Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

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

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Republicans don’t trust women.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Let there be snark.

I really should read my own blog.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

A consequence of cucumbers

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

You are here: Home / Gun Issues / Gun nuts / Toxic (Open Thread)

Toxic (Open Thread)

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I’ve only seen bits and pieces in clips, but from that, I’ve concluded that Biden gave a helluva speech today:

A couple of notable quotes from the clip:

“Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years. Poisoning how we talk to one another. Poisoning how we treat one another. Poisoning the values this nation has always held dear. Poisoning our very democracy. Now, in just a little over 60 days, we have a decision to make. Will we rid ourselves of this toxin, or will we make it a permanent part of our character?”

“Trump has sought to remake this nation in his image: selfish, angry, dark and divisive.”

Bravo!

Some of the usual Beltway suspects were opining that Trump has cleverly forced Biden to play on Trump’s LAW & ORDER turf. They say Biden would rather focus on Trump’s catastrophic mismanagement of the pandemic than address the civil unrest happening in some cities. I call bullshit on that narrative. TRUMP is the one who’s heaping praise on gun-toting psychos who are riding into cities flying Trump flags on their $45K pickups to stir up violent confrontations.

The anarchists and opportunistic turds who are looting businesses and burning buildings aren’t wearing Biden merch, and Biden of course has denounced those activities all along and did so forcefully today. They aren’t Biden’s base. They aren’t Democrats. The militia shitheads ARE Trump’s base, and they are Republicans, so if anyone has his balls in a vise, it’s Trump, not Biden, because Trump doesn’t dare denounce the militia goons.

Oh, and Biden got in plenty of shots about Trump’s COVID-19 clusterbumblefuck, plus he mocked the idea that he (Biden) is a socialist Trojan horse:

Anyhoo, well done, Mr. Biden. Open thread.

Reader Interactions

307Comments

  4. 4.

    Haroldo

    O/T However, this is related to my voting plan, and thus getting Biden elected.

    The Massachusetts Primary will be held tomorrow, Sept 1.  I mailed in my absentee ballot on the 18th of August and it arrived of the 25th.  So far, so good.

    In spite of this happy result, I’ll still be voting early and in person come November.

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    Proof that Biden got under Trump’s skin: The White House hastily announced a Trump 5:30 PM press conference. Baby wants his temper tantrum.

  7. 7.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I just posted some of the same clips and quotes downstairs. I knew this speech was coming but I didn’t know when. I agree all the bits and pieces I’m seeing look great. Joe being Joe.

    I wonder about the timing. Like, literally, the time of day. I think twenty years ago a speech like this would be timed to lead the nightly network newscasts, now it’s timed for people to see tweets and posts all day, maybe dig a boar trap of ordinary decency for The Beast to fall into.

  8. 8.

    Baud

    @dmsilev:

    Perfect opportunity to press him on whether he joins Biden in condemning the violence, including by right wing militias and white nationalists.

  10. 10.

    mrmoshpotato

    “We have arrived in a moment in this campaign that we all knew we would get to: The moment when Donald Trump would be so desperate he would do anything to hold onto power. Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years.”

    “And Hillary Clinton was absolutely right to call his trash supporters ‘deplorable’.”

  12. 12.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Gin & Tonic: Tom Nichols, who was a topic of discussion earlier today (I really need to get away from this fucking machine and get something done….) likes to refer to the guys he grew up with in the less leafy suburbs of Boston. A lot of them are the trump base: non-college whites who make more than the professor with the fancy degrees. They have pools or boats and/or pick-ups that cost as much as a Caddy or an Audi, and they are convinced that The Politically Correct Man is holding them down.

  15. 15.

    satby

    I have sad news to report. In spite of round the clock care (because at 4 weeks he was still a bottle baby) Sammy succumbed to his injuries early this morning. We try to take as much comfort as we can that at the end of his tiny life and after being subjected to the horrors he was that he was able to know a couple of days of love. But that’s small comfort indeed. Thanks to all who donated to pay for his surgery and care. When the accounting is done we’ll use the remainder for vet bills for other animals we pull from animal control.

    Trigger warning for the sensitive for what follows.

    Please spay and neuter your pets and please don’t let animals run loose. The sadist who tortured Sammy broke both his back legs and tail (probably by swinging him by it) and then jammed a stick in his rectum before burying Sammy alive. There are evil people out there, rescuers see a lot of cruelty, but this was extreme. And any loose animal could be at risk. Predators come in two legs as well as four.

    I’m so angry and heartbroken.

  18. 18.

    germy

    No surprise, but deliberate misinformation from Trump2020:

    #1) Biden was saying Trump was full of shit when he claims you wouldn't be safe in Biden's America. Trump campaign cuts it mid sentence to do this.

    #2) This isn't normal political spin. It's straight up disinformation. Stop messing around. Ban this dangerous deceitful account. pic.twitter.com/8rfO91HMGQ

    — Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) August 31, 2020

  21. 21.

    kindness

    How many times does our MSM have to fail us for them to learn?

    All of them Katie. All of them. They’ll never learn.

  22. 22.

    MazeDancer

    “Be not afraid.”

    Mr. Biden actually said that out loud. And after playing his barn-burner clips a few times, I wasn’t filled with fear.

    Make your Voting Plan, people. Help others make their Voting Plans. PostCardPatriots.com can help.

    Post your plan here, we’ll illustrate it, and tweet it out early and often to inspire others.

  23. 23.

    Baud

    @dmsilev:

    “Trump refuses to confirm right wing violence, drawing contrast with Biden” should be tomorrow’s NYT headline.

    Instead, it’ll probably be “Biden attempts to counter Trump charges,” or some similar weak shit.

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yep. My husband has to have a full-size truck with massive towing capacity due to the type of work he does, and the damn things are expensive as HELL. Most working people know trucks are expensive, but poseurs (like every GOP MoC) think a King Ranch F-250 is the conveyance of the common man.

  25. 25.

    Kednedub

    Pedantry alert –  while Trump’s balls have no doubt been involved in vice, in this situation they are in a vise. Now go get that brain bleach to remove any further thoughts of Trumplestiltskin’s withered pea purse…

  28. 28.

    Betty Cracker

    @satby: God, that’s awful. I missed the threads about Sammy, but I sure am sorry to hear of his passing. I hope the fucking psycho who did it gets the fate he deserves.

  29. 29.

    MattF

    And when various broadcast and print media fail to cover Biden’s speech adequately because it doesn’t fit their narrative, look to see exactly who ‘raises hell’ and who ‘raises objections’.

  31. 31.

    taumaturgo

    What caught my attention during the speech was the like dislike poll on the page. When the speech ended the likes had the advantage by a slim margin. After an hour or so and almost 15,000 views, the numbers are 587 likes 1.4 dislikes. Remember to vote and bring as many people as you can with you.

  35. 35.

    Haroldo

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    @Gin & Tonic: Tom Nichols, who was a topic of discussion earlier today (I really need to get away from this fucking machine and get something done….) likes to refer to the guys he grew up with in the less leafy suburbs of Boston. A lot of them are the trump base: non-college whites who make more than the professor with the fancy degrees. They have pools or boats and/or pick-ups that cost as much as a Caddy or an Audi, and they are convinced that The Politically Correct Man is holding them down.

    Far too many of them here on the north shore of MA.

  36. 36.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Haroldo: I requested my mail ballot for the general election when I did the one for the primary. The mail was actually pretty good at getting my primary ballot back to them. Nevertheless, I was happy to see that the Secretary of State’s website now lists locations of ballot drop boxes in all cities and towns that have them, and my city has set up a drive-by one at City Hall. So if I don’t trust the Postal Service to get it back there’s always that.

    It’s worth noting that in Massachusetts, in-person early voting and mail voting are nearly procedurally identical. In both cases you put the ballot in an envelope with your signature and address on it. It’s just that with mail voting the envelope goes in the postage-paid outer envelope, and with in-person early voting it goes in the box. In both cases, I think the envelope goes back to your home precinct and gets scanned there on Election Day.

  40. 40.

    Jeffro

    It was a helluva speech indeed.

    trumpov & Co are so panicked, it’s pathetic.

    Even worse, they’re looking at this murderous “herd immunity” thing now…isn’t doing nothing already bad enough, Republicans?  2M Americans are going to die just so trumpov doesn’t have to admit he fucked up (and just so Republicans don’t have to admit they fucked up by supporting him)?

  41. 41.

    thalarctosMaritimus

    @satby: I’m sorry, satby. I got that notification this morning, too.

    I’m trying to find some consolation in his being safe and warm and loved at the end, but it’s not working yet.

    I am going to mail the staff a thank-you note this week, though. They do heroic things, and the see true horror. I want them to know how appreciated they are, and we see how hard they tried.

    I’m also grateful for what you did to raise awareness of Sammy, and to try to save him. Thank you.

    Not a very good day today.

  42. 42.

    satby

    @germy: (and others) Animal Control will investigate, but if there wasn’t a surveillance camera on the site where he was found it’s unlikely.

    Sammy’s life will not be in vain if his story convinces people not to let their pets roam.

  43. 43.

    Another Scott

    @satby: :-(  I’m very sorry.

    Thanks for all that you and your colleagues are doing to help.  Condolences to you.

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  45. 45.

    LeftCoastYankee

    Suburban pickup cowboys exposure to the nearby city is watching or reading the local news that “originates” in the city, but where the media companies are owned/operated outside the area and have no particular local concerns.  The media’s “be there first” concerns cause them to amplify official messaging (e.g. police department press releases and tweets), or amplifying other media’s stories doing the same.

    So you end up with so-called “liberal” outlets printing AP transcriptions of Police press releases decrying “rioters”.  The worst rioters are wearing black body armor and hiding their badges.

  48. 48.

    seaboogie

    I’m going to be making calls to voters on behalf of Biden/Harris. This is so far out of my comfort zone, but it is concrete action that I can take. I plan to tell my first few callees that I’m a noob at this and I’m nervous, so to please bear with me, and I am doing this because it is the most important election of our lifetime, and want to make sure that they have a plan to vote.

    I am going to have a good strong wind at my back though: I am moving in with my sweetheart today, and I’ll be making the calls from my new home office that was occupied by my sweetie’s late wife. She (Lilla) was an organizer for Obama and worked on both of his campaigns – including as field director of his Maryland office where she relocated from their NorCal home for this purpose. Over my shoulder is an original framed Obama Change poster with a photo of Obama with his arm around Lilla tacked to it. So I’ve got inspiration in spades backing me up.

    I’m currently unemployed, so this is something that I can do, and I hope to become good at it. Kamala was my first choice as a candidate, so I feel really good about this team. The Biden team’s volunteer outreach and support has been excellent, so while I am nervous, I feel like I can do this.

  49. 49.

    Kropacetic

    Saw this in the Gail Collins/Bret Stephens dialogue in the NYT today:

    Gail: The police unions are going to be tough. I was so depressed when the head of New York City’s P.B.A. showed up as a Republican convention speaker.

    Can we rename these organizations “police malevolent associations” for honesty’s sake?

  52. 52.

    Kropacetic

    @seaboogie: I plan to tell my first few callees that I’m a noob at this and I’m nervous, so to please bear with me, and I am doing this because it is the most important election of our lifetime

    People sometimes scoff at these biennial claims that *this* election is the most important ever.  How can that be true every two years?

    It’s true because this is the election we are having now and will directly impact our future.  Same will be true in two years and four.  Though this one has special claim since it will have a huge impact on redistricting.

  53. 53.

    Jay

    If you told someone you'd beat them up unless they lied to protect you from a murder charge, you'd be a criminal.If you told someone you'd jail them longer unless they lied to protect the state from a wrongful death claim, you'd be a prosecutor.https://t.co/r7kjQNolwu— EveryoneGetsHatEventually (@Popehat) August 31, 2020

    On Tuesday, we were told Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover was offered a plea deal, which would have required him to say that Taylor was part of his drug operation. Just now, the family’s attorney shared a picture of a plea deal that appears to show it is true pic.twitter.com/E9nsWQLKrb— Roberto Aram Ferdman (@robferdman) August 31, 2020

  54. 54.

    germy

    “Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline. Having failed to protect this nation from the virus that has killed more than 180,000 Americans so far, Trump posts an all caps tweet screaming law and order to save his campaign.”

  57. 57.

    Another Scott

    I have been asked by the owners of the shebeen to put out the word that comments are now welcome again in this space. You no longer have to linger in the House of Zuck. https://t.co/KublMaCcRw

    — Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) August 31, 2020

    Good, good.

    Defund Zuckerberg!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  58. 58.

    Nelle

    @seaboogie: You go!  I’m the Get Out the Vote leader for my neighborhood.  Polk County in Iowa (Des Moines metro area) is organized down to the eyelashes and toenails.  On my morning walks, people call out that they’ve sent in their request for an absentee ballot so I don’t ask them again.  I know who has and who hasn’t in the neighborhood.  But I’m sort of hovering on the plan.  The confirmed cases are shooting up and we have to think about whether or not they will be closing government offices again.  I’m going to carry my ballot in to the county office (not trusting the mail) but, if possible, vote in person early and have them tear the request up.  We’re going to have to have voting plans with alternatives A, B, and C.  So heartened to hear about what everyone is doing.

    My neighbor is very introverted and uneasy around people.  When walking, she smiles and keeps moving.  But she is a machine on the postcards.  She handwrites for hours every day for party and for particular candidates.  Something for everyone to do.

  59. 59.

    catclub

    @MazeDancer: “Be not afraid.”

     

    after ‘verily I say unto you’ and variants, the most common thing Jesus

    says is ‘fear not’

    Not surprising Biden might quote that guy.

  60. 60.

    Kropacetic

    @germy: Biden was saying Trump was full of shit when he claims you wouldn’t be safe in Biden’s America. Trump campaign cuts it mid sentence to do this.

    It’s things like this that make me wonder how people can process this information for even a quarter of a second and not realize there’s something screwy with the President’s claim.

  62. 62.

    Miss Bianca

    @satby: Oh, dear God, I am so sorry to hear this – what a fucking nightmare. Poor little Sammy. And as others have pointed out, this likely means you have a larval serial killer on the loose in your neighborhood, so it’s not just pets that are in danger. : (

  63. 63.

    Baud

    @Kropacetic:

    People sometimes scoff at these biennial claims that *this* election is the most important ever.  How can that be true every two years?

    The last presidential election will cost us at least 200,000 American lives.

  64. 64.

    West of the Rockies

    I wonder… For those of us white people who aren’t purposefully, actively, knowledgeably racist (though still benefiting from institutional racism), facing the fact that about 40-45% of us ARE actively racists has been slow.

    I know that 20 years ago, even 10, I would have thought that maybe 10-15% of us were racist assholes. It has been unpleasantly, horrifically enlightening to discover the true level of racism, bigotry, homophobia, and misogyny that is at play.

    The Trump Cult has made plain how bad things are.

  67. 67.

    catclub

    @Haroldo: Slate feature today on how hard or easy it is to vote in each state.  I live in an anti-voting state.

    Notable hurdle: Absentee voters must get their ballot request and actual ballot notarized.
    How easy is it to vote: Very difficult
    You must register to vote by mail or in person with your county circuit clerk by Oct. 5. There is no same-day registration. Mississippi law requires election officials to check the signature on each absentee ballot against the voter’s signature on file. If they detect a mismatch—or do not see a signature at all—they will void the ballot without giving the voter an opportunity to fix the defect.
    Slate’s recommendation: Vote on Election Day because most residents have no other option. Voters who qualify to vote absentee should request an absentee ballot and drop it off with their county circuit clerk. If you choose to mail your ballot, you cannot track its progress online to ensure it is received. Both the absentee ballot request and the ballot itself must be notarized. If you qualify to vote absentee, you can also vote early in person at your county circuit clerk’s office; you must still notarize your absentee ballot reques

  72. 72.

    Eunicecycle

    We just received our request for absentee ballots today, which the SOS mailed to every voter. We have decided to do early in-person voting though, so our votes are counted on election day. My daughter and SIL are going with us. He’s even taking a day of vacation, which he never does, so we can wait all day if we have to.

  73. 73.

    cain

    @satby:

    dear god..

    I’m so sorry.

    If there is a hell, I hope they are consigned to it or the arc of the universe does something.

    RIP Sammy

  74. 74.

    MCA1

    @germy: Wait, NYT Pitch Bot is our very own DougJ?  Can’t believe I didn’t know that until seeing a link to a tweet of his.

  75. 75.

    Gravenstone

    @dmsilev: Replace “declines” with “refuses” and they would be on to something. Enough with the weasel words and call them out for this shit.

  77. 77.

    Subsole

    @kindness:

    Why would they learn?

    They aren’t the ones going broke or dying or living in terror. Shit, they probably get fucking bonuses for what we’re going through.

  80. 80.

    Mike in NC

    After Fat Bastard’s deplorable performance at his Tulsa, OK hate rally, the far right wing columnist Cal Thomas wrote a piece entitled, “Toxic in Tulsa”. Man, when you’ve lost Cal Thomas, what more is there?

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @satby: I lost a night of sleep, haunted by a single word you had used when you talked about Sammy that first night, so I couldn’t read past your trigger warning today.

    I have no idea what you wrote there, but I am crying for that sweet little boy.  It’s good that this news came today when we can be reminded that we have matched them good for evil in our gifts for Dave’s niece.

  85. 85.

    kindness

    I live in a 200K city here in the Central Valley of Ca.  We have been notified that our elections are going to be full on mail in.  There will also be drop boxes and in-person voting at the County Registrar offices but no going to any polling places come November.  I think I’ll use one of the drop boxes just to make sure the USPS isn’t involved.  I like the USPS but don’t trust the Trump pig running it who’s main job is  trying to throw the election.

  86. 86.

    seaboogie

    @Nelle: Thank you for your support and sharing your efforts, including your neighbor-the shy postcard machine! Taking action in the ways that we can is so important, and helps allay our fears as the days count down to the election.

  88. 88.

    Another Scott

    @Baud: Donnie blew past 200,000 deaths in July.

    There is ZERO doubt. There were 215,000 more US deaths March-July than baseline, 71% diagnosed as Covid deaths by their doctors. The others were undiagnosed Covid + increases in deaths from Covid-disrupted care. An effective US response would have prevented most of these deaths.

    — Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) August 31, 2020

    (via HelenBranswell)

    Grr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  91. 91.

    Royston Vasey

    @satby: Good thing I am working from home as I am bawling now. So sad. Going to logout and give my 3 doggies an extra hug.

  92. 92.

    Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)

    Now Donnie Dumbass is comparing Don Jr’s girlfriend to Eva Peron. He doesn’t see that could just possibly be seen as a negative, does he?

  94. 94.

    seaboogie

    @Jeffro: Good on you! I admire and respect the “naturals” out there. I did one sesh of phone banking for Hillary and realized “wow, I really suck at this!” while surrounded by pros for whom this was not their first rodeo. While I appreciated the energy of that group endeavor, I’m hoping that this introvert can make a difference in my own quiet space.

  95. 95.

    karensky

    @seaboogie: I hate phone banking and/or making callS but I am doing it.  I get into grove after a couple of calls and just plug away.

    Thanks for what you are doing and best wishes

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    @catclub: Thanks.  I added that article to the Things We Can Do list that’s under Election Action! in the sidebar.

    The same section has all of DougJ’s Political Fundraising posts and MazeDancer’s Voting Plan Illustrations.

  97. 97.

    Jacel

    @germy: I recall in 2008 when Obama quoted a McCain statement accurately to immediately argue against that position. Republicans ran attack ads against Obama that only included the words he had quoted from McCain.

  98. 98.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Jay: I’ve been watching long time real life friendships blow up in real time over that awful story all afternoon. Some are passionate in defending the Commonwealth’s Attorney (a beige nothing interested only in political office – reasonably friendly to me, but I know what he is).

  99. 99.

    jonas

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:  non-college whites who make more than the professor with the fancy degrees.

    This is what we used to call the petite-bourgeoisie — small business owners, skilled trades people, etc. They’ve always been the base of right-wing nationalist movements.

  102. 102.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @germy:

    Eventually, his commercials will consist of nothing but him shouting the N word repeatedly from a podium for a solid minute.

  104. 104.

    Subsole

    @Boris Rasputin (the evil twin):

    He thinks Eva Peron is Madonna, and like, who doesn’t wanna bone Madonna, right?

     

    I cannot believe a kitten gets tortured and dies and that useless fucking lump is still breathing.

    Sigh. Just the sheer, dumb cruelty of this world…Gonna go play chase with my kittycat for a bit….

  108. 108.

    japa21

    @catclub:

     

    “Be not afraid.”

    after ‘verily I say unto you’ and variants, the most common thing Jesus

    says is ‘fear not’

    Not surprising Biden might quote that guy.

    Damn, I was hoping he wouldn’t leave himself open to plagiarism charges this time around.

  110. 110.

    JPL

    @satby: So glad that the poor thing died knowing that he found kindness and love.   I hope they find the sicko that harmed him.

  111. 111.

    Jeffro

    Upon reflection, I have decided that I absolutely *LOVE* the “toxic person” framing.

    Toddler trumpov will not be able to refrain from his usual, “I’m rubber, you’re glue!” retorts…at which point, 73% of the country will fall to pieces laughing, trying to picture Uncle Joe as a “toxic person”.

  112. 112.

    Subsole

    @Kropacetic: We’ll get right on that after we put down the domestic terror network, recover from the plague and rebuild some of the institutions the Cancer Party tore down.

    And, one hopes, purge the more malicious rlements from our law enforcement apparatus. And repair the massive hole blown in our economy.

    And…

    And…

    And…

  113. 113.

    Ruckus

    @West of the Rockies:

    Sorry but I never thought it was that low. I lived/worked in Marin country,  CA, and it was both the wealthiest county and registered voters was 80% democratic. That left 20% to be either way left or conservative. It doesn’t get better than that. So for me, the hard bottom is probably, at best, Cleeks law, 27%. And given that shitforbrains has made it more acceptable to let their racist flag fly, I think near 40% really isn’t that far off.

  115. 115.

    Kay

    Tiffany Ariana Trump
    @TiffanyATrump
    Please stop lying Joe. You may think we are too ignorant to see through the lies— but God knows the truth.

    Tiffany is as horrible as the rest of the Trump Family.

  120. 120.

    Kropacetic

    @seaboogie: I did one sesh of phone banking for Hillary and realized “wow, I really suck at this!” while surrounded by pros for whom this was not their first rodeo. While I appreciated the energy of that group endeavor, I’m hoping that this introvert can make a difference in my own quiet space.

    As an introvert, I’ve actually found this to be one of the few situations involving social interactions with strangers where I can find a little comfort.

    If it helps, I think it’s good to put on one’s “professional” hat when doing this sort of thing.  Know how you will introduce yourself, have answers ready for obvious questions, have a voice mail template ready in your mind (if the organization wants you leaving voice mails), and recite all these things to yourself a couple times. But don’t get caught  if it doesn’t come our perfect every time.

    Also helps walking around in public, it’s good to have a ready non-threatening way to approach strangers if the situation calls for it.

  121. 121.

    Wanderer

    @satby:  Thank you for your personal courage. Sammy was fortunate to have had the human love and strength you, and his medical team, were able to provide. I am sorry for his passing and your loss.

  123. 123.

    Kropacetic

    @Subsole: We’ll get right on that after we put down the domestic terror network, recover from the plague and rebuild some of the institutions the Cancer Party tore down.

    And, one hopes, purge the more malicious rlements from our law enforcement apparatus. And repair the massive hole blown in our economy.

    There are at least some of these where trade policy plays a role.

  124. 124.

    Kathleen

    @Nelle: I’m voting by mail for the first time because I’m afraid in person voting (voting day) could be cancelled again like it was in Ohio primaries. I mailed in my ballot request and plan to drop ballot off at Hamilton County BOE (only drop box available unless Ohio Dem Party wins lawsuit) about 12 miles from where I live.

  127. 127.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @catclub: that was my mother’s favorite hymn, and of a bunch of my relatives. My mother hated trump, she wouldn’t have needed to hear that, but some of her old friends, some of her cousins, even a few of my cousins, they’re going to hear that.

    I was rolling my eyes at all the references to Biden’s faith at the convention, but I recognize that this is one of the many ways I’m not like most Americans.

  129. 129.

    Jay

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    It’s become more and more clear, given the exposed corruption and injustice in the “System”, that Lawn Order supporters don’t care about Lawn Order at all, they just use it as a cover for their racism.

    I’m not surprised that it’s blowing up life long relationships as along with many other events, it is exposing the dark souls that many people have managed to keep hidden.

    2020 has laid many of the past “filters” and excuses bare.

  130. 130.

    LuciaMia

     that The Politically Correct Man is holding them down.

    Holding them down from what?? Sounds like theyve got a pretty nice life.

  132. 132.

    MagdaInBlack

    @satby:

    Well, that just sucks. I am so very sorry. Thank you and your group for all you did for him. Poor little guy.

  135. 135.

    Subsole

    @Kropacetic: How so?

    I mean, getting us back into various global agreements I can see. Especially re: climate change and foreign security.

    What specifically were you thinking of? Because I am not seeing how trade policy ties into police brutality..

  136. 136.

    CaseyL

    @satby: I am so sorry.  That poor baby.  My god, sometimes I hate my species so goddamn much.

    ETA:  I want to make it clear that people who rescue animals, all animals, and esp. grieviously mistreated ones, are NOT among those who make me hate my species; but are, instead, the best hope for our redemption.

  138. 138.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: Tiffany is as horrible as the rest of the Trump Family.

    and as damaged, and like her brothers, that tweet is a scream of “Love me, Daddy! Please love me!” from Ivanka’s shadow. And now I no longer have to feel sorry for Tiff when I think of all the times Grifterella passive-aggressively reminded her, with an affected breathiness and saccharine smile, that she’ll never be more than a second-class member of the clan.

  139. 139.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @germy:

    Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline.

    He also sees the violence against minorities that he has wanted all his life and has been unable to officially order, even when he tried.  But yes, he definitely thinks all white voters will fall in when they see the race war starting.

  140. 140.

    Another Scott

    On other news, federal employees can expect a big tax increase come January.

    https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2020/08/federal-employees-will-have-payroll-taxes-deferred-next-paychecks-processor-says/168089/

    The government will begin deferring withholding payroll taxes for federal employees to fulfill a memorandum President Trump issued earlier this month, according to a notice from one of its payroll processors.

    Trump issued his presidential memorandum to defer the taxes from Sept. 1 through the end of the year, citing the need to put more money in the pockets of American workers as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy. It has remained unclear what impact the memo would have, as business associations across the country have repeatedly made clear they would not implement it.

    Based on a notice from the Agriculture Department’s National Finance Center, which processes payments for 600,000 employees across 160 agencies, it appears the policy will take effect with the federal workforce. Normally, employers are required to withhold the taxes their employees owe for Social Security and Medicare from their paycheck. Trump’s directive set out to defer those withholdings, meaning employees would temporarily see bigger checks. The memo, and NFC’s notice, applies to anyone making less than $104,000 annually, or $4,000 per pay period. It tasked the Treasury Department with issuing guidance to implement the order and to find a way to eliminate the obligations for the deferred taxes, neither of which have occurred.

    “The executive order refers to the fact that this is a deferral of the deductions, and Treasury should look to have legislation put in place so that employees do not have to pay back these deferred amounts,” the center said. “NFC will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

    Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., warned that absent additional intervention, federal workers would now face an unexpected tax bill when filing next year.

    […]

    So much winning…

    Grrr….

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  144. 144.

    Joy in FL

    @satby: I’m so sorry about Sammy. Even though most of his life was unspeakably horrible (because of horrible humans), he did feel love, and that is not nothing. I’m so glad you were there for him.

  145. 145.

    Jay

    @LuciaMia:

    while they have comfortable, middle class lives, they have been all told by ReThugs, for decades, that the only reason they arn’t multimillionaires or billionaires is that the Dirty Democrats keep taking their money and job opportunities and giving it to “those people”.

  146. 146.

    tokyokie

    @germy: I like to look in the beds of these behemoths. Most of them appear to have never been used for hauling anything. I’ve frequently pointed out that they’re paying an additional $20K, financed over 72 months, to drive around unused capacity with lousy fuel economy. For that time every three years when one needs to haul a piano or refrigerator or refrigerated piano, rent a U-Haul for a couple of hours and pay $100 or so. But these boys aren’t so bright.

  148. 148.

    Elizabelle

    AP Breaking News:

    Liberty University is opening an independent investigation into Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president, a wide-ranging inquiry that will include financial, real estate and legal matters, the evangelical school’s board announced Monday.

    In a statement, the board said it had retained an outside firm to investigate “all facets” of the school’s operations under Falwell, and that it was “committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president.”

  151. 151.

    Kropacetic

    @Subsole: The primary ones I had in mind were:

    recover from the plague

    We could use a lot more international cooperation in matters of public health and prioritize helping people over private business interests

    rebuild some of the institutions the Cancer Party tore down.

    Does the middle class count as an institution?

    massive hole blown in our economy.

    Working people (i.e. damn near all of us) shouldn’t be living  one missed paycheck from insolvency.

    On the other facets of public policy, the links are more tenuous.

    And so we’re clear, while I agree with the “economically anxious” that trade policy fucks over working people, I disagree strongly with them what fair trade policy might look like and the composition of this “working people” group.

  153. 153.

    Princess

    @Kay: She picked an interesting time to finally jump on the Trump train. Not good at reading the room is our Tiffany. She’s probably worried about her place in the will.

  155. 155.

    Jay

    @tokyokie:

    $24.99 to rent a p/u for 90 minutes plus gas,( HomeDespot)  $29.99 to rent a p/u for the day, (week days only) plus gas and mileage over 25 miles. (Budget)

  156. 156.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Kropacetic: I’m with you.  Who believes blatantly doctored crap?

    Trump says his supporters are idiots. Wait, I think he probably did say that.

    Nevermind.

  157. 157.

    Kropacetic

    @Princess: She’s probably worried about her place in the will.

    That was my first guess too.  Daddy Trump ain’t gettin’ any younger.

    @Sure Lurkalot: Trump says his supporters are idiots. Wait, I think he probably did say that.

    Just because Trump has said something like that, it does not necessarily follow that Biden would say something like that.  I mean I could believe Biden would say Trump’s supporters are idiots, not his own, you get the idea.

  159. 159.

    piratedan

    @Princess: maybe she just wanted to be the last one in to be the standard-bearer for when all of the rest of them go to jail for breaking the law… think about all of that leftover graft… has to go someplace….

  160. 160.

    Ken

    @Princess: Little realizing that what little there is of the estate will be claimed by creditors. If there’s anything left after that, it’ll go to lawyers’ fees as the grieving heirs reenact Jarndyce and Jarndyce.

  161. 161.

    Zelma

    @Another Scott:

    Re Pierce and Facebook, the only reason I joined FB was to follow the replies to Charlie’s column.  Unfortunately, I have now gotten used to it to keep up with friends.  But I’m thinking of getting off.  Gonna have to figure out how.

  163. 163.

    WereBear

    @satby: I missed that but I’m so sorry to hear he didn’t pull through.

    And likely not finding the perpetrator. Who is a ticking bomb out there.

    Just having care at the end is a blessing, though. It helps all of us if that can happen.

  166. 166.

    catclub

    @Another Scott: I read the memo.

     

    The executive order refers to the fact that this is a deferral of the deductions,and Treasury should look to have legislation put in place so that employees do not have to pay back these deferred amounts. NFC will provide additional information as it becomes available.

     

    yeah, right.

  173. 173.

    Jeffro

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Glenn Kessler took a look at Biden’s “no new taxes on those making under $400k” pledge and…couldn’t award it a single “Pinocchio”.  How ‘bout them apples?

    Something like 97% of new taxes Biden’s proposing will hit the 1%.  How much do I love the Dems???  A LOT

  174. 174.

    tokyokie

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Four-wheel drive capability doesn’t mean much when the vehicle has a high center of gravity and most of the weight is on the front axle. But a Subaru doesn’t look as macho.

  178. 178.

    Kropacetic

    @Another Scott: The executive order refers to the fact that this is a deferral of the deductions,and Treasury should look to have legislation put in place so that employees do not have to pay back these deferred amounts.

    So, assuming this happens, does everyone get the money or only the people who placed their bets on Trump winning big enough to implement this?

  179. 179.

    randy

    In my observation and experience, more conservative suburban petit bourgeois are thoroughly familiar with the city, but cannot embrace its complexity. (And you see that my hatred of complexity reduces it all to one simple explanation!)

  180. 180.

    tokyokie

    @Jay: I intentionally overestimated the cost of a 2-hour truck rental because I didn’t feel like doing the research. But thanks for doing so and making the cost comparison even more ridiculous. Lessee, spend $30 every three years or finance an additional $20K at a high interest rate for a depreciating asset? Like I say, these boys aren’t so bright.

  182. 182.

    satby

    @opiejeanne: tried to warn people. But I need people to truly understand how a word like “torture” doesn’t convey all the horror that means, and how at risk pets can be when they’re loose. Sorry.

  183. 183.

    Patricia Kayden

    Clinton would have been a great president and tens of thousands of people wouldn't have died needlessly under her watch. F*ck those who called her the lesser of two evils, there is blood on their hands.— Dr Áine Foley (@AineMedievalDub) August 31, 2020

  184. 184.

    scav

    @Kay: Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany . . . . Timing, timing timing,  I suppose the exception proves the rule, but in 2020 it doesn’t at all seem strange to find a rat attempting to board a sinking ship.

  186. 186.

    satby

    And thanks all! I was a very peripheral part of Sammy’s story, but I will pass along all the condolences to those who physically cared for him. It was a long shot and we knew it, but the little guy was a fighter and we had to try to give him a chance.

  188. 188.

    jonas

    @Elizabelle: Popcorn futures just jumped 50%. If Falwell and his wife thought they could get away with a tryst with that pool boy, imagine what they thought they would get away with using Liberty’s credit card all these years?

  190. 190.

    Kropacetic

    @scav: in 2020 it doesn’t at all seem strange to find a rat attempting to board a sinking ship.

    The real question is how it succeeded in reaching the sinking ship from dry land.

  191. 191.

    Betty Cracker

    @Princess: That’s probably it. Now that she knows the details of how the Trumps screwed Mary and her brother, Tiffany wants to make sure she won’t suffer a similar fate.

  192. 192.

    WaterGirl

    dog cat mouse cheese

    If you highlight the empty space right above this line, you can read what I typed.  maybe we can think about that for the future as a way to share spoilers and anything people might find terribly upsetting.

    I just typed the words and then changed the text color to white.

    @opiejeanne:

  194. 194.

    scav

    @Elizabelle: ‘lack of spiritual stewardship’! Well, clearly, the step too far was investing over much interest in the pool boys and not enough effort in maintaining the University’s strategic whiskey reserves.

  196. 196.

    Jay

    @tokyokie:

    nope, not very bright. And a lot of them lease from new, and macho man domestic brands, so they lose $30k the moment they drive it off the lot.

    still remember a convo with a guy looking for a 750lb camper., no longer than 7 feet. Guy had some Dodge Ram full size crew cab of some kind.

    I was flabbergasted that was the load limit and bed length. Guy could’t even haul 2×4’s.

    My Toyota p/u, (Hilux), could haul full sheets of drywall or plywood in the bed and up to 3,700lbs of cargo, and it got 32mpg. Sure, even after I turboed and intercooled the diesel, it could only go above 70 mph on a downhill, it did 70mph no matter the grade, the load or the depth of the mud.

  197. 197.

    J R in WV

    @Jay:

    On Tuesday, we were told Breonna Taylor’s ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover was offered a plea deal, which would have required him to say that Taylor was part of his drug operation. Just now, the family’s attorney shared a picture of a plea deal that appears to show it is true

    In real life, people doing business in the underground black market need to be pretty honest, because if someone gets the idea that you intentionally burned them, the options are not legal, they are violent.

    It appears that the ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, was indeed honest enough to do business anywhere, and the local prosecutors are not honest at all. Big surprise! I’m hoping this drug war BS will go away soonest. Countries who have quit treating drug use as a crime don’t have cops and DAs committing crimes, as the money disappears from the black markets. In England (which I have plenty of problems with lately, but anyway…) drug users get their necessary junk at a drugstore, not a back alley behind a sleazy bar.

    In Portugal there are no illegal drugs any more, and crime is way down on that account. Some South American countries have followed suit. The more illegal a market is, the more criminality will surround that market; and dirty cops will be on top of that pyramid.

  198. 198.

    scribbler

    @satby:  Thank you for all that you and your group tried to do for Sammy.  I cried after reading what that poor little kitty went through at the hands of a monster.  I hope he felt the love that encircled him at the end.

  201. 201.

    Kropacetic

    @Jay: boat parades!!!!!!

    Uggh. I’d try to escape to the relative safety and warm embrace of a sinking ship too.

  203. 203.

    Jay

    @J R in WV:

    yurp, needs to be legalized, regulated and controlled, and every body with a drug sentence, or drug charges added to their conviction, needs to be let out, or their sentence reduced, along with reparations, counselling and training.

    that Prosecutors are allowed to overcharge, then use the plea system to railroad Lady Justice, needs to be illegal.

  204. 204.

    MoxieM

    @WaterGirl: agreed. I am so grateful to Satby and all who do this amazing work. (A thousand or so years ago I was a shelter volunteer, and even in that podunk place we had horrors. People are monsters.) I can no longer read the stories, which is why I didn’t link directly to Satby–so sorry. I just can’t do it, no more resilience left. Wish I had more money, though.

  205. 205.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Here’s some very good and exciting political news, from a fundraising message sent out by Carolyn Bourdeaux, House candidate in GA’s 7th district:

    BREAKING NEWS: The Cook Political Report has just updated its ratings, and we are now LEAN DEMOCRAT. The GOP are shaking in their boots and opening their wallets. They will spend MILLIONS to defeat me this November. We can’t let that happen. Donate $25 today to keep this momentum and help us flip GA-7 blue this Election.

    Let me just repeat this bit:

    BREAKING NEWS: The Cook Political Report has just updated its ratings, and we are now LEAN DEMOCRAT.

    Not all that long ago, this was a bright red district. Thought jackals might want to know, as DougJ featured Carolyn’s race in an ActBlue post a few weeks ago and many of you gave generously to her campaign.

  206. 206.

    zhena gogolia

    @satby:

    I cannot even read what happened to him, so my admiration for and awe of people who have the strength to try to do something about it is immense. I am so sorry about Sammy.

  207. 207.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    I’m really worried Rittenhouse is going to walk:

    Rittenhouse was attempting to retreat during all three, was physically assaulted prior to shooting in all three, and even did not continue to shoot individuals he had already shot once they themselves no longer presented a threat.

    There’s some damn good analysis occurring from lawyers on other platforms that suggest he has a good probability of walking with nothing but a weapons misdemeanor – possibly not even that, since Wisconsin’s open carry statute appears to allow open carry for 16 year-olds and above.

  208. 208.

    Jackie

    @Princess: That was my thought. She’s being threatened to be an active supporter for Daddy, or else.

    I’m disappointed in her. I hoped she wouldn’t be another Trump gold digger.

  210. 210.

    MCA1

    @Betty Cracker: I assume there’s some of that, but that it’s heavily reinforced by not terribly subtle threats being made by her half-siblings, that that’s indeed what will happen if she doesn’t stand up for the family or whatever they want to call jumping into the Charge of The Light Brigade after the artillery fire’s already landing.

    I assume this is happening by Ivanka just repurposing some of those Drumpf campaign text messages you keep seeing out there, and sending them to Tiffany: “Donald has been COUNTING ON YOU and you haven’t replied once.  You’re DISAPPOINTING us.  When will you step up and HELP US DEFEAT the RADICAL WOKE LEFT and Sleepy Joe Biden?”

    You also just know Eric’s out there whining constantly about how he has to get shredded on Twitter every day while Tiffany sat it out for 4 years and got to keep her reputation as a presumably decent human being intact.

  211. 211.

    Kristine

    @satby: I am so sorry. I hadn’t seen anything since I read that he was eating, and hoped for the best.

    I’ve run into folks at rescue shelters who just don’t seem to like people very much, and given some of things they see, I can’t really blame them.

  212. 212.

    Sloane Ranger

    CNN interviewed a woman suburban voter just before Biden’s speech. She voted Trump in 2016 and said she was undecided this time, but everything she said indicated she was desperate to find a justification to vote for Trump again.

    Unfortunately for her,  everything she wanted him to do, send Ben Carson to Kenosha instead of going himself, deal effectively with COVID-19, improve testing, try to unify the nation, requires Trump to undergo a personality transplant.

    Oh, while she hasn’t been paying attention to politics until recently, she’s definitely not voting for Biden as he is cognitively challenged and will be a puppet for others. When challenged about why she thought that, she said that she had seen him before and he seemed slower than she remembered.

    God, I hope she finds time to review some clips of Trump, Biden’s Einstein in comparison!

  215. 215.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Sloane Ranger: Oh, while she hasn’t been paying attention to politics until recently, she’s definitely not voting for Biden as he is cognitively challenged and will be a puppet for others.

    Bet you she’s a member of the “He (Dump) says what I’m thinking!” crowd that also lets Faux News take a shit in their skulls.

    ETA – and she probably never voted before 2016.

  217. 217.

    Kropacetic

    @mrmoshpotato: lets Faux News take a shit in their skulls.

    I’ll never understand why people pay good money for this when Faux News does it every day for free.  Maybe they don’t like the blonde brigade from Stepford.

  218. 218.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @mrmoshpotato:

    It’s an open seat; Rob Woodall (R-Completely Useless) is retiring after a supremely undistinguished Congressional career. Carolyn challenged him in 2018 and came justthisclose to unseating him then. The minute he was proclaimed the winner, after a couple of recounts, he announced that this would be his last term.

    Carolyn’s 2020 Republican opponent is a guy named Rich McCormick. He’s a combat veteran and an ER physician, so good credentials on paper, except for that whole being a Republican part.

  222. 222.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @mrmoshpotato:

    I misread your comment. Carolyn Bourdeaux is the Democrat, and is an excellent candidate. She wasn’t asking for money to fight the “lean Blue” ranking; she was celebrating it and saying, Yeah, keep it going with your contributions!

  224. 224.

    Kropacetic

    @mrmoshpotato: Did not have “Someone’s going to interpret ‘take a shit into their skulls’” as a kink on my 2020 bingo card

    Welcome to the internet.  There’s an information kiosk at the door.

  225. 225.

    Elizabelle

    @scav:   Also from the AP story re Falwell investigation:

    The statement also said the school is considering a separate move to reorient it toward its “spiritual mission” by establishing a post in the university leadership dedicated to spiritual guidance for other leaders, ensuring they “live out the Christian walk expected of each and every one of us at Liberty.”

    The school’s consideration of that new spiritually focused leadership post underscores its concern over the degree to which Falwell’s alleged personal conduct would have violated the behavioral codes the school sets for its own students. Falwell told the AP last week that “I never broke a single rule that applies to staff members at Liberty, which I was.”

    Well, yeah.  That is one issue.  One standard for students; none or little for their “leaders.”   Falwell was a leader in a religion full of hypocrisy and conformity to fake standards.  But I will stay tuned for further word of Jerry and Becky’s financial dealings.

    I suspect Falwell saw Liberty as a capital building campaign with a religion attached.

  227. 227.

    J R in WV

    A pretty grim thread, in some ways. Poor Sammy!

    Poor America!

    The summer before I retired, (2008) I bought a tractor with front end loader, back-hoe, brush hog and scraper blade. I had been watching a used 2008 F-350 at the local Ford dealer, they were lowering the price in their ad. Once it dropped below $30K I jumped on it, new it was well past $60K but had been hit in the back end. The spare tire carrier hung under the PU bed was no longer functional. I thought that was worth the $30K discount.

    I kept it straight stock, it was the best truck I ever had. 19 mpg, $17 pulling the back-hoe. Towed a trailer full of tools and the back-hoe to AZ and back. Some years later wife rolled the truck on I 25 in northern NM, so now I’m truck less. It never would blow coal, as a stock truck was built to run clean.

    Like Betty’s husband, I had a big truck in order to do hard work. Several surgeries later, I no long can do much of that kind of work, though I still use the tractor around our farm, and help neighbors out too.

  229. 229.

    Ken

    @Elizabelle: I suspect Falwell saw Liberty as a capital building campaign with a religion attached.

    By “capital building campaign”, do you mean “slush fund”?

  232. 232.

    Miss Bianca

    @Sloane Ranger: I’m sorry, but…this broad thinks *Biden* is the one who is “cognitively challenged”?

    smdh

    ETA: Actually, the word “thinks” in that sentence is doing a LOT of heavy lifting…

  234. 234.

    Butter Emails

    I doubt very much that Tiffany’s active participation is in anticipation of some sort of future payout once Trump kicks the bucket. One, there’s probably not going to be anything left once the creditors climb out of the woodwork and two every member of the Trump family is going to shiv every other family member to get whatever might be left regardless of any past promises, contracts, etc.

    My guess is it’s a combination of threatening to cut off any sort of money stream she currently receives coupled with a nice 6-figure salary coming out of campaign funds.

  237. 237.

    Elizabelle

    @Ken:   That too.

    I suspect Jerry Falwell Jr. may have as low an opinion of sheeple evangelicals as many of us do.

  238. 238.

    Elizabelle

    @Sloane Ranger:   Dumb people saying dumber things.  Thanks, CNN.

    (In this case, we speak of this woman, who thinks Biden is slow on the uptake.  Leaving Wolf Blitzer out of it.  For now.)

  242. 242.

    sdhays

    @Butter Emails: I was never someone who thought Tiffany might be ok. Both her parents are garbage, and she has done nothing to break away. I just don’t care that much because at least she doesn’t have an office in the (Very) White House.

  249. 249.

    scott (the other one)

    @Baud: As I’ve said before—as have many others—the left (especially the center-left) has got to come to terms with the fact that the FTFNYT is a big part of the problem. They tear down the left and prop up the right over and over and over again, all under the guise of objectivity, and all while being viewed as [even the] liberal.

  250. 250.

    Ken

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Trump’s going to be screaming about Lawn Order until November.

    Then after January he’ll be screaming about overreaching prosecutors and presumption of innocence.

    I have no idea what he’ll be screaming between those dates, but I’m sure he’ll be screaming.

  254. 254.

    Kropacetic

    @scott (the other one): As I’ve said before—as have many others—the left (especially the center-left) has got to come to terms with the fact that the FTFNYT is a big part of the problem.

    They’re my biggest daily source for information, doesn’t mean I take their framing of issues at face value.

  257. 257.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @satby:

    It hurt to read what you wrote. To think someone can do such things to an innocent animal is disgusting. I wish they could catch the monster who did this to the poor kitty.

  259. 259.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @satby: I m so sorry for you and Sammy. This is why all my pets were and are neutered and why my cats are always indoor cats. Humans are the cruelest animals…

  260. 260.

    opiejeanne

    @satby: It’s ok, I am just a mess right now. I am grateful for you and others like you and that you tried to save his life, poor thing.

    I would suggest that it wasn’t done by a single person, but by a group of boys, probably about age 13-15, showing off to the others.

  261. 261.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Unfortunately for her,  everything she wanted him to do, send Ben Carson to Kenosha instead of going himself,

    That right there tells you all you need to know about this woman, and you could never make her understand why this is racist, anymore than trump, or apparently Carson himself, could understand why making the (now addle-pated) brain surgeon the Secretary of Housing and URBAN Development is racist.

    She was trending on twitter for a while, and her life is probably going to be very difficult for the next week or so, and I have no sympathy.

  263. 263.

    opiejeanne

    @WaterGirl: On another blog, long long ago, we used this stealth mode to discuss trolls who had mistakenly entered our space.

    Thank you, it works very well for this purpose too.

  264. 264.

    Yutsano

    @sdhays:

    I was never someone who thought Tiffany might be ok. Both her parents are garbage, and she has done nothing to break away. I just don’t care that much because at least she doesn’t have an office in the (Very) White House.

    Yet…

  267. 267.

    James E Powell

    @Sloane Ranger:

    Why do CNN, NYT, and other news outlets obsess on these “still with Trump” a holes? How many suburban housewives who despise him get interviewed? How many white, retired, diner patrons who intend to vote a straight Democratic ticket get stories?

  270. 270.

    cain

    @James E Powell:

    Because it is a spectacle. Talking to the crazy so that we can all titter behind our hands, or what not. It does not create any buzz to talk to those other people. We’d just nod our heads and say “yes, that’s right!”

    They want and desire outrage.

  273. 273.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I mean, racist white teenager walking free after murdering two people would be peak 2020, but I don’t think he’ll actually walk.

    He gets to make a defense, though. I’m sure he’ll have excellent lawyers.

  277. 277.

    Jay

    @MisterForkbeard:

    With each passing day the ongoing saga of the law firm Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP gets crazier. The firm is already facing five lawsuits involving allegations of financial foul play. A hard look may well involve potential disciplinary and criminal issues with key questions will become who knew what, when did they know, what did they do.

    https://www.lawfuel.com/blog/the-65-million-debacle-pierce-bainbridge-meets-american-greed/

    ( there is a pain in the ass pop up ad, so you are forewarned).

    The first lawyer to come forward was a “Wingnut Grievance Mediator”, so it doesn’t look like the kid is assembling the best legal team.

  278. 278.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Elizabelle: scroll down to about an hour ago

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom
    This Trump response to Biden’s speech is everything I could’ve hoped it would be and I only regret that it isn’t being broadcast live on every network in America right now.

    He’s depressed and sniffly today

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom
    Trump basically argues that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense, “but we’re looking at it very closely“ and says Rittenhouse would’ve “been in big trouble“ from the crowd. Also refusing to say that militias shouldn’t be out there helping cops.

    Nichols does a good job covering these, and I agree with him that they should be broadcast. Show people the crazy

  279. 279.

    Patricia Kayden

    If a Black man crossed state lines with an illegal AR-15, violated a local curfew in a city where he didn’t belong, carried his gun to a Tea Party protest where he was not welcome, murdered two people and injured a third, and then fled from police, Trump would not defend him.— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 31, 2020

  280. 280.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Eli Stokols @EliStokols· 1h
    “That was a peaceful protest,” Trump said. “Paint is not bullets.” Trump opts not to condemn his own supporters in Portland, where they were seen shooting paintballs at protesters.

  282. 282.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Patricia Kayden: and certainly would not have recrossed state lines to sleep in his own bed

    though to be fair, he didn’t flee from police, he just walked away after no one in uniform seemed interested in him

  283. 283.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Yutsano: Oddly, one of the only things I remember about Bnut was that he spent an New Year’s Eve/bowl game spree in NOLA and was very proud of the girl he befriended who had a houndstooth bra.  Wasn’t he also an ex-Marine?*

    *Yeah, I said it on purpose.

  286. 286.

    Ian

    Reconciling the “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are evil pro-rioting anarchists” with the “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are evil cops who are out to lock you up for life” narratives  is going to be hell of a challenge.

  287. 287.

    Matt

    “Trump has sought to remake this nation in his image: selfish, angry, dark and divisive.”

    They’re gonna do it: they’re going to try to shovel absolutely all of this under the rug as “just Trump things” and then pretend like all the Republicans who made Trump possible aren’t exactly the deplorable dumpster fires they clearly are.

    This isn’t Trump. This is the GOP, full-stop. Trump says the quiet bits loud, that’s the only difference.

    The “moderates” will insist that we need more police & security funding for the next four years and put off reform, and then they’ll hand off an even-more-effective and normalized secret police over to whichever slick fascist runs in 2024.

    The anarchists and opportunistic turds who are looting businesses and burning buildings aren’t wearing Biden merch, and Biden of course has denounced those activities all along and did so forcefully today

    And the people who post on the front page will be LINING UP TO HELP, because punching hippies is the best thing in the world.

  289. 289.

    Baud

    @Matt:

    And the people who post on the front page will be LINING UP TO HELP, because punching hippies is the best thing in the world.

    It’s the opiate of the people.

  290. 290.

    Jay

    @Ian:

    ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.‘”

  295. 295.

    Jay

    @Matt:

     

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    dark, obviously,….

     

    @Baud:

    but, they are protesting wrong,……

    no, not that way either.

    and a bunch of people all concerned about looting, arson, graffiti, violence would have no issues with it at all, if only the looters, arsonists, graffiti and violent protestors had incorporated first.

  297. 297.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    whatever they’re putting in Joe’s Wheaties lately….

    Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin · 36m
    Joe Biden: “Tonight, the President declined to rebuke violence. He wouldn’t even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.”

  298. 298.

    Miss Bianca

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yeah, Trump may be “too weak and too scared” of his followers to condemn their violence. However, I think it’s more likely that he’s just so totally into it that he wouldn’t dream of calling off his dogs.

  300. 300.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Miss Bianca: of course he is, he loves violence personally and thinks it’s good politics, and with about a third of the population, it is. But calling him weak chips away at his brand, and gets into his head, and by all accounts of trump’s presser today, Joe is in there with his feet up and a bag of snacks.

  302. 302.

    Burnspbesq

    @jonas:

    Popcorn futures just jumped 50%

    ‘One reason to vote for Biden: he will make it safe to be short popcorn futures.

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