Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

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

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The words do not have to be perfect.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

The revolution will be supervised.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

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

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

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

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Bark louder, little dog.

Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

This blog will pay for itself.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Greetings from the Nutmeg State

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113Comments

  2. 2.

    Hal

    I can’t say I’m looking forward to Supreme Court decisions this fall. Keeping Neil Gorsuch off the Supreme Court was to me as good a reason as any to vote for Hillary Clinton.

    http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2017/06/28/gorsuch_s_first_anti_gay_dissent_has_a_huge_factual_error.html

    In his dissent, Gorsuch made two counterarguments, neither of which is even remotely plausible.

    First, he wrote that the court should have dismissed the appeal because “in this particular case and all others of its kind, the state agrees, the female spouse of the birth mother must be listed on birth certificates too.” What? That issue lay at the heart of this case—but Gorsuch has it exactly backward: Arkansas explicitly refused to list “the female spouse of the birth mother” on birth certificates. That’s how the case wound up at the Supreme Court in the first place.

    I asked Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights—which represented the Arkansas plaintiffs—what he made of Gorsuch’s assertion.

    “That’s just completely wrong,” he told me. “It is patently untrue. Arkansas refused to put the female spouse of a birth mother on the birth certificate. The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld the policy, and the state would not issue birth certificates that listed both same-sex parents.” Minter should know; he represented two couples who were denied the right to “legally accurate” birth certificates.

    On Tuesday, I reached out to the Supreme Court’s public information office to ask whether Gorsuch planned to correct this error. A spokeswoman for the court told me that “as a matter of policy the Court does not comment on its opinions, which speak for themselves.”

    Second, Gorsuch wrote that the plaintiffs’ challenge was incorrect: He insisted they should have challenged the “artificial insemination statute,” not the state policy refusing to list same-sex parents on birth certificates. This reasoning makes no sense. The plaintiffs cited the artificial insemination statute only to prove that Arkansas already listed non-biological parents on birth certificates. They had no desire to overturn it; they merely used it as evidence that Arkansas was not extending a key marital benefit to same-sex couples. Did Gorsuch simply not understand this extremely basic aspect of the case?

    And:

    “Gorsuch is plainly still attempting to revive the biological rationale for treating same-sex couples differently,” Minter said. “I think he’s trying to provide a road map for hostile state courts by suggesting that they should go back to these biological justifications. He wants to recast family law in this narrowly biologistic way that’s reverse engineered to exclude gay people. But that’s not going to work, because state family law is not just about biology. There is no state in the country that limits either legal parentage or birth certificates to biological parents.”

  3. 3.

    JPL

    The family did this last year and we are planning on returning
    3rd Annual Barbecue & Bluegrass
    Tuesday, July 4, 2017, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
    Enjoy barbecue and bluegrass music in the backyard of Barrington Hall. The King family, who built Barrington Hall, held a 4th of July barbecue for their friends and neighbors in the 1800s. We will revisit their tradition with live music, barbecue, beer, soft drinks, and desserts for sale. A children’s area will keep the youngsters occupied with games and crafts. Come enjoy this laid back and musical 4th of July celebration.

    We are hoping that the cloggers will be back. It’s hokey but perfect during the trump years.

  4. 4.

    karen marie

    @Hal: I read that this morning and I just couldn’t …

    He really is the perfect Trump judge though. He has no clue what the basic facts of the case are, yet he feels more than qualified to render one of the pre-programmed opinions he’s been provided by his sponsors.

  5. 5.

    SiubhanDuinne

    John, I hope you and ABC and her kids have a great Fourth of July! Try to avoid blowing off anybody’s fingers with home-made fireworks, okay?

  6. 6.

    zhena gogolia

    Don’t Murphy and Blumenthal make you want to stay here? (not to mention ABC)

  8. 8.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Best part of GoT season six: the play within the play, and Arya’s reactions to it.

  9. 9.

    Thoughtful David

    @Hal:
    Just keep in mind that he’s the Russian justice. He owes his appointment to Putin, so expect him to do Putin’s bidding.

  13. 13.

    ET

    Did anyone see Mika’s tweet? Jut a picture of a Cheerios box that says “made for little hands”…. burn…..

  14. 14.

    low-tech cyclist

    Ominous tweet from Tierney Sneed of TPM:

    Freedom Caucus Chair Meadows is on Senate side working on health care bill, confirms plan for up or down vote in the House (no conference)

    So basically (a) the Senate is the whole ball of wax, and (b) same game as in the House: satisfy the Freedom Caucus, buy off the moderates, rush it through.

    We need some sort of master list of what July 4 parades/celebrations the Senators on the fence are going to show up at this weekend. No town halls, but they’ll be in parades and stuff.

  15. 15.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @ET:

    Yes, saw it earlier today. Was never much of a Mika fan, but that was a genius move on her part.

  16. 16.

    TenguPhule

    Bingewatching Game of Thrones to get ready for the new season.

    If the Gods are kind, none of the current occupants of the white house get out alive for another season.

    Oh wait, you meant the other game of thrones with the ice wall. Not the border wall.

  17. 17.

    mai naem mobile

    @Hal: On NPR this am Nina Totenberg made it sound like Kennedy is going to retire because he hasn’t done all the hires he should have . i know Kennedy isn’t all that great but pretty sure he’s better than a Pence ot Dolt appointee.I don’t normally wish people dead or sick but Dolt is doing all kinds of stuff. Just want to point out that both of Gorsuchs parents died relatively young.
    Anyhow, the Nutmeg state has some great federal and statewide representatives. Murphy,Malloy and Blumenthal. Trying to make up for Lieberman i see.

  19. 19.

    Major Major Major Major

    I drew some nice tarot cards last night for my comic so I’m working on coloring them in tonight. For the 4th I have no plans but four days off, so, sleep it is! Probably pick a BBQ and do that, maybe watch fireworks at my friends’ place on the hill.

  21. 21.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @JPL:
    @eclare:

    I also just googled it. Shocking that I have lived here for so many years but had never heard of Barrington Hall!

    But it looked familiar and I realized I drove past it a couple of times last week heading for my various places where I was assigned to do poll-watching in the special election runoff.

  24. 24.

    Spanky

    From today’s WaPo editorial on Trump’s tweets:

    What gives us hope is the conviction that the American people are better than the misogyny and rudeness we see spewing from the White House. Our politics have always been rough-and-tumble, but most of us don’t want to see this kind of ugliness become the dominant trait. We should all be focused on preserving a little flame of decency so that, whenever the Trump era ends, that flame can be rekindled into the kind of discourse that would make the country proud again.

    Fuck that shit. I’m tired of having to accomodate Republicans. Fuckem.

  26. 26.

    Mnemosyne

    My plan for 4th of July weekend is the same as every weekend — lay around doing nothing and then get mad at myself for it. I’m only half-joking.

    I’m probably going to sign back up for Camp NaNo and see if I can form a habit of writing a minimum of 250 words a day. I’m trying to form a sustainable habit, which is why the goal is so small.

  27. 27.

    Chris

    Question to the floor:

    Anybody know the proper procedure for disposing of an American flag, when it’s one of those plastic ones that go on people’s lawns? The friends I’m living with are trying to get rid of the one some random person planted on the lawn for Memorial Day. I’ve heard that burning it is the thing to do, but I assume that doesn’t apply with plastic. Ideas?

  28. 28.

    Luthe

    Cole, if you’re going to be in Connecticut on a regular basis, the least you can do is organize a meet up for all us commentors who live here.

  30. 30.

    James Powell

    @Hal:

    There is no state in the country that limits either legal parentage or birth certificates to biological parents.

    Not right now, maybe, but put that on the ballot during the midterms and I’m guessing it could become law and/or part of the state constitution in 25 or more states.

  35. 35.

    Lizzy L

    @Chris: Burning is preferred, but flags can also be cut up and buried. You should never burn a plastic or nylon flag. I recommend you check with your local VFW or American Legion post: they should be able to advise you.

  37. 37.

    TenguPhule

    @Ksmiami:

    the only good republican is one that’s dead or in prison

    A Republican in prison is by definition not good.

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    @Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD):

    Can we make it a law that reading or writing for the FTFNYT Style & Culture sections makes it legal for someone to punch you in your stupid fucking douchehole whenever in public? You know, for patriotic duty or shit?

    You mean its not already?

  40. 40.

    Ruckus

    @Chris:
    If you want to wait till June you could give it to the American Legion, who take care of no longer serviceable flags. Let them worry about the material.
    Burning is the accepted method, in a ceremony of some sort. OTOH you are not trying to discredit/dishonor/disgrace the flag so maybe cutting it up and putting it in the trash? It’s a symbol and I don’t get how burning it is any better than any other reasonable method, it’s just tradition. I’m not feeling all that bound by tradition these days, racism is traditional in the US for example. Tradition doesn’t make that right in any way, shape or form.

  41. 41.

    Thoughtful David

    @Spanky: Of course, if the American people were all that good, there wouldn’t be an occupant in the White House spewing that shite. So, we’re stuck with this for a long time.
    And I’m with you: I’m tired of accommodating their poor fee-fees. Fuck every Republican.

  43. 43.

    TenguPhule

    @karen marie:

    He has no clue what the basic facts of the case are, yet he feels more than qualified to render one of the pre-programmed opinions he’s been provided by his sponsors.

    No, its worse then that.

    He knows, but doesn’t care because by his God he will make the rest of us submit to him!

  45. 45.

    Mnemosyne

    @James Powell:

    If it did, it would pretty much grind adoptions to a halt since it’s standard procedure to put the adoptive parents on the birth certificate.

    But probably right that it would pass because it’s not like Republicans ever give a single thought to the consequences of their actions.

  47. 47.

    Mary G

    Noted liberal James Pethokoukis from the flaming left wing redoubt of AEI writes about the terrible economic situation in California:

    The California economy got hit harder than the rest of the country in the last recession. After a sluggish initial recovery, the nation’s largest state hit its stride by the end of 2011 and in the ensuing five years has grown at a 3.5% annual rate—a respectable pace even by pre-secular stagnation standards. Meanwhile, the rest of the country grew at a pokier 1.7% rate over that same period

    Also, too:

    For example, although California accounts for 14% of the country’s GDP, it is where 29% of business R&D is spent, more than the next six largest states combined. Overseas investors also have taken notice: 29% of inbound foreign direct investment (FDI) in the most recent data was destined for California. And in the year ending 3Q16 (the most recent data), 33% of the country’s net new business formation occurred in California.

    Funny. He makes no conclusions and only gets two comments. Our stringent environmental standards and welcoming of immigrants of all kinds seems to be paying off. Whoocoonooode?

  48. 48.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ruckus:

    I have a lot of projects. A LOT. So project paralysis is a big problem for me right now. I can’t choose which one to start on first, so I end up wasting time on B-J instead.

  49. 49.

    Lapassionara

    @Ruckus: I just googled up flag etiquette, and burning seems to be the preferred method. But given that the flag is plastic, I don’t think burning is a good way of disposing of it. In fact, I don’t see too many people observing flag etiquette these days.

    I agree that asking the local American Legion what to do is a good idea. This accomplishes many objectives, including making the person asking the AL for help look like a scout!

  50. 50.

    J R in WV

    @eclare:

    We have spent time in Atlanta, and enjoyed much of it.

    But the funniest road side sign was the First Christian Church of Druid Hills… like no understanding of the contrast in that sign….

  51. 51.

    Mary G

    If you have 58 sections to spare, watch the video in this tweet, in which a Bangkok police officer deals with a man who comes into the station brandishing a knife. I wish our police were all required to watch it and act like the Thai officer does, instead of demonizing and othering citizens.

    the US has a long way to go pic.twitter.com/UNmDDlwfql— joshy adu (@somecrazyness) June 29, 2017

  53. 53.

    Shana

    @Mike J: I love Black Books, but like Seinfeld, you can’t binge watch it. The characters are great, but only in smallish doses.

    I’m in Toledo tonight on my way to my 40th high school reunion in Rock Island, IL. I didn’t much like high school, and disliked Rock Island, but am weirdly looking forward to this. I get to see what the new owners have done to my father’s mid-century designed house (he was an architect and designed the house). After all these years I’m very curious about what the people I liked (from a detached perspective) have done with their lives. I know there were a couple of gay guys who’ve had wonderful lives and am really looking forward to seeing several people who I think will be there.

  56. 56.

    TenguPhule

    Huckabee Sanders is a worthless sack of shit.

    When a reporter at Thursday’s news briefing noted that just two weeks ago, after the shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice, the political world talked of cooling the rhetoric to avoid such violence, Sanders was quick to respond: “The president in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence. If anything, quite the contrary.”

    The balls of this woman.

  58. 58.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?

    For me, I recently got into watching Boardwalk Empire on Amazon Prime. Pretty good so far. Still in the first season. Almost every character is some kind of weirdo or asshole. Really interesting look at machine politics in the 20s and how they blended the line between gov corruption and organized crime

  60. 60.

    Iowa Old Lady

    @Shana: I went to one high school reunion. It was sort of scary. The people who were jerks in high school were still jerks. The popular “kids” hung out together. The people who’d been decent still were. It was like going back however many years that was. Also it was very loud. I felt no need to do it again.

  64. 64.

    Baud

    Amazing Rachel segment on the House actually considering modifying the AUMF from 2001.

  70. 70.

    efgoldman

    @TenguPhule:

    The balls of this woman.

    Holy roller/bible banger. right? I’m no religious/biblical scholar, but i seem to remember something about bearing false witness.

  73. 73.

    frosty

    @Mnemosyne:

    If it did, it would pretty much grind adoptions to a halt since it’s standard procedure to put the adoptive parents on the birth certificate.

    Right. Totally stupid idea. Tough to get a birth certificate with names of biological parents for an abandoned kid found wandering in the market, who doesn’t know anything but his first name.

    Families are made not by blood but by love.

  75. 75.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: I’m working on a romance for this one, maybe we should be writing buddies!

    PS, Did you ever read the sample I sent you?

  77. 77.

    Miss Bianca

    @MomSense: Slings and Arrows! Oh, thank you thank you THANK YOU I have been trying literally all afternoon to think of the name of that show!

    What is “Black Books”, for all love, that you mention it in the same post?

  78. 78.

    MomSense

    @Miss Bianca:

    It’s about some misfits who work at a book shop and it’s a bit of a run down shop not unlike the theater in Slings and Arrows.

    ETA so funny that you were trying to remember that show. I have that problem all the time and it never occurs to me to see if someone here might know.

  82. 82.

    MomSense

    @Miss Bianca:

    I saw some cloggers do a routine to AC/DC once and I have to admit it was kind of awesome. I was never very good at clogging but I can Irish step dance.

  85. 85.

    Miss Bianca

    @MomSense: It’s the same thing, really, just the syncopation is different. I’ve done English step dance and *some* English clog and some French-Canadian step dance. Played for Irish step dancers but never done it myself.

  86. 86.

    Gelfling 545

    Just got back from a performance of Radium Girls at the Manny Fried Playhouse, a small theater space located rather ingeniously in the old Pierce Arrow factory. It was presented by the Subversive Theater Company, so what’s not to love? My granddaughter has been in a few of their productions and in this one had the rôle of Miss Wiley who is what we might call today a community organizer, with her hair in finger waves and a 20’s cloche hat. At the final curtain call the cast raised their fists in resistance. I’m inspired. When Mr. Roeder, the factory owner is told that the book he published under his name talking about the future of radium in industry says radium is dangerous he says “I didn’t know. I never read it.” the muttering & bitter laughter from the audience was very noticeable.

  89. 89.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: more like this, I’m afraid. ; )

    But oh, tango! Would that I could find a man to run away with me to Buenos Aires, for fast horses, red meat, red wine, and TANGO!

  92. 92.

    Ruckus

    @Iowa Old Lady:
    Went to my ten yr reunion. It was a hoot. The best part was when a girl with polio walked in. No braces, no crutches, head held high. Because of course people had made fun of her for the entire 12 yrs of school. I couldn’t understand it for the first few years, then I realized that some people are just fucking assholes. A few of them grow up, many never do. It was a smallish town – only one school for jr high and one for senior high, one really could get to know a lot of the kids.
    50th this year. Am going, don’t really know why, OK do somewhat, I actually liked some of the kids, but not expecting much so shouldn’t be too disappointed.

  93. 93.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: I am looking to learn. And I am trying to get my high school aged but dance-positive nephew to pick up the basics. A straight high school kid who can even fake tango will be devastating. He has been involved on the periphery of theater stuff for a couple of years now. He prioritizes academics and sports, but he says he really like the theater/dance/music people. I think it is good that he is interested in the arts, but to further encourage him, I confess that I resorted to stereotype. I told him that a lot of dudes in theater were not necessarily interested in the rather attractive women who were. He found that encouraging. I am not a parent, but I am this kid’s god-father, and I want to make sure that my influence is there.

  94. 94.

    MomSense

    @satby:

    Hell yeah!!

    Should be one word bunhead but my phone corrected me. Slang for classical ballet dancer. Not to be confused with man bun.

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    I have projects. Probably not as many as you but still, I have them. I’ve learned to ignore them until they have to be done, then I think about them. A lot less stress that way. Also it seems that every time over the last 4+ yrs I get my ass in gear, some health issue crops up. Hernia, cancer, possible stroke, which I’m actually being tested for as I type, and it really puts a crimp in getting shit done and figuring out what’s important.

  98. 98.

    Ruckus

    @frosty:

    Families are made not by blood but by love.

    That sounds nice. I’d bet a sizeable segment of the population might argue that point with you. Successfully. Now if you had said decent families……..

  99. 99.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh, O2, bless you – if you can manage to tell the boy that if he wants girls to fall on his neck by the hundreds, to do theater and to love to DANCE will do it, you will have done a public service, indeed!

    btw, I had a dream about you the other night – at least, I had a dream where an O2 character met me for drinks in downtown Madison and kept me quite well-plied with both liquor and witty conversation. (tho’, of course, it being a dream I couldn’t remember a damn word! Curses! But I *do* recall that stingers played a prominent role in the staging).

  101. 101.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: Pro-tip: they’re not actually edged. Rappers are based on old-fashioned sweat scrapers for horses – they’re just *called* “swords” ’cause it sounds cool.

  102. 102.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Miss Bianca: Thanks and oh dear! The kid has near model looks and build. He is smart, athletic, and popular. I just want him to find the interesting women. Not just the vapid popular ones. I want my god son to have a good sex life.

  106. 106.

    Miss Bianca

    @Omnes Omnibus: but of course – ’tis been so long since I’ve been in Madison! Too long! Such a lovely city, and quite a bastion of sanity in the Midwestern white resentment madness sweepstakes – h’mm, my favorite cities, Madison, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor…am I sensing a pattern here?

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    PS, Did you ever read the sample I sent you?

    Speaking of the multiple projects paralyzing me, I started but didn’t finish it. Because I am lame. ?

    I’m kind of considering making a giant list of all my projects, writing them all down on slips of paper, and then picking one out of a hat every evening. It’s silly, but it would relieve me of having to make a choice.

  111. 111.

    TriassicSands

    @Hal:

    Gorsuch is going to spew his odious relgious beliefs all over his opinions — and when relevant, he’ll always have a religious opinion. Like Alito, religion is his primary guiding resource. If Trump gets to replace Kennedy, the separation of Church and State may be history.

    It’s remarkable that an immoral POS like Trump would be the president to favor religion over all else. But it makes sense. Religion is the best way to manipulate and control ignorant zealots. And the US has a surplus of those.

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