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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

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Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

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Bark louder, little dog.

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Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

He really is that stupid.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

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Anne Laurie is a fucking hero in so many ways. ~ Betty Cracker

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

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

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Thursday Morning Open Thread: Star Wars Day

Thursday Morning Open Thread: Star Wars Day

by Anne Laurie|  May 4, 20176:14 am| 95 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Popular Culture, World's Best Healthcare (If You Can Afford It), Daydream Believers

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"Always remember your focus determines your reality"#StarWarsDay #moviequotes pic.twitter.com/hnQafllmcJ

— Alina (@Hollyalina) May 4, 2017

And for those of us who are so old we remember the days before Star Wars…

… Remembering Leonard Nimoy is an intimate journey into Leonard Nimoy’s personal life. Featuring stories from his childhood growing up in Boston, his early career in Hollywood, his big break out role on the Star Trek series, highlights from his remarkable career- to the remaining years of his life battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The film features interviews with Leonard’s closest family members including his children, Julie and Adam, his wife, Susan, step-son, Aaron and his six grandchildren sharing poignant stories and special memories. This memorable documentary also includes never-seen-before home videos and photos…

What else is on the agenda for the day?

Contact your reps – now! Tell them to vote NO on #ACA replacement. Millions would lose coverage if passed. https://t.co/rWMkdmS4oe #AHCA pic.twitter.com/j9ejFBuybb

— AMA (@AmerMedicalAssn) May 4, 2017

How can House vote on a bill tomorrow when GOP's "Pledge to America" promised all bills would be public for 3 days before a vote? pic.twitter.com/uN5yb98Dka

— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) May 3, 2017

Because on-topic, leftover from the pre-dawn scare…

BREAKING: A Tardis has just appeared outside Buckingham Palace, Queen about to announce Dalek invasion #BuckinghamPalace pic.twitter.com/bBw0ZeAWNW

— Martyn Bradbury (@CitizenBomber) May 4, 2017

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Reader Interactions

95Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ? ??

  2. 2.

    Smedley the uncertain

    May 4, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Good Morning.

  3. 3.

    SiubhanDuinne

    May 4, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Funny Tardis tweet is funny.

    ETA: Morning, rikyrah ?

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 6:23 am

    Time to call.
    Time to continue with the fight.

  5. 5.

    Mustang Bobby

    May 4, 2017 at 6:23 am

    “May the fourth be with you.” — Han Tholo.

  6. 6.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 6:25 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  7. 7.

    Just one more canuck

    May 4, 2017 at 6:31 am

    The Queen is the next Doctor

  8. 8.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 6:35 am

    @Mustang Bobby: Ouch.

  9. 9.

    Immanentize

    May 4, 2017 at 6:40 am

    @Just one more canuck: that would be a good choice for Who?

  10. 10.

    satby

    May 4, 2017 at 6:44 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ? rikyrah and all!
    Raining here again.

  11. 11.

    Immanentize

    May 4, 2017 at 6:46 am

    I just switched from iPhone to Android. I really like my new phone — I went from a 5S to a 1+ 3t w a 128 gig storage capacity. Amazing. But I have to push two buttons to refresh a page so I am pissed. #firstworldprobs.

  12. 12.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 6:47 am

    Get ready for the next distraction. I only got through a quarter of the article. Most all of the RWNJ sites have something up on it this AM: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4470040/Obama-s-sex-drugs-past-laid-bare-new-biography.html

  13. 13.

    Schlemazel

    May 4, 2017 at 6:49 am

    @Quinerly:
    The always reliable Daily Mail

  14. 14.

    Immanentize

    May 4, 2017 at 6:52 am

    @Quinerly: of course that includes every a racist wants in a story about Obama:
    Gay? Check
    Hyper-hetero? Check
    Drugs? Check
    White girl sex? Check

    I’m surprised they didn’t get rape in there so he could be lynched outright.
    I hate this current world.

  15. 15.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 4, 2017 at 6:54 am

    @Immanentize: Who cares though? President Obama’s classiness shines brighter with every day that Orange Bigot occupies the White House. The fact that Republicans/Rightwingers are obsessed with President Obama is a testament to the fact that he had zero scandals during his 8 year presidency and left this country (and world) better than he found it at the beginning of his presidency.

    Let them rage on so all may know them mad.

  16. 16.

    PsiFighter37

    May 4, 2017 at 6:59 am

    Apparently the House bill contains provisions to exempt members of Congress from repeal.

    Fucking motherfuckers, they really think they can do that? I hope they vote on it today, so that those stupid motherfuckers will walk the plank next fall. That’s so stupid. Like mind-numbingly stupid.

  17. 17.

    Immanentize

    May 4, 2017 at 7:00 am

    @Patricia Kayden: I like that way of viewing it all. Thank you for re-perspectivizing me this morning.

  18. 18.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 4, 2017 at 7:01 am

    When my wife is home the cat sleeps in. When my wife is away, for some reason the cat decides that a quarter to six is a good time to get up. I disagree with this and am growing pretty tired of it, frankly.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 7:02 am

    @PsiFighter37: Yes, they think they can do that. They will continue to do that until the American voter stands up to them. We’ll see if 2018 is that time.

  20. 20.

    satby

    May 4, 2017 at 7:05 am

    @Patricia Kayden: yeah, I read the article and it’s breathlessly “reporting” the average experience of a twenty-something in those years. Though highlighting repeatedly the funny names of his best friends to add in a little “secret Muslim” bashing too. The usual haters will feel justified and the rest of us will be bored.

  21. 21.

    satby

    May 4, 2017 at 7:05 am

    @Gin & Tonic: today is the day to get the pins out, right? Good luck!

  22. 22.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 4, 2017 at 7:06 am

    @PsiFighter37: What did you expect? Did you really think that Republicans were going to suffer from the consequences of their own horribleness? Naw. That’s for the peons and little people.

  23. 23.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:09 am

    @Patricia Kayden: You’re forgetting BENGHAZI!!!!!! The most heinous act of indifference by an administration since the Bowling Green Massacre. Or maybe the BG massacre didn’t happen after Republicans didn’t approve more funds for security at diplomatic facilities?

    I don’t know, I get so confused…

    ps: And don’t forget Fast and Furious! the gun smuggling investigation gone bad that Obama didn’t start but came to light after he was President!

  24. 24.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 4, 2017 at 7:10 am

    @satby: Of course, I don’t know the Obamas personally but I love everything about them — including Bo and Sunny. They’re just a classy family (and gorgeous too). There is nothing that anyone has ever said about them which has changed my opinion that they were too good for this country and deserved better than all the nonsense thrown their way. I could care less about what any Rightwinger/Racist has to say about my President and First Family at this point in time.

    My focus is on resisting and surviving the current White House Occupant and his minions in Congress. Now that we have one protester being arrested and found guilty of laughing at the racist Attorney General, our focus needs to be on stopping this regime from taking away our constitutional rights.

  25. 25.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 4, 2017 at 7:11 am

    @satby: Yes it is. I can’t wait. It’s been seven weeks since I broke it and six weeks since the surgery. It would be nice to be able to use my right hand for something again.

  26. 26.

    Patricia Kayden

    May 4, 2017 at 7:13 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: It’s amazing that Republicans could even open their mouths to say anything about Benghazi when President Bush oversaw the greatest terrorist attack on American soil on September 11, 2001. And an argument could be made that he and other administration officials (looking at you, Condaleeza Rice) was warned in advance of the possibility of terrorist attacks in a dossier prior to 9/11. Republicans have nothing to say to me about terrorism or keeping this country safe.

  27. 27.

    Elizabelle

    May 4, 2017 at 7:13 am

    Some ammo for your calls to Congress.

    VICE news has an excellent article up on the GOP’s latest attempt to gut Obamacare. It’s succinct and gives a lot of detail of what’s in the bill, and cuts through one GOP talking point that those with pre-existing conditions will be protected. Once the states pursue waivers, that protection could be shelved.

    Hmmm. Thinking a subscription to Vice, and to the New Yorker, would more than adequately cover dropping the Fuck the Fucking New York Times (All the news that’s fit to normalize Trump and the creeps and morons who put him there).

    Putting the Vice article up in its full entirety, which might not be fair use — but look at how much information they provide — unflinchingly and concisely.

    The Vice journalists tell you what the bill would do, not what their Republican sources want you to think. It is beauty.

    Republicans rush Trumpcare vote to happen Thursday without CBO score

    Republicans leaders in the House of Representatives announced Wednesday night that they will vote on Thursday to replace Obamacare with a renegotiated Trumpcare bill they expect will pass.

    After months of haggling, Republicans expressed confidence they had finally crafted a bill that will get the 216 votes necessary. “Do we have the votes? Yes. Will we pass it? Yes,” said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the second-highest ranking Republican.

    The Trump administration is putting enormous pressure on members to support the new president in his first major legislative initiative, and it’s possible that McCarthy and Republican leaders are calling the vote and projecting confidence as a final lean on squishy members.

    If more than 22 Republicans vote against the bill and no Democrats vote for it, as expected, then the bill will fail. At least three dozen members are either opposed or have not taken a public position, according to a count by HuffPost. The margin for error is so narrow that Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah is flying back early from Utah after he abruptly left last week to have foot surgery.

    “We must not let them succeed,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said of Republicans in a speech at Emily’s List annual gala Wednesday night.

    The real-world consequences of the bill are mostly unknown since House Republicans are voting before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has had an opportunity to analyze the legislative text. They have yet to have any hearings on the new bill and were still changing the official legislative text when they announced the vote late Wednesday.

    When Republicans attempted to pass the first version of Trumpcare in March, the CBO estimated that 24 million fewer people would have health insurance in the next decade if it became law. This amended version would allow states to obtain a waiver to opt out of health insurance regulations, including the requirement that companies do not discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies could then charge people with preexisting conditions several times more for coverage. States would also set up high-risk pools to help those patients but the proposals floated so far have not had sufficient funds to avoid passing on the enormous premium hikes.

    The new bill will also allow insurance companies to charge the elderly up to five times more for health insurance than the young and decrease insurance subsidies for the elderly. The powerful AARP has deemed the new bill an “age tax.”

    The changes were made in response to demands of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and other conservative outside groups who had largely opposed the last attempt to repeal Obamacare. They argued that more health insurance regulations had to be repealed in order to bring down premiums, regulations which Democrats argue protect consumers and ensure that all people receive adequate health coverage.

    Unlike the last attempt at repealing Obamacare that ended in criticism from both sides of the aisle, conservative outside groups and members of Congress have been throwing their support behind the bill or simply remaining neutral. The House Freedom Caucus, the most prominent opponents of the last bill, officially endorsed the new bill, along with the influential group Club for Growth. Heritage Action, which opposed the bill in March, said they would not take a position on the current bill.

    Even if the bill passes the House tomorrow, its fate is still uncertain in the Republican-led Senate. Many Republican Senators, who have mostly muted their criticism in recent weeks, initially expressed deep reservations about the first Trumpcare bill, citing its cuts to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, and the Senate is expected to make significant changes should it pass the House.

    That’s not very many words, but comprehensive and complete absence of FTFNYTimes squid ink. Clarifies a confusing topic.

    (1) They call it Trumpcare. And Obamacare. And nothing else in this article.

    (2) Makes it clear the congressional offices are fibbing when they tell you their bill includes protections for those with pre-existing conditions. It’s crystal clear that, while those folks will still have access to health insurance — as they have access to fancy cars, luxury vacations, the Fyre Festival — the insurance will not likely be as affordable.

    I heart Vice.

  28. 28.

    debbie

    May 4, 2017 at 7:14 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Good luck!

  29. 29.

    JMG

    May 4, 2017 at 7:17 am

    The Obamas drive their haters crazy for two reasons. One is obvious. The other is related to the first. They are visibly happy. They are enjoying their lives and their children’s lives to the fullest despite not being white. Listen to any talk show. Those callers sound like they’re happy with their lives in any way? And because to them life is a zero-sum game, Obama is a black man who took their rightful share of happiness.
    This is pathological, but we are a deeply ill society.

  30. 30.

    debbie

    May 4, 2017 at 7:17 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Listened to an NPR interview with Rep. Tom Cole (TN?) who is a supporter of this bill. He insisted giving the states the right to set up pre-existing pools was the way to go because “the people” would hold the state government more accountable than they would the federal government. Besides, the Senate is sure to change it.

    Last night, I believe it was a rep from Alabama who said people could always move to a different state if they didn’t like their state’s pool set-up.

    Give me a break. This stinks far beyond high heaven.

  31. 31.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 7:20 am

    @JMG: This is true.

  32. 32.

    HeleninEire

    May 4, 2017 at 7:29 am

    Mediate and Page Six reporting that Joe and Mika are engaged. I don’t know why, but this made me laugh out loud.

  33. 33.

    amk

    May 4, 2017 at 7:32 am

    @JMG:

    we are a deeply ill society.

    True for the other half of murkkka.

  34. 34.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    May 4, 2017 at 7:32 am

    @debbie: You know if Rep. Cole, he’s from OK, doesn’t feel accountable; maybe he should go into another line of work.

  35. 35.

    Kay

    May 4, 2017 at 7:34 am

    @Quinerly:

    Oh, please. They backed Trump. They lost the ability to weigh in on other people’s marriages. They might not want to go down this road. Christ. Talk about glass houses.

    I’m shocked Obama had a girlfriend before Michelle. I was assuming he remained celibate until marriage. If I find out Michelle had a boyfriend before she got married I may have to become a Republican.

  36. 36.

    greennotGreen

    May 4, 2017 at 7:35 am

    @Immanentize: How much does the Daily Mail pay per line? I might as well make some money while I’ll lying around waiting for my escort to the beyond.

    And update on that: I had a peaceful night last night. The only physical problems I seem to be having are intermittent nausea and heartburn, and throat irritation due to my NG tube. I tire so quickly that I often have trouble typing and have occasionally had my nephew type email replies for me. Sometimes when friends come by, I really do tire and have to ask them to leave, and more than once I terminated a call, purportedly due to tiredness, because the callers were having trouble coming up with something to say.

    Also, because she hasn’t quite entered hospice (family has more research to do) my mother is still sleeping and generally living in the recliner next to my bed. Her transition from sleeping to waking can be very long so we get entertaining soliloquies about whether the hospital doors are locked.

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:37 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Nice to hear the finish line is in sight.

  38. 38.

    Elizabelle

    May 4, 2017 at 7:39 am

    @debbie: Twas a congresscritter from Charlotte, NC who suggested people with pre-existing conditions could move to find healthcare. Because it’s so easy, and that’s fair.

    Robert Pittenger, 9th district, North Carolina.

    And yes, he’s a Christianist. Christ, and then real estate. Because Jesus was all about driving the sick and sad out of our midst.

    Per Wiki:

    Pittenger was born in Texas and attended the University of Texas. After graduating he worked for Campus Crusade for Christ before moving to Charlotte in 1985 and becoming a real estate investor.

    and he’s on a roll:

    In February 2005, he proposed a medical malpractice bill that would cap non-economic damages at $250,000 for physicians, hospitals, and long-term care facilities.

    In 2006, Pittenger sent a book called The Skeptical Environmentalist, to his senate colleagues. He has denied global warming.

    … Pittenger lives in South Charlotte with his wife, Suzanne, and their four children. A former longtime member of Central Church of God, he now attends another large evangelical megachurch in Charlotte known as Forest Hill Church

    I think he might get moved out of his office, come January 2019. Spend more time with his family, feet, and bible.

  39. 39.

    Gin & Tonic

    May 4, 2017 at 7:42 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: It is, thanks. Although reading this thread now I feel badly that my “finish line” and greennotGreen’s are so different. It really helps me put my own whining in perspective.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    May 4, 2017 at 7:43 am

    Christopher Hayes‏Verified account @chrislhayes 17h17 hours ago
    More
    Reminder. Basically every group with skin in the game opposes the GOP healthcare bill.

    Yeah, sorry but all these paid advocates are bad at their jobs. The time to oppose rollback of Obamacare was 2010.

    How did they think this was going to go with a GOP Congress? The Catholic hospitals are the most infuriating. They literally spend the last 5 years screaming about the evils of Obamacare. It was more important to focus on contraception than tens of millions of low income children.

    Actions (and inaction) have consequences. Enjoy the 25% cut in Medicaid, hospitals and industry groups. You earned it.

  41. 41.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    May 4, 2017 at 7:43 am

    @PsiFighter37: That’s just the best.

    They hate Obamacare so much they’ve voted to repeat in 50-60 times, yet it’s sooooooo terrible they’re keeping it for themselves.

  42. 42.

    debbie

    May 4, 2017 at 7:44 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Yep, sounds like a real Christian!

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:44 am

    @amk: We are ill too. We are infected with them.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    May 4, 2017 at 7:44 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Lobbying sounds like a natural move for him.

  45. 45.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:45 am

    @greennotGreen:
    You are in my thoughts. I have enjoyed your postings for many months…perhaps years. Keep checking in with us.?

  46. 46.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 7:46 am

    @Kay: This. People need to learn they can’t take us for granted.

  47. 47.

    Elizabelle

    May 4, 2017 at 7:46 am

    Congresscritter Pittenger (R-Nascar Country) authored a on how families can protect themselves against terrorism.

    Because that’s such a greater threat than, oh, bad health, the genetic lottery, accidents, families losing their homes because of medical-bills induced bankruptcies. Man’s got his eye on the ball.

    He’s all about religious freedom, too, except for those freaking Muslims.

    From his 2013 campaign brochure:

    Congressman Pittenger’s district holds the second biggest financial center in America, set in Charlotte, with an emergent nationally renowned collection of energy firms. District 9 is home to “NASCAR Country,” with over a dozen NASCAR teams and several of the best drivers in the sport.

    As a leader in Congress on terrorism, terrorist financing and unconventional warfare such as cyber warfare, Congressman Pittenger has spoken with nearly 200 world leaders and security experts to promote improved global cooperation in the battle against ISIS and radical Islamist jihad. He also gathered over 100 Members of Parliament from 28 European nations for conferences in Washington and Austria to discuss terrorist financing, intelligence, and cyber-security concerns with United States Congressional leaders. Currently a fourth forum is being planned. Congressman Pittenger also created a manual to assist average Americans defend their families and businesses against terrorist attacks.

    …. He headed the fight for medical litigation reform, for lowering taxes for families, and for eliminating Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse. Congressman Pittenger has been recognized for his dedicated support of the Second Amendment while also sponsoring Right to Life legislation and the marriage amendment.

    Linky: http://www.robertpittenger.com/about-robert-pittenger/

  48. 48.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:48 am

    @Gin & Tonic: Perspective is something we all need.

  49. 49.

    Elizabelle

    May 4, 2017 at 7:48 am

    @greennotGreen: Good morning. Does our hearts good to see you here. Best to you and your mom.

  50. 50.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 7:49 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: No thanks. I’ll stick with self-pity.

  51. 51.

    EBT

    May 4, 2017 at 7:49 am

    It’s cinco de quatro all over again.

  52. 52.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:51 am

    @Schlemazel:
    Yes, I know how bad the Daily Mail is. Trash. But it’s only reporting on this 1000 page plus biography that is coming out (already out?). Just saying to get ready for the author to start making the rounds on all the shows to promote the book. Anybody want to lay odds on Trump tweeting about the book?

  53. 53.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    May 4, 2017 at 7:55 am

    Ronald Brownstein‏ @RonBrownstein 8h8 hours ago

    “no hearings, no studies, no CBO analysis, not even text of a bill circulated the day b4 vote”

    201 replies 3,680 retweets 3,400 likes

    they’re voting on a bill that doesn’t even exist in writing.

    imagine if the Dems tried pass a non-existent bill, with no hearings, no committee mark-up, no floor debate, and no estimate of tax payer costs and public impact. The freaking liberal media would be going nuclear.

    IOKIYAR

  54. 54.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 7:56 am

    @HeleninEire:
    If any two ever deserved each other, it’s those two. I listened to 10 mins of the show this AM…my beach WIFI is out and I was flipping to find local news…they are horrible people. It’s a nightmare when the first face you see in the AM is Mark Halperin.

  55. 55.

    amk

    May 4, 2017 at 7:56 am

    @Kay:

    If I find out Michelle had a boyfriend before she got married I may have to become a Republican.

    LOL.

  56. 56.

    Baud

    May 4, 2017 at 7:58 am

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:
    Deem and pass!

  57. 57.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 8:01 am

    @Baud: Just like a rainbow needs the rain, self pity is a prerequisite for perspective.

  58. 58.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 8:05 am

    @Immanentize:
    I’m just saying that a 1000 plus page biography of Obama that supposedly reveals “dirt” is going to get a lot of airtime. It’s already a #1 Bestseller on Amazon (to be released 5/9). Amazon snippet is comparing it to Caro’s LBJ series. I don’t get up in the AM and go to the Daily Mail as a first read.? Just saw that Breitbart and all breathlessly reporting on it. I don’t give them the clicks.

  59. 59.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    May 4, 2017 at 8:07 am

    Rachel Sachs‏ @RESachs

    “I’m not going to cut Medicaid,” Trump said. AHCA guts it by $880 billion, covering 14 million fewer people

    5:27 PM – 3 May 2017
    28 replies 1,059 retweets 803 likes

    On the bright side, revolutionary Susan Sarandon will not be affected.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 8:08 am

    My head hurts: Rex Tillerson: ‘America first’ means divorcing our policy from our values

    The English language, how does it work? Hey ASSHOLE. America First is the one and only value you have and you base your foreign policy on that and that alone. Well, that and greed, but I think it’s fair to say that’s what they mean when the say America First..

  61. 61.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:08 am

    @PsiFighter37:
    Obamacare for me and not for thee ?

  62. 62.

    bystander

    May 4, 2017 at 8:08 am

    @HeleninEire: Joe and Meeka? The new Stewart and Joseph Alsop? Matalin/Carville? Or Mary Healy and Peter Lind Hays?

  63. 63.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:10 am

    @Patricia Kayden:
    Forever FLOTUS already was de-aging

    Now it seems as if 44 is too.
    With every picture of them, the haters seethe ??

  64. 64.

    bystander

    May 4, 2017 at 8:10 am

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Even Susan’s Black Panther beret will have nary a crease in it.

  65. 65.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:11 am

    @Gin & Tonic:
    I hope all goes well for you today ?

  66. 66.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:12 am

    @Kay:
    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA ??

  67. 67.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:14 am

    @greennotGreen:
    Been thinking of you.
    Sending you positive thoughts and prayers.

  68. 68.

    David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch

    May 4, 2017 at 8:16 am

    @bystander: more like the new burns and allen.

    Mika is such a ditz, if someone asks her to “say goodnight, mika”, she would respond, “goodnight, mika!”

  69. 69.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 8:16 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    He is the Secretary of Exxon.
    The rest of this doesn’t matter to him.??

  70. 70.

    OzarkHillbilly

    May 4, 2017 at 8:28 am

    @rikyrah: I thought he was the CEO of Ex… Oh wait a minute, unlike Trump, he had to give up that position.

  71. 71.

    Oldgold

    May 4, 2017 at 8:30 am

    For a mumber of years Mika has projected herself as an exemplar for working women.

    She a wrote a book, held big seminars, created and gave out an award, and talked endlessly anout her struggles in the work place.

    Now, we find out she was banging the boss.

  72. 72.

    Quinerly

    May 4, 2017 at 8:43 am

    George Will is alarmed. The University of PA is mortified: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-a-dangerous-disability/2017/05/03/56ca6118-2f6b-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html?utm_term=.0a6d72b34154

  73. 73.

    SFAW

    May 4, 2017 at 8:50 am

    @Oldgold:

    Now, we find out she was banging the boss.

    Well, isn’t that the only way the wimmins can get jobs more difficult than getting coffee for the menfolk?

    Yee-fucking-haw.

  74. 74.

    low-tech cyclist

    May 4, 2017 at 8:54 am

    Tin soldiers and Nixon coming…

  75. 75.

    SFAW

    May 4, 2017 at 8:56 am

    And, although I miss Leonard Nimoy, I’d like to take a moment to honor the memory of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Glenn Miller, Sandy Scheuer, and William Schroeder, who SHOULD have been enjoying their retirement by now.

    Fuck Nixon.

    ETA: And low-tech cyclist beat me to it, although it’s certainly not a competition.

  76. 76.

    satby

    May 4, 2017 at 9:12 am

    @greennotGreen: blessings to you and your mom. So happy you had a peaceful night! People on the phone (and in person too I bet) want to say how much they love and will miss you, but they often can’t because it acknowledges that an ending might be immanent and our magical thinking says that if we name something it might come true. So know in those awkward moments that’s what they struggle with saying. We all struggle saying it, because we don’t want it to be true that you will be gone someday.

  77. 77.

    laura

    May 4, 2017 at 9:13 am

    @greennotGreen: Good morning greennotGreen (and Rikyrah), I’m keeping you close in my thoughts and wish you Grace and ease.
    Please stay.

  78. 78.

    laura

    May 4, 2017 at 9:20 am

    @laura:
    https://youtu.be/1-UC8eF-YP8

  79. 79.

    Ohio Mom

    May 4, 2017 at 9:22 am

    @greennotGreen: You keep on taking good care of yourself. Claiming tiredness to end a phone call is genius. You come first from now on.

    Wishing you continued comfort and peace.

  80. 80.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    May 4, 2017 at 9:28 am

    @greennotGreen:

    I’m glad you had a good night. Please keep us updated. Your dignity shines through every word you manage to communicate, and your equanimity is inspirational. Many many blessings to you on this journey we’re all on.

  81. 81.

    chopper

    May 4, 2017 at 9:33 am

    @greennotGreen:

    good to see you here.

  82. 82.

    Ric Drywall

    May 4, 2017 at 9:58 am

    Al alternative to Star Wars Day (for Jazz fans):

    https://cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/folder961/68250961.jpg

  83. 83.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 10:01 am

    Brother of Teen Killed by Police Was Handcuffed and Held Overnight: Lawyer
    by SAFIA SAMEE ALI

    An older teen who was in the car when his 15-year-old brother was fatally shot by a Texas officer was himself then handcuffed and hauled off to a jail cell overnight — “for no apparent reason,” an attorney who represents the boys’ family said on Tuesday.

    The 16-year-old brother of high school freshman Jordan Edwards was sitting in the same car with him the night a Balch Springs police officer fired multiple rifle rounds at their vehicle.

    One of the bullets hit Jordan in the head and he later died from the injury.

    “After seeing his brother get shot, Jordan’s older brother was handcuffed and taken by police for no particular reason,” said Lee Merritt, the family’s lawyer. He was not a suspect and there were no charges against him, he said.

    Although police later said they took the brother and kept him in order to question him as a witness, none of the other teens in the car were taken, he said.

    The teen spent the night in jail and was released the next morning — and it was only then that he found out about his brother’s death, he said.

  84. 84.

    SWMBO

    May 4, 2017 at 10:11 am

    @greennotGreen: Peace and comfort to you, as always. It lifts my spirits to see you here. You will be missed more than you know when you’re gone.

  85. 85.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 10:30 am

    Trump believes Middle East peace process may not be ‘difficult’
    05/04/17 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    Last week, Donald Trump told Reuters, “I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians. There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians – none whatsoever.” There are, of course, all kinds of reasons standing in the way of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It’s one of the most difficult diplomatic challenges on the planet.

    The comment, however, was apparently a reflection of the amateur president’s genuine beliefs. In fact, he reiterated the sentiment yesterday during a White House appearance with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

    Trump offered himself as a “mediator, arbiter or facilitator” to help reach a peace agreement between Israel and Palestine, but said, “Any agreement cannot be imposed by the United States or any other nations.”

    Despite the decades of failed efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region, Trump said his administration has a “very, very good chance” to get it done

    .

  86. 86.

    rikyrah

    May 4, 2017 at 10:31 am

    Republican health plan undermines special education, too
    05/04/17 10:15 AM
    By Steve Benen

    At first blush, it may seem counter-intuitive to think the Republicans’ regressive health care plan would affect education policy. It’s bad enough to realize GOP lawmakers are prepared to take away health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans, but if they’re going to target schools, they’ll have to do so in a different bill, right?

    Wrong. The New York Times reports:

    With all the sweeping changes the Republican bill would impose, little attention has been paid to its potential impact on education. School districts rely on Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor, to provide costly services to millions of students with disabilities across the country.

    For nearly 30 years, Medicaid has helped school systems cover costs for special education services and equipment, from physical therapists to feeding tubes. The money is also used to provide preventive care, such as vision and hearing screenings, for other Medicaid-eligible children.

  87. 87.

    sheila in nc

    May 4, 2017 at 10:46 am

    @greennotGreen: NG tubes suck. No pun intended. They are really, really not fun.

  88. 88.

    SFAW

    May 4, 2017 at 10:50 am

    @rikyrah:

    Trump believes Middle East peace process may not be ‘difficult’

    Actually, he’s right.

    Well, if one side were completely wiped out, that it. But genocide’s not a crime in Shitgibbon’s brain, I expect — as long as it’s the “right” people who get wiped out.

    He is such a fucking moron.

    Fuck Comey
    Fuck Jill Stein
    Fuck Mitch McConnell
    Fuck Trey Gowdy/Darrell Issa/Pigface Chaffetz/ZEGS
    Fuck the Rethuglicans
    usw.

  89. 89.

    LAO

    May 4, 2017 at 10:55 am

    @Quinerly: This Penn alum is plenty mortified as well.

  90. 90.

    Citizen_X

    May 4, 2017 at 11:14 am

    @rikyrah:

    There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians – none whatsoever.

    Andrew Jackson agrees.

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    May 4, 2017 at 11:35 am

    @rikyrah:

    Well. We knew it, we have known for a long time that the Republicans are, at the top, pure evil greed! They seem intent upon proving it right now. Setting the nation back literally decades right now, if they can in any possible way kill off our culture of helping one another.

    With this vote on a vaporware bill, nothing in writing, no review, no committee hearings, they seem to be taking a big swipe at our democratic traditions of public government, as well. Obviously afraid that if people know what is in the bill it will have an impact on their comfortable existance.

    I’m a little amazed that they plan to keep Obamacare for Congress, yet think it possible to take it away from all their constituents. The campaign ads write themselves now. And killing off special ed too, what good christian men these folk are!!

    At times like these I wish I were a Christian, and expected these guys to wake up in hell, with the Lord telling them for all eternity why they were in whichever circle they were in, right out of Dante. Embedded in frozen waste, being eaten by demons, actually on fire, all for not being a real Christian. For being a greed xtian taker rather than giving to those in need.

    We don’t even want them to give those in need from their own pocket, but to use our pockets of tax money, that were set up to help those in need, and make a more perfect union. But no, they won’t eve do that. Horrid monsters in priest’s clothing for a feeble disguise.

  92. 92.

    Brachiator

    May 4, 2017 at 11:42 am

    @David ?Canadian Anchor Baby? Koch:

    Ronald Brownstein‏ @RonBrownstein 8h8 hours ago

    “no hearings, no studies, no CBO analysis, not even text of a bill circulated the day b4 vote”

    Mere details. I recall that Republicans whined that the Obama health care bill was so big that no one had time to read it and to consider what was in it, but the bad, bad Democrats were “rushing” the bill through. And most of all, Obama, the Kenyan Usurper, could not be trusted.

    But this is different. The country is being run like a business. Trump is a white man, and you know, white people can be trusted. All you need is a phone call and a handshake. And so the deliberative process of democracy can be done away with. Too much procedural nonsense.

    And so we will get a vote, and the pundit shows will all be about “WHAT THIS VICTORY MEANS FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!”

    And the American people? Who cares about them? Bunch of suckers.

  93. 93.

    NotMax

    May 4, 2017 at 11:58 am

    Watched the Nimoy doc a few months ago on Netflix.

    Eminently skippable, mediocre production. Too bad as was expecting better.

  94. 94.

    NotMax

    May 4, 2017 at 12:02 pm

    Hmmmm.

    Death Star blew up Alderaan.

    Muslim planet?

  95. 95.

    Brachiator

    May 4, 2017 at 12:31 pm

    @Immanentize:

    @Quinerly: of course that includes every a racist wants in a story about Obama:
    Gay? Check
    Hyper-hetero? Check
    Drugs? Check
    White girl sex? Check

    I read the thing. Yawn. One of the things I loved about it is how alarmed the author of the biography supposedly is over Obama’s ambition. My God, that devious Obama apparently wanted to be president from early on. All that community organizer stuff was just a pretext to disguise his dastardly plan to become president and try to help the country. What nerve.

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