for this guy.

    I am about to get into it with my Trump-voting family over these desecrations.

  15. 15.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    @Oatler.: For a lot of things. The missile impacted civilians. The gun went off. These are inanimate objects that can only be animated through human action. They don’t just get up and drop themselves on a wedding or shoot themselves at other people.

  16. 16.

    aimai

    February 26, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    @CarolDuhart2: The reason these guys target cemeteries is that the victims are, by definition, dead. Same reason so much mortuary art is in museums. Its easy to steal from the dead. There is not going to be an armed Jewish patrol of cemeteries, and these vandals know it. Cemeteries, for the most part these days, are not nestled in communities at all. I probably have ancestors buried in that Philly cemetery, no one in the family lives there anymore.

  17. 17.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    @debbie: I used alleged because that is the technically correct term. We know he was the perpetrator. He has identified himself to a third party and been identified by survivors and witnesses as the perpetrator. But he gets his day in court. So he’s alleged to have been the shooter.

  18. 18.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    February 26, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    Didn’t Pence stand on a grave while yammering away and delaying clean up efforts at the vandalized cemetery in St. Louis? While his motorcade was fucking up school bus routes?

  19. 19.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:40 pm

    @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: I have no idea what he was standing on.

  20. 20.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    A question came up last night about whether DiFi should be primaried. This is why I don’t think she should be:

    Top Senate Dems demand answers on Trump’s China trademark from Rex Tillerson—a decision they say could violate the Constitution. pic.twitter.com/jDihC8hJt1

    DiFi is on Intelligence and is ranking on Justice. I’m glad that she’s pushing this.

  21. 21.

    Mike in NC

    February 26, 2017 at 4:42 pm

    Seems that a lot of Trump supporters thought those “Purge” movies were documentaries.

  22. 22.

    debbie

    February 26, 2017 at 4:43 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    It’s not just him. Local news reports used “alleged” for the guy who mowed through the Mardi Gras parade. They arrested him on the scene so they know he’s the one who did it. Talk about PC!

  23. 23.

    skerry

    February 26, 2017 at 4:44 pm

    Since this is an Open Thread, I’ll share that I had to say good-bye to my cat, Zoe, yesterday. She was 16. I’m really depressed and it has hit me harder than I anticipated. Always a hard decision to make, but it was the right one for her.

  24. 24.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    This is interesting. Structural elements are coming together. We’ll see where they might intersect with Democratic efforts.

  25. 25.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    @skerry: I’m so sorry to read that. We’ll keep good thoughts.

  26. 26.

    Betty Cracker

    February 26, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    I was also struck by the KS shooter’s remarkably detailed inquiry into his victims’ visa status and Spicer’s unconvincing denial of the connection. Trump has demonized immigrants from the moment he came down the escalator to launch his campaign.

    He paraded crime victims’ families around as props at rallies, implying that immigrants are a uniquely dangerous group when in fact they’re more law-abiding than US-born citizens. Trump has blood on his hands.

  27. 27.

    Frankensteinbeck

    February 26, 2017 at 4:47 pm

    @lollipopguild:
    This was one of the biggest reasons his supporters voted for him. They knew the federal government would look the other way with hate crimes.

  28. 28.

    Calming Influence

    February 26, 2017 at 4:47 pm

    I just caught the tail end of a piece about this on MSNBC; the other guy shot was a patron who chased the shooter out of the place. They were interviewing him in the hospital: He said “I did what anyone would have done. We’re all human…” This good human had a whitish complexion, by the way. If anyone hears where you can donate to help either the family of the murder victim or the good Samaritan, could you post it?

  29. 29.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:49 pm

    @debbie: The ‘alleged’ doesn’t cast doubt on whether he was involved, rather whether he committed a crime or not. Was he really drunk or did he have a medical problem, etc.

    And give a bit of leeway that a vehicle driven into a crowd is now assumed at first blush to be a terrorist act, so even if it was a DUI, it wasn’t a deliberate terrorist attack, just massive dumbfuckery that should still go to jail, but isn’t a component of some larger plot.

  30. 30.

    Yutsano

    February 26, 2017 at 4:50 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    And who said funerals can’t be fun!

    You should have been at my uncle’s. He was quite a character and there were just too many funny stories from his past not to share. I laughed harder than at the last comedy show I was at.

    I didn’t cry until they read my cousin’s statement. About who would walk her down the aisle.

    @Calming Influence: There’s a GoFundMe link. Will try to see if I can find it.

  31. 31.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    February 26, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    So many of his phrases were borrowed from Fox News. He was a man without purpose all his life. This borrowed language gave him purpose.

    We should just call them Fox News shooters.

  32. 32.

    raven

    February 26, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    @Yutsano: Ever see the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” where he misses his mom’s funeral and then finds out she couldn’t be buried in the Jewish Cemetery because she had a tattoo on her ass? God it was funny!

  33. 33.

    Gelfling 545

    February 26, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Orchard Park is a rightish affluent town south of Buffalo. They don’t expect this type of rude behavior! Welcome to Trump’s America.

  34. 34.

    gbbalto

    February 26, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    @Calming Influence: Just google kansas

    shooting gofundme. Already huge response!

  35. 35.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    @Calming Influence: Here’s a gofundme for the good samaritan.

    Here is for the two people targetted.

  36. 36.

    Betty Cracker

    February 26, 2017 at 4:54 pm

    @skerry: Sorry for your loss. So hard to lose a beloved companion. ☹️

  37. 37.

    geg6

    February 26, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    @? Martin:

    I signed up. We all should.

    @skerry:

    I’m so sorry. I’ve had to make the same decision and can sympathize completely. Fur babies take a piece of our hearts with them.

  38. 38.

    Calming Influence

    February 26, 2017 at 4:56 pm

    @skerry: Sincere condolences. Very sorry for your loss. I’m stepping away from my desk now to hug our cats and spend a little extra time with them.

  39. 39.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 4:58 pm

    @skerry:

    I’m so sorry. FWIW, 16 is a very good run for a cat, so you obviously did well by her. It’s not much comfort right now, I know.

  40. 40.

    schrodingers_cat

    February 26, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Its a white supremacist meme, T just mainstreamed it. Conflating undocumented, those on long term visas, GC holders, naturalized foreign born citizens and or natural born citizens but with one or more parent born overseas with “suspicious” and “criminal”. What did you think the whole birther saga against President O was about.

    ETA: If you are not white, you are not right.

  41. 41.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    @geg6: Yeah, I can’t join everything and am struggling to figure out where to put my energy. That looks like a big winner though.

  42. 42.

    Mike in NC

    February 26, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    @skerry: RIP Zoe. Condolences.

  43. 43.

    Iowa Old Lady

    February 26, 2017 at 5:00 pm

    @skerry: I’m sorry, Skerry.

  44. 44.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    February 26, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    @raven: I liked the one where the main character (I got a senior moment here)wanted a putter that was going to be buried with his friend’s dad, only to be caught because he likes cashews, and one was found in the casket.

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Well, that definitely helps reinforce my decision to be cremated instead of buried!

    Since we’re all Catholics, the comedy usually happens during the wake, not the funeral or burial. Funeral homes are wise enough to ban liquor, but that’s why my father-in-law made his arrangements at the funeral home across the street from his favorite bar.

  46. 46.

    Betty Cracker

    February 26, 2017 at 5:02 pm

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: If Anwar al-Awlaki ate a drone for radicalizing people online, maybe it’s good enough for Hannity, et al. ?

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    And after a while, even the “wrong” whites become suspicious, which is why that Australian children’s book illustrator was detained. Speaks with a foreign accent? Must be a suspicious person!

  48. 48.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 5:05 pm

    I think Josh Marshall has the right term for this: The Great Disinhibition.

  49. 49.

    hovercraft

    February 26, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    @lollipopguild:

    Trump has given people permission to act out their anger.

    They “won”, by hook and by crook, but they “won”. They are taking their country back, they are MAGA, why the hell are they such sore winners. Shouldn’t we be the ones lashing out, our plan to take over the nation and enslave white people, especially white men has been thwarted. Should the “illegals” and the “blacks” be out rampaging in the streets? I know Chicago is lost at this point, the violence and crime have overtaken it, but why hasn’t that spread yet?

    The man and his minions are truly a reflection of his supporters, nasty bitter people who only derive satisfaction by making other people as miserable as they are. Assholes.
    Sadly this will only get worse, that gnome at the Justice Department will not do anything to stop it, if anything he will cheer them on.

  50. 50.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Good god, that’s a great idea.

  51. 51.

    schrodingers_cat

    February 26, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    @Mnemosyne: True, they will keep tightening that circle till it can be tightened no more.

  52. 52.

    debbie

    February 26, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    I must say, this is a more effective idea than I’d thought of for Trump’s address:

    WASHINGTON — Democrats have invited immigrants and foreigners to President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress in an effort to put a face on those who could be hurt by the Republican’s policies.

    Lawmakers typically get one guest ticket apiece for presidential addresses, as they will for Tuesday’s prime-time speech, and the invites often go to family, friends or someone from back home. To send a message to Trump, Democrats have invited the Iraqi-American doctor who discovered elevated levels of lead in the blood of many children living in Flint, Michigan; a Pakistani-born doctor who delivers critical care to patients in Rhode Island and an American-born daughter of Palestinian refugees who aids people like her family in their quest to come to the United States.

    “I want Trump to see the face of a woman, the face of a Muslim, and the face of someone whose family has enriched and contributed to this country despite starting out as refugees,” said Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., whose guest Tuesday will be Fidaa Rashid, a Chicago immigration attorney.

  53. 53.

    lurker dean

    February 26, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: yes, that is the twitter thread i was looking for. these assholes are encouraging this shit.

    ‏@AnandWrites Feb 24
    What I learned reporting on the Stroman spree, which occurred right after 9/11, is how such an act is dependent on circles of enablement.

    @AnandWrites Feb 24
    Frankly, Stroman wasn’t intellectually sophisticated enough to channel his anger in this direction on his own. He needed help.

    @AnandWrites Feb 24
    When I reviewed his letters, prison writings and blog posts, what amazed me was how he had stolen so much language from his social betters.

    @AnandWrites Feb 24
    It mattered greatly what politicians and pundits said, because it gave his inchoate drifter emotions a purpose and a narrative.

    @AnandWrites Feb 24
    He heard talk of “enemy combatants” on the news. He was inspired by that to call himself an “allied combatant.”

    @AnandWrites Feb 24
    So many of his phrases were borrowed from Fox News. He was a man without purpose all his life. This borrowed language gave him purpose.

  54. 54.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:11 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Economy priced receptacle?

  55. 55.

    Truckyoulint

    February 26, 2017 at 5:12 pm

    @Calming Influence: Ian: https://www.gofundme.com/a645d-ians-road-to-recovery

    Alok: https://www.gofundme.com/alok-madasani-medical-relief-fund

    Srinu: https://www.gofundme.com/srinus-familyrecovery-support

  56. 56.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    @hovercraft: Actually they think you are violently lashing out:
    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2017/02/john-boch/ttags-armed-intelligentsia-sound-off-on-civil-war/

  57. 57.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I get pissed at my fellow white Roman Catholics sometimes, because we have ALL had the experience of having some Baptist evangelize us because they think Catholics aren’t Real True Christians. Why they think white Catholics are going to be on the inside once the white supremacists take control, I have no fucking idea. Catholics may be further down on the KKK’s “to do” list, but we’re still on there.

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    True story: when my mom was picking out the urn for my dad’s ashes, I kept trying to talk her into getting the one that could hold two sets of ashes, but she didn’t want it because I kept referring to it as “the double-wide.”

  59. 59.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:15 pm

    @lurker dean:

    where are all these white men radicalized? Oh right, in their cars and living rooms.

  60. 60.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    @hovercraft:

    They want a race war, and by “race war” they mean the good ol’ days of the early 1900s when white people could raze black towns to the ground with no retaliation.

  61. 61.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Marketing is everything.

  62. 62.

    Yutsano

    February 26, 2017 at 5:18 pm

    @skerry: My goodness I’m sorry. Much love and health to all of you.

  63. 63.

    Greenergood

    February 26, 2017 at 5:19 pm

    @skerry: Skerry, so sorry. My feline companion is 14 yrs old, and I’m so happy he’s alive, but waiting in dread for the day when I realise he’s not happy here any more. It’s such a hard call – and I’m sorry you had to make the big decision. But you’ve made the right decision – and your cat is the better for it. JIt’s hard, but just that …

  64. 64.

    mai naem mobile

    February 26, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    @skerry: I am sorry about Zoe. I am sure you have some wonderful memories of her. I know this isn’t a small decision but I find getting another pet quickly helps(especially a young animal that needs training) because it keeps your mind occupied.

  65. 65.

    Immanentize

    February 26, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Catholics may be further down on the KKK’s “to do” list, but we’re still on there.

    True story — I come from largely Czech immigrant family with my grandparents coming here from Moravia and Bohemia. When my Aunt was born in upstate NY in the 30’s, my grandparents received a post card that said: “Three is too many. KKK”

    Those assholes like Bannon still think that the “culture” of America is white and protestant. It was no mistake that Gorsuch is a protestant.

  66. 66.

    lollipopguild

    February 26, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    @hovercraft: They “suffered’ horribly for 8 LOOOOONG years while the kenyan nazi/commie secret terrorist who was going to kill us in our beds while we slept(right after he took all of our guns away from us) was running the country and running their country into the ground. It’s revenge time for all of their “suffering”.

  67. 67.

    Immanentize

    February 26, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    @skerry: I am so sorry. It hurts, I know. My last cat, Maria Theresa, lived to be 16 too. Great cat life, but people live longer.

  68. 68.

    lollipopguild

    February 26, 2017 at 5:27 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Bad child! Bad child! 10 lashes with a wet noodle!

  69. 69.

    Ruckus

    February 26, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    @? Martin:
    I wrote the other day that I think she has done her time but that she is not by far the worst democratic senator we’ve ever seen. Yes she does some things that need to be done but I’d still like to see her at least pick someone to replace her next time around. I think we can do better.

  70. 70.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    @Immanentize: Bannon is Catholic.

  71. 71.

    Shell

    February 26, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    @skerry: Oh, skerry, I am really sorry. But you did do everything you could.

  72. 72.

    Immanentize

    February 26, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Oh yeah — I keep forgetting given his so un-Catholic views. But he does ft in well with the Church Without Christ Catholic Cultural Warriors.

  73. 73.

    Villago Delenda Est

    February 26, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Projection. It’s what these assholes do. Always.

  74. 74.

    Shell

    February 26, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    Anybody seen any of the Oscar nominated movies?

  75. 75.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Bannon is deluding himself about his “friends,” then. He may be a useful tool to the Christianists like Franklin Graham, but he’s just as expendable as Kushner.

  76. 76.

    Immanentize

    February 26, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: OK, I am now pushing back — he was raised Catholic, but I can’t see anything about him being a practicing Catholic other than his culture warrior stuff. Where does he attend Mass?

  77. 77.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    @Shell:

    I’ve seen four: Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Moana and Zootopia. All were excellent.

  78. 78.

    stinger

    February 26, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    @skerry: So very sorry.

  79. 79.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: That guy is on the President’s firearms advisory council or whatever its called. If you read his stuff you’d think it was safer to be in East Mosul than in Chicago.

  80. 80.

    skerry

    February 26, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Thanks for the condolences, everyone. I knew this was a caring group.
    It’s been a too quiet weekend. Even the dog knows something is different, but he can’t quite figure it out. He’s been sitting on/near me all day. Zoe had a good run and is now with her litter-mate that we lost 3 years ago.
    Hug your fur-babies tight.

  81. 81.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    @Immanentize: I did not say he was a practicing Catholic. Just that he has publicly identified himself as Catholic.

  82. 82.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    @Shell: I saw Hidden Figures. It was excellent.

  83. 83.

    Calming Influence

    February 26, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    @Yutsano: @gbbalto: @? Martin: @? Martin: Thanks for the links.

    @CarolDuhart2: As an orthodox atheist with Viking roots, when I shuffle off this mortal coil my solid bits are going in the fire. But I’ll volunteer to guard religious cemeteries in a heartbeat.

    @all: have you hugged your pet today? DO IT NOW, DAMMIT!

  84. 84.

    Immanentize

    February 26, 2017 at 5:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I know — common conflation. Itr reminds me of one of my favorite Jonathan Winters jokes (when he was a great stand up). — “I’m not really a Jew, I’m Jew-ish.”

  85. 85.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    @Immanentize: It is what it is.

  86. 86.

    Shell

    February 26, 2017 at 6:00 pm

    Hug your fur-babies tight.

    Will do!

  87. 87.

    ? Martin

    February 26, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    @Ruckus: We can do better, but it’s going to be a long time before we have a ranking member on a committee and we have these plum assignments. Those things matter as well.

  88. 88.

    Pinacacci

    February 26, 2017 at 6:07 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Holy shit, that link is terrifying. Those people are pure nuts.

  89. 89.

    efgoldman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    @debbie:

    I cannot believe they’re using “alleged” for this guy.

    A decades old convention of both law enforcement and reporting on law enforcement. The theory is, saying in public what everybody knows to be true can prejudice a jury. It goes back to the Sam Shepherd case in the late 50s. Evan Dyllan Roof was “alleged” until he was convicted.
    I also heard reporting last night that he was very drunk. SURPRISE! How could anybody look at he booking photo and not know that.

  90. 90.

    g

    February 26, 2017 at 6:13 pm

    Only saw Moonlight which was amazing, and got Arrival setting on my desk here — missed the Oscar Marathon at my local theater (I saw all but the one that one last year).

    As for the ‘Good White People’ my niece’s friend was missing from school for a few days and her friend told her her family was “hiding from the people who were going to take them away.” This is in the heart of Silicon Valley where that neighborhood’s housing price median is $1.4 million. I’m even wondering about my next China trip and who all can go, and come back. Several years ago one of our engineers got stuck in Canada for months because Border Control didn’t believe our company name was real (and that was during the Obama Administration)!

  91. 91.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    If he hasn’t converted to something else, he’s still a Catholic, and he’s still on the KKK’s shit list, no matter how useful he is to them right now.

    Though if things get so bad that they’re purging Catholics, I will long since be in a camp anyway.

  92. 92.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:30 pm

    @Pinacacci: They are your fellow citizens. Including the guy that cites his own manifesto, which no one has ever seen. And the guy claiming to be a former Soldier who immigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union as a kid and, apparently, hates everyone that isn’t white and Christian (according to his definition).

  93. 93.

    efgoldman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    @aimai:

    I probably have ancestors buried in that Philly cemetery, no one in the family lives there anymore.

    I just realized it’s likely I have distant relatives buried at the Saint Louis one. A large branch of my maternal grandmother’s family moved there in the late 19th century. Anybody there who knows Hopper Furs – they are distant cousins.

  94. 94.

    IdahoFlaneuse

    February 26, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    @skerry: I am so sorry for your loss. Take what comfort you can from knowing you did right by her

  95. 95.

    debbie

    February 26, 2017 at 6:38 pm

    @efgoldman:

    The theory is, saying in public what everybody knows to be true can prejudice a jury.

    If only. I’vw never hears about the “alleged” involvement of BLM in a violent incident. They’re never called “alleged” thugs either.

  96. 96.

    efgoldman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:42 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    If he hasn’t converted to something else, he’s still a Catholic

    I wonder where he goes to confession, and when the last time was….
    Probably Saint Heinrich Himmler

  97. 97.

    efgoldman

    February 26, 2017 at 6:43 pm

    @debbie:

    I’vw never hears about the “alleged” involvement of BLM

    If someone ever gets arrested and charged with a real crime, you will.

  98. 98.

    Seth Owen

    February 26, 2017 at 6:43 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: They got a nerve calling themselves Bull Moose. TR would not be amused.

  99. 99.

    john fremont

    February 26, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    @Mnemosyne: With some of the things I’ve read in these right wing forums about Pope Francis being a commie, what makes my relatives and friends think they’re going to get the benefit of the doubt from these white supremacists I have no idea. After all, these conservative die hards don’t give a rip about the differences between Indians, Pakistanis, Sikhs, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Arabs etc.

  100. 100.

    Pinacacci

    February 26, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: That’s what’s terrifying. It’s like putting the glasses on in They Live and looking at your neighbors.

  101. 101.

    Chris

    February 26, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    @hovercraft:

    why the hell are they such sore losers

    Isn’t it incredible? After 2008, there was an upswing in right wing terrorism because they were angry and acting out after losing. After 2016, there was an upswing in right wing terrorism because they were angry and acting out after… winning?

  102. 102.

    Mnemosyne

    February 26, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    @Seth Owen:

    The fact that the assholes who founded the Federalist Society are not constantly hounded by the ghosts of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton is sufficient proof to me that there is no afterlife, because everything about that group is completely antithetical to everything Madison and Hamilton (and Jay) wrote in “The Federalist” (aka The Federalist Papers). IANAL, and even I know that.

  103. 103.

    hovercraft

    February 26, 2017 at 7:29 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:
    What the hell is wrong with you?
    I want my lost IQ points and my two minutes back.
    Once upon a time I would have taken their mutterings as seriously as the guy outside Port Authority, who used to yell at me everyday, but unfortunately many of the people working at the WH agree with that shit. Sigh.

  104. 104.

    Gretchen

    February 26, 2017 at 7:31 pm

    Kansas Republican Party sent out a mailer in October, 2016 saying “Meet Your New Neighbors” with scary Muslim dude with lots of guns, labeled ISIS.

  105. 105.

    Kenneth Kohl

    February 26, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    @HRA: it’s a bedroom community for Buffalo – close enough for those of us who live in the area.

  106. 106.

    sdhays

    February 26, 2017 at 8:29 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Nope. I’m reminded of the proto-Nazi mayor of Vienna who rode to power on anti-Semitism but still had Jewish friends. In his words, “I decide who’s Jewish.” Bannon will be “one of the good ones”, especially since he’s Trump’s Himmler.

  107. 107.

    Adam L Silverman

    February 26, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    @hovercraft: You really need to ask that question?

  108. 108.

    J R in WV

    February 26, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    @skerry:

    Skerry, so sorry for your loss. I just let two mutt lab mixes out after dinner, they’re barking in the woods now. They are part of our daily lives. Two cats now aw well.

    Over the past 40 years we have had about 20 rescue cats, a pair of Maine Coons friends gifted us had a litter of 5 kits on MRs J’s pillow one morning, after we introduced the Mom to half a dozen nests.

    All of these furry kids are part of our lives, and it hurts to lose them, hurts a lot. I know, we’ve been there. But we are also giving them a really good life, comfort, care, warm snuggles, games.

    So hang in there, and when you’re ready, rescue another fuzzy kid who needs a home. It is a healing experience, every time you do it.

    We’re thinking of you and your loss. Take care!

    JR

  109. 109.

    NotoriousJRT

    February 27, 2017 at 4:22 am

    @skerry: So very sorry for your loss. It is hard.

  110. 110.

    No One You Know

    February 27, 2017 at 5:10 am

    @skerry: I’m sorry. The fur people in our lives mean a lot, and even the right decision is hard. I hope you can celebrate the life you shared, even in sadness.

    Wishing you peace.

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