Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Come on, man.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

This blog will pay for itself.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

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

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

We still have time to mess this up!

“woke” is the new caravan.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

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

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

The words do not have to be perfect.

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

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

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

In my day, never was longer.

You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2018 / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Split Screen

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Split Screen

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Snarky, Cynical stuff below the fold…

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253Comments

  1. 1.

    Elizabelle

    I think the wind is turning in our direction. Money, too, in many of the races. Trump or the Tea Party is not something you can afford, if you live in the real world. Where we are mortal.

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    It’s not a movie, it’s real Keep your distance, bozos.

    Hawaii lava tour boats faced tighter restrictions on Tuesday after 23 passengers were injured by a volcanic explosion, as authorities investigated whether a vessel hit by “lava bombs” went too close to molten rock oozing into the Ocean. source

  6. 6.

    NotMax

    Ice ice, baby.

    An iceberg that has drifted perilously close to a remote Greenland village is so big it can be seen from space.
    [snip]
    Dozens of residents were evacuated to higher ground last week due to concerns that the 11 million-tonne iceberg could break apart, creating high waves that could wash away coastal buildings. Source</a.

  7. 7.

    NotMax

    Tragic and weird, all rolled into one.

    A celebrity Brazilian plastic surgeon known as Dr Bumbum has gone on the run after a woman died following injections he gave her to enlarge her buttocks. Source

  10. 10.

    Platonailedit

    Google hit with 4.3bn euro Android fine from EU.

    Google is to be fined a record 4.3 billion euros ($5bn; £3.8bn) over its Android operating system, the BBC has learned.

    The European Commission’s action followed a three year probe into claims the firm’s mobile device strategy had unfairly strengthened its dominance of search.

    The penalty is set to be confirmed at a press conference in Brussels later.

    It will be the largest fine imposed by the regulator against a single firm.

    However, Google may challenge the ruling.

  11. 11.

    Platonailedit

    Hope the media minions will leave them alone in peace.

    Twelve boys and their football coach who were rescued from a flooded cave in northern Thailand are leaving hospital to return home.

    They have been in the Chiang Rai hospital since last week, when they were pulled from the Tham Luang cave complex in a three-day operation

    The group will make their first public appearance at a news conference and answer questions about their ordeal.

    After that they will go back to their homes and families, officials say.

    “The reason to hold this evening press conference is so media can ask them questions and after that they can go back to live their normal lives without media bothering them,” Thailand’s chief government spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told news agency AFP.

  14. 14.

    Schlemazel

    @Lapassionara:
    As clever an idea as they are electronic vote machines are evil & should be outlawed. Anything with no paper trail is not acceptable.

  15. 15.

    msb

    Glad to see the Trump Baby Tour – is anybody doing voter registration in conjunction?

  17. 17.

    Patricia Kayden

    Morning Joe is ignoring the fact that Trump crossed out “hold them responsible” on the sheet he read the “walk back” from. Trump is not willing to take action against the people responsible for interfering in our elections. That says it all.

  18. 18.

    Jeffro

    @Platonailedit:

    BBC has the vid of that big mofo slicing off. Hope those villagers catch a clue soon.

    I know, right? Probably a good time to go see your relatives in the mountains, villagers! Spend a week or two, catch up, catch up some more.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Papa John’s founder, John Schnatter, who resigned from his role as chairman last week after using the N-word, has now reportedly said it was a mistake to leave the company.

  24. 24.

    debbie

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Chris Van Holland was interviewed on NPR earlier this morning and was asked if Democrats thought it was a good move to run on national security issues. Wish he would have responded that it’s seemed to work for the GOP for the last 20 years.

  26. 26.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Someday, there will be a RWA who actually accepts responsibility for his (or her, I guess) own fuckheaded actions, and the damage they cause(d). At that point, I will either have a heart attack, or a stroke, or both. [Dogs and cats, living together!]

    ETA: “Someday”? Who am I kidding? They NEVER will accept responsibility for ANYTHING.

  27. 27.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @NotMax: “Pumping,” as it’s referred to is really dangerous — more typically for long-term health problems caused by the materials being injected, as disfigurement if the material doesn’t stay where it’s supposed to.

    In this case, it’s likely a gob of material got into her blood stream, which usually causes a fatal heart attack.

    Shocked that a seemingly reputable doctor would be involved in this.

  30. 30.

    MJS

    @debbie: That would be okay, too. The sight of even a caricature of Trump deflated and floating sadly to the ground is also inspiring.

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    @MJS:

    The sight of even a caricature of Trump deflated and floating sadly to the ground is also inspiring.

    If “deflated and floating sadly to the ground” is a euphemism for “frogmarched, in manacles, out of the Oval Office” or “on trial for treason,” then I’m with ya.

  33. 33.

    Waldo

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    The Papa John’s founder, John Schnatter, who resigned from his role as chairman last week after using the N-word, has now reportedly said it was a mistake to leave the company.

    If only he’d held a next-day presser to change that one word. Oh well. Live and learn.

  34. 34.

    kd bart

    The “Trump Baby” Blimp is going on tour. Will there be t shirts and tour jackets?

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: Hey now, Elon Musk apologized to the cave diver yesterday:

    On Wednesday, Musk issued an apology to Unsworth in a reply to another Twitter user. He said: “My words were spoken in anger after Mr Unsworth said several untruths & suggested I engage in a sexual act with the mini-sub, which had been built as an act of kindness & according to specifications from the dive team leader.”

    He added: “Nonetheless, his actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader. The fault is mine and mine alone.”

    OK OK, he weaseled a little bit, OK, more than a little bit, not to mention just flat out lying about “specifications from the dive team leader”, but he did say, “The fault is mine and mine alone.” can’t a guy get any credit around here?

    Ummm, no:

    The thing is, despite finding the Musk online roasting over his cave exploits pretty hilarious, initially I wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t mean-spirited. He was, after all, trying to help. But it can actually be quite burdensome when someone tries to help but doesn’t know what they are doing: too many cooks spoil the broth – especially if they can’t cook. Musk refused to recognise this, insisting he had been asked to help, and then released emails which actually suggested those involved with the rescue were politely trying to humour him with the minimum time it took on their part (never mind the questionable ethics of releasing private correspondence).

    But Musk, of course, hopped on a plane with his mini-sub. He left it in the cave, after the boys had been rescued, “in case it is useful” in the future. Last week I couldn’t think of anything worse than being in those boys’ situation, trapped in a wet, dark cave. But I think being trapped in a wet, dark cave and finding an unworkable Elon Musk vanity project was my only hope of getting out would just about top it.

    If Musk had quietly beavered away on something that might have helped, that would have been one thing, but that isn’t Musk’s style – he happily admits to his own arrogance.

    They are rich, therefor they can do no wrong.

  37. 37.

    rikyrah

    @debbie:
    They need to man the phuck up. You have a literal TRAITOR ? in the White House…he has scores of people who can’t get Security Clearances…
    The answer to the question is YES, along with healthcare and protecting the American Social Safety Net, Democrats are running to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.??

  43. 43.

    chris

    Rachel mentioned The Last Weekend so I looked it up. Somebody has managed to herd a bunch of liberal Democratic cats and it looks like a good resource for those thinking of volunteering for the midterms. Dog knows I would if I could.

  45. 45.

    Spanky

    Has anyone mentioned this tweet from last night? I’ve been checked out m/l since dinnertime.

    This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that “Ambition must … counteract ambition.” All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.
    — James Comey (@Comey) July 18, 2018

  51. 51.

    TS (the original)

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    They are rich, therefor they can do no wrong.

    And they can also choose what they do and who they help. My major beef with billionaires who decide what project they will support, is the same as my complaint about charities – both do the work that governments should be doing. Who chooses between a child being treated in hospital or a child going to school – should not be a billionaire or a charity – we elect governments to govern for ALL in the nation, not for those that a third party thinks are more worthy.

  52. 52.

    germy

    World Wonders What Trump Has On United States That’s Forcing Nation To Keep Him In Power

    (Onion headline)

  55. 55.

    Citizen_X

    @Platonailedit: Why do the people of Innaarsuit have to “catch a clue?” Fucking westerners (mostly) ruined the climate system, causing the ice cap to melt and sending icebergs to threaten their homes. From which they have evacuated. Why do they deserve your cheap contempt?

  56. 56.

    Leto

    @rikyrah: For once in my life I know what it feels like to be “ahead of my time”. Of course that’s not really true as everyone saw the same horrible shit, all at once, but some of us were able to process it in the moment, whereas our courtlier betters needed that extra steeping time to fully absorb what they saw/heard.

    @Baud: Avocado’s for our toast.

  58. 58.

    Kay

    @KlasfeldReports
    In the case of troll farm tied to the man known as “Putin’s chef,” the company’s attorneys begin their motion to dismiss with a pull-quote from this opinion by none other than Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

    “I believe that a Justice Kavanaugh could well vote with a new SCOTUS majority to hold that laws effectively limiting foreign influence in our elections violate the First Amendment,” Rick Hasen told the outlet.

  59. 59.

    germy

    @JPL:

    it does sound plausible

    As does this Onion headline:

    Senate Leaders Warn It Too Early To Discuss Trump

  62. 62.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @rikyrah: That sort of swatting is outright trying to get people killed via proxy.

    Hope they prosecute the girlfriend for far more than filing a false police report — although I doubt that’ll happen.

  64. 64.

    Gin & Tonic

    OT question for the morning home repair and carpentry crew. My house is built on a normal poured foundation with a full basement, but there’s an attached garage built on a slab, on-grade, but it has what I can only call foundation walls – poured concrete, a foot thick and about 14-15″ in height. The framed walls are built on that: doubled 2×6 sill plates and what seem like 2×4 studs (the garage is one story with a flat roof). There’s years or decades of shit in there that I’m trying to clean and organize. I’d like to put in at least some floor and wall cabinets, like the kind you’ll see at Lowe’s, but the base cabinets, if I put them on the floor, will have about 8″ of dead space behind them unless I custom-make a countertop/bench, and if I put in wall cabinets, they’ll be too far back. I don’t want to get into custom cabinets – this is for storing typical garage stuff, and I don’t want to spend a ton. Do I have any good options? The walls are basically exposed studs and exterior sheathing, nothing on the inside.

  65. 65.

    Baud

    @Kay: Maybe, but Alito shook his head at Obama when he suggested the possibility so I’m sure we can count on his vote.

  66. 66.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Justice Elena Kagan in a scathing dissent on Wednesday accused her conservative colleagues of “weaponizing” the First Amendment …

    Like Hillary Clinton on Trump and Russia, Kagan doesn’t just say random shit. She means it. And she’ll be proven right.

  67. 67.

    BC in Illinois

    Before it gets too far in the past, and gets overtaken by more daily news – – let me say this:

    Watch the Obama speech.

    We sat on the sofa for an hour and a half last night, listening to what a real President can sound like, addressing a huge crowd and speaking to them as adults, as citizens, as human beings, and laying out a vision for what can be done — for what WAS done, by people like Nelson Mandela — neither sugar-coating the challenges of these days of Trump/Putin/Autocrats/greedheads, nor minimizing the necessity for action.

    I think that I see in Obama a view of the decades to come similar to mine. I am convinced that the warming globe will cause massive problems, disruptions, dislocations, and widespread chaos. I am not confident that there will be (in the age of Trump) enough unified action to avoid this. But what terrifies me is that — instead of banding together to meet this challenge, instead of a worldwide “we’re all in this together” — the world (in the age of Trump) is working to tear down institutions that unite us and retreating into armed camps that will fight for “us” against “them.”

    To just say it in our own country’s terms: we CAN work together to help bring people through the coming climate crises; we cannot tolerate “white Nationalism” and at the same time bring people together to work together to help everyone.

    One of the depressing things about the present day — and Obama said it twice . . . “I can’t believe I have to be saying these things again today!” , , , about human dignity and about the importance of facts — one of the depressing things about today is that just when we absolutely NEED to be working together, we have people in power working to tear us apart.

    I can’t listen to more than a two-minute film clip of Trump.
    I will probably watch the full hour-and-a-half Obama speech again. Soon.

  68. 68.

    NotMax

    @Gin & Tonic

    If beauty is not a necessity, maybe using foam board insulation? Comes in a variety of thicknesses, easy to cut to size and slip enough sheets behind the cabinet to fill in the gap.

  69. 69.

    Platonailedit

    The grand jury has formally returned the indictment against Mariia Butina and added a charge — accusing her of acting as a Russian government agent while developing ties with American citizens and infiltrating political groups.

    https://t.co/WDyl8aye5o— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 18, 2018

    Go Mueller.

  71. 71.

    Baud

    @schrodingers_cat:

    It is when applied to his base (I believe Deplorable is the more accurate term). But Trump didn’t win with just his base. He attracted a lot of non base voters with his white identity politics.

  75. 75.

    Peale

    @rikyrah: yep. One of the things that’s bothered me about ICE under Trump is that it no longer respects the determination of USICS on visa renewals. So if USICS issued a green card renewal despite knowing of a minor violation, ICE has taken it upon itself to overturn that decision and appeal it in immigration court.

    What these changes in USICS policy mean is that USICS representatives are now parole officers, and all LPLs are going to be treated like criminals on parole. That’s been a latent problem with the system, but now it’s real. The job oF USICS is now to find reasons to deport rather than find reasons to approve. There are about 17 million LPLs out there who probably thought with that status they had protection from being deported for a traffic violation who are about to learn that they will have none.

  76. 76.

    Kay

    The father of three Australian children killed when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down has delivered a scathing attack on Donald Trump over his attitude to Russia.
    Anthony Maslin’s children were among 298 people who died when flight MH17 was downed over Ukraine in 2014.
    Investigators found that Russia was responsible for the missile used in the strike – a conclusion denied by Moscow.
    Mr Maslin has taken aim at the US president over Russia’s “lie”.
    “That passenger flight MH17 was shot out of the sky and 298 innocent people were murdered is an irrefutable fact,” he wrote alongside a photo of his children Mo, Evie and Otis.
    “That the plane was hit by a Russian missile has been proven to be an irrefutable fact.
    “That this killed our 3 beautiful children and their grandfather, and destroyed our life and many other lives in the process, is an irrefutable fact.”
    He added: “That the man whose arse you’ve just been kissing did this, and continues to lie about it, is an irrefutable fact.”

    It must be so hard to listen to all these powerful people just blatantly lying about this incredibly profound and sad event in his life. His personal life- this happened to him and all these sleazy cynics are promoting their own interests by denying it.

  77. 77.

    Kayla Rudbek

    An open thread finally! Hello all you fellow jackals! I need some advice as I am at red-line fury with the new person signing off on my work. So some background: work did a reorganization at mid-year and I was assigned to a different supervisor after being with the same supervisor for about 5-6 years. In my line of work and at my current level, supervisor can designate an alternative person to sign off on certain parts of my work, where the alternative person has a work-approved level of authority but is not an actual supervisor. So this new person and my supervisor keep kicking a lot of work back for me to redo when I don’t think that their decisions are actually correct. To me it feels like hazing &/or discrimination as on some of this work, I am raising issues that my foreign counterparts are raising under foreign laws. How do I politely and professionally convey the message to my supervisor’s designated alternate that I am sick and tired of his posturing bullshit macho hazing and to stop giving me attitude that I don’t think that he would use with a male employee?

  78. 78.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: Deplorable comes closer but its not punchy enough for people condoning crimes against humanity like separating families at the border and deliberately losing identifying information of the said toddlers and children. If you condone evil you are evil.
    People who voted for T may have pretended to not know how vile the T agenda was in 2016. There is zero excuse for anyone who is still making excuses for the man and his policies.

  79. 79.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Can you put simple shelving between the studs on the wall and just a durable counter surface over the concrete wall? If the concrete wall is 14-15″ a standard size countertop would have a 9-10″ overhang. I would be tempted to have rolling shelving or sections of shelves that fit under the overhang and skip the cabinetry. Cheap cabinetry is usually particle board or mdf and doesn’t do well in garages because of the temperature fluctuations and moisture.

  81. 81.

    SFAW

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Rolling cabinets? Makes access behind them a lot easier. They’re not to everyone’s taste of course, and my sense is that you’re not big on them, but thought I’d throw it out.

  82. 82.

    zhena gogolia

    @MomSense:

    I APPRECIATED HIM EVERY SECOND OF EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY OF EVERY WEEK OF EVERY MONTH OF EVERY YEAR

    And got called an Obot for it, a name I wore proudly.

  84. 84.

    SFAW

    @schrodingers_cat:

    There is zero excuse for anyone who is still making excuses for the man and his policies.

    They’re only making excuses to shut up/piss off the libtards. They still love what he does, and were the election held today, they’d still vote for him — especially if Hitlary were the Dem candidate.

  85. 85.

    Kay

    Michael M. Grynbaum
    ‏”At a bar in central Pennsylvania, voters wondered if election meddling was really so terrible.” @mattfleg discovers that Trump supporters had two reactions to Helsinki: a wince or a shrug.

    Worst political reporters in the business at the NYTimes continue their blanket coverage of the inner thoughts and feelings of Trump supporters, while ignoring the midterm elections.

    They’re a parody. It’s the “bar in Pennsylvania” joke, except this is their actual focus. Next up! Trump supporters in a diner.

    If anyone’s interested in national coverage of the midterm elections the Washington Post has some. It’s good, too. Has facts and stuff.

  86. 86.

    germy

    Republicans are now asking what they should do with Trump. Here’s an idea: what would you have done if it were Obama? Do that.

    — Rev. Dr. Barber (@RevDrBarber) July 17, 2018

  88. 88.

    Gin & Tonic

    @MomSense: I may not have been clear. The concrete wall is 14-15″ in height, and 12″ in depth. Subtract the sill plate and I have like 7′ in wasted depth. The type of cabinets I’m thinking of are like this.

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Do I have any good options?

    For the base cabinets, kind of, sort of. For the wall cabinets, not really.

    You can fir out the wall at the level of the top of your base cabinets with hopefully a 2×8 (7 1/2″) or rip a 2×10 to fit, by first mounting a 2×4 flat against the wall and nailing the 2×8 to the top of that and then screwing the base cabinet to the 2×8. Then rip a 3/4″ plywood to the necessary depth for a countertop (there will be waste as you will only get one 32″ rip out of a 48″ sheet). This has the added benefit of leaving a nice cozy space behind the cabinets for mice and other vermin to take up residence. One thing to note here: Garage floors are (generally) poured out of level so as to drain any spilled fluids/rain thru an open door to the outside. If you want the countertop level, this needs to be taken into account.

    As far as the wall cabinets are concerned, I’d suggest extra deep shelves instead. Yes you will end up with stuff at the back of the shelves that will be forgotten entirely until the 5 year clean up at which point you will realize that you have 4 5# cans of water putty that humidity has turned rock hard. 2 things: you will want to put a guard across the studs at the back so that things can’t slide into the stud space and fall onto something fragile below. The 2nd is you want the shelf to lean towards the wall a little so that stuff slides towards the wall and not your head.when a door gets slammed, either that or put a raised guard around the edges of the shelf.

    Hope that helps.

  90. 90.

    satby

    @Kayla Rudbek: if your supervisor is also kicking work back to you for redo, then your problem isn’t just with one guy. If it’s consistently around the same issues then you need to correct to their satisfaction, not yours. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but if you keep on the way you’re going you’re on track to lose your job, it sounds like.
    Personality and other conflicts exist and I don’t want to minimize them. But focusing on the other guy when your direct supervisor is also telling you to redo your work is a red herring.

  93. 93.

    rikyrah

    Ya know…at first I wanted a female President. Then I thought another black President would be good, but now I just want an American President.

    — Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) July 17, 2018

  94. 94.

    Baud

    @germy: Maybe someone should photoshop Trump as a black dude. That might help them visualize what they need to do.

  97. 97.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kayla Rudbek: I’d recommend updating your resume and start shopping around for another job. Sadly, there’s no win for you in this situation but to leave. I speak from (somewhat) similar experience.

  98. 98.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kayla Rudbek: Tell him to go fuck himself. Wait a minute, you said “politely”. Sorry, I was a union carpenter, we don’t do “politely”.

  99. 99.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    If you want the countertop level, this needs to be taken into account.

    Don’t be silly. You think he wants his beer (or G&T, I guess) to just sit there when he spills it? Better that it run off onto the floor.

  102. 102.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kayla Rudbek: I also second what satby said earlier. Just do what the supervisors require (unless it’s illegal or violates professional ethics) until your escape hatch is ready.

  103. 103.

    SFAW

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Tell him to go fuck himself.

    No, no, NO! The civil/polite thing to say would be “I know where you live, and I know where your kids go to school. You understand what I’m saying here?” See? Not an uncivil nor impolite word there. Unless Kayla chooses to add, at the very end, “motherfucker,” of course.

  104. 104.

    rikyrah

    @Peale:

    There are about 17 million LPLs out there who probably thought with that status they had protection from being deported for a traffic violation who are about to learn that they will have none.

    DEPORTED FOR A TRAFFIC VIOLATION.

    Think on that.

    They are deporting people for matters settled from decades ago.

  107. 107.

    Kay

    According to three sources familiar with the situation, Kelly called around to Republicans on Capitol Hill and gave them the go-ahead to speak out against Trump. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment.) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan held televised press conferences to assert that Russia did meddle in the election.

    The GOP leaders in the legislative branch wait for permission from the executive branch before speaking.

    Someone should direct them to their job description. They’re not subordinates to Dear Leaders low quality hires.

    90% of trouble in the world is caused by people who don’t know the basic definition of their job. They go to work every day and they don’t know what it is they’re supposed to be doing there. You have to re-read your job definition it once in a while, you really do, or you end up like Paul Ryan.

    I love, love, love how they all came up with “meddle” too. Such a mild word, “meddle”. Just some meddling. Nothing actionable. Just Putin being his nosy-pants self!

  108. 108.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Worst political reporters in the business at the NYTimes continue their blanket coverage of the inner thoughts and feelings of Trump supporters, while ignoring the midterm elections.

    They’re a parody. It’s the “bar in Pennsylvania” joke, except this is their actual focus. Next up! Trump supporters in a diner.

    In EIGHT PHUCKING YEARS,

    they didn’t do this many stories on Obama voters.

    as they have done for this muthaphuckas.

  109. 109.

    rikyrah

    @germy:

    Republicans are now asking what they should do with Trump. Here’s an idea: what would you have done if it were Obama? Do that.

    — Rev. Dr. Barber (@RevDrBarber) July 17, 2018

    tell it, Rev. Barber.

    TELL IT.

  111. 111.

    Aimai

    @Kay: heard an elderly CT woman call in to a tv show and explain that she was grateful for Russian interference because it kept Hillary out of the whitehouse. Hillary was at fault for not preventing bill frim all that sex in the white house.

  114. 114.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Woah. I still don’t think I’m visualizing it accurately so I’d go with OH. He’s the expert.

    That cabinet does look cool.

  115. 115.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SFAW: True story. Was out at a buddy’s deer camp for a preseason scout/festival of inebriation. D had had a few rum and cokes by the time we headed out for our afternoon walkabout with yes, a rum and coke in an open cup. He tripped over something and went into a head over heels somersault rolling onto his back and coming up on his feet and kept on walking down the hill… without ever spilling a drop.

    Don’t try this at home Kiddies, only professional drunks can pull off that feat.

  116. 116.

    Kay

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    I think you should go over the assigned supervisor and speak to the (real) supervisor directly, but not about the appointee, just about yourself. If you talk to the underling about it will get worse, because he’ll mischaracterize what you said when he goes to the real supervisor and reports it, because he’ll be defensive. Then you’ll have a real mess on your hands. Go direct. Skip the middleman, who is also a subordinate, like you. He can’t object if you’re talking to your boss about yourself. He’ll be mad you skipped him but he won’t be able to do anything about it :)

    Say “I’m getting more stuff to redo” and then make your case why you shouldn’t be getting it back. I don’t mind direct approaches at all as a supervisor. I sort of admire people who do that. They’re also easier. For me, they’re easier. The subtext and crossed signals are what’s hard. You’ll never get dinged for asking.

  117. 117.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: Yeah, I like those, but I have that stupid short “wall” so the studs are 7-8″ away if the base is sitting on the floor.

  118. 118.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: Nazi Times has been normalizing Nazis since 1930s. Whether they are doing this to be edgy, support the fascist in the WH, or because Putin has bought them I don’t know, nor does it matter. Their actions are what matter. They are the propaganda arm of the GoPutin party for people with a better vocabulary and manners than the average Fox News watcher. DougJ’s totebaggers.

  119. 119.

    Kay

    @Aimai:

    That’s not as offensive though, because it;s true. She’s grateful for Russian interference because it led to her team winning.

    She just puts it right out there. I’d cheer if the rest of them were that honest.

  122. 122.

    Leto

    @OzarkHillbilly: This sounds like the tales of the Navy senior Chief Petty Officers who can stand on the deck of an aircraft carrier, as it pitches around in the middle of a typhoon, without ever spilling a drop of their coffee. Professionals indeed.

  123. 123.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    @Aimai:

    I heard that call. She’s either an Alex Jones fan or it was a prank call. My money is on her being an Alex Jones fan.

  124. 124.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @satby: the main issues are that 1) I think that I’m getting more work kicked back than I did under my previous supervisor (5-6 years with him) and his previous designated alternate (about a year), and 2) that I think that the new supervisor and his designated alternate are not respecting my professional and technical judgment, which is I realize what’s really getting me to red-line status.

  125. 125.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kay: Erm, I hate to disagree, but one can get severely dinged in corporate world for asking while female. It’s called being uppity (or bitchy), even if done in the mildest of manners. Not saying Kayla shouldn’t try, it might work and/or feel empowering, but there’s no guarantee it will be well-received. Maybe do it AND prepare an escape hatch.

  126. 126.

    Immanentize

    @Gin & Tonic:
    I have a small idea I learned from a This Old House build it yourself workbench top. …

    You could make shallow wood bins/boxes that would fit between the upper studs at the level of your cabinets out to the plane of the back of your new floor mount cabinets. Attach the bins to the studs, then fill in the space between bins boxes with a small piece of plywood to cover the holes that are created between bin boxes by the studs.

    Then, you have bins between studs to hold loose stuff behind your cabinets, no weird gap, and the places where the ply fills in, you can attach hooks, etc on the studs to hang things.

    Maybe?

  128. 128.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Kay: Hi, Kay! Glad you weighed in on this! I’m not entirely sure that I can trust my supervisor to have my back on this versus the alternate’s, but my supervisor would be the one who would either have to take the responsibility back himself or pick another designated alternate, so I think that he should be looped in sooner rather than later. My old supervisor is still around as well so he’s another person I could go to for advice.

  129. 129.

    Immanentize

    @Kayla Rudbek:
    Q. Is it possible to get some advice from your old supervisor? Did s/he leave the company or move up? At the very least you will be able to discuss/vent with a knowledgeable and trusted colleague.

    ETA. I see you already thought of this….

  130. 130.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kayla Rudbek: If that’s what they’re doing, they’re signaling that they want you to leave, IMHO. And/or they’re assholes. Both probably. Any way, I’ve battered this deceased equine enough. You know what I think. ?

  131. 131.

    Baud

    @rikyrah: Too bad the House Un-American Committee has a bad reputation. We could use one after we take back the House.

  132. 132.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @O. Felix Culpa: hmm. I’m in the public sector so it’s more difficult for them to fire me outright, although easier now with the current administration’s executive orders. Being female and over forty, and with a probable recession coming, I’m not sure that going back out to the private sector is a good idea at this time.

  133. 133.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    The GOP leaders in the legislative branch wait for permission from the executive branch before speaking.

    Someone should direct them to their job description. They’re not subordinates to Dear Leaders low quality hires.

    If this was 44, nobody would have to direct them to their job description.

  136. 136.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Immanentize: he was moved to a different area (still supervisor just for a different group) so I could definitely go bounce ideas off of him.

  137. 137.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kayla Rudbek: Aahh, didn’t know you’re in the public sector. You might have a bit more protection there. Any transfer opportunities?

  139. 139.

    Kay

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    She has to rely on some level of good faith or she’s frozen and she can’t function. If it isn’t there she’ll find that out, but she needs to be able to approach her supervisor. The subordinate manages projects but the higher-up manages people and she believes it’s a problem with the designated supervisor- the person- not her work. If she can exclude her work with the discussion then the manager of people (her boss) will get that it’s a problem with the designated supervisor’s approach.

    People don’t know what they don’t know and gaming out the whole scenario ahead of time doesn’t even give the supervisor a chance to respond. She can’t conduct both sides of a discussion that hasn’t happened yet in her head and operate under that. She needs more real information. Not for empowerment. For information.

  140. 140.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    We’re gonna need a truth, justice and reconciliation commission when this is over. It would need subpoena power, and would need to work quickly. I’d include Carter, Clinton, Bush Jr and Obama (Bush Sr is too frail). I’d also include the Supreme Court retirees and John Boehner. The commission should compel testimony and make recommendations along with the referral of some matters to DOJ.

  141. 141.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Kay: Your point is correct and well-taken. I just know from bitter personal experience that even reasonable asking, from a genuine desire to know and willingness to make adjustments if needed, can backfire. Badly. Depends on if you’re dealing with modestly decent people or sociopathic supervisors. But your reasoning is sound.

    So I guess I agree and disagree. Call me a waffle and pour the syrup.

  143. 143.

    rikyrah

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s future daughter may be first to inherit royal title
    Sabrina Barr

    An antiquated law that states that only sons can inherit hereditary peerages is being challenged in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

    This could have significant implications for the future children of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, should they have any daughters.

    The law currently dictates that only a son can inherit a dukedom, meaning that if Prince Harry and Meghan had a daughter, she would not be bestowed with the title.

    However, a case being put forward to the ECHR is arguing that this ruling should be changed.

    “Under the current system, any child of the Duke and Duchess won’t automatically have a royal title,” royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams explained to The Independent.

    “The peerage, unlike the succession to the crown, favours males and if they have only daughters, the title of Sussex could die out as it did before.”

    The challenge to the ECHR is focusing predominantly on the case of five women, all of whom are daughters of peers and yet don’t have the right to sit in the House of Lords.

  146. 146.

    rikyrah

    Trump questions value of the NATO alliance’s core principle
    07/18/18 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    ………………….

    Thirteen months later, Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about his commitment to NATO, though he was even less subtle than usual during an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, which aired last night after being recorded on Monday, immediately after the president’s press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “Membership in NATO obligates the members to defend any other member that’s attacked,” Carlson said. “So let’s say Montenegro, which joined last year, is attacked. Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack?”

    Trump answered: “I understand what you’re saying. I’ve asked the same question. Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people … They’re very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and congratulations, you’re in World War III.”

    In the next breath, the president added, “I understand that, but that’s the way [NATO] was set up. Don’t forget, I just got here a little more than a year and a half ago.”

    In other words, Trump doesn’t much like the structure of the NATO alliance, and he doesn’t want to be blamed for the most successful security alliance in the history of the world.

  147. 147.

    Kay

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    There’s a flip side to this from the supervisor’s position. Operating under “the supervisor will say THIS or think THIS” takes something from that person. People deserve an opportunity to do their jobs well. A good supervisor wouldn’t object to you asking if your work has slipped and if it HAS slipped you lose nothing by finding that out because if it’s true THEY knew it- that’s why they were having you redo. There is either some real issue or there is a bias issue. Start with real.

    I did an employee eval once where the employee led with all his shortcomings. Okay, so this is not his eval to conduct. I wasn’t going to say anything he said. He’s not allowed to read my mind and then operate under his theory of my evaluation. That excludes my actual evaluation. I was amazed he had this entire scenario gamed out like a movie, including my lines, and somehow thought that was LESS aggressive than just asking and then listening to the answer.

  148. 148.

    Gin & Tonic

    @MomSense: Funny, I tried to post a link to a picture of something like what I have, and the comment went into limbo – just disappeared. So I’ll try again. Looks like the first pic on this page, except the concrete wall is taller and the wall on top of it is unfinished.

  150. 150.

    mike in dc

    @rikyrah:
    THE WHOLE POINT OF A MILITARY ALLIANCE IS TO COME TO EACH OTHER’S ASSISTANCE IF/WHEN ATTACKED.

    I would like to punctuate that point to both Trump and Tucker with haymaker-level hard slaps between each syllable.

  151. 151.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @rikyrah: Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people … They’re very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and congratulations, you’re in World War III.”

    the kind of minor point that makes me think there is/are some kind of trickster god/s amusing themselves as we self-destruct: The guy trump shoved out of the way to be in the front line of a photograph was… the Prime Minister of Montenegro.

  152. 152.

    NotMax

    @OzarkHillbilly

    A random thought on the wall cabinets.

    Perhaps there’s a place where G&T could pick up some affordable old recycled doors? Or get lucky and find solid core doors at some place like the Habitat ReStore. Attach those, laying flat horizontally, to the wall studs. Attach the cabinets to the doors. The extra couple of inches from the thickness of the doors might be just enough to make access to the wall cabinets less burdensome.

    Could even paint the doors in different colors before attaching them and make the whole thing into a sort of mosaic art project.

  153. 153.

    Bemused senior

    @Gin & Tonic: Ozark’s suggestion of shelves reminded me of my kitchen remodel. I made the lower cupboards and high shelves very accessible by installing pull-out metal baskets. Everything is now easy to access.

  154. 154.

    Kay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    We’re like those Kremlinolgists of yore. Because we get so little information :)

    It sucks and it contributes to the feeling of powerlessness. It’s like it’s DESIGNED to suppress legit civic action.

    I wonder about “after Trump” I really do. We’ll pay for this. Real damage is being done and it’s in the area of trust which is SO hard to rebuild once it’s shattered. It’s like they think there’s an endless supply of funds in the credibility bank and there really isn’t. People who came before made X deposits and they’re burning thru all those carefully accrued assets. Bankrupt. We’ll be bankrupt, which was probably predictable, being led by the fucking SERIAL bankrupt and all. When it’s gone it’s gone and someone else will have to build it back.

    You can’t believe a word the President says. That’s a big problem. It’s THE problem and all the “summits” in the world won’t solve it. He has no credibility.

  155. 155.

    rikyrah

    Are White House transcripts getting politically motivated touch-ups?
    07/18/18 10:00 AM
    By Steve Benen
    ………………………………….

    But Uri Friedman had an interesting piece in The Atlantic yesterday, noting that the official White House transcript presented the exchange in a way that paints a misleading picture.

    [I]f you watch the White House live-stream of the press conference or look at the transcript published by the White House, the first half of Mason’s question is not there. Without it, the meaning of the exchange is substantially different. […]

    The discrepancies in the accounts of what was said also underscore the extent to which the Trump presidency has challenged a common understanding of reality. Even if the omission was accidental, it appears suspicious at a moment marked by the president’s repeated claims that legitimate news reports are “fake.”

    To appreciate the nuances to this, take a look at the full piece in The Atlantic, which goes into detail. The way the White House transcript reads, when Putin said, “Yes, I did,” he seemed to be adding thoughts to an answer from moments earlier about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. But he wasn’t – the Russian president’s answer was about him favoring Trump in the 2016 race.

    ………………………..

    As regular readers may recall, in January, during a White House discussion on immigration policy in January, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) asked Trump if he’d support a “clean” bill on DACA, extending protections to Dreamers, with a commitment to then begin negotiations on comprehensive immigration reform. The president said he had “no problem” with that.

    “We’re going to do DACA and then we can start immediately on the phase two, which would be comprehensive,” Trump added. “Yeah, I would like to do that. I think a lot of people would like to see that, but I think we have to do DACA first.”

    House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) quickly interjected, reminding the president of what the Republican position is supposed to be, but just as important, if you relied on the White House transcript to learn what was said, you missed a key detail: the president’s “Yeah, I would like to do it” line was missing from the official White House transcript.

    Several months earlier, during Anthony Scaramucci’s not-quite-two-week stint as White House communications director, he appeared in the press briefing room to gush about how impressed he was with Trump’s limitless abilities, and marveled at the president’s ability to sink “three-foot putts” while playing golf.

    The official White House transcript was edited to say “30-foot putts.”

    Now, it’s possible this too was a clerical error. But it’s also possible someone in Trump World believes touching up official transcripts is an acceptable practice.

    Mother Jones’ Kevin Drum had a good piece a while back, explaining, “Transcripts are not supposed to be ‘revised’ after the fact. Official White House transcripts record exactly what the person said, regardless of ‘what they meant to say.’”

  157. 157.

    Teddys Person

    Laws are for thee and not for me:

    The Democratic National Committee has been trying and failing for months to force documents into White House adviser Jared Kushner’s hands to let him know that he is being served with a lawsuit, according to a Tuesday Bloomberg report.

    The DNC sued Kushner back in April for alleged collusion with the Russians to alter the 2016 election. Since then, they have come up against a ridiculous multitude of obstacles in trying to officially deliver the notice to him.

    After being rejected from his Manhattan apartment three times and from his Washington residence by the Secret Service, they finally tried to just send the documents in the mail. No dice. No one would sign for them and they got returned.

    The committee reportedly asked a judge Tuesday for permission to simply mail the summons and complaint to Kushner in ordinary first class, so the package does not require a signature.

    Per Bloomberg, the DNC sued Kushner alongside Russia, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks for interference in the 2016 election.

    source: TPM

  160. 160.

    MomSense

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    Isn’t one of the issues that you are trying to be compliant with EU regs? Does the company have a bigger problem with compliance? It sounds like you may need to communicate that you are going to need some guidance from your supervisors about the concerns raised by your European counterparts so that you are not in the middle.

    Maybe you can ask for a response from them that you can communicate to your European counterparts about which regs you have to include in your submissions. It could be that this will prompt them to make some changes as you said you think they are incorrect.

  161. 161.

    rms

    @Schlemazel: A useful bit of history regarding electronic voting. Debra Bowen, the California Secretary of State, did a big study of voting machines, and the result was that many types were barred from California, and a few were allowed. The ones that my county uses, the Hart InterCivic, HAS an auditable paper trail. Her effort on this was pretty amazing, and not that widely known. She received the JFK Profile in Courage Award. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vsr.htm . So, California is ahead of the curve on this, and our voting is pretty solid.

  162. 162.

    Kay

    Peter Baker
    ‏Verified account
    @peterbakernyt
    21h21 hours ago
    More
    Trump’s motive seemed to be to fight, tooth and claw for the legitimacy of his 2016 election

    The paper of record has settled on a motive for Trump’s behavior, a motive that, incidentally, exonerates him from the growing pile of facts that would lead a more open minded and less captured group to follow some facts instead of guessing at harmless motives and then going from there.

    They are convinced there’s no collusion and they refuse to even consider the possibility that something other than their theory may be in play. The huge pile of indictments hasn’t swayed them a bit, even though the indictments are the only fact-based information we have. The hand waving continues. Some decision was made in 2015 that Trump/Russia is a nothingburger and they aren’t ready to concede they were wrong. Because to do so would mean they MISSED the biggest story of the century so far.

  163. 163.

    Teddys Person

    Some people’s sense of self-preservation is not highly developed:

    The most well-documented Russia apologist in Congress, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), criticized the recent indictment of a 29-year-old woman who allegedly attempted to set up a back channel between Russia and U.S. politicians through the NRA.

    Source: TPM

  164. 164.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic:

    What about putting hardboard or steel pegboard on the studs from countertop height up with shelves in front. Then things won’t fall behind the shelves. I like hanging certain things on those I’ve even put jars with a wire fastening on little hangers to hold nails or washers or whatever. You wouldn’t have to worry about the depth if you covered the studs with pegboard.

  165. 165.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Kay:

    Because to do so would mean they MISSED the biggest story of the century so far.

    To be fair, they’re probably planning another expose of Hillary’s server, followed by a year worth of interviews with Trump supporters on how they feel about it.

  167. 167.

    Kay

    @Teddys Person:

    Kushner and Ivanka have again gone missing in the midst of a huge Trump fuck up.

    They have the best job in the world, those two. All the power, none of the work, and none of the accountability.

    Like a prince and princess, they are. The Trump Administration gave Ivanka vocational training for high school students. Who better to set policy for low and middle income high school students than this fucking clueless NY socialite who never worked for a wage in her life and has never been trained in anything, let alone “retrained”? They deserved better, those kids. They got a low quality hire. Bottom of the barrel.

  168. 168.

    Kay

    @schrodingers_cat:

    They lead political coverage. Break away, reporters! They’ll take you all down with them!

    Worst political coverage in the business. Politico, which we all used to joke about as a Right wing shop, beats them by a mile.

  169. 169.

    Miss Bianca

    @Kay: And the worst thing about it, from their point of view – waving aside the little issue of oh, say, a duty to inform the public, because *that’s* not what a newspaper is for! -is that eventually it’s all going to come out – thru’ other sources. NYT (FTFNYT) for the win!

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: Kushner and Ivanka have again gone missing in the midst of a huge Trump fuck up.

    I heard Princess Feckless was in the room when trump read his statement yesterday. I’m guessing she had to dance in front of the window to get Daddy calm enough to listen to whoever had to explain how badly he’d fucked up.

  172. 172.

    Gin & Tonic

    @MomSense: That’s one idea, but it still doesn’t really solve the problem that if I’m standing in front of a base cabinet, then the pegboard or the back of the shelves are a little too far back because of that 7-8″ extra taken up by the stem wall. Yeah, it’s not the biggest problem in the world, and OH was probably right, that that’s where a few years from now I’ll find the dried-up cans of varnish and solidified putty.

  173. 173.

    rikyrah

    Montenegro begins trial of alleged pro-Russian coup plotters
    Reuters Staff

    PODGORICA (Reuters) – The trial of 14 people in Montenegro accused of an election day plot to kill the prime minister and bring a pro-Russian party to power began on Wednesday, with defense lawyers demanding the state prosecutor be removed from the case.

    Montenegro says a group of Serb and Russian nationalists had a plan to attack state institutions on the day of an election last year and kill then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who held the post for a total of 21 years.

    The Kremlin has dismissed the accusation as absurd. Montenegro’s opposition accuses the government of fabricating the plot in order to keep Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists in power, which it did by a narrow win.

  174. 174.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Is the cement foundation wall short like the one in the picture? If it is why not mount the lower cabinets higher and make the cabinet height a little higher than standard? I do that because I’m tall and then I can stand straight when I work.

  176. 176.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Miss Bianca: “Eventually”? Who knows when. Most of us will be pushing up daisies. It took over a half-century for the NYT to grudgingly acknowledge that Walter Duranty was hopelessly compromised by Stalin.

  177. 177.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: Worse implies that they don’t know what they are doing or they are doing it because of institutional inertia. They know exactly what they are doing, pushing pro Republican memes into the totebagger respectable mainstream. Make Treason Great Again.

  179. 179.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    I wonder about “after Trump” I really do. We’ll pay for this. Real damage is being done and it’s in the area of trust which is SO hard to rebuild once it’s shattered. It’s like they think there’s an endless supply of funds in the credibility bank and there really isn’t.

    I know that this is something that you have written about previously.

    Trust is also something else that has gone away – FROM OUR SIDE.
    The most notable poll that was underreported was the poll that asked if you believe that politicians should use compromise.
    Until last year, the gap between Democrats and Republicans was over 20+ points. By 20+ points, Democrats saw the validity of compromise.
    But, the last time this poll was taken, that gap had evaporated.
    People like me, Good Democrats, are like, PHUCK NO, we aren’t going to compromise with these demons. There’s nothing TO compromise with them on.
    People like me were outliers back in the day, reading those stories of folks who would be hurt by GOP policies, yet voted for them. I was called hardcore, because of my ‘ Phuck em’. Now, I’m not hardcore anymore. More and more Democrats don’t give two shyts when they read those stories.

    Which is why we’re telling the NYT to stop writing stories about them. We don’t give a shyt. We don’t care what they think. We don’t care how they feel. We certainly aren’t going to try and understand WHY they continue to support Dolt45.

    It was you, Kay, who crystallized it for me when you made the astute point that their vote for Dolt45 DEFINED THEIR LACK OF CHARACTER.

    Because, he didn’t hide any of this. He didn’t use dogwhistles. He is a vile, disgusting human being who showed that he was vile and disgusting – AND THEY VOTED FOR HIM ANYWAY.

    And, yes, it was ok for us to judge them for their CHOICE. For their LACK OF CHARACTER.

    OUR hardening is something that the pundits, and the MSM, and a whole lot of Democratic Politicians don’t grasp-even now.
    But, they’re gonna learn.

  180. 180.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @MomSense: it’s more a matter of my European/Japanese/Korean/etc counterparts found issues under their laws with the material/work the customer presented to them. The applicable US laws are a bit different so sometimes my foreign counterparts correctly raise issues that wouldn’t be a problem under US law, and vice versa. However it’s quite helpful to see what my foreign counterparts did when presented with the same material/work.

    My customers are also legally required to submit the written opinions of my foreign counterparts if available and relevant to the decision process in the US (so in practice they should be submitting the foreign written opinions if available; I can also go pull the foreign written opinions as well)

  181. 181.

    Teddys Person

    @rikyrah: This explains Trump’s focus on Montenegro.

    “Membership in NATO obligates the members to defend any other member that’s attacked,” Carlson said to Trump. “So let’s say Montenegro, which joined last year, is attacked. Why should my son go to Montenegro to defend it from attack?” In response, Trump told Carlson that he understood his concerns. “I’ve asked the same question. Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people,” the president said. “They’re very aggressive people. They may get aggressive, and congratulations you’re in World War III.”

    Source: LGM

  182. 182.

    rikyrah

    I don’t watch the show. Anyone get the reference?

    I’m reading the #MariaButina indictment. It has the last season of #Homeland all over it. https://t.co/9Awcj0Q8RQ. These writers were ahead of their time.

    — Letisha Bereola (@LetishaANjax) July 18, 2018

  190. 190.

    geg6

    @rikyrah:

    This. I am done with these people. I’m done trying to be civil. I’m done tiptoeing around my own feelings and views for fear of offending them. I’m done pretending they have any sort of point or any kind of morals. I am finding that my friends on FB are feeling pretty much the same. So much more negative feedback for the assholes who come into our posts there and start spewing their propaganda and stupidity. A few old friends who are constitutionally averse to any sort of conflict started tsk-tsking us about being mean and how we’ve all been friends for decades and can’t we all get along? And the overwhelming sentitment she got back was we’re done with these people. They either change their ways, repent and start doing the right thing or we are going to call them out, shame them and stop treating them as someone worthy of our attention. I let one of these idiots have it on another friend’s post, got tons of backup and a big nothing from the guy who was formerly bullying and trolling everyone commenting there. He ran away like the coward they all are. It felt good and I think the whole group of us (old high school buddies) were tickled pink at how well it worked. My example seems to have emboldened several other to similar ends and when I woke up this morning, the comments on the post had all trended in my direction instead of this false civility that we have all maintained for the last 16 months.

  192. 192.

    rikyrah

    When a DNA Test Shatters Your Identity
    “Each person comes into our group thinking they are a freak.”

    SARAH ZHANG
    JUL 17, 2018

    It was AncestryDNA’s customer-service rep who had to break the news to Catherine St Clair.

    For her part, St Clair thought she was inquiring about a technical glitch. Her brother—the brother who along with three other siblings had gifted her the DNA test for her birthday—wasn’t showing up right in her family tree. It was not a glitch, the woman on the line had to explain gently, if this news can ever land gently: The man St Clair thought of as her brother only shared enough DNA with her to be a half-sibling. In fact, she didn’t match any family members on her father’s side. Her biological father must be someone else.

    “I looked into a mirror and started crying,” says St Clair, now 56. “I’ve taken for granted my whole life that what I was looking at in the mirror was part my mother and part my dad. And now that half of that person I was looking at in the mirror, I didn’t know who that was.”

    St Clair thought she was alone with her loss, and what an odd sort of loss it was. She had grown up in a tight-knit, religious family in Arkansas, never suspecting a thing. Her four older siblings loved her no less as a half-sister. One brother didn’t think it was a big deal at all. “He says he wouldn’t have been this upset if it happened to him,” she told me. “I don’t discuss this topic with him much anymore.” St Clair eventually found her biological father by tracing other matches on Ancestry’s website. He was a stranger her mother knew more than half a century ago. The DNA test didn’t erase her happy childhood memories, but it recast her entire life up to now.

    The first time St Clair met someone who understood this—in the same bone-deep way she did—was online. She saw that Delilah, the popular radio host, had asked on her Facebook page if anyone had learned anything interesting from DNA tests. Well, sure, St Clair thought. She replied that she had just found out her dad was not her biological father. An hour later, a woman who saw the comment messaged her saying, “Oh my god I thought I was the only one.” For the next three hours, they feverishly sent messages back and forth. They cried. They shared their fears and anxieties. They realized they weren’t crazy for feeling those fears and anxieties. “By the time we finished talking, we were both emotionally drained,” St Clair said. “Nothing’s really changed for either of us but we feel better just because we had somebody to talk to.”

    St Clair went looking for more people to talk to. She looked for support groups. She found none. So, being the type to take things in her own hands, St Clair started a group on Facebook called DNA NPE Friends, where NPE refers to “not parent expected.” (NPE comes from the genetic genealogy term “nonpaternity event,” which St Clair and others have refashioned to include both parents; another increasingly common term is “misattributed parentage.”)

  193. 193.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I confess I tend to be a bit of a disappointed romantic about the United State Congress, wishing it lived up to the hype of first among co-equals, check and balance, et cetera et cetera. But even with all that disappointment, fully aware that the mediocre, the racist, the marble-headed and the wet-brained have always been well- and often over-represented, even knowing all that, I still feel a little sad when I hear a member of the United States Senate dismiss a political argument by arguing, as Jeff Flake just did, that the story was given “two Pinnochios”. I’m sure somewhere on CNN, some other alleged adult is making a reference to “pants-on-fire”.

  194. 194.

    burnspbesq

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    If your work is being judged by different standards by the new reviewers, you’re entitled to know what those standards are. Ask, and if you don’t get an answer that clearly tells you what you need to do, then (a) get HR involved and (b) start looking.

  195. 195.

    satby

    @Kay: @Kayla Rudbek: the issue I would have with this approach as a manager is that her supervisor has also sent back work for a redo. That’s a red flag. The subordinate is not really the point, the supervisor is also not satisfied with the work product and that’s a problem for Kayla. I don’t doubt that they aren’t respecting her expertise… but that’s universally a “working while female” problem. They want the work product a certain way. Kayla has to decide if it’s too out of her integrity or comfort zone to stay in the job, because those are clear indicators that they may want her gone and are building a case with a record of requests for work redos.
    I ‘m with O Felix here, I would be looking to transfer if I was unwilling to change my approach. ASAP. It’s not fair, but little in life is. Especially now, in the public sector.

  196. 196.

    rikyrah

    The day after Maria Butina, a Russian spy with ties to the NRA, is arrested, the Treasury Dept announces rule change that NRA (and other groups tied to Koch Brothers) will no longer need to identify their donors to the IRS. #FollowTheMoney @CNNPolitics https://t.co/eKflE80frx

    — WomenAgainstGunViol (@WAGV) July 18, 2018

  197. 197.

    Procopius

    @Baud: Tell you the truth, I remember them very well, and that’s one of the reasons I am so skeptical of the hysterical accusations drowning out reason every day. Hoocoodnode the liberals would outdo the rwnjs?

  198. 198.

    rikyrah

    We can’t make this stuff up. I hope someone in Hollywood is just downloading the indictments and handing them over to screenwriters.

    NEW: The FBI says Mariia Butina was compared to Russian spy Anna Chapman by a Russian Official, was planning to leave Washington (if not the country), and offered someone sex in exchange for a position in a special interest organization during her work in the US, per court filing pic.twitter.com/cfViheUOzk

    — Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) July 18, 2018

  199. 199.

    J R in WV

    @Schlemazel:

    We have, in our rural county (which used to use paper fill in the [ ] by your preferred caididate, then scanned elecgronically, which I liked) touchscreen electronic ballots, but when you select a candidate(s) in a race, it prints onto a paper which you can see through a glass cover.

    If you deselect a candidate, it prints a line through your still legible previous choice, and then prints the newly candidate if you pick someone. It would be a pain in the arse to go through the printed data, but it could be done to verify a machine’s accuracy. It uses a paper scroll like the receipt scroll from a commercial transaction, so no surprises.

    When I saw Diebold was building voting machines without a paper trail, I knew something bad was going on, because NONE of their Banking Teller Terminals were built without a paper register trail, because banks care about money, just like voter registration and election managers SHOULD care about VOTES!!!

  201. 201.

    satby

    @rikyrah: so, kind of funny story: I was about 45 before I found out that my mom was adopted and the maternal grandparents I had lived with most of my childhood weren’t my biological grandparents, but my great-aunt and uncle. My great aunt Lou was my real grandmother.
    She was 15 when she got pregnant in 1930, and the family decided that her older married aunt, then pregnant also, would take the baby and “have twins”. My mother waited until my grandmother died at age 97 to tell us. My biological grandmother never acknowledged that my mother was her daughter her entire life, going so far as to name her next daughter the same name.

  202. 202.

    SFAW

    @Procopius:

    Hoocoodnode [sic] the liberals would outdo the rwnjs?

    Hoocoodanode you’d respond in a moronic– and factually incorrect — fashion?

  203. 203.

    gvg

    @Gin & Tonic: Can you notch the bottom of the wall cabinets so they fit over the sill wall? If the cabinets are 36 inches tall and you cut them at 15 inches tall inward about 8 inches (12 inch wide sill minus 4inch stud =8?) then attach them too the studs. the inside would have less room than it looks like but still useful. Then the wall cabinets would just go on the studs with a normal reach. You would want to do a little something to fill in the gap, maybe peg board or any paneling that is cheap. I wish I could post a sketch because it would be easier to picture than describe with words.

    My main work bench is several cabinets including some open ones with no door fixed together and having wheels on the bottom. 2 wheels have brakes, so I can make it stable in place most of the time. It’s nice because I took it with me when I moved and when I drop a tool or screw and need it, I just move the bench, sweep and push it back. I put up pegboard on the walls and shelves at cabinet height with a light underneath the first one. if you did that, you should just put a counter top on it that goes back further to the wall studs. Then just make the top shelves deeper than normal so they come out to where you reach. shelves would be a lot easier than top cabinets because you aren’t stuck with “normal” size. My bench is about 4 cabinets long and its a useful size. If I have the room in the next house, i will do another set because often it’s useful to have two benches, say for supporting boards on a table saw front and rear when you cut up a 4×8 plywood sheet for bookcases. Dream scenario is screw lifts to make the top raise and lower for different project needs or leveling as garage floors are not usually level like a house.

  204. 204.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @Procopius:
    Hysterical? Dude, the evidence is piling up every fucking day. If Trump’s Helsinki performance didn’t convince you that Trump is a traitor than nothing will.

    Your condescension about “reason” (read: contrarianism) is so typical of a kind of left-winger that must believe that the source of all evil in the world is the United States. I don’t believe you’re arguing in good faith, either.

  205. 205.

    J R in WV

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Shocked that a seemingly reputable doctor would be involved in this.
    Reply

    From the original story, he was called Doctor BumBum — so how not reputable could that person be? ;-)

  206. 206.

    Ridnik Chrome

    Peter King is being out-fundraised on Long Island? Awesome. I would love to see that obnoxious loudmouth sent packing in November.

  208. 208.

    germy

    NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Christie has a book coming out next year and he doesn’t plan on holding back.

    Hachette Books confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the former New Jersey governor’s “Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics” is scheduled for next January 29.

    According to a statement from Hachette, Christie plans to “set the record straight” on his time as a key Trump campaign supporter in 2016 and being “unceremoniously booted” from the transition team after Trump’s upset victory. He will offer “revealing candid and surprising insights into the public and private Trump, drawn from fifteen years of close friendship,” the statement continued. He will provide “frank appraisals” of such fellow Trump insiders as Steve Bannon, Corey Lewandowski and Jared Kushner, whose father, Charles Kushner, was sent to prison when Christie was a federal prosecutor.

  211. 211.

    Platonailedit

    One of the other Americans Putin asked for in his quid pro quo with Trump in Helsinki in connection to the 12 GRU agents was Kyle Parker. @kyleparkernet is the congressional staffer who single handedly drafted the Magnitsky Act that Putin hates so much

    pic.twitter.com/ao4QSDSHHX— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) July 18, 2018

    So the traitorous thug, who touted that putin ‘generously agreed’ to the interrogation of the 12 indicted russians, concealed the fact there was a quid pro quo for such generosity? What else this traitor promised his master?

  212. 212.

    Kay

    @satby:

    I think she should ask the manager. Go over the guy who she doesn’t trust and suspects is biased against and just simply tell the manager she is getting more redos than she did before so she needs to know why that is.

    She can’t read their minds and she isn’t expected to. The manager could say all kinds of things- she could say she didn’t realize the number had increased, she could say they raised standards, she could say nothing and bring it to her mid-level supervisor instead and ask HIM if he’s on the right track. She’s allowed to ask for actual management. That’s what they are there for. They have a job too. She should give them an opportunity to do it.

    Part of the point of having managers is you’re attached and invested in your own work and you don’t see it clearly. She can’t conduct this inquiry completely alone, filling in all the roles and anticipating responses. She needs some input. Something has changed and she doesn’t know what it is. There might be a completely ordinary explanation, but “pointing subordinates in the right direction” is absolutely the center of the supervisors job. It’s almost their whole job. Bring it to them and let them do their job.

  214. 214.

    schrodingers_cat

    @rikyrah: My Russian friend (naturalized now) who we visited last week called NRA the National Russian Association. Its an open secret in Russia that NRA is the conduit to the R party. Our media is complicit, if they just found this out after this arrest..

  216. 216.

    Brachiator

    @satby:

    so, kind of funny story: I was about 45 before I found out that my mom was adopted and the maternal grandparents I had lived with most of my childhood weren’t my biological grandparents

    Amazing story. And a reminder that families and family histories are often a lot more complicated than some people are willing to acknowledge.

  217. 217.

    jl

    @germy: This going to be a Joizy Shore version of Wolfe’s book? Will it have the inside scoop on Christie’s McDonald’s runs for Trump? Will Christie provide evidence he was not busted for eating some of the happy meal on his way back to the Trumpster lair?

    @Teddys Person: Harlow was irritating with her clumsy attempt to set up mindless and random ‘gotchas’ with no logic or common sense behind them. But it’s the Congress critter’s job to call her on it and provide strong responses. I think he did so-so on that front. The argument can be made that parts of the US executive branch, with overwhelming support from Congress, has taken a few actions that can be interpreted as ‘tougher’, but Trump has been forced into these against his will. Congressmen whatever should have been stronger and clearer there.

    He could have taken the initiative. I think Trump’s statements since the butt kissing session with Putin indicate that they sat around BSing about ways to shut down the Mueller investigation. Putin probabay doesn’t understand that by design or chance, a lot of the legal machinery can’t be shut down now by shutting down Mueller. Putin may have given Trump some good ideas, but Trump, a butt ignorant fool is blathering them out almost at random. So we have Trump randomly blathering that
    1) he, the greatest deal maker ever who ALONE can make the US feared around the world, can’t get anything constructive done with Russia because Putin is ticked off by the Mueller probe,
    2) he has Putin’s word that the Russian’s didn’t do anything and why isn’t that good enough?
    3) relationships with Russia are both the greatest they’ve ever been because of Trump and also the worst they’ve ever been because of effing Mueller, and Putin is so ticked off about it, that nuclear war might break out if the probe doesn’t stop.

    That last is a kicker. Trump is shaking down the whole country, in fact, world civilization, with a veiled threat of nuclear war between the US and Russia if he doesn’t get what he wants. That alone is an impeachable offense worthy of conviction and removal, IMHO.

    Best thing to do with these mindless searches for a ‘gotcha’ from news media celebs is to go on offense, throw them a curveball, since these hosts don’t seem very bright, very quick or very informed. Hoppy seems like a lot of these hosts, who spend more time practicing their voice and look than anything else.

  218. 218.

    Teddys Person

    In SCOTUS news:

    Caroline O.
    @RVAwonk

    NEW: Trump’s SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh said in 2016 that he would overturn a 3-decade-old SCOTUS ruling upholding the constitutionality of an independent counsel.

    Ind. counsel isn’t the same as special counsel … but this is definitely a red flag.https://cnn.it/2zLycug

    7:27 AM – Jul 18, 2018

    Dude was asked there were any cases he would overturn. He replied, “Morrison v. Olson.” Fuck the traitor in the White House.

  220. 220.

    Kay

    @schrodingers_cat:

    That part of this is fascinating to me- the ACTUAL ideological intersect between the far Right in the US and the far Right in other places. Everyone is analyzing this as purely a marriage of convenience but more and more it looks like they “share values”, which is a much bigger problem than Donald Trump, since one of those values is anti-democratic authoritarianism.

    Maybe it’s not like “any help we can get from anyone, no matter how bad they are”. Maybe it’s more like “this is what we want! A government like this one Putin has!”

  222. 222.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: T is the symptom, Republicanism as defined by Nixon and Reagan is the disease. They have gotten progressively worse.
    My previously sane friend was repeating all the T tweeted conspiracy theories way back form 2013 at least. He is the lowest common denominator.

  223. 223.

    MomSense

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Starting to think you should just install pull out drawers or bins to the bottom of the counter that clear the cement and have the countertop height where you want it. I’d still do pegboard above and wall shelves where you want them.

  224. 224.

    Immanentize

    @Gin & Tonic: OK, another solution —

    Buy wood cabinets (used on Craigslist or at a Re-store.) Cut out a 13″ by 7″ (or whatever the measurement is of the knee wall that is in the way) notch out of the back and install against the studs. Yes, your cabinet lower shelf will be shorter by 7 inches or so, but it will look fine and the uppers (plastic if you want) can be installed right onto the studs without causing any “too far back” problems.

  225. 225.

    satby

    @Kay: I ‘m aware of what managers do, I was one for 20+ years, including on a public sector DC account. You are continually glossing over the statement Kayla made that both the designee AND the supervisor (the manager in question) have told her to redo work. Certainly she can ask, and as @burnspbesq: stated, “Ask, and if you don’t get an answer that clearly tells you what you need to do, then (a) get HR involved and (b) start looking”.
    As O Felix pointed out, and I agree, it sounds as if her job is in jeopardy; in light of that and without knowing how much feedback Kayla has already received, asking may be perilous as well if her supervisors have given her direction but Kayla feels they don’t consider her greater expertise. They may not, and as unfair as that is if they have already communicated changes they want to see going forward and Kayla doesn’t seem able or willing to make those changes, her job is in peril.
    I sympathize Kayla, but what @burnspbesq: said.
    If they have told you what changes should be, and you don’t agree, that’s a different issue. Either way, get your resume ready.

  226. 226.

    Kay

    @Teddys Person:

    He should genuinely consider getting a different spokesperson. He’s just not an appealing or persuasive person. He wouldn’t have found this out because of the trajectory of his life – he never worked in a place where people criticize him or slot him into what he’s good at – but it’s true. I think there are periods, windows, in your life where you’re supposed to learn things and you can’t skip over them. I was listening to a (retired) world-class swimmer and he said he missed whole developmental stages because he was always in the pool. So he’s 41 and he’s finding out he’s hard to get along with :)

  227. 227.

    jl

    @Kay: If you like stealth establishment of brutal plutocratic crony capitalist authoritarianism with a veneer of democracy, then you like Putin, Duterte, Erdogan, Orban, the whole Trump pantheon of exemplar leaders who are doing great things recently and people are beginning to notice.

    Probably, technocratically, Erdogan has been the most sophisticated, and early in his reign, competently delivered real economic progress to Turkey. But looks like that is changing. I don’t know whether Erodogan changed, or he was just much more competent and more capable of long range planning, but he is definitely in that crew now.

    So, I agree, this isn’t just coincidence.

    Edit: and I forgot that for the Europeans, white supremacy and racism is an important glue to hold things together if the population gets restless. And jingo nationalism is important for all of them.

  230. 230.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    The man St Clair thought of as her brother only shared enough DNA with her to be a half-sibling. In fact, she didn’t match any family members on her father’s side. Her biological father must be someone else

    There are YouTube videos of people sharing their DNA test results. A surprising number of them feature people who discover that there are some … surprises … in their genetic backgrounds. It’s almost like one of those daytime tv shows where the host declares “you are not the father.”

    For some reason, I remember reading that actor Jack Nicholson discovered later in his life that his “sister,” June, was actually his mother. You can’t know how anyone felt about this, but I hoped that Nicholson’s mother found some comfort in being able to be involved in her son’s life.

  231. 231.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Maybe it’s not like “any help we can get from anyone, no matter how bad they are”. Maybe it’s more like “this is what we want! A government like this one Putin has!”

    It’s White.
    It hates non-Whites.
    It hates the gays.
    It represses all the’ undesirables’.

    What’s not to love?

  232. 232.

    Kay

    @satby:

    Well, we disagree. I don’t think asking her to redo work is a predicate to getting fired. If they didn’t have her redo it before then something changed and they have a duty to tell her what that is, and they should have done it yesterday instead of leaving her to speculate and maybe be completely wrong. She’s actually identifying one change- the new interim manager- so to me it’s sensible that she would attribute this to him. There may be other changes. They all have roles. Her role is to ask for guidance and their role is to provide it.

  233. 233.

    Brachiator

    @Aimai:

    heard an elderly CT woman call in to a tv show and explain that she was grateful for Russian interference because it kept Hillary out of the whitehouse.

    Apart from the sheer moral blindness of the woman’s comment, it is stunning that she doesn’t seem to understand that the Russian interference is ongoing and ultimately destructive.

  234. 234.

    Teddys Person

    @Kay:

    he never worked in a place where people criticize him or slot him into what he’s good at

    In addition, people tell him how brillant he is when luck played a big role in his success. There are too many people in positions of power and influence who have the same problem.

    PS I rarely respond to your comments but nod vigorously when reading.

  235. 235.

    J R in WV

    @Kayla Rudbek:

    “An open thread finally! Hello all you fellow jackals! I need some advice as I am at red-line fury with the new person signing off on my work. …. So this new person and my supervisor keep kicking a lot of work back for me to redo when I don’t think that their decisions are actually correct. To me it feels like hazing &/or discrimination as on some of this work, I am raising issues that my foreign counterparts are raising under foreign laws. How do I politely and professionally convey the message to my supervisor’s designated alternate that I am sick and tired of his posturing bullshit macho hazing and to stop giving me attitude that I don’t think that he would use with a male employee?”

    Wow, what a serious question.

    First Kayla, most all B-J threads are open, really. And no one is going to jump on you if you post a serious question anywhere, and this is serious.

    If foreign legal requirements are being ignored by your new Super and his buddy, and you company does business at all with foreign companies, then your Super and his buddy are doing serious damage to your company, which will cost a lot of money if their nonsense gets your company into court overseas. See the billions of Euros Google just got fined yesterday.

    If you are being treated differently from male counterparts, that’s also illegal. My wife was treated terribly by some (most) managers in her 20 year career, and desperately wishes today that she had recorded their bullying nonsense, as she would have owned them with audio of their pointless attacks on her well established career and ability. So depending upon local law about recording conversations, you could set up your cell phone or lap top to record people being stupid. If actual live real time recording isn’t practical for whatever reason, then take careful verbatim notes, with dates and times and occasion noted, and compile a diary with details of behavior that seems over the line.

    If you enjoy your work except for the supervisor, you can seek an internal promotion that would get you away from your current boss and his buddy, who seems like he shouldn’t be near the level of approving other people’s work.

    There are more jobs than job seekers right now, which might change quickly if Trump’s tariffs plunge the world economy into chaos, but you have good English skills and seem to be able to apply logic to a situation, which are skills not everyone seems to have any more. But you can start documenting your boss’s decisions and how he manages you on a daily basis right now, without any life shattering decisions to make. Saving emails with stupid decisions, setting up a portfolio of errors, and that.

    Even if you find a good new job with interesting work and new skills to learn, you can always drop your portfolio on your supervisor’s boss’s desk at an exit interview. As you accumulate material you might have a respected friend who doesn’t work at your company take a look and tell you what they think. You might even visit someone with an equal employment organization, either at a union, an NGO or at the state or city government level, without filing an complaint, but just to feel your situation out.

    From your last sentences it really sounds like your Super and his buddy are probably violating company policy as well as employment law on a daily basis. If your company has a real ethos of fairness, which some do and some don’t, you may well get help internally. Only you know if that’s a safe path, but I would accumulate evidence before starting anything.

    And now, an anecdote from my professional life: I had a job early in my career that was OK, not the best pay, but I was learning a lot, and then my direct supervisor promoted a woman I worked with who needed help to do the simplest tasks, and who often tried to get me to do her work. She wouldn’t have been my supervisor right off, but I could read the writing on that wall. I was gonna do two person’s work by next week, and work for someone I didn’t respect and who wouldn’t treat me well.

    I was polite and professional with my boss when he told me that she got the promotion instead of me. I said “Well, OK then. You need to do what you think is best for your shop…” and then cleared my desk of personal stuff into a box. This was on a Monday, and by Wednesday I had a new job with a major boost in pay and the opportunity to learn new technology, which was more valuable than the pay hike. My boss was a little – well, a lot – taken aback when I tendered my resignation so quickly, with vacation to be taken as of Friday.

    “How will we know what to do?” he asked in a sweat, and I said his newly promoted airhead — er, Programmer/Analyst II — should be able to help out.

  236. 236.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @Brachiator:
    What’s even more stunning is that this woman lived through the cold war.

    Can we declare morons like these the national security threats they are?

  237. 237.

    Teddys Person

    @Brachiator: The unspoken part of her comment is that she’s okay with continued Russian interference as long as Republicans benefit, which in her worldview (not necessarily reality) is not destructive.

  238. 238.

    The Moar You Know

    I sympathize Kayla, but what @burnspbesq: said.
    If they have told you what changes should be, and you don’t agree, that’s a different issue. Either way, get your resume ready.

    @satby: The only time in my life I have been “asked to resign” was a situation like this. Was I right? In one sense, yes. Was I going to get my ass fired for repeatedly telling the owners that they were handling their product and vendors wrong by not insisting on high quality production? Oh hell yes. I was just too young and dumb to understand that they might have different goals in mind than mine. That goal, BTW, was to “make all the money with zero investment”. Not “build awesome inexpensive guitars like Japan used to”.

  239. 239.

    Ohio Mom

    @Brachiator: I saw the same video of the addled old lady celebrating that Russia “meddled” and “saved us from Hillary.”

    What struck me is that there is no longer any debate, it is widely accepted that Russia rigged the election, just as everyone agrees the sun rises in the East.

    We know it as a fact, all of us no matter what our political belief system and values are (It is very well probably the only thing I will ever agree with that caller on).

    Now a lot of people obviously don’t get the concept of sovereignty, that a nation can’t function as an entity if another nation is calling the shots.

    Let alone that you can’t have a workable democracy unless elections are fair and accurate.

  240. 240.

    ruemara

    @Brachiator: Does it enforce white people being at the top? A white man being in charge? Then it’s not destructive to her. People really will sacrifice themselves on the altar of that privilege.

  241. 241.

    Brachiator

    @Teddys Person:

    The unspoken part of her comment is that she’s okay with continued Russian interference as long as Republicans benefit, which in her worldview (not necessarily reality) is not destructive.

    This is like someone saying, “I know a murderer is roaming through my house, but it’s OK because he’s only killed people I don’t like.”

  242. 242.

    Kay

    @Teddys Person:

    I’m biased because I hate that bland, feel-good language they all use. Facebook is “listening”, all that.

    I prefer my plutocrats straight-up, no hugs :)

    They’re not our friends. We don’t even know them! Maybe we won’t like them- turns out to be true with Zuckerberg. He can console himself with his billions of dollars- we’re not obligated to be his friend, too. It all starts to sound like “more, more, more” to me. The money isn’t enough. They also need to be admired public figures and run public policy. Just stay in your own lane.

  243. 243.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Ohio Mom: In an interview on ABC a short while ago, Trump said that Russia is no longer interfering. So all you worry-warts and tinfoil-hat liberals can just calm down. If there was a problem, it’s over.

  244. 244.

    satby

    @Kay: read what she wrote again: “So this new person and my supervisor keep kicking a lot of work back for me to redo when I don’t think that their decisions are actually correct. To me it feels like hazing &/or discrimination as on some of this work, I am raising issues that my foreign counterparts are raising under foreign laws. How do I politely and professionally convey the message to my supervisor’s designated alternate that I am sick and tired of his posturing bullshit macho hazing and to stop giving me attitude that I don’t think that he would use with a male employee?”

    If I was her manager, who had also sent back work to this person, I would be wondering if my employee is able to adapt to the changing environment at work. She doesn’t think their decisions are correct. Evaluating her supervisors’ decisions isn’t her job, even if Kayla is right and they’re wrong. I don’t know if they’ve given her specifics on requirements or not, Kayla doesn’t clearly say. She does say that she feels what has been communicated is “posturing bullshit macho hazing”. Might be, I didn’t witness it, but characterizing it that way is counterproductive, since she won’t be considering his feedback valid as a result. @burnspbesq: have the best advice from a legal perspective, but I see a conflict that doesn’t resolve to Kayla’s favor whether she asks her supervisor or not.

  245. 245.

    Brachiator

    @ruemara:

    Does it enforce white people being at the top? A white man being in charge? Then it’s not destructive to her. People really will sacrifice themselves on the altar of that privilege.

    Of course, if you end up sacrificing yourself, you have not gained any privilege.

    It’s weird that these dopes only see Trump, not the man pulling Trump’s strings, and then foolishly believe that they will be OK.

    In the US, it used to be that only the dumbest dumb ass white trash rednecks would say stupid shit to White Citizens’ Councils like “Go ahead, kick me in the ass, just as long as you kick black folk in the ass twice as hard.” Other people would rightfully look at these people like the fools that they were. But Obama scared so many fools inside and outside the old South that a critical mass of them are eager to destroy their own freaking country and hand a stranger like Putin the keys. And these people are seriously deluded if they believe that Putin and his oligarch buddies give a shit about them just because of their skin color.

  246. 246.

    Teddys Person

    @Brachiator: I think you’ve hit on the Republican’s new slogan for the midterms.

    “We’ll kill who you don’t like.”

  247. 247.

    Teddys Person

    @Kay:

    I prefer my plutocrats straight-up, no hugs :)

    I knew there was a reason I liked you.

  248. 248.

    J R in WV

    @Gin & Tonic:

    @raven: Yeah, I like those, but I have that stupid short “wall” so the studs are 7-8″ away if the base is sitting on the floor.

    It wouldn’t cost much to put another stud wall on the inside of the concrete wall, hit it with some sheetrock, and then you’re good to go with standard everything.

    Could even insulate in there before hanging the sheetrock. I wouldn’t even finish out the sheetrock, just paint it with a thick paint. Or use plywood for the walls. That costs more, but it’s much more sturdy. Sheetrock dinks up so easily in a garage!

  249. 249.

    The Other Chuck

    @Brachiator:

    Of course, if you end up sacrificing yourself, you have not gained any privilege.

    On the contrary, they gave their all for dear leader. Remember, this is a cult now.

  250. 250.

    J R in WV

    @Doug R:

    authorities investigated whether a vessel hit by “lava bombs” went too close to molten rock oozing into the Ocean.

    I would say that if you get hit by “lava bombs” you are BY DEFINITION too close to the lava, aka molten rock~!!!!!!!!~ REELY too close.

  251. 251.

    BlueGirlFromWyo

    @rikyrah: We just went through this in my family. My mom’s is one of four kids, and we now know there are three different fathers. We’ll never know if any are the man we called Dad/Grandad because he’s been dead since 1972. I’ll share this with my family. Thank you.

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