Chinese Foreign Ministry dunks on US State Department re: Hong Kong protests:
This is a pivotal moment for the world. It will go down in history. Freedom loving people around the world must stand with the rule of law and hold to account the Chinese Communist Party, which has flagrantly broken its promises to the people of Hong Kong.
-Morgan Ortagus
State Department Spox
“I can’t breathe!”
-Hua Chunying
Chinese Foreign Ministry
12.
zhena gogolia
To me he looks like a cat who woke up from a nap and is curious about what his hoomin is doing. He’s such a sweetie.
13.
Lavocat
But her emails!
14.
BBA
If Trump were an American Hitler, there would be hundreds of bodies in the streets, martial law, a suspension of the Constitution, and cancellation of elections.
Let’s be glad he’s too cowardly and ineffectual for anything of the sort.
I’ve been in customer service hell all morning. Live chat with “tech support”. Four different handoffs because “oh, that’s not my area”. Each new guy needed the same info. I felt like a babe left on the church steps, and the note with my name and meds on it blew away in a gust of wind. The last tech asked for a minute to review the chat transcript. Isn’t something like that the default? Maybe, “I’m here, valued customer, give me a minute to get caught up with your case!”. Not, “What’s your fucking problem today, Bubba.” Do they even tell the next tech that the call is a referral?
17.
donnah
Feel like a kitten? I need a gif of how I feel: someone running in circles with her hair on fire,
I guess everybody has seen the shot of the darkened White House. And I’m taken with this picture. Fascinated, even. I was talking to my wife about iconic pictures in American history. We all know many of these. The Depression lady with her chin in her hand; the naked Vietnamese children running from American soldiers; the Little Rock Nine getting jeered by mouth-breathing losers; the lunch counter sit in people getting drinks dumped over their heads; the Iwo Jima guys raising the flag…
There are a lot of others; we all know them. We see them, and we immediately understand something deep and important about the times they were taken. I don’t think we’ve had any iconic pictures in my lifetime. Not until now, anyway.
I think that picture is going to go down in history. It wraps the whole essence of the Trump administration, and the feculent movement he leads, all in one easily identified and understood little snapshot: all the utter, gutless cowardice, the lack of care for the welfare of our citizens, the desperation to worm out of any responsibility–it’s all there, for all to see.
And leaders also speak out in a way that commands attention.
Gregg Popovich is an NBA coach and a graduate of the Air Force Academy and he’s always been willing and ready to call out Trump and the GOP for the assholes they are.
“It’s so clear what needs to be done. We need a president to come out and say simply that ‘black lives matter.’ Just say those three words. But he won’t and he can’t. He can’t because it’s more important to him to mollify the small group of followers who validate his insanity. But it’s more than just Trump. The system has to change. I’ll do whatever I can do to help, because that’s what leaders do. But he can’t do anything to put us on a positive path, because he’s not a leader.
“It’s like what Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz used to say when they had the courage to say it: He’s unfit. But they have chosen instead to be invisible and obsequious in the face of this carnage. In the end, what we have is a fool in place of a president, while the person who really runs the country, Senator Mitch McConnell, destroys the United States for generations to come. McConnell has destroyed and degraded our judicial system. He has tried to destroy heath care. He’s destroyed the environment. He’s the master and Trump’s the stooge, and what’s funny is that Trump doesn’t even know it. Trump’s always wanted to be part of the in-group, but McConnell is an in-group of one and Trump plays the fool.”
20.
SiubhanDuinne
Does anyone know, is Adam okay? I don’t think he’s posted here in at least a week, and the events of the past seven days are the kind of thing that cry out for his expertise. I hope his unusual silence simply means he’s gainfully employed.
@HumboldtBlue: “He can’t because it’s more important to him to mollify the small group of followers who validate his insanity. “
No, no, NO! He can’t because he’s a racist pig and has always been one and nothing would make him more happier than if he himself could put a boot on a neck. To word it this way only makes him seem weak – this isn’t just that – this is his people – he doesn’t mollify them, he expects them to give him a tongue bath.
24.
Matt McIrvin
@BBA: There’s plenty of bodies, just not in the streets.
I love Pop. Excellent coach and far more importantly, a top-notch human being who uses his platform for the greater good. Steve Kerr I’m also coming to appreciate.
29.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Sara Gideon’s ad people just put some anticipatory champagne in the fridge, and Susan Collins just leaned back in her chair and said “Fuuuuuuck”
Steven Portnoy @stevenportnoy
· 1h
NEW: @PressSec says Trump will travel to Maine later this week.
@SiubhanDuinne: I’ve emailed with him a few times during the past week. He seems fine.
I can’t speak for him, but I’m finding some difficulty in writing posts these days, for multiple reasons. First is the emotional impact of all that’s going down. The demonstrations and riots, obviously, and also the sheer volume of ignorance emanating from the administration. That volume also makes it hard to focus on a particular topic. I had a post about the transcripts of Flynn’s phonecalls about half done when it looked more urgent to me to write the comparison of 1968 and now.
The volume of ignorance makes it hard to write a post because one Trump tweet, for example, often contains enough wrong to fill up two or three posts. And the “policing” that is going on now, well…
That tweet is relatively easy to laugh at; Chemical Weapons 101 is “Check which way the wind is blowing before launching weapons.” One might work that up into a metaphor, too. But so much of this has six or eight of that sort of thing in one tweet, it’s hard to know where to start.
Then there’s the matter of mental health. I don’t know how much Adam has going on, but even with not much, I find I don’t have time for a lot of things, and I MUST make time for mental health activities, like piano playing.
I’d like to hear from Adam, too. But, especially if he’s got other things going, I can understand why we’re not.
@HumboldtBlue: “It’s so clear what needs to be done. We need a president to come out and say simply that ‘black lives matter.’ Just say those three words.
Too late for that now. Everything has its moment and he’s long missed his for that response. At this point, it might even hurt because it would be such blatant pandering and insincere.
Exactly. ” Lights Out White House” will be iconic as it signifies “nobody home”. The country is leaderless, rudderless. Between COVID and this heartbreaking unrest because ALL Americans have witnessed another black snuff film at the hands of another out of control racist police officer. But for his incendiary, divisive tweets, would we know if we had a president? What we have is a person hellbent on destroying America so he can what?!…retain the title?
Never have I seen a single person with so much malice a fore thought consistently appeal to the basest of our bigotry/sins.
Defense Sec Mark Esper during WH call w governors re civil unrest: "We need to dominate the battlespace." Says DOD supporting states. https://t.co/3jCVYDtd8p
The fact that both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court aren’t immediately slapping that rhetoric down and sanctioning the Executive Branch for violating the law is telling. He’s opening threatening armed military occupations on American soil. Quite simply, any member of the armed forces that follows any order he gives to that effect is a traitor to their oath, the law, and the American people.
48.
MisterForkbeard
@Martin: I’ve heard conflicting reports as to whether this is actually true. At least one reporter has said it’s pretty normal after 11PM, and others have said they don’t turn off except in emergencies or during maintenance.
49.
Betty Cracker
@MisterForkbeard: Duff Goldman says he used to ride his bike past the White House at 2 AM when he worked in DC and that the exterior lights were always on. The Ace of Cakes wouldn’t lie to us!
50.
Aleta
Just spent another 1000 at the vet for the Good Dog’s forehead infection, which has been coming and going for 3 months. Seemingly an absess that the vet diagnosed as a cat scratch. (Cat, who wants to dominate, would play at zooming over his head to intimidate him. ) But complicated by the vet’s question ‘Is this a return of cancer, gone to his brain?’
Just now we’re home and relieved that it again seems to an absess (despite 3 courses of antibiotic over 3 months). But by now the infection looks on Xray like it has intermingled with his head bone.
I questioned to myself early on whether it was the right antibiotic for the job. I knew the vet had been preoccupied with adapting his practice to keep it open by staying covid-free. At the first appointment the vet almost missed testing for infection at all, until I prompted him at the end, as he was prescribing steroids and pallative care, to please do a blood panel with WBC count.
Now the pup will get a strong course of a different antibiotic for maybe several months and more lab tests. We’ll hear about the biopsy, and about whether bacteria were detected (possibly not because he was again on the first antibiotic) in about a week.
Since March we’ve been terrified on and off by whether life would even go on if we lose this pup in the middle of this bleak new world, with my partner already shaken up by handful of new diagnoses himself.
But this afternoon, “at least it’s not bad news” is a huge relief. Grateful for that.
” Lights Out White House” will be iconic as it signifies “nobody home”.
And only the deeply, deeply politically invested, like us here, care about whether that’s normal. It’s done. People saw it and will see it and have their gut reactions, and it doesn’t matter at all whether it was pure coincidence.
55.
MattF
I guess it should be noted that George Fucking Will took some good shots at Trump in his regular column. Will, apparently, couldn’t resist taking one (small) shot at Hillary Clinton– on the other hand, he put some effort into taking down the Republican Senate. I give it a C plus. No linkee.
Yellowstone earthquakes consistent over the weekend. Caldera go boom next? (Actually it’s a common occurrence, but given current karma I’m keeping an eye on reports.)
57.
bluehill
@Cheryl Rofer: deep metaphor. I guess the police do need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. The people already get it.
While we throw scorn and derision at our president, it’s important to realize that Trump has a coterie (eg like witches) of assholes who will advance his cause no matter what. We have already seen how weak our institutions are and they are being corrupted systematically.
The president has shown the system can be corrupted – that too by a lazy, nonintellectual reality tv star. That is frightening to contemplate.
Sadly, I agree. I wonder how we can begin to heal a divide so gaping.
There is no divide – it’s us vs racists. They don’t need to be listened to, coddled, catered, or anything – no political capital should be spent on them.
62.
jayjaybear
@cain: I’m all for bringing back shunning for these assholes, to be honest.
63.
greenergood
I can’t stop watching/I can’t look anymore – every minute is excruciating – either hurt for the people who are hurting, or rage at the imbecile-in-chief, and all his minions and supplicants. So I will confess that I am in love with Steve and Tamara’s Gabe – and can I take them to a paradise island with me where they will have uninterrupted supplies of toona and I never have to read the news again … (le sigh)
64.
Royston Vasey
Monday was a public holiday here in New Zealand, so there was that.
Also, we have had zero new COVID cases for 10 straight days now, we have only ONE mildly infected person in the whole country (pop.5m) – and they are not in hospital. COVID deaths have peaked at a total of 22. The total infections has peaked at 1504 (and we are ranked 102nd in the world of total infections). Most of everyday life has returned to normal (not gatherings of more than 100 people). No-body needs to wear a mask
rikyrah
I feel you, Cole???
David Hunt
Jeez. Steve looks like a midget after he’s gotten that lion-cut.
WaterGirl
Sweet boy.
edit: I cannot believe how fast his hair grows!
WaterGirl
Steve needs a hug.
Mary G
I feel ya, Steve.
R-Jud
I gave myself a grade 2 calf strain today (moderate pain, limping). How, you ask? Using my foot to sweep a door stop away from an open door. Blah.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I want to go back to bed until mid-September or so
HumboldtBlue
The man in the Celtics jersey is a Turk named Enes Kanter.
He’s been labeled an enemy of Turkey and declared to be a terrorist for espousing human rights reform in the face of oppression.
He and his family have had assets seized and he can’t return to the country because he’s man enough to continue to fight for justice.
So when someone spouts off with “stick to sports” tell them to shut the fuck up.
NotMax
The tenor of the times.
SiubhanDuinne
Steve looks rather sullen.
Cacti
Chinese Foreign Ministry dunks on US State Department re: Hong Kong protests:
zhena gogolia
To me he looks like a cat who woke up from a nap and is curious about what his hoomin is doing. He’s such a sweetie.
Lavocat
But her emails!
BBA
zhena gogolia
@BBA:
Don’t speak too soon.
jeffreyw
I’ve been in customer service hell all morning. Live chat with “tech support”. Four different handoffs because “oh, that’s not my area”. Each new guy needed the same info. I felt like a babe left on the church steps, and the note with my name and meds on it blew away in a gust of wind. The last tech asked for a minute to review the chat transcript. Isn’t something like that the default? Maybe, “I’m here, valued customer, give me a minute to get caught up with your case!”. Not, “What’s your fucking problem today, Bubba.” Do they even tell the next tech that the call is a referral?
donnah
Feel like a kitten? I need a gif of how I feel: someone running in circles with her hair on fire,
Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)
I guess everybody has seen the shot of the darkened White House. And I’m taken with this picture. Fascinated, even. I was talking to my wife about iconic pictures in American history. We all know many of these. The Depression lady with her chin in her hand; the naked Vietnamese children running from American soldiers; the Little Rock Nine getting jeered by mouth-breathing losers; the lunch counter sit in people getting drinks dumped over their heads; the Iwo Jima guys raising the flag…
There are a lot of others; we all know them. We see them, and we immediately understand something deep and important about the times they were taken. I don’t think we’ve had any iconic pictures in my lifetime. Not until now, anyway.
I think that picture is going to go down in history. It wraps the whole essence of the Trump administration, and the feculent movement he leads, all in one easily identified and understood little snapshot: all the utter, gutless cowardice, the lack of care for the welfare of our citizens, the desperation to worm out of any responsibility–it’s all there, for all to see.
HumboldtBlue
Leaders listen.
And leaders also speak out in a way that commands attention.
Gregg Popovich is an NBA coach and a graduate of the Air Force Academy and he’s always been willing and ready to call out Trump and the GOP for the assholes they are.
SiubhanDuinne
Does anyone know, is Adam okay? I don’t think he’s posted here in at least a week, and the events of the past seven days are the kind of thing that cry out for his expertise. I hope his unusual silence simply means he’s gainfully employed.
zhena gogolia
@donnah:
Check out this kitteh. He’s vewwy smart.
JPL
@R-Jud: Ouch!
cain
No, no, NO! He can’t because he’s a racist pig and has always been one and nothing would make him more happier than if he himself could put a boot on a neck. To word it this way only makes him seem weak – this isn’t just that – this is his people – he doesn’t mollify them, he expects them to give him a tongue bath.
Matt McIrvin
@BBA: There’s plenty of bodies, just not in the streets.
donnah
@zhena gogolia:
Purrrfect!
HumboldtBlue
Here ya go, lawyers. Give us some prosecutorial methods.
trollhattan
@zhena gogolia:
No kidding. What if he puts Miller in charge and just shuffles off to a corner?
trollhattan
@HumboldtBlue:
I love Pop. Excellent coach and far more importantly, a top-notch human being who uses his platform for the greater good. Steve Kerr I’m also coming to appreciate.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Sara Gideon’s ad people just put some anticipatory champagne in the fridge, and Susan Collins just leaned back in her chair and said “Fuuuuuuck”
HumboldtBlue
That’s gonna leave a mark.
Instead of rushing Donald Trump to the bunker they should have brought him to Melania’s bedroom. No person would ever expect to find him there.
@trollhattan:
Indeed. There’s a lot to like and respect i both men and both are highly respected in the league and the community.
Cheryl Rofer
@SiubhanDuinne: I’ve emailed with him a few times during the past week. He seems fine.
I can’t speak for him, but I’m finding some difficulty in writing posts these days, for multiple reasons. First is the emotional impact of all that’s going down. The demonstrations and riots, obviously, and also the sheer volume of ignorance emanating from the administration. That volume also makes it hard to focus on a particular topic. I had a post about the transcripts of Flynn’s phonecalls about half done when it looked more urgent to me to write the comparison of 1968 and now.
The volume of ignorance makes it hard to write a post because one Trump tweet, for example, often contains enough wrong to fill up two or three posts. And the “policing” that is going on now, well…
That tweet is relatively easy to laugh at; Chemical Weapons 101 is “Check which way the wind is blowing before launching weapons.” One might work that up into a metaphor, too. But so much of this has six or eight of that sort of thing in one tweet, it’s hard to know where to start.
Then there’s the matter of mental health. I don’t know how much Adam has going on, but even with not much, I find I don’t have time for a lot of things, and I MUST make time for mental health activities, like piano playing.
I’d like to hear from Adam, too. But, especially if he’s got other things going, I can understand why we’re not.
different-church-lady
@zhena gogolia: That cat has cat-like quickness!
trollhattan
@R-Jud:
“And at the end of regulation, the score is door 1, R-Jud 0.”
Sounds painful and embarrassing in equal measure.
different-church-lady
@BBA: Dude can’t even Hitler right.
different-church-lady
@R-Jud: Beh. I injure myself in my sleep every night.
Martin
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): Light are only supposed to go out when the President has died. Metaphorically, it holds up well.
LeftCoastYankee
Quarantine + curfew + (now) power outage.
It is Monday.
At least it’s sunny.
zhena gogolia
@different-church-lady:
I can’t stop watching it.
Martin
Too late for that now. Everything has its moment and he’s long missed his for that response. At this point, it might even hurt because it would be such blatant pandering and insincere.
MomSense
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Seriously? Haven’t we been through enough?
pamelabrown53
@Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):
Exactly. ” Lights Out White House” will be iconic as it signifies “nobody home”. The country is leaderless, rudderless. Between COVID and this heartbreaking unrest because ALL Americans have witnessed another black snuff film at the hands of another out of control racist police officer. But for his incendiary, divisive tweets, would we know if we had a president? What we have is a person hellbent on destroying America so he can what?!…retain the title?
Never have I seen a single person with so much malice a fore thought consistently appeal to the basest of our bigotry/sins.
It’s getting to be too much to bear.
R-Jud
@trollhattan: The Child was incredulous. “You hurt yourself closing the door?”
Gin & Tonic
Now Trudeau is also saying “no” to the idea of readmitting Russia to the G7(8). That’s BoJo and Trudeau today so far.
Cheryl Rofer
Or we have this. I. Just. Can’t.
SiubhanDuinne
@Cheryl Rofer:
Okay, thanks. That all makes sense. I’ll stop worrying.
zhena gogolia
@Cheryl Rofer:
This makes me sick to my stomach.
PenAndKey
I’ve seen it before, but the Purple Wedding took care of that in Season 4
The fact that both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court aren’t immediately slapping that rhetoric down and sanctioning the Executive Branch for violating the law is telling. He’s opening threatening armed military occupations on American soil. Quite simply, any member of the armed forces that follows any order he gives to that effect is a traitor to their oath, the law, and the American people.
MisterForkbeard
@Martin: I’ve heard conflicting reports as to whether this is actually true. At least one reporter has said it’s pretty normal after 11PM, and others have said they don’t turn off except in emergencies or during maintenance.
Betty Cracker
@MisterForkbeard: Duff Goldman says he used to ride his bike past the White House at 2 AM when he worked in DC and that the exterior lights were always on. The Ace of Cakes wouldn’t lie to us!
Aleta
Just spent another 1000 at the vet for the Good Dog’s forehead infection, which has been coming and going for 3 months. Seemingly an absess that the vet diagnosed as a cat scratch. (Cat, who wants to dominate, would play at zooming over his head to intimidate him. ) But complicated by the vet’s question ‘Is this a return of cancer, gone to his brain?’
Just now we’re home and relieved that it again seems to an absess (despite 3 courses of antibiotic over 3 months). But by now the infection looks on Xray like it has intermingled with his head bone.
I questioned to myself early on whether it was the right antibiotic for the job. I knew the vet had been preoccupied with adapting his practice to keep it open by staying covid-free. At the first appointment the vet almost missed testing for infection at all, until I prompted him at the end, as he was prescribing steroids and pallative care, to please do a blood panel with WBC count.
Now the pup will get a strong course of a different antibiotic for maybe several months and more lab tests. We’ll hear about the biopsy, and about whether bacteria were detected (possibly not because he was again on the first antibiotic) in about a week.
Since March we’ve been terrified on and off by whether life would even go on if we lose this pup in the middle of this bleak new world, with my partner already shaken up by handful of new diagnoses himself.
But this afternoon, “at least it’s not bad news” is a huge relief. Grateful for that.
pamelabrown53
@Cheryl Rofer:
Absolutely. Fucking. Bone Chilling. Horrifying.
We dismiss tRump’s inept clown shoe tamp dance at our peril.
trollhattan
@Aleta:
Jeez, you might need a chiropractor for the whiplash you must be experiencing.
Still, infections, even stubborn ones, can be cured so hopefully this does the trick!
MisterForkbeard
@Betty Cracker: I LOVE Duff, but I think his show also consistently shows us he can fuck up sometimes. :)
Frankensteinbeck
@pamelabrown53:
And only the deeply, deeply politically invested, like us here, care about whether that’s normal. It’s done. People saw it and will see it and have their gut reactions, and it doesn’t matter at all whether it was pure coincidence.
MattF
I guess it should be noted that George Fucking Will took some good shots at Trump in his regular column. Will, apparently, couldn’t resist taking one (small) shot at Hillary Clinton– on the other hand, he put some effort into taking down the Republican Senate. I give it a C plus. No linkee.
p.a.
Yellowstone earthquakes consistent over the weekend. Caldera go boom next? (Actually it’s a common occurrence, but given current karma I’m keeping an eye on reports.)
bluehill
@Cheryl Rofer: deep metaphor. I guess the police do need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. The people already get it.
MomSense
@SiubhanDuinne:
@Cheryl Rofer:
I’ve been worrying about him, too. If you write to him again please tell him we miss him.
I’m basically getting through my days by knitting dishcloths with swear words. I ran out of cotton I made so many. May have to get more cotton.
pamelabrown53
@Frankensteinbeck:
Sadly, I agree. I wonder how we can begin to heal a divide so gaping.
Do we even have enough Americans who can and will vote for the ideal of America?
Truthfully, while fearful, I think we can.
cain
@pamelabrown53:
While we throw scorn and derision at our president, it’s important to realize that Trump has a coterie (eg like witches) of assholes who will advance his cause no matter what. We have already seen how weak our institutions are and they are being corrupted systematically.
The president has shown the system can be corrupted – that too by a lazy, nonintellectual reality tv star. That is frightening to contemplate.
cain
There is no divide – it’s us vs racists. They don’t need to be listened to, coddled, catered, or anything – no political capital should be spent on them.
jayjaybear
@cain: I’m all for bringing back shunning for these assholes, to be honest.
greenergood
I can’t stop watching/I can’t look anymore – every minute is excruciating – either hurt for the people who are hurting, or rage at the imbecile-in-chief, and all his minions and supplicants. So I will confess that I am in love with Steve and Tamara’s Gabe – and can I take them to a paradise island with me where they will have uninterrupted supplies of toona and I never have to read the news again … (le sigh)
Royston Vasey
Monday was a public holiday here in New Zealand, so there was that.
Also, we have had zero new COVID cases for 10 straight days now, we have only ONE mildly infected person in the whole country (pop.5m) – and they are not in hospital. COVID deaths have peaked at a total of 22. The total infections has peaked at 1504 (and we are ranked 102nd in the world of total infections). Most of everyday life has returned to normal (not gatherings of more than 100 people). No-body needs to wear a mask
*UPDATE* Feck. Forgot to hit Post. Doh!
WaterGirl
@Royston Vasey: That is spectacular news! So happy for your entire country.
rikyrah
@MomSense:
Are you selling them?
rikyrah
@Royston Vasey:
I weep ???
Congratulations ??
For competent leadership
NotMax
@MomSense
If you switch to German words you can make them bath towels.
:)