Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

A consequence of cucumbers

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

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

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

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

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

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89Comments

  3. 3.

    Mnemosyne

    First week post-surgery is done — one more week until I can get back to work. Yes, I actually like my job, so I’m looking forward to getting back to it.

    I’ve been puttering around with other stuff, but I think I’m going to start my reading marathon tomorrow since I have about 6 romance novels by my favorite authors queued up on my Kindle.

  4. 4.

    RepubAnon

    The law doth punish man or woman
    Who steals the goose from off the common.
    But lets the greater felon loose
    who steals the commons from the goose!
    -Anon

    Remember all the anti-Hillary trolls saying that the Supreme Court didn’t matter?

  5. 5.

    TenguPhule

    @RepubAnon:

    Remember all the anti-Hillary trolls saying that the Supreme Court didn’t matter?

    Remember when all the trolls insisted she would be a warmonger and an appeaser at the same time?

  6. 6.

    TenguPhule

    Nuck Fazis!
    @Johngcole
    so if birth control is abortion and abortion is murder, under the new sharia law of the America Taliban under Kavanaugh, am I committing a felony every time I flush a used jimmy hat

  10. 10.

    patrick II

    @TenguPhule:
    No, there is no fertilized egg. You are however committing a mortal sin which the catholics on the court would rule mortal sin as violating the law and sentence you to hell.

  12. 12.

    Doug R

    Friend I trust hated Season One, so I stayed away. Was not impressed with the character too much in the Defenders.

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    The weather is breaking here in my corner of NoVA. It has been raining outside my modest rooms in Threadkill Lane for a while, with pleasant thunder in the distance, and the temperature has dropped to 74°. The high tomorrow is supposed to be only 73°, then 68° on Sunday. Lots more rain in the forecast, which is fine with me.

    I checked the 10-day forecast for Las Vegas, and it looks like it will still be 100° highs and 70° lows when I go out there next week. But September usually cools down rapidly, so it should be highs in the 80s by the middle of the month. And then Vegas is great until the middle of May. I’ll be out there until early October housesitting for my RWNJ brother (family code ??).

    I’ve been listening to Emily Remler, a jazz guitarist I belatedly discovered just recently. (She died in 1990.) That has helped my mood.

    “Snowfall” (with other tracks following).

  17. 17.

    TomatoQueen

    Hello darling Lily girl. You need a treat. I have Steeplejack’s storms and rumbly thunder. Watching (public tv) cello students at New England Conservatory of Music being taught by Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet and it is just bliss.

  20. 20.

    CaseyL

    @Steeplejack: The weathercasters have been promising cooler temperatures here for WEEKS. Every day it’s still high 70s, low 80s. Ugh ugh ugh. I’ve been taking some time off between jobs, and really hoped for a nice cool, cloudy, maybe even drizzly week to get a lot of much-needed housework done. But noooooo.

  22. 22.

    satby

    @Steeplejack: I know “it’s a dry heat”… blahblahblah, but that still sounds hellish to me. Our heat wave ended yesterday and the humidity finally dropped today. High was 68 today and will be 70 tomorrow. Heaven!

  24. 24.

    satby

    @satby: the band of rain from Gordon is south of us but we should get some tomorrow. Can’t remembers if it’s good fall color from adequate rain or from dry conditions. Already looking forward to fall ?

  25. 25.

    Aleta

    @RepubAnon: Remember when people with influence said that Hillary’s experience and cleverness meant she would do more damage, while Trump was so clueless and bumbling that he could be contained?

  28. 28.

    Steeplejack

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    By the way, tell me again which case you got for your Samsung Galaxy Tab S2. It has occurred to me that wrapping it in a surgical towel may not be the best method when I travel.

  29. 29.

    Bill Arnold

    @TenguPhule:

    am I committing a felony every time I flush a used jimmy hat

    Since it’s an open thread and I had been poking at the theological extreme weirdnesses related to this halfheartedly and very occasionally for the day (reasons), it’s probably not murder; maybe some other felony though. I’m not aware of any religious belief in ensoulment prior to fertilization[0] (or similar secular beliefs), and there are some traditions that place it later in pregnancy, or at birth or even later:
    Divergent Views on Abortion and the Period of Ensoulment

    The delayed ensoulment theory dates back to the time of Aristotle, who argued that ensoulment for males is 40 days and 90 days for females.

    (Fuck Aristotle, well, maybe not, he’s rather dead.)

    [0] Fission and Confusion

    If there are puzzles about twinning and fusion, we don’t think there is anything suspect about coming up with ways that can explain the fate of the soul if we do so by staying loyal to the most important metaphysical, theological and moral principles. We are somewhat confident that we have done that.

    (Truthfully, I had no idea this stuff existed. Trying hard not to mock it but failing.)

  33. 33.

    Jeffro

    Btw Cole (and everyone)…speaking of a long week…the Nats/Cubs game tonight was a complete disaster when it came to letting off a little steam.

    Drove over to my brother’s condo to pick him up, ran through a pretty deep puddle at high speed…whammo, no power steering(!) So he drove us to the Pentagon City metro, metro-ed in, and joined a very large crowd waiting to see if we were gonna have a game or not. I swear you would have thought it was a Cubs home game with all the ‘C’ merch people were wearing.

    Anyway, they finally start the game at 8:25 and…20 minutes later, we’re getting soaked all over again. Thunder and lighting and that’s that.

    Fortunately when we got back to my brother’s place, whatever was at issue with the power steering seemed to have righted (drained?) itself, and everything was fine. ( Let’s hear it for the Outback! I’ll never buy anything else!) But man that was a long run for a very short slide…

  35. 35.

    Gin & Tonic

    @TenguPhule:

    am I committing a felony every time I flush a used jimmy hat

    At least a misdemeanor, because you should be throwing it in the trash, not flushing it down the toilet. They are not biodegradable (over any reasonable timespan.)

  37. 37.

    Genine Tyson

    I’m avoiding Iron Fist Season one. Many people I trust sad stay away. The character was barely tolerable in the Defenders. HOWEVER, I liked him in Luke Cage Season 2. I think the writers are slowly trying to redeem the character so people will tune into Iron Fist Season 2 and it’s working on me. I will check it out.

  38. 38.

    Jeffro

    And btw I still think Haley had something to do with ‘Anonymous’…although yeah, she probably didn’t write the op-ed.

    My Anonymous Colleague Should Challenge The President Directly or Resign

    …By making sweeping, but mostly unspecific, anonymous claims, the author creates many problems. Taking this course sows mistrust among the thousands of government workers who do their jobs honestly every day. It unfairly casts doubt on the president in a way that cannot be directly refuted because the anonymous accuser’s credibility and knowledge cannot be judged. It encourages U.S. adversaries to promote their hostile claims about the stability of our government.

    What’s more, by throwing gas on a fire of endless distraction, the author and the frenzied media reaction to the op-ed have hurt all of us trying to do our jobs for the country.

    Dissent is as American as apple pie. If you don’t like this president, you are free to say so, and people do that quite frequently and loudly. But in the spirit of civility that the anonymous author claims to support, every American should want to see this administration succeed. If it does, it’s a win for the American people.

    As a former governor, I find it absolutely chilling to imagine that a high-ranking member of my team would secretly try to thwart my agenda. That is not the American way. It is fundamentally disloyal, not just to the chief executive, but to our country and our values.

    To Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, I say: Step up and help the administration do great things for the country. If you disagree with some policies, make your case directly to the president. If that doesn’t work, and you are truly bothered by the direction of the administration, then resign on principle. There is no shame in that. But do not stay in your position and secretly undermine the president and the rest of our team. It is cowardly, it is anti-democratic, and it is a disservice to our country.

    Either I haven’t listened to enough of her speeches, or she’s changed over the past few years, but this piece just doesn’t quite sound like her. It does sound like an opportunist trying to make the most of this issue, though, and so that in fact DOES sound like her.

  39. 39.

    Steeplejack

    @satby:

    I will say that—in my experience—there is something to the “dry heat” thing, especially in geography that is “designed” for it, e.g., the desert and semi-arid areas. And dry means dry: sub-10% humidity.

    You still don’t want to be lollygagging around outside during the day, but you definitely feel it less than, say, 90° and 95% humidity here in the DMV (as the trendy newsbots have taken to calling D.C. and the near environs of Maryland and Virginia). IMHO. And whatever breeze there is feels much more refreshing than a muggy, wet one.

    My other extended experience was in west Texas as a kid (age 12-15). Same 100° highs and glaring sun during the summer. Those were my prime Boy Scout days, so we were out dinking around in the desert outside our subdivision all day. Took a lot of water in canteens and laid up in whatever shade was available as needed. And I’ve got the history of (minor) skin cancer to prove it!

  43. 43.

    japa21

    @Aleta: Most insurance plans don’t cover viagra or other ED drugs unless they have some other medical purpose, and even then with high copays.

    Actually, I was thinking today, the more accurate comparison would be coverage for vasectomies which most insurance plans do cover and which serve only one purpose.

  44. 44.

    Jeffro

    @Major Major Major Major: Jon “Milquetoast” Huntsman? Ok, that’s as good a guess/hip thinking as any.

    I really wish these angsty sorta-never Trumpers who nonetheless serve Trumpov luck once the dust finally settles. There’s no reason to treat them any different than Trumpov’s fellow grifters and scam artists like Perry, Carson, and Ross. Maybe even worse.

  45. 45.

    Steeplejack

    @jeffreyw:

    Cool! Yeah, I’ve got the 8". Really, really like it. I’d also like to find a good Bluetooth keyboard to go with it. (Doesn’t need to be part of a case, but that wouldn’t hurt.)

  46. 46.

    Peale

    I guess I’ll use my Friday Open Thread to put in a plug for the Thai TV Show “Love Sick” which is FINALLY available on Netflix in the US. Its probably the most significant show involving a same sex couple in the past decade, at least if one is in Asia. It launched what is for better or worse known as the Boys Love craze in Asia. The show represented the mainstreaming a subculture of gay themed novels and manga written by and for straight women in Japan, that went regional and then simmered for a decade before going mainstream.

    Love Sick tells the story of Noh and his budding romance with his classmate, Phun. It was the first show where the lead couple in an ensemble drama was a young same-sex male couple. It is a little cutsey, and tame compared with what is allowed on Thai TV today, but they were seriously pushing the limit of the censorship rules every week. We probably take for granted that these couples should be on TV post Glee, but that wasn’t the case in Thailand or the rest of East Asia, where such pairing were rare and controversial when they appeared, stuffed into mostly well-intentioned but ultimately tragic episodes of moralizing anthology series. Or side couples with maybe 5 mintues of screen time in a 12-hour series.

    Love Sick broke down that barrier and because it was popular (at its height it was getting about a 40% household share), it paved the way for a flurry of other shows that tried to replicate its success, not only in Thailand, but also in Taiwan, China (until they banned the whole genre two years ago), Korea and even Myanmar. Prior to Love Sick there were four gay couples that appeared in Thai TV series in the previous decade. One could probably have watched the entire decades output of Thai media on the subject in one weekend of cram viewing. In the four years since Love Sick, there have been dozens of shows – 20 this year alone – with a pipeline that doesn’t seem to end.

    Not the highest production standards of all time, for sure, and like lots of novel things in the media, they really didn’t have a lot of money at first. But its never dull and I ended up a fanatic of the show and the genre when I watched it as escapism from the election slaughter of 2014. It ended up taking over my old, neglected Pealesview blog.

    Plug done.

  50. 50.

    Shell

    Re: Lily. That expression either means, I feel a poop coming on or Where did you hide that left over meat loaf?

  55. 55.

    Aleta

    (The Hill, 8pm) Booker’s latest set of emails stamped “committee confidential”—meaning they haven’t been cleared for pubic release—total 82 pages, with some having redactions. The documents were released Friday evening.
    … 
    Included in the documents are emails to Kavanaugh and other White House staffers, Justice Department and Senate staffers from then-GOP Senate aide Manny Miranda—who hacked into Democratic files in 2002—discussing Democratic strategy for opposing a judicial nomination. 
     
    In another email thread about an Associated Press article headlined “Bush administration calls affirmative action plan ‘plainly unconstitutional,'” Kavanaugh is asked who from the White House counsel’s office could discuss the issue. 
     
    Kavanaugh says whoever handles the calls should make clear that there “is no need to take a position on whether diversity itself is a compelling interest since race-neutral alternatives are available and, in other states, have ensured that minorities have access to and are represented in institutions of higher education.” 
     
    In another he sends a biography on William Pryor—a judicial nomination Kavanaugh had told the committee he was “not involved” with in 2004. Pryor is considered controversial because of his stance on Roe v. Wade. 
     
    Democrats grilled Kavanaugh during the Judiciary Committee hearings this week on Pryor’s nomination after emails were released that showed Kavanaugh had been looped in on the discussions about the nomination.  Asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) if he interviewed Pryor, Kavanaugh said he didn’t “believe so, but it’s possible.” Asked later by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee who argued Democrats were trying to misrepresent the emails, Kavanaugh added that he was not the “primary person” on Pryor.
    … 
    Friday’s release is the sixth set of “committee confidential” documents that Booker has released over the past two days.
    …
    On Friday, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), another potential 2020 contender, tweeted out a screenshot of an email from 2002 that was stamped “committee confidential.”  “Brett Kavanaugh coached Bush’s judicial nominees to give the same kind of vague answers he gave us on Roe v. Wade this week. We have the receipts,” Harris said in the tweet. 
     
    In the email released by Harris, with the subject line “Justice Owen,” Kavanaugh is asked for advice on what a judicial nominee shouldn’t say in meetings with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and then-Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). “She should not talk about her views on specific policy or legal issues. She should say that she has a commitment to follow Supreme Court precedent, that she understands and appreciates the role of a circuit judge, that she will adhere to statutory text, that she has no ideological agenda,” Kavanaugh wrote in the email.
     
    Other Democrats warned that while they had not yet released “committee confidential” documents, they reserved the right to do so before a vote on Kavanaugh.

     
    .

  56. 56.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Major Major Major Major: He’s done flavor of brat through about 2/3rds of the game. It’s okay.

    The game is a fantastic bro simulator. The actual story is lackluster after a certain point, but the friendship and chatter between your characters is phenomenal the whole way through.

    Just tell me you weren’t impressed in the beginning when Floren + The Machine’s version of Stand By Me” came on. They definitely got some things right, and it sets the theme perfectly.

  58. 58.

    pat

    Omarosa was on MSNBC tonight (Hayes or Matthews, not sure) and she thinks it’s Nick Ayers,
    so obviously Omarosa reads Balloon Juice!

  60. 60.

    OldDave

    @Jeffro:

    ran through a pretty deep puddle at high speed…whammo, no power steering(!) … when we got back to my brother’s place, whatever was at issue with the power steering seemed to have righted (drained?) itself, and everything was fine.

    The belt that drives the power steering pump got wet and started slipping. You probably have a missing splash shield under the engine compartment – one of those plastic trays like things. Quick oil change places are notorious for taking the ten screws that hold the tray on off and replacing maybe four of them, assuming they even bother to replace the tray at all.

    My guess, anyway – which is worth exactly what you paid for it.

  63. 63.

    Mnemosyne

    @pat:

    I’m betting it will turn out to be no one we’ve ever heard of, because it was written by a political hack desperate to prevent top Republican donors from closing their wallets to Republican candidates.

  65. 65.

    B.B.A.

    @Mnemosyne: I’ll guess it’s a high-ranking aide at USDOT, acting at the McConnell-Chao family’s direction. Cocaine Mitch wants tax cuts and abortion bans, and by God he’s not going to let some demented New Yorker get in the way of what’s rightfully his.

  67. 67.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    I think I’ve got that keyboard—or maybe the K780—bookmarked at Amazon. Thanks again for the tip.

    I’m pretty sure I’m not taking my computer (Lenovo notebook—small but a bit clunky) to Las Vegas, and I was toying with the idea of taking only the S2 tablet (and my phone, of course). But I really like a real keyboard for serious typing, so I’ve been window-shopping a bit. Also thought about just getting a cheap keyboard when I’m out there and leaving it when I come back.

    But now I’m pretty sure I’m going to take my Asus Chromebook (10" screen), which has a much better keyboard. Might still be tempted to get an external keyboard for serious pounding if I have trouble adapting to it. The only problem I’ve had so far is that sometimes when I’m typing the palm of my hand brushes the touchpad and does something weird.

  68. 68.

    J R in WV

    @TenguPhule:

    am I committing a felony every time I flush a used jimmy hat?

    Not a felony, but we had a septic tank pumper out several hundred dollars, new pump installed (the dispersal field is uphill from the tanks), all because a latex condom someone (company, big party, people stayed over, probably sex before the party was over too…) flushed was blocking the intake into the pump, so it burned out.

    So for a long time after that we had big signs over the toilets, “Don’t flush anything but waste and toilet paper down this toilet, ever… Especially rubbers!!!” Worked so far…

  69. 69.

    PaulWartenberg

    They found Plaid Shirt Guy.

    He’s a high-schooler. Word is he’s Democrat-leaning, so no official reason why or how he showed up at a trump rally. But it explains his “WTF” expressions during half of trump’s rants.

    I hope he’s ready for the Far Right Hate coming his way.

  71. 71.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steeplejack:

    I can’t remember if I mentioned this, but the one bit of weirdness I seem to have with my Asus is that if the wi-fi is spotty, it spends so much energy trying to connect to it that it starts to make other parts of the system go haywire. If I just turn off the wi-fi until I get someplace that’s more stable, it’s fine.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’ve noticed that with my cell phone. When I’m out in the car I try to remember to turn off wi-fi, because (sometimes) it spends so much time looking that it slows down apps (like Google Maps, which I use a lot). Once I tell it to just use the phone connection it perks up.

  77. 77.

    khead

    The weather is breaking here in my corner of NoVA. It has been raining outside my modest rooms in Threadkill Lane for a while, with pleasant thunder in the distance, and the temperature has dropped to 74°. The high tomorrow is supposed to be only 73°, then 68° on Sunday. Lots more rain in the forecast, which is fine with me.

    Still trying to figure out how the heat index in Cecil Co, MD has been higher here than for family and friends in places like Rock Hill, SC and Tallahassee, FL. But I will take the break. Tired of sweating.

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack

    @smike:

    Yeah, I’ve thought about that, too.

    This trip is an experiment in expanding my comfort zone. LOL. I’m leaving the computer at home and seeing if I can make it with the Chromebook. (That reminds me: I still need to install Word, Excel and maybe Outlook on it.) I have used it a fair amount, but not as my main device for extended periods of typing and screen work. So that’s why I’m thinking about an external keyboard and, yes, a cordless mouse.

    I also will be expanding my comfort zone by going “carry-on only” this trip. I don’t fly very often and am never on a tight deadline, so I don’t mind ambling down to baggage claim to pick up my crappy old Samsonite two-wheeler. And I don’t have to worry about what illegal liquids or instruments of death I’m accidentally carrying in my luggage. But I snagged a good deal on an L.L. Bean pack/​bag that I’ve been ogling for a while, so I’m going to give it a go. Gotta be ready for all that adventure travel in Europe when I hit the lottery!

  79. 79.

    Yutsano

    Side note: I just read an idiotic Blenderella column. I’m not even drinking and I’m making poor decisions.

  81. 81.

    Mnemosyne

    @Steeplejack:

    You can use both Google Docs and Google Sheets offline, and even create new documents. The Asus will store them locally until you get to a wi-fi connection. You can also export them as .docx/.xlsx files if you want. They don’t have all the bells and whistles, but they work pretty well.

  82. 82.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    re: your wi-fi woes. Vaguely recall something about Google offering a Chrome connectivity troubleshooting tool.

    (Trots off to search engine.)

    Yup, here’s the app.

    Worst comes to worst, could make sure everything you don’t want to lose is backed up and then run a Powerwash on the Chromebook.

  84. 84.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Uh-oh, plumbing trouble here in Threadkill Lane. Very low water flow from the bathroom tap when I went to brush my teeth. Checked the bathtub faucet and the kitchen tap—same. Went to bed with teeth unbrushed and hope this situation will miraculously heal itself by the morning.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Mnemosyne:

    Haven’t used Sheets, but I have used Google Docs a lot, and it’s okay. But I have a subscription to Office 365 that covers multiple devices, and I want to see how Word and Excel work on the Chromebook. Ditto for Outlook, although I’m less sure about that.

  86. 86.

    smike

    @Steeplejack:
    Sounds like a plan.

    Laptop/ext. keyboard/mouse is the perfect combo for me at home or on the road. I only recently realized that my laptop keyboard is no longer working, as I use it only occasionally for function keys.

  87. 87.

    sgrAstar

    @Major Major Major Major: can’t believe that smug, square Huntsman could achieve insider status in trump’s WH of crooks and conmen. Hard to imagine how he could save the republic from Moscow……..or is it?!

  88. 88.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @smike:

    Yep, at home my Lenovo notebook is hooked up to my awesome, clicky Das Keyboard and talks to a wireless external mouse.

  89. 89.

    Citizen Alan

    @Bill Arnold:

    I have always taken the position when arguing with the anti-abortion crowd that the Bible clearly indicates that ensoulment happens with the first breath and that therefore nothing in scripture forbids abortion. It’s usually at that point that I’m reminded the devil can quote scripture for his own purpose. Often accompanied by foul language from the person who reminds me.

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