Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This fight is for everything.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Everybody saw this coming.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

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

Let there be snark.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Let’s finish the job.

The revolution will be supervised.

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

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

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

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

The willow is too close to the house.

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

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Late Evening Open Thread: Scotland Man

Late Evening Open Thread: Scotland Man

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According to the BBC someone had a very good time*:

Robert Fergus, 72, ran naked with a pair of scissors in the public reception of the MacDonald Loch Rannoch Hotel and smashed a glass pane.

His wife Ruth, 69, threatened to shoot a staff member after “reacting badly” to the alcohol she consumed earlier.

The couple were fined £4,100 at Perth Sheriff Court.

Mr Fergus, from Troon, was also ordered to pay the hotel £800 compensation to cover the cost of the damage from the incident on 4 February.

He had admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards four staff members, wilfully destroying property, and drink driving.

The Guardian provides further details:

Michael Sweeney, fiscal depute, said the incident began after a guest was woken by banging on his door at 1.45am and saw Mrs Fergus, who became abusive, in the hallway. The guest informed reception, after which Mr Fergus appeared with no clothes on and began shouting abuse at the staff and guests in the foyer.

“Both accused were acting as if they were out of control,” Sweeney said. “He was observed to have a pair of scissors. Mrs Fergus said: ‘I’m going to get a gun and shoot you,’ at [staff member] Miss Titkova.

“On seeing the scissors, Miss Titkova shouted at the other staff and guests to run. They saw Mr Fergus pick up a sign and smash a glass pane in the door with it.”

At this point, Mr Fergus apparently tore through the foyer telling witnesses: “I’m going to slit you and kill you.”

Staff and guests ran from the hotel towards the village of Kinloch Rannoch, and the couple returned to their rooms to pack before driving off towards Perth.

The court heard that they flagged down a passing police car and accused hotel staff of attacking them.

Robert gave a positive breath test but told officers: “I had no intention of driving but I was forced to. Our lives were in danger from hotel staff.”

But CCTV footage at the hotel proved his story to be false.

Also, since a lot of us are keeping an eye on it, here’s a late evening Irma update:

*

Reader Interactions

91Comments

  1. 1.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    So even Cher has NFLTG. She tweeted that everybody should shelter DACA recipients and she would . Some idiot decided to challenge her on whether she really would and Cher replied ‘Keep your eyes open bitch!’ Do not fuck with Cher!

  6. 6.

    Mnemosyne

    I read the tweeters name as “Yoor Willie” and thought it was a little too on the nose, if you will.

    I’m still trying to figure out how to work an axe attack by an enraged Scotsman into my novel. I think I can make it work. ?

  7. 7.

    efgoldman

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’m still trying to figure out how to work an axe attack by an enraged Scotsman into my novel.

    Borrow the woodsman from the alternate Snow White story.

  11. 11.

    Mnemosyne

    I decided to put on some 70s funk while I was cooking dinner tonight and ended up dancing around the kitchen.

    The cats are still hiding. There’s a reason I rarely dance in public.

  12. 12.

    feebog

    Saw Cher in concert in Vegas a couple weeks ago. She did a 10 minute monologue and mentioned she just turned 71. The audience started applauding and she shut it down quickly. She said getting old was nothing to cheer about. Then she said last week she did 100 butt crunches and a 5 minute plank. A 5 minute plank at 71. As she turned around to start her next number she said “what’s your granny doing tonight?”

    On a more sober note, we have many friends and acquaintances on Virgin Gorda (BVI) which looks like now like it will take a direct hit from hurricane Irma. At this point I am resigned to the fact there will be total desolation of the island, which is one of the prettiest places on earth. I just hope there is no loss of life. If you are the praying sort, say one for them tonight. If not, keep them close in your thoughts.

  13. 13.

    cain

    I wonder if Trump is worried about Mar-A-Largo? At least I know that fool won’t be vacationing/playing golf there anytime soon. If there was a god, that place would be the only building wrecked and everything else untouched. (with no loss of life of course)

  14. 14.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    The incident above sounds like a particularly bad episode of Monarch of the Glen, season 6.

  15. 15.

    cain

    Let’s all hope that Puerto Rico and Cuba and the other islands in the Carribean will be safe. They are going to be hit first.

  20. 20.

    efgoldman

    @cain:

    I wonder if Trump is worried about Mar-A-Largo?

    I’d love to see Mal a Loco destroyed, and all the tasteless crap float out to sea. But he’ll make a hugely exaggerated insurance claim, and then keep the insurance companies in court for years until they finally give up.

  27. 27.

    JGabriel

    @cain:

    If there was a god, that place would be the only building wrecked and everything else untouched.

    If there was a merciful god, Trump wouldn’t be president. Note that I’m not discounting the possibility of a vengeful god, or one with a really sick sense of humor.

  28. 28.

    Fair Economist

    @feebog: The fear about Irma next week in FL and the aftermath of Harvey are distracting people from what may well be the worst hurricane strike in the Lesser Antilles for at least 250 years (since the Great Hurricane of 1780). They’re going to need help afterwards too and I hope they don’t get overlooked.

  29. 29.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    I wonder if the Caribbean has flood insurance. Will Dolt45 try and scam that insurance for his property if it is available?

  32. 32.

    Fair Economist

    @feebog:

    Saw Cher in concert in Vegas a couple weeks ago. She did a 10 minute monologue and mentioned she just turned 71.

    Hey, I saw her supposed farewell tour twelve years ago. I wuz cheated, she didn’t quit!

  33. 33.

    Fair Economist

    @feebog:

    Holy fucking shit, CHER is 71??????????

    And has the body of someone half her age. Pretty freaking amazing woman.

    Most women don’t look that good at ANY age. Nor most men, including me.

  35. 35.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    I never paid attention to Cher(not the kind of music i like) until i happened to be watching CSPAN and heard this call in 2003:
    https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4532037/cher-calls-c-span
    If you haven’t heard it before it’s worth the few minutes of listening. The host later on said he was a huge fan of Cher and kind of guessed it was Cher even though she was trying to hide it.

  37. 37.

    Mnemosyne

    @Fair Economist:

    Now I have to try and not accidentally injure myself between now and tomorrow night. I have unfortunately been known to get clumsy at the worst possible time, like right before I left for Hawaii and Disney World.

  38. 38.

    patrick II

    It is a little disorienting that I am reading about this second immense hurricane withing two weeks the day after I read that the EPA will no longer accept submissions for funding science projects that mention the words “climate change”. All submissions must pass through the office of John Konkus, the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs. Mr. Konkus is not a scientist, but a politician and has no idea of the scientific value of any of the papers submitted. All he knows is that they can’t have the words “climate change” anywhere in them. This is reminiscent to me of the Soviet-Russia era when each government unit had a political officer attached to assure noting would be done or talked about that was out of line with communist party policy or ideology. History doesn’t repeat, but it does rhyme. (M. Twain).

  41. 41.

    some guy

    @feebog:

    the location of my Mom’s 85th birthday party. my wife learned snorkeling so she could fit in at the Baths. the whole clan was there. 2 houses rented, a week long vaccionne for the clan.

    be well Gorda

  42. 42.

    Fair Economist

    @Mnemosyne: Maybe a day off work listening to the Hamilton soundtrack? Hmm, maybe not; I could see some unpleasant household accidents from acting out parts. I see your problem.

  43. 43.

    Mart

    My wife and I met an Irish couple at a sea side hotel on the mostly tourist free Atlantic side of a Caribbean Island. They were hilarious. He told us he was dying of cancer (that part was not hilarious) and his goal was to spend all his money before the fucking kids get their paws on it. He invited us to his awesome giant room overlooking the beach. On top of the kitchen cabinets he had every brand of Rum from the region, and then some. Had to carry my wife to the room on my back. Fell a few times, bruised the knees pretty good. Never thought of threatening the staff naked with scissors, but would not have put it past us. The sugar headache the next morning was god-awful. Saw the Irish guy laying by the pool and told him he was a dirty M F’er. Made him and his wife laugh.

  44. 44.

    Mike J

    @nickrud:

    for those who haven’t heard this yet, it’s about Trump

    How did you guess?

    Fergus he builds and builds
    Yet small is his erection
    Fergus has a fine head of hair
    When the wind’s in the right direction

    I saw him at Iota outside DC years ago. Great show.

  48. 48.

    Oatler.

    In “Life in a Scotch Sitting-Room”, Ivor Cutler observed that there are a lot of thistles in Scotland.

  49. 49.

    danielx

    Really wish I’d gone to the Keys a few months back. I suspect a whole way of life is about to disappear.

  50. 50.

    CZanne

    @Mnemosyne: And on the 245th anniversary of his Hurricane Letter — it’s what got him off Nevis. Which is getting hit tomorrow. His hurricane was on Aug 31, and he managed to write a week later, which was published and got a 17 year old enough money to go to the mainland as an immigrant, where he made a whole lot out of himself.

    The description of that hurricane in the Chernow book can’t pin a CAT rating on it, but it was considered the worst that had hit in memory, and it devastated the Caribbean.

    History resonates hard when it decides to resonate.

    Enjoy every second.

  56. 56.

    bemused senior

    It seems Rushbaugh thinks the Irma predictions are a scam to enrich Big Water (as in bottled). It is also a plot by Algore and other climate change believers. ” But I’m not a meteorologist.. .” ( Seen on his website via Twitter mockery.)

  58. 58.

    Mnemosyne

    Thanks, everybody! I think it’s going to be good, but one never knows when the cast will have an off night. That’s what makes it live theater.

    @Mary G:

    I think that several conversations established that OO is actually an OG Alexander Hamilton fan from long before the musical was written, and he considers the rest of us to be poseurs and bandwagon-jumpers. He liked Hamilton before Hamilton was cool. ?

  59. 59.

    opiejeanne

    @Mike J: 16th inning? Is that the Mariners? I’m watching the Angels pitchers just screw up another game. They set the AL record for most pitchers used during a game, with a total of 12. No one is capable of throwing the damned ball.

  67. 67.

    Mary G

    @Omnes Omnibus: @Mnemosyne: What Mnem said. Just snarling at you a bit for engaging with the returned troll in the last thread. I have never used a pie filter, but if the dope keeps coming back I may have to reconsider.

  68. 68.

    opiejeanne

    @NoraLenderbee: She and Sonny played at my husband’s HS at a dance in the gym his senior year, 1965. They had a record climbing the charts but they’d already signed the contract so they showed up and put on a show. I think the song was “Baby Don’t Go”. “I Got You Babe” was released that summer, I think.

  69. 69.

    barb 2

    I have friends living on an island that Irma just went past. I got emails from them before the electricity on the island was turned off. Even if the island doesn’t get a direct hit — the wind and rain will do a lot of damage. The width of Irma is so wide that damage will be wide spread. This island was hit by Hugo decades ago — and the ruins are still apparent. The volcano erupted after Hugo — now Irma.

    One Brit expat has a guest house and a herd of goats — she was bringing the goats into her house to shelter them. Houses in the Carribean are open with tile floors so I guess her house will clean up after the goats — depending on the roof is still on the house. Roofs blow off.

  71. 71.

    Another Scott

    @CZanne: Thanks.

    A good reminder that history can change by the seemingly smallest things (or the biggest things happening to the seemingly smallest people)…

    Enjoy the show, and be safe, Captain Mnemo!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  72. 72.

    opiejeanne

    @Mike J: Oh. My. God.

    They may set a record.

    Angels game is tied, against the As. Top of the 9th, two outs. We should be winning right now but it’s 7-7 because our pitchers are terrible.

  73. 73.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    Did you know that it’s going to Costa Mesa next? It might be worth it for you to get the app and enter that lottery every day there’s a chance you could get there.

  74. 74.

    jl

    Send the story about the old drunk guy to Trump. Look at the fun he could be having. Might get him resign and hang out at his Scottish golf club and spend weekends tearing up local hotels.

  76. 76.

    jl

    @opiejeanne:

    ” They set the AL record for most pitchers used during a game, with a total of 12. No one is capable of throwing the damned ball. ”

    You going to a game before the season ends? Maybe they;ll let some fans pitch.

  79. 79.

    opiejeanne

    @jl: Hahahaha! I remember a Dodgers game in 2004 when Robin Ventura pitched an inning because they had run out of pitchers; they were losing badly to the Angels. He did pretty well, giving up a single and getting three outs on pop-ups The Angels used Chili Davis as a pitcher in 1993

    We were thinking about going this weekend when they’re in Seattle but the smoke is killing us right now.

  81. 81.

    opiejeanne

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Nice photo. I was 12 that year and wanted to go to Seattle to see the World’s Fair but my parents couldn’t see spending the money. We went to KC every other year to visit grandparents and cousins and that might have been the year we took the train with Mom and Dad stayed home, instead of Dad driving us from LA. Two week vacation, three days driving each way, and no AC. He seemed to enjoy it but he also seemed to enjoy spinach when we were kids and only admitted when we were adults that he hated the stuff and only ate it so we’d eat it.

  87. 87.

    Starfish

    @feebog: President Obama made a joke about his wife Michelle doing a three minute plank and it being really hard so I tried to do a three minute plank. It was really hard. I am a person who takes aerial dance lessons regularly, and a three minute plank was hard. I cannot imagine a five minute plank much less a five minute plank at 71.

  88. 88.

    Tenar Arha

    @Mnemosyne: This is late and you may never see it, but may I just say, an axe attack by an outraged Scotsman is almost always appropriate in a novel.

  89. 89.

    bluefoot

    @Mai.naem.mobile: I’ve got a lot of respect for Cher. I remember when she visited Walter Reed back in the early 2000’s and brought attention to the soldiers injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the reality of the war. This was back when we were getting all this sunshine-and-rainbows crap from the administration and she wasn’t having any of it. I recall she got a lot of flak for it at first (that whole “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” and “undermining morale” thing) but she refused to shut up about it. She’s remarkable.

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