Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

The revolution will be supervised.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

“But what about the lurkers?”

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

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

This fight is for everything.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

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Reader Interactions

154Comments

  1. 1.

    DaveInOz

    What are the chances that on his last day, Trump resigns so Pence can take over and pardon him and Pence does one honorable thing in his life and says no.

     

    Is it a zero chance

    (Don’t think I’ve ever been Comment No 1 before)

  4. 4.

    geg6

    @stinger:

    Yeah, if there is anything in this world I’m sure about Trump and Pence, it’s that the dominant will never stop being dominant and the submissive will never stop being the submissive.

  5. 5.

    satby

    @ henqigui some term they decided to use a few days ago for some odd reason. Sometimes it’s a bit like hanging with the Q crowd.

  6. 6.

    Steeplejack

    The Supreme Court is showing its new face. Thread:

    Barrett casts the fifth vote to lift COVID restrictions on houses of worship in NY. Roberts dissents.

    The new five-justice ultraconservative majority takes shape for the first time.
    https://t.co/nddaMbpNrM

    — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 26, 2020

    They’re basically saying they don’t even need Roberts any more.

    Aside from the outcome, what’s most remarkable here is the brawl between Gorsuch and Roberts. Gorsuch attacks Roberts head on, accusing him of trying to “shelter in place when the Constitution is under attack.” Roberts responds with a withering attack on Gorsuch’s candor.

    — Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) November 26, 2020

  9. 9.

    WaterGirl

    @henqiguai: That means front-pagers can feel free to post right on top of this one – I put it up because there were no regular threads, but if someone has a post to put up, I didn’t want them to feel like they would be stepping on this one.

    Betty used that term the other morning when she posted when Anne Laurie didn’t have an early morning post up yet, and I thought it was a good idea, so I stole it.

  11. 11.

    satby

    I’ve spent the last several hours on calls to far and dear all over the country, and with one exception the renewed sense of hope everyone has with the Biden/Harris team soon to be in charge was nice to hear. The one exception was a friend who is a mostly disengaged voter (voted Dem because duh) who thinks things have been wrecked past the point of repair.

  15. 15.

    Suzanne

    @Steeplejack: If the religious zealots can keep the death and suffering to themselves, I’d say “be my guest”.

    Is anyone else just enjoying the hell out of the wingnut tears in the Trumpy press?! God. It’s delicious.

  16. 16.

    Chief Oshkosh

    I view the SCOTUS ruling as another great piece of ammunition in support of expanding beyond the 9.

    I like the number 15.

  18. 18.

    japa21

    @Steeplejack: What’s interesting is that Barrett ruled with the majority on a court case which upheld Pritzker’s mandate regarding church attendance in Illinois.

  20. 20.

    Steeplejack

    @Suzanne:

    If the religious zealots can keep the death and suffering to themselves [. . .].

    But they won’t. After they piously sit in church on Sunday (or temple on Saturday), they’ll be coughing all over the rest of us Monday through Friday.

  22. 22.

    Starfish

    Some progressive started off by yelling at someone who works in politics pointing out that the bad SCOTUS ruling is what we get when people decided they were not going to vote for Clinton.

    I drove him over the edge by saying that some people did not vote for Clinton due to sexism. They lost their mind at the idea that progressives might be sexist when I was trying to point out across the board sexism against Clinton. Why are these people so exhausting

  23. 23.

    Stuart Frasier

    @Steeplejack: Cuomo’s response:

    “That Supreme Court ruling on the religious gatherings is more illustrative of the Supreme Court than anything else,” Cuomo said on a Thanksgiving morning briefing call. “It’s irrelevant from any practical impact.”

  24. 24.

    Mikeindublin

    Fox News website seems to be down.  Maybe trumps army of trolls has taken it offline

     

    ….and it’s back quickly enough

  26. 26.

    Steeplejack

    @Steeplejack:

    Another good thread on the court:

    Anyone who wants to understand the newly composed SCOTUS needs to take a hard and careful look at the full set of opinions released at midnight last night. They are very revealing—probably more so than they would be if the Justices had the benefit of more time for deliberation.

    — Deepak Gupta (@deepakguptalaw) November 26, 2020

  27. 27.

    Anya

    @Steeplejack: I am an idiot for thinking this but I actually thought Gorsuch was little more reasonable than this. These fucking fundies are going to create a form of theocracy in the United States. Fuck these assholes.

  28. 28.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Suzanne: I don’t read any right wing press but I’d be happy to check out any especially schadenfreu-delicious examples you might have.

  31. 31.

    SiubhanDuinne

    So I’m suddenly sad and worried sick on what had been a very nice Thanksgiving day.

    My baby sister (75) has had pulmonary scleroderma for a couple of years. She’s on oxygen basically around the clock. She has a crushed vertebra in her neck, a prolapsed uterus, and all the proposed treatments and surgeries for one thing depend on her getting a clean bill from other doctors for all the other stuff.

    Last night she went to the ER in excruciating pain, and was admitted to hospital for probably at least a week with her kidneys retaining fluid,  and a blood infection of some kind.

    This sucks so hard. I talked to her for about one minute and she’s in agony. Made me cry to her the pain and fear in her voice. Her husband is 90 and simply doesn’t have the strength to care for her, so I imagine the other siblings and I may need to look into getting her home care once she’s released from hospital. I’m 1,400 miles away, so there’s not a thing I can do between the pandemic and the distance

    Jackals, there’s no need to respond. I know you are all sending prayers, good wishes, white light, and healing thoughts. Just needed to tell someone. Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulders.

  34. 34.

    Sally

    @Steeplejack: Do you think this means that we can return to such religious practices as human sacrifice, polygamy, and more? And when constitutional rights supplant everything else, can we assert our second amendment rights and bring RPG’s into the USSC?
    Rights are merely privileges permitted by those with power. Sincere religious people should be, and in many cases are, outraged and actively speak and campaign against this stuff. Do these religious people then, when sickened with the COVID virus go to hospitals and risk the lives of health care workers and take resources from other needs?

    P.S. Fight for fifteen

  36. 36.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Starfish: problem of any political extreme; the idea is “good” so anyone who opposes it any form automatically is evil.

    Like those dumbass Conservative justices; FREEDUM of Religion is sacred, never mind a fucking killer disease.

  38. 38.

    satby

    @SiubhanDuinne: So sorry! I hope that your sister can be helped to a place of reasonable pain free comfort and be able to return to her husband with home help as needed. A frightening time for all of you. Keeping you all in my thoughts.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    @Sally:

    Do you think this means that we can return to such religious practices as human sacrifice, polygamy, and more?

    We need more sex cults.  Let’s take what the right wing court is giving us here and run with it.

  43. 43.

    Scout211

    @Jackie:

    My husband and I were talking about that and trying to remember about Nixon’s pardon from Gerald Ford.  I think he declared something about being pardoned of any crimes committed while in office which included crimes not yet charged.  Anyone remember for sure?

    ETA:

    https://watergate.info/1974/09/08/text-of-ford-pardon-proclamation.html

    Now, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, President of the United States, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974.

  44. 44.

    Mikeindublin

    America really went back to its roots this Thanksgiving…travel around the country infecting everyone with a virus nobody has a natural immunity to.

    stole that from a FB post I saw

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    @Jackie:

    I think Dave means a blanket pardon such as the one Jerry Ford issued for Nixon (but covering only stuff during Nixon’s term in office).

  55. 55.

    Miss Bianca

    @Starfish:

    I’ve been telling myself that it’s a sign of weird, weird times a-coming when I find myself more in sympathy with Never-Trumpers these days than my fellow ‘progressives’.

    Or maybe it just means I’m becoming more conservative with age. Now *there’s* a depressing thought.

  56. 56.

    Jackie

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I understand. But, Nixon was going to be charged, but agreed to step down if Ford promised to pardon him. I guess I’m wondering if Trump is on the verge of being charged for a crime committed in office. If not, isn’t that different than Nixon’s case? Or, does being impeached imply a crime was committed?

    Sorry for all the questions; I’ve done too much googling and getting a lot of yes, he can, and no he can’t opinions.

  59. 59.

    HumboldtBlue

    @satby: 

    I don’t think they’re that far outside the mainstream, it’s not like Trump and the GOP — Congress and SC — are going anywhere. I sense it’s going to be a terrible four years and I’m not sanguine about 2022 midterms either.

  62. 62.

    Wapiti

    @Jackie: iirc, Nixon stepped down because the Republican Senators made it clear that they would convict him after the House completed the impeachment, unless he resigned first. Nixon resigned before the full House voted to impeach. (The committee vote had been completed.)

  64. 64.

    Baud

    @Miss Bianca: 

    I’m with you, but it’s not because I’m more conservative. It’s because my approach to politics is different from a large number of progressives these days.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    @SiubhanDuinne: That is so sad, and you must be worried.   Let’s assume that  she will conquer the latest ailment, and come summer time you two can visit.  hugs.    

  66. 66.

    Mallard Filmore

    @sab: 

    I still keep hoping that Trump’s extreme incompetence means he thinks that he can pardon by twitter alone.

    The people around Trump that need pardons will remind him a tweet is not enough.

  68. 68.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Thank you all. BUT I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT! I’m very grateful for your kind words and thoughts, and loved meeting so many of you on Zoom earlier today. I’ll probably drop in on one or both of the evening get-togethers. Meanwhile, my solitary (but yummy-smelling) dinner again needs some attention.

    Thanks again. This is really the best place to hang out.

  69. 69.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Baud:

    You should see how a bunch of the Rose Twitter Brigade and other assorted anti-SJW lefties are interpreting the shifts in Hispanic voting in the last election. For them, it’s not the case that socialism smears hurt Dems among Cuban Americans/Venezuelans etc in FL and other places. No, it’s that Hispanics were offended by the use of the term “Latinx” or something. That proponents of social justice care more about “self-righteousness”. There’s no data backing any of this up. It’s stupid. It was a Matt Taibbi thread, so there you go

  70. 70.

    Cermet

    Whether the orange (will leave blank since its turkey or tofu day) one can pardon himself – the loonies on the inferior court may or may not hold that one as valid – if they accept it, then the hated dems could do the same. Not sure those loons want that.

    Very sorry for your yonger sister. Hope she gets pain free, at the least.

     

    This is a great thanks giving because that %$^%$# wipe lost the election and his chances of stopping this President Elect Biden from becoming President are in the toliet (gold plated, no doubt.) So, for now, the world is safe (but far from out of the woods – the rumbling about Iran are frightful.)

    Still, I will take one important success and run with it and celibrate.

  75. 75.

    Steeplejack

    Being on my own, it has been a little hard not to have today slide into being a “normal” day (not that that’s a bad thing). Got up, had coffee and a nosh, checked the news, puttered around, didn’t go outside. Dinner will be later, but I have snacked a bit and don’t feel particularly hungry at the moment. Sipping prosecco and having a bit of hummus with crackers.

    At the same time, it definitely feels not normal, because a lot of the background “schedule” cues are different from the usual—TV, websites, blogs, etc. And there’s a bit of a Sunday vibe, even though a little voice keeps reminding me that it’s Thursday. I think all of that gets pushed to the background when I’m with friends and family and enjoying an “occasion.”

    I hope everyone is having a good Thanksgiving, alone or together.

  77. 77.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @HumboldtBlue:

    I sense it’s going to be a terrible four years and I’m not sanguine about 2022 midterms either.

    This. Does anybody honestly think the 2022 midterms are going to be anything but a bloodbath for Dems? We lost practically everywhere. It’s great that Trump is gone, but that’s not going to help us going forward. Historically, the President’s party is always punished in the midterms. I see no reason for this to change. We didn’t make the gains we needed to be able to hold the House either for 2022. We’re poorly positioned for 2024 too. Rubio has signaled what’s going to happen: complete obstruction. Nothing will get done and the voters will blame us for it. Pointing out the GOP’s obstructionism didn’t help us in 2014 or 2016

    The GOP scares me because they’ve shown they don’t respect democracy or their political opponents. The US is just one election away, either 4 or 8 years, from turning into Hungary or Russia. I truly believe If they win even once, we will never have another free and fair election again

  78. 78.

    gwangung

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    No, it’s that Hispanics were offended by the use of the term “Latinx” or something.

    Given that the term was promoted from within the community by nonbinary folks, I think that Taibbi is more than a little arrogant and ignorant. Racist, even.

  79. 79.

    Miss Bianca

    @Baud: Oh, thank you for saying that! Or do I mean, “thank goodness there’s someone else out there who feels the same way I do!” : )

  80. 80.

    scav

    As far as certain of the Supremes are concerned, Bioweapons in the hands of the extremely devout are fine, so long as it’s the proper sort of ‘Mercans wielding them. Good to get that officially spelled out.

  82. 82.

    Gvg

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): oh for Pete’s sake, get a grip. No we didn’t lose practically everywhere. Do you enjoy being hysterical?  Cut it out. And 2022 is 2 years away. Things not foreseen are going to happen. We have agency and will work to do as best we can. It is way way too soon to go all doom and gloom. Investigations and possible charges and trials may impact people’s opinions etc.

  83. 83.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @gwangung:

    Exactly. It wasn’t “clueless urban white liberals” like how they’re trying to make out behind things like Latinx; it’s POC in those communities and academic circles. And tbf, it wasn’t Taibbi himself saying this, but people in his replies

  84. 84.

    Stuart Frasier

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Christ, dude.  Republicans did poorly in elections from 2017-19 when Trump wasn’t on the ballot, even when he campaigned for the candidates.  The Trump voters won’t show in 2022.  It’s a cult of personality and they won’t have their personality.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    @Reilly in Orinda:

    I don’t think it’s her fault. In a better timeline Merrick Garland is sitting on the court and maybe Boof Kavanaugh got rejected. Both the result of McConnell coups.

    I do wish more “public servants” would take it upon themselves to retire with honor rather than wait to go out feet first. But it’s not all on any one person. As Charles de Gaulle probably didn’t say: “The graveyards are full of indispensable men.”

  87. 87.

    HumboldtBlue

    Pretty sure most of you are familiar with the Arizona grandma who invited over a stranger for Thanksgiving after she accidentally texted him.

    Wanda and her husband Lonnie went viral and they have welcomed Jamal and his wife over for Thanksgiving for five years now.

    2020 caught up with them as well, Lonnie died this year of Covid.

    Bring tissues.

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    @gwangung:

    I have seen some Latinos push back against it as being invented by and for “gringo academics.” Oops, maybe that  should be gringx academics.

    I am agnostic, but Spanish is an inherently genered language, and “Latinx” is a clumsy construction at best.

  96. 96.

    Kent

    @Baud:We need more sex cults.  Let’s take what the right wing court is giving us here and run with it.

    I’d like to see how they respond to a really serious deep pocketed cult. Like the Rajneeshees who invaded Oregon in the early 1980s.

  98. 98.

    TS (the original)

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    We didn’t make the gains we needed to be able to hold the House either for 2022. We’re poorly positioned for 2024 too. Rubio has signaled what’s going to happen: complete obstruction. Nothing will get done and the voters will blame us for it.

    You seem to have forgotten – the democrats just won a Presidential election. They kept the House & still have a chance at the Senate. Quoting Rubio is the last thing needed at any time, let alone now.

    Enjoy thanksgiving & be thankful trump is out the door in less than 2 months time.

  101. 101.

    Suzanne

    @Steeplejack: I have heard the same thing, that “Latinx” is unpronounceable for Spanish speakers, and there isn’t the same push to de-gender that language like there is in English.

    FWIW, Biden won Arizona, including Maricopa and Pima counties. There is no shortage of Mexican-Americans there. It is culturally different from the Rio Grande Valley and south Florida. Stop thinking of them as one group. They are not.

  102. 102.

    Kent

    @Steeplejack:

    I have seen some Latinos push back against it as being invented by and for “gringo academics.” Oops, maybe that  should be gringx academics.

    I am agnostic, but Spanish is an inherently genered language, and “Latinx” is a clumsy construction at best.

    My wife is Latino (born and raised in Chile not some 3rd generation American) and she thinks it is the stupidest thing she has ever heard and says it hurts her ears when they use it on NPR.  She works in a bilingual medical clinic focused on serving the Hispanic population here (including nonbinary patients) and says no one would ever think of using the term in her world.

    She says typically people use “Latino” or country of origin “Mexicano”, “Guatemateco”, etc.  Not so much “Hispanic” which is an English word so not used so much when speaking Spanish.

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    @Starfish:

    Why are these people so exhausting

    Because they can not see cause and effect any more than the idiots on the other side. They hear an idea, it sounds great, they yell and scream. End scene. It’s not necessary that they are dumb, it’s that they are easily led by titles. Medicare for All. I’m a senior I know how crappy Medicare really is currently. It’s far better than absolutely nothing at all, but it is not good. Saying Healthcare for All would make far more sense. But no, can’t have any sense can we?

  105. 105.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Reilly in Orinda: being an old man, and with a long and spiteful memory, I’m instead going to go ahead and blame anyone who told me twenty years ago there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Bush and Gore. And anyone who told me Obama was a secret Republican because Sonia Sotomayor was really pro-life (article of faith at Eschaton back in the day). And anyone who told me Hillary sucked and trump would hasten the awakening of the masses. And anyone who told me Joe Biden was senile or too centrist. And anyone, whatever their current party affiliation, who wants to tell me, now or in the near future, that Establishment Democrats are the real enemy.

    And now, I am going to go cut and wash my brussel sprouts.

  109. 109.

    Jinchi

    @DaveInOz: Trump resigns so Pence can take over and pardon him and Pence does one honorable thing

    That’s a no twice over.

    Trump will never willingly hand over power to anyone else.

    And Pence twists morality to convince himself that everything he does is God’s will. He could strangle a baby in  front of it’s mother and argue that it was the honorable thing to do.

  110. 110.

    Suzanne

    @Kent: Mr. Suzanne is a bilingual speech pathologist, and he says that no one he has encountered who is actually Latino uses it. I think the idea is to make the term more inclusive w/r/t gender, but the irony is that in a strongly gendered language, gender actually means less because a word being gendered doesn’t stand out. Not to mention, the gender of words isn’t always logical to our sensibilities. For example, the word for dress, vestido, is gendered male.

  113. 113.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Sally:
    Rights are merely privileges permitted by those with power. Sincere religious people should be, and in many cases are, outraged and actively speak and campaign against this stuff.

    I guess I qualify as a sincere religious person – I’m a born-again Christian who’s known the Lord for more than half a century now.  And I’ve just plain had enough of these fuckers who love the Lord so much that they want to make both their own and the rest of us get sick and die.

    WTF could possibly be more “love your neighbor as yourself” than wearing a $#@! mask?

    Do these religious people then, when sickened with the COVID virus go to hospitals and risk the lives of health care workers and take resources from other needs?

    They sure will.  But I guess they see their religion as God entitling them to stand up for their rights, no matter who it kills.  I’d remind the Catholic groups that participated in this lawsuit that Jesus said, “whoever would be first of all, must be last of all and servant of all.”  Since they clearly seem to have forgotten that.

    And to the five wingnuts on the Supreme Court, I thought the Constitution wasn’t supposed to be a suicide pact.  Apparently it is now.

    P.S. Fight for fifteen

    In both meanings of the phrase.

  114. 114.

    Kent

    @Suzanne:@Kent: Mr. Suzanne is a bilingual speech pathologist, and he says that no one he has encountered who is actually Latino uses it. I think the idea is to make the term more inclusive w/r/t gender, but the irony is that in a strongly gendered language, gender actually means less because a word being gendered doesn’t stand out. Not to mention, the gender of words isn’t always logical to our sensibilities. For example, the word for dress, vestido, is gendered male.

    Exactly.  When every single noun is gendered as part of the language, you just don’t notice it.  And as you point out, nouns don’t always follow logical gender rules anyway:

    policia (police)

    bombero (fireman)

    men wear camisas, women wear vestidos,

    etc.

  118. 118.

    Baud

    @Kent:

    The “problem” is that the term “Latino” can mean both “Latino males” and “Latino men and women.” So some people have decided to solve that problem with Latinx to cover both.  The problem with the solution is that “Latinos” aren’t accepting it.

  119. 119.

    Another Scott

    This new SCOTUS opinion also underscores how important it is to be careful in limiting qualified immunity and highlights why Conservative firearms rights and Christian litigation organizations support qualified immunity repeal – we must tread carefully https://t.co/MLqONaHyBQ

    — Senator Scott Surovell (@ssurovell) November 26, 2020

    We have to fight them every single day. Their bad-faith arguments and alliances are boundless.

    (Surovell is my state senator and is very, very good.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  120. 120.

    Kattails

    @Steeplejack: I’m on my own too, and it feels OK not OK. Super gloomy weather here not helping.  My sister moved back to the area this year, but with COVID climbing, even here, we just felt it best to hunker down.  I have some chicken stew from the freezer and nice home grown potatoes, but my energy just isn’t in it. I thought I’d make a tart Tatin for myself, go the apples and vanilla ice cream to go with. Might still do it. Or just eat the ice cream out of the tub.

    At least we have a President (elect) who can deliver a comforting Thanksgiving message. Can’t wait until the three Trump signs in the neighborhood finally have to give up.

  121. 121.

    gwangung

    @Baud: The “problem” is that the term “Latino” can mean both “Latino males” and “Latino men and women.” So some people have decided to solve that problem with Latinx to cover both.

    well, no. Latinx was coined to cover non-binary identities.

    And this was by people within the community.

    If it gets rejected, it gets rejected. But let’s be clear on why it was created.

  123. 123.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Kattails:

    I have lived alone for 12 years and am used to being by myself on holidays. The girlfriend, however, is not used to being alone on holidays and had a tough time last night.

    Her nephew who lives with her mom was exposed to Covid at work and that meant Thanksgiving at mom’s was canceled. Her mom and brother (who has own place) are both high risk with severe comorbidities and we have been isolated from each other since March.

    All that means I will be actually cooking this holiday weekend. Tomorrow I’m gonna roast some Ina Garten’s lemon chicken that she can swing by and take home after feeding the horses.

    It’s easy for me to enjoy the solitude but not so much for others. Chicken dinner always helps.

  124. 124.

    Kattails

    @SiubhanDuinne: You know if you tell someone not to do that…

    Sisters are everything.  May she get through this in better health, be able to deal with the other issues, and have many more years of contentment with you.

  126. 126.

    Jay

    @Baud:

    been dealing with Covid.

    keep in mind, most “progressives” I know, arn’t on Twitter, Facebook, other social media, or write tone deaf performative screeds in Jacobin or The Intercept.

    They are working in their communities hard on mutual support programs, which are needed more than ever these days, food banks, preventing evictions, “normalizing” BIPOC, and a thousand other needed tasks from free community Medical Clinics to free food, water and clothing,

    all while trying to maintain careers, family and homes in a time of Covid.

  130. 130.

    gwangung

    @Baud: Yah, that’s emerging now.

    But there were decent reasons to coin the term, particularly in areas where there were high numbers of nonbinary folks (the arts, etc.). And, of course, you can see why there might be resistance to that reason in the wider community.

  131. 131.

    Kattails

    @HumboldtBlue: Thanks, it was sweet of you to check in. I’m used to being on my own, and can do the introvert thing pretty well. Still, there’s usually some kind of neighborhood get together, or a few old friends who don’t travel for the holidays.  My sister was a 6-hour drive away before, and we both tended to work the kinds of jobs that don’t get off for the holidays.  She retired and moved back to NH, now only 40 minutes away and we barely dare see each other b/c of age & asthma.

    Hope your dinner turns out wonderful, your GF is very lucky! So sorry you have had to be separated for such a long stretch.

    If I get it together tomorrow I’ll make some corn muffins, scones, and thaw the ingredients for meatballs to have in the freezer for the next busy few weeks.  I think that chicken stew is running low as well.

  134. 134.

    The Moar You Know

    I have heard the same thing, that “Latinx” is unpronounceable for Spanish speakers, and there isn’t the same push to de-gender that language like there is in English.

    @Suzanne: it’s not unpronounceable; it’s senseless.  You can’t “degender” Spanish.  Everything is gendered.  All nouns.  True of all Latinate languages, actually.

    If a community tells you your name for them is offensive as hell, and “Latinx” seems to be fucking pretty offensive to Latinos, don’t argue with them.  Believe them.

  135. 135.

    Baud

    @The Moar You Know: 

    Well, I don’t know if Latinx is used in Spanish text because it would need a gender, which defeats the purpose.

    I think it’s only used in English text when referring to Latinos.

  137. 137.

    Kattails

    @Steeplejack: NH. Wet and gloomy, and the kind of temperatures that mean you have to run the wood stove but can blast yourself out pretty easily…

    AND I need to set mouse traps in my car because I noticed the other day that the tissues on the front seat were being chewed (and dragged into the heater vents for a nest dammit). The heavy plastic traps, peanut butter, a raisin stuck in it, set on the passenger side floor. However since I’m not driving that often, really need to remember to check it otherwise yuck.

  139. 139.

    Jay

    @Kattails:

    don’t forget to prop the hood up 3 or 4 inches with a brick, 2 x 4 or something. The light and access will keep them out of the engine compartment.

  140. 140.

    Kattails

    @Jay: Oy. It snows up here.  I’ll put a couple more traps in the woodshed, right next to where the car parks, more opportunities to get them before they hit the car. I would not have thought of that though!  We also have owls, which is why I never use poison.

  145. 145.

    Quiltingfool

    @Kattails: You might find this idea a little stinky, but when mice chewed up electric wire in my truck, the car mechanic told me to put some mothballs in the leg of pantyhose (or a fine mesh bag if no hose is available) and tie it in an out of the way place in the engine compartment.  I did it, and no more mice problems.  Now, you could smell mothballs when the heater ran, but it wasn’t overwhelming.  If the mice are in your car, though, don’t think you want mothballs IN the car — ugh.

  146. 146.

    leeleeFL

    @SiubhanDuinne: Why else are we here, but to be here for our Fellow Jackals when we are needed?   Hope your Sister recovers quickly and can get all the help she needs.

  147. 147.

    evodevo

    @Kattails: Yep…city people have no clue…we’ve had to use hardware mesh or other  perforated metal to fence mice out of our car heater systems  for years out here in the boonies…it ramps up in the fall when they are looking for a winter home.  I have some “Tin Cat” traps I use that will take up several  mice at a time, but they are getting scarce …I can’t find them online any more, and mine are about rusted out.

  151. 151.

    henqiguai

    @soga98: 5 hours later I remember this thread. There was turkey to be dealt with, after all.

    Thanks, everyone, for the replies – personally, I’ve never claimed to be truly aware of all internet traditions, partially because I don’t care (what with that whole reclusive thing), but really did want to know.

    The name – more descriptive of my weirdness than anything else. My Mandarin/Beijing-dialect/putonghua is over 40 years old; out of practice and unused (since all my Chinese-speaking friends and associates spoke, primarily, Cantonese). I just like the language. Fun trying to translate script.

  152. 152.

    dnfree

    @SiubhanDuinne: I recently had the surgery that your sister may need. (I’m about her age.) It has been a great help. I hope she can be stabilized so she can have it. The version I had has a relatively short recovery time.

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