Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I really should read my own blog.

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

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

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

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Prediction: the GOP will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Nothing worth doing is easy.

I was promised a recession.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

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

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Sunday Open Thread: Wear A Mask!

Sunday Open Thread: Wear A Mask!

by | 105 Comments

This post is in: 

This is brilliant.

Woke up to sleet! This should help with the fires, however, they are warning us to be vigilant because tomorrow will be hot and windy again. But we’ll take it.

The county fairground evacuation area is filled up and people are having to drive 2 hours south with their large animals. And the town of Lyons is under an evacuation warning. Again, we are perfectly fine where I am at – and with the sleet, we have a bit of relief from the smoke.  I do worry about the ducks and the smoke/ash. But I gave them fresh pool water again this a.m. so they could at least wash it off.

Open thread

Reader Interactions

105Comments

  4. 4.

    low-tech cyclist

    Off topic (hey, open thread!), but yesterday’s post about the bears got me thinking:

    The reason we need a government is to get shit done that needs to be done, but isn’t gonna happen just by individuals making their own choices.

    Fighting a pandemic is one of those things. Either the government will find a way to stop it, or it won’t be stopped. End of story.

    So when people (like the GOP state legislators in WI and MI who’ve been trying to deny their governors the authority they need to institute mask mandates and the like, they’re saying, when push comes to shove, they don’t really believe in the very idea of government. Ditto for the judges who uphold their silly arguments.

    When this is over and they can travel again, they really need to find some corner of the Third World where the nominal government’s control is just that, and set up their libertarian utopia. And those of us who believe in government can get shit done.

  5. 5.

    O. Felix Culpa

    I love that video. Both of my sisters live in Longmont. I checked in with them yesterday and they said the air smelled like campfire and it was raining ash. Hopefully the sleet helps–literally–to dampen the flames.

  6. 6.

    Catherine D.

    Love the video – sharing it now.

    Open thread: have a listen to the new Kronos Quartet recording Long Time Passing. It’s a tribute to Pete Seeger with guest singers. Meklit blew me away doing Zooey Mulford’s The President Sang Amazing Grace. I need to listen to more of her.

  7. 7.

    MagdaInBlack

    @low-tech cyclist: I look forward to seeing the folks who can’t even make their own ice tea, building a utopia.
    Also, where will they get their french vanilla creamer? ( the bundy clan)

  12. 12.

    VeniceRiley

    Palmer Luckey, the FB & Occulus glibertarian ratf*cking meme maker famous for poisoning 2016, is holding a private fundraiser for Trump is Newport Beach.

  15. 15.

    cain

    @VeniceRiley: 
    Facebook is filled with right wing nut jobs – and they are working hard to destroy democracy and install themselves as the social network of misinformation.

  16. 16.

    Origuy

    I have a friend in Laporte, near Fort Collins. She’s only a few miles from the Cameron Peak fire evacuation zone. She has horses, so evacuation will be difficult. She went through this a few years ago, when the same area was on fire.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    @low-tech cyclist: 

    So when people (like the GOP state legislators in WI and MI who’ve been trying to deny their governors the authority they need to institute mask mandates and the like, they’re saying, when push comes to shove, they don’t really believe in the very idea of government. Ditto for the judges who uphold their silly arguments.

    I don’t think that’s what’s really going on. The core of what’s going on is that they’re in a death struggle with the Democrats for control of the government, and they care more about that than they do about protecting people from the virus. They would not be making (or accepting, in the case of judges) the same arguments if it were a Republican governor.

  19. 19.

    low-tech cyclist

    @Roger Moore: That would make sense, but then there’s North Dakota, which unlike its neighbor to the immediate south, has a more or less sane Republican governor.

    He recognizes the deadliness of the coronavirus, and is entreating the good citizens of his state to wear masks and so forth.  Needless to say, not nearly enough of them are listening, and North Dakota’s case rate is going through the roof, and the hospitals are being swamped.

    Not being familiar with North Dakota (it’s one of six states I’ve never actually set foot in), I’m not sure if the Republican-controlled state legislature hasn’t given him the power to instigate a mask mandate, or whether he doesn’t believe in using that power.

    Either way, the Republicans in power in ND don’t seem to want to use the powers of government to address this crisis, despite being in a position of not having to worry about the local Democrats.

    They may believe in government as a kind of civilized crime lord, a means of controlling things to the benefit of one’s friends while using its powers to stick it to one’s enemies.  But government in the sense we’ve generally understood it?  No, they do not believe in that.

  20. 20.

    Jay C

    @Mousebumples:

    Yes: the piece was about Cornyn supposedly expressing opposition to various Trump policies/programs, but that he had kept said opposition “private”.

    While (sadly)I don’t think Hegar will win, she has certainly provided a tighter race in Texas than might be expected.
    Though, there was one polling datum from TX which I read a few weeks back which was really surprising: in a “name-recognition” poll, some ludicrously high percentage of Texans (?c. 30%?) didn’t know who “John Cornyn” was (he’s only been their Senator for 18 years).

  23. 23.

    Roger Moore

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: 
    One of the things that I’ve really come to understand in the past few years is that there are no places in America that just happen to be 95+% white. The only way they got that way was by actively excluding minorities, and they’ve stayed that way by passively excluding them. It’s no wonder these lily white areas are all in for Trump; they’re monuments to racism.

  24. 24.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Saturday Night Live was fairly missable last night– why Lorne Michaels thinks getting Jim Carrey to play Biden is a brilliant move is totally beyond me– but it was worth watching for this. I’m such a gooey, bleeding-heart liberal that it made me feel a little sorry for Tiffany.

    ETA: I think Carrey has a new series out somewhere? Is it some kind of cross-promotion?

  25. 25.

    frosty

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Wow, there’s a county that’s more Trumpy than mine. I guess having even a small-to-medium urban area knocks the %R down. We’re usually in the mid-60% range Republican.

  28. 28.

    No One of Consequence

    @Roger Moore: 

    Dear sir:

    Whilst I respect the vast majority of your cinematic endeavors, I must take exception with this posting.

    I believe you denigrate the Good Taste of Minorities, by implying that they would WANT to live amongst said enclaves of pasty-fleshed mouth-breathers…

    (Spoken as an unfortunate genetic winner of said aforementioned pasty-fleshed mouth-breathing honorific.)

    I, for one, must state clearly for the record here, one can hardly BLAME them?

    Peace, and I kid because I love,

    NOoC

  29. 29.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Trump Is Taking Down Names as Republicans Begin Jumping Ship on His ‘Totally Off the Rails’ Campaign
    Two individuals who have spoken to Trump say the president has expressed suspicion that members of his own party believe he will be defeated by Joe Biden. That sense of paranoia has been fed by the president’s aides and confidants, who have flagged news coverage for him of Republican politicians either openly criticizing his conduct or else trying to distance themselves from a looming possible electoral bloodbath.

    one of the recent Melania books says she combs the press for things like this and makes sure he sees them

  30. 30.

    Benw

    Went on a really nice trail hike this morning with friends and kids, got ice cream, then stopped and picked up some nice carving pumpkins and empire apples. Just an excellent morning

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    @low-tech cyclist:

    I think there’s a deep undercurrent of denial in the Republican response to COVID.  The people in the Dakotas really, truly believe it can’t happen to them; it’s something that happens to people in New York and California because of the evils of living in dense cities.  It’s quite possible at least some of that is that they don’t want to believe it can happen to them because then they’d need to confront the limitations of their political philosophy, but I think more of it is just ordinary solipsism.

  36. 36.

    MattF

    Ron Johnson on Fox hits a new low. FBI agent who had worked on child pornography involved in subpoena of Hunter Biden’s computer. Connect the dots, libtards! No link.

  37. 37.

    Ken

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Daniel Drezner has that “Trump’s staff treating him like a toddler” series. Is anyone collecting “Trump’s staff calling him a paranoid”? If there’s not enough material, they could include schizophrenic, deranged, narcissistic, et cetera.

  42. 42.

    germy

    Former WH COS John Kelly has told friends, about Trump: “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it's more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life." pic.twitter.com/IUdT2KgSGr

    — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 16, 2020

    Kelly and Tapper, “Profiles in Courage?”

  44. 44.

    Yutsano

    @germy: I can’t figure out what the deal is here. Is this Kelly trying to release this while looking as if he’s being sold out? Is he actually being sold out? Kelly needs to be inquired about this. And if he refuses to clarify that’s an answer.

  47. 47.

    MattF

    @Yutsano: Kelly is probably playing a longer game. ETTD, and all that— he’d prefer not to just sit and watch while Trump burns up the remaining shreds of his reputation.

  49. 49.

    There go two miscreants

    @debbie: This is how it is done

    I loved that! I admit I am a sucker for their accent, and it makes the disdain so palpable. How often do you hear any US media person use “peddling” (pronounced “piddling” which was even better)?

  51. 51.

    Yutsano

    @MattF: I mean sure? I suppose I could buy Kelly is being clever here. But he still has that stench on him of working for Dolt45. He has his pension and sweet sweet speaking fees. But he’ll probably never touch the inner workings of government again. Let’s hope he just doesn’t want to now.

  53. 53.

    JMG

    You know what’s starting to get my goat? People on social media yelling at Democrats for being “complacent” about a Biden victory and wailing it makes them feel more scared about Trump maybe winning. Grow up! On this Democratic board, is anyone complacent? Not that I’ve noticed. The hundreds of millions of dollars raised, a nice chunk of which came from us, the lines for early voting, the absentee return volume, that’s not complacency, that’s determination. Two things I know. 1. Rather be in our candidate’s shoes than Trump’s right now. 2. No matter what happens, our side did not get outworked. We are leaving it on the field.

  55. 55.

    Ken

    @germy: I don’t know what motivates Kelly other than ego and greed.

    That’s two of the MICE factors, so if you’re a foreign agent looking to influence him you shouldn’t need to know more.

  56. 56.

    MomSense

    Spending a mother son weekend. We went for a walk along the harbor into town and stumbled upon an outdoor open- mic. We went home and grabbed guitars and now waiting for his set.
    Sipping beer listening to music.

  57. 57.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JMG:

    You know what’s starting to get my goat? People on social media yelling at Democrats for being “complacent” about a Biden victory and wailing it makes them feel more scared about Trump maybe winning. 

    Has anyone asked those people if they are going to vote?  Or do the whiners think Biden is a corporate whore too?

  60. 60.

    Jim Appleton

    @Sister Golden Bear: 

    The dog in my life now is half corgi, quarter each Boston terrier and Australian shepherd.

    She looks mostly BT, with a bit of hound.

    That said, when she faces into strong wind and her ears go up, the corgi hilariously becomes apparent.

  65. 65.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @debbie:

    But how is she going to be able to keep access if she pushes back on people she interviews? And how dare her cast a judgment when she should be just allowing Both Sides to present opinions, leaving it to viewers to decide….

  66. 66.

    Delk

    A lot of the houses in my neighborhood are decorated for Halloween. A house on the next block has a full size skeleton in his front yard with a sign that says, “He didn’t wear a mask”.
    So far as I have been getting in my exercise walking around my neighborhood I have not seen a single Trump sign.

  67. 67.

    NotMax

    @Delk

    houses in my neighborhood are decorated for Halloween

    Is this a thing now?

    I have not seen a single Trump sign.

    Way too scary a decoration.

    :)

  68. 68.

    Yutsano

    @Delk: I’ve said this before, but even in my red Eastern Washington area I see hardly any Drumpf signs. Lots of Culp signs but none of his. At least I know who the assholes are.

  69. 69.

    Ken

    @NotMax: IIRC a couple of years ago Halloween became the second highest-grossing retail holiday in the US, after Christmas. House and lawn decorations are a big part.

  70. 70.

    zhena gogolia

    @NotMax:

    Halloween decorations have really outstripped Christmas decorations in our neck of the woods, I’m not sure why. Elaborate installations — graveyards, giant black cats, flying witches, etc. It’s a mystery to me.

  74. 74.

    Kathleen

    @Delk:  Belated thank you for the 80’s mash up link yesterday (or was it Friday?). I’m glad I live alone because a 71 year old woman jamming to the 80’s should never be shared IRL or on the Toooobz.

  75. 75.

    There go two miscreants

    @zhena gogolia: The neighborhood where my grandkids live does it up big, and it has been a lot of fun in past years (not this year, unfortunately) going around trick-or-treating with them. A mob of kids running screaming from house to house! Some of the displays are very inventive.

    ETA that the candy swap afterwards is also entertaining.

  76. 76.

    KayInMd (formerly Kay(not the front-pager))

    I saw this animation with the new sound track earlier today and really enjoyed it. It’s so well done! And I’m more sold than ever on masks. I mentioned a few days ago that my son had been exposed at work. His work is pretty close quarters, with a lot of rushing around in a crowded kitchen area. But everyone is careful about masks and hand washing (my son is a little OCD about hand washing). So it’s been over a week now, he’s had 2 tests, and he is still negative. He has a few days to go, so he’s still isolating upstairs, wearing a mask when he comes down for food, and taking his temp regularly, but it looks like he dodged a bullet. And he can thank a couple of pieces of cloth (yes, they wear their own cloth masks) and some soap.

    Wear a mask, indeed.

  77. 77.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Delk:

    A house on the next block has a full size skeleton in his front yard with a sign that says, “He didn’t wear a mask”.

    Nice!

    walking around my neighborhood I have not seen a single Trump sign.

    Don’t you live in Chicago?  Remember when Dump was too chickenshit to show up at UIC because of the protest in 2016?

  80. 80.

    JoyceH

    In reference to Melania, has anyone else noticed that when Trump talks at a rally about discussions with Melania, he always says, “And I said, ‘Darling’…’ blah blah blah. Does ANYONE believe that Trump calls Melania ‘Darling’? I’m including that with ‘sir’ as a tell for a fictional story. There are Sir Stories and there are Darling Stories.

  81. 81.

    mrmoshpotato

    @JoyceH: I believe Dump calls the 3rd Lady “Sir.” and the big, burly, blubbering men at his fascist, needy, hate rallies “Darling.”

  85. 85.

    Sebastian

    Fellow Juicers a very important PSA:

    Drop everything and watch “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Netflix.

    “The film is based on the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the countercultural protests in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.”

    An absolute masterpiece. Funny, riveting, uplifting, upsetting. It will make you laugh, scream, cry, and walk away with hope and the certainty that we are winning.

    Go watch. Go.

  87. 87.

    JoyceH

    As for the YouTube video, which is brilliant – it occurs to me that if Trump stumbles across it, the thing that will irk him the most is that only one person is mentioned by name and it’s NOT HIM.

  88. 88.

    NotMax

    @Sebastian

    Having lived through it in real time, the memories remain fresh. The searing image of Bobby Seale, bound and gagged, has never left me.

  89. 89.

    cain

    @zhena gogolia:

    me too.. it’s like suddenly a “keeping up with the joneses’ thing. I have no idea how Halloween has skyrocketed. A trumper took down his Trump sign so he can put up his halloween decorations.. right next to his gigantic wooden cross. Crazy.

  92. 92.

    Sebastian

    @NotMax:

    You’ll love the movie, man. I am watching it a second time right now after having watched it from midnight to 2am.

    They caught the madness so perfectly. The fucking piece of shit judge, the fucking naked banana republic kangaroo court, all of it.

  93. 93.

    Ken

    Good news, the Grafton NM libertarian utopia that turned into a bear feeder has made the big time with an article on cracked.com. Best quote IMO: “Having an actual problem to deal with simply caused half of the libertarians to try and rebel against the other libertarians, each refusing to do what the other suggested out of principle.”

  94. 94.

    Patricia Kayden

    Lara Trump diagnosing Biden with cognitive decline while Dr. Scott Atlas tells people not to wear masks is Trump's healthcare plan.— JeremyNewberger (@jeremynewberger) October 18, 2020

  97. 97.

    NotMax

    @Sebastian

    Incidentally, you might find this a useful accompaniment.

    How the Ending of Netflix’s ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ Rewrites History

    Aaron Sorkin takes some liberties in his new courtroom drama to put a neater bow on the messy trial.
    [snip]
    …Sorkin indeed highlights the horrors of what happened to Seale, but the truth is even more terrible than depicted. Source

  100. 100.

    MagdaInBlack

    @NotMax: I remember it. I was 11. I remember my parents, (Republicans) horrified at the disrespect shown by the defendants. Fast forward to 1976, dating my future husband, discussing it, he was horrified that someone would be bound and gagged in an american courtroom. Bless him for showing me a different point of view.

    ( Fast forward to dinner at my mothers, some years later when she said she couldn’t understand how anyone could be a Democrat. My husband said he couldn’t understand how anyone could be a Republican. The subject changed rather quickly at that point ;-)

  102. 102.

    Roger Moore

    @NotMax: 

    Sorkin indeed highlights the horrors of what happened to Seale, but the truth is even more terrible than depicted.

    I think there’s some tendency to do this in Hollywood. I’m a huge Jackie Robinson fan, so I know a lot of the details of what happened to him, and I know they toned some of it down for “42”. I think they couldn’t have gotten the rating they wanted if they had shown the language that was actually directed at him.

  105. 105.

    Michael Cain

    In the process of moving to Fort Collins, so paying more than normal attention to the fires.  Driving north on I-25 from the west Denver suburbs yesterday, the smoke was really bad around Longmont.  On an encouraging note, I spent today taking things OUT of boxes…

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