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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

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

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Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Let me file that under fuck it.

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But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

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Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

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

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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Open Thread: Happy Monday (*Crosses Fingers*)

Open Thread: Happy Monday (*Crosses Fingers*)

by Anne Laurie|  April 2, 20185:53 am| 144 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Dog Blogging, Open Threads, Popular Culture

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@darth I hope you’re having a good Saturday. I thought you might like to know our cat brings us flowers about five times a day. Not sure why I had to show you this but I did. Happy Saturday pic.twitter.com/yE1jVHkkJe

— ??? ??? (@TTSFDCC) March 31, 2018

Weekend flowers are always welcome, but isn’t Monday when we really need them?…

Yes, there is plenty to post about, but none of it seems appropriate before readers have had the chance to armor up & ingest their adult beverage of choice (that would be Diet Coke, in my case).

Ted Nugent, Roseanne Barr, and Laura Ingraham walk into a bar. They had to — it was the only place they could find to publically escape the 18 year olds about to haunt their asses.

— Phil (@CelticWombat) March 31, 2018

Reboot with Barron at the White House when his father forgets to bring him to Mar-a-Lago. The wet bandits are John Bolton and Stephen Miller. pic.twitter.com/MK8ycp9l0b

— Schooley (@Rschooley) April 1, 2018


.

Finally, in the name of companion animal fairness:

reminder that saltwater can cause your dog’s electronics to malfunction. pic.twitter.com/PnxiBOvu7A

— Clint Falin (@ClintFalin) March 29, 2018

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Reader Interactions

144Comments

  1. 1.

    HeleninEire

    April 2, 2018 at 6:15 am

    Happy Easter Monday, morning crew. Last day of a fabulous 4 day respite from work. Next 2 weeks at work are going to be intense. Huge proposal due the 17th but then I can breathe.

    Rainy and grey here in Dublin, but no complaints. Had some visitors from America Thursday and the last 3 days have been sunny.

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 6:16 am

    It ain’t just salt water that causes dog malfunctions.

  3. 3.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2018 at 6:20 am

    Good Morning,Everyone???

  4. 4.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 6:28 am

    Wow, Happy Monday, or as it’s known in South Bend, Dyngus Day!
    Can’t believe I slept past 4am for once!

  5. 5.

    Sab

    April 2, 2018 at 6:30 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: My dog malfunctions all the time, pretty much a permanent state for her. She is just nutz. Seven years old and still hasn’t settled down.

  6. 6.

    TS

    April 2, 2018 at 6:37 am

    Morning Ho still attacking Hillary – and then attacking the GOP for doing the same

  7. 7.

    eclare

    April 2, 2018 at 6:39 am

    @Sab: My dog is nine, and I’m still looking for the “off” switch.

  8. 8.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 6:39 am

    @satby: good morning. I saw last night that you captured the stray cat without a garage spelunking. Congrats!

  9. 9.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 6:39 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 6:40 am

    @Sab: The Woofmeister can go into total spaz mode first thing in the AM. Or not. When I take him out to throw frisbee in the evening, he will shake his head violently back and forth smacking himself on both sides of his face with the floppy frisbee (the floppy ones last a lot longer than the hard ones, he chews them up) Even now with his congestive HD he acts just like a puppy as often as not.

  11. 11.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 6:48 am

    @Immanentize: yes, thank you! I had taken up the food bowls I left out to make the humane trap more attractive and I saw her waddling back to my shed later in the afternoon, still hugely pregnant. I grabbed a food bowl and the remaining bait salmon and went out to reopen the shed, put the food down and put the salmon into a cat carrier, she crawled 1/2 way in and I pushed her the rest of the way. She was upset but not psychotic, and started to settle into the cage at my friend’s house fairly quickly. I’m now pretty sure someone dumped her, she’s not a true feral. And she should give birth any day.
    She seemed relieved to be in a safe spot, and I’m relieved we got her.
    Now I’m going to try to trap a younger cat I see running around, that one probably is really feral.

  12. 12.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 6:50 am

    @Immanentize: @satby: con poquito gattos?

  13. 13.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 6:52 am

    Good morning all from NYC where’s it’s snowing which means there is zero chance my dog will go outside. I must say, for a rescue mutt, she has surprisingly delicate sensibilities.

  14. 14.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 6:55 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: with little cats? Any day now… Her roomie in the “maternity ward” has 3 six day old babies.

  15. 15.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 6:59 am

    And if Skepticat is around, I think a lot of jackals would love to see pictures of your feral colony and hear about your trap/fix/release work. Please share!

  16. 16.

    Kay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:00 am

    Frank Stallone
    ‏@Stallone
    20h20 hours ago
    More
    To everyone and to David Hogg especially. I want to deeply apologize for my irresponsible words. I would never in a million years wish or promote violence to anyone anywhere on this planet. After what these kids went though I’m deeply ashamed. Please accept my apology. Frank

    I was thinking about organizing and why these high schoolers got more traction than anyone else and it’s partly because “schools” are really unique in that almost every kid goes to one. There’s no large group of people who spend all day every day in “malls” or “movie theaters” or “concerts” and then stay there long enough to organize anything. It’s easy to spread because there are so many of them and they are everywhere. There’s nothing else like the K-12 system in the US. All the rest of the mass shootings are one-offs, here an airport, there a concert, but schools are a specific place and they have so many commonalities that they’re really the only place where organizing like this COULD happen so fast.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 7:00 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    April 2, 2018 at 7:03 am

    FYI for any fence sitters, noticed the other day that in the new line-up of Roku devices, the price for the basic box is now an astoundingly low $29.99.

  19. 19.

    Billcoop4

    April 2, 2018 at 7:05 am

    Dang, the words are right ones for a true apology.

    BC

  20. 20.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 7:06 am

    @Kay: I see that the tweeterverse hasn’t accepted Frank Stallone’s apology but, unlike the “sorry if you were offended” variety of apology his is an actual apology. not that it really matters.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 7:07 am

    @satby: Yeah, I don’t know the Spanish for kittens. :-) sheepishly

  22. 22.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:13 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: little cats gets the idea across ?

  23. 23.

    Kay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:14 am

    @LAO:

    It’s a good apology but I don’t really believe it. I think what he said the first time is his actual opinion and what he (probably) still believes. There’s a huge group of people who think kids should be beat up for all kinds of things. They’re always proud of it too- like it’s this contrarian “truth” that can’t be said except so many people say it.

    I’m more interested in the fact they believe they have to apologize. They never apologize for anything.

  24. 24.

    Lapassionara

    April 2, 2018 at 7:16 am

    @LAO: the words are definitely an apology, but why, if he would never in a million years wish someone harm, did he send the tweet he is apologizing for?

    Good morning, everyone.

  25. 25.

    BruceFromOhio

    April 2, 2018 at 7:18 am

    @LAO:

    …his is an actual apology. not that it really matters.

    Actually I think it kind of does matter. Being graceful in your own way means acknowledging when someone genuinely apologizes for a mistake, if even that someone remains a shitty human. The tough part is evaluating if the guy is really on the up & up about it, and only the person (or people) he is apologizing to can make that call.

  26. 26.

    Kay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:19 am

    @LAO:

    They so clearly want them to shut up and go away, which I get, in a way. Gun nuts were running the table there for a while. They won every round. They must be shocked.

  27. 27.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 7:20 am

    @Kay: I couldn’t agree more. These kids have absolutely changed the national conversation about guns. And I’ve been thinking about your original comment and I think you’re correct. The RW really doesn’t understand how appealing these children are.

  28. 28.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @Kay: So true!

  29. 29.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @Kay: a great many people who apologize don’t mean it I would imagine. But, he apologized in a real way and will probably keep his ill-considered thoughts to himself after the blowback he got, and that’s progress. That there’s beginning to be a cost for hate mongering give me a tiny bit of hope.

  30. 30.

    BruceFromOhio

    April 2, 2018 at 7:23 am

    @Kay:

    I’m more interested in the fact they believe they have to apologize. They never apologize for anything.

    “Is our children learning?” =)

    The Ingraham lesson was a good one – forget the RWNJ and the bullshit that spews out of the Twatter, go after the money. If Frankie is looking for any kind of work, that shits gonna follow him around.

  31. 31.

    Kay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:24 am

    @Lapassionara:

    The part about wanting someone to beat him up doesn’t bother me- that’s ordinary manly-man bragging. What bothers me is “too big for his britches” – they’re mad he’s speaking at all. Why do they get the stage all the time? Why is a multi-million dollar Fox pundit a more worthy speaker than a 17 year old? I reject that. We hear PLENTY from Ted Nugent and the rest. They never fucking shut up. It’s weird- it’s like celebrities get to speak and everyone else has to “earn” the right to share the stage with them.

  32. 32.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:24 am

    @LAO:

    The RW really doesn’t understand how appealing these children are.

    They do, that’s why there was a rush to dismiss, discredit and minimize the kids. The RW realized the danger immediately. The difference is that these kids aren’t backing down.

  33. 33.

    ixnay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:28 am

    @satby: Ooh, well done!

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    April 2, 2018 at 7:29 am

    61% to 39% victory.

    Voters gave a resounding no to an upstart evangelical pastor who rose to political prominence by campaigning against same-sex marriage, allowing Costa Rica’s governing party to win an easy presidential victory.

    While polls had indicated Sunday’s runoff would be tight, it was not even close.… Source

  35. 35.

    Kay

    April 2, 2018 at 7:29 am

    @satby:

    I agree and I know it’s ungenerous to question his apology but Frank isn’t really directing that to me- I’m not an advertiser or someone in a position to hire him, so it doesn’t really matter what I think :)

    It’s funny that they only thing that DOES get to them is “markets”- when money people reject them. Trump said all during the campaign that he was great for ratings- he’s good tv- and that’s true. I think it made people squirm because it WAS true. All the huffing and puffing about his behavior and they all gave him a huge platform, way back to his birther days.

  36. 36.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:30 am

    @satby: and the other difference is that there’s finally a critical mass of people who have just had enough. Too many people have had their kids experience a school lockdown. For a lot of people, politics is some theoretical crap that doesn’t affect their lives, until it suddenly becomes personal.

  37. 37.

    Lapassionara

    April 2, 2018 at 7:30 am

    @Kay: too true. It is impossible to escape the Ted Nugent’s of the world. These kids are a breath of fresh air. So far, they have been pitch perfect.

  38. 38.

    Amir Khalid

    April 2, 2018 at 7:31 am

    @Lapassionara:
    I guess Sylvester’s Brother harboured that unsavoury sentiment all his life. He got schooled only after he tweeted it, and the disapproval from all sides was an unexpected shock to his system.

  39. 39.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 7:31 am

    @NotMax:

    Costa Rica 1-0 USA

  40. 40.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 7:32 am

    @satby: You’re right. What I’m trying to say is that the RW didn’t understand that these children (and their supporters) are immune to their attacks. Standard smear campaigns aren’t working, I’m slightly sick at thought of what they’ll try next.

  41. 41.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:32 am

    @NotMax: OT, but congrats on the stand mixer. For an avid cook it’s one of the best gadgets ever! So how was the cake?

  42. 42.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    April 2, 2018 at 7:32 am

    Somebody posted a Nugent apology yesterday, but it turned out to be an April Fools joke. Does anyone know if he’s feeling any pressure or getting any backlash?

  43. 43.

    gene108

    April 2, 2018 at 7:33 am

    @LAO:

    The Parkland kids said, when initially interviewed, what most folks think: Never Again. Get the big guns that enable these mass killings off the streets. And they have a credibility that is hard to deny. Plus, they are on social media and are good at it, as well as more articulate than adults expect from the average 16-17 year old.

    It really is a lightning in a bottle sort of thing. There’s a lot of pent up demand, especially after Sandyhook, to go after the gun nuts and their guns everywhere philosophy, but people lacked something to give them the same focus as the gun buts, and there’s a new wave of civic engagement post-Trump.

    The gun nuts thought they could bully the majority forever, but they are finding out that when the majority gets any level of focus on gun control, gun nuts are not as strong as they thought they were.

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 7:34 am

    @Kay:

    It’s weird- it’s like celebrities get to speak and everyone else has to “earn” the right to share the stage with them.

    Only the “right” celebrities tho: “Shut up and dribble.”

  45. 45.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    April 2, 2018 at 7:38 am

    @satby: That is progress. Make it unacceptable to say and by extension think the kinds of things Ingraham and Stallone said. Many people do learn to govern their racist thoughts, for instance, even if they still have them.

  46. 46.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 7:39 am

    Pupdate: first refusal to go out. (It took significant treats to get winter coat on). I could cry. Will winter never end?

  47. 47.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2018 at 7:39 am

    @Kay:
    They are totally shocked. And, they are stunned that these kids won’t go away. They can’t argue the merits, so they go about doing what they usually do. But, this time, they are being exposed in all their hideousness.

  48. 48.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 7:39 am

    @satby:

    I’m now pretty sure someone dumped her, she’s not a true feral.

    Alternate possibility, depending on her age: She ‘matured’ sooner than her first owners expected, ran away looking for a hot date, and couldn’t find her way back home afterwards…

    Idiot teenagers getting themselves in trouble: not just a human problem!

  49. 49.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:40 am

    @Kay: if you think about it a little less as “markets” and more as “tribes” it makes better sense. Stallone and Ingraham expect to piss off liberals, they intended to. They wanted to.
    They were used to doing that with impunity because only the politically connected and aware would even know about the slap fight, and those people are very tribal, on both sides. What they didn’t count on was the mushy, usually inert middle getting involved and coming down against them. And when that happens, it opens up “their” tribe to damage. Can’t have that.

  50. 50.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    April 2, 2018 at 7:40 am

    @LAO: “He/she is no angel”.

    So far I’ve seen a photo of Emma Gonzalez blowing smoke in someone’s face, and hints of a #MeToo sexual harassment victim ready to make a complaint against David Hogg.

    No idea if there is any tiny speck of reality behind either. But at any rate it’s clear a lot of sleazy people are probably being paid a lot of money to do oppo research.

    If they get Putin interested, I guess we’ll see an increase in the sophistication and diversity of those attacks.

  51. 51.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 7:40 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Read somewhere this morn that nobody at or affiliated with the NRA wants to even acknowledge what he said. They appear to be running scared and hoping that if they just STFU it will all go away. So far anyway.

  52. 52.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2018 at 7:41 am

    @Kay:

    I was thinking about organizing and why these high schoolers got more traction than anyone else and it’s partly because “schools” are really unique in that almost every kid goes to one.

    There have, sadly, been school shootings before. And in the past, a lot of focus has been on the parents’ grief, and then politicians moved in to pretend to do something.

    But here, some critical mass was reached. Some spirit of resistance rose up, and the kids threw off the old responses and spoke for themselves.

    I hope they keep on keeping on.

  53. 53.

    NotMax

    April 2, 2018 at 7:44 am

    @satby

    Shall have to get back to you on that. The linguini with clam sauce for din-din was so filling that even a sliver of cake was out of the question.

    Did realize once it was already in the oven that I’d spaced out adding nutmeg to the batter. So long since last made it that had to organize a pantry safari to locate the jar of molasses hibernating way in the rear.

  54. 54.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2018 at 7:45 am

    @Kay:
    These kids are Barack Obama kids. They grew up with 44. They know something is very wrong with Dolt45. And, like so many of us, they are trying to make normal of the abnormal. This is what has been consistent since Dolt45, and has pissed off the RW. We refuse to go along with the program. Now, it’s hit the gun issue.

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    April 2, 2018 at 7:45 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:
    Is the Nooge still famous enough to get backlash? He hasn’t had a hit since before the Parkland kids’ parents were teenagers.
    ETA:His fame these days, such as it is, is for being a right-wing asshole.

  56. 56.

    Gozer

    April 2, 2018 at 7:46 am

    @LAO: Fucking winter, amirite?

    I’m staring at ~5 in of heavy, wet snow. And nary a plow in sight on my street. I’m a day away from vacation so seriously thinking of calling out…but that makes me feel shitty.

  57. 57.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 7:47 am

    @satby: Both tribes share the commonality of children and the instinct to defend them. So I’m pretty sure more than a few on the right find these types of comments abhorrent.

  58. 58.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 7:47 am

    I’ll say this about the kids, they never whine that Trump’s (and the NRA’s) base will never be convinced.

  59. 59.

    eclare

    April 2, 2018 at 7:51 am

    @rikyrah: I also wonder about the Obama effect, he was a very optimistic president: yes we can, etc. That had to have had an effect on these kids’ opinions about whether their actions can make a difference.

  60. 60.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    April 2, 2018 at 7:52 am

    @Kay:

    I have to admit that’s a real apology from Stallone—none of that “if your feelings were hurt” bullshit.

  61. 61.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 7:53 am

    @Gozer: do it! You’ll get over it by noon. ?

  62. 62.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 7:54 am

    @Kay:

    There’s a huge group of people who think kids should be beat up for all kinds of things. They’re always proud of it too- like it’s this contrarian “truth” that can’t be said except so many people say it.

    There’s a tipping point, mid-Boomer, where the percentage of ‘normal’ Americans who grew up thinking spanking-or-worse was how kids should be disciplined switched. The front-edge Boomers remember being spanked (or beaten); those younger than that, if they remember it happening, think of it as a rare exception, not The Usual. There was a lot of hitting in my family, but my parents *knew* this was a failure on their parts, even though most of the neighbors thought they were just overeducated sissified liberals. And every generation since, there have been fewer parents thinking it was “normal” to physically discipline their kids.

    The Frank Stallones — and of course people like Mike Flynn, who’s at least one generation younger — resent that they can’t “manage” their kids the way they were managed, or at least the way they believe kids should be managed. That’s why “They want to send you to jail if you spank your kids!!!” is part of the Agenda 21 anti-UN conspiracy theory. It’s one more way the world has changed, and they hate change. Especially since it’s a change that implicitly questions the ‘hierarchy’ where some people (grownups) are superior to others (kids), the way their God intended!

  63. 63.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 7:55 am

    @Kay:

    Why? Because these assholes are paper bullies.

  64. 64.

    bystander

    April 2, 2018 at 7:55 am

    @TS: Their idiocy about Hillary is followed up with a discussion about the guy who investigated a blow job when tasked with finding financial impropriety saying that the guy tasked with investigating interference in the election should not be investigating potential election contribution violations. And just how does Mika jettison her Wonder Woman cuffs to praise the guy who got fired for covering up for rapists?

  65. 65.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 7:58 am

    @bystander: I know that show isn’t the worst of the worst, but I don’t understand how people tolerate it.

  66. 66.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:00 am

    @satby:

    There are a few orange “Enough is enough” yard signs in my neighborhood. I’d like to see more, but it is a start.

  67. 67.

    NotMax

    April 2, 2018 at 8:01 am

    FOR SALE

    One cave, suitable for entombment. Barely used. Substantial security features, valley view. Original occupant suddenly decided to vacate. Ideal for small family. Contact Peter, JErusalem 5-4321.

  68. 68.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    April 2, 2018 at 8:01 am

    @Anne Laurie: Trevor Noah talks easily about being hit as a kid. It always startles me.

  69. 69.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:03 am

    @satby:

    I think they also wanted to be cheered on by their own tribe. Double win!

  70. 70.

    ixnay

    April 2, 2018 at 8:04 am

    @Anne Laurie: I have spayed 4-1/2 month old cats (going by teeth) who were already pregnant. So, yes, there are often unpleasant surprizes.

  71. 71.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2018 at 8:08 am

    The ? bringing the flower is too cute ?

  72. 72.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 8:08 am

    Love you all, but you’re all over thinking it.
    Remember that one of the things neighbors say after some horrific murder in suburbia or rural areas is “things like that don’t happen here”?
    That’s magical thinking, people use it to retain a sense of order and control after frightening events.
    But the last many years and slaughters have finally taught enough people that nowhere is safe, they and their children aren’t safe. The Parkland kids statement about the adults failing them is true, and shameful for many people. I think that’s the difference this time, the magical thinking has been stripped away (it never existed in the cities),and people are finally making a semblance of sanity in gun control an issue. No modern person wants to live at constant risk of being in a shootout at Krogers. The gun nuts pushed too far, pushback has begun.

  73. 73.

    Patricia Kayden

    April 2, 2018 at 8:08 am

    @Kay: The Parkland students are also very poised, well spoken and intelligent. They come from an affluent background and the school is located in a wealthier suburb. If they were from a different high school, the way they are treated by the media could be much different.

    I love that they’ve made their movement inclusive of kids who aren’t as privileged as they are. Kudos to them for being so passionate and determined despite the ugliness of the opposition.

  74. 74.

    OGLiberal

    April 2, 2018 at 8:12 am

    @Amir Khalid: Funny story about Ted. Worked at a concert hall in the early 90s, unloading trucks and doing backstage security. Damn Yankees (yes, I know) played there. When we unloaded the truck there was a styrofoam deer. Later, pre-show, Ted walks out with a high powered bow and starts shooting arrows at the deer target. Our mild-mannered boss, the production manager, came out to politely suggest to Ted that maybe shooting arrows with people around – crew and, yes, some kids – wasn’t a great idea. He proceeded to yell, “Eff you! Eff you! You shoot your drugs, I’ll shoot my bow!” Some local crew members were like “whoa!” while my boss stood there incredulous. At the same moment the promoter’s accountant – dude was like 65, at most, 5′ 5″ –
    walked out with his money briefcase and said, “no, eff you!”, and kept walking, right out of backstage. Ted walked back to the dressing room with his bow, grumbling some crap.

    What a d-bag. I will, though, give him some credit for using a bow…takes skill. Who the eff hunts with an AR-15 and considers themself a sportsperson.

  75. 75.

    WereBear

    April 2, 2018 at 8:15 am

    @satby: I’m now pretty sure someone dumped her, she’s not a true feral. And she should give birth any day.

    This is how we got Sir Tristan.

    Young cat, abandoned, got pregnant, can’t hunt, had to abandon the runt at 3 weeks and the stronger kitten at 6 weeks. We trapped the mom and her second litter, and you could almost hear the sigh of relief.

  76. 76.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 8:18 am

    @OGLiberal: Trust me, the only reason nugent hunts with a bow is because it allows him to legally kill more animals than he could if he only hunted with a rifle. (gun season most places is 1-2 weeks with only 1 tag. bow season typically 3-4 months with multiple tags)

  77. 77.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 8:24 am

    Good morning, jackals.

    I’m glad the world has turned on the guns, guns, guns situation. These kids are not going away, and neither are all the adults that support them.

  78. 78.

    rikyrah

    April 2, 2018 at 8:25 am

    @Patricia Kayden:
    And, they know and acknowledge their privilege. I also think that is part of the RW rage. How dare these kids not follow the GOP script. THEY should know better.

  79. 79.

    Amir Khalid

    April 2, 2018 at 8:25 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    I presume that where Nooge lives there are grocery stores that sell meat he can afford. What does he want all that extra for?

  80. 80.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 8:27 am

    @Patricia Kayden: I think the Parkland kids are good for property values. If that is the local public high school! …. just, wow.

  81. 81.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 8:28 am

    @ixnay: our one mom cat who was moved to make room for the one I just captured is very young, barely six months we think, and her entire litter didn’t survive in spite of attempts to bottle feed to help. They were premature and couldn’t swallow.

    The cat I captured isn’t particularly young, she’s fully mature and a good size. Well over a year old if not more. She’s been hanging around for at least six months, so if she was dumped and not a runaway they never knew she was pregnant. After I trap the young cat (or before, who knows) I hope I can get the tom cat that “belongs” to the negligent ass across the street. Not neutered, never vaccinated, and highly likely to be the daddy. He’s a beautiful Siamese mix, and his owner doesn’t take care of him.

  82. 82.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:29 am

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I’d bet they’ve also benefitted from classes for public speaking like my nieces and nephews have had in their school. I know they’re far more better-spoken than I could ever be!

  83. 83.

    NotMax

    April 2, 2018 at 8:31 am

    @satby

    One might say you’ve got cat patch fever.

    ;)

  84. 84.

    donnah

    April 2, 2018 at 8:33 am

    I’m sixty and I have three adult sons, 30, 26, and 25. They didn’t grow up worrying about being shot at school. These kids, highly tuned in and connected via the network of the Internet, DO worry about it. They’ve seen it happen all over the country. Many, if not most, have gone through weekly drills on what to do in case of an active shooter. And some have seen a kid shooting their friends and teachers.

    This is real. These kids are not fragile, hypersensitive babies. In the back of their minds, they wonder if today is the day when an angry kid comes to their class with a gun. And they know a bucket of rocks ain’t gonna stop him.

    I have to remind myself that this is real, that these kids need to be listened to and protected. It’s not our world they are afraid of, it’s theirs.

  85. 85.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 8:33 am

    @NotMax: ?

  86. 86.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:33 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Trust me, the only reason nugent hunts with a bow is because it allows him to legally kill more animals than he could if he only hunted with a rifle.

    Ted’s also one of the pioneers of “canned hunts” — not just exotic overseas once-in-a-lifetime safaris, but paying to kill farm-raised deer and black bear in enclosures. Minimum exertion, maximum bloodlust. (I know very little about hunting, but the Spousal Unit’s family was in the archery hunting business; Nugent had made himself wildly unpopular even with other hunters by the 1980s, if not earlier. His “schtick” is being a major putz, because that’s his one talent.)

  87. 87.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 8:36 am

    @debbie: Probably what the GOP will cut next out of the education budget.

  88. 88.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 8:36 am

    @Amir Khalid: He’s not in it for the meat. He’s in it to prove what a manly man he is. Seeing as he shit his pants when he showed up at the draft board he’s got a lot of catching up to do.

  89. 89.

    Baud

    April 2, 2018 at 8:36 am

    @Anne Laurie: Isn’t that what Cheney did with pheasants when he shot that guy?

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @Steeplejack (phone): Yes, Stallone made a real apology. But why did he do it in the first place? He fails to explain how that happened. Was he drunk? Or is that what is in his heart and he is just sorry he let it out.

    I agree training people to keep this shit to themselves is what civilization depends upon. Trump let all those internal editors take a vacation. I wonder if these kids, with our assist, can make it shameful generally to say such shit.

  91. 91.

    ixnay

    April 2, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @satby:Sadly, toms will travel very long distances. The guy in your neighborhood may have been keeping others out. There are some who think vasectomies help by keeping the territories intact.

  92. 92.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    I presume that where Nooge lives there are grocery stores that sell meat he can afford. What does he want all that extra for?

    Making things die is manly. Real Men Kill Stuff! More or less a quote from the guy, as I remember a mid-1980s interview. Father-in-law, nice respectable center-right Republican, rolled his eyes and said, “Well, I guess Ted needs as much help in that department as he can get.”

  93. 93.

    MomSense

    April 2, 2018 at 8:39 am

    @LAO:

    I keep thinking of that Bowie verse.

    And these children that you spit on
    As they try to change their worlds
    Are immune to your consultations
    They’re quite aware of what they’re going through

  94. 94.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 8:41 am

    @Anne Laurie: Canned hunts are big money makers.

  95. 95.

    MomSense

    April 2, 2018 at 8:43 am

    @gene108:

    I also think these kids have pulled in adults who may have been on the fence or leaning against gun control because culturally adults are so accustomed to supporting school projects. We go to car washes, band booster bake sales, trash pick up projects, bottle drives, etc. There is a strong desire to support student organized community projects because we enjoy seeing young people engaged, and demonstrating good citizenship. We may turn around and destroy the budget for their teachers but we like to see young people doing things.

  96. 96.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:44 am

    @Baud:

    Isn’t that what Cheney did with pheasants when he shot that guy?

    Yup (though I think it was quail, not pheasants). But that’s a much older (European) tradition of hunting “preserved” (raised on protected estate lands) birds behind “beaters”… so at least it has the (slender) virtue of history. Also — fortunately for the poor bastid who had to apologize for not getting out of the way fast enough when (a probably drunk) Cheney peppered him — birdshot is a lot less dangerous than an arrow or crossbow bolt to the face!

  97. 97.

    OGLiberal

    April 2, 2018 at 8:45 am

    @Amir Khalid: Pretty certain he’d tell you that bowhunting saved him from drugs and booze. He’d also probably say that shooting the arrows backstage before a show is akin to shooting heroin…it’s his fix. Too me it just looked like manly man d-bag extraneous show-off self-righteous BS…”look at me, I have a bow…and if you criticize me for it I’ll call you all drug addicts.” Almost like he did it expecting a reaction. (which he probably got in multiple venues)

    I wll say that while he was a grade-A dick to our boss and shouted a blanketed criticism on the local crew (half of whom were school teachers and likely not drug abusers) he was exceedingly nice to me and my friend who did security outside the band’s (it pains me to call them a “band”) dressing room. But he’s still a d-bag.

  98. 98.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:45 am

    Trump’s rants about DACA have been more uninformed than usual, and they seem to have been sparked by a similarly uninformed report on Fox. I wonder what Sinclair will come up with in response.

  99. 99.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 8:46 am

    @MomSense: They had buttons with that Bowie quote at the DC March for Our Lives.

  100. 100.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 8:50 am

    This sounds like it was a bad time for a Sunday drive.

  101. 101.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 8:50 am

    And, in the moms over the cliff story out of Mendocino, police reporting airbag data shows car was stopped at turnout over cliff, and then accelerated.

  102. 102.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:51 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Canned hunts are big money makers.

    One of Nugent’s income streams used to be — probably still is — getting paid by canned-hunt entrepreneurs to talk up their particular “game ranches”. One hand washes the other; The Nooge tells gullible dentists who were teenagers in the 1970s that killing a farmed whitetail will make them feel young again, and his paid gig as a spokesmodel for the industry helps promote his suburban-clubs-and-county-fairs “musical” career, such as it remains.

  103. 103.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 8:52 am

    @Anne Laurie: I thought Cheney was not on a canned hunt but was shooting dove at a hunt lease. That is a pretty normal hunting exercise in Texas. Some leases (which are just sections of otherwise huge ranches) will stock quail, but there are plenty of dove to go around. And, as you said, if they were shooting anything other than small guage bird shot, Cheney would have had a dead friend.

  104. 104.

    Anne Laurie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:54 am

    @Immanentize: You’re probably right. I just remember thinking how “lucky” it was only birdshot, not something more lethal!

  105. 105.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 8:54 am

    @Immanentize: Hunting in Texas just reminds me that Scalia is dead, dead, dead, so thank you for that connection.

    Now we get to wonder if that bashful Anthony Kennedy will retire.

  106. 106.

    debbie

    April 2, 2018 at 8:55 am

    @Elizabelle:

    I didn’t know until just now:

    Among the missing children was 15-year-old Devonte Hart, who was featured in a viral photograph which depicted him hugging a white police officer during a rally in Portland, Oregon, calling for police reform in 2014.

    Just horrible.

  107. 107.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 8:55 am

    @Anne Laurie: There is a variant where the birds are kept in cages. The “hunters” are guided to the proper location for the shot and the birds are released (they nearly always fly in the same direction as instinct tells them where to go). Then on to the next location. Do not know if Cheney was hunting at one of those or if it was just a preserve that was managed to maximize the bird environment.

    The latter is much desired as quail (and other game birds) have been under increasing stress due to climate change and modern farming techniques that maximize crop potential at the expense of cover and feed plants for game birds

  108. 108.

    satby

    April 2, 2018 at 8:56 am

    @Elizabelle: sounded to me before like a family annihilation situation, maybe a murder/suicide pact. What they’re finding seems to confirm it. Those poor kids.

  109. 109.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 8:59 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Now we get to wonder if that bashful Anthony Kennedy will retire.

    I don’t think he will retire. But I admit this is my experience mixed with hope. Unless he is sick, Kennedy cares too much about the country to let Trump pick his successor. Justice Marshall once said, when asked when he was going to retire: “I was appointed for life and I intend to fulfill my appointment.”

  110. 110.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 9:01 am

    @satby: An armed society is a polite society.

  111. 111.

    LFC1964YNWA (--bd)

    April 2, 2018 at 9:03 am

    @Baud: Dammit, Baud! We finished fifth out of six in World Cup qualifying. Did you have to phrase it that way?

  112. 112.

    raven

    April 2, 2018 at 9:05 am

    @Immanentize: My brother had him as a prof at McGeorge.

  113. 113.

    FlipYrWhig

    April 2, 2018 at 9:06 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    hints of a #MeToo sexual harassment victim ready to make a complaint against David Hogg.

    Can a person in high school “sexually harass” somebody? IMHO there’s a difference between being creepy or pushy with a similarly-aged friend/partner/hookup and harassment per se, because of that whole aspect of power imbalance.

  114. 114.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 9:07 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Cheney and Whittington and friends were hunting on a lease near Kingsville. That town is surrounded by the King Ranch for scores of miles in all directions. Something over 800,000 acres. Yes that is 8 with five zeros. I am sure they have all sorts of hunting options there from deer, dove, and wild pig (the normal Hunter fair) up to exotics. But I think Cheney and crew were doing plain old dove/quail hunting.

    PS a friend in Austin had lunch with Whittington about a month after the accident. He is an irracible old style attorney and thought it was a good bunch of bullshit to be worrying about his injuries….

  115. 115.

    Immanentize

    April 2, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @raven: Every one says he is a good teacher. I never saw him in the classroom, myself.

  116. 116.

    Elizabelle

    April 2, 2018 at 9:09 am

    @Immanentize: I hope that is true. When you get this rumor-mongering about retirement, you wonder if it’s a slow news day, or if rightwing is trying to cheer up its moron base, since they’re getting pantsed on guns in schools and assault weapons.

    WRT the moms plus kids at Mendocino: whole tragic thing sounds like a novel. I hope it’s another nail in the coffin of unsupervised homeschooling. This case was curious, because mom Sarah was accused and convicted of hitting a daughter enough to draw bruises when they lived in Minnesota. A schoolteacher noticed the bruises and followed up.

    So, the family moves out of Minnesota and takes all six kids out of school at some point. Moms are able to control adult access to the kids, and how the family presents.

    Interesting in the stories: Mom Sarah confessed to the spanking with bruises, and took the punishment, but child had actually accused mom Jennifer. Who was at the wheel, in Mendocino. Mom Sarah worked outside the home (Kohls). Mom Jennifer ran the household and schooling.

    Child protective services shows up; family does not answer door, and flees south sometime Friday. Although some reports said they were northbound on coastal highway just before the accident. I hope cops can find witnesses to the several hour/day travels.

    Kids were two sets of three siblings from sad backgrounds. That alone, to me, says six being homeschooled is too much. Those kids had needs (and may have acted out in ways) that may have been beyond the capabilities of two parents, no matter how committed and loving.

    Whole thing looks like a cautionary tale, and you’ve got the added problem of maybe it was actually a terrible, tragic accident.

  117. 117.

    LAO

    April 2, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @MomSense: me too! Mixed in with Dylan’s The Times They Are A Changing.

  118. 118.

    schrodingers_cat

    April 2, 2018 at 9:11 am

    @Anne Laurie: I lost all respect for Anthony Bourdain after he did that show on Nugent’s “ranch” where he all but drooled over the guy. Not cool.

    ETA: That was the first time I heard about TN.

  119. 119.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 9:14 am

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Can a person in high school “sexually harass” somebody?

    Yes.

  120. 120.

    bystander

    April 2, 2018 at 9:14 am

    @Baud:

    I know that show isn’t the worst of the worst, but I don’t understand how people tolerate it.

    They go on friendly websites to spew their reactions to the bothsiderist, fatuous nonsense.

    Best part is listening to Mika “Gams Ahoy” Brzezinski sneer at nothing nobodies reciting Sinclair propaganda on Fox.

  121. 121.

    JMG

    April 2, 2018 at 9:18 am

    Trump has invited Putin to the White House. Classic sitcom setup. “Melanie, the boss is coming over for dinner tonight!”

  122. 122.

    bystander

    April 2, 2018 at 9:23 am

    @JMG: An episode of I Love Lucy, complete with burnt pot roast, but starring Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.

  123. 123.

    TS

    April 2, 2018 at 9:37 am

    @bystander: I think it is as well I missed all that while making coffee

  124. 124.

    tobie

    April 2, 2018 at 9:37 am

    I mean no disrespect to the Parkland students. They are smart, passionate, and media savvy. Kay’s right that school children are part of an organized institution in a way that mall-goers and concert-goers are not. But there’s something else going on here. The cable networks have given these kids a leg-up in a way they haven’t done with any other group. How much attention did the women’s march receive? How many glowing portrayals of Black Lives Matter have aired? None–because those are considered partisan or interest group events. March for Our Lives by contrast is supposed to be universal. Again–I mean no disrespect to the Parkland students, who have been nothing short of amazing. What I’m trying to point out is how the media and especially cable can make or break a movement.

  125. 125.

    laura

    April 2, 2018 at 9:41 am

    @raven: I’m a McGeorger. One of my classmates went to Kennedy’s Summer in Salzberg sessions and her takeaways was jeez, he thinks highly of himself. And that his friendship with Gordon Schaber was/is the reason for his opinions regarding LGBTQ rights.

  126. 126.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    April 2, 2018 at 9:46 am

    @tobie: There are plenty of other kids who are energized and ready to talk to the media, especially kids of color who have something to say about the disproportionate dangers in their schools. But I read a tweet this weekend that says they’re finding reporters uninterested in them. “They only want to talk to kids from Parkland.”

    Same old media. Parkland is the shiny object, not the movement. So many reporters missing the real story. As an old proverb I believe I’ve heard somewhere goes, villago delenda est.

  127. 127.

    OzarkHillbilly

    April 2, 2018 at 9:53 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    “They only want to talk to kids from Parkland.”

    And mid western trump supporters.

  128. 128.

    SiubhanDuinne

    April 2, 2018 at 9:58 am

    @raven: @Immanentize:

    Every one says he is a good teacher. I never saw him in the classroom, myself.

    Looks as though you could maybe do a summer seminar with him! In Salzburg!

    He continues to teach law students at seminars during McGeorge’s European summer sessions in Salzburg, Austria. He remains Pacific McGeorge’s longest-serving active faculty member.

    You should do this thing :-)

    ETA: Posted before seeing Laura’s comment @ 124.

  129. 129.

    Mel

    April 2, 2018 at 10:03 am

    @Anne Laurie: Spent Easter with my nephew and niece and their two beautiful kiddos, 2 years and four years of age. It was wonderful to watch these two young parents with their little ones, who were by that time totally tired from holiday excitement, but still worked up from the thrill of the Easter activities.

    Within two minutes, a 4 year old’s brewing “tired tantrum” was turned into giggles and calm. It takes such effort and commitment to consistency / calm to make verbal discipline and behavioral teaching effective and positive, but this generation of kids seems to be, at least in many cases, finding that balance after the yo-yo-ing between authoritarian spanking, to “rules are bad for kids” to the helicopter smother parenting that the past several generations have struggled through as they adjusted to changes in cultural mores about and understanding of the psychology of child discipline and nurture.

    This scene played out after dinner:

    Little One: But I WAAANT to keep making beads!! I HAVE to!!! (lip trembling, fat tears ready to roll of the eyelashes, neck muscles pulsing).

    Smart Momma: (picks up Little One, puts her on her lap facing her, hugs her, and then holds her hands and lets her roll back and “hang” her torso upside down. Arms get tickled until Little One bresks down and laughs through the frown.)
    Smart Mom sees the shift and opportunity window, and gently hoists her back up, kisses her cheek, and says, “Do Mom and Dad always get exactly what we want, every time we want something? Remember when Daddy wanted to go to the movies but you wanted to go to the park? Where did you go?”

    Little One: The park. To the swings!

    Smart Momma: Why do you think Daddy decided to go to the park when there was a movie playing that he was very excited about seeing?

    Little One: (buries face in Mom’s shoulder): So I could swing on the swings…

    Smart Momma: And you know what? That was okay, because sometimes it’s really nice to take turns picking what to do for fun, so that everybody gets a chance to do something they really like, right? And that way, nobody gets left out or misses their turn to play and have fun.
    But how do we make sure that you have fun, Mommy has fun, Daddy has fun, and baby brother has fun?

    Little One: We take turns…

    Smart Momma: So, if you’ve played for a hour with your favorite stuff, what should happen now?

    Little One: It’s somebody’s turn to pick?

    Smart Momma: That’s absolutely right! Would you help Baby Brother learn how to play with one of his new toys? He could really use your help learning how. It’s good that he has such a smart big sister! Then, we’ll settle in and read your new books before a little nap.

    The woman is a glory to behold!

  130. 130.

    MomSense

    April 2, 2018 at 10:13 am

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    To their credit, The Parkland kids are telling all of their followers and reporters to listen to what these kids have to say.

  131. 131.

    The Moar You Know

    April 2, 2018 at 10:17 am

    Can a person in high school “sexually harass” somebody?

    @FlipYrWhig: Hell yes. Not that I think this kid did it, not for a second, but the level of harassment at the high school level would blow your mind and not in a good way.

  132. 132.

    MomSense

    April 2, 2018 at 10:18 am

    @LAO:

    Oh hell yes to Dylan! Did you see Jennifer Hudson sing that song to close the March For Our Lives? It was striking how relevant the lyrics are today. It helps to sing like Hudson, too.

  133. 133.

    Aleta

    April 2, 2018 at 10:24 am

    I notice that directly before his apology he wrote “The L Ingr situation shows why you should be very careful about apologizing to the Left. Even if you were wrong. Their demands for an apology are insincere. They demand the apology because they want you to submit to them, not because they want to forgive.”

    and retweeted a B/ bart quote about “un-American McCarthyism, a partisan witch hunt in which the establishment media is an active participant”
    (March 31).

    Yesterday’s Sinclair attack. “media use their platforms to push their own personal bias.” “This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”
    Yo Bannon. You back?

  134. 134.

    Aleta

    April 2, 2018 at 10:29 am

    @Aleta: Frank is getting lots of coverage, with some that repeats his deleted insult. And the stuff S inc said is being repeated too.

  135. 135.

    Mnemosyne

    April 2, 2018 at 11:04 am

    @MomSense:

    Iman (Bowie’s widow) posted a meme of that in support of the Parkland kids. ?

  136. 136.

    MomSense

    April 2, 2018 at 11:30 am

    @Mnemosyne:

    She’s amazing.

  137. 137.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    April 2, 2018 at 11:54 am

    @Kay: I dunno if I would rank it as “good”:

    The 6 elements of a sincere apology

    In addition to the three elements Ryan included in his apology, there are three that have varying degrees of significance. Here are all six, in order of importance.

    1. Acknowledgement of responsibility: This means admitting something was your fault and taking ownership over the mistake. This is in direct opposition to the notorious “mistakes were made” non-apology apology, popular among politicians and others looking to shirk legal obligation. That phrase communicates to the listener that a problem occurred, but the “apologizer” doesn’t know who did it, if there are any consequences, or how serious it is, explained Lewicki.

    2. Offer of repair: This is when people promise to correct the mistake they made by explaining what they’re going to do to fix things.

    3. Expression of regret: This is the actual apology, when you get to say “I’m sorry.” Interestingly, Lewicki found that this was only the third-most important thing you should say when apologizing to someone.

    4. Explanation of what went wrong: It’s tough to not let this part veer off into excuses. The value of trying, says Lewicki, is that it provides an explanation that the wronged party can hopefully understand and empathize with. However, there are at least two different kinds of explanations, and they could affect the way an apology lands.

    The first explanation is one of competence: Was the wrongdoing an honest mistake, something that was overlooked accidentally or something that wasn’t properly considered? Or was the wrongdoing a violation of integrity that reflects on the apologizer’s character? In other words, was it accidental or on purpose?

    5. Declaration of repentance: Lewicki says that this is an opportunity to promise that you won’t let the mistake happen again.

    6. Request for forgiveness: Interestingly, this is the least important element of an apology according to Lewicki’s survey research. All six elements will depend on the situation, but Lewicki suspects that this element in particular could depend most on context. Are the aggressor and wronged party emotionally connected, and are they trying to re-build a relationship? Or is the apology about a business transaction gone wrong, and thus isn’t as emotionally charged? These contextual clues could determine whether or not a request for forgiveness is truly needed.

    Stallone gets points for acknowledging that it was his irresponsible words that are the problem but that’s about it.

    • No acknowledgement of how those words would be damaging to Hogg.
    • No explanation of how he made the mistake.
    • No explanation of how he would avoid that same mistake in the future.
    • No concrete offer of repair.
    • Strays into defensive intent putting the focus on himself “I would never wish…” rather than the victim.
    • And then he acts like he’s entitled that everyone “accept his apology.”

    Most importantly there is no exploration of how politicized words can encourage violence (and how common this is on the Right) so that he can commit to avoid doing it again in the future.

  138. 138.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    @tobie:

    What I’m trying to point out is how the media and especially cable can make or break a movement.

    Hmmm. The media “made” the civil rights movement and the 60s anti-war movement. Discuss.

    Just says that it is up to the kids, and those who support them, to make as much of the opportunity as possible.

  139. 139.

    Ruckus

    April 2, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    @Kay:
    This.
    I think he made the actual apology only after getting roasted for his first bullshit non apology. And this one sounds like a mop up crew was hired to do it for him as I’d bet he’s incapable.

  140. 140.

    Ruckus

    April 2, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Some spirit of resistance rose up, and the kids threw off the old responses and spoke for themselves.

    These aren’t little kids, elementary school age. They are very close to adults and they speak like adults. Have you heard a lot from their parents? No, these kids can and are using their own words, their own voices. I think the shooter has a bit to do with this as well, that he was obviously a very troubled/angry kid, and their age. And while all the adults may have done most everything possible, no one did the one thing that could have prevented this, remove the guns. And that’s what these kids are saying, everything else possible was done, the one thing that would work wasn’t and it’s way past time to do that one thing. We can’t stop people from having crazy thoughts, we can’t predict with accuracy what someone will do with those crazy thoughts, only possibilities. But we can predict with 100% accuracy what will happen if they do act on those thoughts and have weapons to carry them out. Take away the guns and those thoughts are much, much harder to carry out. It’s not difficult to understand this unless one refuses to understand it. Most people are not refusing to see the logic, only the people who think only guns is the answer are. Hell even the NRA understands, which is why they don’t allow guns at their conventions. They are just craven assholes who get well paid to be craven assholes. I’d like to know who pays them that well.

  141. 141.

    Shell

    April 2, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    Hey, there are times Ive been that happy just to be at the beach.

  142. 142.

    Brachiator

    April 2, 2018 at 1:24 pm

    @Ruckus:

    Some spirit of resistance rose up, and the kids threw off the old responses and spoke for themselves.

    These aren’t little kids, elementary school age. They are very close to adults and they speak like adults. Have you heard a lot from their parents? No, these kids can and are using their own words, their own voices.

    I think we are largely on the same page here. When I write about them, I call them kids because that’s what they are to my old eyes, but more often just as activists. I commend their intelligence and their courage, and their ability to speak up for themselves, for their elders, for the entire damn nation (at least the part of the nation that is willing to think and move beyond 2nd Amendment platitudes).

    I got nothing but praise for these activists, and agree with everything positive that anyone says about them.

  143. 143.

    Boris, Rasputin's Evil Twin

    April 2, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    @Amir Khalid: What? Frank Stallone is still alive? It was just his career, such as it was, that died. Glad to have that cleared up

  144. 144.

    stinger

    April 2, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    @Mel: What a lovely story!

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