Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

In my day, never was longer.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

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Reader Interactions

166Comments

  4. 4.

    Raven

    We have about an hour and a half of the eight hour drive to go. The fishing wasn’t great as far as catch but I did get a nice big trout. The life these dudes live in Florida is interesting. Basically they spark up and fish all day every day.

  5. 5.

    Bruce K

    Steve knows what’s important, I suppose.

    Unlike me, because I think I just provoked Curt Schilling into calling me ignorant, outright stupid, and insane.

    Was he right?

  6. 6.

    donnah

    Steve is awesome.

    My male cat chirps at birds he sees out on the tree and his tail twitches like ninety. But he’s an indoor guy, no chance at nabbing one. He also makes little barking sounds when I get up first thing in the morning, which either means, “I love you, Mama”, or more likely, “Feed me immediately!”

  8. 8.

    Jeffro

    Morning everyone! Hey me and Mrs. Fro bought a house last night, how ’bout them apples? Moving in early August!

  11. 11.

    Bruce K

    Sorry if I wasn’t clearer:

    Schilling was talking about whether the parents of murdered students would, if offered the chance, go back in time to one day before whatever massacre and give their child’s teacher a gun. The poll answers were “yes”, “no”, and “I hate logic”.

    My response was basically: “dude, firearms aren’t precision instruments in the hands of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” I’ve handled them enough (under supervision) to know that.

    And Schilling basically held me up as an example of “liberal” ignorance, stupidity, and insanity.

    How the hell does one counter that?

  13. 13.

    Major Major Major Major

    Slept in, now trying a slightly different baking method for the second half of the other day’s bread dough. (How much extra time do folks add to the second rise if the dough comes out of the fridge? The recipe says “Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated” which I assume means 1:40).

    @Jeffro: Awesome!

  16. 16.

    J R in WV

    @Bruce K:

    And Schilling basically held me up as an example of “liberal” ignorance, stupidity, and insanity.

    How the hell does one counter that?

    Since Schilling has been revealed as a cheap con artist, stealing money (millions of dollars!) from his home state for a delusion he had about gaming, you don’t need to counter it. He’s an ass, only an ass would dream up his poll, only an ass would complete his poll. You did the right thing. Said the right thing.

    Now he’s left with a correct response to his stupid “poll” forever.

  22. 22.

    khead

    @Bruce K:

    How the hell does one counter that?

    The first thing to understand is that Curt – like many folks on my FB feed – is not arguing in good faith. He’s looking to “own the libs” on his own turf. So, I refer you to Dalton from “Road House”. His first rule was to always, ALWAYS “take it outside”. No one gives a shit what you have to say on Curt’s feed. Curt won’t do it – but you aren’t going to win on his twitter feed either.

  23. 23.

    Ohio Mom

    @Bruce K: You could have just as soon asked those parents if they wished they had started homeschooling their kids the day before.

    It’s a fool’s errand, asking “What if?”, and it’s cruel of this Curt Schilling (never heard of him, not interested in knowing any more about him) to goad them into pining for alternate scenarios. Whether or not those alternate scenarios make any sense on their own — and yes, arming teachers is a dumb and horrible idea, if for no other reason that guns are scary and children need to feel safe around their teachers. The teachers’ markmanship skills or lack of aside.

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    @Bruce K: Maybe point to the case of Amadou Diallo. 41 shots fired by 4 supposedly well trained NYCPD officers, “only” 19 hit him.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Amadou_Diallo

    Most people don’t react well in extremely stressful situations – even when they are “well trained”.

    Life isn’t a video game or a shooting range.

    But, really, it isn’t going to matter what you say to Schilling. His income depends on his story.

    HTH.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  28. 28.

    J R in WV

    Also, John, Steve is a wonderful cat, worth every penny in car food he requires.

    Eeping in his sleep, how sweet! He’s having a great dream, don’t wake him up unless it’s dinner time!

  31. 31.

    J R in WV

    @Bruce K:

    It does make sense. Thanks.

    ETA: Carl Schilling obviously knows nothing whatsoever about hand gun shooting or emergencies.

    ETA 2 : Nothing to apologize for, now we all know a little more about Carl’s emotional issues and mental stability~!

  32. 32.

    lollipopguild

    @Raven: Yes. You could have said that you are a double nought spy (008?) for the government and have to keep your identity secret.

  33. 33.

    debbie

    Danger, Will Robinson! The RWNJ Universe is about to embark on a campaign questioning and besmirching Nancy’s health, just like they did Hillary’s. Glenn Beck ended his show today questioning her fitness for office (“She seems kind of feeble”).

  34. 34.

    Ohio Mom

    The daffodils in my front yard are pushing through the soil. They must be three or four inches tall, which I find very heartening.

    I am hoping the change of seasons takes away this miserable free-floating anxiety that settled over me a couple of weeks ago and refuses to budge.

    @Jeffro: Congrats on the house. Is this your first foray into home ownership?

  36. 36.

    Leto

    @Jeffro: Grats!! Are there any home improvements you’re looking to make right away? Did you two get everything you wanted, or was there some compromise involved?

  41. 41.

    AnotherBruce

    @Bruce K Good work on increasing the odds that Schilling would stroke out. And all you had to do was to be logical and knowledgeable about the subject. Again, Good Work!

  44. 44.

    Brachiator

    For Southern California people. Elizabeth Warren is coming to town

    Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is set to speak Monday night in Glendale at what is billed as an organizing event for her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

    Doors will open at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., at 6 p.m., with the event beginning at 7 p.m.

    Admission is free. Tickets aren’t required, but an RSVP to http://www.facebook.com/events/2264881000236841/ is strongly encouraged. Admission will be first-come, first-served. Capacity at the Alex Theatre is 1,413.

  46. 46.

    Roger Moore

    @Bruce K:

    The poll answers were “yes”, “no”, and “I hate logic”.

    I notice how the range of answers is centered around getting more guns into the picture. There’s never an option about getting the gun away from the maniac before he tries to use it.

  47. 47.

    Ruckus

    @Bruce K:
    If he thinks that everyone is capable of handling a gun then you can just call him an ignorant moron and move on, for he is useless. He knows everything and nothing and will only learn anything different after he shoots himself in the groin and renders himself sterile and impotent.

  48. 48.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @J R in WV: Dunno about this “Carl” Schilling, but you’re spot on re Curt Schilling…who for Ohio Mom’s edification, is a RWNJ & certified shithead who made a pile of $$$ as a wicked good starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox back in the day. Another reason to despise the Sawx.

  50. 50.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Bruce K: Two videos I remember seeing. One was a simulated situation, where a guy who was carrying a concealed weapon fumbled it when the “shooter” appeared on scene and would have been killed multiple times. Never did get his gun clear. I can’t remember how they set it up so that he was carrying but yet was sitting in a seminar room not expecting the shooting to happen. But I’m pretty sure he was a gun nut and expected to be a hero. Can’t recall enough details to locate the video.

    And I remember someone actually being killed during the Bundy ranch standoff when he thought he’d be Rambo, tried repeatedly to pull his gun out from under his jacket and was shot by a law enforcement officer before his third attempt.

  54. 54.

    Jeffro

    Thanks everyone! We are pretty psyched…moving from a 40-year-old home to a 2-year-old one with a nice open floor plan. Fro Jr excited about the finished basement/game room/teen hangout space. If he would quit beating me at foosball I’d be excited about it too!

    @Leto: No improvements needed…well, just a fence for the dog! We often ‘kid on the square’ with friends that we don’t do maintenance, we just move. =)

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:
    She seems kind of feeble
    Never forget that everything is projection with republicans/conservatives. drumpf is, feeble, ergo the opposition has to be at least that as well. Their world revolves around the stick up their collective asses, they are selfish beyond human understanding, but think the opposite and see the world as being them and everyone else and have to prosecute the rest of the world for not being exactly like them.

  56. 56.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Another Scott: I think there’s a lot of hate here for Malcolm Gladwell for some reason, but he covered the Amadou Diallo incident in gory detail in Blink, and I think he had a lot of good interesting things to say, gleaned from psychology experiments, about how stress and rushing cause distortions in perception and panic. One of the cops (according to Gladwell) SAW his partner shot on the stoop, SAW the gun (reality: his partner tripped and Diallo was pulling out his wallet).

    Elsewhere Gladwell covers an incident where a cop took a second to not shoot a kid who was beginning to raise an actual firearm. The kid lowered his arm and lived.

    The difference between these incidents is a matter of a few seconds. Why are we not training our LEO personnel to try to assess the situation for 2 seconds before pulling the trigger? I ask myself this question every time we hear of a cop shooting an innocent person (black of course) because racism puts them into panic mode and they then act without observing. Both of those need to be addressed. If someone wants to start the LEO “wait 2 seconds and also he’s not scary just because he’s black” training institute, I’ll contribute.

  60. 60.

    Quiltingfool

    Thanks for the picture of Steve! I really enjoy seeing pictures of your overlords, uh, pets! My fat kitty went to the vet today for shots; she doesn’t like going – piteous cries all the way there – but she behaves well for the vet. We are home now and she is sitting on my lap, purring. Snoring will come later.

  65. 65.

    Roger Moore

    @debbie:

    Projection or not, it will be the latest way for them to undermine her.

    To try to undermine her. The problem is that it’s much harder to undermine a Congressional leader than a Presidential candidate. A Congressional leader only has to deal with their constituents in their district and the other members of their caucus. As long as Nancy is strong in SF and manages to hold the Democrats in the House together, all the crazy stuff the Republicans say about her will roll off her back.

  66. 66.

    Plato

    @debbie:
    Undermine her in what way? She is not running for prez. And she sure can’t be removed as a speaker for at least two years since dems are solidly backing her.

  68. 68.

    CaseyL

    Cats asleep with one leg stretched out just make me smile. I think they must feel safe and comfortable to do so, and there’s nothing like a sleeping kitty who feels safe enough to sprawl out and let the dreams take over. There’s also nothing like kitties who talk in their sleep.

    John – Should I ask why you’re in a foul mood? Did something happen – I mean, something other than the constant screaming background of our country TTSing?

  73. 73.

    Bruce K

    @Villago Delenda Est: I don’t have a DD 214, unfortunately; I was a conscript in the Greek army, not a volunteer in the US military. I’ve got my discharge papers somewhere in a file in my apartment, but they’re in Greek, so they’d probably be worth as much in an argument with that clod as a takeout menu.

    (Conscription was … let’s call it an interesting experience. It taught me a few things about myself that the Greek Army would probably have preferred I didn’t learn, and it gave me a shocking lesson in what happens in a society that doesn’t separate church and state.)

  75. 75.

    chopper

    @Roger Moore:

    my favorite is the ‘i hate logic’ option. yeah cause nothing says ‘logic’ like a fantastical hypothetical involving time travel and guns.

  76. 76.

    CaseyL

    @Ohio Mom: Ah. Here in Seattle, not seeing the sun for weeks and weeks because the overcast is three layers deep is…regular weather from late autumn through early spring. Don’t think he’d like it here at all!

    My plans for today: more glasswork, and maybe some housecleaning.

    If anyone remembers me saying I was going to put my glass up on etsy, turns out it’s a bit more complicated than that. They want you to start with at least 10 pieces, which I don’t yet have. So it’s going to take a little longer than I thought to get things started :(

  77. 77.

    chopper

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    it’s an article of faith among gun nuts that they all are have super secret seal team ninja abilities that are just waiting to pop up at a moment’s notice. in reality, of course, what actually would unfold would involve ‘freezing in place and wetting yourself’, or at best ‘pushing every man, woman, and child out of the way as they charge for the exit’.

  79. 79.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Bruce K: This kind of argument is so dumb. It’s like asking “The world would have been better without Hitler – if you go could back in time and kill him as a baby to save the world, would you do it?”. And that just illustrates that to be safe we should just kill ALL babies.

    There’s probably some hypothetical where I would want someone to shoot me with a gun. Wait, I got it:

    I get shot. Then I go to the hospital. Then they discover cancer near the bullet wound, catching it early and saving my life. Therefore, we should just shoot everyone all the time because it can sometimes work out better overall. There.

  80. 80.

    J R in WV

    @debbie:

    …. The RWNJ Universe is about to embark on a campaign questioning and besmirching Nancy’s health, just like they did Hillary’s. Glenn Beck ended his show today questioning her fitness for office (“She seems kind of feeble”).

    Glenn Beck IS kinda feeble, only in his case it’s all in his head, not his body. Feeble-minded is what I’m saying, here. Nancy is far from feeble-minded, and she isn’t in her job to do heavy lifting of freight, but to do heavy lifting of legislation and investigations.

  81. 81.

    J R in WV

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    Oops! Thanks for the correction. I have many friends who were named Carl, and none who were named Curt, which I will blame for my speling errors.

  82. 82.

    opiejeanne

    @Bruce K: This should cheer you up.

    From the Twitter machine:
    Ben Jackson
    ‏

    @DadoftheDecade
    Follow Follow @DadoftheDecade
    More
    Stable genius Curt Schilling retweeted a “news” article about kindergarten teacher John Kimble of Astoria, Oregon, who was shot in the leg and then took down a gunman.

    John Kimble of Astoria, OR was the protagonist of the movie “Kindergarten Cop.”

    And Curt called ME and idiot.

  84. 84.

    J R in WV

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    And I remember someone actually being killed during the Bundy ranch standoff when he thought he’d be Rambo, tried repeatedly to pull his gun out from under his jacket and was shot by a law enforcement officer before his third attempt.

    Actually, I think that was towards the end of the armed occupation of the bird sanctuary up in Oregon, and the deceased was actually committing suicide by cop. But the same bunch of sovereign citizens up there as were at the Bundy ranch in, where? Nevada I think. Maybe.

  86. 86.

    Millard Filmore

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I traveled by airplane a few months after 9/11. At Atlanta airport there were military types stationed at a few corridors. The only thing they could really do is contain a bad situation. Keep anyone from entering a danger area and keep the bad guys from getting out. Protect YOU? Forget it. If you have the bad luck to be next to where it all starts, you go down in the crossfire.

  87. 87.

    jimmiraybob

    I have no idea what he is dreaming about but he has spent the last three hours alternating between chirping in his sleep and snoring. The fat bastard.

    Hey! What the hell man! What gives you the………….oh, wait a minute. I dozed in front of the computer for a minute and when I woke up I thought you were talking to me. Never mind.

  88. 88.

    NotMax

    On the one hand, somewhat annoying to wake up and discover both ears plugged up.

    On the other hand, the world is a much quieter environment.

  89. 89.

    scav

    Well, if we’re playing time travel hypotheticals, how many parents would have prefered their child had skipped school for some high-action homosexual monkey sex that Valentine’s day? (Or maybe just a pizza.) How many might sign up in support of mandatory vasectomies for all NRA members?

  90. 90.

    Chyron HR

    @debbie:

    The RWNJ Universe is about to embark on a campaign questioning and besmirching Nancy’s health, just like they did Hillary’s.

    To what end? Do they think that if Trump believes she’s old and feeble he’ll stop getting rolled by her?

  91. 91.

    Roger Moore

    @Millard Filmore:

    If you have the bad luck to be next to where it all starts, you go down in the crossfire.

    This point is something the NRA misses with their “the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. By the time the good guy with the gun knows he needs to use it, the bad guy has already started shooting. If he knows what he’s doing, he will have shot the good guy with the gun and now he’ll be more heavily armed. If the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, the real solution is to keep the bad guy from getting a gun in the first place.

  92. 92.

    zhena gogolia

    @NotMax:

    Have they loosened up the definition of strep or something? I thought it was a serious, serious infection that would stick around for months. But three or four people (not including John; student-type people as well as the woman who cuts my hair) have told me they have “strep” and then showed up three days later looking just fine.

  95. 95.

    J R in WV

    @zhena gogolia:

    Have they loosened up the definition of strep or something? I thought it was a serious, serious infection that would stick around for months.

    Depends upon how well available antibiotics work on the strep infection you have, won’t it?

  96. 96.

    hitchhiker

    @Bruce K:

    How about another quiz?

    If you could go back and make the sale of high capacity magazines illegal, would you?
    If you could go back and make thorough background checks and mandatory waiting periods part of every purchase, would you?
    If you could go back and hold weapons manufacturers liable for mass murder, would you?

    Every study shows that more guns in homes = more likelihood of gun death & gun injury in homes. Why should anyone believe it would be different in classrooms?

  101. 101.

    Mandalay

    @Another Scott:

    Most people don’t react well in extremely stressful situations

    I was just about to post something similar on this:

    An 11-year-old boy in Florida was arrested after he refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in class and allegedly refused to listen to orders from school officials and a resource officer.

    According to Bay News 9, the boy got into an argument with his substitute teacher earlier this month at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, Florida, after he refused to stand with his classmates for the pledge.

    After the boy told his substitute teacher that the American flag is racist, she asked him, according to her report to the school, “Why if it was so bad here, he did not go to another place to live.” The boy reportedly responded, “They brought me here.” The teacher then said, “Well, you can always go back, because I came here from Cuba, and the day I feel I’m not welcome here anymore, I would find another place to live.”

    The teacher said she then called the office because she “did not want to continue dealing with him.”

    The school resource officer eventually arrested the boy. The arrest affidavit claims the boy was disruptive, didn’t follow commands, called school staff racist, and threatened to get the school resource officer and principal fired and to beat the teacher, according to Bay News 9. The boy told the news station that he did not threaten the teacher with violence.

    The student was taken to a juvenile detention center and charged with disrupting a school function and resisting arrest without violence. He was also suspended for three days.
    https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/2/18/18229336/pledge-of-allegiance-arrest-florida-school

    Of course the student was fully entitled to take a pass on the Pledge of Allegiance, but that wasn’t how they got him. They provoked him and fucked with him when he was 100% in the right, and then when he reacted badly they nailed him.

    Happens all the time….cops illegally pulling cars over, cops illegally asking for ID, cops escalating situations when the victim is not being sufficiently deferential. The system doesn’t nail you for having done anything wrong; it nails you for how you react to being badly fucked over.

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    @opiejeanne:

    Maybe I’m remembering some nightmare scenarios from my childhood, when the antibiotics weren’t that good. I’ve never had it myself (tfu, tfu, tfu).

  104. 104.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @zhena gogolia: Strep infections (bacteria group A Streptococcus) are usually pretty responsive to penicillin or amoxicillin – or something else if there’s an allergy to those. In fact strep will resolve on its own (my doc says) but may well damage kidneys before it does, and can also progress to rheumatic fever with cardiac implications. More than you wanted to know, I’m sure!

    TL;DR Strep is easily treatable with antibiotics and recovery is generally pretty quick.

  105. 105.

    MattF

    @debbie: It’s… almost as though… they have a very limited repertoire of resposes to policy challenges. Wonder what the reason for that could possibly be.

  106. 106.

    Ohio Mom

    @zhena gogolia: Just think of yourself ahead of the curve. Once we perfect superbugs immune to our current antibiotics, your hazy memory will be a clear view of the present.

    Aren’t I Miss Cheerful?

  109. 109.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Roger Stone just threaten to kill the presiding judge of his case.

    Roger Stone now directly attacking the federal judge presiding over his case and posting a pic of her head beside crosshairs pic.twitter.com/ze3lnuoSOE

    — Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) February 18, 2019

    Joyce Alene
    ‏Verified account @JoyceWhiteVance

    This is completely out of bounds. The cross hairs will likely lead prosecutors to ask for revocation of his pre-trial release. At best, this is a cheap stunt designed to get the judge to recuse, at worst, an outright threat.

    11:17 AM – 18 Feb 2019

    “Only the best people work for me!”

  110. 110.

    opiejeanne

    @Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: Middle child had strep when she was 2 and we didn’t know she was even sick until she broke out in a rash. Scarlet fever. The doc gave her one of the ‘cillins and she started recovering but the next day I took one look at her and rushed her back to Kaiser. She had a staph infection as well (didn’t make itself known until then) and it interferes with the particular med she was given. They switched her to something else and she recovered quickly, but the palms of her hands peeled and she looked like heck for about two weeks.

  113. 113.

    Gravenstone

    @Bruce K: Tell him that his steroid usage has clearly caused brain damage and that he should probably stop embarrassing himself on public forums. Just be sure to have your asbestos snuggies on before hitting /send.

  114. 114.

    debbie

    @Chyron HR:

    It seemed to me it was the same as when they questioned Hillary’s health. Maybe they’re agitating for people to start demanding she resign.

  116. 116.

    Gravenstone

    @debbie: I invite Glen to allow Nancy to smack him upside that pointy head of his with her giant gavel a time or three. Imagine he won’t find her so “feeble” afterwards.

  125. 125.

    opiejeanne

    @jeffreyw: I figured, but for some reason the ears made me question it. My first thought was that you had a kangaroo in your garden. In the snow.

  126. 126.

    Chris T.

    @Chyron HR: They’re probably worried about what happens when Trump and Pence go down for betraying the USA to Russia and we have President Pelosi…

  129. 129.

    Another Scott

    @David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Popehat:

    EmergenHat @Popehat

    By the way, because it looks like it will come up again thanks to Roger Stone: no, you can’t get a new federal judge by insulting your current judge and then claiming resulting bias.EmergenHat added,

    EmergenHat @Popehat
    No. You can’t trigger recusal by being a douche to a judge. https://www.popehat.com/2016/06/06/lawsplainer-when-must-federal-judges-recuse-themselves-anyway/ …

    11:43 AM – 18 Feb 2019

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  131. 131.

    Gravenstone

    @debbie: Seems he’s liberally stretching the boundaries of said order. Of course, the judge did say at the time she issued it that she would review its applicability along with his compliance, and act accordingly.

  133. 133.

    Chris T.

    @Mandalay: When I was a kid, I edited the pledge to say:

    I pledge allegiance to … the United States of America [or rather the ideals] for which it stands: one nation, [divisible but rejoined], with [some] liberty and justice [for some].

    (The bracketed bits don’t fit and weren’t spoken aloud. I think nobody noticed that I left words out.)

  134. 134.

    trollhattan

    Did Trump just open himself up to libel charges?

    US President Donald Trump has issued an angry response after a TV interview on Sunday alleged that officials had held discussions to have him removed.

    Mr Trump tweeted of “illegal and treasonous” behaviour and an “illegal coup attempt”.

    In the interview, ex-acting FBI chief Andrew McCabe said talks had been held in 2017 about invoking a clause that can remove a president deemed unfit.

    The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has vowed to investigate the claims.

    Lindsey Graham said the claims were an “attempted bureaucratic coup”.

    –BBC

  135. 135.

    Tenar Arha

    @Jeffro: Congratulations! That’s a lot of work.

    I’ve been in kind of the reverse situation. I’ve been in Florida for the past 3 weeks cleaning out & prepping my late father’s condo to put it on the market.

    Yesterday was the first day I did absolutely nothing condo related. Today was my last in person meeting with the real estate agent I picked & finishing up with UPS. Now feeling simultaneously ecstatic at all I accomplished, at loose ends without a checklist, and like joining Steve in a good nap myself.

  136. 136.

    jl

    Thnks for Stevepic.

    Since Cole is in a foul mood, good time to remind him that this is a full service blog, and we need a Rosie gallery show.

  139. 139.

    Ohio Mom

    Certainly the perks of my adulthood have included very, very rarely finding myself somewhere where the Pledge must be recited.

    And now that my kid is out of public school and I am no longer attending school functions, it occurs to me that I may never have to stand with my hand over my heart ever again.

  141. 141.

    jl

    @trollhattan: Lindsey Graham said the claims were an “attempted bureaucratic coup”.

    And the corrupt lunatic Graham is in charge of some Senate committee that will look into it.
    Some one needs to call him on his crap, instead of letting him rave like a lunatic for minutes on end on the news talky shows without being challenged.
    So, suppose a president habitually comes into a meeting, completely unhinged, boozed up or high on some drug like, say, a dd r *ll (don’t know if drug names are still forbidden), yells, takes dumps on the table and throws chairs. There will have to be the first person who suggests that there might be something wrong with the president and maybe the CONSTITUTIONAL 25th amendment procedures for looking into the situation are called for.

    The miserable Graham is going to set the precedent of calling that first person to notice something is wrong and suggesting it be looked into a coup plotter.

    Graham has become constitutional poison. I’m going to contribute to his next opponent. Unless that will be illegal for us lesser people.

    The vile Graham has been just as unhinged and dangerous for years. I’ve heard the vicious loon rave for minutes on end on the talky shows about starting all sorts of very dangerous military actions in far away places, based on some BS existential threat he raved about to the US. I guess, being a white guy in the US, while it did set off alarm bells, I just complained about on this here almost top 10,000 blog in a low key way. But, now, I complain about Graham in a high key way.

  142. 142.

    LuciaMia

    @Major Major Major Major: Im trying to perfect my English
    Muffin recipe. Taste is good but the imside texture is still too bun-like. Not enough of the fabled nooks and crannies. I know the initial dough has to be pretty wet,like a ciabatta. Got a new recipe with some different proofing and rolling out steps.

  144. 144.

    jl

    @rikyrah: Of course they can. MAGA!

    Probably should change it a little. Maybe ‘Living the MAG Life!’ would be better.

    Edit: I’ll get some tees printed up with the new slogan and sell them over the internet. Trumpsters will fall for any BS.

  145. 145.

    dnfree

    Florida and Georgia have giant Confederate flags on apparently private land along the interstate. We were just wondering if we, as private citizens, could buy a big flame thrower to use on our next trip.

  146. 146.

    LuciaMia

    @J R in WV: Remember as a kid, dragging my ass around for months untill they finally diagnosed a low-grade strep infection. But if its caught quickly and you get the right antibiotics, the worst should be over in a few days.

  149. 149.

    debbie

    Glad to see this:

    A West Virginia woman who called Michelle Obama an “ape in heels” appears to be the same woman who pleaded guilty to defrauding the Federal Emergency Management Agency out of more than $18,000.

    Pamela Taylor admitted last week to illegally registering for FEMA disaster benefits after a catastrophic flood in June 2016 that killed more than 20 people and damaged numerous properties in West Virginia. She said her Clay County home was damaged by the flood and she was forced to live in a rental property, but her home wasn’t damaged and she was still living there, a Homeland Security investigation found.

    “The flood was a natural disaster. Stealing from FEMA is a man-made disaster,” U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart said in a statement Wednesday.

    Taylor could face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000.

  151. 151.

    tobie

    @jl: Right on. As far as I’m concerned, Graham always was constitutional poison. I first became aware of him during the Clinton impeachment hearings. He was a nasty piece of work then and in the intervening 20 years nothing seems to have changed. Would live to see him lose in 2020.

  152. 152.

    jl

    People been talking about ‘gee, what has happened to Lindsay Graham, he’s become unhinged…. why….?’
    Graham has been unhinged and dangerous and toxic and lunatic for years.
    It’s just that he is working as a pathetic but dangerous mascot to Trump now, not somewhat saner people like McCain or Lieberman, and we are directly in his sights, not some innocent group of brown people half way around the world.

    Same old Lindsay, though. Maybe people not talking before this about that this guy has the potential to be murderous loon that would create mass death and disaster if he had a chance, is an example of ‘US citizen inhabitant privilege’?

  155. 155.

    scav

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Slept in, now trying a slightly different baking method for the second half of the other day’s bread dough. (How much extra time do folks add to the second rise if the dough comes out of the fridge? The recipe says “Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated” which I assume means 1:40).

    I’d say 1:40 might be fine, BUT the important thing is that the bread achieves it’s full rise after shaping, and that’s a notoriously variable amount of time. My sister sometimes just throws the bread almost directly in the oven after an overnight rise if it’s been shaped prior to going in the fridge. I always give it a bit of time out of the fridge under the same conditions. Both seem to work, but we’re both reading / testing the bread before tossing it in the oven. So use the dimple test or whatever it is you use when baking regular unrefrigerated bread.

  158. 158.

    jl

    @rikyrah: It’s all political operatives, corporate hacks, and fans of opponents trying to plant social engineering BS to drive the Dem primaries towards their policy preferences. No one reads that crap, except for political junkies like us, and media hacks, so they are trying to plant memes in corporate hack journalists’ silly empty little heads.

    So, if Harris puts hot sauce on greens, that is not ‘authentically black’? I never heard of that before. I’ve eaten greens with black friends. Hell, I like to put greens on corn bread, or whatever bread is handy, and eat some of them a that way. With hot sauce or without. And, gosh, they still talk to me.

    Does Harris sneeze or blink ‘authentically black’? News flash! Sirens! Must quote JL!

    I don’t get excited about it anymore. All that counts is that the (I think) best candidates like Harris and Warren seem to be attracting big enthusiastic crowds, and they will be great in the primary debates. People will watch them. And I think the problem with Harris is that, now with Gillbrand and Klobuchar running, Harris might be moving too much, and too ‘authentically’ to progressive policies, rather than bland centrist. And Like Warren, Harris means business. They are like Bernie in very strongly standing for policies, but I have the confidence that they understand issues behind the policies, and are pragmatic enough to get big policies enacted. They are ‘Bernie with more evidence of brains’ in my book.

    I hope Harris gets doxed eating jello mold, hot dish and a hot ham n bun sammich in Wisconsin and tells everyone to eff off about it. That would be an electoral winner.

  159. 159.

    trollhattan

    @jl:
    I did not appreciate how out-of-control Graham has become until the Kavanaugh hearings. Dear lord, he’s a trainwreck looking for a parked oil train somewhere.

  162. 162.

    trollhattan

    @jl:
    One theory is McCain kept him under control all this time. If true I guess I have a slightly more sympathetic opinion of McCain. Slightly.

  163. 163.

    jl

    @MattF: thanks. you said it shorter and better than I did. Exactly. Hack operatives want to get some idiot meme for Chuck Todd or Tapper to chew on and never let go. Even if Harris, or Warren, has a great plan to prevent a looming nuclear WWIII crisis that Trump starts.

    But…. you put hot sauce on greens, what about Pocahontas scandal!!!!?????”

  164. 164.

    Lyrebird

    @Bruce K: Nice work, I’d say. And the parents from Parkland are speaking up, not necessarily in unison, but more informatively than Schilling’s mini survey would allow.

    Their children were iiuc shot in the back in the hallway, and one of their teachers already did commit great heroism. I can manage a classroom without needing to send an 11 year old to jail (links to the Root) but I should not be issued a weapon to carry in that setting.

    I am so grateful that folks like you and Cole and so forth are continuing to speak up.

  165. 165.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Bruce K:

    How the hell does one counter that?

    Thus: Curt, if you’re going *back in time*, you might as well take the shooter into preventive custody for a day. Or deploy plainclothes cops around the school. Or deploy SWAT teams inside the school. Almost anything is better than giving guns to untrained civilians.

    Thus#2: if you’re going “back in time”, you might as well give everyone a pony, too.

    From this famous post: https://examinedlife.typepad.com/johnbelle/2004/03/if_wishes_were_.html

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