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You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Now Let Me Tell You a Story

Now Let Me Tell You a Story

by John Cole|  June 25, 201812:32 pm| 295 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics

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The devil, he has a plan:

Experts say the immense rains — some spawned by tropical ocean waters, others by once-routine thunderstorms — are the product of long-rising air temperatures and an increase in the sheer size of the storms. Because warmer air can hold more water, large storms are dropping far more rain at a faster clip.

Such rains in recent weeks have deluged the Great Lakes region, the Deep South and the suburbs of major cities along the Atlantic coast. Philadelphia, Charlottesville, and Ocean City, Ellicott City and Frederick in Maryland all have experienced major flooding since mid-May. Several locations in Maryland had their wettest May on record, including Baltimore, which tallied more than eight inches, most of which fell in the second half of the month.

“Things are definitely getting more extreme,” said Andreas ­Prein, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. “You just have to look at the records. All areas of the continental U.S. have seen increases in peak rainfall rates in the past 50 years. . . . And there is a chance that we are underestimating the risk, actually.”

Check out this map:

I know I have been talking over and over again for several years about how my area of West Virginia has turned into basically a tropical rain forest. When I was a kid, we had great thunderstorms with lots of rolling thunder and big bursts of lightning. But what we didn’t have was the skies just opening up and dumping inches of water in a few minutes. It’s just nuts how much and how often it rains here- so much so that I am now putting a rain garden in the back yard because this isn’t going to be changing anytime soon, and there really is no other option.

The other thing that is crazy is how the rains, along with some strategic blundering by the state and simply allowing fracking trucks to destroy roads that are not really rate for big rigs is going to be a disaster for years to come. West Virginia DOH, in their infinite wisdom, spent several decades basically spraying agent orange or other defoliants on the sides of the roads to the point that organic farms had to put signs up near their property basically telling them to not fucking spray that nasty shit near them.

Presumably this was cheaper than just cutting back the growth as had been done throughout history, or more probably the petrochemical companies like DOW that run Charleston had lobbied for a sweet contract. Who knows? The end result was that all the deep vined growth and long term vegetation that had been there for hundreds of years, including things like blackberries, huckleberries, etc., that locals loved to pick, were just wiped out. Things would grow back, but it was basically just rapid growing grasses and weeds, not anything that would provide structural support.

So you all know what happened next, right? Yep. Without anything to hold the hillsides and berms in place, large amounts of rain just wash them away into the roads, filling the gullies. This, in and of itself is bad enough, but when this happens a couple times, it erodes the hillsides to the point that it exposes tree roots, and in short order we got to the situation we are in now, in that every time it rains several trees fall into the middle of the road.

Add to this what the trucks are doing and you can see what a current crisis and impending larger disaster we have. West Virginia roads are narrow. Fracking trucks and big rigs are wide and heavy, so their massive tires, bearing heavy loads of water, residual waste, construction supplies, etc., chew up the outside portion of the road, crumbling the asphalt and eroding the road into the gullies in between the former berms. So when a rapid rainfall hits us, large portions of the road, now unstable from being pulverized by trucks, just washes away. I’ve shown you pictures in the past where large sections of road simply no longer exist. A portion of Rt. 67 from Bethany to Wellsburg is now one lane, because the other lane is but a memory.

And it isn’t going to get any better, and there isn’t going to be any money to fix it because we refuse to tax our resource extractors and the teahadist Republicans in the WV legislatures are all slaves to tax cut jeebus.

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Reader Interactions

295Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    Your backyard does turn into a lake, Cole.

    Hope the rain garden goes well.

    Has it leaked into your basement, Cole? I have been concerned about that.

    PS- Animal pictures are always welcome :)

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    June 25, 2018 at 12:36 pm

    Your backyard is the canary in the coal mine. As it were.

  3. 3.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    @rikyrah: Lemons into lemonade. Dig a ditch, instant pool. Oh how the critters would love it.

  4. 4.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Now Let Me Tell You a Story

    Of how my life got flipped turned upside down

  5. 5.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    June 25, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    I’ve noticed the same thing here in Takoma Park (inner ring suburb of our Nation’s capital). I’ve been living here for only about 6 years, so maybe it was always like this, but rains are extremely torrential here, especially this time of year. Like, 2 or more inches will fall in 15 minutes. I have two roof valleys and the water shoots off them with fire hose intensity. My water management issues are mostly solved but it’s insane how hard it rains. Then July rolls in and usually things dry out and stay that way for the rest of the summer and a good chunk of the fall. It’s either feast or famine with regard to rainfall.

  6. 6.

    R-Jud

    June 25, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    Bag of bones in his pocket
    Got anything you want

  7. 7.

    MattF

    June 25, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    One sorta-statistical note: ‘rare events’ really aren’t so rare. And small changes in the probability of a rare event makes large changes in the interval between rare events. More explicitly, it doesn’t require a large shift to make a 0.001 percent probability rare event into 0.01 percent probability event. But that factor of ten makes a large difference in the observabiliity of that rare event.

  8. 8.

    eric dorkin

    June 25, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    Yeah, but WV sure showed those liberal government types what to do with it. Yee-Haw. Reap, meet sow.

  9. 9.

    swiftfox

    June 25, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    Forget about the buffalograss for the back yard. More like cattails, buttonbush, arrow arum and duckweed.

  10. 10.

    A Ghost To Most

    June 25, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    And the west is drying out.

  11. 11.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    June 25, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    This is off topic but…we were eating on a deck at a restaurant yesterday with my sweet 25 lb. mix, and she nipped the waiter in the back of the leg. She has never bitten anyone before. She’s a rescue, and has always been stand-offish with strangers, who always want to pet her because she really is the cutest thing. Seriously passing drivers roll their windows down to tell me how cute she is.

    Occasionally she has lunged at people passing by – usually joggers who pass close by moving pretty fast – but never actually bit anyone. She will also bark and pretend nip if a stranger, including strange children, crowd her too much, but again, has never bitten anyone. I think the waiter got between her and my wife and kind of startled her in the process and she went into protective mode but am really not sure what triggered the reaction. She did not break skin and the waiter was cool about it but does anyone have any advice on training that behavior out of her? If it keeps up I’m afraid she might bite a less forgiving person, and/or break skin in which case it will have to be reported and I do not want to have to put her down as she is a fantastic dog with us and the extended family.

  12. 12.

    encephalopath

    June 25, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    Speaking in Tongues is a damn fine album. Don’t let anyone tell you any different.

  13. 13.

    Wapiti

    June 25, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    This is what WV gets for abandoning the Confederacy. If you had stayed in the south you would have a significantly small % on that map. /snark

  14. 14.

    gene108

    June 25, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    @HeleninEire:

    Stagnant rain water = mosquitos breeding ground

  15. 15.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: I’m sure people better equipped than I, (satby) will tune in, but I’d consider keeping her home or perhaps using a muzzle. Something spooked her, and you really don’t want to take the chance.

  16. 16.

    MoxieM

    June 25, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    Despite the map (facts!) this is the third summer in a row where we have had water restrictions in MA. For 2 of the years I lived in Eastern MA, now I’m out in the boonies. Same story–no mechanical watering between 7-5 (or 7 or whatever), no water to wash driveways/steps/house; it gets more stringent from here as the drought deepens, to, eventually, no lawn watering at all.

  17. 17.

    satby

    June 25, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: I hate to have to point this out, but the dog has been demonstrating for a while that she’s on the verge of attacking someone. Lunging at passersby isn’t a good sign at all, as is “

    pretend nip if a stranger, including strange children, crowd her too much

    .
    If you feel like she’s ok in familiar surroundings with familiar people restrict her to that and have a special room with toys and a treat she can go into when you have company. She’s at best a nervous dog, at worse something is going on with her mentally i.e. some dogs become unstable. Always assume she’s a potential biter (all dogs are but she’s clearly showing she is right now).
    I have no great training tips that will make a nervous, prone to aggression dog into a less aggressive one because that’s not worked out well rescue-wise. It may be the reason she was given up in the first place. All you can do is minimize the things and situations she finds stressful, and then if she continues to act “potentially” like she might bite you’ll have some decisions to make. Sorry.

  18. 18.

    Bess

    June 25, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    John, take a look at this page –

    https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heavy-precipitation”

    And, please, add the graph to your comment. Let people see what is happening with extreme rainfalls. And realize that it is only going to get worse as the atmosphere further warms.

    There’s also another factor, we’ve slowed down the movement of weather systems. We’ve screwed up the normal behavior of the jet stream. That means longer rainstorms, longer droughts, longer cold periods, longer heat waves. And it means that when a hurricane does come onshore it’s going to linger longer causing more and more damage.

    https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/06/hurricanes-cyclones-move-slower-drop-more-rain-climate-change-science/“

  19. 19.

    Betty Cracker

    June 25, 2018 at 1:16 pm

    You know who isn’t falling for the anti-science crap from climate change-denial morons, even though they fund GOP candidates who normalize rampant stupidity? Property insurance companies. The cost to insure our house has more than quadrupled in 10 years, and we’ve been with the insurer of last resort ever since State Farm dumped us in 2004 and have never made a claim. People are too goddamned dumb to put two and two together, but when they’re no longer able to get a mortgage or sell a house, maybe they’ll wake up.

  20. 20.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 1:17 pm

    Evacuate Cole and WV Dems and declare WV a No-go zone for the next 200 years to allow the land to heal.

  21. 21.

    Barbara

    June 25, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Most likely the waiter got too close, or leaned over you in a way that the dog interpreted as a threat. As the former owner of a dog that became aggressive, and more so over time, I tried everything I could think of to tame that aggression and nothing worked. My little chihuahua mix is highly nervous and has nipped at people and in my view — even though he only weighs 9 pounds — the only remedy is extreme caution when he is exposed to new people and new situations, and not, ever, taking him to an unpredictable environment like a restaurant (which I never do with my dogs anyway).

  22. 22.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    @satby: Finch is a good boy, but he even has limits. The Xmas eve parties with large crowds get to him, especially the later it gets. I put him in his crate now, and he’s content. Good advice.

  23. 23.

    satby

    June 25, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    @gene108: nope, just put these in. They work great, and the 20 pack is the best price. It only affects mosquito larva, not fish, wildlife, or pets.

  24. 24.

    LAO

    June 25, 2018 at 1:24 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: @satby: I find myself agreeing with Satby here — the dog had been telling you she’s fearful of strangers and possibly strange situations for sometime. Is she well-trained? Training can promote confidence in dogs that helps them deal with fear.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    Liked this story about how TV meteorologists are making climate change visually easy to understand.

    On Thursday, TV meteorologists around the world busted out red, white, and blue striped ties, pins, and mugs on the air. It wasn’t a random burst of America pride, but rather an attempt to raise awareness about climate change.

    The accessories featured a recent visualization by University of Reading climate scientist Ed Hawkins showing average temperature deviations from the late 1800s, a gradient from cooler-than-average blues in the 19th century to warmer-than-average reds today. `

    Picture, thousand words, etc.

  26. 26.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    Twitler just threatened Auntie Maxine.

    Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018

    Everyone who wants to get rid of this worm has got to drag people to the polls in November by their hair if necessary.

  27. 27.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    @NotMax:

    Your backyard is the canary in the coal mine.

    More like the the gas that killed the canary in the Cole Mine.

  28. 28.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 1:26 pm

    @Mary G:

    She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!— Donald J. Trump

    Mr. Projection calling for violence against Democrats.

    Safety first folks.

  29. 29.

    LAO

    June 25, 2018 at 1:27 pm

    @JPL: Sometimes all that we can do, is not put our dogs in a position to fail. Someone comes into my dog run with a plastic squeaky toy, I have to pull Maggie from the run. She can’t resist taking squeaky toys away from other dogs, especially dogs that she doesn’t know.

  30. 30.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Don’t take her onto a deck at restaurants unless you can sit against a wall and put her behind your table away from other people, with her securely held by a leash. You got off light this time.

  31. 31.

    LAO

    June 25, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    @Mary G: “extraordinary low IQ person” — Come on Donnie Boy just say it, don’t beat around the bush anymore.

  32. 32.

    Kelly

    June 25, 2018 at 1:29 pm

    Ski season in the Oregon Cascades started around mid November in the 1970’s through the 1990’s. Earliest I ever skied was Halloween weekend once in the 1980’s. November skiing is a day or two if we’re lucky now days. Usually can’t count on ski days until January. This year we didn’t ski much until the last week of February. Then it snowed so heavily we ended up with an OK snowpack in April.

  33. 33.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Property insurance companies. The cost to insure our house has more than quadrupled in 10 years, and we’ve been with the insurer of last resort ever since State Farm dumped us in 2004 and have never made a claim.

    They want to eat their cake and have it too. Denying climate change allows them to avoid paying out under the “Acts of God” clause more often as the storms become more powerful.

  34. 34.

    Hoodie

    June 25, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    Gulf moisture tends to run up the Appalachian chain. There are parts of western NC that have always tended to be damp, particularly in the summer, when there would be afternoon showers just about daily. I was told this was one reason the Army put its Ranger mountain training camp just outside Dahlonega GA, that it was the closest thing to the Vietnamese highlands in the US. Now, the climate seems to be even more SE Asian, with a monsoon type pattern, long dry spells punctuated by torrential rain.

  35. 35.

    Mai naem mobile

    June 25, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    Whatevs Cole. Al Gore is still fat. And he wears earth colors during the summwr.

  36. 36.

    Alain the site fixer

    June 25, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    Mobile users, there is a change, but not without costs.

    I’ll work on comment numbers and what-have-you, but for now at least the nym and email are saved.

  37. 37.

    satby

    June 25, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: @satby: dogs can develop mental illness too.. I’m sympathetic, maybe you remember that I had a tragedy last year with a dog I had tried to train and work with for several years. She was fine with people but became increasingly unsafe to the other animals in the house, thereby also putting people around in danger because of the fights. It broke my heart that she had to be euthanized, but it just couldn’t continue.

  38. 38.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    @A Ghost To Most:

    And the west is drying out.

    Indeed. I heard from an acquaintance that Oregon is actually seeing the sun for triple digit days of the year now. 15 years ago that was a double digit thing and only because of the summer months.

  39. 39.

    MattF

    June 25, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    Note recent hedline in WaPo:

    Liberal hostility toward Trump aides could galvanize the GOP base

    Rumor has it that they actually pay people to write that stuff.

  40. 40.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    @Mary G:

    Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!— Donald J. Trump

    Golly gee. Trump throws vile insults at Congresswoman Waters. I guess this is another opportunity for us to show how “civil” we are.

  41. 41.

    NobodySpecial

    June 25, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    I keep thinking that if we leave things pretty much unchecked, the Midwest will eventually turn into another Amazon, centered on the Mississippi. LOT of trees and such already. Won’t take too much in a geological time sense to turn it all into trackless jungle.

  42. 42.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    Sent an email to Darrell Issa:

    THE PRESIDENT IS WAY OVER THE LINE – REIN HIM IN
    OK, as a woman I hated the misogyny of President Trump’s campaign and administration, but now he wants to eliminate due process for immigrants and is trying to incite violence against Maxine Waters. This is your party’s leader. The compliance and cowardice of your Members and Senators has been disgusting, but you have to act now. I know you are leaving, but it’s still your job until November. Do what we hired you to do.

    I am too mad to find words to express how mad I am.

  43. 43.

    satby

    June 25, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    Hmmmm….

  44. 44.

    MoxieM

    June 25, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Hi– I also have a reactive dog (mine’s about 90 lbs though…lotsa teeth). At the rescue where I got her, the recommend this protocol, Care for Reactive Dogs . To be honest, a lot of it is common sense. I had one wild girl whom I brought to Dr. Nicholas Dodson, and he was (very nice, and) good with this kind of approach. It wasn’t enough for that particular animal, long story. But it’s a good first step. Good luck!

  45. 45.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    Yay! The site saves my nym on mobile now. Thanks Alain!

  46. 46.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    June 25, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: Yep. Just got it. (Android/Brave)

  47. 47.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 25, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    @A Ghost To Most:

    And the west is drying out.

    Note that Hawai’i is in negative numbers. And they have volcanoes.

  48. 48.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Yep. The Los Angeles area is changing from a Mediterranean climate to a desert climate, and it ain’t good. The warning sign was that people were having to put air conditioning into 50-year-old houses that had never needed it before.

  49. 49.

    MoxieM

    June 25, 2018 at 1:42 pm

    @Brachiator: Schoolyard taunts “I know I am but what are you?”. Projection. Too bad this particular bully has cult members who carry out his directives.

  50. 50.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    @LAO: Now why was Melanie in the hospital again?

    Be careful what you wish for is a direct threat and one wonders if he hasn’t used it before.

  51. 51.

    Alain the site fixer

    June 25, 2018 at 1:48 pm

    Test comment

  52. 52.

    A Ghost To Most

    June 25, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Every place has its own dangers. Here it is wildfire and dangerously large hail. And a lack of guardrails. Pick your poison.

  53. 53.

    Alain the site fixer

    June 25, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Ok folks, this concludes today’s work on the mobile site. Still missing the pie filter and such but those will reappear. Have a great day, everyone!

  54. 54.

    Mai naem mobile

    June 25, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Anybody got anything to say on the redistricing decisions from SCOTUS today. The Texas seems to be a loss for our side. Fuck Mitch McConnell. I wonder if they conservatives are sending stuff back to the lower courts to.buy time till the 2020 Census.

  55. 55.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    June 25, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: Hey! Where are the comment numbers! And I want threaded comments!! And also green text!!!

    Just kidding. Great work, Alain. Remembering nyms (especially on mobile) is a feature that far outweighs any almost every other feature. The tradeoff is definitely worth it.

  56. 56.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: Bless you for your hard work.

  57. 57.

    Alain the site fixer

    June 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    Oh and mobile users, please ignore the blank comment title field. It won’t go away and so it will remain until another day.

  58. 58.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 1:53 pm

    @Alain the site fixer:

    Thanks Alain. Thanks more than we’ve had. I appreciate it. :)

  59. 59.

    chopper

    June 25, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    i used to live in takoma park. it’s only anecdotal, but crazy rains were not common.

  60. 60.

    NotMax

    June 25, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    @Siubhan Duinne

    Winter is normally rainy season here, but this year was a doozy. There was a period of 12 days straight when it rained (not sprinkled, not drizzled, not spit) for most of the day or night.

    Water restrictions during summertime have been de rigueur for decades.

  61. 61.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 1:56 pm

    Nym/email gone

  62. 62.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    Nym/email gone

  63. 63.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    A lot of Trump folks were in my timeline slamming me for saying that Trump lost big last week in this article: https://t.co/bRH0UmUTdqAnd yet…a 9 point net negative in Gallup for the Donald just popped up. Huh. What could explain it? pic.twitter.com/nqkR4080xl— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 25, 2018

  64. 64.

    The Moar You Know

    June 25, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    Occasionally she has lunged at people passing by – usually joggers who pass close by moving pretty fast – but never actually bit anyone. She will also bark and pretend nip if a stranger, including strange children, crowd her too much, but again, has never bitten anyone.

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: You need a muzzle and trainer, in that order. Get the muzzle today. Your dog is going to hurt someone.

    I might add that this is very hard to train out. There was a golden in our Canine Good Citizen class (he didn’t belong there and my trainer pulled him at the first class) who was for-real biting people, especially the male owner, and the trainer afterwards was telling me that this was a very hard thing to get rid of. You never really can trust them once they show that kind of aggression, hate to say, no matter the training given.

  65. 65.

    NotMax

    June 25, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    @Mary G

    Sunspots.

    :)

  66. 66.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    @Mai naem mobile:

    Anybody got anything to say on the redistricing decisions from SCOTUS today.

    Fuck Roberts, Fuck Thomas and Fuck Alito?

  67. 67.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 2:08 pm

    The devil, he has a plan:

    Maybe someone is trying to wash our sins away?
    ETA @efgoldman: works for that too perhaps.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 25, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    @Alain the site fixer:

    Very much appreciate all you’ve done and continue to do to keep this place ticking along. Thank you, Alain.

  69. 69.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Trump throws vile insults at Congresswoman Waters.

    Thinly veiled threat of violence.

    He’s escalating.

  70. 70.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    And they have volcanoes.

    Only active on one inhabited island!

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 25, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Fuck Roberts, Fuck Thomas and Fuck Alito?

    Never gets old.

  72. 72.

    James E Powell

    June 25, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    So much of today’s horrors go right back to the 2000 Selection. Major turning point in our history.

  73. 73.

    Steve in the ATL

    June 25, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    @Mai naem mobile: too depressing to talk about right now

  74. 74.

    Spanky

    June 25, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    @YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S): Not exactly, but close. It’s supposed to portend the Second Coming, according to one person quoted in the article. No report on whether our sins would be washed away or we’ll merely be left behind in the post-apocalyptic hellscape.

  75. 75.

    FlyingToaster

    June 25, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    @MoxieM: You’re not in the MWRA, right?

    (For those outside of the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, that’s the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, which manages the Quabbin Reservoir and the municipalities that get their water from it, and have their outflow treated at Deer Island.)

    We have no restrictions right now (the Quabbin is plenty full), but I only water around sundown, and only the garden/pots/beds. The grass out back is welcome to die, since I hate mowing; I replaced all the streetsides with vinca or barren strawberry. It rained overnight, so I’m good until tomorrow evening, except for two pots which simply want more water (cherry tomatoes).

  76. 76.

    A Ghost To Most

    June 25, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Needs moar Gorsuck!

  77. 77.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    @James E Powell: I really hoped President Obama could right the ship of state. Instead, it turns out he was the last breath of decency left in our nation.

    Its good vs evil now. There will be no reconciliation between the two sides.And if a side must die, then let it not be ours.

  78. 78.

    raven

    June 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    @Brachiator: You mean like saying ‘A HUNDRED BILLION PEOPLE ARE AT RISK“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  79. 79.

    Mike in DC

    June 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    @TenguPhule: I saw no veil there, thin or otherwise.

  80. 80.

    hitchhiker

    June 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    You think the tone police are going to lecture Trump about “extraordinarily low IQ,” or nah?

    We’re all supposed to shrug when he does it, because it’s his brand and his voters love it?

    Do guys like David Axelrod have a plan for what ordinary citizens who are routinely insulted and vilified by the president himself should do? Aside from biting their tongues and voting, assuming they’re allowed?

    God, this makes me so angry.

  81. 81.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    Daily Reminder: Girls and toddlers still missing, still no current photos from HHS.

    But the media is buying the “we’ve reunited so many of them with their families” bullshit line being sold by the WH.

  82. 82.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    @Mike in DC:

    I saw no veil there, thin or otherwise.

    It was outsourced to Melania’s company.

  83. 83.

    piratedan

    June 25, 2018 at 2:34 pm

    @TenguPhule: easy suggestion…. pics or it didn’t happen. After their stellar track record, receipts are required.

  84. 84.

    Gravenstone

    June 25, 2018 at 2:39 pm

    @LAO: You just know that Fred derided dimwit Donnie’s IQ all the fucking time as he was growing up. It’s one of his go to insults because he had it pounded into his own meager brain, so projection as usual.

  85. 85.

    Gravenstone

    June 25, 2018 at 2:41 pm

    @Mary G: Actually, it’s still his job until January. Good on reminding him of that, even though he’ll ignore any effort at actually doing something.

  86. 86.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 2:43 pm

    @Mary G:

    Well, that’s not possible. We had trolls on this very website telling us that Trump’s numbers were going up thanks to the detentions, so Democrats were fucked at the ballot box forever.

    Are you telling me that the trolls were wrong? ??

  87. 87.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 2:44 pm

    @Mai naem mobile:

    Anybody got anything to say on the redistricing decisions from SCOTUS today. The Texas seems to be a loss for our side.

    Interesting take on it here.

    By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court on Monday handed Texas Republicans a victory by rejecting a lower court decision which said that a number of the state’s majority-Republican congressional districts had been drawn specifically to undercut the voting rights of people of color.

    In the majority opinion for the case—officially Abbott v Perez—conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the lower court’s “reasoning was critically flawed” when it ruled that 11 congressional and state legislative districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to the detriment of black and Latinx voters. Those districts were enacted in 2013 after the state’s previous map was also found to be racially biased.

    “When the congressional and state legislative districts are reviewed under the proper legal standards, all but one of them, we conclude, are lawful,” Alito concluded. The one Texas House district deemed unconstitutional is currently held by Democratic Rep. Ramon Romero.

    Justice Sonya Stotomayor has a strong dissent.

  88. 88.

    Aleta

    June 25, 2018 at 2:45 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Emily Lathum’s site (Dogmantics) was very helpful for us. We already had experience with rescue dogs, but learned a lot; the articles/videos are short, and worked great for our reactive dog.
    (Her videos are also on youtub. She shows use of a clicker but it isn’t necessary.) We never needed a muzzle, but she also shows how to introduce a dog to a muzzle (and how not to). Also shy dog tips.

    (From Dogmantics article: Conditioning dogs to handling) Conditioning dogs to handling makes them less likely to bite when put in the situation of being touched unexpectedly.  Most dogs, unless previously trained, are uncomfortable with being touched in certain circumstances.  Some dogs have body sensitivity issues making them less likely to want to be social.  Handling exercises are also great for teaching your dog impulse control.

    Without prior conditioning, handling a dog when the dog is aroused can be over stimulating, arousing and even highly punishing.  Sometimes handling can cause a dog to bite.  However, with conditioning handling can act as a way to calm your dog down, help him feel comfortable, reorient him to you, and help him deal with stressful environments.  Handling can also be used as a test to see whether a dog is really relaxed.

    FWIW (don’t know about consensus for this), somewhere I read that growling or pretend nipping are the dog’s way to communicate a warning. So, it said, if we punish or train it out of them, they might give up the warning and progress to biting.

    In the beginning (he was 7 and untrained) we carefully limited his stimulation in the outside world, with rest days in between, and slowly increased the time.

  89. 89.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    @satby: But more importantly, I wasn’t really suggesting that he dig a ditch.

    It was a JOKE!

    JEEBUS.

  90. 90.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    @YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S):

    Maybe someone is trying to wash our sins away?

    Speaking of which: What genius decided “Sympathy for the Devi” (a cover) was a suitable music bed for an Acura commercial.
    A trumpkin, I bet

  91. 91.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    That’s welcome news. It shows that at least there’s some decency left in this country. I wonder why it took so long to sink in? And will the media reporting the WH line that families are being reunited right now affect that?

  92. 92.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    The ENTIRE Phuck!!?

    https://twitter.com/JamilSmith/status/1011114267548966912

  93. 93.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    @Mary G: And he called her Max. A man’s name. He’s moving close to gorilla.

  94. 94.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Justice Sonya Stotomayor has a strong dissent.

    In tone policing terms I’d call it “blistering”
    I believe the justice is out of fucks to give

  95. 95.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 2:53 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: Thank you.

  96. 96.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 2:56 pm

    @Spanky:

    No report on whether our sins would be washed away or we’ll merely be left behind in the post-apocalyptic hellscape.

    Or we may be washed away. Like our nyms, randomly and with no warning.

  97. 97.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    @Brachiator:

    This is what Gorsuch was installed to do. Fuck every single “lefty” who decided that Merrick Garland was not pure enough to be on the Supreme Court. ?

  98. 98.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    @YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S): Have we wandered into a conservation of nym saves? A zero sum game where saved nyms on mobile require lost nyms on other platforms?
    ETA Alain are you checking back to the Is this thing on post or should we just note problems in the current post?

  99. 99.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 3:01 pm

    @rikyrah:
    That Texas_eric “Keep America Great” dbag is a real piece of work on that thread, gaslighting everyone, lying, and constantly moving goalposts. Fuck, my head spins when I read that denialist shit. Constantly trying to shift the blame onto Obama for what Trump is doing right now. What a fucking cultist. He also delusionally claims that “the left” has never done a thing for minorities. If it’s not a bot then I don’t what one would be like.

  100. 100.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    @Brachiator: I am less convinced then ever that these assholes are going to leave power peacefully.

  101. 101.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    @efgoldman:

    What genius decided “Sympathy for the Devi” (a cover) was a suitable music bed for an Acura commercial.

    Not a Ford? Disappointed.

  102. 102.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:
    Oh and he’s claiming that the Red Hen owner is blaming her gay employees or something. So glad I don’t have a Twitter account; I don’t feel like getting manipulated by a hostile foreign government.

  103. 103.

    Roger Moore

    June 25, 2018 at 3:04 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Fuck Roberts, Fuck Thomas and Fuck Alito?

    And fuck Mitch McConnell with a rusty chainsaw.

  104. 104.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    They will never be forgiven

    https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1011250879234797568

  105. 105.

    ProfDamatu

    June 25, 2018 at 3:09 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Not to pile on, but as a runner…yes, please do get a muzzle and a trainer. Even if your dog never bites anyone, that lunging behavior is in itself hazardous to pedestrians, whether they’re running or walking – even if we don’t get bitten, we can still be knocked over and sustain serious injuries! (I actually broke my jaw while running due to a fall, though that one was precipitated by an inattentive driver rather than a dog, and I’m vindictive enough that I absolutely would have gone after him for my medical bills if he’d been caught.)

    I can only speak for myself, of course, but I view every unknown dog I see on my runs as potential hazards, all the more so if they’re fractious and pulling at their leash. I give them as wide a berth as I safely can, and slow down even to a stop if necessary (often happens with un-leashed dogs), but owners of such dogs need to do their part too, which unfortunately means muzzling and a short lead (so that others can get out of range without putting themselves in danger of being run over) as well as training to hopefully minimize the behavior.

  106. 106.

    themann1086

    June 25, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    West Virginia DOH

    An appropriate acronym, apparently!

  107. 107.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    Markets are failing faster then Trump university graduates.

  108. 108.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    They have all but killed these children ?

    https://twitter.com/mbieseck/status/1010275582372958209

  109. 109.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    @TenguPhule:
    They are their own worst enemy. Further entrenching themselves in power is only going to ensure their violent removal, given time and when things bad enough. This is the fatal flaw in any autocratic system, when the powers that be cannot be removed peacefully and when their policies are overwhelmingly unpopular, leading to very real consequences for people.

    Reality has a way of catching up to people, and it will catch up to the GOP very soon. Just as you can’t cheat the reaper forever, neither can you cheat reality.

  110. 110.

    satby

    June 25, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    @HeleninEire: I didn’t think it was a bad suggestion actually. A pond would be a low spot where the excess water could accumulate. I had considered suggesting it.

  111. 111.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    @efgoldman:

    I believe the justice is out of fucks to give

    It’s her birthday today. She’s entitled.

  112. 112.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    given time and when things bad enough

    Last time bad enough was WW II. Just saying.

  113. 113.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 3:19 pm

    Sounds of Silence: The Absence of Protest Anthems in the Age of Trump
    The Resistance.

    …………………………..

    Yet despite this ever-growing coterie of concerned citizens, there remains one group conspicuously absent: American musicians.

    The last time Americans faced an internal crisis came during the Vietnam era. At that time, musicians took the lead in expressing their disdain for the current political climate. Artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, and Edwin Starr all offered their songs of protest during these tumultuous times. Combined with the growing popularity of protest anthems like “We Shall Overcome” it became apparent that music would be one of the driving forces behind this era’s large-scale fights for social justice. Despite potentially alienating part of their listening audience, these musicians chose to use their platform as a way to draw attention to the issues of the day and to make a statement about exactly where they stood on those issues.

    Flash forward nearly 50 years and what we have in the year 2018 is a glaring absence of musicians in The Resistance. Even previously politically-active musicians like Bruce Springsteen and U2 have refused to create anti-Trump songs for public release. In fact, other than Childish Gambino’s “This is America,” one can argue that there hasn’t been a truly critical piece of music released in the past 17 months. Yes, there have been some songs used to fundraise, especially for Puerto Rico, but as a whole, the vast majority of prominent musicians have stayed clear of making political statements. At a time when The Resistance is growing by the day, the music industry has simply been a non-factor and has not used its influence in any meaningful way.
    ……………………………

    In addition, many artists are most likely hesitant to alienate their fans. They know that it takes a certain income-level to attend a concert and typically those that do have the resources to attend a show would make up a variety of political beliefs. Music can be a great unifier that brings together people of all backgrounds and ideologies. To intentionally ostracize part of your fan base would be a huge risk for any band or artist. To say to 30-50% of one’s fans that they are wrong in their beliefs could potentially be a terrifying gamble and one that musicians simply are not willing to take. They might private advocate for certain policies or state their concerns in interviews

  114. 114.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    @HeleninEire:

    @Mary G: And he called her Max. A man’s name. He’s moving close to gorilla.

    You caught that too.

    Uh huh
    Uh huh

  115. 115.

    raven

    June 25, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    @rikyrah: That’s bullshit, how does the author know anyone refused anything?

  116. 116.

    Doug R

    June 25, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    It’s a smart idea to put in a water feature because another side effect of climate change is more severe droughts. If your area has had dry spells in the past, they too will get longer and more severe.

  117. 117.

    Jack the Second

    June 25, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Umm, Jeebus assured me that the world would never be destroyed by flooding again, so therefore this is all science BS.

  118. 118.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Red Hen’s LGBT employees should have made sure Sarah Huckabee Sanders got served

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/06/24/sending-sarah-sanders-away-red-hen-unjust-and-wrong-column/728858002/

    When Sarah Huckabee Sanders walked into the Red Hen restaurant in western Virginia, it is a safe bet she just wanted to enjoy a meal. She was in America’s heartland and wanted what everyone else did that evening at the Red Hen — a farm-to-table dinner. What Sanders received, however, is a stark reminder that half a century later, America is still asking who has a seat at the lunch counter, and the dinner table.

    I just… I can’t. This is trolling in the form an oped. That this asshole compares politely refusing service based on basic human decency to a mouthpiece of a fascist administration to Jim Crow in the South is just the icing on the cake. This is civil disobedience and SHS doesn’t have the right to be served. Racist, fascist bigots aren’t a protected class. No, dick, the LGBT employees were not entitled to serve that disgusting POS a meal and the owner backed her employees up. So fuck off!

  119. 119.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    @TenguPhule: @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    Reality has a way of catching up to people, and it will catch up to the GOP very soon.

    Ah my young apocalyptical friends….
    Before we take to the hinterlands with AKs we don’t own and start a fight we can’t possibly win, how about we drop a huge blue wave on them this November?
    A lot of the RWNJs are already running away.

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 25, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    @rikyrah: Frank Turner.

  121. 121.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:27 pm

    Harley-Davidson, the American motorcycle manufacturer, said on Monday that it would shift some production of its iconic bikes overseas to avoid retaliatory tariffs imposed by the European Union in response to Trump’s trade moves.

    Via the FTNYT. Offshoring of American jobs begins as a result of tariffs.

  122. 122.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    @efgoldman: I’d still like a Plan B, C, D and E just in case Plan A doesn’t work.

  123. 123.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    @Jack the Second:

    Umm, Jeebus assured me that the world would never be destroyed by flooding again, so therefore this is all science BS.

    Dog only said he wouldn’t flood the world. Nothing about us doing the job in his place.

  124. 124.

    SiubhanDuinne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    @raven:

    Hey, how’s Lil Bit doing now? I guess everybody’s daily routine has changed.

  125. 125.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 3:31 pm

    Looks like that rain garden Cole has to put in is really weighing on his mind.

    Climate change is interesting, or can be made interesting. One would think that big corporate news organizations that have a lot of highly paid producers, and unbelievably overpaid millionaire news actors, and also low and unpaid interns, could find a way to make it interesting. But they just can’t figure out how to do that. Maybe all the PR ad campaigns that large fossil fuel, auto, and big agrichem corporations run on their networks has something to do with it.

    But, you can make cool graphics and some Mr. or Ms. Science explaining how we know why some gases trap infrared heat energy and others don’t, for example. Animations of angles and wiggles at the molecular bond level would be as fun to watch as a donkey and an elephant kicking each other, IMHO.

    And, also the fact that the rotten fascist and racist rump of one our two major political parties had declared discussion of science that they find inconvenient to be ‘political’. That is a tactic that fascist, authoritarian and totalitarian regimes both right and left have used for decades. Serious discussion of any topic that they decide threatens their power, even if it is HS level physics, is deemed political, subversive and dangerous.

  126. 126.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 3:32 pm

    Why the tax returns for Trump’s charitable foundation are so important
    06/25/18 10:42 AM
    By Steve Benen

    It’s been a couple of weeks since the New York attorney general’s office accused Donald Trump’s charitable foundation of being little more than a slush fund, which, among other things, made illegal in-kind contributions for Trump’s campaign. The scope of the legal issues raised by the New York court filing are still coming into focus.

    …………………………….

    The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold added the other day that Trump’s signature appeared “just below a stern warning from the IRS: Providing false information could lead to ‘penalties of perjury.’”

    In 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Donald J. Trump Foundation stated that none of its money had been used to benefit Trump or his businesses. But the New York attorney general found that, in each of those years, Trump had used his charity’s funds to help one of his businesses. In 2013, the attorney general alleged, Trump also failed to disclose an improper gift to a political group.

    This suggests we’re not just talking about a possible one-time bureaucratic slip-up. Trump and his family stand accused of running a fraudulent charitable operation and repeatedly lying in official legal documents about the nature of the foundation’s work.

    The Post’s article added, “It is a felony to knowingly file a false tax return, with potential penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to three years in prison. In rare cases – where prosecutors could prove the falsehood to be deliberate – people have been convicted of signing false tax returns.”

  127. 127.

    gene108

    June 25, 2018 at 3:33 pm

    A portion of Rt. 67 from Bethany to Wellsburg is now one lane, because the other lane is but a memory.

    Further proof government does nothing right, and so must be starved of more tax revenue.

    It would be sarcasm, but too many people think like that.

  128. 128.

    raven

    June 25, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: She’s off the hook! Every time we move she’s there begging for food, if we go near the door, she goes nutty wanting to go! She’s supposed to be kept calm for 2 weeks post-op and it hasn’t even been a week yet!

  129. 129.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    @rikyrah:

    “It is a felony to knowingly file a false tax return, with potential penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to three years in prison. In rare cases – where prosecutors could prove the falsehood to be deliberate – people have been convicted of signing false tax returns.”

    IRS doesn’t have the resources it needs to fight with Trump charity on this. There is almost certainly going to be a settlement.

  130. 130.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    @rikyrah:

    Can’t help but notice that almost everyone on his list of “important” artists is white. I suspect that he’s overlooked songs in genres that are not overwhelmingly white.

  131. 131.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    Announcement to uncivil libs who have uncivilly made fun of Mitt Romney for being a dorky timid stiff old white guy who can’t dance: just wait until you see the dance moves he’ll be breaking out soon. Mitt will be pioneering acrobatics like we’ve seldom seen in politics: how to keep his GOP base voters for the general election, while not driving away the rest of the voters who still retain some common decency.

    Maybe we’ll have a Mitt version of St Augustine’s famous prayer “Oh Lord, please give me the strength to summon common decency against Trump, but not just yet.”

    @Brennanator
    Why wait until then?
    ‘Romney vows to speak out against Trump if elected’
    https://twitter.com/Brennanator/status/1011328360138641409

  132. 132.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    @raven:

    WOOT! GO LIL BIT!!

  133. 133.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    IRS doesn’t have the resources it needs to fight with Trump charity on this.

    Civil case in NY state court with referral to the IRS. They can subpoena – and release – the returns

  134. 134.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:42 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    IMO, this shows just how racialized the MSM’s thinking is, and I doubt they even realize it. They really think that Sanders was refused service because she’s white. Not because she’s the lying mouthpiece for a fascist regime, but because of her race.

    That’s how tied into Republican mores most white people are — Republicans are white and whiteness is Republican, so an insult to a Republican MUST be race-based.

  135. 135.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 25, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Can you say Apeshit?

  136. 136.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    MoJo reports that even NOAA – THE FREAKING GOVERNMENT WEATHER SERVICE – is no longer allowed to study climate change:

    One of the country’s major federal science agencies seems to have been forced to abandon climate change research as a key organizational focus, the New York Times revealed this week. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization is responsible for managing the National Weather Service and using its network of satellites to forecast the effects of climate change. Rather than concentrate on resiliency efforts, NOAA is now charged with prioritizing “a safe, secure and growing economy empowered through accurate, reliable and timely environmental information,” according to a slideshow presented by the agency’s acting director at a Department of Commerce meeting.

  137. 137.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 3:46 pm

    @Mary G:

    THE FREAKING GOVERNMENT WEATHER SERVICE – is no longer allowed to study climate change:

    Haven’t they tried to defund it as far back as Newtnik?

  138. 138.

    Yutsano

    June 25, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    @TenguPhule: Tax Exempt/Government Entities is the smallest division of the IRS. No way will it have the resources by itself to pursue this. Unless they turn the whole file over to Criminal Investigation, which would pursue this with a much larger budget. You might also know it as the division that brought down a Capone.

  139. 139.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:50 pm

    @efgoldman: Unless every single person and lawyer involved on Trump’s side is a complete moron (which I do not rule out), whatever happens on the state case side, the IRS is going to be pushed hard to settle the tax crime by both their newly installed head (oath be damned) with just financial penalties.

    It looks like a slam dunk case to nail Trump to the wall for tax fraud, but the GOP has been working on the IRS for a long time to influence the referees. We’ll see what happens, or doesn’t.

  140. 140.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:50 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I’m sorry, I’m an Old now and don’t get this reference. ?‍♀️

  141. 141.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    @Mary G:

    Rather than concentrate on resiliency efforts, NOAA is now charged with prioritizing “a safe, secure and growing economy empowered through accurate, reliable and timely environmental information,” according to a slideshow presented by the agency’s acting director at a Department of Commerce meeting.

    No doubt, part of running the government like a business.

  142. 142.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 3:51 pm

    Jason Kander is running for mayor of Kansas City. Seems like aiming a bit low. I want him to run for president.

  143. 143.

    Leto

    June 25, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    @TenguPhule: This was already happening. HD announced at least two years ago that they were moving parts of their production off-shore. HD has invested heavily in Thailand and India by building factories, while closing plants in the US. The tax bill was just an additional gift for them.

    Here’s two articles about the closure of the Kansas City plant (800 jobs lost):

    In Washington, union rips Harley-Davidson for closing Kansas City plant while opening in Thailand

    Harley-Davidson workers stunned by plant closure after tax cut

  144. 144.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    FY WP, can’t edit and comment links are looping back to start.

  145. 145.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    There isn’t a IRS case that I know of. Just the NY state fraud. And the IRS can’t shut down a state fraud case.

  146. 146.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    @Brachiator: Yep, just let us have plenty of advance information when a giant hurricane is coming, so we can get all the rich white people out and leave the unproductive poors to die.

  147. 147.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 3:53 pm

    @Mary G: Understanding and forecasting weather without studying human induced climate change very soon will be, and probably is right now, like understanding biology without understanding evolution, or understanding satellite communications and GPS without understanding relativity, or modern PC circuits without understanding quantum physics. That is say: impossible.

  148. 148.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    @Brachiator:

    part of running the government like a business.

    It’s businesses (farmers, shipping lines, air carriers) that rely on the weather service for info. Once again the overreaching assholes stick it to their constituency.

  149. 149.

    I'll be Frank

    June 25, 2018 at 3:56 pm

    @rikyrah: The radio stations just refused to play Green Day. American Idiot got no radio play on any of the right wing classic rock stations (but hey, all the Ted Nugent you wanted.)

  150. 150.

    bluefoot

    June 25, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    @rikyrah: We are forcibly separating children from their parents, and then locking the children in cages and/or disappearing them (we are DISAPPEARING CHILDREN, what the actual f*ck??), forcing the ones we know about to perform this Cultural Revolution-type bullshit and people are pulling out the fainting couches for false civility. I can’t even, anymore.

  151. 151.

    Omnes Omnibus

    June 25, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Ask Goku.

  152. 152.

    cain

    June 25, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    The sad thing is, our doomsday cult trump worshippers will simply think that this is the end times. Assholes.

  153. 153.

    cain

    June 25, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    @Mary G:

    Once disaster arrives, they’ll do the “No one could have known..”.. On the positive side, destruction of the human race would solve a lot of problems.

  154. 154.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:05 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Whatever the AG decides on the case, speaking from the tax department’s side, there’s a strong sentiment for both Federal and State to settle quickly, because that’s what gets the money in faster. Tax Agencies really don’t like having to burn resources to collect what’s owed. The NY tax department will rely on the NY AG to pursue any criminal complaints, but as far as the tax is concerned, they just want the money.

  155. 155.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Once again the overreaching assholes stick it to their constituency.

    Weather is a liberal conspiracy. //

  156. 156.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    @jl:

    , like understanding biology without understanding evolution

    Intelligent design! //

  157. 157.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    @Mnemosyne: There were references of referral to the IRS in the original reporting.

  158. 158.

    ruemara

    June 25, 2018 at 4:08 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: I don’t know if you’re still on or if you’re going to read this far, but I do recommend Dr. Sophia Yin’s books & dvds. You need “Dog Aggression” and you can also pick up How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves. Do it quickly. If he or she has already progressed to nipping, their reactivity in that situation is increasing. She’s gone far too soon, but her work in this field is top level and I’ve personally seen her work these techniques out.

  159. 159.

    The Moar You Know

    June 25, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    Flash forward nearly 50 years and what we have in the year 2018 is a glaring absence of musicians in The Resistance.

    @rikyrah: Gotta say that article is a complete crock of shit from start to finish.

  160. 160.

    Gelfling 545

    June 25, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: consult a certified dog trainer in your area. They are experienced in this sort of thing and some will come to your hpuse to work with you – and the dog- but mostly with you since you have to learn to do the behavior modifications.

  161. 161.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    June 25, 2018 at 4:11 pm

    @jl: It looks like a severed male genital, has no jaw, feeds on the dead and dying, when attacked covers itself with a noxious slime it removes by twisting itself into knots.

    The creature I am describing is;

    A. A Hag Fish

    B. Mitt Romney

  162. 162.

    jonas

    June 25, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    Property insurance companies.

    Obviously part of the Deep State.

  163. 163.

    ruemara

    June 25, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    @Mai naem mobile: More than likely.

  164. 164.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 4:15 pm

    @jl:

    @Brennanator
    Why wait until then?
    ‘Romney vows to speak out against Trump if elected’
    https://twitter.com/Brennanator/status/1011328360138641409

    yes, Willard, why wait?

    He’s putting children in cages, but you can’t find your voice?
    UH HUH

  165. 165.

    HinTN

    June 25, 2018 at 4:20 pm

    @Mary G: Senator Corker’s office stated that the senator has not released a statement regarding, my words to the staffer, the President of the United States threatening a member of Congress, but he was willing to pass along my concerns. He closed with, “Have a wonderful day.” FFS, these people are clueless.

    ETA: nym be gone

  166. 166.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 4:20 pm

    @rikyrah: Well, what I want to know if if you reject, revile and refudiate the hag fish slander in @Enhanced Voting Techniques:’s comment.

    And thanks, rikyrah, for comment and link to story about the fascist stunts they are putting the inmates of the Trumpster baby concentration camps through.
    The Trumpsters are moving, boldly and proudly, into fascist and brutal authoritarian territory. Time to call them on it, no matter how much quislings whimper and scold about ‘civility’.

    Edit: and these toxic fools demagogue their damned lies about crime and terrorism from immigrants. Well, you know what kind of behavior produces crime and terrorism, crap stunts like the ones desribed in that link do, that’s what.

  167. 167.

    Gravenstone

    June 25, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    @cain: It won’t be destruction, absent something truly monumental. Instead, it will just be a great paring, reducing the population by a substantial percentage. And reducing the tech level to a corresponding subsistence level (if the survivors are lucky). The loss of tech will be the greater threat.

    eta: and I have now succumbed to the absence of the personal data here as well (Chrome on Win 7 Pro)

  168. 168.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    @Leto:

    Here’s two articles about the closure of the Kansas City plant (800 jobs lost):

    In Washington, union rips Harley-Davidson for closing Kansas City plant while opening in Thailand

    Harley-Davidson workers stunned by plant closure after tax cut

    Quit your whining…

    He’s just MAGA…

  169. 169.

    FlyingToaster

    June 25, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    Nym’s disappeared again, so testing…
    (Mac OSX 10.13.5, Firefox 60.0.2, MacBookPro 2018)

  170. 170.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:
    Dude, I’m not up on every slang term just because I’m young.

  171. 171.

    Gravenstone

    June 25, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    @rikyrah: Because Willard is hoping to convince some Trump voters to also vote for himself. No point alienating them too early …

  172. 172.

    FlyingToaster

    June 25, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    Okay, I checked the box and my nym seems to be persisting, at least for the moment.

  173. 173.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    The creature I am describing is;

    A. A Hag Fish

    B. Mitt Romney

    Gotta be a hagfish. Mitt Romney can’t get rid of his slime by twisting himself in knots.

  174. 174.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    @FlyingToaster:

    I checked the box and my nym seems to be persisting, at least for the moment.

    Mine is gone again.
    Fucking blog.

  175. 175.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Fucking blog.

    WordPress is out of fucks to give you.

  176. 176.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    Apparatchiks are not a protected class.

    — David Roberts (@drvox) June 25, 2018

  177. 177.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    @Aleta: @ruemara: I’ve been checking in periodically. Most of the behavior until yesterday I interpreted as just a kind of warning behavior – as in I’m uncomfortable so keep a little distance. It did not seem like behavior that was a precursor to an actual bite. She is not lunging at pedestrians who keep a reasonable distance – and hundreds of joggers and many hundreds of walkers have gone by without incident. She’s been fine in crowded farmers markets and several other crowds. These behaviors, except for one relatively brief period that seemed to be resolved with a few firm “no”‘s on my part when I observed the behavior, seemed to be completely gone. We’re talking two years without anything of this sort happening, dozens of meals out at restaurant outdoor seating areas, etc. without issue.

    I will stop bringing her to restaurants. She is generally very well behaved at them (until yesterday there was never even a near miss at one) but still, managing even a well behaved dog at a restaurant is kind of a pain. She’s only 25 lbs so very easy for me to manage on a leash, and as such I don’t think I need to muzzle her for a typical walk, but it would probably be a good idea to put one on her if we need to take her into a more crowded situation – stores, restaurants, etc. We did just leave her in my parents’ care for two weeks while we were in Brazil so maybe she’s got heightened anxiety right now, and I have worried a little about her mental state as she seems highly strung/nervous sometimes even when she isn’t acting out as I’ve described. Probably would not be a bad idea to talk to a vet about it. The issue with training it out of her, which I would like to work on doing, is that the behavior is so rare and intermittent that I really cannot be at all sure what is triggering it.

  178. 178.

    PJ

    June 25, 2018 at 4:30 pm

    @The Moar You Know: I don’t know who the author is, but the two examples he or she cites, U2 and Springsteen, have both been vocal in their opposition to Trump’s immigration policies. U2 also has a new song, American Soul, extolling (a little hamfistedly) the US as the land of refugees, and Springsteen has been specifically singing The Ghost of Tom Joad in his Broadway show to address the separation of immigrant families.

  179. 179.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 4:31 pm

    That is exactly what this Supreme Court is trying to do

    https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1011320277278625794

  180. 180.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    @efgoldman: I am so happy your foul mouth is back on Balloon Juice.

  181. 181.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    We are just have the normal wind, thunder and rain. You know the type that brings down limbs. I guess I should count my blessings.

    nym be gone.

  182. 182.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    @Mary G:

    I am so happy your foul mouth is back on Balloon Juice

    Fucking people. I want to shove uncivil up their asses sideways with a chain saw.

    Fuckem

    [Honestly, really helps reduce the stress. Try it]

  183. 183.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    The Fucking Supremes are on a fucking roll (WaPo)

    The Supreme Court sided with American Express on Monday in a closely watched case over credit card fees, with major implications not only for the credit card industry but also for some of the country’s biggest platform companies such as Google and Facebook, analysts said.

    In a 5-to−4 decision, the court held that American Express is allowed to use contract language to bar retailers and merchants from steering their customers toward paying with competing credit card networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

    So if you contract with fucking American Express to accept their fucking cards, you can’t suggest that customers use cheaper cards.

    Article also said that this fucking decision will allow the big tech firms, like fucking Google, fucking Amazon, and fucking FaceBook to screw their customers over as well and shore up fucking monopolies that are bad for the fucking economy.

    ETA: added a lot of fucks at efg’s suggestion; it does feel good.

  184. 184.

    Tilda Swintons Bald Cap

    June 25, 2018 at 4:39 pm

    @rikyrah: Good lord the comments.

  185. 185.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 4:40 pm

    @Mary G:

    The Supremes are on a roll (WaPo)

    Seems like it should have been a unanimous first amendment case, but what the fuck do I know.
    Lochner here we come.

    Fuckem

  186. 186.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 4:42 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    I have now succumbed to the absence of the personal data here as well [. . .].

    The loss of tech has already begun!

  187. 187.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    @Mnemosyne:
    It makes sense. The media itself largely lives in a bubble and I’m sure most of them come from an upper class WASPy background. They all have their own biases, even though they have high-minded notions of objectivity that they mostly don’t live up to and haven’t for decades.

    I don’t understand why this is such a difficult concept to understand. Same with freedom of speech. The rebuttal from right wingers I always run into is, “But who gets decide what “evil” and “monstrous” mean”? My response is always society does, collectively. Always has, always will. And it can go both ways.

  188. 188.

    ruemara

    June 25, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Definitely watch the DVD. I think CattleDog (jesus the new design is ugly, apologies) also does a vimeo rental so you can stream it for like a week. But you have a very anxious dog that’s resorting to biting and needs help. A vet that doesn’t have at least a certification in behavior can’t really help – don’t at me, I worked for Dr. Yin for several years – so you need a behaviourist or a trainer certified in behaviour. Let me see. Here’s AVSAB, where you can search.
    A lot of vets consult in behaviour, but not all of them have good behaviour credentials. Good luck.

  189. 189.

    MomSense

    June 25, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?:

    Sounds like she has anxiety. Can you start doing planned (for you) meetings with new people and feed her treats constantly while doing it? You can then add things like skateboards, canes, etc. and keep feeding her treats. I think it’s called counter conditioning and there are probably different methods. My dog is “food motivated” hence the use of treats.

  190. 190.

    Yutsano

    June 25, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    I really need a new thread for this but: I hope to fucking hell Scott Fucking Pruitt is finally about to fry for something.

  191. 191.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    @Mary G:

    In a 5-to−4 decision, the court held that American Express is allowed to use contract language to bar retailers and merchants from steering their customers toward paying with competing credit card networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

    I always thought our corporate dystopia would be more grittier and have better cyberpunks.

  192. 192.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    @rikyrah:
    Not according to nearly everyone on that thread. Christ. What fools.

  193. 193.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    @Yutsano:

    I hope to fucking hell Scott Fucking Pruitt is finally about to fry for something.

    Sorry, no. IOKIYAR.

    Unless he’s physically strapped down with the wires rigged into his legs. Which may come sooner rather then later.

  194. 194.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:50 pm

    @Mary G:

    this fucking decision will allow the big tech firms, like fucking Google, fucking Amazon, and fucking FaceBook to screw their customers over as well and shore up fucking monopolies that are bad for the fucking economy.

    Feature, not a bug of Republicans in power.

  195. 195.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    @efgoldman:

    Seems like it should have been a unanimous first amendment case, but what the fuck do I know

    More then 5 SC justices.

  196. 196.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    Ruh-roh! Mueller has Erik Prince in his sights.

  197. 197.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    @efgoldman: Mine is gone too, but when I tap there’s a drop down, so not so bad.

    But really this is not about me. Its about you. How are you feeling? Read you hate the wheelchair. Be patient.

    Of course the real question is how is efgoldmangrandaughter and how excited is she about efgoldmanothergrandchild? We’re looking at September, yes?

  198. 198.

    Yutsano

    June 25, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    the IRS is going to be pushed hard to settle the tax crime by both their newly installed head

    The unqualified tax attorney’s nomination is still stuck in the Senate. The acting head of the IRS right now is an old school apparatchik. So unless you know something I don’t (and trust me I would know before you would) what the hell are you talking about here?

  199. 199.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    @ruemara: Thanks. There is someone in Silver Spring listed on that AVSAB link – that’s the next ‘burb over from me so very close. She does house calls on behavior issues so maybe I’ll start there.

  200. 200.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    @Yutsano:
    Tengy likes to assume the worst case scenario always

  201. 201.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 4:55 pm

    @rikyrah:
    Is Norm Ornstein’s Twitter feed full of dumbass conservatives because he’s a conservative himself?

  202. 202.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:55 pm

    House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pushed back against Waters in a Monday-morning tweet that referenced a news story about her colleague’s comments.

    “In the crucial months ahead, we must strive to make America beautiful again,” wrote Pelosi, who herself has been shouted down by left-wing protesters in San Francisco. “Trump’s daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable. As we go forward, we must conduct elections in a way that achieves unity from sea to shining sea.”

    I understand Pelosi has to be the moderate face.

    But moderation in the face of weevil will only lead to shit in your bread.

  203. 203.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    I am convinced they are using the loss of net neutrality to fuck with the blog.

  204. 204.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 4:57 pm

    @raven:

    YEAH :) :)

  205. 205.

    Yutsano

    June 25, 2018 at 4:57 pm

    @TenguPhule: You do know he’s being chased by basically the lawyers of the executive branch that have both policing and removal powers? All of these cases are enough to send his balls into orbit with Musk’s Tesla. So yeah I think he’d better get his legal defence in massive order here.

    @ Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) : I have zero problem smacking down that inaccurate piece of information. Mostly because I don’t think the unqualified tax attorney is going to survive the Senate gauntlet. Honestly Kauttner is a bit more Republican than I like but he’s been more than capable as an acting so far.

  206. 206.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 4:57 pm

    @HeleninEire:

    Of course the real question is how is efgoldmangrandaughter and how excited is she about efgoldmanothergrandchild? We’re looking at September, yes?

    Seeing the surgeon tomorrow. Stitches MAY come out, but probably not. That means light weight bearing (a walker)
    G-daughter is super stoked. They have done a LOT of prep work with her. But labor day week baby brother comes AND she start kindergarten – her world will turn upside down all at once

  207. 207.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 4:58 pm

    @Yutsano: Sorry, my comment got mangled by FYWP. Munchin appointed the interim head, and so far everyone these assholes rank up has turned out to be a fuckup of immense proportions. And the GOP Congress has also been working the refs hard at the IRS.

  208. 208.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Ornstein has not been an obedient GOP cultist at least since the GW Bush days. I imagine they keep an extra careful watch in apostates. I don’t even know if Ornestein is GOPer or ever was, but he traveled in high minded GOPer circles, back when they had them. Large chunks of the AEI were respectable research joints way back in the day.

    Edit: Ornstein has always been a moderate centrist. I remember he was quite out of step with the movement conservative when I attended meetings that featured him well over 20 years ago.

  209. 209.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    WOOT we know he’s a he? Brothers are the BEST.

  210. 210.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    @Yutsano:

    You do know he’s being chased by basically the lawyers of the executive branch that have both policing and removal powers? All of these cases are enough to send his balls into orbit with Musk’s Tesla. So yeah I think he’d better get his legal defence in massive order here.

    Sorry, I’ve seen pretty much all the other safety nets fail. If Pruitt gets canned and jailed it would be a pleasant surprise.

  211. 211.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 5:01 pm

    @Mary G: fuckem

    That is why we vote.

    I don’t say it as good as efg does though.

  212. 212.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: In exchange, surprises tend to be mostly pleasant ones.

  213. 213.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 5:04 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    Uh, you do know where Yutsy works, right?

  214. 214.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 5:04 pm

    FYWP. Either stop auto-refreshing the ads or fix the goddamn scrolling for comments.

  215. 215.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, I’m outside looking in. But I also remember A.S. reassuring us the generals would be adults in the room with Trump. And to a man, they certainly were not.

  216. 216.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 5:07 pm

    @TenguPhule: You don’t know what kind of fuckery Mattis has prevented. I would guess all kinds of things right up to nuking NK and Iran.

  217. 217.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 5:08 pm

    Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) Tweeted:
    Sarah Sanders: “Just because you don’t see a judge doesn’t mean you aren’t receiving due process.” (via ABC) https://t.co/d1ittSJKNM https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1011339601116614658?s=17

  218. 218.

    schrodingers_cat

    June 25, 2018 at 5:10 pm

    Test

  219. 219.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    @efgoldman:

    ???

  220. 220.

    ruemara

    June 25, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Good, thanks. Momsense is correct about counterconditioning and that’s covered in Dr. Yin’s works. Again, I do recommend you pick up the book or the dvd for training methods. Treat delivery speed is important for helping them see what’s good for them.

  221. 221.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    @Mary G: @TenguPhule: I saw a news item that Mattis is getting pushed out of the Trumpster loop, losing influence. If the guy pestered Trump to go to Congress for approval for the recent limited strike in Syria, he’s been saying a lot that the Trumpsters don’t want to hear.

    But, the end result is the same: nothing much to be hoped for from adults in the room with the Trumpsters, either because they are not really adults, or if they are, eventually they will get pushed out of the tantrum room where all the big decisions are made. But I’ll be interested to hear what ALS has to say about it.

    Edit: I think the story was in Josh Marshall’s twitter feed over the weekend.

  222. 222.

    Yutsano

    June 25, 2018 at 5:15 pm

    @jl: Do you have a link by chance? I’m curious.

  223. 223.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    @efgoldman:

    part of running the government like a business.

    It’s businesses (farmers, shipping lines, air carriers) that rely on the weather service for info. Once again the overreaching assholes stick it to their constituency.

    Oh, I meant my comment with a heavy dose of snark. Every regulation and decision that issues from Trump and his underlings is stupid, ill-informed, misguided, or short-sighted.

    And like the worst of business people I have known, Trump is convinced that the brute force method is the answer to everything.

  224. 224.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 5:18 pm

    @jl: Yeah, I saw that too. Twitler is tired of Mattis’ delaying tactics and disagreements. I’m surprised he’s lasted this long and Dog knows who we’ll get in his place.

    This is what we need to keep our eyes on; I know it’s hard with everything that’s spewing out, but this is evil:

    Miriam, released from custody Sunday, said her 4 yr. old son is in NY. Social worker told her he thinks she abandoned him #FamilySeparation pic.twitter.com/168RvGPgJJ— Julian Aguilar (@nachoaguilar) June 25, 2018

    It seems like Trump’s fake EO and the appearance of new shiny objects like Sarah being asked to leave a restaurant have led the MSM off the track of these kids, and we have to keep pushing for coverage.

  225. 225.

    BRyan

    June 25, 2018 at 5:19 pm

    I’m not up to date on all the comments, so i’m sorry if this has already been covered. There were at least a couple gofundme’s up in support of the red hen. one exceeded its modest goal of raising $5000, then was shut down by the guy who posted it, citing threats against himself and his family. A second one has raised a minimal amount ($700, at the time I saw it) but has generated incredible hate posts attacking the red hen, owner and staff. The vitriol is unbelievable. Or should be — sadly, it’s become fairly typical from the fuck-your-feelings crowd.

  226. 226.

    HeleninEire

    June 25, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    Morocco did not lose. It was a draw. 2-2. Really?? That does not happen in American sports. You play till you lose or win. I was once in Shea stadium until 2??? in the morning. They called the game only because the players were exhausted. At 10 am the next day without the game resumed.

  227. 227.

    Jackie

    June 25, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    Test

  228. 228.

    Jackie

    June 25, 2018 at 5:24 pm

    @Jackie: I’m back! I have a name again! ?

  229. 229.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    @Mary G: Horrible. Evidence piling up that Trump’s EO was fake, in the sense that there are hidden orders to continue abusive practices for purposes of intimidation and collective punishment as a deterrent. Every single thing I hear coming the executive branch on this is a falsehood. Congress will do nothing. What deluded Trumpsters, and people who are not but may not be motivated to turn out in November don’t understand is that they are in line for this kind of treatment too, just further down on the list. But, if politically convenient at some point in the future, these practices will spread to people who just cannot imagine it could ever happen to them

  230. 230.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    @Yutsano: I googled ‘Mattis losing influence’ and got a bunch of stories.

    Here’s one.
    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mattis-out-loop-trump-doesn-t-listen-him-say-officials-n885796

  231. 231.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    @jl:

    The Trumpistas continue this course at their peril. I have people responding to my Facebook posts who have resisted getting involved before. Those people are OUTRAGED right now.

  232. 232.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 5:32 pm

    He’s tweeting again:

    Surprised that Harley-Davidson, of all companies, would be the first to wave the White Flag. I fought hard for them and ultimately they will not pay tariffs selling into the E.U., which has hurt us badly on trade, down $151 Billion. Taxes just a Harley excuse – be patient! #MAGA— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018

    At least it’s not about the witch hunt.

  233. 233.

    JPL

    June 25, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    @Mary G: Don’t hold your breath, that’s the next tweet.

    no nym saving for me.

  234. 234.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    @Mnemosyne: Tell them to read up on how those cuddly, supposedly ‘tough’ but necessary dictatorships evolve (or devolve) in Latin America. I hate to be uncivil, but look at the evolution of N*** policies. Didn’t just start saying they were going to kill mass quantities of people, You just warned the good citizens about animals and infestations that needed to be addressed. Initial plans were to deport and/or enslave not eliminate. But then, you got the population trained to do anything to avoid the threat, and wow, so many more Jews, and Gypsies and Poles, who are being much less cooperative and more expensive to deal with than anticipated. And, hey, there are all those subversive political groups too, and since anything that threatens your power is declared ‘political’, not only more expensive to deal with, but every damn day so many more and more of them to deal with, ’cause dangit, it turns out that these subversives, who seem to be just like good people, are everywhere you look.

    And Bannon and who knows how many Trumpsters are big fans of ‘Camp of the Saints’ where you do exterminate the threat, and any white person dumb or treacherous enough to help them. It’s really time to say that, since it starts where we are now. And don’t back down when the tone police come. Better face them than what comes next.

  235. 235.

    efgoldman

    June 25, 2018 at 5:39 pm

    @Mary G:

    At least it’s not about the witch hunt.

    Money always talks

  236. 236.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 5:40 pm

    @Mary G:
    Sounds desperate. “Be patient!”

  237. 237.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 5:44 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: I thought that was a loser thing. Winners win and winning is easy, so he promised us.

  238. 238.

    Kay

    June 25, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    I didn’t know how to describe the rain to my neighbor (who obviously has these deluges too). I knew he would notice it because he’s retired and gardens and is outside all the time. I called it “global warming rain” and he picked it right up- said it back to me later in the conversation. We all know it’s abnormal but it’s like we don’t want to admit it or it becomes real.

  239. 239.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    June 25, 2018 at 6:00 pm

    @jl:
    Really. Trade wars are supposed to be easy to win too.

  240. 240.

    FlyingToaster

    June 25, 2018 at 6:01 pm

    And the nym disappeared again. Pfeh!

    At least if I click in the box I get a dropdown. So it’s not all fucking dire.

    (Been reading local news and there are some people who need to go live on Nix’s Mate.)

  241. 241.

    John Revolta

    June 25, 2018 at 6:02 pm

    @Mary G: I guess we’ll be seeing a bunch of MAGAt types and Malcolm Forbes groupies smashing up their Harleys with sledgehammers now.

    Any minute now.

  242. 242.

    Kay

    June 25, 2018 at 6:03 pm

    What an embarrassment this ridiculous hack is:

    In a year in which mass shootings devastated America’s schools, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions focused his address to a national gathering of school police on a different topic entirely: immigration.
    “Children have indeed borne much of the burden from our broken immigration system,” Sessions told a gathering of the National Association of School Resource Officers in Reno, Nev. “And the children you serve are too. They are watching as their friends and even their family members are getting involved in drugs and getting trapped in the funnel of addiction that is being fed by drug cartels taking advantage …

    They offer nothing of value, to anyone. He’s in the pocket of the NRA so he can’t address gun violence- they issued a gag order, so he babbles some fear-mongering on immigration.

    Such a hack. Couldn’t they have kept this clown in the Senate? Did they have to force him on the whole country?

  243. 243.

    debbie

    June 25, 2018 at 6:05 pm

    Interesting site behavior hijinks. I could edit Kay’s post if I wanted. Odd.

  244. 244.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:06 pm

    @Mary G:

    I would guess all kinds of things right up to nuking NK and Iran.

    Third party IC intercepts or it didn’t happen. Nobody in Trump’s orbit gets a pass. NOBODY.

  245. 245.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    @Kay:
    Tell the truth Kay

  246. 246.

    Chyron HR

    June 25, 2018 at 6:07 pm

    @Mary G:

    “Businesses should be proud to sacrifice their profits as a tribute to me! MAGA!!”

  247. 247.

    Denali

    June 25, 2018 at 6:08 pm

    @what have the Romans ever done for us,

    Hate to be a downer, but my best friend, 82 years old, was just bitten by her grandson’s dog. Her pants were ripped, skin broken with teeth marks, large purple bruises. It was the second attack. The first time the dog knocked her over. What if it is a child next time. Even though your dog has very rarely behaved badly, he has caused trauma to people. Please step back from your attachment, and consider that it may not be best to continue owning this dog.

  248. 248.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    @Kay:

    They offer nothing of value, to anyone.

    They could be valuable food for worms. If we let them. //

  249. 249.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 6:10 pm

    @debbie:

    No, if you try to edit then the edit box just clanks endlessly without loading anything.

  250. 250.

    Mai naem mobile

    June 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    @Mary G: I thought Trumpov would like white flags the way he likes white sheets.

  251. 251.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    @Chyron HR:

    “Businesses should be proud to sacrifice their profits as a tribute to me! MAGA!!”

    “72 Russian Virgins! Pay me my tribute!”

  252. 252.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    Redacted because previous comment took forever to appear.

  253. 253.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    @debbie: Well it offered me the opportunity to edit Kay’s post as well, but when I tested it, it wouldn’t load the comment, I didn’t try to save and indicated it was loading .
    ETA what is the URL box in the edit window? It is blank for me.

  254. 254.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:11 pm

    @Mai naem mobile:

    I thought Trumpov would like white flags the way he likes white sheets.

    Stained in yellow? And smelling to high heaven?

  255. 255.

    Brachiator

    June 25, 2018 at 6:14 pm

    @jl:

    Evidence piling up that Trump’s EO was fake, in the sense that there are hidden orders to continue abusive practices for purposes of intimidation and collective punishment as a deterrent. Every single thing I hear coming the executive branch on this is a falsehood.

    This is why, as far as I am concerned, I don’t care whether any Trump staffer or employee is ever able to enjoy a restaurant dinner again. Ever.

    I got your “civility” right here.

    ETA: Trump can feed ’em all at one of his hotels, as long as he picks up the tab.

  256. 256.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    @Denali:

    Please step back from your attachment, and consider that it may not be best to continue owning this dog.

    That might be a little extreme. How about just not taking the dog every goddamn place you go and keeping it on a short leash for walkies, etc.?

  257. 257.

    ruemara

    June 25, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    @TenguPhule: The worms might get sick. Nuke them from orbit.

    Alain, stop fixing things! At least for a bit. My nym disappeared again.

  258. 258.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:17 pm

    @Brachiator:

    Trump can feed ’em all at one of his hotels, as long as he picks up the tab.

    He’ll charge the government extra for the roach feces in the food.

  259. 259.

    Steeplejack

    June 25, 2018 at 6:17 pm

    @YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S):

    What is the URL box in the edit window? It is blank for me.

    Ignore it. Vestigial appendage of FYWP.

  260. 260.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:18 pm

    @ruemara:

    Nuke them from orbit.

    The Space Force couldn’t hit the broad side of Hisanus.

  261. 261.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:19 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    No, if you try to edit then the edit box just clanks endlessly without loading anything.

    Edit is working for me. But you have to open it twice for it to go through.

  262. 262.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    @Steeplejack: No it actually changes your nym to a link just like the website field only after the fact. I edited that post an filled in the field so it points to the comment above as a test.

  263. 263.

    Uncle Cosmo

    June 25, 2018 at 6:26 pm

    @TenguPhule: You scratch your head & wonder,

    How many otherwise blameless stars had to die in cataclysmic explosions & spew their transmuted contents across how many millions of light years how many billions of years ago in order to produce that utter waste of CHON & trace elements?

  264. 264.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    June 25, 2018 at 6:29 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    I was talking about Debbie’s specific case where you see the edit button for the last comment in the thread, no matter who wrote it.

    Regular editing of my own comments is working fine (desktop and mobile).

  265. 265.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 6:32 pm

    @TenguPhule: ” Space Force ”
    You mean the TrumpStar Troopers?

  266. 266.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    June 25, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    @YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S):

    Sorry, my point was that you don’t need it in the ordinary run of editing a comment.

  267. 267.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:33 pm

    California woman threatens to call police on eight-year-old black girl for selling water

    A white California woman who said she was calling police on an eight-year-old black girl selling water has faced international backlash, with critics dubbing her “Permit Patty” and business partners severing ties.

    Alison Ettel went viral over the weekend after footage spread of her on the phone, saying she was calling the authorities on a girl because she didn’t have a permit to sell water, drawing instant comparisons to the many high-profile cases of white Americans harassing people of color with 911 calls.

    The video filmed on Saturday in San Francisco captured Ettel on the phone complaining about “illegally selling water without a permit”, as she tried to hide from the girl’s cousin who was filming her.

    “This woman don’t want to let a little girl sell some water. She calling the police on an eight-year-old,” the cousin narrated, before turning to Ettel: “You can hide all you want. The whole world gonna see you.”

    I can’t even. EIGHT FUCKING YEARS OLD.

  268. 268.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    June 25, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    ETA: I wasn’t saying that it does nothing.

  269. 269.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: Poetic and depressing.

  270. 270.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    @TenguPhule:
    Yep
    And, Black Twitter Found her azz too

  271. 271.

    Betsy

    June 25, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    @satby: I’m sorry to hear about your dog and the bitten waiter. Glad it wasn’t more serious.
    Years ago, we had a beautiful female golden who was, very uncharacteristically for goldens, a “fear biter.” The diagnosis was made at age 9 mos by a wonderful seen-everything old time vet. “There is no cure,” he warned me. I finally had to put her to sleep at age 3 after her second biting episode. It was a terribly sad but inevitable end. She was the smartest dog we ever had, but we were very lucky that horrible damage hadn’t been done while we waited for her to magically get better and less fearful.

  272. 272.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 6:40 pm

    More blood-boiling story of how a birth certificate and an order giving her legal custody did not keep a grandmother and THREE-YEAR-OLD together when they legally entered and asked for asylum, after Twitless issued his EO promising not to separate families.

  273. 273.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 6:42 pm

    @rikyrah: She’s now labelled as #PermitPatty, and has lost customers from her business selling cannabis for dogs.

  274. 274.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    @Brachiator: ” Trump can feed ’em all at one of his hotels, as long as he picks up the tab. ”
    That kind of sarcasm is uncivil, for reals. But maybe Trump can expense it to taxpayers.

  275. 275.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    Arizona pharmacist refuses giving miscarriage drug on moral grounds

    The Arizona State Board of Pharmacy will investigate the complaint of a woman who says a Walgreens pharmacist refused to give her medication necessary to end her pregnancy after her baby stopped developing.

    The woman, who the Arizona Republic identified as Nicole Arteaga, described in a viral Facebook post how she was publicly humiliated when attempting to fill the prescription to end her pregnancy — a pregnancy she wanted, but needed to terminate because she would ultimately miscarry. She says the pharmacist refused to fill the prescription with other customers within earshot and she left the location in tears with her 7-year-old child by her side.

  276. 276.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 7:03 pm

    Breaking: Legislative leaders say it's 80,000 – not 19,000 – voters who will have to cast provisional ballots in tomorrow's primary election. That's four times as many voters than originally reported have been impacted by a computer glitch.— Erin Cox (@ErinatTheSun) June 25, 2018

    Why am I thinking of Russia right now?

  277. 277.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    @jl:

    Not sure if my comment was clear, but they are pissed as hell at Trump. Suburban moms. Not the people he wants to fuck with.

  278. 278.

    debbie

    June 25, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    @Steeplejack:

    Good. Now if I could only remember ahead of time to re-enter my info.

  279. 279.

    debbie

    June 25, 2018 at 7:10 pm

    @Mnemosyne:

    Hell, Harley Davidson is pretty ticked. You don’t want to piss off those guys!

  280. 280.

    Jackie

    June 25, 2018 at 7:14 pm

    @jl: Nameless again ?

  281. 281.

    ProfDamatu

    June 25, 2018 at 7:15 pm

    @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: Ah, that makes more sense – it’s not every runner that causes the reaction, which is good. And thanks for being proactive in addressing this!

    I would, however, suggest that a “reasonable” distance according to the dog may not always be a “reasonable” distance according to runners/walkers, and it’s not necessarily the pedestrians in the wrong here (unless these are jerks intentionally running at your dog). It’s definitely still worth addressing right away – as others have said, it’s hard to curb the lunging and nipping behavior once it gets started. And you can’t guarantee that the dog’s “safe” distance won’t change (or that pedestrians will always be able to safely stay outside of that distance). I apologize if I’m overstepping here, but I do bristle a little bit at the suggestion that it’s the runners’ fault when the dog lunges at them, probably because I’ve been in plenty of situations out on the roads where, if faced with a lunging dog, my choices would be risk getting nipped/bitten, or run out into traffic, given the narrowness of the shoulder or sidewalk. Sometimes, people are going to be forced to pass close by, and the dog needs to be able to handle that. (This would be for a totally unexpected lunge; in reality, if I see a dog that looks even the least bit nervous, I slow to a stop if necessary to avoid having to make that choice.)

    Anyway, I do appreciate that you’re taking the issue seriously. I encounter way too many dog owners who don’t – I’ve even been yelled at when off-leash dogs have decided to run halfway across the park to chase me!

  282. 282.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 7:16 pm

    @debbie:

    Meh. Harley-Davidson’s customer base will stick with Trump to the bitter end.

    But this family separation thing is reminding me of Katrina. I remember one of my co-workers coming into the office after Katrina and he was literally livid with rage. I had never seen anyone turn that color in real life before. He had been a Republican his whole life, but Katrina made him swear to never vote for another Republican ever again.

    That’s the feeling I’m getting with these family separations. The scales are falling from a lot of peoples’ eyes and, while we can wish it had happened two years ago, at least it’s happening before November so we can get them mobilized.

  283. 283.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    @Mnemosyne: @debbie: Mnemosyne didn’t tell me she was dealing with a bunch of Harley moms. Sorry for my rant then.

    Though I can see why Harley Davidson would be ticked. Trump’s story of how his tariffs would help Harley-Davidson is pure fantasy, and Harley Davidson surely knows it. Like many of the Reagan tariffs of the time, industry went to Reagan with proposals for temporary tariffs that (they thought) would avoid a trade war and give them breathing room. Reagan, or at least his team, was not so stupid as to start a big trade war with zero thought put into it. The Reagan tariffs that Harley Davidson proposed never worked as intended and they requested that the program be ended early. Exchange rate fluctuations and expanding sales in other parts of the world made Harley profitable.

    Anyway, the 1970s tariffs were not a magic solution and had very mixed success. Provided fodder for those irritating moral tales for boys and girls you read in intro international econ textbooks.

  284. 284.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 7:21 pm

    "The federal government no longer requires psychiatrists who treat children in Office of Refugee Resettlement-contracted shelters to be board certified." https://t.co/zAMusNFopa— Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani (@AdrienneMahsa) June 25, 2018

    Any old quack who works cheap will do for brown children.

  285. 285.

    jl

    June 25, 2018 at 7:27 pm

    @Mnemosyne: An oldster in my family who switched during the Great Depression: I’d been a Republican for thirty years and I thought I’d be one the rest of my life. Then I realized I’d been a damn political fool for 30 years.

  286. 286.

    Mary G

    June 25, 2018 at 7:28 pm

    Another WTF:

    NEW: Documents show Trump admin almost offered temporary immunity deal to @JuIianAssagne but negotiations stalled after Comey intervened: https://t.co/xvfEnM8oCN #CyberSecurity— Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield) June 25, 2018

    ETA: Took out a link and hashtag to try to avoid moderation.

    The effort resulted in the drafting of a limited immunity deal that might have temporarily freed the WikiLeaks founder from a London embassy where he has been exiled for years, according to interviews and a trove of internal DOJ documents turned over to Senate investigators.

  287. 287.

    rikyrah

    June 25, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    @Mary G:
    Uh huh ??

  288. 288.

    Mnemosyne

    June 25, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    @Mary G:

    Apparently the guy who wrote the article is a bit of a conspiracy theorist and manages to slip a “both sides!” claim into it:

    Waldman has cultivated connections with senior Democratic politicians and spent summers with many of them in Martha’s Vineyard.

  289. 289.

    TenguPhule

    June 25, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    @Mary G: This is my surprised face.

    : |

  290. 290.

    Calouste

    June 25, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    @Mary G: So… what were they going to give him immunity for? AFAIK, Assange was wanted in Sweden on rape charges and in the UK for fleeing arrest, but wasn’t actually charged with anything in the US.

  291. 291.

    Doug R

    June 25, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Just to add my 2 cents worth- I haven’t owned a dog in ages, but I did spend 22 years as a courier for an overnight company where I dealt with thousands of dogs. I found Caesar Milan to have some insight here.
    I think your dog is taking over as pack leader. If you don’t establish that you are the leader, dogs will take over and do what they think needs to be done. That deprogramming with trusted friends overwhelming your dog with treats seems like a good idea-associating strangers- to the dog-with good things. Your comfort with your friends should help.

  292. 292.

    YetAnotherJay formerly (Jay S)

    June 25, 2018 at 8:11 pm

    @Calouste: The article describes it as a request to leave the embassy temporarily to negotiate a truce with the US and a free pass to return to the embassy if things didn’t go well or possibly even if they did. Of course he probably thinks the US is behind the Sweden charges or can get them to stand down as well.

  293. 293.

    Matt McIrvin

    June 25, 2018 at 8:33 pm

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Ornstein is the American Enterprise Institute’s pet center-liberal. Their Alan Colmes, so to speak.

  294. 294.

    J R in WV

    June 25, 2018 at 9:07 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    No one wins a trade war, ever, in the history of economics.

    On another topic, why is everyone surprised that Sarah Possum Queen is lying for her boss? She was trained from birth to lie in christianist cult education. Her brother(s?) tortured and killed a dog, the sure sign of a serial murderer….

    The whole family is condemned by their actions.

    Trumpelsteltkins has signed fabricated tax returns for his foundation, a felony, as it says right there where you sign the form. Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen his personal nor business IRS tax returns, unlike every president for generations? I’m believing trumpelstelktins is going into dementia land, faster and faster.

    The problem is that his fan base won’t care that he’s demented… they’ll love the show even more the less sense it makes.

  295. 295.

    SgrAstar

    June 25, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    @Alain the site fixer: thanks, Alain. The site isn’t displaying correctly on my ipad; it shows partial text on the right side of the screen, black space on the left side which obscures the rest of the text that’s s’posed to be there. It does work on my iphonex, however. And the commenting is fixed! Thx.

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