when it's a nice day so you're ignoring your problems pic.twitter.com/LMDoaxH7vh
— actioncookbook (@actioncookbook) July 4, 2019
Gotta hand it to our military. Trump wanted the pomp and celebration of a massive Bastille Day parade. What he got was four armored vehicles on display in the rain, a few football game flyovers and the military service chiefs didn't even show up.
DoD slow-walking at its finest.
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) July 5, 2019
Speaking of weird “patriotic” co-optations… I knew that Gretchen Peters’ “Independence Day” was not exactly an America Fvck Yeah! anthem, but then I was living in the area during the Francine Hughes trial. What I had *not* known, until now, was that the song has been claimed by the same sort of rightwing nitwits who think “Born in the USA” is about how Ronald Reagan made jingoism kewl again. From Rolling Stone, “How a Song About Domestic Violence Got Mistaken for a Patriotic Anthem”:
When Martina McBride’s “Independence Day” was released to country radio in April 1994, it was easy to mistake the country song for a U-S-A! U-S-A! anthem. It was titled after America’s most patriotic holiday after all, and its irresistible chorus of “Let freedom ring!” seemed custom-made for small-town Fourth of July celebrations to come. But the true meaning behind “Independence Day,” written by Gretchen Peters and recorded by powerhouse vocalist McBride, was lost on many listeners — the seemingly July 4th holiday hit turned out to be a story of domestic violence and one woman’s drastic measures to escape abuse at home.
“I started getting all these letters — handwritten letters, back in the day — from women saying, ‘This is my song,’” McBride says now. “I got a few letters that said, ’I heard this song on the radio, I’ve been battered for 10 years, and I left. This was the thing that made me realize that it’s not my fault, that I need to make a change.’”
Throughout the past 25 years, both McBride and Peters have watched as their song has taken on a life entirely of its own — not just in its cathartic impact for victims of abuse, but also in its misinterpretation for political means. Sean Hannity used the song as a theme on his radio show from shortly after 9/11 until 2014; Sarah Palin chose it as a walk-on song during her Vice Presidential campaign. Peters, in particular, has been saddled with a patriotic anthem she did not write.
“As the writer, I always believe that it’s very powerful to know what your story’s about and know your characters, but not necessarily put it all in there,” she says. “Because I think it invites the listener to play a part. The danger there is that those kinds of songs are much more easily misconstrued.”…
Somehow a song about deliberate cruelty driving its victims to a terrible revenge seems appropriate right at the moment, or maybe that’s just me. It’s a darned catchy ditty, regardless!
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ? ??
Aleta
@rikyrah: good morning ???
Helen Kennedy @HelenKennedy
Washington at the Battle of Baggage Claim #RevolutionaryWarAirportStories
JPL
@rikyrah: Good Morning
Spanky
@rikyrah: Good morning! And a pre-emptive “blech” to OH, whom I hope is getting some elusive shuteye.
And another thanks for everyone who offered support last night. Dawn brought the return of the prodigal cat.
Aleta
@Spanky: Good news.
Spanky
@Aleta: The best part about that tweet stream was reading Bette Midler’s tweets in Bette Midler’s voice.
Raven
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I’m ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go
OzarkHillbilly
@Spanky: Blech back atcha.
My usual bits and pieces, so that’s an improvement.
NotMax
Flossy but entertaining enough light comedy detective movie found on Prime – The Vanishing of Patò. Some folks here are fans of the Inspector Montalbano series. This one takes place in the same fictional town, except in 1890.
Meanwhile on the home front, quietest rain-free Fourth of July night outside ever.
Betty Cracker
I didn’t know Palin co-opted “Independence Day.” The ill-fated McCain-Palin campaign had a knack for choosing inappropriate songs. I remember hearing Pearl Jam’s “Better Man” played at McCain events and thinking, “That song doesn’t mean what they think it means…”
JPL
@Spanky: Yeah!
MagdaInBlack
It was a peaceful, uneventful 4th and then I checked my direct deposit paycheck and find they shorted me my 16 hours OT.
So there’s that to deal with today.
Raven
I anyone else watching “Gentleman Jack” on HBO? It’s really good!
satby
Greetings from Lexington, Ky! Of course I’m the only one awake. Had a nice evening with my son, his girlfriend and her11 year old son. My son grilled steaks and afterward they made s’mores for dessert. Then the boys set off some fountain fireworks, pretty but no loud booms. Got to see a lot of the higher fireworks from the city display too. A good time had by all.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Raven
He really did say took over the “airports”!
Baud
@satby:
Greetings.
NotMax
@satby
Coupled with having to show up at the market, that’s a fully day indeed.
Betty Cracker
@Raven: Yes, we are watching it! The dialog is outstanding.
NotMax
@NotMax
full, not fully
Baud
@Raven:
Makes sense. Recapturing Louis Armstrong International Airport from the British is what made Trump’s favorite president Andrew Jackson a national hero.
Fun fact: Jackson’s victory occurred after the war was already over.
mrmoshpotato
@Aleta: The AC must be on full blast in that baggage claim area. Washington is really bundled up.
satby
@NotMax: yeah, it was a long one.
Raven
@Betty Cracker: Sally Wainwright is incredible, Last Tango, Happy Valley and Scott and Bailey with are all top notch!
NotMax
@Baud
Jackson would have acted sooner but was forced to wait until the shipment of drones arrived.
mrmoshpotato
@Spanky: Good to hear. Hope the kitty’s ok.
Baud
@Spanky:
Nice. Happy ending.
mrmoshpotato
@Baud: The fat, orange fascist is hiring only the best speechwriters.
Betty Cracker
@Raven: Wainwright is first rate. I loved “Happy Valley” so much and enjoyed “Last Tango.” I haven’t seen “Scott & Bailey.” Will have to see if that’s available for streaming.
Raven
@Betty Cracker: It started in 2011 and stars the Suranne Jones from Gentleman Jack. It on Amazon Prime and we picked it up so we don’t just burn through GJ.
Betty Cracker
@Baud: Against my better judgment, I watched a brief clip of the speech containing the airport reference, and Trump was completely incoherent. He either had an episode or was unable to read the ‘prompter because of the rain.
@Raven: Thank you! I’ll check it out.
eldorado
a little too early for me to start arguing about author intent and the meaning of meaning
Baud
@Betty Cracker: I’m thrilled that the airport comment will probably the most memorable takeaway from the spectacle last night.
SFAW
@Baud:
That’s only because Real ‘Murican Andy Jackson had to wait until the Nanny State approved his plans, to make sure no endangered species would be harmed, and to ensure that all fighting men used only Politically Correct phrases. Gorram Lie-berals!
Plus the environmental impact statement (of which the endangered species review was a part) had to assess whether the noise from the jets would upset some of the snowflake landowners.
OzarkHillbilly
I don’t know what these people are complaining about. My roosters start up at 5 AM or earlier this time of year.
kd bart
The Battle of LaGuardia was a key turning point in the War for Independence
SFAW
The “Independence Day” reminded me of the “Every Breath You Take” missing-the-point-ness. I think the singularity of stalker songs would be Adele singing it, instead of Sting.
And lest you think I’m joking about Adele: listen to any of her hits from a few years ago (pre-Skyfall, probably). “Someone Like You,” for instance, “Rolling in the Deep,” “Make You Feel My Love”
SFAW
@kd bart:
It’s amazing how few people realize that keeping the Grand Central open for the supply trucks was as important to the American Revolution as the Waterloo Airlift was to ensuring Wellington’s ability to defeat the Spanish Armada at Thermopylae
OzarkHillbilly
Ken Klippenstein asked Steven King for a retweet in support of his uncle, Col Nathan Jessup. King obliged.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Just felt some more shaking here in Glendale(I was asleep for yesterday morning’s shaker).
ETA: USGS says it was a 5.0 aftershock.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I won’t be able to share it with my wife till later as we have a No Trump rule here in the mornings, but somebody please clue me in as to what the joke is about That Guy and airports.
We were at a lovely totally Trump-free barbecue with good friends all afternoon, and came home and passed out (still jet lagged) early in the evening.
I’m actually kind of enjoying waking up at 5 am or so and getting so much done (nothing actually productive) by 8 am. But it kind of sucks struggling to keep your eyes open past 8 pm. So I suppose sooner or later I’ll have to get back to east coast time.
Raven
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: During his tribute to the army, Trump said: “In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified army out of the revolutionary forces encamped around Boston and New York … The Continental Army suffered a bitter winter of Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware, and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown.
“Our army manned the air, it rammed the ramparts, it took over the airports, it did everything it had to do, and at Fort McHenry, under the rockets’ red glare, it had nothing but victory.”
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@SFAW: Amtrak has a monument at Grand Central to Patrick Hale’s “I regret that I have but one life to give to keep the Acela running on time” speech.
(No, I still don’t know what the original joke is, but I’ll play anyway).
Spanky
@mrmoshpotato: Kitty’s fine, but very jumpy with any sudden noises. His brothers don’t want anything to do with him right now, but I suspect the punishment will commence before the morning is out.
SFAW
@OzarkHillbilly:
I saw that last night. As I write this, I can hear/picture Jack Nicholson yelling at Steve Asshole King “You can’t handle a clue!!”
Betty Cracker
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Here’s the clip:
I think the written transcript is a little off — pretty sure the orange clown said “rammed the ramparts,” which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either.
satby
@Baud: my son and his gf have NBC on right now, and nothing but a glowing recap of der trumpenfuhrer’s “non-partisan” show. No mention of the airport gaffe, and screens full of happy parade goers. Looked like a very successful event.
Things aren’t going to get better until the media does.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Little known fact, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon to capture Rome’s airport.
BTW: The recent aftershock was upgraded to 5.4 magnitude.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@Raven: Thanks. I was just visiting the Smithsonian’s American History museum a couple of months ago, where they have the original Star Spangled Banner on display. As I recall from the plaques there, it wasn’t so much a “victory” as “not a rout”. The Fort was still standing despite all-night British bombardment and (a) the Brits gave up and left and (b) this was somehow critically important to the overall war.
I’m not clear on either point, why the British stopped shooting at that particular fort or why that mattered so much.
The Banner itself is about 2/3 of its original size, because before it was decided that it should be preserved, Colonel Armistead, the commander of Fort McHenry, and his family were giving away swatches as souvenirs.
SFAW
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
Grand Central Parkway for LaGuardia. Grand Central Station came later, after Washington crossed the Whitestone Bridge.
By the way, the Battle of LaGuardia was so important, that some war-buff (immigrant) parents re-named their son, Fiorello, in its honor. And a good thing, too — a lot of his votes for Mayor were from veterans who felt the same way.
SFAW
@satby:
Least surprising bit of info I’ve seen in the last few days.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@SFAW: Ah thanks for clarifying.
Before he turned traitor, didn’t Benedict Arnold have some victories in that region? Like at the Statue of Liberty, or on the New York Thruway heading north to the FDR estate?
OzarkHillbilly
Wasn’t it at the Battle of Bimini Bay where Farragut said, “Damn the tanktops, full speed ahead!”
JPL
Although the president was busy playing golf yesterday morning, you’d think he would have taken the time to read the speech before hand.
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: No, no I wouldn’t.
Baud
@satby:
Trump is scum, but aside from the airport gaffe, it doesn’t sound like there was much to report. Regular Fourth attendees just went about their business and didn’t let Trump ruin the nation’s birthday.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
He wouldn’t have read it, and he wouldn’t have caught it if he had.
Chyron HR
@JPL:
Reading things twice? That’s the kind of time-wasting waste of time that keeps you from becoming a billionaire nazi rapist like our great President.
Baud
Today show is now covering seaweed on Florida beaches.
debbie
The contrast between Trump’s statement that this country has never been stronger with the visual of a measly two tanks will only make this country small and puny. What a loser. Macron has got to be laughing his ass off.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: From what I’ve heard, there is some question st whether or not he read it at the podium either.
SFAW
@OzarkHillbilly:
Bikini Bottom, not Bimini Bay. Farragut was ably assisted by his ensign, Robert Sponge
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Better than red tides and dead fish I guess. No worries tho, it’s fake seaweed.
Baud
@Baud:
I’m glad our side raised a stink though. Who knows what would have happened if they construed our silence or indifference as consent?
hueyplong
It’s irritating that this airport stuff has detracted from the real scandal, which was when Trump’s fans turned to one another as he listed Civil War battles and said, “But we LOST those battles!”
OzarkHillbilly
@SFAW: My bad.
debbie
I watched it online with the sound off. His head bobbled back and forth the entire time. Is this part of his speaking style?
rikyrah
@Spanky:
Yeah????
debbie
“I wish he’d stop tweeting like an escaped monkey from a cocaine study.” You’re an ass, Jonah Goldberg, but that’s a great visual!
zhena gogolia
@Aleta:
They have all the power — 2.5 of the three branches of government and counting, the judiciary, the executive, the mass media.
We have jokes on Twitter.
I’m tired of it. I can see us losing already, as people pick apart every one of our candidates so there will be nobody that we will all rally around wholeheartedly.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
They had all of it before 2018. It’ll be a struggle and nothing is guaranteed but there’s no reason for pessimism right now.
debbie
@zhena gogolia:
Oh, I don’t know. That picking-apart will only make me stand more determinedly behind the Democratic candidate.
JPL
@SFAW: Wasn’t Robert Sponge gay?
rikyrah
Corey Ciorciari (@CoreyCiorciari) Tweeted:
.@KamalaHarris on Democrats playing nice with Republicans: “We can’t afford to be lovely and lose.” ?? https://twitter.com/CoreyCiorciari/status/1146950974277410816?s=17
JPL
Busing is the new email scandal.
fuckem
NotMax
@Ceci n est pas mon nym
Short answer for why the British ended the bombardment is that they ran out of ammunition.
Patricia Kayden
@Betty Cracker: And Heart had to rebuke Palin when she tried to co-opt “Barracuda” at her hate rallies.
debbie
@Patricia Kayden:
Nothing can top Trump’s theme song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” How inspirational! //
SFAW
@JPL:
No, just a fashion groundbreaker. [He wore square pants long before they — and bell bottoms — became Navy standard issue.]
mrmoshpotato
@debbie: No head bobbing, no head bobbing. You’re the head bobbing! Sad!
He does seem to do a fat, orange fascist dance when ummmm….I guess you could call it speaking.
mrmoshpotato
@hueyplong: I see what you did there. Well played.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I’m partial to the Dixie Chicks’ “Earl Had to Die.” He had his chance. He needed killing.
Also, does Trump still play “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” at his rallies? That always struck me as ironic.
ETA: Or what Debbie said
And another ETA: As I recall, Springsteen laughingly asked how many of his albums Reagan owned.
mrmoshpotato
@JPL: Haha We all know Dump can’t read.
kd bart
Little known fact that The Alamo was actually a Delta Sky Lounge.
Baud
@kd bart:
Alamo Rent-a-Car makes so much more sense now.
Immanentize
You think you have it rough?
This week Tuesday I put my back out (luckily lightly). The Immp’s wisdom teeth extraction turned into an abscess on the lower right. The vacation we are planning next week is befucked because there is not enough water in the Elbe for a river cruise. And right now I’m sitting waiting for the Immp’s exploratory endoscopy.
Trump is for once the least of my worries.
But I had a nice fourth — as my friend likes to remind me, alcohol is a muscle relaxant.
rikyrah
The hashtag replies are hilarious ? ?
Heather sjgrrrl1979 (@Brittana365) Tweeted:
Dearest Beatrice,
These Americans truly are savages. Gate 2C’s Starbucks carries nary almond nor soy milk and I fear our lactaid supplies shant last the night.
– Horace
#RevolutionaryWarAirports https://twitter.com/Brittana365/status/1146994306017660928?s=17
Steeplejack
@Spanky:
Good news! I’ll take down the locater beam.
rikyrah
@Immanentize:
So sorry for you and Little Imma ?
May you both heal quickly??
Frankensteinbeck
@JPL:
It is a testament to how deeply ingrained toxic masculinity is in our culture that Spongebob’s openness with affection and positive emotions, plus his willingness to have close male friendships, is leaped on as meaning he is gay. That positivity is the central theme of his character concept.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Immanentize: Oh no! I’m so sorry.
JPL
@Immanentize: Oh no!
MomSense
@Immanentize:
Nope. This won’t do at all. Hoping you and Immp both feel much better soonest.
Steeplejack
@Betty Cracker:
it wasn’t raining during the speech. Trump always has trouble reading the teleprompter, and he just ended up tossing a little word salad, as usual.
Steeplejack
@OzarkHillbilly:
The housecat starts up around 5:00 a.m. too.
debbie
@Immanentize:
Hope both you and Immp recover quickly. I f’ed up my back and after three months, I think I may just about be past it. Be sure to take care of yourselves!
JPL
@Frankensteinbeck: So true. Once a young mom told me she was concerned about her son watching sponge bob. I laughed quite appropriately for the situation.
debbie
@Frankensteinbeck:
Plus, he’s so cute!
Spanky
Hello, fellow outrage junkies! Today’s menu includes mockery, because the main course is McMegan’s contractually obligated screed in the WaPo. Today she says out loud what other never-trumpers have been dancing around. The headline on the WaPo front page:
Naturally, it’s accompanied by a picture of Bernie Sanders. Thanks, front page editor!
Usurprisingly, the inside is boilerplate McMegan. After throwing up strawmen about open borders and healthcare she pulls out her appeals to “authority”:
“Pungently” may be the most honest thing in this article.
Blah blah,”epistemic closure”, blah blah …
It goes on. I did not.
Spanky
@JPL: Big boys don’t cry. They just grow up to be emotionally distant with anger issues. Plus ulcers.
Cacti
Contractor flying a confederate flag shows up for work at home of black couple.
Is truly incredulous when he is promptly fired.
Miss Bianca
@Immanentize: Ach, ouch, all round! : (
TS (the original)
@zhena gogolia:
With the 2008 primary, many doubted that the democrats would rally around President Obama – but they did. I do believe the thought of trump winning should rally all democrats & the never trumpers around the dem nominee.
burnspbesq
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
His tanks damaged the Tappan Zee Bridge beyond repair.
Miss Bianca
@Spanky: Where are all the articles from these Never Trumper pundits exhorting their fellow Republicans to support Republican primary challengers to Dear Leader?
Right, thought so.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@zhena gogolia: I’m not despairing, but I am sick of the Marianne Williamson/John Delaney/Eric Swalwell bullshit, and a little nervous that the top candidates still* seem to be having trouble finding their sea legs, and the Left Tweeters who think voters are just an abstraction and an excuse used by the Evil and All-Powerful DNC to block real progress.
* then I remind myself that at this stage in the 08 cycle, people were wondering if Clinton or Edwards could put Obama on their ticket, and McCain was broke and seemed to be washing out behind Giuliani
burnspbesq
Had a Shiner Bock last night.
Lining up to get my TX driver’s license today.
My transition is nearly complete. Just need a pair of boots and a Telecaster.
J R in WV
@Spanky:
BEST news this week !!
Josie
@burnspbesq:
But what kind of hat do you have?
ThresherK
@Dorothy A. Winsor: “Goodbye Earl” had one of those lines for the ages:
“Earl was a missin’ person that no one missed at all.”
I remember “Independence Day” when it was new and it flabbergasts me how some R’s don’t get it. This is country music, where you can understand all the words, not rock and roll, where enthusiastic screaming will often suffice.
Ken
@Spanky: Sometimes they just have to get out, stretch their legs, and coordinate their plans to subjugate humanity.
Ken
@burnspbesq: Some historians have questioned his decision to take the hovertanks across the bridge, but others demur that the heavy rocket transports were needed to support Gen. MacArthur’s capture of the spaceport at Cape Canaveral.
burnspbesq
@Josie:
John Deere ball cap, with a 2005 Rose Bowl pin.
Uncle Cosmo
@Ceci n est pas mon nym: Despite a heavy bombardment of Congreve rockets (which had burnt out Copenhagen some years before), the guns of Fort McHenry continued to reply, so instead of trying to force their way past them into Baltimore harbor they landed a force in what is now southeastern Baltimore County under General Ross to take the town. They were met by the local militia at North Point (about 2 miles from where I grew up) & when Ross was shot dead (tradition has it, either by militiaman Wells or militiaman McComas**) the Brits withdrew…& went on to burn Washington instead. At least that’s how I remember it from my 9th grade Civics class…
** Post #38 of the American Legion in nearby Dundalk is named Wells-McComas in their honor.
L85NJGT
@Ceci n est pas mon nym:
The fort was the controlling defensive works of the harbor. So the redcoats couldn’t ransack Baltimore as they had previously done D.C.
Anotherlurker
@Raven: I watch “Gentleman Jack” with friends and we really enjoyed it. I’ll bet that Ms. Lister terrified the conventional folk around her. It was fun to watch.
Anotherlurker
@OzarkHillbilly: The folks who complain about the sounds of Nature are the same people who buy a house or a condo situated around a water feature and complain about the chorus of frogs. Entitled, newly well off and wishing they were the masters of the universe.
As a great man once said: “Fuck ’em”.
Spanky
@Uncle Cosmo: Pretty close. The US had concentrated most of its army and militia forces at Baltimore to repel the expected attack, leaving Washington to be defended mostly by militia. That’s why the Brits had such a relatively easy time of it at the Bladensburg Races on August 24, 1814. Following the sacking of the capital, they retraced their route back to Benedict (just downstream from me on the Patuxent) and moved on towards Baltimore.
Per Wikipedia:
Following that not-quite-success, the British landed troops at North Point. Again from Wikipedia:
Ruckus
@ThresherK:
I call that scream rock. There is no actual singing, the words and notes are indistinguishable, it’s basically feedback with the knob set to eleven. The classic rock station that the younger employees play is about 50% scream rock and they play the same playlist every day, that starts playing at the same second every day so one hears the same “songs” at the same time every day. And it’s the same station that’s been doing this for 40 yrs. I know why people get tired of work and retire.
Uncle Cosmo
@Spanky: Well, I did get the timeline kinda mixed up.
There is a small park at the junction of Trappe & Old North Point Rds. in Greater Dundalk & a small monument nearby commemorating the Battle of North Point; the surrounding area is quite built up. You’d need wheels to get there from downtown Baltimore.
LongHairedWeirdo
When the righties didn’t scream and wail and heap contempt on Team America: World Police, it had become clear that irony was beaten, battered, strangled, and then had a supernova enema that forced it to expand to encompass all of creation[1], to the point that this is just kind of a dull non-surprise.
[1]supernovae are a big deal, and it’s *really* tricky to prepare them for such a treatment; patient prep, of course, isn’t possible, because it’s impossible to expect people to comprehend the overwhelmingly indescribable parameters of a supernova. Randall Munroe of xkcd.com asks “which of the following would be brighter, in terms of the amount of energy delivered to your retina: A supernova, seen from as far away as the Sun is from the Earth, or the detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball? (https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/) And the answer is, the supernova, from nearly 100 million miles away, would put out on the order of 1,000,000,000x more energy. Some people suggest that patient prep consist of the juvenile threat of penetration, expressed in certain regions, at certain times as “BOHICA”, which is short for “bend over, here it comes again”, which, I must confess, would be quite humorously understated, but I find non-humorous, for not even a fictionalized anthropomorphic conceptualization of an idea deserves such a rude surprise.[2]
[2] Though I must confess, it does have the humorous elements of unexpected results, an understandable-in-concept situation, and a the turning of a mere unpleasantry into an indescribably unexpected disaster[3]
[3]Crap. I’m being absurdistly pedantic again. It must be Friday.