Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Republicans do not trust women.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

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

One way or another, he’s a liar.

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

Let me file that under fuck it.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

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

This really is a full service blog.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

So many bastards, so little time.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

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

You are here: Home / Balloon Juice / Readership Capture / Trolls 1, John Cole 0: Revisiting the Commenting policy

Trolls 1, John Cole 0: Revisiting the Commenting policy

by | 223 Comments

This post is in: 

The commenting policy as laid out on Thursday is as follows:

Things that will get you an immediate timeout:

1.) Sexism, racism, ageism; homophobic outbursts, targeting of marginalized groups, etc. We’re not going to put up with personal attacks beyond a joking nature, nor will we tolerate targeted harassment of commenters. Take your shit somewhere else.
2.) Explicit calls for violence. Obviously things said in jest such as “guillotines” or nonsense like that are recognized for the hyperbole they are. But direct, actionable threats or calls for violence are out, for obvious reasons.
3.) Targeted harassment of other commenters or front pagers.
4.) Intentional disinformation campaigns.
5.) Posting links to inappropriate websites or sites that compromise a user’s security.
6.) Divulging personal information about a commenter or front pager (real name, address, place of work, etc.)
7.) I am sure you idiots will think of something else so I will just leave this here.

Apparently we need to discuss, in detail, item #4. Intentional disinformation campaigns include anything that is known to be false with the slightest bit of knowledge and or research. These include things like:

1.) Obama is a Kenyan Muslim.
2.) Climate change is a hoax.
3.) Vaccines cause autism.
4.) The world is flat.
5.) Nicotine is not addictive.
6.) Iraq had WMD
7.) The DNC stole the 2016 election from Bernie
8.) Chemtrails
9.) Seth Rich was murdered by the DNC
10.) Sandy Hook was a false flag operation.

Etc. You get the idea. Also, another example of said behavior is the right wing (and lunatic fringe left) claim that there was no Russian interference in the 2016 election. There was. That is undeniable.

The only thing really up for debate is he extent of HOW MUCH COOPERATION the Russians received from the campaign, because the President and those around him have lied repeatedly about it (and are now convicted felons in several cases).

Take that bullshit to reddit or 8chan or whatever.

Reader Interactions

223Comments

  1. 1.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    John, what have the Curved Space Time Conspiracy Theory, are we allowed to debate that?

  7. 7.

    James E Powell

    11.)  Moderate Republicans exist and the Democrats just need to [——–] to get their votes.

  8. 8.

    dmsilev

    I assume “the world is flat” covers both genuine not-a-spherism and also the complete works of Tom Friedman?

     

    Also, check out Behind the Curve on Netflix; fascinating documentary trying to answer just WTF is going on with people who believe in flat-earth.

  10. 10.

    Baud

    Intentional disinformation campaigns include anything that is known to be false with the slightest bit of knowledge and or research. 

    A setback for the Baud! 2020! campaign.

    Are you rigging the primary for the DNC?

  11. 11.

    yellowdog

    As for number 7– Elizabeth Warren has said that the DNC rigged the primaries for Hillary. (See CNN, WP, BBC 11/2/17). What does that mean for her supporters here?

  13. 13.

    Baud

    @yellowdog:

     

    As someone who was deeply offended by that, I can say that she hasn’t built a movement based on that like Bernie did and has been stayed solid for the last two years. I’m comfortable letting bygones by bygones in this case.

     

  15. 15.

    Whats_Left

    I’ve really been enjoying swapping around the first half and second half of the example disinformation campaigns, resulting in statements like:

    • Vaccines are not addictive.
    • Obama was murdered by the DNC.
    • Climate change causes autism.
    • Iraq stole the 2016 election from Bernie.
    • Seth Rich had WMD.
    • The world is a false flag operation.
    • Nicotine is a Kenyan Muslim.
  16. 16.

    Jay

    Yvette was protesting the golden state skinheads, an infamous neo Nazi formation in California with a long history of violence. The Nazis stabbed seven people that day, Yvette pushed someone. Once again Andy is doing pr for Nazis t.co/gqbFrgZ67y— Antifa Human Resources & Comrade Relations (@Antifa_HR) November 16, 2019

  17. 17.

    Ruckus

    @zhena gogolia:

    I’d bet it was a comment from last night.

    I was tempted to answer but figured it just wasn’t worth the time and electrons. And inability to convince the inconvincible that bullshit is bullshit.

     

  20. 20.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I definitely want to hear whatever it was.  We must have had a random drive-by troll?  Surely no regular commenteratorer here would spout anything from that insane list.  Was it the DNC one?  We do have lefty troll issues, but they’re not usually that ridiculous.

  21. 21.

    Jay

    Here's what Obama actually said about the "activist wing of our party." t.co/3fp3LIAMGz pic.twitter.com/ca6RoS49WU— Mangy Jay (@magi_jay) November 16, 2019

    This is also an interesting exercise in addressing journalistic framing. The tweet from the Times is clearly meant to inflame. The headline from NYMag is not entirely accurate. A friend informed me this morning that the group Obama was speaking to was likely largely pro-Warren. pic.twitter.com/2zCfmo1pSq— Mangy Jay (@magi_jay) November 16, 2019

    “Journalistic framing”,……..

  22. 22.

    WereBear

    @dmsilev: just WTF is going on with people who believe in flat-earth.

    I have it on good authority (the God Awful Movies podcast) that such is religiously motivated but scoops up… well, I’m sure they’re human but also as credulous as a toddler watching a magic act.

    We need a German word.

  24. 24.

    Cermet

    But surely its ok to discuse how Alien’s constructed the pyramids … and Nessy, of course. Nessy can be debated (her size) – right?

  25. 25.

    JPL

    Spoiler alert   .. Today’s NYTimes puzzle had a clue 2016 election meddlers.   easy peasy for me and the rest of us.. russian trolls.    Normally I don’t even attempt a Saturday, but that clue helped me.

    Thanking you in advance for not blocking me.

  26. 26.

    WereBear

    I thought the comment policy was:

     

    • ask John if he’s found the mustard
    • say nice things about Lily, which is easy
    • make fun of Thurston
    • remake the world and argue with people who are wrong

    FTFY

  28. 28.

    Sab

    @Mai naem mobile: Speaking of which, do not go over to Pat Lang’s tyrrany site, where Larry Johnson posts. YIKES!

     

    He hates FSOs because they are snobs. Seriously. Because they had to pass tests to be considered for employment.

     

  29. 29.

    MisterForkbeard

    @yellowdog: I was trying to figure out if this was a legit question or not, but it sounds like it might be. Then again, I’m also not really a Warren supporter (she’s 2nd or 3rd to me).

    I was pretty angry when I heard her say that. But she also backtracked on it and hasn’t referenced it since or tried to build anything on it. It amounts to something stupid that she learned from and I don’t really care about it any more.

     

  31. 31.

    hells littlest angel

    Does number 4 apply to only David ??Booooooo?? Koch, who falsely claimed in the previous thread that, ‘On his “show”, Chris Matthews called on Dump to show mercy and pardon Stone,’ or also to the people who replied, ‘OMG, he’s so horrible’?

    He seems to have a thing about grossly misrepresenting things said MSNBC hosts.

  33. 33.

    JPL

    @Baud: lol

    I’m working through what can and can’t be stated. For example, trump is at Walter Reed for his physical. Can it be stated that the big bump in his ass could be cancer that spews hate among us all.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    Do suggestions that John Cole wears pants count as a conspiracy theory or a scurrilous allegation?

  38. 38.

    grammypat

    Speaking of conspiracy theories, maybe we can start one:
    Ruh – roh?
    According to the AP, the toxic toddler “…was at Walter Reed National Medical Center on Saturday…” supposedly to get an early start to his annual checkup.

  40. 40.

    JPL

    Testing the limits..   What the f.k is the asshole gonna do

    A top federal homelessness official announced Friday that he has left his post at the Trump administration’s request, an unexpected move that comes as the White House plans a sweeping crackdown aimed at homelessness in California.

    washington post

    whoops I tried to link to the article but failed.  sorry   here is a naked link washingtonpost.com/business/2019/11/16/trump-administration-ousts-top-homelessness-official-white-ho…

  41. 41.

    Sab

    @WereBear:  I was in the archives today. Rosie has been with him for 10 plus years. That’s a huge chunk of any dog’s lifespan. My late lamented shepherd only lived 11 years. Rosie was new to John the year Tassie died.

    So Rosie has beaten a lot of odds to have a long dog lifespan in the same loving household. Yay John. Yay Rosie. Lots of little dogs make it to twenty.

  47. 47.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Donald Trump is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.

    If that’s not bannable, nothing is.

  50. 50.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud:

     

    Me too! Although attributing the whole thing to “trolls” is a little disingenuous.  Or a lot. Unless you think that Russian Military Intelligence is just a random gang of trolls.

     

  51. 51.

    Sab

    @Adam L Silverman:

     

    @Adam L Silverman: So what happened? I used to think he was sensible. I have a number of mixed race relatives, especially nephews, nieces and grandchildren. I hesitate to even let them see stuff he writes. He is toxic lately. Same thing Pat Lang.

     

  52. 52.

    zhena gogolia

    @JPL:

     

    I think that is fair game around here.

     

    Aaron Rupar was tweeting from Ronny Jackson’s old report, and I thought somehow he had been reinstated.

     

  53. 53.

    patrick II

    @Sab: Resentment against  democrats  who think they are  reasonably smart  (usually correctly) is a huge motivating  factor on the right.   Listen to Rush sometime-,  he’s constantly  on about  “who- are those  liberal  elites  that they think they can  tell all of  you real  common sense Americans  what to do?”

    It seems to work.

  54. 54.

    JPL

    @Sab: Rosie has had a good life and she could care less that we dote on Lily.   I can’t believe it was that long since he stopped along the side of the road to rescue her.

     

  57. 57.

    JPL

    @zhena gogolia: The article about trump cleaning up the homeless problem in CA scares me and if the  asshole does anything threatening then I presume most of  us will be blocked.   lol Including John himself

  58. 58.

    zhena gogolia

    @grammypat:

    I saw this:
    ‏

    @ictussunshine
    16m16 minutes ago
    More
    Replying to @atrupar
    And yet, it’s not scheduled til February.
    Trump is at the hospital for *something,* but not his physical.

    This will test my Christian compassion. Do not use prayers for the wrong thing!

  59. 59.

    Yutsano

    @JPL:  Smaller dogs tend to have longer life spans than larger dogs. Which is kinda sad especially considering the Bernese mountain dog only lives around 8 years or so. And they’re big piles of lovable floof.

  62. 62.

    The Dangerman

    @Adam L Silverman:

     

    Do suggestions that John Cole wears pants count as a conspiracy theory or a scurrilous allegation?

    I believe you have to be a wee bit more specific as I’ve heard he goes Commando.

     

  63. 63.

    Jay

    I would be drinking conservative tears right now but conservative tears taste like racism and the blood of dead schoolchildren.— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) November 15, 2019

    Re. Roger Stone’s convictions.

  65. 65.

    grammypat

    @zhena gogolia

    *Something* is why I used the word supposedly.

    Since I have no Christian compassion, I don’t ‘pray’ for anybody or anything.

  66. 66.

    JPL

    @Yutsano: Mutts or those that fend for them self are different though.  My golden before my first mutt was seventeen, but little 18 lb Moxie was approximately 11..   Nona a purebred Maltese was only 11.

     

  67. 67.

    Bex

    Left previous box, button, whatever now covers the first five letters of Commenter in Commenter Name (Nym).  Right box is missing again.  I blame Trump.  Is that a conspiracy theory I can get kicked off for?

  69. 69.

    patrick II

    @JPL:  I bet Trump  will suggest  a   federally   funded   program  to help   wild housing   and provide   counselling   for those   who  need  it.    Jared will  provide the visionary  aspect and Steve miller  will   be the administrator. It will be  called TULIP for Trump Unreservedly Loves  the Intrangent  Poor.

     

  74. 74.

    Yutsano

    @JPL: Fortunately dog life spans are hard to predict even among breed standards. We should just enjoy our time with our canine companions as we have it.

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    “Donald Trump surrendered his billionaire’s life and sacrificed his treasured privacy to selflessly serve the county he loves, only to be treated unfairly by people who do not comprehend nor deserve his immeasurable brilliance and talents.”

     

  81. 81.

    WereBear

    Can I speculate about someone dropping blackmail material (a P for Particular tape Perhaps?) worldwide should someone with a dead rat coiffure fail him in some way?

     

    So much less messy than the SMERSH exploding recliners, after all.

  83. 83.

    J R in WV

    CHEMTRAILS????

     

    Seriously?

     

    You can see the chemtrails behind nearly every jetliner in the sky, John. Now arguing about what those chemtrails actually are, that’s a different story. I’m going with ice crystals, some are going with Climate Change chemistry.

     

    But I’m not an high altitude chemist!  Just an average guy with curiosity…

  92. 92.

    Bill Arnold

    @Whats_Left:

    These are testable at least:

    • Vaccines are not addictive.
    • Climate change causes autism.

    and this one has some charm:

    • The world is a false flag operation.

     

  99. 99.

    Calouste

    @WereBear: Do flat earthers have an explanation for when I call someone in Europe it is dark there when it is midday here on the Left Coast?

    For me the explanation is that they are (almost) on the other side of the world.

     

  104. 104.

    James E Powell

    @patrick II:

     

    And in the world of “Can you believe what Democrats are saying?” just about anybody they don’t like is a Democrat. Quite often the person who is the outrage du jour is in no way a Democrat.  See, e.g., Michael Moore, various actors and athletes, leftists who spend 95% of their time slamming the Democratic Party.

     

  106. 106.

    Jay

  112. 112.

    zhena gogolia

    @grammypat:

     

    You seem to think I was disagreeing with you. I fully understood your “something.” And I wasn’t implying that you had any Christian compassion. I was referring to myself.

     

  115. 115.

    WereBear

    @Calouste: I have no idea how someone hangs onto a Flat Earth philosophy when astronauts send selfies from space, but they undoubtedly think we are all feeelthy lib’ruls doing it to make them doubt their faith or something.

     

  117. 117.

    Mai naem mobile

    @Adam L Silverman: who is Larry Johnson? Who is Pat Lang? I feel like I am familiar with a lot of RWNJ media/pundits/rat fuckers but honestly there’s just so many my brain can only rolodex so many. It doesn’t help that they look so similar to each other.

     

  118. 118.

    zhena gogolia

    @Mai naem mobile:

     

    Pat Lang is Raven’s pet peeve, because he was on John’s blogroll for a long time (maybe he still is, IDK) because he’s a veteran but he sounds absolutely bonkers. Don’t ask me who Johnson is.

     

  123. 123.

    NotMax

    You didn't hear it from me but the Illuminati plans to set up a picket line outside your house on Monday.

  125. 125.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Calouste:

    Do flat earthers have an explanation for when I call someone in Europe it is dark there when it is midday here on the Left Coast?

    Half of the Sun was turned off by the gay frogs!

     

  126. 126.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @WereBear:

    My baby brother (“baby” turns 73 tomorrow!) has apparently become a flat-earther. I learned this a few months ago. I’ve argued vigorously with him about Trump, and I’ve kindly but firmly rejected his come-to-Jesus proselytising, but I don’t think I can let this pass. I’ll see him for a few days at Thanksgiving, and I believe I’ll use Mnemosyne’s trick of asking him, in all innocence, “please explain, I don’t understand, could you give me a couple of examples?” instead of being my usual confrontational self. (And tyvm, but please don’t suggest that I write him off. I detest his views, and he knows it, but I also love him dearly. I was estranged from my siblings many years ago. Never doing that again no matter how much we disagree.)

    All that said: What the ever-loving actual blue-eyed fuck, my bro?

  127. 127.

    Sab

    @zhena gogolia: Johnson went through CIA entry class with Valery Plame,  the late Ambassador Joe Wilson’s widow. He defended her a lot when Scooter Libby and Dick Cheney blew her cover back in the day, but lately he goes down racist rabbit holes (the whitey tapes re Michele Obama). Haven’t seen much from him lately, but haven’t seen anything suggesting he has calmed down at all.

     

  128. 128.

    zhena gogolia

    I like the cut of this guy’s jib.

     

    Col. Morris Davis Retweeted Brooke Binkowski

    Sure, but @SusanSarandon has her principles!

    Brooke BinkowskiVerified account @brooklynmarie
    Steven Menashi’s Confirmation Flips Second Circuit to GOP-Appointed Majority via

     

  130. 130.

    zhena gogolia

    I don’t understand how to cut-and-paste tweets any more. I’m not on twitter so I can’t embed.

  135. 135.

    Sab

    @SiubhanDuinne: My baby bro is treasurer for a mutual fund, and hates commies. Oddly, he likes E Warren, and thinks Harris was too lenient with Wells Fargo. Hates top notch oligarchs.

    He is only  in the 1%. He resents the .1%. So do I. Finally common ground. Woo hoo.

  138. 138.

    Chetan Murthy

    @WereBear: @SiubhanDuinne:  I recently read Kuhn’s The Copernican Revolution: Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought.  In it, he notes that the stars move in orbits around celestial North, and that some stars are above the horizon during the entire circle and hence visible (except when the Sun’s up, outshining them), where others are only above the horizon for part of the day.  And that depending ONLY on one’s lattitude, you can predict which stars will be completely above-horizon and which will not.

     

    And that this can only be explained by positing a spherical (ok, spheroid) Earth.  It’s an elegant explanation, though honestly, the “ships at sea, seen from the beach and from a cliff directly overhead” ought to work too.

     

  140. 140.

    Martin

    @Sab: Warren is a capitalist. A very good capitalist, if you ask me. Harris couldn’t really have gone much harder on Wells Fargo given how easy everyone else went on these guys. CA got, what, a bit over $25B and the rest of the country got a bit less than $2B?

     

    I agree Wells Fargo should have paid more, but that’s really on the feds and other states for going so easy on them.

     

  144. 144.

    Sab

    @SiubhanDuinne: Kids these days. They never grow up.

     

    Been through the estrangement phase. Will walk wary there always.

     

    My husbands family can literally bang each other on the head with logs or axes, and still turn up civil for Sunday supper. I  don’t understand.

     

    He says “well, we are Irish”, and I say ” well, we are also  Irish and we don’t forgive anyone for anything for several generations back.”

     

     

  145. 145.

    Another Scott

    @Bex: If you reduce the text size by 10% (Ctrl – minus), then the page resizes and the Left (previous) and Right (next) buttons will no longer cover the text.

    At least that’s what works on my MBP.  Dunno what to do about phones.

    HTH.

    Cheers,

    Scott.

     

  146. 146.

    Martin

    @chris: You can also get the embed code and do it that way.

    • Go here: publish.twitter.com/#
    • Paste in the link, and copy the resulting code
    • Go under the text tab on the comment and paste in the embed code
    • Delete the script /script tags and everything between them at the bottom

    (watch this not work…)

    The earliest surviving photographic portrait of a human was taken this month in 1839. A self portrait by Robert Cornelius.The world’s first #selfie. pic.twitter.com/HRBIN4Y7Od— Dan Snow (@thehistoryguy) November 16, 2019

  148. 148.

    chris

    @Martin: Yes it did. It takes its time though.

    I embedded the tweet from twitter’s embed function cleverly hidden behind the arrow at the top right of every tweet. Pasting here seems to require the Text setting rather than the default Visual.

    ETA: If you paste a tweet and see all the code on the page, refresh the page. Seems to work.

  150. 150.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Apropos of nothing in particular and everything in general: I really like the look of the new site, but there are bunches of features and ways of doing things I simply don’t yet understand how to do. Not understanding makes me feel stupid, and feeling stupid makes me cranky and pissed off. I need some undistracted time to go through the introductory instruction posts from a couple of days ago and just play with the new toys.

  153. 153.

    Ruckus

    @Sab:

    Have a sibling that is in a scientific church. As least they think they are scientific. A lot of decades. Everything can be explained by the church doctrine, none of which has anything to do with any reality whatsoever, medicine, life, what it costs to be a believer…….

    I stay away, far, far away. It avoids having someone yell right in my face, swearing at me for saying absolutely not one negative word at a parent’s memorial service. Or tell me how wrong my life is, or how much better it would be if I’d just read on of the many books the founder of the religion wrote, even after he passed away, and follow every word as the guiding light of life.

    No thanks, I’ll pass.

    And I’m Scotch/Irish/Sicilian, with probably a few other odds and ends thrown in for good measure. Family may be family but that doesn’t make them any more tolerable or healthy to be around.

     

  155. 155.

    divF

    @Whats_Left:

    Reminded me of Eco’s list of holy war topics (from 1994).

    Friends, Italians, countrymen, I ask that a Committee for Public Health be set up, whose task would be to censor (by violent means, if necessary) discussion of the following topics in the Italian press. Each censored topic is followed by an alternative in brackets which is just as futile, but rich with the potential for polemic. Whether Joyce is boring (whether reading Thomas Mann gives one erections). Whether Heidegger is responsible for the crisis of the Left (whether Ariosto provoked the revocation of the Edict of Nantes). Whether semiotics has blurred the difference between Walt Disney and Dante (whether De Agostini does the right thing in putting Vimercate and the Sahara in the same atlas). Whether Italy boycotted quantum physics (whether France plots against the subjunctive). Whether new technologies kill books and cinemas (whether zeppelins made bicycles redundant). Whether computers kill inspiration (whether fountain pens are Protestant).
    One can continue with: whether Moses was anti-semitic; whether Leon Bloy liked Calasso; whether Rousseau was responsible for the atomic bomb; whether Homer approved of investments in Treasury stocks; whether the Sacred Heart is monarchist or republican.

  156. 156.

    Ruckus

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Every new technology takes time to get used to. Especially as one becomes more and more experienced. Also a lot of new technology has more tools/useless stuff because – MORE! Most of them you don’t need (or even want) but you know – MORE BETTER!

    I find that the new site works fine if you take it a few steps at a time. And don’t give a damn for stuff that doesn’t matter.

     

  157. 157.

    debbie

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I’m not talking to my baby bro, who I more or less raised, ever since he assured me Trump would be great and bring everybody together. But I sure miss my nieces and nephews.

  158. 158.

    debbie

    @Patricia Kayden:

    I didn’t see your tweet, but when you paste it in and there’s all that coding, you need to delete everything after the “/blockquote>”

    ETA: And also switch to the text box before pasting it in.

  160. 160.

    James E Powell

    @debbie:

     

    I had to reconnect and be completely family with both my Trumpista brothers because – and only because – it was our mother’s funeral.

     

  161. 161.

    Another Scott

    BBC: I opposed vaccinations until my son caught polio:

    […]

    His eight-year-old son Buhari went to bed one night healthy and strong. By morning, he had lost his ability to walk.

    Scared, his father took him to a traditional healer, who said an evil spirit had attacked his son, and applied some herbs.

    It was not until a neighbour said he suspected Buhari had polio that he was taken to the hospital where an immediate medical intervention saved him from the full effects of the virus.

    “He cannot open his fingers fully like me,” said Mr Misa as, five years later, he sits under a tree in their home outside Yola in Adamawa state, north-east Nigeria.

    [Image]

    Adamu Misa’s first two children were vaccinated while he was not around
    He now campaigns for child vaccination, lending his voice and presence to local health workers who face stiff resistance from people against vaccines – or anti-vaxxers – in his community.

    “I have seen it on my child so anybody who says anything against vaccination, I will show him practical example with my child,” he told the BBC.

    Many parents in the Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria refuse to let their children receive life-saving vaccines because of unfounded beliefs, including that they are part of a Western plot to sterilise local women.

    And it is not just a Nigerian problem.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), opposition to vaccines is currently a global problem.

    There are instances of reluctance to accept the measles vaccine in parts of Europe, and the US, the human papillomavirus vaccine in Japan and India and the polio vaccine in parts of Pakistan.

    […]

    My step-Grandfather’s brother had polio and was in a wheelchair the rest of his life…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  162. 162.

    BBA

    Is it trolling when I say that Wilmer is taking orders straight from Moscow and has been since he was mayor of Burlington in the ’70s? If so, I’ll stop. But I thought it was just common sense.

  163. 163.

    burnspbesq

    Baylor – Oklahoma? Bah!

     

    the only matchup that could be less appealing is Maryland – Carolina.

  165. 165.

    chris

    I went through some family shit once and was at wit’s end when a wise old friend told me to “treat my family like other people.” There are two of my five siblings that I haven’t seen or spoken to in years and my life is much better for it. The other three followed my lead and agree completely. Life is too short for some things.

  168. 168.

    Another Scott

    nycsouthpaw on Twitter:

    southpaw @nycsouthpaw 31 minutes ago

    southpaw Retweeted Josh Dawsey

    Just a spur of the moment decision to go to the hospital for tests on a Saturday while perfectly healthy with nothing bothering him

    Josh Dawsey Verified account @jdawsey1

    From Stephanie Grisham: “After a quick exam and labs, the President is headed back downtown.
    The President remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of…

    southpaw @nycsouthpaw

    How the story developed in pool reports.

    […]

    Donnie and his people lie about everything. Ockham’s Razor says they’re lying about this incident, also too.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  172. 172.

    JGabriel

    @dmsilev:

    rm -r * would do the trick.

    If we had a rec system, I’d have recc’d that one.

     

    (And, no, I’m not requesting one.)

     

     

     

  173. 173.

    Omnes Omnibus

    My high school class had Flat Earth Society and a Hester Prynne Fan Club.  Yes, I was a founder member of both.   Flat Earth Society was made up of IB science students and the Hester Prynne Fan Club was IB English.

     

    Come at me, bro.

  174. 174.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Scamp Dog:

     

    Hi! I’m here every day, I just don’t have a whole lot to say while I am waiting for Felonious D to be impeached. :)

     

  176. 176.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mai naem mobile: Larry Johnson is a retired CIA officer. My understanding is he had a distinguished career, but at some point post retirement he’s developed some quirks. I’m acquainted with, but that’s it.

     

    The other gentlemen is a retired US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) colonel and Vietnam veteran. Post retirement he went to work for the Defense Intelligence Agency working his way up to SES 5 upon retirement. He also trained and mentored me and I wrote at his site for several years. I came here when that relationship ended, which is why I don’t discuss him or it.

     

  177. 177.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Sab: You didn’t. From the time I started writing here full time, I’ve made it clear that I wasn’t going to discuss him or why I’m no longer writing and co-editing/co-moderating his site. What happened happened. It is between he and I. And I intend to keep it that way.

     

  178. 178.

    Mike in NC

    We’re finally watching “Vice” starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney and Steve Carrell as Don Rumsfeld. Hard to imagine we thought they represented the bottom of the GOP’s satanic barrel.

  180. 180.

    Jinchi

    @Sab: He is only in the 1%. He resents the .1%. So do I. Finally common ground.

    The amazing thing about wealth distribution in America is that just about everyone can easily point out people who have ten-times more than they do and also others who have one-tenth as much. Even Mitt Romney thinks he’s middle class. And Leon Cooperman probably resents the fact that Warren is putting him in the same category as Bill Gates.

  182. 182.

    Jinchi

    @BBA: Where does this nickname “Wilmer” come from?

     

    For the longest time I thought you all were talking about (Willard) Mitt Romney.

     

  184. 184.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    Only SIX more hours until season three of “The Crown”? is released on Netflix

     

  187. 187.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Jinchi:

    Where does this nickname “Wilmer” come from?

    For awhile Bernie Sanders fans would swoop into threads if his name was mentioned, presumably because they were trolls doing searches for his name.  Some folks here started using the nickname Wilmer to avoid that nuisance.  Then they kept using it when the trolls stopped.

     

  190. 190.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    @Jinchi: Wilmer is a bumbling punk in the movie “The Maltese Falcon”.

    someone thought it would be better to use the name Wilmer so as not to trigger the appearance of Sanders’s disruptive fans, who only appeared on this site when he was being discussed.

  191. 191.

    Raven

    @zhena gogolia: I lobbied for years to get him taken off the blogroll and John finally did. I’ve been banned from there for years but I write ugly posts in case he reads them. Every so often he tell his story of being spit on by a fat hippie chick in a Mu-Mu.

     

  196. 196.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @WereBear: I have no idea how someone hangs onto a Flat Earth philosophy when astronauts send selfies from space, but they undoubtedly think we are all feeelthy lib’ruls doing it to make them doubt their faith or something.

     

    Think how Trump “manages” people, the Baron Harkonian school of management; he encourages them to do something immoral and then they are Trump’s minion because they are trapped. Flat Earth is the same thing, the member of the group MUST claim the Earth is flat or they are ostracized and when publicly claim the earth is flat they become trapped because everyone else views them as idiots

     

  198. 198.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Raven: I saw you talking trash to the negative nellies over on the Senator’s blog!  A W is a W, especially on the road against the dirtiest team in the SEC.

     

  201. 201.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss the remainder of this season after suffering a dislocated right hip Saturday in the Crimson Tide’s 38-7 win over Mississippi State, Alabama orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain said in a statement.

     

    Tagovailoa also suffered a posterior wall fracture, sources confirmed to ESPN, and medical officials are continuing to evaluate his injury to determine the best course of treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery, Cain said.

     

    Poor guy.

  204. 204.

    Another Scott

    BusinessInsider:

    Last updated: 11/16/2019, 10:07:53 PM
    Racewide Results
    CANDIDATE VOTES PERCENT MAP
    John Bel Edwards (D) * 445,413 50.38%
    “Eddie” Rispone (R) 438,770 49.62%
    45.87% reporting (1834 of 3998 precincts)
    *Incumbent

    Here’s hoping he holds on and is re-elected.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  205. 205.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Raven: no kidding. I skipped a charity event tonight and am watching it.  Makes me wish Plumlee had stuck with us.  He’s run for 200+ and 4 TDs against LSU as a true freshmen. Damn!

     

  206. 206.

    Avalune

    What if we say things like the earth is flat because religion? Obama is a Martian because religion. Vaccines cause your eyes to go crossed because religion. That’s apparently about to work in Ohio – and get me an A!

  208. 208.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Another Scott: I was in Louisiana last week and Rispone’s ads were everywhere. And he presented himself as a kindly, reasonable family man rather than a RWNJ.

    Glad to see his lies aren’t working.

     

  209. 209.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Raven: not sure how much is his fault and how much is Coley’s.  I don’t think we’ll know how good he is until he has a competent OC.

     

  213. 213.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Raven: I was a Jacob Eason supporter, but he may be the worst of the three.  Best move might have been updating the offense and turning Fields loose, but now I think he’s a punk and I hope LSU or Georgia destroys OSU in the playoffs.

     

  215. 215.

    Matt McIrvin

    @yellowdog: When she said it, it pissed me off–it was a bad knee-jerk reaction to irrelevant and overblown statements in Donna Brazile’s book, or possibly to the early media characterization of same. Since then, Brazile has become more and more of a troll and Warren stopped claiming the primary was rigged.

     

  219. 219.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Mike in NC:

    We’re finally watching “Vice” starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney and Steve Carrell as Don Rumsfeld. Hard to imagine we thought they represented the bottom of the GOP’s satanic barrel. 

    We were all so young and stupid. :)

  221. 221.

    Jim

    Maybe it’s just me, but I’m still trying to figure out why someone would care about a timeout.  Most of my interactions here have been prompted by the frontpagers, etc, indirectly insulting me with their endless “Wilbur” posts, so it’s hard to see, given the tolerance for such from admin around here, why I would care if abusing them directly or indirectly resulted in such.  I’ve never understood this ROTR crap wherein and whereby the most gross and cowardly (the least direct allowable) clowns are largely given a pass simply because they don’t directly personalize things in the form of a direct assault on any given or undesignated poster. It’s also why I, like many others I am sure who feel they are grossly outnumbered by the tolerated and dedicated aforementioned opposition, don’t spend much time or provide many clicks to this place. But thanks for providing unnecessary notice.

  222. 222.

    frosty

    @Raven: Well, I understand the problems and the head-in-the-sand outlook among the football powers that be, but holy shit, Lamar Jackson (Ravens QB) is amazing and has been a hoot to watch the last couple of weeks. A Grauniad columnist called his spin to dodge tacklers last week “football porn” LOL.

     

  223. 223.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Martin: When Ohio passed that “students cannot be penalized for answers expressing religious beliefs” law, I figured it was sort of like lighting the Satan-signal. I’m sure the Satanic Temple is gonna gin up another one of their terrific trolling test cases!

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