Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

I really should read my own blog.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

Not all heroes wear capes.

The world has changed, and neither one recognizes it.

đŸŽ¶ Those boots were made for mockin’ đŸŽ”

We will not go back.

Stand up, dammit!

Bark louder, little dog.

In after Baud. Damn.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

Let me file that under fuck it.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

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

People are complicated. Love is not.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

Hell hath no fury like a farmer bankrupted.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

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Archives for 2020

The Heat Is On

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Here’s the SNL clip discussed in earlier threads. I think the cast captures the Fox News brand of white grievance-mongering brilliantly. Fake Chris Matthews makes an appearance, as does real Senator Warren:

Judging from actual Fox News clips I’ve seen, SNL’s portrayal of how the network is downplaying the virus is spot-on. I mentioned in comments a while back that there’s a split among my elders on pandemic prep: the Fox watchers scoff as the virus spreads, and the non-Fox influenced aren’t panicky but are willing to lay in hurricane season supplies early just in case.

In Florida, Republicans are in recrimination mode over the handling of C-19. Everyone is kinda hoping it goes away when the weather gets hot. Doesn’t seem like much of a plan, but here we are.

Speaking of lack of planning, Ben Carson wasn’t very reassuring on the Sunday shows:

From past work as a flack for monsters (PR/marketing shops for health insurance companies), I recognize Carson’s situation: he’s not there to inform but to spin and obfuscate. The more the gulf between the facts and the administration’s response widens, the dumber it will make Carson look.

But it’s not really Carson’s fault; his job is impossible. It IS his fault that he voluntarily works for a monster, of course, and fuck him for that — just saying there’s no way to reconcile the opposing demands of the public health emergency and Carson’s demented boss.

These days, I’m a work-at-home shut-in, so a trip to the grocery store yesterday was the first opportunity I’ve had to gauge local reaction to the pandemic. The store has always had sanitizer wipes available to de-germ hands and cart handles, but the grocer set up a more prominent station for that purpose since my visit last week. A big trash can next to it was filled with wipes, indicating high demand.

No one was wearing masks that I saw. I tried to remember not to touch my face, but I can see already it’s going to require a dog cone.

Anyhoo, open thread.

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Harris Endorses Biden

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I know from the comments, there are still a few of us mourning her exit from the race.

I hope this paves the way for a VP slot for her.

Meanwhile, I’m crabby as hell. Poor Scout was up from about 4 am to 5 am vomiting. No idea why or what triggered it. She seems fine otherwise. I believe she may have just eaten a bunch of tree bark.

I will try and have a respite thread later – I have some cute duck video to share.

Open thread

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Can’t We Just Fire Them For Being Bad?

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Today, the sun rose in the East. The other night, just as predictably, Bill Maher opened his mouth and something stupid came out. You can follow that link for details. The short story is that he defended “his friend” Chris Matthews and doesn’t think Matthews should be fired for what most of us (not Maher) would call sexual harassment.

Of course Chris Matthews should have been fired for that, but he should have been fired long ago for his moronic remarks, as well as just his general entitled laziness.

I’m going to guess that Maher has a harassment skeleton or two in his closet. He reeks of creep. But even if he doesn’t, he’s terrible. He’s not funny, a lot of his guests suck, and he thinks his sexist hot takes are somehow edgy when they’re just misogynistic. Can’t he just be fired for that? Does the ability to eke out halfway decent ratings on a cable show mean that he’s got a lifelong appointment (as Matthews seemed to have until he was finally canned)?

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Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Pacific Northwest Glory (Part I)

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Pacific Northwest Glory

Such a treasury, it’s gonna take two posts to do it justice. Many thanks to commentor Mike in Oly:

Given it is the time of year when everyone is itching for spring to start but it is just taking its sweet time I thought I’d send you some pretty pictures of flowers and sunshine for the Sunday garden chat.

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Pacific Northwest Glory

Blue Boat Planter

A selection of photos I took at my dear friend’s garden in Ilwaco, WA. She and her partner tend their small garden just blocks from the port of Ilwaco, in a very interesting microclimate. The flat landscape required mounding for the flowerbeds in order to deal with excess water from the Pacific Northwest rains, and the cool damp climate limits the plants that can thrive here.

Blue & White Explosion

Burgundy Poppies

We visited in late July, at the height of summer in Washington. It was a warm sunny day and every corner of the garden was decadent with the exuberance of life. The gardeners’ hard work had paid off with beautiful beds overflowing with blooms in delightful combinations of colors and textures. And the fragrance wafting from mass plantings of lilies! It was truly magical.

Pink & White

Scooter the Garden Cat

We were accompanied on our visit by garden cat Scooter, who supervises all garden activities.

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Sign of spring here just north of Boston — the first yellow blooms on the most protected daffodil clumps, next to the south-facing front door & heat-leaking basement window. It’s been such an abnormally snowless winter, the flowers actually look more beaten-down & tattered than in past years when they were ice-coated while in bud, but at least they’re blooming!

What’s going on in your garden (planning), this week?

Herb Pots

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COVID-19 Update (Domestic Edition) – Saturday/Sunday, March 7/8

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A human (tragi-)comedy!

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COVID-19 Update (International / Informational Edition) – Saturday/Sunday, March 7/8

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Late Night Open Thread: Simpler Days, Simpler Choices

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Remember back when weird novelties could be entertaining?


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