Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

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

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

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

This fight is for everything.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

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

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Second rate reporter says what?

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

…and a burning sense of injustice to juice the soul.

American History and Black History can not be separated.

You are here: Home / Politics / America / Our Long National Nightmare is Over! Now Go Outside and Play!

Reader Interactions

218Comments

  4. 4.

    Baud

    I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

  10. 10.

    germy

    Trump is literally appointing industry shills who gut cabinet agencies and weaken regulations to give away billions of dollars to corporations, but now he’s proposing gov’t officials stalk social media to try to catch poor disabled vets who look “healthy.”https://t.co/QEwx4dMVIV— Reed F. Richardson (@reedfrich) April 14, 2019

  11. 11.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Cheryl Rofer: @germy: Honestly, other than it’s Florida, I cannot figure out how this guy got a license to import these things and breed them. And I can’t figure out what he was breeding them for in commercial terms. If any of our antipodean commenters are about, perhaps they can let us know if anyone eats cassowary eggs or meat as is the case with ostrich.

  15. 15.

    debbie

    From the article linked in the tweet:

    Cassowaries are not raised for food in the U.S., but are sought after by collectors of exotic birds.

    So, yeah, another stupid American who thinks he’s smarter than his collection.

  20. 20.

    NotMax

    @Baud

    You must have installed the free version of Who’s Running?, which doesn’t auto-update hourly the way the paid version does.

    :)

  21. 21.

    MagdaInBlack

    I would go play…but…its snowing sideways and I can’t see across the condo quad….snowbound, in April, in Chicago….yay. ?

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    the world’s most dangerous bird with a four-inch, dagger-like claw on each foot.

    All the hallmarks of the “perfect pet.” Let’s hear it for Freedom and Liberty above Common Sense states.

  24. 24.

    germy

    The Sex Life of the Cassowary

    Courtship and pair bonding rituals begin with the vibratory sounds broadcast by females. Males approach and run with necks parallel to the ground with dramatic movements of the head, which accentuate the frontal neck region. The female approaches drumming slowly. The male will crouch upon the ground and the female will either step on the male’s back for a moment before crouching beside him in preparation for copulation or she may attack. This is often the case with the females pursuing the males in ritualistic chasing behaviours that generally terminate in water. The male cassowary dives into water and submerges himself up to his upper neck and head. The female pursues him into the water where he eventually drives her to the shallows where she crouches making ritualistic motions of her head. The two may remain in copulation for extended periods of time. In some cases another male may approach and run the first male off. He will climb onto her to copulate as well.

    (wikipedia)

  26. 26.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:
    Saw the snark tags. But.
    As a user of the contracted services when I signed up for military service I can tell you no republican in my lifetime then or since has been good for me or any other vet. It’s bullshit and lies all the way down.

  28. 28.

    oldgold

    Hmm, I could not waste time on social media this morning. So, I walked down to my neighborhood watering hole. As I sat sipping my Bloody Mary, darkly mulling over the cruelty of being denied access to Facebook, the past, present and future walked into the bar. It was tense.

  32. 32.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @germy: Sounds like Klingon courtship.

    Speaking of sci-fi, we just saw Captain Marvel and it was great!!! And speaking of dangerous pets (Cheryl at #1) we learned from our movie that cats can be surprisingly dangerous pets. But you cat owners already knew that.

    A totally different movie that we saw a couple of weeks ago in New York: Ramen Shop, check your local art house theater. A really wonderful foodie movie where food = cultural blending = reconciliation (between Japanese and Singaporean cultures, specifically a Japanese kid and his estranged Singaporean relatives).

  34. 34.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I’m guessing most BJers are planning to see Avengers: Endgame? I guess I am, even though I haven’t seen Infinity War. Well, I saw about 2/3 of it before they evacuated the theater, so I haven’t seen the ending, but just people’s description of it is enough to depress me and make me not want to watch it.

    @Adam L Silverman:

    And don’t forget, it’s Florida, so the cassowaries can conceal carry with a permit.

    And claim a “stand your ground” defense after eviscerating you.

  41. 41.

    Ruviana

    Cassowaries used to be used in large ritualized gift exchanges among various groups in New Guinea. Sometimes they ate them, and I guess, maybe ran away from them. I never knew they were that fierce and mean./Anthropology pedant.

  42. 42.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Adam L Silverman: You can’t prove it was me!

    We didn’t even know what was going on until all the people in front of us were standing up and walking out. Some weird guy had come in in the middle of the film and was wandering around the theater before sitting down somewhere up front. I don’t know what he was doing or saying, but it was enough to trigger the people around him, and they all decided to evacuate. He may also have come in the emergency exit, which carries echos of a recent mass shooting and helped make people even more nervous.

    The police took their time coming, and the theater management was still detaining the guy in the lobby when they let everybody back in to watch the rest of the movie. But my wife absolutely DID NOT want to reenter the theater while that guy was still in the building with no police presence. So we bailed.

    She saw it later on a cross-country flight.

  49. 49.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: This is one of the reasons that I almost never go see a movie in the theaters anymore. The other is that I can buy an HD digital download and watch it as often as I want, pause it however many times I need, etc, etc all in the comfort of my own home for the same price as a ticket, I’ve decided it is worth it for me to just wait the four to six weeks to do so rather than go to the theater while the movie is playing during its theatrical release.

  51. 51.

    Ohio Mom

    @germy: The reason the vets look “healthy” is that their current mix of supports (e.g., disability benefits) and treatments are working successfully. That’s why we provide these things, to ensure a good quality of life. Duh.

    This is a pet peeve of mine as a disability mom. Many of the times my kid has been doing well at something, the response of the entity supplying the aide, coach, tutoring, or whatever has been, He’s going so well, he doesn’t need our help anymore!

    No, no, no — kick the supports away and things go crashing down.

    People need to understand which direction the cause and effects are going.

  52. 52.

    Amir Khalid

    No score at halftime between Liverpool and visitors Chelsea, although Liverpool look confident and have had more chances. Liverpool need a win to regain the top of the Premier League table from Manchester City, who beat Crystal Palace 3-1 today.

  53. 53.

    oldgold

    @West of the Rockies:
    Well, truth be told, one of the early morning patrons, who appeared to have been at one time pluperfect, now appeared to be a wee bit past perfect.

    Not to mention the termite, who walked in and asked where was the bartender.

  55. 55.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @germy:

    @andraydomise
    Long story short, you don’t want it with a dinosaur who shop at Harrods.

    Just leave em in Australia where you found em

    Good advice.

  57. 57.

    rikyrah

    Terrell J. Starr (@Russian_Starr) Tweeted:
    Every black political insider I know feels the only reason this dude is gaining traction is because he’s a white man. https://t.co/YgVEThn7eI https://twitter.com/Russian_Starr/status/1117442088977805314?s=17

    Terrell J. Starr (@Russian_Starr) Tweeted:
    And this is the pure reporter in me saying this about Mayor Pete. If I interview him, I’ll certainly ask him about white privilege. Because he’s clearly benefiting from it. https://twitter.com/Russian_Starr/status/1117451153120403456?s=17

    Terrell J. Starr (@Russian_Starr) Tweeted:
    And here’s the number one issue with folks highlighting Mayor Pete’s sexual identity. His supporters assume that him being gay makes him ineligible to benefit from his whiteness at the expense of people of color—including lgbtq black people.

    That’s what drives my concerns. https://twitter.com/Russian_Starr/status/1117458926130405376?s=17

    Holly (@Holly_A_K) Tweeted:
    @ravenwing263 @Russian_Starr Let’s do a test. Maybe we could get a black candidate with mayoral experience that was a Rhodes Scholar and compare the reception. Oh wait— throw in a Yake Law degree and Senatorial experience. That’s Booker. Should we mention Castro? https://twitter.com/Holly_A_K/status/1117455731479990272?s=17

  58. 58.

    Gin & Tonic

    @GregMulka: I can say from experience that the beaches of northern Queensland are spectacular, and well worth it. As long as you don’t try to swim during jellyfish season, of course, and stay away from the crocodiles. But other than that….

  59. 59.

    Ruckus

    @Ohio Mom:
    Had someone tell me that I looked real healthy a couple weeks ago. Told them that looks can be deceiving.
    It’s the same concept, you can be doing well for you because of the support or healthcare that is on going. Take that away, make it harder to get and one can go downhill very, very fast. And a lot of support or healthcare has to be ongoing to be effective at all. Many conditions/diseases are controllable but not curable. Some people have no idea at all. Also some people are just assholes who think money is not only the most important thing but the only thing in life.

  60. 60.

    gene108

    @Ohio Mom:

    Before Obamacare, a friend on disability was getting well enough that she wanted to start working again. She hadn’t worked on a long time. She would be applying for entry level service jobs, like fast food, grocery store clerk, etc.

    Once she made more than a few hundred dollars a month, she would lose benefits, including medical care that was paid for by Medicaid that got her well enough to work again.

    Forced to hold back on getting a job.

    A lot of middle class folks, ie voters, have never had to interact with people on SSI or SSDI and therefore are ignorant of how paltry benefits are and how perverse the incentives can be for getting well.

  63. 63.

    West of the Rockies

    Seems a bit reductionist, Rikyrah. It’s clear you find Pete to be beneath consideration. You make that point frequently. He’s not my choice. I desperately hope it is Harris. But clearly, Pete is seen as intelligent, charismatic, and, I guess to some, a hope for LGBTQ rights.

  65. 65.

    raven

    @Ruckus: And there’s lot’s of different kinds of healthy. I know this dude who was a Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. Huge dude and totally ripped. When I talk to him it’s not long before he starts searching for words and just gets a blank look. Fuck him, he can still be a bellboy.

  68. 68.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Ohio Mom: Donald hasn’t the slightest clue about cause and effect. Or just about anything else other than grift and profit.

  69. 69.

    germy

    @gene108:

    The ending was very meta and took awhile to sink in. Left the theater with questions

    Yes, at the end of the movie I found myself thinking about all the “clues” I missed. I want to see it a second time, now that I know how it ends.

    I can’t wait to see what Peele comes up with next.

    (The first episode of his new Twilight Zone is on youtube)

  71. 71.

    PaulWartenberg

    @Adam L Silverman:

    When I lived in South Florida Miramar was still farmland… now I look at the map and it’s all suburbanized.

    I have no idea what Messam can bring to the table. He’s already gotten beat to the starting line in the “mid-sized city mayor” category.

  72. 72.

    Amir Khalid

    Liverpool’s pressure is finally rewarded with a Sadio Mane goal. 1-0.
    Quickly followed by a Mo Salah goal. 2-0. Yes!

  75. 75.

    J R in WV

    @germy:

    Trump is literally appointing industry shills who gut cabinet agencies and weaken regulations to give away billions of dollars to corporations, but now he’s proposing gov’t officials stalk social media to try to catch poor disabled vets who look “healthy.”

    A good friend of wife, wonderful guitarist, used to visit often back in the day. Then one day he brought another guy, pleasant enough, also played guitar. But he was a corporate lawyer, specialized we learned, in trying to take worker’s comp away from injured workers. The policy was to always fight every claim like it was a fraud. Wife told Wayne not to bring him around any more, he was scum… wife was a union officer, had strong opinions about company lawyers and worker’s comp

    So one thing they did was hire a “private investigator” to watch these injured guys, mostly hurt coal miners, to catch them “working” after getting their award. So they had video of a guy painting his house, a little bit at a time, an hour maybe. They they got footage of the guy carrying what they claimed was a 90 or 100 pound concrete bird bath in his yard, along with the house painting.

    So obviously he was equipped to work 6 – 12 hour shifts a week in low coal!

    Took the poor guy to court, accused of disability fraud. On day two, after all the routine required stuff, injured miner’s lawyer watched the film show of painting, carrying that “heavy” concrete thingy around. Then injured disabled miner’s lawyer picked up the heavy concrete fountain thing — with one hand, it was plastic, and weighed 12 pounds.

    Tom’s case dismissed pretty quickly thereafter. All should be. Painting 4 feet of the house at a time, over a whole summer, is not equal to a single 12 hour shift in low coal !!! Think heavy construction work on your hands and knees. These are not the same thing. Having fun at a picnic is not proof of ability to work hard. Smiling at a party is not proof of ability to sit at a desk all day long…

    These despicable rat bastards sicken me. There is no punishment suitable or sufficient for these folks. Dante’s Hell just won’t do for this kind of crime.

    ETA some typos…

  76. 76.

    Aleta

    @rikyrah:
    The pdf of his letter
    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5839898-Bernie-Sanders-Letter-Accusing-CAP-of.html

    Response from Think Progress

    Jodi Enda, the editor in chief of ThinkProgress, said in a statement that her website’s work is not reviewed before publication by CAP or its action fund, and that the groups “had nothing to do with the article or video about Senator Sanders or articles related to any other political leader.” She said the website “will not take sides in the Democratic primaries,” and suggested that Mr. Sanders was trying to bully the website in response to posts he does not like.
    “Political leaders should not be able to muzzle or stop coverage that they consider critical,” she said. (NYT)

  77. 77.

    Ruckus

    @West of the Rockies:
    Most of us have some choice, based upon our desires, prejudices, experiences, and yes hatreds, even as we try to remain open minded. But take all the candidates, and look at why they are getting the press coverage that they are. Mayor Pete for example. Mayor Pete is charismatic, well spoken, intelligent, well liked and seems to be a good politician. Now exchange Mayor Pete in that last sentence with any of the top democratic candidates and they all seem to fit there pretty well. So why is Mayor Pete, the youngest, quite possibly the least experienced candidate getting the coverage he is? Why aren’t many/any of the other candidates getting similar coverage?

  82. 82.

    Phylllis

    @Raven: I don’t think the weather is going to cooperate to let them finish today. And Cantlay just eagled the 15 to take the lead.

  83. 83.

    germy

    @J R in WV:

    Then injured disabled lawyer picked up the heavy concrete fountain thing — with one hand, it was plastic, and weighed 12 pounds.

    Excellent. That would make a great TV show, if producers were interested in citizens’ rights.

  84. 84.

    trollhattan

    @Amir Khalid:
    Speaking of football–spherical edition–NWSL begins today. See WWC players two months before WWC.

    The broadcast deal was terminated and now it’s streamed on Yahoo. Grumble.

  89. 89.

    trollhattan

    @J R in WV:
    The chance to use them as examples to others means opening their wallets and unleashing resouces to crush the little guy. Hellova investment.

    I suppose they fight black lung cases by claiming they huff black paint in their spare time.

  90. 90.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    Exactly.
    Looks not only can be but are deceiving. We put our experiences, ideals, expectations and yes prejudices into our views of each other and the world. It colors what we see in so many ways that it sometimes amazes me that we get along at all.

  91. 91.

    chris

    If I were a cassowary
    On the plains of Timbuctoo
    I would eat a missionary
    Cassock, band and hymn book too

  92. 92.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @West of the Rockies: I’ll regret this, I’m sure. But as a beneficiary of white privilege, I gotta say something.

    I’ll start with: rikyrah is an intelligent and articulate commenter, who can explain her views to you herself, so I’m not going to presume to do that. Instead, I’ll give you my take on things.

    Pointing out that a white gay male candidate benefits from the privilege of being white in a way that other gay folks or people of color who aren’t gay cannot is not at all equivalent to finding a candidate “beneath consideration.” They can coincide, or they can be distinct, but they are not equivalent, nor does the first imply the latter.

    So I find your interpretation of rikyrah’s listing of tweets making a point about privilege to be reductionist itself. Perhaps you’ve read other comments that lead you to that conclusion; I have not.

    *I* believe that, as a person who benefits from white privilege, I owe it to people who don’t (and to myself) to listen to the people who don’t enjoy that privilege. They see things I may (am likely to) miss because I don’t experience them.

  93. 93.

    Ruckus

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    He understands grift, though his understanding of it is limited to attempting it, success has a way of running from him. He really doesn’t have a grasp of profit either, except maybe that he doesn’t get a lot of it.

  94. 94.

    West of the Rockies

    @Ruckus:

    I get that point. Pete has a significant lack of experience. He’s not my first, fourth or tenth choice. This is a YMMV situation. Take Booker… He’s got a lot of plusses. But some attack him for being too courteous about Republicans; others have made “He’s too gayish” comments about him. That diminishes him as a candidate going forward. The message lingers. Two years, ten from now, those negative comments remain a part of the narrative.

  95. 95.

    Captain C

    @rikyrah: Wilmer’s playbook seems to have been reduced to shitting on potential allies and claiming credit for other people’s work. I don’t think this is a winning formula.

  96. 96.

    raven

    @Ruckus: Because he can take that rah-rah “thank you for your service, you’re a hero”bullshit and shove it up Trumps ass.

  97. 97.

    Captain C

    @trollhattan: I’m hoping that Rocco Commisso buys Sky Blue, rechristens them the Cosmos Women or suchlike, and moves them to Coney Island. I would buy season tickets.

  99. 99.

    germy

    @Captain C:

    shitting on potential allies and claiming credit for other people’s work. I don’t think this is a winning formula.

    It worked for #45!

  102. 102.

    trollhattan

    @Ruckus:
    From the laboratory of human behavior I report the following:

    My lab test teen heard mayor Pete for the first time last week and is over the moon for him. Why? He addressed her by noting he’s of a generation who will feel the impacts of today’s conditions alongside her. Climate change? He’s going to be there when it gets brutal. She’s deeply committed to LGBT rights and he slots in well as an advocate. And so forth.

    I doubt he’s saying much that other candidates themselves are saying–certainly among the twenty or so–but if, say, Bernie talks about climate change (does he?) he has basically no skin in the game. Pete does. It’s easy to lump him in with Beto but I’m not getting a the sense he’s breaking through with the post-millenials.

    My kid is eligible to vote come December. Candidates take note: you need to engage, really engage this new generation of voters.

    End of report.

  103. 103.

    tokyokie

    A few years ago, after I broke my ankle, I qualified and used a temporary disabled parking hang tag. But once I was off crutches and out of the boot, I took down the hang tag, even though it didn’t expire for one more month. People who have disabled “privileges” by and large need them desperately, and seeing able-bodied people using them really pisses me off. Yeah, some who claim disability are not really hurt, but I’d rather let those miscreants slide than crack down on those who have genuine need for the assistance.

  105. 105.

    Humdog

    @rikyrah: The Think Progress articles were very mild in their criticism. His campaign manager is former editor of Think Orogress, so how horribly “neo liberal” can they be? Sooo, thin skinned, that Wilmer.

    I was wondering what you thought, if we Dems do nominate a white dude, who do you think would be best? I hope we don’t, truly, but the way the polls look, we very well might.

  107. 107.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @raven: Invisible disabilities/limitations. Folks with autoimmune disorders that cause fatigue or other issues people can’t see know all about “but you look fine!” And that’s before you get to people who are high functioning with chronic psych conditions. Or the kind of brain injuries the vet you mentioned clearly has.

    @Ohio Mom: I really wish I knew how to clearly explain the concept of support systems keep the progress going, and the progress will fall like a house of cards when a piece of that system is taken away. People don’t get that at all, as you know.

  108. 108.

    satby

    @Ruckus: agreed. But why would you attack the man personally for the coverage he gets as if he had control over it?*
    *And I think a lot of it is because he’s a novelty to the media: a gay guy running for president.

  109. 109.

    mrmoshpotato

    @MagdaInBlack: Holy s… It’s a blizzard outside.

    ?Have yourself a merry little Tax Day. May your deductions be right. Until next year W2s will be out of sight?

  112. 112.

    JPL

    @Phylllis: It’s iffy.. There’s a major system near Macon that should hit the area but it is still a distance away. They keep interrupting our coverage because of tornado warnings.

  113. 113.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    That may be part of it but I don’t see that as the rational for all the coverage that he’s getting. It may be because of what he’s done in his years – actually quite a bit, it may be because he’s well spoken – but so are the rest of the candidates…..
    I think Mayor Pete is getting the coverage because of his age, whiteness, gender, political experience and sexual orientation. And that his age, political experience and sexual orientation can be disqualifying for a lot of people. And yes I’m being critical of the media here. Unequal coverage is for a reason. It may be for a innocent reason, following the crowd for example or it may be for selfish reasons, they want to high light the person with the most likely reasons people might not vote for this candidate. Like they did with HRC, only high light the negative issues, even if they are bullshit, to shine an undesirable light on the person most likely to defeat their chosen candidate. That’s not news, that’s politics

  115. 115.

    raven

    @tokyokie: I’ll just tell you.

    My dad brought this shirt back from the Pacific at the close of WW2. I’ve had it for years and always wondered what the right thing to do with it was. I met Dr Maroko Izumi, a professor at Columbus State University, and we talked about trying return if to Japan and possibly the family of the original owner. I gave it to her today and it was quite touching as she carefully folded and bowed over it. It turns out the tag does include the name of the soldier and, who knows, maybe their family can get it.

  118. 118.

    Amir Khalid

    And it ends 2-0 to Liverpool. The defeat is a blow to Chelsea’s hopes of fourth place and a Champions League spot. Mancheter United are just two points behind Chelsea with a match in hand; and Arsenal are three points behind with two matches in hand.

  119. 119.

    satby

    @trollhattan: my former Bernout relatives are split between Beto and Mayor Pete. Which makes me happy. And why so much online negativity is aimed at them, Wilmer feels threatened.
    Primaries are to vote for the candidate you want to win the nomination. All this is going to sort out once the voting starts. With luck Wilmer and other less desirable candidates will be voted off the island. Until then, I’m only willing to bad mouth Wilmer and Tulsi.

  121. 121.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    I don’t disagree at all with your daughter’s take. I’ve called for younger candidates for a while now, because they have all the skin in the game. I’m an old, at best I probably have 20 yrs left. The climate isn’t going to melt the world in that time. Or not so that I might notice at the end. My skin in the game is but a fraction of their possible skinning time, I want someone who recognizes their frailty and still has time to work on that and everyone else’s. I like mayor Pete, he may in fact be the best candidate. But there are a lot of other great candidates as well, a few with even more compelling reasons to vote for, IMHO.

  122. 122.

    Raven

    @satby: I had and New Yorkican friend who fucking battered Hillary the entire campaign. Like my rwnj half-brother I have’t spoken to him since. We better figure out somebody that can beat this fucking Nazi and worry about purity later.

  124. 124.

    Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho

    @satby: Every time Wilmer is mentioned as a candidate it should be mentioned that he’s the one running in the Democratic primaries who’s not a Democrat except when he wants to run as one.
    @Raven: That’s exactly it. Purity ponying this shit will get us all killed in November 2020.

  125. 125.

    tokyokie

    @raven: That’s great! A lot of Japanese soldiers’ family heirlooms wound up as WWII souvenirs for U.S. troops, and I appreciate any time that trend is reversed. My understanding is that samurai would have their katanas adorning their headstones, and no Japanese would think of filching their swords, but when the Americans occupied Japan after the war, the cemeteries were basically picked clean. That sort of lack of respect for other cultures really saddens me.

  127. 127.

    RAVEN

    @tokyokie: Bushido sort of impacted how the “troops”felt. I don’t know how my dad got the stuff he got but our family agrees this is the right thing to do now.

  128. 128.

    Amir Khalid

    Today’s match at Anfield was preceded by a one minute’s silence for the Hillsborough 96, the Liverpool fans killed 30 years ago thanks to inept crowd control by the police at the FA Cup semifinal Liverpool were playing at Sheffield Wednesday’s stadium.

  133. 133.

    Ruckus

    @satby:
    You may be right.
    But some days I’m just more cynical than others. Today may be one of those.
    @Raven:
    See the sentence above.

    OTOH why did HRC get all the shit coverage she did? Why doesn’t Warren and Harris get more coverage? Does the media shape public opinion? I think it does and a lot of people pay a lot of money to make it do just that. Would they continue to do that and get no return for that investment?

  138. 138.

    trollhattan

    @Ruckus:
    I think it’s instructive to see which candidates are getting through to not-political junkies, doubly so with soon-to-be first-time voters. Our system is fundamentally a marketing platform and these baby voters have no idea the world ever lacked YouTube.

  139. 139.

    rikyrah

    @West of the Rockies:
    Mayor Pete does not have the resume of some of the other non-White candidates.

    Booker, too, is a Rhodes Scholar. Was a Mayor of a town far larger than South Bend AND is a Senator.
    But, hasn’t gotten the press

    Julian Castro- A Harvard grad and Mayor of city TEN TIMES the size of South Bend…and yet, he can’t get press ..

    Hmmmmm ….

  142. 142.

    Mel

    @Ruckus: Agreed. Thanks to you, OhioMom, and others for speaking up about these issues.

    Some chronic illness related disabilities are hard to see on the outside of the body, even while they are working their destructive ways on the inside. Other disabling illnesses can wax and wane, but render a person unable to predictably work, attend school, even plan for an evening watching movies with a friend, because there is no way to predict when a bad flare up will happen. It just does, and there is no way to control or predict it if medications don’t adequately control the illness, or if one cannot afford the medications which might control it. There is also a cumulative effect when a body battles illness for a lengthy period of time. With illnesses like lupus, MS, pemphigus, Behcet’s disease, and many others that can either be progressive or wax and wane, even one’s “good days” involve dealing with years of cumulative damage.

    It is incredibly difficult to make most people who have never experienced this understand it.

    It’s also a double-edged sword. When a person looks or seems “okay” on the outside, often there is an assumption that either they have been magically “cured” and should just immediately make a brand new life, or that they must be malingering. When the illness symptoms or flares are more externally obvious (in my case, periodic skin based issues, high fever, swelling from blood clots and arthritis in limbs, visual impairment, impaired movement, etc) then many people view the sick person as frightening or an object of pity or disdain, and see it as “difficult to be there when they’re hurting” (because the visible signs of illness are not often pretty); either way, many people tend to quickly categorize and avoid an ill or disabled person.

    Chronic illnesses and/ or disability, as you and OhioMom point out, are far too often punished in our society, by both policies and actions. By the time a person has been ill and / or disabled long enough to lose most of what they had before (any financial safety net, their career, any ability to work in another field, friends and family who just get tired of dealing with the nightmare of a severe chronic illness, stable housing, etc.) they usually are surviving on the edge of a financial, physical, and emotional cliff every day.

    The cruelty of Trumpsters sadly isn’t isolated to Trumpsters. This week, when I had to have yet another surgery for damage that my illness and medications have caused to my jawbones, a family member casually said that if my illness were cancer, it would be easier for people to understand during the particular flares when I “look bad”, because it’s easy to have empathy for cancer sufferers, but not so much for people who are just “sick all the time”, because people “understand cancer”, and cancer “doesn’t go on endlessly”.

    Infuriating to me, and infuriating to the very brave cancer survivor sitting in the room at the time, who fought through a nightmare and now wakes up everyday trying to find a new normal, hoping and praying for one more cancer free day, week, month.

    In other words, in his mind, it’s easy to be kind and supportive and present if the person perceives that there is a clear end point in sight, whether it is a much hoped for remission, or a tragic loss. But It’s hard work being friends with or living with a person who faces a lifetime of illness, and that is, in part, why so many persons who are disabled or who struggle with chronic illness find themselves isolated and without a healthy support or social network. I wish that comment and attitude were limited to one person, but I have heard variations on the theme more times than I can count from people who are generally good people. And GOP policy is just the reflection of the beliefs much further along the spectrum: that if a person cannot do visible work and “earn”, or cannot be immediately useful to those who hold the power position, then that person has no worth or value as an individual or in society.

    It is also why online contact and online communities (exactly what the Trumpsters want to “police” to try to punish the sick and disabled for getting any small amount of happiness out of a difficult life) can be so important to those who struggle with long-term illness.

    Enough ranting from me. Obviously a subject that runs close to the bone. Off to pet kittehs.

  144. 144.

    tokyokie

    @RAVEN: I can certainly appreciate that a GI who survived the banzai attack on Attu wouldn’t be feeling especially generous toward his Japanese counterparts, but I’m glad to know that in your case, your generation was able to look at matters more dispassionately.

  145. 145.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:
    As always. Youth looks ahead because that’s the only direction they know. Olds look back because 99.9% of the time that’s the direction with the best view. Especially as the picture of the view they get is usually out of focus.

  147. 147.

    MomSense

    @Ruckus:

    The best comparison is with Corey Booker. Former Mayor of a major, American city, message of unity and working together across party lines, and Rhodes scholar. He also has the added qualification of winning a statewide election and not having icky, lady parts.

  148. 148.

    debbie

    @satby:

    It was more than being establishment. He was LBJ’s VP, which was too much for many people. I wasn’t of voting age then, but I don’t remember him condemning the war.

  149. 149.

    Elizabelle

    @Raven: I want Tiger to win, too. Would be great for him to win a Masters this late in his career. He has been very tough, coming back from that back injury.

    Cannot so far watch the game, so you will have to keep me apprised.

  154. 154.

    J R in WV

    @tokyokie:

    Some years ago I used to swim at a local public gym. One visit, I watched a guy park his Mercedes in a handicapped spot and jog into the gym to work out. I went to the front desk and paid my visit fee, and turned him in.

    As I walked down to the locker room to change, I heard the PA announce the make and model and license number, they gave him 5 minutes to move said the tow truck was “on the way” — it made me feel good. No hanger, no sticker, no license plate, just a big ego.

  156. 156.

    trollhattan

    @Ruckus:
    My path was different in that I had access to exactly the same media as my folks. I mostly knew I wanted to vote for the person least likely to send my ass to an overseas jungle to get shot at. Blended with the shiny new arena of taking care of our planet and chasing the Klan back into the barn.

    Teens and twenty-somethings are not paying attention to the media that we obsess over here. Suspect that changes the fundamentals bigly. Even Trump’s Twitter account lacks relevance. (Snapchat or go home!)

    What won’t change is they’ll be underrepresented, newly eligible voters typically don’t.

  157. 157.

    Raven

    @J R in WV: I had a buddy who died years ago. He was a paratrooper in the 173rd Airborne in the Nam and he would go apeshit on anyone who parked in a handicapped space.

  158. 158.

    mrmoshpotato

    Cubs game is off for today per their Twitter account.

    White Sox are down 2-0 out in NY. Still 0-0 in Red Sox-O’s contest.

    Go O’s!

  160. 160.

    tokyokie

    @J R in WV: Even worse are the able-bodied folks who borrow grandma’s hang tag to drive their F250 to Kroger to get a couple of things.

  163. 163.

    Barbara

    @Raven: That and parking in a way that takes up two spaces is a good way to get your car keyed, which happened to the brand new Porsche that belonged to the wife of the owner of a company I used to work for. Keyed “hello” in big block letters on the driver side door. She was very distraught.

  164. 164.

    trollhattan

    @tokyokie:
    Will just leave this here.

    Yet hundreds of thousands of the placards could be in use illegally, based on auditors’ sampling of records. The audit found multiple problems with the DMV’s administration of the program, beginning with its handling of placard applications. In a sample of 96 applications, nearly three-quarters lacked a full description of the illness or disability being used as the basis for the request, auditors found. Similarly, the agency lacks procedures to weed out applications with forged medical provider signatures.

    In addition, the agency has not canceled the placards of thousands of people who likely have died. Auditors found that 26,000 placard holders – if they are still alive – would be 100 or older. As of 2014, California’s entire centenarian population stood at an estimated 8,000 people.

  170. 170.

    Barbara

    @trollhattan: Japan just recently figured out that its unparalleled number of centenarians was inflated significantly by family members who failed to report deaths, partly in order to continue receiving benefits. However, it is likely that many of the disabled placards are not being used by anyone. It’s something you might not think needs to be reported, and it’s pretty easy for the state to do an annual crossmatch to death indices.

  171. 171.

    Elizabelle

    @Raven: Come on Tiger. Is it possible for anyone else to overtake him?

    My late mother loved Tiger Woods. Rooting in her behalf.

  175. 175.

    Ruckus

    @Mel:
    Hang in there. I’m told it gets better. I also know personally that can be such a line of shit. I’ve been told by docs that I most likely have a progressive debilitating disease. So good times. This being alive thing is a crap shoot at best. We have the ability to sometimes make it better and yet often there is nothing to do but exist. So I say do that, give’m hell and keep on trying.

  177. 177.

    Miss Bianca

    @Ruckus:

    As always. Youth looks ahead because that’s the only direction they know. Olds look back because 99.9% of the time that’s the direction with the best view. Especially as the picture of the view they get is usually out of focus.

    QFT

    And it’s possible to think that Mayor Pete, for example, is a good, worthy, and exciting candidate while *also* noting that the media playing field seems to be tilted in favor of white, male “charismatic” candidates to the detriment of other non-white, non-male, and non-young candidates that The Olds like me might find equally, if not more, good, worthy, and exciting. Just sayin’.

  179. 179.

    Elizabelle

    @Raven: Oh, I hope so. Come on, come on.

    I cannot see a thing here in Germany. Perhaps will get to watch the highlights after the fact.

  184. 184.

    khead

    I was an ABT (anyone but Tiger) guy for years, but when you get older you root for the old guy. This is fantastic.

  187. 187.

    JPL

    @RAVEN: lol Since I had to look up fanboi.. you responded to the wrong person. I think because of his back surgeries, I didn’t think he would play at this level again.

  188. 188.

    WaterGirl

    @Raven:

    We better figure out somebody that can beat this fucking Nazi and worry about purity later.

    Quoted for truth. Eyes on the prize.

  190. 190.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    As someone with a crap back, I cannot imagine torquing like that ever again after a debilitating injury.

  191. 191.

    Elizabelle

    Yea Tiger!! You will go out on top, and you fought hard to get back there. So happy with this outcome.

  192. 192.

    Steve in the ATL

    I can’t believe you people were rooting for the serial philanderer. Anyone but Tiger or that asshole Phil for me.

  195. 195.

    satby

    @rikyrah: but that’s not Buttigieg’s fault. We collectively need to demand that reporters treat candidates reasonably equally in coverage. The one sucking up the most undeserved oxygen is Sanders, along with Biden who never even declared yet. Every time they write about either of the two “front runners”, one not a Dem and one not even a candidate yet, we should be raising the roof about how shitty that coverage is rather than slagging our second tier candidates, who otherwise are decent candidates. Beto and Pete aren’t our enemies.

  197. 197.

    Elizabelle

    @Steve in the ATL: Yes. Would have liked to have met you, too. And had some red wine. You will have to be back to RVA.

    I am loving Germany. The trains, the food, the history. Chilly today, but mild in coming week. It’s spring here.

  198. 198.

    2liberal

    OT pie filter / For those of us wanting a better pie filter you can find links for it on Cleek’s blog (this is the Cleeks’ law guy) .Go to Updated Cleek filter , click the link for “BJ PIE FILTER” and follow instructions. after installing you’ll need to edit the file and change the abuse style to zero to redact out the pests instead of getting the humorous pie-related substitute comments.

    I now have TWO pie filters but only Cleeks gives the option to redact.

  200. 200.

    trollhattan

    @Barbara:
    Calif had to crack down because, in our case anyway Sac’s downtown filled with disabled parking on weekdays far beyond what was statistically plausible. They began running the #s and ticketing fraudsters, which outnumbered legit placards. FWIW we have both license plates and hangtags, making enforcement a challenge.

  201. 201.

    Nelle

    @Kelly: About the last time I was in a movie theater to see a movie, it was with a friend who cowrote the script. Walking out, I told him, it was worth an Oscar. Damn, if he didn’t win it too. Kevin Willmott, BlackkKlansman. That’s the way to see a movie!

  203. 203.

    Nelle

    @tokyokie: A small act of kindness. Many who park in disabled spots have difficulty returning the carts. So, if the rest of us push the cart in or to a cart stall, that clears the way for the next person needing the parking spot. Just a suggestion for us all, says one who recently got to cut up her temporary disabled parking permit!!!!

  204. 204.

    Ruckus

    @MomSense:

    and not having icky, lady parts.

    I wonder why so many people like them if they are so icky?
    I remember an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is talking to George and Jerry and tells them “I don’t know how you guys walk around with those things.”

  206. 206.

    Ruckus

    @Miss Bianca:
    My point exactly.
    At least we currently have an abundance of qualified and good candidates. Along with some qualified and great ones. YMMV on which is which. Which is what makes life interesting.

  208. 208.

    eemom

    @Ruckus:

    What I don’t get is how y’all go into bathrooms and hold the things where you can see each other, sometimes carrying on conversations. ?

  212. 212.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Duane:

    Tiger Woods is a phony who made millions portraying the All-American hero when he was anything but.

    I’m pretty sure what he was and is portraying is a guy who’s really good at golf. And it’s real, not phony. He actually is really good at golf.

    I’m pretty sure the money he was paid was for playing golf too.

  215. 215.

    Miss Bianca

    @Steve in the ATL: Hey, at least he’s not making snide remarks about Yoko Ono.

    More seriously, as a woman working in the arts, I have long since had to come to terms with the fact that A LOT of my artistic heroes have had feet of clay – and that if I’m going to reject their prowess at their craft for that reason, I’m not going to be able to enjoy much in the way of art – or sport, if it comes to that.

  217. 217.

    Ruckus

    @eemom:
    Not had a lot of conversations in mens rooms. Mostly get in, get done, get out. Drunks may be a different story.

  218. 218.

    Ruckus

    @Miss Bianca:
    I worked in professional sports for 20 yrs as a hobby and 11 yrs full time. I’ve met my share of assholes doing that, I may have met more than my share of them. But I’ve also met a lot of great people as well, some of them have been friends for the 46 yrs it’s been since the first event I worked. And of course some of them are no longer with us.

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