Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

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

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

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

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

No one could have predicted…

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

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Thursday Morning Open Thread: … There Is Always Vengeance

Thursday Morning Open Thread: … There Is Always Vengeance

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Ugly political stuff below the fold, so if it’s too early to face, may I recommend Alain’s On The Road morning post?

The Washington Post will be updating the story here.

Reader Interactions

125Comments

  1. 1.

    different-church-lady

    I especially note the idea that for people like Paul Ryan the concept of accountability is considered a bad thing.

  3. 3.

    gene108

    Sen. Murphy is off on his timeline. McTurtle has been breaking the Senate for 10 years.

    Maddow, on her show last night, brought up that Chris Wray also went to Yale Law School a couple of years behind Brett and joined the Federalist Society. Rod Rosenstein worked with Brett during the Ken Starr days. And if Democrats were so close to someone being investigated, they would be crying bloody murder about these two guys running things. The point being Democrats are being too polite.

    Part of me agrees, but part of me thinks we cannot beat the Republicans playing their game. They are just better at it than us.

    We need to change the rules of what is acceptable in polite society. I am not sure how to do this, but my dream is conservative becomes a dirty word, like liberal was from the 1980’s until 2017, that no politician wants to be associated with.

  4. 4.

    gene108

    @different-church-lady:

    If you look at what Republicans have done, when they are in charge in Congress, from Gingrich onwards, they are constantly working on reducing accountability.

    Ryan is just an extension of this, like Trump is an extension of the Republicans 50 years of race baiting.

  5. 5.

    Shalimar

    Morning Gard-on for rapists has their message and they’re pushing it hard. Republicans are energized by Kavanaugh and the only way Senate Dems have a chance in a month is by voting for the evil asshole now

  8. 8.

    Shalimar

    Red state Senste Dems are also on the must-call list. Flske and Murkowski mean nothing if Heitkamp votes yes.

  9. 9.

    gene108

    Krispy Kreme closing overnight ‘Drive-Thru’ after residents share extraordinary footage of ‘honking cars’

    SNIP

    Residents in the area spoke to Independent.ie yesterday about the late-night noise pollution and shared extraordinary footage of dozens of cars beeping their horns in the shopping centre carpark in the middle of the night.

    “We’ve listened to our neighbours and we’re making changes,” Krispy Kreme CEO Richard Cheshire said in a statement issued today.

    They said they will be closing the late-night ‘Drive Thru’ facility from tonight and are now involved in discussions with the council for a long-term solution to the issue. The store will remain open and the in-store queue time has been estimated at 10-12 minutes.

    SNIP

    We anticipated a warm welcome for Krispy Kreme in Ireland and have long wanted to open a store here, but the response has been way ahead of our most optimistic expectations.

    “For the customers coming into our store in Blanchardstown, the smiles and joy have been great to see. For the most part too, our drive thru has been a success.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/news/krispy-kreme-closing-overnight-drivethru-after-residents-share-extraordinary-footage-of-honking-cars-37380294.html

    Didn’t realize Ireland didn’t have access to quality donuts prior to this or maybe no donuts at all.

  15. 15.

    Amir Khalid

    I am tempted to hug that dog with the soulful eyes and smooch it on the head. For some reason, I don’t feel that way about either Paul Ryan or Donald Trump.

  16. 16.

    HeleninEire

    @gene108: There are more fucking donut shops than you can count in Dublin. There’s Boston Donuts, Rolling Donuts, Aungier Danger, Offbeat Donuts, Dublin Donut Company, and those are just the chains. And this is not counting all the coffee shops and bakeries and one-off donut shops. Just like Starbucks, you cannot walk more than 3 blocks without hitting a donut shop.

    TOO MANY DONUTS!

  19. 19.

    hueyplong

    @Sab: Nothing, if your idea of a treat is tire-shaped Wonder Bread with even more sugar than is on other donuts.

    But there is no denying that they’re usually a hit when introduced to a place that hasn’t had them. I recall when the SF Giants introduced a KK concession at the ballpark. The line was absurdly long, and the price similar to what I’d expect if they were pushing a highly addictive Schedule A substance.

    [Is Schedule A still a thing? And should a Democratic mole introduce them to Trump, saying they are best when combined with two scoops of ice cream?]

  21. 21.

    hueyplong

    gene108 sums is up pretty well. It comes down to whether you are a fan of glaze. I’m not. Lots of people are.

    It’s not the same thing as deciding whether sending kids to concentration camps is nothing more than an appropriately stern implementation of disincentives to protect Murka.

  22. 22.

    Nicole

    I still remember how excited my grew-up-in-Tennessee roommates were when Krispy Kreme opened a store in NYC in ‘94-‘95. Never having liked glazed donuts, it was not my thing. But man, their joy was equal parts gorgeous and terrifying.

  27. 27.

    Tsukune

    @gene108: The problem with Krispy Kreme donuts is that as soon as they are not fresh and hot, they are just a plain glazed donut. When they opened a store around me, everyone was waiting in line for a dozen or two. But once the box was at the office, the donuts had gotten cool.

    Now its a Starbucks.

  28. 28.

    low-tech cyclist

    @Sab:

    What’s wrong with Krispy Kreme?

    Their glazed donuts are mostly air, for one thing. That wasn’t a big deal back in 1971 when they were 6¢ apiece, but now they charge real money for the things. They cost enough now that they’re barely worth it when you get them hot, right after being made, and otherwise they’re a ripoff.

  29. 29.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Shalimar: They’re right that Republicans are energized by Kavanaugh. But my experience is that in the short term, they’re energized more when they win things than when they lose. They’re like the sports fans who are more likely to set buildings on fire and flip cars over when their team wins. There’s this destructive energy that builds up more when there’s a taste of victory.

  30. 30.

    debbie

    @gene108:

    My dad used to take us to Krispy Kreme late on Saturday night. We’d sit and wait for the doughnuts to come out of the oven at about 11pm. He’d buy a box of them for Sunday breakfast. Driving home surrounded by that maddeningly delicious aroma was almost too much. I liked Krispy Kreme. I still like Krispy Kreme.

  31. 31.

    germy

    @Matt McIrvin:

    They’re like the sports fans who are more likely to set buildings on fire and flip cars over when their team wins. There’s this destructive energy that builds up more when there’s a taste of victory.

    That’s a good point.

    Their guy won, and yet they’re more restless than ever.

  32. 32.

    Kay

    Thousands of ordinary people will walk into courtrooms today and they’ll be put under oath and the vast majority will tell the truth, although for many of them it will be very difficult or humiliating or expose them to civil or criminal sanctions and it may and often does harm their reputations and their reputations are just as important to them as Kavanaugh’s is to him. They’ll be expected and ordered and threatened to tell the truth, but not Kavanaugh. There’s a lower standard for federal judges. If they would be humiliated or shamed or lose their job or a promotion if they told the truth they can lie at hearings, because they’re better and more important than everyone else. We won’t hold the supreme court nominee to the standard that any ordinary person will be held to today in courtrooms and hearings all over the country ( and thousands will be, today) because he won’t meet the standard if we do.

    It isn’t really a high standard. Lots and lots and lots of people testify, and they don’t lie under oath. It’s an ordinary requirement. Most people meet it.

  33. 33.

    bjacques

    @gene108: SEZ YOU!! Shipley Donuts are the only ones that matter!

    I dunno if anyone’s noticed, but Kelleywise also admitted to having been sexually assaulted. More attempts to garner sympathy before jamming Kavanaugh through anyway.

  35. 35.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    Thousands of ordinary people will walk into courtrooms today and they’ll be put under oath and the vast majority will tell the truth, although for many of them it will be very difficult or humiliating or expose them to civil or criminal sanctions and it may and often does harm their reputations and their reputations are just as important to them as Kavanaugh’s is to him.

    QFT.

  36. 36.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Kay: What seems be lost on many, including our media, is that this isn’t a trial; it’s a job interview. You can lose out on a job because the hiring manager doesn’t like the color of your tie.

  38. 38.

    Baud

    @Matt McIrvin:

    they’re energized more when they win things than when they lose. 

    That’s why sitting out elections or voting third party is effectively supporting the GOP.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    And it really will fall apart if everyone does what Kavanaugh did, because investigators and courts can’t function unless lots and lots and lots of people- most people- tell the truth. So we’re not only holding him to a much lower standard, we’re hoping against hope that regular people don’t imitate him- if they did the whole system would grind to halt.

    We can’t have a majority of Brett Kavanaughs. That would be fatal to the justice system. If the general public starts to be held only to the rock bottom ten per cent he’s in, the whole system collapses. It’ll be a fiction, a play, theater. Lies on top of lies.

  42. 42.

    germy

    18-29 year olds, do you really want the people 65+ to make your decisions for you? These are the people demanding you explain their phones to them, while also writing articles about how dumb you are for liking avocados. https://t.co/mg2eYBaUjk— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) October 3, 2018

  43. 43.

    Hildebrand

    Sitting here in Michigan, watching Democrats build nice leads up and down the ballot, I am thinking that the national press is once again going to miss the rather important fact that all of the elections this fall are local elections, and they will be won or lost on local issues. They can try to nationalize this election all they want, but folks are energized at the local level to get actual stuff done, and to do that, they will elect Democrats. The Kavanaugh crap is only making folks around here more willing to get out there and make sure that everyone gets to the polls.

    The conversations I have had with a few local union leadership types is that they are banging the drum for what I would call ‘good governance’. People want the politicians to actually get stuff done, and the Republicans are allergic to getting anything done other than their ‘enrich the rich’ economic plans, and their ‘screw everyone who isn’t a white man’ social agenda. From the union reps, the fabled Obama/Trump voters are getting sick of the sideshow and want to see some actual benefit for them, and they are realizing that is never going to happen. This is not true of a good number of those voters, but significant enough to more than swing the election back to the party that actually believes in governing. The Morning Joe crowd may not see it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

  45. 45.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Did you see the commentary? “He is under so much pressure! He is being humiliated!” Join the crowd, Brett. Join the tens of thousands of people shuffling thru courts all over the country. They value their lives and jobs and reputations too, yet when they’re ordered to tell the truth under oath, they do. Some don’t, but thank goodness most do. Because if they didn’t courts and investigators and law enforcement wouldn’t know anything, because most of what they know people tell them.

  49. 49.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    It’s funny how the blather about due process, because truth-telling is essential to due process. There would be a lot more wrongful convictions if most people lied as much as Kavanaugh does. If they lied to protect themselves like he does.

  50. 50.

    Betty Cracker

    @debbie: Krispy Kreme is the best. I like Dunkin too, but their donuts are like little round cakes with a hole. Krispy Kreme donuts have the texture and crumb structure that make them the Platonic Ideal of donuts, IMO.

  52. 52.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    @Matt McIrvin: They would have found something to get pissed about and energized no matter what. There’s always some new outrage – it’s inevitable. We just have to turn out…there are more of us and if we’re energized and show up it won’t matter if they’re energized. Gotta hope we’ve been running an excellent Obama-esque GOTV operation.

  53. 53.

    Kay

    @Hildebrand:

    The governor’s races are a real bright spot the last couple months- a kind of a respite from the venality and cynicism of the national scene.

  55. 55.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay:

    “He is under so much pressure!

    And he can’t handle it.

    He is being humiliated!”

    Like he has subjected countless women to? Pobrecito.

  56. 56.

    germy

    My apologies to all the cool, liberal, 65+ people I offended with my earlier tweet. You are beautiful, wonderful statistical anomalies and I appreciate you. Now please go yell at your contemporaries who are not as cool.— Ashley Nicole Black (@ashleyn1cole) October 4, 2018

  57. 57.

    Kay

    So things are going well for my youngest at Taco Bell. He says his manager likes him because they talk about music- the manager is a “metal” fan and my son knows all about music. He had 4 hours of training videos and with some artful questioning I was able to ascertain that it was about food safety, and not anti-union propaganda. I approve! The more food safety the better, as far as I’m concerned.

    I’m nervous about him working, not because I think “working” is bad for him but because he’s easy going and I’m afraid I’ll have to jump in and limit his hours so he puts his school work first. I don’t want the metal fan over there determining his future.

  58. 58.

    Ken

    Yeah, Krispy Kremes are best when they’re hot. But once they cool, the hard candy shell makes a protective coating that keeps them fresh-ish for days.

  60. 60.

    Hildebrand

    @Kay: Yep, a nice tonic to the daily stupid. But I think that is true of a great many races this fall, the Democrats are running folks who know that the best way to win is to talk about real stuff, not the ‘show’ in DC. A great many people actually want their elected officials to get stuff accomplished. Talking to a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, she mentioned that her greatest frustration is that the Senate and House have essentially given up governing. She is planning on sitting this election out.

  61. 61.

    Amir Khalid

    @Kay:
    What the people trying to get Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court want is not justice, but to pwn the liberals. They want to frustrate liberal ideals and dismantle liberal achievements. They want to protect a president liberals consider unfit for office and a danger to the country, bcause it will anger the libs and help their own.agenda. They consider Kavanaugh’s open partisanship a feature, not a bug. He’ll do everything they want and that’s all that matters.They have as much as said they don’t care about his lying or his drinking or his history as a sexual predator

  64. 64.

    satby

    Krispy Kremes are the worst piles of grease and sugar masquerading as a food item I’ve ever had. Even hot out of the oven they’re disgusting. What is it with overly sugared stuff from the southern region of this country?

    The outline of how they want to present the FBI report screams cover-up to even low info voters. They can stuff him into the Court of they try hard enough, but they won’t be able to keep him on past 2020 at the most. And if he’s successfully impeached Clarence Thomas will be next.

  69. 69.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    When I was in college, once in a while the cafeteria would set up a donut machine, fry the donuts right in front of you, and hand them out hot. Those were the best.

  71. 71.

    Kay

    @Hildebrand:

    I watched the last Ohio governor’s race debate and I agree. It was like a relief- an exhale. They were talking about 700k on Medicaid and Issue One- you know, numbers. Real things :)

    I had the confidence that comes from knowing your candidate can debate these things with ease, too. He knows what he’s talking about. I wasn’t sitting there waiting to cringe when he blows a question- these are softballs to him- he could say a lot more.

  74. 74.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Not lying under pressure is the whole point of not lying. Duh. That’s the thing. That’s why it’s hard. If there’s an exception for “under pressure” they may as well throw the rule out. That’s the only time it comes into play.

  76. 76.

    rumpole

    One thing to think about is who’s behind this McConnell – sure, but also McGahn. The FEC was not a terribly effective body, but there’s no one more responsible for breaking it. There were no significant campaign enforcement actions while he was there.

    https://www.emptywheel.net/2018/08/18/should-trump-run-don-mcgahn-has-been-covering-for-roger-stones-rat-fucking-for-seven-years/
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/i-worked-with-trumps-pick-for-white-house-counsel-he-doesnt-care-about-corruption/2016/12/09/76f0793c-bcac-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?utm_term=.4151ffec79ff

    He’s going to do to the court what he did to the FEC: destroy its credibility and enable wholesale corruption. Dear Mr. Nadler: when the time comes, please save a subpoena for him.

  77. 77.

    Hildebrand

    @Kay: I think the Republicans may be in the process of making the same mistake Democrats did years ago, focusing on the national ‘campaign’ whilst taking their eye off the local elections. The donor class may be happy about the tax cuts, and the loudest of the Talibangelicals may be thrilled about Trump doing their bidding for justices, but the Republicans running at the state level don’t have much to run on – so many have to resort to fear and loathing because Congress has given them squat to with which to work. Cordray in Ohio, Whitmer in Michigan – both of them have the ability to talk constructively about what they want to do. Whitmer bangs the drum on a daily basis of getting our infrastructure back up to par – one of her early ads was a brilliant intro ad that finished with, ‘and we are going to fix the damn roads!’ That resonates. People care about roads and schools and health care; this election will hinge on that, not the distractions of Trump and the chattering classes. Trump’s ghastly behavior just reminds Democrats that they need to bury this freak-show.

  79. 79.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @hueyplong:

    The best donuts are the Dunkin’ Donuts maple iced bacon donuts. Just have your cardiologist on speed dial.

  80. 80.

    El Caganer

    @germy: Ashley might want to take a peek at the pics of the Tiki Torchers in Charlottesville. Probably just my poor old 65+ eyes, but they looked kinda young to me.

  82. 82.

    Amir Khalid

    The best donuts I’ve ever had were fried ones, fresh out of the street vendor’s wok and dusted with sugar. You get the thing in its purest form: hot and simple and satisfying. The foreign brands overdo it with their fancy frosting flavours and elaborate decoration.

  83. 83.

    germy

    I used to work with a guy who called Dunkin’ Donuts “Fuckin’ GoNuts”

    I literally haven’t thought about that in decades. Random memory.

    I’ve reached an age where I feel like my life is flashing before my eyes, but in slow motion.

  84. 84.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: Telling the truth when nothing is at stake is easy. When everything is at stake? That’s when a person’s true character comes forth.

  86. 86.

    Ohio Mom

    @Tsukune: Exactly. Krispy Kremes are only good for the first few minutes after they’re finished being created.

    I think one of their draws as a chain is being able to watch the machinery. When I was the mom of a toddler and one opened up in the neighborhood, it was a fun way to break up a long day.

  88. 88.

    jackmac

    My family and I were blown away by the kindness and supportive comments after I posted on Wednesday about the passing of Daisy, our Balloon Juice calendar girl dog. Thank you all so much. Reading and sharing your comments with my family helped give us such a lift. What an awesome community!

  90. 90.

    EveryDayIHaveTheBlues

    Hey folks, I’ve been trying to reach Sen. Rob Portman’s office to tell him to vote “NO” on BK. But as people from OH well know, he always lets it go to voice-mail. I’ve tried the DC office and the Cincinnati office, and get VMs in both places.

    Can anyone repost the information about sending postcards to senators? I tried google, but didn’t find the site that a commenter here mentioned.

    Also, too, faxzero.com (https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php) says that Portman is not accepting faxes. Does anyone have any experience with using resistbot (https://resist.bot/) to send messages to their members of congress?

    Many thanks!

  91. 91.

    Steve in the ATL

    @gene108: years ago I walked into Harrod’s for reasons I don’t recall, and it was opening day for Krispy Kreme donuts in London. Brits were waiting in long lines to pay around $5 per donut.

    I laughed at the suckers who were eating crappy American food and bought a plate of boiled mutton and blood sausage.

  94. 94.

    MomSense

    I don’t have words strong enough to express what a sham, farce, and fraud this Kavanaugh nomination process is. And now twitter is turning it into an opportunity for some of the cruelest bullying I’ve ever seen. And this is making the Republican base (they are so fucking base) giddy. Dr. ford testified that the worst part was that Kavanaugh and Judge were laughing at her expense. Trump had to have watched her testimony to know exactly how to bully her at his hate rallies. There just aren’t adequate words for how horrible this is.

    At the same time, the Trump administration is moving kidknapped children in the middle of the night to a tent city that intentionally cannot provide the care these children require. It’s a fucking state sanctioned trafficking operation. We are at the stage of mass transportation of one group of people to concentration camps.
    They are doing this to children. We are in danger.

  95. 95.

    geg6

    @satby:

    Krispy Kremes are the worst piles of grease and sugar masquerading as a food item I’ve ever had. Even hot out of the oven they’re disgusting. What is it with overly sugared stuff from the southern region of this country?

    OMG, this. KK opened their first place here about a decade ago and everyone went nuts. And a bunch more opened. For about five minutes. And then they realized how nasty they were and how many great donut places we have around here that are just divine. I don’t get it. To me, they taste like styrofoam covered with a melted pure powdered sugar coating. Horrible, warm or cold. I love donuts and I wouldn’t eat a KK donut if you paid me. And I also agree that many southern sweets are way too sweet for me. I feel the tooth decay happening when I eat many southern sweets. Pecan pie (and pecans may well be my favorite nut) is another that I simply don’t understand how people can down it. Ugh.

  97. 97.

    gene108

    @schrodingers_cat:

    I LOVE gulab jamuns. If my mom let me, I probably could’ve eaten a 100 of them in a sitting, when I was a kid.

    She made a bunch for me a couple of times on my birthday. They did not last long.

  98. 98.

    geg6

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    When I was a kid out trick or treating, we had a fairly large neighborhood to cover. One family lived right smack in the middle of the plan and was the pit stop. Instead of giving out candy, they opened their sun room and had everyone come in, where they were frying up donuts and serving hot cider and hot chocolate (and coffee and tea for the parents). It was wonderful. And those donuts were a thousand times better than any chain’s.

  100. 100.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Kay: it is my humble opinion that, generally speaking, it would behoove food service, retail, and call center employees to organize.

    Man, I hope this comment doesn’t get me a good reputation….

  101. 101.

    Procopius

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: It’s just another diversionary tactic. They don’t care about burden of proof or standards of evidence. As you say, it’s a job interview and his alcoholic outburst should have been enough to flush him down the toilet. Not even mentioning that he has publicly sworn that he will use his office to get revenge, which I think includes his seat on the Appeals Court. What bothers me is that Manchin has indicated he’s going to vote for confirmation, I’m convinced Heitkamp and Nelson are, too, and probably some more of the Blue Dogs (thanks so much, Rahm, Debbie, Chuck). There’s no real point to hounding Collins and Murkowski, they aren’t going to be the deciding votes after all.

  102. 102.

    hueyplong

    Fans of the current administration are sullen until they get the chance to hurt somebody.

    Then they are “energized.”

    If it hadn’t been Kavanaugh, it would have been something else. It’s a waste of time to try out a strategy of not provoking them. Fight the Kavanaugh nomination to the bitter end and then, regardless of outcome, make sure that you and like minded people you know vote.

  103. 103.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @geg6: Iwas with you right up till you said,

    Pecan pie (and pecans may well be my favorite nut) is another that I simply don’t understand how people can down it.

    DEM’S FIGHTIN’ WORDS!!!!

  104. 104.

    chris

    @MomSense: Also Russian ratfucking. the British ambassador to the Netherlands:

    “The GRU has interfered in three elections and pursued a hostile campaign of cyber attacks” – Britain’s Ambassador to the Netherlands says Russian intelligence can no longer be allowed to act with “apparent impunity” Source

    ETA: Editing is back?!!

  105. 105.

    Ohio Mom

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: I’ve been calling Portman as well for the past few days, and also getting answering machines in every city ( I go down the whole list of offices on the bottom of his web page), except for mid-afternoon yesterday. I got a snotty, bored intern at the DC office.

    It is a little different than when I was calling about saving the ACA —then they didn’t answer the phone AND all the voice mails were usually full.

    I used the form on the email site to write a letter. I don’t think that does anything but I get to release some steam, and that is good for my well-being.

  106. 106.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Hildebrand: I think the Republicans are just betting on their zombie followers screaming about how we need change in the government and then voting for the incumbent because he as an R after name Talking to the conservatives I know, their brains really are mush and the sheer stupidity of them can’t be overstated.

  109. 109.

    geg6

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I don’t like brownies either. Or chocolate chip cookies. Or most cakes. Or ice creams with “stuff” in them (like cookie dough, bleccch!). I am not a fan of super sweet things. I like sweet, but there is a limit to how much I can take.

  110. 110.

    EveryDayIHaveTheBlues

    @Ohio Mom: Thanks for the response! Yeah, Portman and Steve Chabot are just the worst. I can never reach anybody there. On the other hand, Brown always has somebody answering phones: there is a night-day difference between him and the Rs. I called the other day and left a message with his intern re: BK.

    Perhaps I’ll send an email via Portman’s website.

  111. 111.

    Ohio Mom

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Some of the Republicans I know are just plain dumb, some are motivated by bigotry, some are mentally ill, but most just have huge blind spots that they protect and nuture because changing your mind is painful.

  112. 112.

    Emma

    @MomSense: We have to start taking back the states. From dogcatcher to governor. Especially the school boards. And we need to create a solid information delivery system. Infrastructure, people!

    I CAN EDIT!

  113. 113.

    O. Felix Culpa

    I was at a a candidates’ forum last night, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, in which the R candidate (male, of course), shouted, bullied, blustered, and slandered his opponent, trampling the ground rules of the event. The extremely smart and composed D candidate (female, of course) held her own very well, but I was dismayed to see how ill-prepared the LWV moderator was to control the R candidate’s boorish, Trumpian behavior. She tried, but couldn’t manage the situation. Finally the attendees stopped politely waiting for the organization to take control and started vocally calling him out when he got out of line. It was emotionally draining to watch the ignorant buffoon vs. capable woman drama play out in front of one’s eyes. We need to figure out better strategies to fight back.

  114. 114.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Quadruple amen. They’re horrid concoctions of air and cloying, waxy lube held together with what may as well be ruptured pellets of cellulose sponge. And that disgusting glaze? The stuff with an ugly, inescapable metallic taste? Makes horrid into putrid.

    Wouldn’t feed ’em to a Republican, as that would be a violation of the Eighth Amendment.

  115. 115.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @geg6: I’m actually with you on that. My preferred “sweet” is along the lines of banana nut bread fresh from the oven with butter melting into it.

    ETA: do I have to give up my kingdom now?

  116. 116.

    CaseyL

    I’ve never liked Krispy Kremes. However, thanks to them, my Mom long ago coined a fantastic spoonerism: Dazed Glonuts.

    It is now a family expression to indicate a certain level of inebriation.

  118. 118.

    Shakti

    @EveryDayIHaveTheBlues: Yes. BTW, ResistBot asked to check if I was still registered to vote and to send a text once a month to check. I voted in the primary without issue (from the poll workers), and my Supervisor of Elections site says I’m registered to vote, but I feel anxious anyways because I’m waiting on my absentee ballot and I haven’t received it yet.

  119. 119.

    worn (in pdx but originally from atl)

    @Steve in the ATL: I live in Portland; moved here half a lifetime ago from Atlanta. Voodoo Donuts are certainly a testament to the power of marketing, that’s for sure. But they are bog standard cake donuts deserving of no special accolades. Sure they cover them in the most unusual crap (and some are even phallic shaped – oh the titillation!), but the basic donut is the very definition of pedestrian. I always laugh when I see folks on an airplane hauling a box of those things back to wherefuckingever (like I probably will tomorrow on my way to the ATL).

    Commenters above got it exactly right when making a distinction between fresh, hot Krispy Kremes and those that have cooled, the former being pretty close to confectionary heaven. Betty is right; their texture and mouth feel is substantively different from pretty much every other donut I’ve ever had.

    And I have such great childhood memories of waiting for the hot donuts with my family at the KK bakery on Ponce, while watching all the machinery in operation. This was years before they embarked on their big expansion. Is that joint still there, I wonder?

  122. 122.

    joel hanes

    Donuts: adult opinion : Stan’s on Homestead Ave in Santa Clara or go home.
    Donuts: childhood : sour-cherry-filled frosted bismark from the Clifton’s supermarket bakery

  124. 124.

    Origuy

    @joel hanes: Stan’s is the best, especially hot. There’s a line out the door every morning. Manley’s (several locations) is pretty good, too. I’m ok with Krispy Kreme, but they’re overpriced.
    I was in Canada in August and had a Tim Horton’s Canadian maple donut almost every day.

  125. 125.

    Mo MacArbie

    Hot cider donuts at the orchard, plain or cinnamon sugar. It’s October, after all.

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