This is just *chef kiss*:
Of all of the scummy, lowlife hacks at the National Review, the one stepping up to attempt to try to smear the victim and rehab the image of that racist Central Park Karen is a guy named Kyle and I just can not get enough of it.
zhena gogolia
I had blissfully forgotten what “Covington” referred to.
Cheryl Rofer
OMG, DougJ tweeted that one, and I thought he made it up
daryljfontaine
@zhena gogolia: Different virus, similar name.
D
germy
The real criminals:
Elizabelle
That is so goddamned perfect. And the National Review continues, so goddamned clueless.
A lot of people are laughing at what the NR perhaps did not intend to say.
germy
West of the Rockies
Conservatives relish nothing more than feeling aggrieved. Nothing gives them warm tinglies and starbursts like claiming victimization.
Nicole
I confess, I looked up the article after seeing this post and I am dumber for having read said article. This Kyle dude actually compares letting the dog run off leash to men having sex in the Rambles in the 70s and 80s.
Elizabelle
@zhena gogolia: I never did. And that smarmy entitled white boy was absolutely in the wrong to be hassling that Native American elder, who was drumming.
In that case, it turned out the kids had had an encounter with some black Israelites who hassled them first.
Which rightwing world uses to muddy the water, but the kid definitely treated the elder deplorably. Our lying eyes.
Covington High School is a Catholic boys’ school with an aggressive culture. The teenage boys were in town to demonstrate at the annual Right to Life march in DC.
And Trump’s White House counsel, Pat something, is a proud Covington grad.
HumboldtBlue
@Cheryl Rofer:
So did I and then I read the pile of shit.
hells littlest angel
Thank goodness the National Review has abandoned its white supremacist founding principle.
Major Major Major Major
@Nicole: eh, only to point out that the ramble is a backwater.
I read the piece when you tweeted about it, JC, and I will admit that the context from the man’s Facebook page is curious. Should probably look it up to see the rest of his post, but it sounds kinda weird.
ETA since I sometimes need to point this out, I am not defending conservatives
germy
@Elizabelle:
“Well, once all the old boomers die out everything will be fine.”
Roger Moore
@germy:
It makes it really obvious why they have so many ideas for how the Democrats are going to cheat in the next election.
Elizabelle
Check out the WaPost website. Banner headline.
100,000 DEATHS
And a graphic that looks like the illuminated beams of light Twin Towers, after 9/11. Excellent choice.
James E Powell
There is a Poe’s Law quality to that National Review article. It’s breathtaking.
Elizabelle
@hells littlest angel: Perfect.
BigJimSlade
This whole “Karen” thing now should be “Amy” – she deserves it.
germy
@Roger Moore:
BigJimSlade
My vote for the male version of “Karen” (or “Amy” as I would have it) is “Scott.”
germy
@BigJimSlade: Chad.
(See comment #19)
Baud
“Dog Case”?
HumboldtBlue
I just wanted you to get to know me better before I called the cops.
hells littlest angel
Once right-wingers start using the term to demean women who complain about sexual harassment and pay inequality, will intelligent people knock off the “Karen” bullshit?
I really don’t know why it rankles me, but it really fucking does.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Major Major Major Major:
The implication is he is, or seemed to be, threatening the dog. The idea that she felt threatened is somewhat undercut by the fact that, on the video, she charged at him a minute or so later. His wording is kinda weird, but you could argue he’s trying to show her the dangers, to your dog, of letting your dog run off-leash in a public space. Kinda like George Bluth Sr going a little overboard in teaching his kids why We Always. Leave. A Note!
Full disclosure: I used to let my dog run off-leash in places I now wish I hadn’t. I have the zeal of reformed sinner. And people who don’t follow rules in public places get on my nerves, from irritated to engaged depending on circumstances.
trollhattan
@BigJimSlade:
Partial to Brett, one or two ts optional. “Check out the big brain on Brett” preceded Kavanaugh by decades but he sure cemented it.
Nigel, when we’re talking Brits. One must not have a Brit Brett.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Tomorrow’s craziness in the works.
MisterForkbeard
@germy: The best worst part: Prosecutors dropped it without any explanation and a month ago it was completely expunged from her record.
I wonder how THAT happened, O Politically Connected Republican White Lady.
Ohio Mom
Zhena: You can blissfully forget because your local paper does not publish periodic updates on the progress of Covington Kid’s many lawsuits. As you might recall, Covington is right across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati. I suppose he is considered a local hero in some circles.
A recent headline announced CNN had settled with Covington Kid; since I didn’t read the article, I can’t share the details, if they are public.
It seems to me that he is probably amassing a nice little nest egg. I don’t see how Ms. Cooper could do the same. If she is lucky, she will take this crash of hitting bottom to heart and reevaluate her entire life (I just finished a very nice supper and am feeling generous).
BigJimSlade
@hells littlest angel: I was recommending “Amy” instead, but I would prefer your alternative – that the stupid meme goes away. The fact that there is no real male version pretty much shows it’s a sexist thing. Plus, my wife’s name is Karen and she doesn’t need the negative, dismissive shit thrown at her name.
germy
Kirk Spencer
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I have a place where I let my dogs off leash. But it’s hard bounded and if any other people show up the dogs go back on their leashes.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Dorothy A. Winsor: an “executive order” declaring the President’s intention to order aides to look into possibilities of instances which may exist for options to consider at a future date regarding possible responses to situations which might come to pass under future eventualities….
Does he still do those photo-ops when he signs his name real big in a fancy. and very official-looking, leather binder which he then holds up for the cameras making that constipated face he thinks is Churchillian? I haven’t seen one in a while
Montanareddog
@Dorothy A. Winsor: so a private company flagging Lard Littlefingers’ tweets is infringing upon his freedom of speech, but executive orders targeting such companies will not? Good luck with that one in the courts, Mr Blobby.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Pretty much this. There’s nothing he can do.
Major Major Major Major
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: yeah, I didn’t get a sense he was threatening to poison the dog like the weirdo at NRO, rather I had your interpretation. It’s still a weird thing to say, and while it gives some nuance to the encounter it doesn’t justify her heinous actions.
Luciamia
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Sign all you want, Asshole. An executive order is bupkis.
Felanius Kootea
@Major Major Major Major: The National Review article explicitly states that Mr. Cooper threatened to *poison* Ms. Cooper’s dog. Most reasonable people interpreted his use of treats as a way to show that Ms. Cooper didn’t have her dog under control unleashed (if he’d take a treat from a complete stranger), since she was ignoring requests to put her dog on a leash in an area that requires it. That interpretation is: if you don’t want your dog accepting treats from strangers, leash your dog. Not even Ms. Cooper has accused him of threatening to kill her dog (which she very nearly choked to death in her haste to call the cops and show Mr. Cooper who was the boss), so why would the NR writer go there?
J R in WV
Trump is so stupid he actually believes that Article 2 of the constitution makes him King-Emperor of all he beholds, and all are commanded to kneel before him and perform obeisance. This is not the case, even tho many Republicans are stupid enough to believe it is so, they not being able to read at all, and especially not the ancient Ainglisch used by the founding fathers lo those many centuries ago.
I’m hoping very hard Trump signs an Executive Order giving him authority over internet publishers, and that we get to see the text of that E O. It will be illuminating of Trump’s actual current dementia. Which is obviously pretty serious, just reading the occasional tweet republished here.
Actually, Twitter is liable for degrading Trump just by publishing his tweets verbatim as he types them (or has staff type them for him, which is more likely!) ! But he can’t tell that because he loves his tweets.
germy
@Felanius Kootea: The NR writer even claims Cooper “admitted” he threatened to poison the dog.
So even conservative “intellectuals” basically make shit up.
Montanareddog
@Felanius Kootea:
Mmmm. ‘Tis a mystery!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@germy: “Only the best people.”
Cameron
I don’t Wingnuttia has its story straight. A RW friend of mine claims the NY Post has identified this woman as a Democrat or a liberal or…something other than what she pretty obviously is. Game, set and match, libtards!
debbie
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
What a delusional idea of democracy he has!
Another Scott
@BigJimSlade: Hey!!1
Cheers,
Scott.
Starfish
@Cameron: I thought I saw something saying she was a Bernie supporter. Racism is not just for Republicans.
Montanareddog
@debbie:
He thinks of himself as Ming the Merciless when he is actually Tang the Tasteless
Starfish
@Cameron: The story here is a stretch. Amy Cooper seems like it would probably be a pretty common name. Just because the name was on some donor lists, they are assuming it is her. Color me skeptical.
Roger Moore
@J R in WV:
I can almost understand how they can read things that way. What really gets me is that they don’t in any way accept that if Article II makes Trump God Emperor of the USA, it would also have made Obama God Emperor, and it will make Biden God Emperor if he wins.
lurkypants
@Felanius Kootea: Not to mention, he explicitly told her that she could have the dog off-leash outside the Ramble, but she told him to fuck off and she’d do what she wanted to.
I used to take my dog out in Prospect Park during off-leash hours at the Peninsula, and we weren’t supposed to have our dogs off-leash in the woods, but we often did if no one was around, but if other people were there, particularly birders, we got the dogs leashed up, because *we were in the wrong.* And we certainly were not going to try to call the NYPD and have a Black man killed for daring us to leash our dogs when we were in the wrong.
Duane
@germy: Stephanie Alexander is a campaign professional like Wiilie Sutton was a bank professional. Though unlike most Trumpov hires, she does have experience.
trollhattan
@germy:
Only thing I know is Cooper threatened Cooper.
Robert Sneddon
@Roger Moore: The US Constitution was written in the time of absolute rulers, kings and emperors and the creators thought they needed a king to run things so they designed an Executive with king-like powers but made the position elected by white property-owners rather than being handed down by divine right and primogeniture. Two hundred and fifty years later the time of absolute kings is over but the Constitution remains firmly regal, a President is above the law, they can do what they like and nobody can gainsay them.
Omnes Omnibus
@Robert Sneddon: Wow, are you wrong. I’ll just leave it at that.
Major Major Major Major
@Omnes Omnibus: remarkably so!
hells littlest angel
@Omnes Omnibus: But not extremely wrong. Some of those founders … well, they were no angels.
Kent
A common social media thread in these “Karen” eruptions, this one included, is that poor Amy shouldn’t have her live “destroyed” because of ONE mistake. You see it every time one of these events occurs.
The assumption being, of course, that this is the very first time dear Amy ever acted in an entitled racist manner. That this incident was just utterly unpracticed and un-premeditated. And that this is not who she is. That she has never been a racist asshole ever before in her life.
Watching the practiced ease in which this woman slips into the racist lie on the video, which do you all think is the more likely scenario:
Omnes Omnibus
@hells littlest angel: No, they were no angels, but they did not design a system with a virtually all powerful executive as RS said.
Robert Sneddon
@Omnes Omnibus: So the President can be ticketed for speeding or sued for libel like regular citizens? Or do they have “sovereign” immunity while they hold the office?
Executive orders, that’s another thing regular folks can’t just up and do, command of the nation’s military forces, uh huh. Creating National Parks at a stroke of the pen, a whole host of king-like actions. Sure there’s oversight of a lot of what a President can do but they have the intrinsic powers of a sovereign in many ways that other countries which have constitutional monarchies don’t permit any more.
Ladyraxterinok
@germy:
Thanks for posting this background. I looked some up but what I found wasn’t very heloful.
trnc
Pretty much works the same way when they purge voter rolls.
Omnes Omnibus
@Robert Sneddon: Ticketed for speeding? Undetermined at this point. Sued? Yep. As far as the rest, don’t put the blame on the founders, put it squarely on Congress which has ceded its powers to the executive bit by bit. Constitutionally, it can easily take them back.
Kent
@hells littlest angel: There is an EXTREME difference between notion that the Constitution grants the president supreme autocratic powers, and the notion that many of the founding fathers were slave-holding autocrats themselves. The most autocratic founding fathers were those who argued for the weakest central presidency.
The presidency was originally designed as a weak office for the very purpose of maintaining the power and privilege of local autocrats (white male landholders). Similarly, many kings throughout history had very little power of their own not ceded to them by local aristocrats and gentry of whatever sort, who propped them up for whatever reasons of their own.
Feathers
@Starfish: I believe it. Who you donate to is public, so in certain social circles you want to be seen as having donated. Also, it’s good for social climbing. You can write a check and get into a party you wouldn’t have been invited to. Also, the bundler kinda owes you a favor now. I’m guessing all of those donations had an event involved.
dnfree
@Montanareddog: Mr. Blobby! We were in England during his heyday.
Elizabelle
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The deal with that comment (“you’re not going to like what I do…”), as Mr. Christian Cooper said, is that even louts who won’t leash their dogs do NOT like strangers feeding their dog a treat.
Mr. Cooper says he carries them because they’re a backdoor way to get the holdouts to leash the dog.
FWIW, in the initial FTF NY Times story, a LOT of the reader comments were about inconsiderate dog owners.
Kent
The story didn’t present any actual evidence. But I would find it totally unsurprising. An early middle-aged affluent white woman in Manhattan is almost certainly going to be a Democrat. There’s probably 5-1 odds that she would be. This isn’t a story about politics, it’s a story about racism.
How many Dem fundraisers happen in Manhattan social circles compared to how many GOP fundraisers?
In any event, political contributions lists names, cities, zip codes, and occupations. Here are the 40 entries for “Amy Cooper” in Open Secrets. None are an exact match but there are several in NYC listed with no occupation. All in zip code 10022
opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=amy+cooper
Cameron
@Starfish: I don’t disagree; I just think we’re seeing TRUMPERS IN DISARRAY! Mr. National Review sez she’s a misunderstood conservative, while Ms. Independent sez she’s a liberal. Or maybe she’s just a wingnut Rorschach test.
Major Major Major Major
@Kent:
I’m sometimes sympathetic to these arguments, depends on actual circumstances obviously, but uh, maliciously lying to the police is something you deserve to have some employment troubles for.
Origuy
@Omnes Omnibus:
In 1872, President Grant received a speeding ticket for going too fast on a DC street in his horse-drawn carriage. The DC police officer who gave him the ticket was a black Civil War veteran.
Kent
That kind of lying with that exact hysterical tone also takes practice. I’d be shocked as hell if this is the very first time she has pulled that stunt. Or something similar in a different context.
LesGS
@Omnes Omnibus: President Grant was arrested for speeding in a horse carriage in D.C. So there is precedent.
Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]
@Felanius Kootea: Yeah, I ALWAYS carry poison treats on me in case I want to poison someones dog….. *eyeroll* WTF is wrong with these people?
Kent
@Feathers: Direct contributions to candidates is public information by law. You can’t do it anonymously even if you want to. That’s why rich folks use contributions to “independent” dark money organizations. And also, because there aren’t contribution limits.
Omnes Omnibus
@Origuy: @LesGS: I had forgotten that. Thanks.
NotMax
@trollhattan
To go all deep Manhattan reference, it was Cooper Disuinion.
;)
NotMax
#76: Crap.
Disunion, not Disuinion.
JR
He was the douchebag film critic for the NY post. Typical contrarian bullshit artist.
Felanius Kootea
@Origuy: Can you imagine Trump allowing a black police officer to arrest him for anything and following said officer to the police station? President Grant was made of different stuff, obviously.
glory b
I read that it seems they are referring to some other Amy Cooper. The one in the donor records has a different middle initial and seems to have made donations to Bill Clinton and Al Gore, indicating someone older than this Amy Cooper.
Can’t find the source, but it also seems that Central Park Amy is Canadian.
ThresherK
@Kent: I have seen (yet can’t place my hands on it, I’m lazy) a doxxing of an Amy (Z.) Cooper, who has donated to Obama and some Dems.
The woman in the Central Park swatting incident has a different middle initial. Different woman entirely.
Such a fact, of course, doesn’t matter to right-wingers, in this, or scrubbing voter rolls, or arresting black people.
Gvg
@Kent: yes, I thought she did that too fast. She has practice. I also think she likes getting people in trouble. I wouldn’t want to have to work with her.
Felanius Kootea
@glory b: Yeah, this article claims that she went to the University of Waterloo as an undergrad (I’d read elsewhere that she got her graduate degree from University of Chicago).
BigJimSlade
@Another Scott: Lol, um, sorry?
Laura Too
@HumboldtBlue: Thank you. For the umpteenth time I’m in tears today. At least this was for something uplifting.
HumboldtBlue
@Laura Too:
You’re welcome, that was powerful and impactful.
The Lodger
@Starfish: When I make political contributions, I’m required to identify my employer. There can’t be that many Amy Coopers working at Templeton.
Kent
I’m of the Karen generation and in my generation you can’t get much whiter than Brett or Brad. But yeah, Scott is right up there too.
Their sons would be named Dylan, Hunter, or Connor.
catclub
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I do not understand why facebook and twitter are not emphasizing “We are a private company, you have Zero free speech rights to post on our platform, you have only those rights that we grant to registered users of the platform.”
Laura Too
@HumboldtBlue: Day 2 under occupation. Helicopter noise is driving me nuts, it’s been so quite here late. A young man parked across the street from my house & I noticed him don his mask and grab a nice camera. Thought a good luck thought for him, knowing he was going to be a target. Watched for him to come back & thanked him. Said I was watching to make sure he made it back all right as I know having a camera makes him a target. He said he has no hearing in his left ear from a flash grenade (heard at least 2 earlier) but otherwise unscathed. I am grateful for him.
SFAW
@Robert Sneddon:
This pretty much negates your main “thesis” about the president being a King/Emperor.
Kent
The whole thing is utterly ridiculous.
The 1st Amendment protects Twitter from Trump. It does not protect Trump from Twitter.
HumboldtBlue
@Laura Too:
Keep the updates coming, this is what local news reporting is all about. You’d be a person who got a knock on a door from a reporter asking about what you saw and heard and all that.
BigJimSlade
@Kent: Bret(t) and Brad are good… I was going for a name that was common, but not toooo common, and one that has some sound you can lean into (I mean, c’mon, it rhymes with snot). And I apologized to Another Scott upthread.
Also, if the whole meme of putting someone’s name on it went away, that would be the best option.
Laura Too
@HumboldtBlue: I wish I didn’t. This is breaking my heart. I’m so worried about tonight. Once it gets dark MPD is going to unleash all their fury. They’ve been driving around in convoys all afternoon, flashing their lights, going through stop signs-show of force. I think they get that they’ve pissed off white people. Estimates (from phone data) outs last nights crowd size at over 15,000. Not sure about tonight.
Kent
My wife votes for Brian.
For those of us of that age. I think a lot of it depends on the various Brads, Scotts, Brians, and Brets that you’ve known over the years.
J R in WV
@Kirk Spencer:
We live so far off the beaten path our dogs could run for two hours and never cross pavement. So they go out on their own, unless we need to take them to town, every few months to go to the Vet, mostly.
HumboldtBlue
@Laura Too:
You have an outlet here so reach out if needed.
I mean, this place is home to a virtual above-ground-inter-state-railroad for animal rescue and a portal to information around the globe.
I hope you’re safe and remain so. If you can add to the public knowledge about what it’s like on the ground and do so safely please do.
BigJimSlade
LOL, That killed me! I know a Brian and while he doesn’t quite fit this meme, but he does fit a whole pile of memes somewhere.
Scott Alloway
@BigJimSlade:
No!!!!!!! Make it Steve. Signed, Scott.
Scott since April 14, 1950.
Kent
@BigJimSlade: I have a first cousin named Brian. He’s a 50-something MAGA fanatic who lives in Seattle. He is they guy who would go to Seattle Sounders games during the fall of 2016 and set up a MAGA booth out in front of the stadium covered with Trump posters. Then take lots of selfies and post the photos to his facebook feed.
Yeah….THAT guy.
Kent
@Scott Alloway: I think we have the only cat in the country named Steve on this blog. And he seems pretty “entitled” and “privileged”
Kent
@J R in WV: I honestly don’t know how or why people keep big dogs in the inner city. Would make me crazy.
We live in suburbia but have lightly traveled trails through the greenbelt behind my house where I pretty much only ever encounter other dog owners with their dogs off leash too. Especially in the morning and evening when I usually walk mine.
Laura Too
@HumboldtBlue: I’m watching my corner burn, It is live streaming on FB Unicorn Riot, maybe Twitter too. Rubber bullets & teargas, haven’t heard the flash grenades yet tonight but it doesn’t mean they aren’t using them, just can’t hear over helicopters. And thanks, I feel a little less alone knowing you are witness.
TomatoQueen
@Laura Too: Merlin is giving me his little brrp? brrp? for his old home town. Sent you a little email.
BigJimSlade
@Kent: Dang, I’m going to have to google that stuff!
BigJimSlade
@Scott Alloway: I’m not convinced, though I’ve already apologized to Another Scott upthread… ;-) anyway, besides the landlord’s cat, when I hear the name Steve, I just think of this [Flight of the Conchords – Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros – “Steve” gets mentioned about one minute in — this isn’t the first time this year I’ve posted this link here :-) ]
dopey-o
I often carry poison dog treats too, just like Christian Cooper is accused of doing. Of course i carry regular ones in case i encounter a friend’s dog. I don’t often get them mixed up. However, it’s not illegal for me, because I’m a white person!
My friends don’t seem to mind, because there might be a middle-aged, middle-class black man out there who has the uppity temerity to suggest that i should obey the law. I find that threatening.
Everything clear now? /s
J R in WV
@Roger Moore:
Plus, they want to jail Obama for not doing what Trump does, or something, and argle bargle, something. No one can explain ‘Bamagate, no one! But consistency is unpossible for these folks!
That’s only part of the problem, but it is part of the problem.