Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

“But what about the lurkers?”

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

This fight is for everything.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

I was promised a recession.

Infrastructure week. at last.

The willow is too close to the house.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

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

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / About Last Night

About Last Night

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Last night there was a peaceful protest in Rochester, because a group of local ministers volunteered to be human shields.  Here’s Trump’s attempt to make it something it wasn’t, and the response from one of the best print reporters in Rochester.

Of course, after being pressured by the ministers to do the right thing, Mayor Lovely Warren issued a statement that said that part of the reason the protest was successful was her “edict” to the police to adopt a smaller and more restrained posture.  I guess her “edicts” can only be given after the police have tear gassed and pepper balled protesters for a few nights.

In the comments yesterday, BCHS Class of 1980 asked:

To mistermix: my wife went to RIT (or as they called it, South Henrietta Institute of Technology). What sort of bad is this mayor? Terrified of the cops bad, or actively on their side bad?

My answer:  Probably terrified bad — I think she’s basically a status quo player and doesn’t have the grit to start the fight that she needs to have with the cops to defund and reform them.  (That said, to be fair, 50 years of reform in Rochester haven’t worked, as is well-detailed in this recent piece). She is so thin-skinned that she has boycotted a local public radio show because the host asked her some very soft but persistent questions.  She is under investigation for what I think is a pretty clear-cut set of campaign finance violations.  Her actions have shown that she’s not up to the job,  as well as corrupt, and the sooner we get rid of her, the better.

Also, I call RIT “the monastery”.

 

Reader Interactions

98Comments

  7. 7.

    BCHS Class of 1980

    “The monastery” — gotta tell the spouse that one! When is Rochester’s next mayoral contest?

  8. 8.

    Jay

    Portland, another another night, another KKKop Riot, 101 Days of KKKops Rioting, now in the suburbs,

    "Warren also said he was injured when he went outside to see what was going on. He said he was talking to an officer about the impact the gas was having on his son when another officer came up and hit him, giving him a concussion."https://t.co/3wCVrESyN3 https://t.co/Axwby5hybM— unlawful whatever (@matcha_chai) September 7, 2020

  10. 10.

    Zelma

    Anybody who has studied the rise of fascism knows that one of factors that created their support was violence in the streets.  Of course, it was the fascists who were precipitating most of that violence.  We don’t have brown shirts in 2020 to instigate violence.  Trump doesn’t need them.  He has the police.

  14. 14.

    jonas

    @Zelma: This is exactly right. The role of the brownshirts/SA in Germany was to sow chaos and violence during demonstrations (in addition to intimidating and roughing up Jews, socialists, journalists and others) to make the government look weak and ineffectual while the Nazis appeared to be a strong source of “law and order”.

  15. 15.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @oatler.: Tom Nichols twitter feed is my go-to for the lie-by-lie coverage, though I could have done without this

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom ·39s
    He is literally spitting

    also too

    Tom Nichols @RadioFreeTom ·11m
    Trump just referred to Pelosi and Schumer as customers: he challenges the reporter who says there is no chance of a deal, saying “what do you know, what do you know, I know my customers very well” No, this is not weird at all

    customers?

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I’ve seen speculation that the Atlantic story is just the first shot in Jim Mattis’ revenge. If the retired generals are planning to drown trump in leaks, this should help the situation

    Barbara Starr @barbarastarrcnn· 16m
    “I’m not saying the military’s in love with me,the soldiers are.The top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t, because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.

  20. 20.

    trollhattan

    Oh hey, we had a superspreader event yesterday and I wasn’t even invited.

    Neither coronavirus restrictions nor record-smashing heat could stop a massive crowd from assembling outside the Capitol in Sacramento for a Christian music concert Sunday evening.

    Almost none of the thousands attending wore a mask during the hours-long event, and spectators were packed in about as tight as could be, photos and video from the concert/protest demonstration show. That prompts concern amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected close to 20,000 people in Sacramento County and killed over 330 residents, including 190 deaths in the capital city.

    Christian musicians and speakers, including the state senate’s Republican party leader, nonetheless took the stage on the west steps of the Capitol for what organizers called a “Let Us Worship” rally. Events branded under that title have toured West Coast cities in recent weeks, including Redding, Fresno and Pismo Beach.
    https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article245543565.html#storylink=cpy

  21. 21.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    I recently came across a video of the Rochester riots of 1964.  It’s the most information I had ever heard on the subject.  Trying to insert my first link.  I hope I don’t break anything. https://vimeo.com/100170569

  26. 26.

    Another Scott

    @trollhattan: Why on earth does California let such things be rented when the fire risk is so high?

    Yeah, idiots behaving idiotically.  But the state shouldn’t let such things happen, also too.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  30. 30.

    dmsilev

    @Another Scott: The state’s hands are tied; there are a variety of First-Amendment lawsuits being pushed mostly by conservative evangelical types arguing for the right to mass-infect themselves.

  31. 31.

    dmsilev

    @germy: Annie Linsky wrote that article. She’s awful when it comes to pushing the ‘Democrats in disarray’ thing. Most of the Post’s political reporters are better.

  33. 33.

    Another Scott

    @dmsilev: Sorry I wasn’t clear.

    Sure, they can have their superspreader COVID-19 party, and face the consequences for that.

    But why does CA permit a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” to be rented when the fire risk is so high??  (I’m assuming the device was rented from some party-supply house or similar.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  36. 36.

    Louise B.

    @Jay: Police have been doing this regularly in neighborhoods all over the east side of Portland for months now – prioritizing police property over the safety of residents in adjoining neighborhoods.  I have relations who live in one of these neighborhoods.  They are not lefties by any stretch, but their disdain for the Portland police bureau is palpable.

  37. 37.

    MisterForkbeard

    @germy: This is silly. Biden has LOTS of plans, especially on his website. I think what they’re complaining about here us that Biden isn’t pushing specific policies as core to his campaign, like M4A for Bernie or minimum wage increases. He doesn’t have a signature policy.

    But this is another hugely overblown concern. Biden’s thing is decency, competence and a large slate of proposed policies. He’s got all those things.

  38. 38.

    Ben Cisco

    @germy: Annie Linsky is trash, but even she can’t push a believable narrative that predicts that Preznit Pumpkinhead will win, so she’s simply laying down scat all over the place.

    ETA: Beaten to it by dmsilev, germy, and Baud

  40. 40.

    germy

    @Baud:  Anne Laurie has long warned us about Annie.

    I must have missed that. Annie is new to me.

    Her style seems to be  “Biden is [BLANK] and this will end badly.”

    She starts with that, and spends a few hours trying to think of what BLANK should be.

     

    @MisterForkbeard:  He doesn’t have a signature policy.

    I thought his signature policy was rebuilding this country from the mess we’re in.  Maybe too generalized for Annie

  41. 41.

    Barbara

    @germy: I am so excited.  I linked on your article, saying to myself, “I bet it’s by Annie Linskey.”  And it is!  Linskey’s specialty was dumping all over Elizabeth Warren, and I have to say that the last article I read by Linskey was actually pretty fair.  That probably means that she is still doing penance, hence the latest doom and gloom piece on Democrats.  Seriously, I do try to avoid any article with “might” or “could” in the title because it’s just speculation masquerading as facts.  And I give Linskey a pretty wide berth.

  44. 44.

    guachi

    @germy: Democrats care about policy and I can definitely see major battles going on to get stuff passed.

    A strong majority in the House and having to negotiate (at best) with Manchin and Bullock in the Senate.

    Democrats haven’t had a trifecta since 2010 and even if the filibuster disappears it’ll be a mess trying to prioritize legislation and reach 50 Senate vote on anything.

  48. 48.

    Kathleen

    @Ben Cisco: You have inspired a creative new pejorative! I was using “sewer fumes” on Twitter, but “scat layers” is more elegant. Do I have permission to “leverage” that?

  49. 49.

    J R in WV

    @Another Scott:

    But why does CA permit a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” to be rented when the fire risk is so high??  (I’m assuming the device was rented from some party-supply house or similar.)

     

    Pretty sure a “pyrotechnic device” is a thing you light a fuse, that then burns producing a huge amount of smoke. Probably would be safe in a barrel or a damp sandpit, but just firing it up over there in the field of dry grass would be really stupid.

  50. 50.

    Louise B.

    @guachi: You’re right, but policy battles in the context of actual debates over legislation (as opposed to deep-sixing everything that comes along, as the turtle has done) is a sign of a healthy representative democracy, and we have to keep reminding people, including people in the media who know better, of that fact.

  54. 54.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Hard to tell for sure, but since the B&B that I stayed at in Shaver Lake last weekend is well within the fire boundary line, there’s good odds that it’s burned down. Definitely a strange feeling seeing videos from the area, and knowing exactly where they were shot.

  55. 55.

    LuciaMia

    @Amir Khalid: If youve ever watched ‘Project Runway’, thats apparently how you refer to trousers now. “Im about to hem this pant..” it just sounds so weird, like there should be a dog nearby with his tongue out.

  57. 57.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Another Scott: The news story wasn’t specific, but if it’s like other gender reveal parties that sparked wild fires, it’s likely they where using a tannerite-based target that goes off when you shoot it—and which are easy to buy.

    These originally were intended for long-distance targets on shooting ranges, but then the idiots got the bright idea to use them for gender reveal parties. Especially idiot to do when the state’s already been on fire for two weeks.

  59. 59.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    @germy:  I’m gonna change my moniker to “raging policy battle”

    There’s no disarray.  They’re unable to foment any disarray.   Lost and desperate, they’re projecting disarray in the distant future.   They might as well start a psychic hotline.

  60. 60.

    patrick Il

    I wonder how the “Stars and Stripes” will handle the ” Atlantic” story regarding Trump’s  disrespect of soldiers. It is notable to me that the Atlantic story was published on Sept 3 and Trump’s threat  to shutdown the “Stars and Stripes came one day later.  Now the Stars and Stripes can publish again – – I wonder if some sort of restrictive deal was made. The ” stars and Stripes” has tremendous influence with the troops and an echoing of the Atlantics accusations would be devastating

  61. 61.

    cain

    @J R in WV:

    The folks at that gender reveal party is going to be traumatized but also be very much condemned for that. Just like the kid who started the fire here in the the Gorge. I don’t know if the kid is even still here – but you know his parents probably got a lot of shit.

  62. 62.

    Wapiti

    @J R in WV: Yup: something like a small smoke grenade. They put out a lot of heat and flame generating the smoke.

    There was a big fire in Oregon, two (?) years ago. Caused by a teenager throwing a smoke bomb firework down a ravine. A woman who saw it happened identified the firework-thrower, and he got fined $36 million. Not that he’d be able to pay that, but he’s on the hook for making payments for 10 years before the remainder can be possibly waived.

    I don’t know why fireworks are legal in the western US.

  65. 65.

    cain

    @Wapiti:

    Cuz we all like to blow stuff up. But also the reservations sell a lot of this stuff.  A lot of those things are illegal already.

  71. 71.

    raven

    This week, as more than 7,000 acres in California were burned after a gender reveal led to a massive wildfire in San Bernardino County, blogger Jenna Karvunidis — who is largely credited for creating the gender reveal party — took to Facebook to condemn the over-the-top events.
    “Stop having these stupid parties. For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid’s penis. No one cares but you,” she wrote.

  76. 76.

    Ben Cisco

    @raven: Good advice, but much like the four-figure birthday parties and other indulges ostensibly “for the kids,” we’re cursed with this foolishness.

    “IDIOCRACY WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE A DOCUMENTARY!”

  77. 77.

    Kent

    @Yutsano: That’s not a machete taking nice tidy slices.  That’s a chainsaw with a flame thrower on the side.

    More power too them.  We need this stuff from outside groups so that Biden himself can act presidential.   The right is so much better at playing that game than Dems are.  Until maybe this year.

    For example, I don’t EVER remember this sort of think in 2004 during the Bush v. Kerry election when the right was busy with their swift boating and laughing about Kerry’s actual badass wind surfing on the open ocean and hunting in Iowa with designer duds.

  78. 78.

    Kent

    @cain:Cuz we all like to blow stuff up. But also the reservations sell a lot of this stuff.  A lot of those things are illegal already.

    It ain’t just the reservations.  Here in suburban Vancouver WA there are fireworks stands everywhere right outside the city boundary where you can buy damn near any kind of fireworks you want up to near commercial grade exploding rockets.  I live just across the border in Camas and there are at least 4 big fireworks tents every late June and early July just across 192nd on Lake Road as soon as you cross the border out of Vancouver.

    Has nothing to do with Indian reservations unless you are in Oregon where most fireworks larger than smoke bombs and sparklers have banned for as long as I can remember and I was a kid there in the 1970s.    If you go to any fireworks stand in Clark County WA (across the river from Portland) half the cars in the parking lot will have OR plates.

  79. 79.

    Kent

    @J R in WV: Yep, it was most certainly some sort of pyrotechnic smoke bombs.  The actual smoke machines they use in places like indoor rock shows mostly use dry ice and CO2 to produce faux smoke.

  81. 81.

    Kent

    @patrick Il:I wonder how the “Stars and Stripes” will handle the ” Atlantic” story regarding Trump’s  disrespect of soldiers. It is notable to me that the Atlantic story was published on Sept 3 and Trump’s threat  to shutdown the “Stars and Stripes came one day later.  Now the Stars and Stripes can publish again – – I wonder if some sort of restrictive deal was made. The ” stars and Stripes” has tremendous influence with the troops and an echoing of the Atlantics accusations would be devastating

    Honestly, how much to troops actually read stars and stripe today, as opposed to random shit they find on facebook, youtube, and twitter on their phones?  This isn’t WW2 anymore when that was the only source of info.

    I honestly don’t know the answer.  But I sort of imagine that 23 year old soldiers are about as likely to read Stars and Stripes cover to cover as 23 year old blue collar kids in NYC are to subscribe to the New York Times.

  82. 82.

    Ruckus

    @Zelma:

    Blue Shirts, Brown Shirts, is there that much difference? Also the LAPD wears black, the LASO and CHP wear brown. The brown shirts were just unofficial rioters.

  83. 83.

    Kent

    @raven:@Kent: The morons in Georgia made it legal year round.

    Yep. Somehow fireworks culture has gotten wrapped up into MAGA gun culture these days.  Because Free-Dumb and owning the libs.  It’s the same thing out here.  Except that at least they restrict fireworks sales to the week or two before the 4th of July and New Years.

  84. 84.

    MisterForkbeard

    @germy:

    I thought his signature policy was rebuilding this country from the mess we’re in.  Maybe too generalized for Annie

    But don’t you understand how this clearly means Biden is vulnerable to <mumble mumble> and that’s why Democrats are doooooooooomed?

  85. 85.

    Ruckus

    @Kent:

    I was in the navy during Vietnam. I never saw a copy of Stars and Stripes in my entire enlistment. Not while I was in the hospital, either time, nor anywhere else. Went to tech schools for a year, never saw a copy. I was stationed at Long Beach Naval Station for 4 months on temp duty, was master of arms of the transit barracks for weeks during that, never saw a copy. On board either ship I was assigned to, never saw a copy.

  86. 86.

    MagdaInBlack

    Being childless, I’m not up on this stuff, but my google research shows you can buy gender reveal smoke bombs at Party City and on Etsy.  Those prob dont involve fire.

    They also make gender reveal tire burn out kits. Who knew?

  87. 87.

    Kent

    @Ruckus: So what is the point of Stars and Stripes?   Just a forum for politically ambitious military and public affairs types to write stuff to each other?  Kind of like how most media and reporter twitter accounts are only followed by other media and reporter types?

    I honestly don’t know.  But my impression from afar is that it has kind of faded to irrelevancy from the halcyon WW2 days of Ernie Pyle and Bill Mauldin.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    I feel like the main character burning down a town before he’s even born thanks to a botched gender reveal is the first page in a John Irving novel.

    — Schooley (@Rschooley) September 7, 2020

  90. 90.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @germy:

    “A tracksuit pant”?! Why not just “tracksuit pants”? Probably there’s some high-fashion insider thing I’m missing.

  92. 92.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    I was in the navy during Vietnam. I never saw a copy of Stars and Stripes in my entire enlistment. Not while I was in the hospital, either time, nor anywhere else. Went to tech schools for a year, never saw a copy. I was stationed at Long Beach Naval Station for 4 months on temp duty, was master of arms of the transit barracks for weeks during that, never saw a copy. On board either ship I was assigned to, never saw a copy.

    I too was in the USN and never saw a copy of Stars and Stripes from boot camp and School in Great Lakes until I was discharged and headed home. Maybe it’s more of an Army thing?

  93. 93.

    Ruckus

    @Kent:

    @J R in WV:

    Maybe an army thing, maybe Kent is right, it had more relevance in WWII. When JR and I were in the internet didn’t exist and we didn’t serve in a combat zone so we has some access to news besides what the military told us. Today that access is far greater and I’d say Stars and Stripes would be about the last place most would get any news. Hell I probably wouldn’t have believed anything I read in it if I had seen it.

  96. 96.

    ExpatDanBKK

    @Patricia Kayden: This does not surprise me. Back in the early 80s when Disney was on campus at the U looking for engineers, I was warned that it was a complete shit company to work for. By several people (alums and fraternity brothers)…

  97. 97.

    J R in WV

    @Ruckus:

    IF we get into LA again ( only time so far was following our trip to Baja to see whales ) we should get together for fine food and music. Or something like that.

  98. 98.

    cleek

    I call RIT “the monastery”.

    it was definitely not that, when I went there. giggity, giggity.

    met my wife there, in fact. and we’ve been married 24 years this Monday.

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