Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

No one could have predicted…

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

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

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

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Cole is on a roll !

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

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Let there be snark.

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

Accountability, motherfuckers.

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

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / I Ain’t Missing You At All

I Ain’t Missing You At All

by | 153 Comments

This post is in: 

A NEJM study shows that gun injury rates are 20% lower on NRA convention days:

Jena points out the 20 percent injury drop on convention days corresponds to a seemingly small absolute reduction in the nationwide gun injury rate—one fewer gun injury for every 300,000 Americans. But this difference is not trivial, he says, considering only about 80,000 Americans out of a gun-owning population of tens of millions attend each meeting. In other words, a group only slightly larger than the population of Camden, N.J., appears to nudge gun injury statistics down for a few days every spring. NRA meetings, the researchers contend, may influence gun use even among people who don’t attend. Hunting and shooting ranges around the country may close on convention days so that employees can go, and group outings may be postponed during the confab even if only one group member plans to attend.

The design of this study only identifies associations, not precise cause-and-effect relationships, and so is unable to ascertain that the observed injury drop on convention days came about because NRA members are not using their weapons. But several study details support this explanation. First, injury rates on convention days dropped among men not women, consistent with the 85 percent of NRA meeting attendees who were male in 2017. The authors also found injury decreases were highest within the state hosting the convention, given that gun owners are more likely to attend meetings held close to home.

If the NRA wasn’t blocking more money to study guns we might learn more than we already have, but we seem to be learning enough to tell us that a tiny minority is endangering the rest of us because they can’t fucking handle their guns, no matter what they tell us.

Reader Interactions

153Comments

  1. 1.

    Jerzy Russian

    This is awesome! More studies like this, please.

    If we are stuck with the NRA then I suggest they have a year round convention. That way we can at least keep track of some of the nuts.

  2. 2.

    Amir Khalid

    It’s obvious what must be done. Congress needs to pass a law requiring all gun owners to attend a week-long state NRA meeting at least twice a month.
    ETA: Dang you, Jerzy Russian.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Only (some of) the most fanatical gun owners go to NRA conventions. I’m a gun owner and I’d rather have my finger nails pulled out than show up at one of those celebrations of maniacal insanity.

  4. 4.

    aimai

    @Amir Khalid: You both get credit for it! And the judges will also accept offering gun owners a choice of being locked up themselves, or locking up their weapons.

  5. 5.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Back in the 80s Iwas introduced to the “Practical Shooters Association”. The held events with some silly but fun target competitions (e.g how fast can you clear a table of 10 bowling pins lined up like a bowling alley would). I couldn’t take it though because it was loaded with “black helicopter” and “Fluoride is a commie plot” people. I am sure the NRA get togethers are as bad.

  6. 6.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Schlemazel: I am fond of saying “We all know at least one person who has no business owning a gun. If you don’t? You’re that person.” Far far far too many gun owners are deep with the stupidity.

  8. 8.

    rikyrah

    consequences, Boo.

    Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux—Europe’s largest home appliance maker—says it will delay a planned $250,000,000 investment to expand and modernize a plant in Tennessee after Trump’s tariffs announcement. https://t.co/rJHCWHkQdr

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 3, 2018

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    Trumplandia makes Watergate pale by comparison: the Trump/Kushner racketeering outfit is STILL hijacking presidential power in PLAIN SIGHT & in REAL TIME every day — even as Mueller searches for the skeletons Trump has tried to bury as he betrays our security for his corrupt gain

    — Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) March 3, 2018

  10. 10.

    rikyrah

    uh huh

    DonaldTrump suddenly turned US foreign policy against our (counter-ISIS partner) Quatar just weeks after its govt refused to bail Jared out of $1.5B in debt on 666 Fifth Ave. This stinks to high heaven. We have a crime family running our country and risking our nation’s security.

    — Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) March 3, 2018

  11. 11.

    rikyrah

    I’ll say it again..

    there is no honor among thieves.
    And, no nobility.
    The thought…the mere thought…that they think that they can throw Jared to the wolves and it will all go away is ridiculous.
    Jared’s not ever…
    ‘taking one for the team’.

    He’ll take all those muthaphuckas down with him.

  12. 12.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Jake Tapper has tweeted a “in a Pennsylvania steel town, Trump tariffs a winner” piece.

    I swear to god – it’s an ugly sentiment, but I want those stupid fuckers to starve.

  13. 13.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @rikyrah:

    Interesting – Europe is targeting Republican constituencies.

    Smart play.

  14. 14.

    Villago Delenda Est

    All ammosexuals are “responsible gun owners” until they open up that AR-15 with a 30 round clip (this term used on purpose to troll) on a crowd, then they become lone wolves, or mentally ill, or something like that.

  17. 17.

    Peale

    @rikyrah: yep. Kind of like how we’ve decided that trade policy means punishing Mexico because his business deal there went south.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    @aimai: Thank you for speaking out in that Loomis post on the West Virginia teachers strike. I like his labor stuff usually, and that was beneath him.

  20. 20.

    Ohio Mom

    And yet, none of this is a surprise. It was all widely predicted.

    It is like those horrible moments when you lose control of your car and you know it’s not going to end well. But we have been in this state for a year now. I just wish the loud bang would happen already.

  23. 23.

    Bruuuuce

    @Villago Delenda Est: Depends on their dermal melanin level, of course. Those darker than taupe are “terrorists”, rather than “mentally ill lone wolves and not typical responsible firearms owners” :-(

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    Republicans have announced that they will keep limits in place on funding for research on gun violence.

    Strange. The same people who love to say calls for new regs are driven by emotion also oppose investing in empirical research into whether they work:https://t.co/wWFMsJyZVO pic.twitter.com/fqWFE7zPgg

    — Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) March 3, 2018

  26. 26.

    Nicole

    Oh my God, I love you so much for quoting that John Waite song. Imma go sing it on karaoke RIGHT NOW.

    Well, in a few hours after I finish my work.

  27. 27.

    Brachiator

    Author and sex advice guru Dan Savage noted that gun sales spike after a shooting. He suggested that in response, gun sales should be prohibited for 5 days after a mass shooting, any shooting in which at least 4 people are wounded or killed.

  28. 28.

    Schlemazel

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    Funny thing that. I saw a photo from a gun show and one of the signs for a deal was offering “clips” for sale. Apparently the very common term for magazines is OK once you are one of them

  29. 29.

    rikyrah

    I completely disagree with him. I remember the Qatar example when it was happening in real time, and totally connected it to Kushner. But, it was the ‘fringe’ folks in the media connecting the dots back when it actually happened. Folks brought up our soldiers and the base when it happened.

    Same thing after we read the story of Jared going over and having a ‘slumber party’ with the new Prince of Saudi Arabia.
    ………………………………………………………….

    I’m not sure we’re quite absorbing that major and in some cases quite dangerous foreign policy decisions were likely made in the interests of securing loans to save the Kushner family fortune.

    — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 3, 2018

  33. 33.

    No Drought No More

    Joy Reid* just pointed to two theories as to why Sessions remains in office. One, that he recognizes he represents a last line of defense; number 2, that he digs torturing Trump in retribution.

    I was surprised she didn’t float the third, and arguably most obvious, reason: that Sessions himself is compromised, and can’t afford to. For example: I seem to recall Sessions being quoted as stating in a group meeting, one that included Papadopolous, it would be best to end a discussion about Russia. That, of course, happened during the campaign, before he perjured himself in testimony before the Judiciary Committee..

    * (the great).

  34. 34.

    Calouste

    @Gin & Tonic: It’s pretty hard to replace steel and aluminum with something else for American manufacturers. It’s pretty easy to replace bourbon and Harleys with locally made equivalents for European customers.

    The shitgibbon is trying to fight a trade war of 100 years ago by attacking heavy industry. The EU is fighting a trade war of today by attacking brands.

  36. 36.

    oatler.

    I expect most gun nuts spend much more time at their computer keyboards than they do at the shooting range.

  41. 41.

    rikyrah

    @Nicole:

    @rikyrah: Unsurprising. The GOP knows an educated populace is a dangerous populace. Dangerous to GOP policies, anyway.

    They stopped it for guns, because they saw how government research WAS USED TO DISMANTLE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.

  46. 46.

    rikyrah

    Lawmaker Changes Party Before Being Expelled
    March 2, 2018 at 9:09 pm EST

    Colorado state Rep. Steve Lebsock “was expelled from the House in a 52 – 9 vote Friday, following allegations of sexual misconduct by five women,” KDVR reports.

    The effort, led by Democrats, was successful in barring Lebsock from his position.

    At the last minute, Lebsock changed his party affiliation to Republican… Colorado law says a vacancy will be filled by a person in the same political party. That means Lebsock’s party change gives his seat to Republicans, despite the fact he was a Democrat until Friday.

    http://kdvr.com/2018/03/02/expelled-house-rep-lebsock-changed-party-affiliation-prior-to-vote/

  47. 47.

    rikyrah

    I asked @Disney if the first public screening of #WrinkleinTime could be in my hometown of Compton. They created a theater experience with fab sound + picture quality out of a community center since there are no movie theaters in Compton. I thank them. And these kids do too. pic.twitter.com/grzHoRJAHX

    — Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 2, 2018

  50. 50.

    MomSense

    @Nicole:

    That is so sweet.

    I just saw another amazing photo of a little girl staring up in awe at the portrait of Michelle Obama. That is exactly the experience Michelle Obama and the artist hoped for.

  51. 51.

    Bruuuuce

    @rikyrah: Ugh. What a petty, spiteful move. I wonder, can the governor refuse to appoint a replacement until November, allowing the district to elect another Democrat? Or would that be a losing move, considering that the Dems would still have a majority?

  52. 52.

    rikyrah

    And they aren’t paid anything to begin with…which is why they’re on strike…

    West Virginia teachers paying out of pocket to ensure low income students don’t go hungry during the strike. https://t.co/vgVTxkjrQv

    — Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) March 2, 2018

  53. 53.

    Schlemazel

    @rikyrah:
    The Dems should be very up front that they will do what is right despite it costing them the seat. That they put principle over party unlike the GOP and challenge the Republicans to deny the switch or admit that they put party over people

  54. 54.

    Baud

    Reuters

    Some of MEMA’s members would be deeply affected by Trump’s tariffs because they rely on specialty steel and aluminum products imported from Europe, Asia and other regions, said Wilson, speaking on the sidelines of the North American Free Trade Agreement talks.

    Many economists say that instead of increasing employment, price increases for consumers of steel and aluminum such as the auto and oil industries will destroy more U.S. jobs than they create.

    “Our industry was really pleased with what we accomplished with tax reform and the improvement in the economy, and a lot of that enthusiasm could all be for naught if we do something like this,” said Wilson.

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: These stupid fuckers can’t think even one minute ahead of the moment they are doing whatever spiteful and vengeful they have thought up. In case it wasn’t clear, I am not referring to Electrolux!

  56. 56.

    Brachiator

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    So you’re for ending gun sales.

    Dan Savage proposed suspending gun sales as a thought experiment, realizing and acknowledging that it would likely be illegal under current law.

    Personally I favor gun control on the Australian model, and would at the least ban assault rifle sales. I would also interpret “well regulated militia” as meaning that an adult must be a member of the state national guard in order to own anything more than one handgun and one shotgun or hunting rifle, and that all weapons must be registered.

    BTW, I note that during his recent visit, the Australian prime minister kissed Donald Trump’s ass when asked about gun control.

    But Turnbull, who met Trump for talks in Washington on Friday, said he was not going to offer the United States any advice on the issue, which is dividing Americans.

    “It’s a completely different context historically, legally and so forth,” Turnbull told a news conference following talks in the White House, adding that he was satisfied with Australia’s gun control.

    “We certainly don’t presume to provide policy or political advice on that matter here,” Turnbull said, according to a transcript of the news conference released by the prime minister’s office.

    Despite right wing lies, crime did not increase in Australia after the guns ban, and most importantly, firearm homicides (both suicides and intentional killings) in Australia had dropped significantly.

  58. 58.

    Kelly

    @rikyrah:

    They stopped it for guns, because they saw how government research WAS USED TO DISMANTLE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.

    and they’ve blocked environmental research because reality has a liberal bias.

  59. 59.

    trollhattan

    @24 Butthurt Jordan Trombone
    Yeah, that definitely wins the prize. Bravely buying an AR-15 is exactly the same as Rosa Parks bravely sitting “in the front of the bus.” To reinforce his point I suggest he hold it while sitting in front of the bus. On an I-70 carpool lane.

  60. 60.

    trollhattan

    @Kelly:
    Heard yesterday that the NOAA National Weather Service has hundreds of unfilled positions, forcing people into endless double shifts with the usual consequences. Trump proposes eliminating those unfilled positions.

    Future privatization of NOAA is in their sights.

  61. 61.

    Amir Khalid

    @Brachiator:
    Mass shootings in America are unfortunately frequent. If you suspended gun sales in the US for four or five days after each one, would you ever get a clear window of time in which sales could resume? You might be happy with that outcome, but the courts might find its practical effect unconstitutional.

  62. 62.

    gene108

    @Baud:

    We did this before, not too long ago.

    The Bush 2002 steel tariff was a political issue in the United States regarding a tariff that President George W. Bush placed on imported steel on March 5, 2002 (took effect March 20). The tariffs were lifted by Bush on December 4, 2003. Research shows that the tariffs adversely affected US GDP and employment.[1]

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_United_States_steel_tariff

  63. 63.

    Kelly

    @trollhattan: They won’t privarize NOAA data collection the expensive part. They’ll privatize data distribution the public facing stuff they can sell.

  64. 64.

    Kelly

    By the way it’s winter after all in the northern Oregon Cascades. The last few weeks have been fabulous for Nordic skiing including yesterday.

  65. 65.

    Nicole

    @rikyrah:

    They stopped it for guns, because they saw how government research WAS USED TO DISMANTLE THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY.

    Holy cow, are you spot on about that! I was thinking about how the NRA = the tobacco industry in the 1950s and 1960s- willfully blocking facts about the dangers of smoking in order to keep the money flowing.

    The thing is, the truth got out and somehow tobacco companies are still in business. Much as I dislike smoking (it having taken a father, an aunt and two grandparents, all in their 60s, from me), I feel like there’s a tack for liberals to take- that the public has a right to know statistics about guns and safety they way they had a right to know them about smoking, and look, all this stuff came out and smoking is still legal, so what are conservatives and the NRA so afraid of? We’re just asking for information to be put out there!

    Won’t affect the true nuts, but I have some gun owning friends with whom that argument has been quite effective.

  66. 66.

    Brachiator

    @Amir Khalid:

    If you suspended gun sales in the US for four or five days after each one, would you ever get a clear window of time in which sales could resume?

    That was Dan Savages’s point. He was being cheeky about it.

  67. 67.

    Kelly

    My massacre control bill is very simple. No civilian may own a weapon that can be loaded more than one round at a time with a minor exception for double barrel shotguns. No more than 10 round magazine.

  68. 68.

    Brachiator

    @trollhattan:

    Trump proposes eliminating those unfilled positions.

    Future privatization of NOAA is in their sights.

    Trump’s position is that the government costs too much and does too much, especially if it would affect his personal business interests.

    Conservatives used to insist that the free market would provide better solutions, but they have given up all pretense of that. The rich will look out for themselves and it’s tough cookies for everyone else.

    ETA. Just saw some breaking news headline about shots fired near the White House.

  69. 69.

    WaterGirl

    I finally got around to reading the NYT (sorry) article by Paul Krugman that someone linked to earlier this week. It’s well worth reading.

    The Force of Decency Awakens

    First paragraph:

    A funny thing is happening on the American scene: a powerful upwelling of decency. Suddenly, it seems as if the worst lack all conviction, while the best are filled with a passionate intensity. We don’t yet know whether this will translate into political change. But we may be in the midst of a transformative moment.

    Last paragraph:

    Again, there’s no guarantee that the forces of decency will win. In particular, the U.S. electoral system is in effect rigged in favor of Republicans, so Democrats will need to win the popular vote by something like seven percentage points to take the House. But we’re seeing a real uprising here, and there’s every reason to hope that change is coming.

  72. 72.

    rikyrah

    @MomSense:

    I just saw another amazing photo of a little girl staring up in awe at the portrait of Michelle Obama. That is exactly the experience Michelle Obama and the artist hoped for.

    you mean this?
    Looking at the picture did make my heart go ‘ awe’, but reading the article made me tear up.

    New from me: People Are Crying Over This Photo Of A Little Girl Staring At Michelle Obama’s Portrait https://t.co/RMvAGdb1Qj

    — David Mack (@davidmackau) March 2, 2018

  73. 73.

    germy

    There have been times that I thought I couldn’t last for long
    But now I think I’m able to carry on
    It’s been a long, a long time coming
    But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

    – Sam Cooke

  77. 77.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    Those Stoneman Douglass kids, kicked ass on Maher’s show last night. Loved the money quote

    “They’re trying to say we don’t know what we’re talking about. Well, until you’ve been on the receiving end of an AR-15 — Look, Wayne LaPierre, Dana Loesch, I don’t know if you’ve ever had to deal with that. But as far as I know, that’s not the case. We’ve been locked in a classroom. We’ve seen our friends text their parents goodbye. We are the experts! We know exactly what we’re talking about! How dare you tell us we don’t know what we’re talking about!”

    Also

    “To all of the generations before us, we sincerely accept your apology for f*cking up our country,”

    The Kids are Alright

  78. 78.

    Fair Economist

    @rikyrah: Jared getting turned down for a loan followed by a big row between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is fishy but still could be coincidence. It is Qatar giving in in Nov that nixes coincidence.

  82. 82.

    Fair Economist

    @No Drought No More: Right! As long as Sessions is Mueller’s shield against Trump Mueller is unlikely to file charges. Once he is out he is a big fat easy target. And Mueller does not really want Sessions. He wants the real masterminds – Russians, Trump, and maybe US oligarchs.

  83. 83.

    cain

    @Baud:

    Looks like it was a Republican seat the entire time, huh? Changing representation out of spite shouldn’t be allowed. The people voted for a particular kind of representation. Given that it happened in Colorado, that pisses me off to no end.

  85. 85.

    cain

    @JR:

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: which steel town? Certainly not Braddock.

    They’ll soon realize tha a trade war means that nobody is going to buy your steel either. Steel owners are going to be pissed since the market for steel has been artificially reduced. This will actually lead to layoffs. It will be interesting to see how that follows in Pennsylvania. The hope is that they will educate themselves.

  86. 86.

    Suzanne

    @rikyrah: I came here to talk about Jar Jar Kush, too. I wonder if he will stay married to Ivanka when either he flips or Agent Orange hangs him out to dry.

  88. 88.

    trollhattan

    @Mr Stagger Lee:
    “Why can you draft and send us to war when we can’t vote?” eventually led to lowering the voting age to 18. We’ll see whether that equivalent generation today can have a similar, lasting effect.

    Based on a postcard this week my 16YO is now pre-registered to vote in California, listing “Democrat.” First vote will be the 2020 primary. Dad will lock her in her room that day if she becomes a Berniebot!

  89. 89.

    Mnemosyne

    @Nicole:

    Adorable! I’m glad this superstardom is happening for Boseman. Like the other superhero actors, he seems to understand that taking this role was a responsibility to kids, and he seems to be taking that seriously. I assume he’s already been doing appearances at children’s hospitals in the costume and pictures just haven’t surfaced yet.

  90. 90.

    Mike J

    @Brachiator:

    Personally I favor gun control on the Australian model, and would at the least ban assault rifle sales.

    And to make sure we take the feelings of the ammosexuals into account, we’ll ban guns with specs in the same range as the AR-15, not base it on cosmetics. They’re so helpful to show us the similarities between guns that were banned before and guns that won’t, we’ll make it sweeping enough to get those too.

  91. 91.

    Yutsano

    @Nicole: Ever heard this version? Whoever came up with the idea of making this a duet is a flipping genius.

    @Mike J: I feel like thanking all the ammosexuals for pointing out the flaws in the gun laws of the past. Now we can make them stronger and better! Thanks wingnuts!

  92. 92.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @trollhattan:

    Future privatization of NOAA is in their sights.

    Republican legislators have had this goal in the past, replacing it with something like AccuWeather. The problem is that AccuWeather and other weather services get their informaiton from NOAA. But I suppose Trump and the current gang of idiots don’t know that.

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    @Fair Economist: Oh, I had missed that part. So they met, Qatar said no, then Jared got the US to support Qatar’s enemies, THEN Qatar gave Kushner a 185 million loan?

  95. 95.

    Kelly

    I’ve read several items from people that want to get away from the term “gun control” on the grounds it’s been poisoned. I now offer “Massacre Control” as an alternative.

  96. 96.

    Brachiator

    @Mike J:

    And to make sure we take the feelings of the ammosexuals into account, we’ll ban guns with specs in the same range as the AR-15, not base it on cosmetics.

    Sometimes I want to begin with the prohibition of all firearms, and then define what weapons would be allowed.

  98. 98.

    Calouste

    So I was having a shower and I was having an idea, as you sometimes have while having a shower, which I think could help shifting the conversation on guns:

    We should start referring to guns owned by ammosexuals as what they are and what they are used for, their Emotional Support Firearm.

    For example: “As usual, Roy Moore couldn’t take the stage without his Emotional Support Six shooter, which he needed to touch every few minutes.”

    It turns the whole “I’m a strong guy because I have a gun” around against them, and it leaves out people who actually use their gun for a reason, like hunters.

  99. 99.

    trollhattan

    @Brachiator:
    Sounds good. Start with breech-load shotguns and single-shot 22s.

    “But, but, but what about…?”
    “Check back in a year.”

  101. 101.

    HinTN

    @Yutsano: OT but thanks for the info in the Yellow Cardinal thread the other day. We have the disc to watch this weekend and will see if they even reference the frequency choices.

  102. 102.

    Doug R

    @rikyrah:

    The thought…the mere thought…that they think that they can throw Jared to the wolves and it will all go away is ridiculous.
    Jared’s not ever…
    ‘taking one for the team’.

    He’ll take all those muthaphuckas down with him.

    Ivanka is going to side with Daddy-that sh*t is going to get UGLY

  103. 103.

    HinTN

    @Cheryl Rofer: Of course they do. They’ve cut funding for satellite development and replacement and this would allow them to just make shit up.

  104. 104.

    Yutsano

    @HinTN: You can do the procedure through either a back orthopædist or a pain specialist who is familiar with the technique. I do hope it gets your spousal unit positive results although it does have a 94% success rate, which is mental. Tip for the trial: my experience was that most of the problems I was having were related to the external unit itself. Please at least discuss it and do the research, but it’s an amazing technology.

  106. 106.

    rikyrah

    @Fair Economist:

    Really?
    I didn’t think so. I thought the $184 million came from the Equity Fund names Apollo, which, got, in return, the loophole closed in the tax bill that they wanted.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @Doug R: I say Ivanka sides with the person the gives her the best shot at coming through this relatively unscathed. At this point, I’m not sure which one that is.

    *But I hear the wife beater is available, maybe she can ditch both of them for him!

  110. 110.

    Nicole

    @Yutsano: I had not heard that version! Thank you for sharing it!

    I read that Waite told Nina Blackwood that he wrote the song for her, and then it later came out that he told the same thing to several women. Heh.

  113. 113.

    HinTN

    @Yutsano: Pain specialist has referred her to the group that does the work. First hurdle was the eval and she’s a good candidate. Up next: insurance approval. Best wishes for great results from the permanent install.

  115. 115.

    WaterGirl

    @debbie: I would suggest regulation, but I think they hate that even more!

    Gun safety? Or come up with a bill with a clever name – “no more killing our kids”. Or “our kids are more important than your guns”.

    edit: or Kids > Guns

  116. 116.

    Amir Khalid

    Completely off topic, and thus in keeping with Balloon Juice traditions:

    Mohamad Salah, Egyptian King of the Kop, has just scored to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead over visitors Newcastle Utd. This is Mo’s 32nd goal of the season, matching Newcastle’s season-to-date total.

  118. 118.

    Yutsano

    @Nicole: I have the feeling it’s a Don McLean situation. Waite will keep who he wrote that song for a secret until he leaves the mortal coil. And that it will be in his will or something.

    Plus I’m a sucker for ANYTHING by Allison Krauss.

    @HinTN: Ugh. Insurance approval can be the big stumbling block. Best of luck to you both!

  119. 119.

    Corner Stone

    @Doug R:

    Ivanka is going to side with Daddy-that sh*t is going to get UGLY

    Of course she is. Jar Jar will be a felon who is not only broke but in debt a few hundred million dollars. He’ll have nothing. Trump will at least try to ride the wingnut welfare circuit (if he doesn’t go to prison). That will give Ivanka the two or three years she needs to rebuild her identity/brand. The media will fawn alllll over her and legitimize her. They will make her into a feminist hero / working mother / successful business executive who survived horrible tragedy and came out the other side stronger. And did you know she’s a working mother?

  121. 121.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: OMG, wouldn’t that be awesome to see??

    btw, I am GOING to see “Black Panther” tomorrow! matinee performance in Canon City! me and two of my lily-whitest gal pals, lol! Can’t wait!

  122. 122.

    Corner Stone

    @Suzanne:

    I came here to talk about Jar Jar Kush, too. I wonder if he will stay married to Ivanka when either he flips or Agent Orange hangs him out to dry.

    Does Mr. Suzanne know you’ve already picked out a replacement for him?

  123. 123.

    Nicole

    @Yutsano: Right? Sadly, I don’t think it’ll ever be as pressing a question of identity as who really though Carly Simon’s song was about him.

    Also, thanks to the link you posted, I’m really tempted to tell my better half (who is also a better singer) that we need to learn “Missing You” as a duet for karaoke. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. Or some other word that doesn’t actually mean thrilled.

  125. 125.

    Amir Khalid

    @Yutsano:
    Bit of trivia: Alison Krauss’ favourite photographer for her album covers, solo and with Union Station, is Bruce Springsteen’s sister Pam.

  126. 126.

    Miss Bianca

    @Calouste: Wasn’t it Adam quoting “Duffleblog” that had the bit about the guy being turned away from boarding a plane with his emotional support flamethrower? ; )

    Made me laugh. “Emotional support sidearm” makes me laugh, too. Ridicule may get us places that outrage won’t.

  127. 127.

    Corner Stone

    I’ve been watching the NFL Combine and I have to say that so far I am underwhelmed by the display of talent. We’ll see if that gets any better when the D-Linemen or Defensive Backs come through.

  129. 129.

    trollhattan

    @Yutsano:

    Plus I’m a sucker for ANYTHING by Allison Krauss.

    Preach it. Her voice utterly haunts me (“boo!”) and can cause chills even after a hundred listenings. It’s fun to hear how high her register was in early recordings compared to now. Never heard he claim it but I think she probably has perfect pitch.

  131. 131.

    No Drought No More

    “WASHINGTON (AP) — The Secret Service says a man shot himself outside the White House, and medical personnel are on the scene”.

    Suicide is nothing to joke about. But I can’t help wondering if the man in question was wearing a federal ankle bracelet engraved with the initials: ‘P.M’.

    Al Capone was in Florida, too, on his fateful St. Valentines day vacation. I know Capone fished, but I don’t know if he ever played golf…

  132. 132.

    Corner Stone

    @Suzanne: I figure after he gets out of prison Jar Jar will be buffed up a bit, have some prison tats. You know, a real bad boy.

  133. 133.

    rikyrah

    @Corner Stone:

    That will give Ivanka the two or three years she needs to rebuild her identity/brand. The media will fawn alllll over her and legitimize her. They will make her into a feminist hero / working mother / successful business executive who survived horrible tragedy and came out the other side stronger. And did you know she’s a working mother?

    I just think she’s gonna wind up in her own orange jumpsuit.

  134. 134.

    Sab

    @Miss Bianca: I hope we have a Black Panther spoiler thread soon so people who have seen it can discuss it.
    Spouse wouldn’t let us stay to the end of the credits to see the second extra scene.

  136. 136.

    Corner Stone

    @rikyrah: Even if Ivanka does do a stint in prison, which I soooo hope for, that will only serve to make her draw to the media even stronger. She will be MSM catnip on the hoof!
    Her PR people will be leaking stories of how Ivanka lead initiatives for literacy classes for other working mothers, just like her. And how she taught other inmates the entrepreneurial spirit so when they get out they too can be a successful businesswoman and a working mom. They too can have it all!
    Feminist.Hero.

  137. 137.

    Suzanne

    @Corner Stone:

    I figure after he gets out of prison Jar Jar will be buffed up a bit, have some prison tats. You know, a real bad boy.

    That would be an improvement. He currently resembles no one so much as Pee Wee Herman. Not hot.

    I really don’t know why Ivanka bangs him.
    Also don’t know why Mrs. Uday and Mrs. Qusay (Vanessa and Lara, right?) bang their husbands.
    These must be the kind of women who thought Fifty Shades of Grey was actually risqué and sexy.

  139. 139.

    Aleta

    A few days ago I saw on twitter that the House has* a bill that requires business owners to let people (employees?) keep guns in their cars in the parking lot.
    *It said ‘passed’ but I haven’t seen that reported.

    In Michigan they are reporting that the college student who killed his parents used his police officer father’s gun. They were in his dorm room, he was loading the car with his stuff to go home and got the gun out of the car.

  140. 140.

    Aleta

    @Suzanne: Possible that she doesn’t. I suspect that Parker guy, and Hope as his cover.

    Impossible dream: Hope sues former boss for sexual harassment.

  142. 142.

    Origuy

    @rikyrah: Funny, because years ago I went to see Starship Troopers at a Magic Johnson Theater that I thought was in Compton. I guess it was actually in Crenshaw, since it was the one south of the 10. I don’t know LA well enough to know where the boundaries are.

  143. 143.

    Hellbastard

    @Schlemazel: Just like the complete silence when a republican refers to America has a “democracy.” It’s a bit of obnoxiousness they like to deploy against outsiders but simply don’t care within their own circles.

  144. 144.

    Yutsano

    @trollhattan: Oh she definitely still has her high range. But when she engages her husky alto it just…MMMPH!

    Never heard he claim it but I think she probably has perfect pitch.

    She doesn’t. There are recordings where she JUST misses the mark and the music recovers her pitch. But her sense of relative pitch is AMAZING. And that’s a hard skill to develop.

    And just for fun…

  145. 145.

    Corner Stone

    @Suzanne: From what I can tell, the wives are both deeply stupid. If I may be judgist, IMO they are the type who were raised that the only worth a female has is through the man they acquire. So they are nothing more than empty shells that parrot whatever their husbands say, and believe what they believe.
    If Eric Trump were not rich, do you think he could have married someone as superficially pretty as Lara?

  146. 146.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Corner Stone:

    I’m a sucker for “rich girl in prison discovering her soft, feminine side” stories.

    Vivid could do the documentary….

  147. 147.

    Ruckus

    @Frankensteinbeck:
    When your entire life is based upon getting all the freebees that you can and living a lifestyle out of Obnoxious Homes and Hovels, without having to think about anyone but yourself, you tend not to care about anyone else’s wellbeing. Or seemingly your own. So the drumpf clan and everyone who wants to be them end up, collectively, with all the empathy of a large bag of potatoes.

  148. 148.

    SgrAstar

    @Nicole: Love that song! I have two versions- the great original John Waites song and a stunning rendition by (bows head) Tina Turner. Joy.

  149. 149.

    Ruckus

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:
    They don’t buy a lot of Harleys for one. Harley is on a sales slump sort of thing these days. It may be that most of the people who for some reason want one, already have one. And the old ones are at the end of their riding careers, or past the end. (the Japanese are in the same boat) Here in the US the motorcycle industry is in a slump.
    Lots of people are still in recovery from the not so fucking great recession, and what do you want to bet we are well on the road to another fine mess the republicans will make out of the economy like they always do?

  150. 150.

    Ruckus

    @Baud:
    You know someone who may be directly affected by steel and aluminum tariffs. ME. I work with steel and aluminum every day, we purchase stock and make things out of that. Tooling for the medical industry, aerospace and some other commercial goods. We make some end parts for other segments of the economy. And we are a small business, I could name a lot of businesses big and small that will suffer greatly in an economy that is based upon consumers who don’t make great salaries purchasing stuff.

  151. 151.

    r€nato

    The ‘responsible gun owner’ is largely a myth, and if my hypothesis could ever be empirically tested I would bet serious mortgage payment money on the outcome proving I am fucking right. I know of far too many anecdotes – including first-hand – regarding supposedly responsible gun owners who screwed up that one time (or more). When it comes to a killing machine, you can’t screw up even one time.

    Firearms fetishists trade these stories while shooting the shit (all puns intended) with one another over their Bud Lights, but keep their mouths shut to everyone else about it. Nearly every damn one of them has been cleaning a gun they were sure was not loaded that discharged, or left their loaded gun laying around the house, or had their gun stolen from their vehicle because it was not secured.

  152. 152.

    Mnemosyne

    @Sab:

    FWIW, the second extra scene only makes sense if you saw “Civil War.” I did not, so someone had to explain it to me.

Comments are closed.