Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

So many bastards, so little time.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

The willow is too close to the house.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

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

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

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

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

This fight is for everything.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / The Man Who Wasn’t There

The Man Who Wasn’t There

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This is perfect:

That’s some quality journalism there. Seriously. Open thread!

Reader Interactions

242Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    OMFG

    College student says she flushed her emotional support hamster down the toilet at suggestion of Spirit Airlines

    HAS EVERYONE ON THE PLANET LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS!!!

  5. 5.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    For the people who can’t watch the video, Pence’s answer was “Uh. You know, it’s a great honor for me to serve as Vice President.”

  7. 7.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    HAS EVERYONE ON THE PLANET LOST THEIR FREAKING MINDS!!!

    Trump is in the whitehouse, so I’m gonna go with Yes on that one.

  8. 8.

    Mike in NC

    Didn’t George H. W. Bush claim to have been out of the loop during Iran-Contra? Seems like he got a pass because IOKIYAR, and then he failed upward. Some things never change.

  9. 9.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: Holy crap. “Why are you weirdly unaware of every bad thing that happens in the White House?” “You know, it’s a real honor to be the Vice President of this great nation. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go pray.”

    I don’t know how much explicit Pence can make it that he’s both pandering AND completely unwilling to face up to his own responsibilities.

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    @Baud: Saw the headline elsewhere earlier today but didn’t click though — it just said “student,” so I was picturing a child. A grown-ass woman flushed her hamster down the toilet? What a fucking psycho.

  13. 13.

    lamh36

    Wait a mo…is this pending gov’t shutdown gonna affect me getting my tax refund check…I finally don’t have to pay (for years I had to pay) and it’s gonna be delayed!!!

  16. 16.

    MomSense

    @rikyrah:

    Oliver Willis had a piece on shareblue about the transition emails. Apparently in thousands of transition emails, Mike Pence’s name does not appear once. How the fuck could he head the transition and not be in any emails?

  18. 18.

    MoxieM

    @Gin & Tonic: And then flushes it. That’s some emotional relationship right there.

    ETA: I always had a “no rodents, no reptiles” pet rule in my house, but shit howdy, wouldn’t torture the creatures. I mean, and airplane shit holding tank full of chemicals? Crikey, she, and the pod person who made the recommendation should be arrested for animal cruelty.

  20. 20.

    Mnemosyne

    @MomSense:

    How the fuck could he head the transition and not be in any emails?

    Because they didn’t turn those emails over to investigators, is my guess.

  24. 24.

    MoxieM

    @Mnemosyne: Richard Gere? ((sorry, couldn’t resist)). It’s been a corker of a day, starting with my car didn’t like the icy rain and wouldn’t start.

  25. 25.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Vulture Magazine: What’s stirred everything up? Is it all about Trumpism?

    Quincy Jones: It’s Trump and uneducated rednecks. Trump is just telling them what they want to hear. I used to hang out with him. He’s a crazy motherfucker. Limited mentally — a megalomaniac, narcissistic. I can’t stand him. I used to date Ivanka, you know.

    Vulture Magazine: Wait, really?

    Quincy Jones: Yes, sir. Twelve years ago. Tommy Hilfiger, who was working with my daughter, said, “Ivanka wants to have dinner with you.” I said, “No problem. She’s a fine motherfucker.” She had the most beautiful legs I ever saw in my life. Wrong father, though.

  26. 26.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:

    Wait a mo…is this pending gov’t shutdown gonna affect me getting my tax refund check…

    Possibly. During the 2013 shutdown, the IRS stopped sending out refunds.

  31. 31.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.): “Mr. Vice President, why are you raping a child right now?” “Well, the greatest honor I’ve ever had is to serve as Vice President to Donald Trump. Thank you.”

    Headline: “Pence serving honorably, really helping that child over the fence.”

    Okay, I feel dirty for writing this and joking about it. Ick.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    @Baud: Spirit Airlines said that the hamster was not allowed on the plane, but did not tell her to flush in down a toilet. It appears that she might have made that decision on her own.
    btw Is the peacock still alive?

    Yes we have all lost our minds.

  33. 33.

    jl

    Either Pence is always cluelessly out of the loop, or he is establishing his defense case, which will be that he is always cluelessly out of the loop.

  35. 35.

    Roger Moore

    @MomSense:

    How the fuck could he head the transition and not be in any emails?

    I can think of several ways, roughly ordered by how seriously wrong they are:

    1) He was just a figurehead
    2) He deliberately avoided using email because he didn’t want to leave records
    3) The real work was done on a completely different email server
    4) The emails have been scrubbed to remove all references to him
    5) The whole server was falsified

  39. 39.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Roger Moore: I’m down with #1 or #4, personally. I’m entirely willing to believe that Pence just wasn’t paying attention, because we already know he’s a deeply stupid person who doesn’t appear to care about actual results. He was probably willing to just take the title of “Transition chief” and then spend all his time preparing to level his steely glare across the border at North Korea.

  40. 40.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Either Pence is always cluelessly out of the loop, or he is establishing his defense case, which will be that he is always cluelessly out of the loop.

    Hey, it worked for Ronald Reagan.

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mike in NC: Didn’t George H. W. Bush claim to have been out of the loop during Iran-Contra? Seems like he got a pass because IOKIYAR, and then he failed upward.

    He was already president, I believe had already lost the ’92 election, when Caspar Weinberger’s diary– which said something to the effect of: “Out of the loop? get the fuck out of here”–became known to Lawrence Walsh, and Poppy pardoned Cap, so Walsh couldn’t subpoena him, so it all went away. IIRC. The Village declared this okay because Richard Cohen and Cap were on nodding acquaintance terms at the grocery store (this is true), and the Bushes were such gracious people, not like those pushful, tacky Clintons (there is a quote from Sally Quinn out there somewhere). So, failed upward to revered elder statesman and parachuting grampa.

  44. 44.

    smintheus

    Better follow up question:

    Mr. Vice President, can you identify a single time you have answered a direct question put to you about the administration in which you’re serving?

  45. 45.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Roger Moore: 2) He deliberately avoided using email because he didn’t want to leave records

    trump may have mentioned this at some point, and it may have seemed like a keen idea

    Or Condi Rice….

  47. 47.

    lamh36

    @Brachiator: ugh…I read an article from last week, that said, if you E-File, then you “may” have no delay, but if you mail in returns, then there may not actually be anyone there to receive it, so it will def delayed

  50. 50.

    TenguPhule

    @smintheus:

    Mr. Vice President, can you identify a single time you have answered a direct question put to you about the administration in which you’re serving?

    Pence: “Let me pray for a solution to that.”

  51. 51.

    Yutsano

    @lamh36: You ready for my list of ifs here?
    IF…it was electronically filed, and…
    IF…it was accepted for processing before today, and…
    IF…it has no errors that require a human intervention, and…
    IF…you selected direct deposit…
    Your refund should be okay.

    Anything outside that sequence of events where it’s just the computer doing stuff and yeah it’s delayed. How long depends on how long the office doors are shut.

  52. 52.

    Betty Cracker

    @Mnemosyne: Someone on Twitter said that’s where Rashida Jones got her talent for deadpan. Sounds plausible. I’ll never forget when I first learned she is the daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton: Mind. Blown!

  53. 53.

    trollhattan

    Pence should get himself a “Mother says deficits don’t matter” tshirt.

    Were he and Gomert in congress at the same time? Competition for stupidest man in congress would have been fierce.

  55. 55.

    Mnemosyne

    @Betty Cracker:

    IMO, it’s even cooler if he was just messing with the guy. ?

    Though I could also see someone who’s used to working with top jazz musicians being unimpressed with the musicianship of the Beatles.

  58. 58.

    Another Scott

    @Another Scott: He’s got some poster up with “Cocaine and the Risky Sex Habits of Quail” with a huge number – “$356,933.140” on it. (I don’t have the sound on.)

    Notice the extra zero.

    He wants it to look like over $356M, rather than $357,000 was spent on this study.

    $356k is not a big study, especially if it was over 3-4 years (as this likely was). Especially at a university (where overhead rates are often over 200%)

    I guess Rand would rather people study the effects of cocaine on real people. But that’s much, much more expensive, and dangerous, and limited (one can’t usually dissect people’s brains to see what cocaine does to them), etc., of course.

    (sigh)

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (It looks like he’s done speaking – dunno why just yet.)

  59. 59.

    lamh36

    Behind the revolutionary power of Black Panther

    …As is typical of the climate we’re in, Black Panther is already running into its share of trolls—including a Facebook group that sought, unsuccessfully, to flood the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with negative ratings of the film. That Black Panther signifies a threat to some is unsurprising. A fictional African King with the technological war power to destroy you—or, worse, the wealth to buy your land—may not please someone who just wants to consume the latest Marvel chapter without deeper political consideration. Black Panther is emblematic of the most productive responses to bigotry: rather than going for hearts and minds of racists, it celebrates what those who choose to prohibit equal representation and rights are ignoring, willfully or not. They are missing out on the full possibility of the world and the very America they seek to make “great.” They cannot stop this representation of it. When considering the folks who preemptively hate Black Panther and seek to stop it from influencing American culture, I echo the response that the movie’s hero T’Challa is known to give when warned of those who seek to invade his home country: Let them try…

    However you feel about the hype surrounding it (or just however you feel about super hero movies in general)…Black Panther deserves the same “consideration ” as the predom white films of the same genre…yet some trolls (majority racist white trolls, and some DC Comics stupi-fans) just can’t semm to let Black folk be great (so far, the movie has gotten rave reviews from top critics, 99% fresh on RT, with just 1 rotten review from some dude in Ireland…eyeroll) and so u have trolls spamming audience review rating and comments to downrate a film they haven’t even seen yet…all to be haters!!!

  60. 60.

    tobie

    @MomSense: I know in the age of Trump a month feels like a decade but wasn’t Trump trying to claim that the emails from the transition period were covered by executive privilege or something? I believe the response from most lawyers was that America has only one executive at a time and Trump wasn’t it between Nov 8, 2016 and Jan 20, 2017, so he can STFU. Have any of the transition emails been made public?

  61. 61.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Sigh. Tweety just called Rand Paul a true conservatives reminding us all of all those old truths Republicans told us about deficits during the Obama years. And I can’t find my phone to turn off MSNBC in head phones.

  63. 63.

    lamh36

    Ugh…I have no real sympathy for Hope Hicks…but damn…having to help craft his statement…smh

    And if Kelly or higher knew about it…how da fuq don’t you tell someone, who you KNOW is romantically involved…smh

    Ugh…even if you are of the mind that they “pimping her out” (I’m not gonna comment too much on her dating decisions bad as they may be)…maybe with Lewandowski, other than the incident with the reporter, I don’t recall him havign a history like Porter, plus, weren’t they dating before they got into the White House so no clearance issue?…but the relationship w/Porter started IN the WH or soon after Chump got into WH…and the background checks were known…smh

    Ugh…

  64. 64.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne:I said last night, that I don’t think anything “sexual” was involved, but I could imagine, Chump telling Ivanka, to try to butter Jones up for some type of business thing they or she wanted…remember Jones not only had music production and stuff, but he also had tv producing in his bag, and also the co-founder of VIBE magazine…

  65. 65.

    TenguPhule

    @tobie:

    but wasn’t Trump trying to claim that the emails from the transition period were covered by executive privilege or something?

    The lawyers were. That was around November, IIRC.

  67. 67.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @tobie: as Dim Son showed us, not all dimwitted junior executives of the trump org are as savvy as the Beast when it comes to covering his tracks

  68. 68.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    I have to say, the Giant Evil Corporation is SERIOUSLY behind this movie. Merchandise is already available on the website, and they’re announcing new partnerships every day. They are fully expecting this movie to be a juggernaut and prove all the haters wrong (and to make huge buckets of money at the same time).

  70. 70.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    They are fully expecting this movie to be a juggernaut and prove all the haters wrong

    They’ll probably settle for one out of two like the Last Jedi.

  71. 71.

    chris

    Such a creepy man, Pence. Dense too, when you look into his eyes all you see is the back of his head.

  72. 72.

    lamh36

    @Yutsano: Ugh…I e-filed Tuesday…the returns were accepted, the refund is still in “needs approval” status…and yes, I went w/DD…this time.

    I mean, I’m not struggling, and I don’t “NEED” it ASAP, but damnit…I would have had it filed last month, if not for my crap azz former employer, who waited until the FINAL post mark date to mail out the damn W-2…which happened to be a Thursday…so of course I didn’t reeive the final tax doc until Monday evening…ugh…oh, but I DID receive the 1095-C for healthcare status…which I DON’T NEED TO FILE my taxes…ugh…I hate that place.

    Just glad that with that last W-2, I no longer have to have ANYTHING to do with that damn place

  73. 73.

    Mnemosyne

    @TenguPhule:

    It’s true that The Last Jedi also had great reviews until the GamerGaters decided to start their epic whine.

    Disney and Lucasfilm are crying all the way to the bank over that controversy. Thanks, GamerGaters! ?

  74. 74.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @chris: As with Rick Santorum, I don’t know what it is ain’t right about that boy, but I know that boy ain’t right. Them and Cotton, the Norman Bateses of today’s GOP

  75. 75.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    And Jones has been around the block enough times to know exactly what Trump was up to, which is why he said what he did. ???

  76. 76.

    TenguPhule

    @Mnemosyne:

    It’s true that The Last Jedi also had great reviews until the GamerGaters decided to start their epic whine.

    No, it was a fucking terrible Star Wars Movie. The critics who praised it obviously had never watched or had forgotten what actually happened in the previous ones.

    ETA: Just to be clear, I reserve the right to make judgement on BP after actually seeing it. And Spiderman homecoming sucked balls too.

  78. 78.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: I usually wait for Marvel movies to hit the small screen before viewing. But I think I’ll go see this one at the theater to do my small part to give the worst assholes in the country the finger.

  82. 82.

    MCA1

    What in the phuq is an emotional support animal, and when did it become a thing? This person needed a hamster to deal with the world (so much so that they flushed it down the toilet – insert confusion emoji)? Someone tried to take a peacock on a commercial flight?

    Back on topic, almost, Hope Hicks might go down as the worst judge of character in American history. Lewandowski and Porter she chose as romantic interests, within like a year, and she chose Dotard as her boss and he’ll end up being her personal downfall leading to prison time. Those are some…poor decisions.

  83. 83.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Baud:

    I’m sitting here alone in my apartment, reading your comment, and laughing literally to the point of tears every time I think of it.

    Seriously. I’m fucking SOBBING here.

    ??????????

    Dear Christ, that’s funny.

  84. 84.

    MisterForkbeard

    @TenguPhule: Agree that the people who didn’t like TLJ weren’t just GamerGaters. Disagree that TLJ was a terrible movie – my wife and I both really liked it and I’m a huge Star Wars buff – while my wife enjoys them all and is currently re-watching the existing movies in order just for the hell of it.

  86. 86.

    Patricia Kayden

    @lamh36: The haters don’t matter. I recall racists being up in arms when Idris Elba played a Nordic god in the first Thor movie. And when they freaked out because of John Boyega’s Storm Trooper character in a Star Wars movie.

    None of their outrage mattered as those films did well. That Star Wars movie is #1 on Box Office Mojo. I expect Black Panther will be a smash no matter who hates it.

  87. 87.

    diierent-church-lady

    If you cannot make it through your day without the companionship of a creature whose sole activity in life is to rearrange wood chips, you are not a well person to begin with.

  88. 88.

    Adam L Silverman

    @mike in dc: Yep.
    http://www.newsweek.com/mike-pence-private-email-account-latest-trump-administration-hypocrisy-682507

    Vice President Mike Pence’s private workplace email account will remain a secret.

    The former Indiana Governor used a personal AOL account during his four years in the office, but state officials are refusing to release an unknown number of emails tied to the account after giving The Associated Press heavily redacted emails requested under the Freedom of Information Act shortly after Pence was named Donald Trump’s running mate in July 2016.

    Indiana officials would not say if they were persuaded by Pence’s lawyer to redact the emails, The Associated Press reported. The 1,300 released messages contain little insight into the governor’s mindset as he signed laws opposing gay rights, limiting refugee settlement and addressing an Indiana HIV outbreak as the state’s top official.

    Indiana’s government employees are prohibited from using a statehouse-issued email account to conduct political business. But it is legal for officeholders to use private email accounts to conduct their political business — so long as they archive those emails with the state. But Indiana law allows “discretionary exemptions” to FOIA requests. It can also withhold records deemed “advisory” or “deliberative,” reported The Associated Press.

    “It’s hard to justify withholding information after a governor leaves office,” Nate Jones of The National Security Archive at George Washington University, told The Washington Post. “It makes it look like they aren’t subscribing to good open government practices.”

    It’s somewhat ironic that email has become a controversy for Pence, given that throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, he criticized former-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for using a private e-mail account for official business. Of course, Pence did not work on national security issues as the governor of Indiana, nor receive classified information as Clinton did.

    But Pence used the AOL account to discuss Indiana’s response to terrorist attacks and conduct a host of purely political discussions, including possibly his opinion of rising GOP star, and future boss, Donald Trump.

    Which makes those redacted portions — labeled “confidential and sensitive” by state officials — all the more tantalizing.

  89. 89.

    p.a.

    Emotional Support Hamster would be a great band name. Just sayin’.

    In other news: Spirit Airline was charged today with vandalism of a skylight…

  90. 90.

    lamh36

    Oh..no…
    there are too many young people on the Olympic team, who are made to work w/team coaches, doctors, etc…who are chosen and vetted by the US Olympic commitee…there should be an outside. investigation opened up on any and all Olympic facilities…

    I mean what else can be done?

    @thehill
    Follow Follow @thehill
    More
    World swimming champion says she was sexually assaulted by former USA Swimming coach http://hill.cm/jcPqVKE

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    just listening to the news that the DJIA fell more than 4% today…. Mitch and Paulie could pass their bill if they tossed in DACA, couldn’t they? Which costs nothing? They could probably do it with a public promise of an up-or-down vote. But… Brat vs Cantor

    ETA: Matt Fuller @ MEPFuller
    Tonight, everyone in the Senate is Rand Paul’s aggrieved neighbor.

  93. 93.

    Villago Delenda Est

    He wasn’t called “Congressman Dense” when he was in the House for nothing, you know.

  94. 94.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Patricia Kayden: One of the neo-NAZIs actually created a fake persona of a failed model and then created an elaborate story about said failed model being set up by Gal Gadot to be raped by Gadot’s boyfriend at the time, when Gadot was modeling in Italy. Every time there’s a post somewhere about the Wonder Woman movie or Gadot, this person tries to post their story. All because Gadot is Jewish and Israeli. And my guess is that the neo-NAZI is probably a guy, so he’s posting also because Gadot is a woman.

  95. 95.

    Feebog

    What strikes me about the Pence clip is just how utterly dull and robotic he comes across. If Trumpov is impeached (I know, I know) or strokes out and this moron becomes President, any Dem candidate should beat him like a rented mule.

  96. 96.

    lamh36

    Jamie “Is February 16 2018 Here Yet?”
    @JamieBroadnax
    This one negative reviewer of Black Panther gave it a rotten because T’Challa doesn’t beat up enough “bad guys”. Really my dude?

    He really did…

    “What he doesn’t get to do much of is jump around beating up bad guys,” Power wrote. “That’s a shame. Marvel has finally given us an African superhero. The hope surely was that he would be allowed do superheroic things.”

    Oh and he somehow managed to blame Trump for the reason he didn’t like the film

    “Fourteen months into the Trump presidency, Black Panther arrives on storm-clouds of hype and with the presumption that, as the first African-set Marvel movie, it will deliver a resounding high-kick to prejudice and decades of hierarchy, racial and otherwise, in blockbuster cinema. It is expected to stand for something bigger than itself. The strain is visible, especially in the performance of Chadwick Boseman as Prince T’Challa – the eponymous Black Panther.”

    I get that one cannot expect everyone to like a movie…but come on…he didn’t beat up enough bad guys…https://media2.giphy.com/media/l3q2K5jinAlChoCLS/200w.gif

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    @Betty Cracker:

    FWIW, I saw the 3D trailer at work (i.e. with folks who do digital stuff for a living) and there were audible gasps. If nothing else, it’s going to look amazing.

  98. 98.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Feebog: that’s why I don’t fear the whole “President Pence” thing. The agenda wouldn’t be much differetn– he’s already picking the judges, or as good as– and he doesn’t have the toxic charisma or the instinct for chaos. I think if… something… happened by 2020 he would be given to understand that his caretaker services and cooperative attitude are greatly appreciated and he will be well compensated for them

  99. 99.

    Corner Stone

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Tonight, everyone in the Senate is Rand Paul’s aggrieved neighbor.

    I don’t have a wife or daughter for Rand to be having sex with but I’m still up for cracking a few of his ribs. Just cause.
    I actually think it’s funny he’s going to hold up the Senate bill and shut down the govt, even if only for a few hours. Just a prelude to action on this by the House.

  100. 100.

    Corner Stone

    God damn it, Tweety. Go fuck yourself on this “Republicans are against deficit spending”. GARBAGE TIME MOTHERFUCKER.

  104. 104.

    chris

    Comic relief interlude from McSweeney’s for all you InstaPot fans.

    Congratulations on the purchase of your new cursed Instant Pot multi-use programmable Pressure Cooker. Instant Pot is the #1 selling 7-in-1 multi-cooker that reduces cooking times up to 70% by summoning the horrible black magical powers of Baphomet, the Sabbatic Goat God. Your cursed Instant Pot will change the way you cook kitchen staples like soups, stews, meats, rice, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and so much more!

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  105. 105.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lamh36: That’s why I’m holding out for Deadpool 2.

    Actually, I’m looking forward to going and see this next week in the theaters.

  109. 109.

    lamh36

    @TenguPhule: See that is exactly as it should be…if you see and hate it..sure you should be honest about it.

    But the folks who are trolling the sites, HAVE NOT seen the movies. There haven’t even been enough non-media/critics/blogger screening…yet (FYI: regular ole advanced screening start next week, I”m no a list) they are commenting on the movies calling it trash havign not seen it (also FYI, some of the worst YouTube reveiwers, so far, have given the film a thumbs up…so far…)

    It’s trolling a film for no reason other than nefarious reasons. Last Jedi had mixed reviews at best, so sure the audience score bit, may have made “some” difference (even tho as Mnemosyne: says…the film had done well worldwide, not “as well” as the Force Awakens, but still darn well), and contrary to other Marvel films, Black Panther truly has a fresh score from critics (cept the one, see my above review from the guy from Ireland).

    Anyway, folks seeing the film, and not liking it, or saying it’s not worth the hype…I have no real issue with…Hell, I’m one of the few people on the planet, who couldn’t really stand Titanic…and I’m fine with telling folks I hated it…LOL

  113. 113.

    TenguPhule

    @lamh36:

    Hell, I’m one of the few people on the planet, who couldn’t really stand Titanic…and I’m fine with telling folks I hated it…LOL

    I intend to get through this life having never seen that. So far, so good.

    Hell, I still have to catch up on the Marvel Films, still at Avengers II, haven’t even watched Civil War yet.

  115. 115.

    germy

    FBI Warns Of ‘American Dream’ Scam

    WASHINGTON—Noting that millions have already fallen victim to the long-running grift, the FBI warned Monday of the ‘American Dream’ scam. “Reports are coming in all across the country of Americans who were promised great prosperity and success in exchange for a lifetime of hard work, only to find themselves swindled and left with virtually nothing,” said agent Dean Winthrop, who explained that susceptible parties are made to believe that class mobility is possible simply through ability or achievement, despite the fact that innumerable social, economic, and racial barriers prevent the vast majority of U.S. citizens from attaining even marginal amounts of upward movement.

    “Many even travelled across the world to live in what they were calling ‘The Land Of Opportunity,’ a fictitious meritocratic society where any person can simply work their way up from the bottom.

    The victims, it appears, were drawn in by wild promises about equitable access to wealth, education, and home ownership, but before they knew it, they got played for suckers.” Winthrop added that they haven’t identified the scheme’s kingpin, but are investigating a number of upper-middle class white men who have suspiciously benefitted from the longtime scam.

    (the onion)

  116. 116.

    lamh36

    @Adam L Silverman: I mean. that review reads like so much sour grapes, and like he had to FIND a reason to hate it…he didn’t beat up enough bad guys…I mean has he seen Cap’n America: The First Avenger?

    I swear to you, as much as I love Chris Evans as Cap…that movie took like way too much time, with Cap not fighting ANYONE…and I liked The First Avenger (not as much as Winter Soldier…btw)

    smh…IDK…So I just find it laughable…

  117. 117.

    Jeffro

    @MomSense:

    Apparently in thousands of transition emails, Mike Pence’s name does not appear once. How the fuck could he head the transition and not be in any emails?

    Because, frankly, he’s probably both a) smarter than our current president* and b) better staffed?

    This is the kind of right-wing reptilian slime I’m genuinely worried about post-Trumpov. They’ll look almost normal no matter what they do, throw “I don’t recall” around as often as they breathe, and proceed on their merry way to stomp all over our country and society.

  118. 118.

    Steve in the ATL

    @lamh36: Time has been excellent these last few months, ever since a guy from my high school became editor. Clearly writing for The Owl’s Hoot is a launching pad for greatness. Not sure what happened to me….

  121. 121.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne:
    The story about Richard Prior and Marlon Brando has been confirmed by Prior’s widow, so there’s at least some salacious stuff in there that appears to be true.

  122. 122.

    Mnemosyne

    @Roger Moore:

    And at this point, we know that Michael Jackson was a serious drug addict, for most of his career, so having him be a thief is not really a huge stretch.

    Still, I suspect there are a few tall tales mixed in there just to mess with the reporter.

  124. 124.

    lamh36

    @Mnemosyne: naw…it was getting late, so I left, but seeing the premiere online, I swear if I stayed, I might just have been able to see some celebs…

    But as ya know…I was using the Metro, so I didn’t want to be getting back to my hotel late at night

  126. 126.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    Oh well. You probably would have been on bleachers or at the back of a crowd, so you might have been able to see people from a distance, but you wouldn’t have gotten any good photos.

  127. 127.

    Jeffro

    @lamh36: Oh my god, Methusaleh Hatch, who cares who ‘smeared’ Rob Porter by TELLING. EVERYONE. THE. TRUTH.?!?

    It’s ridiculous. Just the fact of Porter not being able to get a genuine security clearance, yet handling classified materials and sitting in on national security briefings(!) would, once again, cause RWNJs to burn the White House to the ground if a Dem president’s chief of staff had covered for/facilitated all this. to. the. ground.

  128. 128.

    japa21

    Just a quick note.

    Penzeys is at it again. Another email/FB post. He touches on several things but this is the part I like best.

    I’m hoping the president gets the most massive of military parades. Hour after hour of the most diverse group in all America marching by will end once and for all this notion that we are a white nation, while at the same time showing the commitment to America of the very people the racism he is promoting is hurting.

  129. 129.

    efgoldman

    @TenguPhule:

    I intend to get through this life having never seen that.

    I saw it in bits and pieces on the toob. Parts were laughably bad, predictable (as in I said a line before it was said on screen) or boring beyond belief. Sometimes all three.

    Is the site borked? So slow to load that it doesn’t, and the html buttons are missing

  132. 132.

    TenguPhule

    @efgoldman:

    Is the site borked? So slow to load that it doesn’t, and the html buttons are missing

    I think its just you. Working fine for me so far.

  134. 134.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    @Betty Cracker: There are also campaigns for white people to help donate $ to bring Black youth to go see it. My local WP4BL did a fundraiser. For anyone who is interested I think you can find one on Leslie Mac’s Twitter. But there’s probably several including in your area.

  136. 136.

    Mnemosyne

    @japa21:

    His FB ETA was great — he corrected the people who told him that, no, he was successful in business because he worked hard. He responded that, yes, he worked hard, but he also was a white man, and that helped him with stuff like getting loans when he needed them.

    Bill Penzey gets it. Everyone should buy his products.

  138. 138.

    WaterGirl

    Iowa Old Lady: I’m thinking your appointment to get test Mr. IOL’s test results is tomorrow. Thinking of you guys, crossing my fingers. I’m sure it’s been an incredibly long week for you guys.

  140. 140.

    Boatboy_srq

    @Corner Stone: Republicans WERE against deficit spending.

    Then they got one of their own wingnuts in the WH, and suddenly the Federal Reserve can’t print bills fast enough.

  141. 141.

    lamh36

    @Jeffro: IKR…like…blaming the ex-boyfriend…smh…I mean why not just blame the Bulter or Col Mustard like a game of clue?

  142. 142.

    TenguPhule

    @Boatboy_srq:

    Republicans WERE against deficit spending.

    Only when it came to Democratic proposals for domestic consumption. They loved the military increases just fine.

    As efgoldman coined it, Fuck em.

  148. 148.

    lamh36

    I saw that Anderson Cooper was talking to an ex-wife, but I decided not to watch…now I wish I was…

    @gabrielsherman
    Wow, Porter’s ex wife Jennie Willobough tells Anderson Cooper that Porter called her a few days ago and asked her to “downplay” the allegations she made against him.

    7:39 PM – Feb 8, 2018

  149. 149.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lamh36: The boyfriend scorned. I mean if anyone is going to smack Hope Hicks around it’s Corey. He saw her first.

  150. 150.

    Mnemosyne

    @WaterGirl:

    He’s twice divorced and had a fairly recent girlfriend who also reported him for domestic violence.

    Hope Hicks sure can pick ’em. ?

  152. 152.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36: I thought I had read that Porter is currently married, so it seemed odd to me that he and Hope Hicks would be so opening discussed as being together. Perhaps someone used the wrong verb tense in an article. It’s heartbreaking and hair-raising to hear reports that Hope Hicks thinks these reports about Porter are not true. Pretty sure she’ll come to believe them soon enough. Sounds like maybe he saves that behavior for the honeymoon. Total predator.

  153. 153.

    efgoldman

    @TenguPhule:

    I think its just you.

    Gyro Gearloose is picking up my desktop tomorrow, gonna’ replace it with a newly rebuilt, way faster and more powerful box

    ETA: I also did a cold reboot

  154. 154.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Mnemosyne: There is something hinky about Hope Hicks and all these guys. WTF is actually going on?
    Based on how she looks, she could have her pick of men and then she goes for these much married types, one wonders why.

  155. 155.

    Brachiator

    @WaterGirl:
    I think you earlier posted about a Form 1099 issue.

    You can and should report the total income you received. You will not have a problem with the IRS.

    It is odd that your employer under reported the income and doubly odd that you cannot reach them. Triply odd if this is a non profit. I am sniffing potential fraud. You might want to save any records of your dealing with them, but that is a separate issue.

    From a tax standpoint, the simple rule is that you should report your income from self employment. It is not about reconciling 1099s.

    Again, relax. You do not have a tax filing problem.

  158. 158.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36: OT, you keep talking about the Black Panther movie. Have you watched Black Lightning? (Totally not the same, I know, but I think you and I often like the same TV shows. Not to mention the same hot guys. So I was wondering what you think about this show.

  159. 159.

    germy

    Black Panther review:

    Black Panther spirals into a stodgy tale of internecine feuding, in which T’Challa is required to come to terms with the sins of past generations. What he doesn’t get to do much of is jump around beating-up bad guys. That’s a shame.


    Translation: As a Movie Critic of Refined Tastes, I’ll be damned if some superhero movie with a bunch of black people gets universally praised.

    https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-complicated-exhilarating-process-of-creating-wakan-1822765864

  166. 166.

    Steve in the ATL

    @schrodingers_cat:

    There is something hinky about Hope Hicks and all these guys. WTF is actually going on?
    Based on how she looks, she could have her pick of men and then she goes for these much married types, one wonders why.

    Bitches be crazy

  168. 168.

    Mnemosyne

    @schrodingers_cat:

    She definitely has issues. It seems like every time she drops one guy, she finds a new one who’s even worse. And that’s even before you get to Trump. ?

  170. 170.

    Adam L Silverman

    @schrodingers_cat: No, they have lots of staff meetings at the White House. Sure, the President has executive time, but everyone else has meetings. Meetings are what the US government does.

  171. 171.

    Brachiator

    @schrodingers_cat:

    There is something hinky about Hope Hicks and all these guys. WTF is actually going on?

    I think it’s all those H’s in her name.

    I’m starting to feel sorry for her. She is in over her head in all kinds of ways.

  176. 176.

    Gvg

    @lamh36: yes, that was part of why the relationship made the news. Seems to be common around Trump. I do not think Hope is worth any sympathy. She has not walked away from Trump after years of seeing his company full of this kind of scum. Frankly I would never have worked for his company. Too much scum news years before he ran. I dispised his cheating ways among other things. Anyway I consider all of them to be immoral.

  177. 177.

    K-to-the-Jane

    @Baud: My nephew suggests that perhaps the young woman has a large collection of emotional-support hamsters. So whenever anything stressful happens during her day she kills one in some horrifying manner in order to make herself feel better. Someone cuts her off in traffic — whoosh! There goes a hamster out the window. Emotional support indeed!

  178. 178.

    Gvg

    @Brachiator: she knowingly cheated with a married man. She didn’t run away from Trump and company years ago and they do all kinds of crooked stuff long before he ran. No she is the same scum as the rest. Don’t think because she is a woman, that she is different.

  179. 179.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Brachiator: She’s like a Marvel Comics supporting character.
    Happy Hogan
    Pepper Pots
    Dum Dum Dugan
    Fin Fang Foom
    Bruce Banner
    Reed Richards
    Stephen Strange
    Peter Parker
    Otto Octavious
    Sue Storm
    Matt Murdock
    etc
    etc
    etc

  184. 184.

    lamh36

    @kaitlancollins
    6m6 minutes ago
    More
    News: I’m told Chief of Staff John Kelly sent a lengthy memo to White House staffers Thursday night addressing the allegations made against Rob Porter.
    https://twitter.com/kaitlancollins/status/961781860031397888

    Oooh…so NOW Kelly is “concerned” bout WH staffers mental state…talking bout how “serious” the WH takes allegations of domestic abuser, and advising staffers who are seeking counseling that resources are available…smh

    EVERY woman, not married or related to Donald Trump by marriage or birth…should be pissed AF and walk da fuq out of that WH…smh…but they won’t…

  185. 185.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:

    Anyway, folks seeing the film, and not liking it, or saying it’s not worth the hype…I have no real issue with…Hell, I’m one of the few people on the planet, who couldn’t really stand Titanic…and I’m fine with telling folks I hated it…LOL

    Well said. I am trying to avoid reviews and spoilers. All the stuff about the film’s importance, I just want to see a good, fun movie. And if it has weaknesses, I will certainly be honest about it. And clearly no one is obligated to like the movie.

  188. 188.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @MCA1:

    What in the phuq is an emotional support animal

    It’s an animal paired for people who have severe anxiety issues, often of a PTSD nature, that keeps them from freaking out. They can be very, very helpful, especially for children. I’m sure there are idiots coopting the name for selfish purposes and causing trouble.

    @diierent-church-lady:

    you are not a well person to begin with

    Yes, that’s the point.

    @schrodingers_cat:

    one wonders why

    Consider the environment she is in. To keep one of the most prestigious jobs in the country, she has to keep happy a crowd of extreme misogynists with histories of sexual harassment and maybe rape. I don’t want to second guess the decisions of anyone dealing with that, or guess what it says about them as a person.

    I might go with ‘That she’s working for Trump proves she is a maggot-infested pile of human feces wearing a human skin so all other judgments are moot.’

  189. 189.

    lamh36

    @Brachiator: Not for nothing, but recognzing the film’s importance in the grand scheme of the Hollywood diversity as it pertains to blockbusters and movie making and marketing…should not be a problem…good or bad…if someone goes into the movie ready to hate on it because of that…then I’m sorry, but fuq ’em…and I’d say that bout any film…in fact, I pretty much said the same thing about Wonder Woman…

    If you REALLY hate the “it’s so important” hype…why would anyone want to even see a film with that type of mindset?

    Hell…movie ticket are too damn high for me to be buying a ticket for a film, I’m already hating on…but I guess that’s just me?

  191. 191.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @lamh36: they don’t care. They were going to appoint the Carl’s Jr CEO to be Sec of Labor, fully knowing he almost beat his prior wife to death.

    In her divorce filing, Henning alleged that Puzder hit her, threw her to the floor and unplugged the phone after she tried to call the police for her help. Puzder would later acknowledge in a deposition that he “grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back,” but said he did it to stop her from hurting herself.

  192. 192.

    eemom

    @schrodingers_cat:

    she could have her pick of men and then she goes for these much married types, one wonders why.

    The much married types who beat their wives. AND she works for trump. I don’t wonder. She’s fucked in the head. At best.

  195. 195.

    Brachiator

    @Gvg:

    she knowingly cheated with a married man.

    Don’t care.

    I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone involved in a relationship with someone with a history of abusing his wives or partners.

    I also hopes she gets out of the White House and finds another job. In fact, I would offer this advice to all of the female staffers. Hell, the men, too.

  199. 199.

    danielx

    @Feebog:

    Believe me, for those of us who had the dubious privilege of having Pence as a congressman and/or governor are well acquainted with how dull and robotic he can be. Actually, it’s been rumored that his hair is the smartest part of him. It is true that he certainly has magnificent political hair.

  201. 201.

    eemom

    @Brachiator:

    I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone involved in a relationship with someone with a history of abusing his wives or partners.

    I don’t. Not unless they’re desperately poor or otherwise coerced by circumstances they can’t control. Certainly not if they’re WH staffers who choose to fucking work for Donald Trump.

    It is very kind of you, but the “all women are helpless victims” branch of the #metoo meme is some seriously fucked up shit.

  204. 204.

    Adam L Silverman

    @GregB: Yep. To Hannity last week. Or someone he thought was Hannity, but who was really a woman in Texas running a Hannity parody handle on twitter.

  206. 206.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:

    Hell…movie ticket are too damn high for me to be buying a ticket for a film, I’m already hating on…but I guess that’s just me?

    No, life is too short and like you, I don’t have money to waste.

    I was listening to a movie buff talk about how much fun it is to “hate watch” some films, but I have better things to do.

  211. 211.

    efgoldman

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I might go with ‘That she’s working for Trump proves she is a maggot-infested pile of human feces wearing a human skin so all other judgments are moot.’

    I have no, zero, bupkes sympathy for any true believer RWNJ at any level, from the “economic anxiety” voter on up to congress, the cabinet or the WH. They should DIAF or worse.
    Having said that: The question “why didn’t she leave?” is commonly asked by people who don’t know about, or don’t give credulity to, stories of abuse. Isn’t there a similar syndrome where some women continually seek out abusive relationships?
    I am not a psychologist or in any related discipline. But it’s pretty clear that someone like Hicks has something driving her other than the guys’ good looks and smooth patter.

  212. 212.

    lamh36

    @Brachiator: yeah…I def DON’T pay to “hate watch” any film…if I think it’s not interesting enough for me to shell out my $15+, then I’ll see it on Netflix, or random cable channel, or Redbox, or not at all…

    And as a rule, I dont even care about critic’s reviews (although, I do have a few entertainment bloggers, who I respect, who have so far, never steered me wrong, and so I’ll think twice about a paying to see the film). If I really want to see a film, I do…critics be damned…I may not see it on the first weekend, but I do end up seeing it eventually

  214. 214.

    Brachiator

    @eemom:

    I don’t. Not unless they’re desperately poor or otherwise coerced by circumstances they can’t control.

    What an odd thing to say.

    It is very kind of you, but the “all women are helpless victims” branch of the #metoo meme is some seriously fucked up shit.

    I never said and certainly don’t believe that all women are helpless victims.

  217. 217.

    Another Scott

    @JR: Maybe there’s a terminology issue that’s biting me – IANAA (accountant).

    E.g. GAO from 1995:

    Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed initiatives taken by six individual business units of large defense contractors to reduce overhead costs, focusing on whether the units’ actions would avoid increases in overhead rates.

    GAO found that: (1) declining defense spending since the late 1980s has resulted in reduced sales by defense contractors and a concurrent reduction in the business bases against which they charge overhead; (2) at the six business units GAO visited, for instance, sales declined by an average of 39 percent between the peak years and 1993 and were projected to fall by an average of 55 percent between the peak years and latest projected years; (3) however, in response to their declining business bases, the business units had taken action to reduce their overhead costs; (4) specifically, the six units reduced their overhead costs by an average of 35 percent between their peak years and 1993 and were anticipating on average a total reduction of 53 percent between their peak years and latest projected years; (5) to reduce overhead costs, the business units had taken measures such as reducing the number of indirect employees, cutting employee health care benefits, consolidating facilities, and reducing independent research and development and bid and proposal expenditures; (6) despite these efforts, overhead costs at four of the six business units were not declining as rapidly as their sales; thus, these units were forecasting increases in their overhead rates; (7) one unit, for example, was projecting the overhead rate to increase by 17 percent in real terms between 1993 and 2001, meaning that the business unit charged $1.50 in overhead costs for every one dollar in direct labor in 1993, but will charge $1.76 in overhead costs for every one dollar in direct labor by 2001; and (8) unless these four business units can identify additional cost reductions or increase their sales, their overhead rates will continue to rise, a condition that could result in increased procurement costs.

    I would imagine that things have changed since 1995, but I don’t imagine that overhead (measured that way – salary + (overhead rate) x salary) is less than it was then. If something is capped at 100%, then they’ve simply added more categories.

    eta: I’ve seen that many university research organizations have similarly high (or higher) overhead rates measured that way.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  223. 223.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @raven: Opening ceremony is at 6am tomorrow but curling and some skiing is on.

    That’s what confused me. I keep seeing the opening ceremony is tomorrow

  224. 224.

    Gvg

    @Brachiator: I can hope she will escape abuse and any other woman or man too without refusing to note she has proven serious character flaws.

    Now there might be mitigating circumstances that can come out but I will still make the point to young family members that they are also supposed to not help hurt someone by cheating on a spouse. I had a lot of contempt for Lewanski too back in the day but did hear an interview where it became clear that both her mother and aunt approved of the affair and encouraged her to think she could get the president to divorce Hillary and marry her which was seriously deluded. Also that her mother had a mercanary attitude about the father/ex husband, so even though she wasn’t that young, she was seriously mis raised. Hicks might also have something like that but she is not a good person right now.

    Another point about this group is they are all flat out mean. I can actually see people with real significant experience thinking they need to stick it out, but Hicks isn’t one of those. She has also been there for years. She hasn’t left. I think she is basically going to turn out to be mean too.

  226. 226.

    Brachiator

    @lamh36:

    And as a rule, I dont even care about critic’s reviews (although, I do have a few entertainment bloggers, who I respect, who have so far, never steered me wrong, and so I’ll think twice about a paying to see the film).

    For some films that I want to see, I won’t read reviews until after I’ve seen a film. I do trust some critics to warn me away from some bad or marginal films, but even here I will try to double check with people I know who have seen a film I might be curious about.

  227. 227.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @efgoldman:

    Isn’t there a similar syndrome where some women continually seek out abusive relationships?

    Yes, but this stuff gets very complicated emotionally very quickly, and there’s a lot of individuality. I don’t feel like we have even a fraction of enough information to speculate about the whys of her actions. I might go so far as to predict she’s in a workplace where she will not be tolerated if she’s not sleeping with someone (grotesque to say, but that’s Trump and the people around him). I’m much more comfortable with ‘Who cares? She works for Trump, so you know she’s evil as shit and the details of her romantic issues are moot.’

  229. 229.

    James E. Powell

    @MisterForkbeard:

    I liked The Last Jedi, thoroughly enjoyed it. Looked on in amazement when people flew into purple-face rages over it. A man reaches a certain age and he realizes that he understands nothing.

  233. 233.

    Brachiator

    @Gvg:

    I can hope she will escape abuse and any other woman or man too without refusing to note she has proven serious character flaws.

    I don’t know Hope Hicks from a can of beans, so I don’t see how I could say anything definitive about her character.

    Now there might be mitigating circumstances that can come out but I will still make the point to young family members that they are also supposed to not help hurt someone by cheating on a spouse.

    Life is complex. Still, I generally don’t care about people’s consensual relationships.

    I had a lot of contempt for Lewanski too back in the day but did hear an interview where it became clear that both her mother and aunt approved of the affair and encouraged her to think she could get the president to divorce Hillary and marry her which was seriously deluded.

    What was Bill Clinton’s excuse? Again, a consensual relationship, but Clinton appeared to lead her on because he really needed to get a little on the side.

    Another point about this group is they are all flat out mean. I can actually see people with real significant experience thinking they need to stick it out, but Hicks isn’t one of those. She has also been there for years. She hasn’t left. I think she is basically going to turn out to be mean too.

    Even a mean girl does not deserve to be beaten by a boyfriend.

    But I agree that the Republicans cultivate meanness. I am also reminded of the woman Fox News anchor who took a long time to understand that a news organization that pushed negative stories about women probably did not respect women.

  235. 235.

    Brachiator

    @danielx:

    Where do Ed Wood movies fit in here?

    or The Room. When I was a young movie buff, I would sometimes get with friends and go out to deliberately watch a crappy film, but I grew up.

  236. 236.

    James E. Powell

    @raven:

    We Angelenos get this a lot. You’re watching a standard street scene “Isn’t that where we had breakfast that one time?” or “That’s LaBrea, no wait, Fairfax. I’ve been there.” And so on.

  239. 239.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    We once saw a movie that had a scene that was filmed outside of the movie theater we were watching it in. That was a little weird.

  240. 240.

    ? ?? Goku (aka The Hope of the Universe) ? ?

    @Brachiator:

    What was Bill Clinton’s excuse? Again, a consensual relationship, but Clinton appeared to lead her on because he really needed to get a little on the side.

    It’s wrong to violate someone’s trust, which is what Clinton did. But it was also wrong of Lewinsky to get involved with a married man. Life is not so complex that infidelity is okay.

Comments are closed.