Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

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

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

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

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

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

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

Consistently wrong since 2002

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

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

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

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

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

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

This fight is for everything.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

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Reader Interactions

102Comments

  3. 3.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    KITTEHS!

    twitter tells me Kelly is on every phone call with Trump, and directs the comings and goings into the Oval. LOL. He’s got a nanny.

  5. 5.

    Major Major Major Major

    Oh well aren’t those some peaceful cats. Samwise likes hanging out on the mail too.

    So folks here have been curious what the relationship between party identification and partisan approval ratings is. It’s a very slow day at work so I looked into it. Graphs here (code for those curious here).

  6. 6.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Beautiful kittehs. But I think you should declare today, August 3, their birthday. That way, they can share with me (I’m 75 today), and Omnes Omnibus, and I think possibly even Corner Stone (though I’d have to double-check with Quinerly on that one).

    It was meant to be that you “forgot” to post this yesterday.

  7. 7.

    themann1086

    In the spirit of an open thread, look what number popped up in 2 different polls on the same topic!

    According to a new poll by Quinnipiac University, 68 percent of US voters say trans people should be allowed to serve in the military. Only 27 percent disagree. […] This goes with a separate poll by Reuters and Ipsos from last week, which found that 58 percent of US adults agree trans people should be allowed to serve in the military, while 27 percent disagreed.

    via Vox, emphasis mine

  10. 10.

    Miss Bianca

    Well, if they are napping on your important papers, *of course* they have decided to stay! : )

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Happy birthday to you
    Happy Birthday to you
    To you and O2 too
    Happy birthday to you!

  11. 11.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: Happy Birthday..

    A judge today ousted the Roswell, GA mayor today for term limit violations. I assume he’ll appeal, but won’t be able to run again. Hopefully, the next mayor won’t give bigoted conversations to the national media.

  20. 20.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Yutsano: Thanks. Yes, I expect we’ll see Omnes on one of the evening threads.

    @schrodingers_cat: Did not know that 75 was considered such a significant number in India, although it is something of a milestone! Most people point out it’s three-quarters of a century; I prefer to say that I’m halfway to my sesquicentennial :-)

  25. 25.

    Tazj

    I bet they’re Democrats, probably union members too, lying around on your job and your papers! Moochers!
    Really, they’re such cute kitties. A sweet photo of them together.

    @SiubhanDuinne: Happy Birthday!

  27. 27.

    gene108

    General cat question, as a non-pet owner.

    My cousin got a couple of kittens a few months ago. They are about 8 months old now.

    I went to visit him a couple of weeks ago. They jump on everything and will claw the furniture, if you are not looking.

    Is this normal kitten behavior? Will they out grow this?

    My mom found their behavior off-putting, and we have been talking about it off-and-on for the past couple of weeks. I told her they’ll probably outgrow it, but I am not sure.

  30. 30.

    HeleninEire

    @SiubhanDuinne: Oh, my internet friend, but really I think of you as a real life friend. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I am 45 days from 55. I hope that 20 years from now I am as lively and lovely and vibrant and clever as you are.

    I aspire to be you.

    ETA for grammar and clarity

  31. 31.

    schrodingers_cat

    @SiubhanDuinne: For my grandfather’s 75th birthday, we had a pooja in the morning and then a party in the evening, invited his cousins (he was an only child of his parents, but had many cousins) and other relatives and friends. A good time was had by all.

  33. 33.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SFAW:
    @p.a.:

    Thanks very much! Running out now to do the emissions inspection on my car and then renew registration. In GA, birthday is the renewal date, and if I wait even until tomorrow I’ll get socked with a late fee.

  37. 37.

    schrodingers_cat

    @SiubhanDuinne: You call a priest, making offerings to the gods symbolically, including flowers and food, he chants some stuff in Sanskrit, then you get to eat a fabulous meal.

    ETA: Our family priest was pretty cool. He was a principal of one of Mumbai’s more famous schools. He used to moonlight as a priest to keep his family traditions alive. He would answer any questions you might have and was in general a good sport. He was my grandfather’s friend too. He married my grandparents and then my parents too.

  38. 38.

    germy

    @gene108:

    Is this normal kitten behavior? Will they out grow this?

    Yes. No.

    Our cat has a motto: the world is my scratching post. I keep her nails trimmed and provide her with various things to scratch on. (For example, my wife buys fabric for sewing projects. The fabric comes wrapped around thick cardboard. Perfect for scratching.)

    I tried spraying vinegar on chairs our cat was scratching, but it didn’t work, other than our living room smelling like a salad.

    We need Werebear here for good advice.

  41. 41.

    Mary G

    WSJ says Bobby Three Sticks has enpaneled a grand jury. Twitler’s 4 a.m. meltdown tomorrow should be epic.

  45. 45.

    Jeffro

    J-Rubs: Why The Leaked Presidential Call Transcripts Are So Frightening

    First, it is shocking to see presidential conversations released in this way….Although leaking transcripts of presidential conversations is potentially very harmful in the long run, I would argue in this case that it is justified.

    And that brings us to the next point: Trump is frighteningly obsessed with himself and his image to such an extent that he cannot fulfill the role of commander in chief…he’d be more than willing to make the country’s interests subordinate to his own need for personal affirmations…

    This, in turn, raises a third critical issue: Trump’s narcissism leaves him open to flattery and threats (to reveal embarrassing material, for example). That’s the worry in the Russia investigation — namely, that Vladimir Putin has “something” on Trump, which compels Trump to act in ways inimical to U.S. interests. Trump’s interests are paramount, so a cagey adversary can easily manipulate him.
    …
    As you can see, there is no magical cure for this, no Svengali who can be brought in to stop Trump from being Trump. One cannot be impeached and removed for being an embarrassment to the United States or an egomaniac temperamentally unfit for the job (that was the argument for not electing him). Unless he really goes off the deep end, invoking the 25th Amendment is not a realistic option.

    That leaves members of Congress and his administration with a few options. They can try to box him off from dangerous actions (as Congress now contemplates doing in a statute to protect special counsel Robert S. Mueller III from being fired) and ignore tweets, although that is an incomplete solution. Alternatively, Congress can rely on the special counsel’s findings and its own investigation, finding justification in the Russia scandal to impeach and remove him.

    Finally, Congress can force Trump to make a choice, or looked upon differently, give him an out to leave the presidency. Enforce the Constitution’s emoluments clause (he can receive no foreign monies); affix anti-nepotism rules in statute (depriving him of his relatives’ hand-holding, at least in an official capacity); through statute require complete divestiture of senior officials’ business holdings; or pass a law forcing him and all future presidents to disclose their tax returns. Because we know Trump puts himself, his ego and his interests ahead of everything and will do almost anything to avoid looking bad, he might just decide to take his ball and go home.

    Jen, you’re usually pretty on point but that last bolded portion won’t happen. Congress will be forced to impeach well before they’d find the stomach to suddenly start enforcing the rules on Trumpov, as they should have all along)

  46. 46.

    Mel

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: @clay:
    I fear that it has the potential for developing an eerie resemblance to “Mr. Nanny”, featuring Hulk Hogan* and a convoluted attempt at a storyline which involved (if I recall correctly) bratty, ill-behaved rich kids, and microchips with “classified” data being leaked/stolen/lost willy-nilly.

    *Official Disclaimer: I only saw it b/c my little nephew begged to go. And it was over 20 years ago. Plus, it had David Johansen in it, although not even he could make it bearable to watch.
    That stinker of a movie tainted my burning love for the New York Dolls forever.

  47. 47.

    different-church-lady

    It’s nice to see Trump admit that his base is made up of drug addicts.

  49. 49.

    Jeffro

    Oh, and for filing under “water is wet”: Christians* Are More Than Twice As Likely To Blame a Person’s Poverty On Lack of Effort

    *white evangelical Christians, that is. Probably some pretty low-hanging fruit right there, researchers, if you wanna look like a genius for research that supports the obvious…

    When comparing demographics and religious factors, the odds of Christians saying poverty was caused by a lack of effort were 2.2 times that of non-Christians. Compared to those with no religion, the odds of white evangelicals saying a lack of effort causes poverty were 3.2 to 1.

    Count me in with the morally upright atheists every time, please…

  52. 52.

    schrodingers_cat

    Have we had a thread to discuss the horrific immigration bill proposed by Cotton and the other senator from Georgia with T’s blessing and with Miller’s stamp on it?

  53. 53.

    Jeffro

    Breaking: Mueller has empaneled a grand jury to look into Russian election interference (WSJ)

  56. 56.

    different-church-lady

    @Jeffro:

    First, it is shocking to see presidential conversations released in this way….

    Whomever is doing the leaking is likely someone Trump hired. So both failures are on him.

  58. 58.

    Mike in DC

    @Jeffro:

    Yes. Indicator that he is in for the long haul, and we may have 18 months or more of Russia stories coming.

  62. 62.

    dmsilev

    The shit hasn’t quite hit the fan yet, but is definitely on an inbound trajectory towards the rotating blades. TPM:

    Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, recently impaneled a grand jury as part of the probe, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

    The Wall Street Journal reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, that the Washington, D.C. grand jury “began its work in recent weeks” and is separate from the one assisting with the probe into President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The impanelment of that jury predated Mueller’s appointment as special counsel.

  67. 67.

    Mnemosyne

    @gene108:

    Part of that is kitten exuberance, but your cousin needs lots of scratching posts and/or scratching boxes, stat.

    Also a bottle of Feliway to mist on the furniture to discourage the cats from scratching it. But don’t do it unless you have an alternative surface that’s okay for them to scratch. They need to scratch for various reasons, so it’s best to give them an allowed surface.

  73. 73.

    Elizabelle

    @SiubhanDuinne: Happy Birthday. You do not seem 75, which I guess is the new 55 or something.

    And you get news of a Trump-related Grand Jury for your bday. That’s tasty.

    It’s fun to find out who shares whose birthday. Omnes (wishing you a good scotch, or whatever, tonight) and Corner Stone (wishing you no fire ants).

  81. 81.

    rikyrah

    Ida Bae Wells‏ @nhannahjones

    We should be clear: As long as there remains a segregated and unequal K-12 system, there is no meritocracy in college admissions.
    3:38 PM – 2 Aug 2017

  82. 82.

    MomSense

    Sweet kitties. They look very happy.

    We have a pug at work today. I iz in love. He keeps chasing his tail and making the cutest snorting noises which I’m pretty sure are just his normal breathing sounds.

  88. 88.

    Catherine310

    Did you steal my cat!! Spot on the butt, black tail, black cap. That is my Hazel. 19 years and still going.
    Cheers! I’d send a photo if I could get her from behind the bookcase.
    But she’s a cuddler.

  92. 92.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Awesome! August 3rd is a date with some wonderfulness to it, so your kittehs are in good company. It’s Martin Sheen’s 77th, and it is the 79th birthday of the terrific British actor Edward Petherbridge, and would have been the 97th of the great British mystery writer P. D. James. Okay, and Martha Stewart’s 76th, which I’ve never cared that much about. But Sheen, Petherbridge, and James? YESSSS! Also, the opening of Teatro alla Scala in 1778, and the departure in 1492 of Columbus’s first voyage to what turned out to be the New World.

  95. 95.

    Mnemosyne

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Keaton’s shelter name was “Kiki,” so I get you on wanting a similar sound.

    He is now much too large and majestic a cat to be a mere Kiki. You know your cat is part Maine Coon when you take him out of the carrier and the vet says, Wow, that’s a big cat. ?

  96. 96.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @SiubhanDuinne: Wow!

    @Mnemosyne: I had a part Maine Coon once. The first time I took him to the vet, I told the vet before he opened the carrier, “Watch out, he’s big and he’s fast.” The vet was cool until he opened the carrier and Tommy flew out.

  99. 99.

    No One You Know

    @gene108: Offer sisal scratch posts, with without catnip. Jute is also good so that they can “do their nails.”

    Otherwise they may habituate to their targets and not go for the Good Stuff!

  100. 100.

    Amir Khalid

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Happy birthday! I’ll never forget your kindness in emailing to enquire about my welfare during my break from commenting a while back.

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