Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

People are complicated. Love is not.

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

Republicans in disarray!

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

“But what about the lurkers?”

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

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

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Second rate reporter says what?

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Respite Open Thread: Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton

Respite Open Thread: Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton

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223Comments

  1. 1.

    Punchy

    A question for the lawyers:  with the country at an all-time high for partisanship, how will court cases ever get all 12 to vote one way?  With north of 40% of adults refusing to live in reality, whats that do to institutions that require logic and reason, like jury duty?

  4. 4.

    trollhattan

    That ’69 video reminds me of the saying, “The higher the hair, the closer to god.”

    I’m happy Dolly is getting her propers while she’s still among us. An amazing human being.

  5. 5.

    Emma from FL

    I remember how shocked my student assistants were when I told them the uber famous “I Will Always Love You” had been written by Dolly Parton about 20 years before Whitney Houston sung it.

  7. 7.

    J R in WV

    Such a gift to humanity, so much compassion and caring. A beautiful soul. A great talent. Her singing on the Trio albums with EmmyLou Harris and LInda Ronstadt is sublime. Plus acting in really funny movie scenes!

  8. 8.

    debbie

    I didn’t start out being a fan, but after all these years, I sure am now! Happy birthday, Dolly!

  9. 9.

    Leto

    @Emma from FL: I was watching an interview of hers and she said the first time she heard Whitney singing that, she was in her car and had to pull over. She was so moved by it and says that’s her favorite song.

  13. 13.

    jl

    Hooray Dolly!

    Make a cabinet position for her. Minister[person] of Damn Good Country Music.

    Edit: Damn Fine Country Music. Probably closer to how Dolly would say it.

  14. 14.

    jl

    @Punchy: IANAL, but trials can get the truth out, produce a solid record of facts. So, they can play an important role in public education, leading to widespread disapproval. Public opinion is a very important factor going forward.

  16. 16.

    cckids

    @Emma from FL:I remember how shocked my student assistants were when I told them the uber famous “I Will Always Love You” had been written by Dolly Parton about 20 years before Whitney Houston sung it.

    A favorite memory of Dolly and that song; she was on some morning show the year The Bodyguard came out, and the host asked her if it didn’t bother her that Whitney’s version of the song was a much, much bigger hit than her own. Dolly got a sweet, pitying look on her face, reached over & patted his arm and said “Oh honey, have you ever heard of royalties? Miss Houston can record any song of mine she wants to”.

    Epic, polite shade.

  19. 19.

    Elizabelle

    Was thinking we would get a Dolly Parton thread.

    She and Stacey Abrams are my secular saints.  Women get things done.

  23. 23.

    Leto

    @Inventor: correct!

    Parton was attempting to make a break from her role on Porter Wagoner’s syndicated television show at the time she wrote the song.

    “I was trying to get away on my own because I had promised to stay with Porter’s show for five years. I had been there for seven,” she said. “And we fought a lot. We were very much alike. We were both stubborn. We both believed that we knew what was best for us. Well, he believed he knew what was best for me, too, and I believed that I knew more what was best for me at that time. So, needless to say, there was a lot of grief and heartache there, and he just wasn’t listening to my reasoning for my going.”

    She continued, “I thought, ’He’s never going to listen. He’s just going to bitch every day that I go in to talk about this.’ So I thought, ’Well, why don’t you do what you do best? Why don’t you just write this song?’ Because I knew at that time I was going to go, no matter what. So I went home and out of a very emotional place in me at that time, I wrote the song, ’I Will Always Love You.’”

    Even though she was determined to move on, Parton especially wanted to convey a message of gratitude in the song.

    “It’s saying, ’Just because I’m going don’t mean I won’t love you. I appreciate you and I hope you do great and I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I’m out of here,’” she explained. [That’s] basically what I was saying. And I took it in the next morning. I said, ’Sit down, Porter. I’ve written this song, and I want you to hear it.’ So I did sing it. And he was crying. He said, ’That’s the prettiest song I ever heard. And you can go, providing I get to produce that record.’ And he did, and the rest is history.”

  24. 24.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Punchy: IANAL, but the vetting by prosecution and defense in jury selection is going to weed out the cro-magnons right quick. And the two juries I served on wouldn’t tolerate foolishness. Difference in opinion, sure, but knuckle-dragging birtherism and similar crap would get you cornered by some pretty angry folk, and possibly kicked out in favor of an alternate.

  26. 26.

    M31

    Dolly wrote “I will always love you” and “Jolene” on the same day. Now there’s a good day’s work.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    @Baud:

    I believe she is one of a group of “liberal” country artists, which includes Billy Ray Cyrus, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and some others I don’t remember, mainly because I hate country music and only really know a country artist if they are absolute legends or in the tabloid headlines in the grocery store line.  I know a few of the younger country stars are Democrats.  Is there someone named Kacey something who is a young country singer?  I think that’s one name that rings a bell.

  31. 31.

    geg6

    I have no idea who Brad Paisley or Chely Wright are, but good on them, if so. I read that Garth Brooks is only a Dem on the down low.
    And I do believe Musgrave is the name of the young country star I’d heard was a Dem.  it came from my sister, I’m sure, as she’s a big country music fan.

  34. 34.

    Sister Golden Bear

    Happy tears! Dr. Rachel Levin, currently Pennsylvania’s top health official, has been nominated as Biden’s assistant secretary of health — she’ll be first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She’s brilliant according my friends who know her.

    Sadly the haters are having an ugly field day with this, just as they did when she was appointed Pennsylvania’s secretary of health. Obligation ball: Fuck ’em. I’m sure Dr. Levin will handle with her usual grace — any trans person in public life (and most of us in private life) are already used to the hateful bullshit.

    FWIW, she also one of the very, very few high-profile trans women who doesn’t fit cis-het norms of beauty (e.g. Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, etc.), which is one reason they’ve been especially vicious with her. The lookism aspect “passing” (a term I personally hate) is worth its own discussion, but I’ll leave that another thread.

  35. 35.

    Amir Khalid

    @geg6:

    I read that Garth Brooks is only a Dem on the down low.

    Given the political leanings of the genre’s mostly white fan base, there are probably quite a few major country-music artists who prefer not to advertise that they’re Democrats.

  36. 36.

    Mike in NC

    Just read that the Trump administration chose MLK Day to issue their “1776 Commission Report” which is described as basically a white supremacist manifesto. Probably edited by Stephen Miller. Pass!

  37. 37.

    LurkerNoLonger

    @geg6: The Dixie Chicks too, although  they’re called The Chicks now and I don’t know if they are considered country anymore.

  41. 41.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mike in NC:

    That report has been thoroughly slammed by every reputable historian in the country. Maybe even some disreputable ones too.

    One of them pointed out that there wasn’t one single professional historian on the panel. Hmm.

  43. 43.

    Alison Rose

    @Sister Golden Bear: Yeah, I had to really restrain myself from getting into fights in FB comments on a post about her. People are fucking horrible. But Dr. Levine is clearly a boss and I’m sure she’s like “Yeah yeah, I’m crying all the way to Washington, bitches.”

    She’s also Jewish which makes me verklempt.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @geg6:

    I have no idea who Brad Paisley [is]

    The only reason I know his name at all is that he used to be mentioned on one of the BJ rotating tags. Something about his having given the site a shoutout on A Prairie Home Companion several years ago. Haven’t seen it in a while, so it’s probably among the tags that John and Water Girl got rid of when they added new ones to the rotation.

  46. 46.

    Miki

    @Punchy: I am no longer a practicing lawyer, but in the olden days I was one IRL for long enough to know that a jury trial is not a free for all. There are all kinds of rules in trials – procedural rules, rules of evidence, elements of causes of action, jury instructions, etc. Ruling on disputes about rules is pretty much the most important function of the judge in jury trials and juries usually pay close attention to how those rulings play out. There’s plenty of space for biases to creep in (from all the players), but the general belief going in is that everyone is mostly playing by the rules as they’ve been defined in that trial. Most juries follow those rules as they weigh evidence and make their findings of fact. IOW, it works. But that being said, every experienced trial lawyer out there prefaces all advice re: trials as follows: “It’s a crap shoot.”

  47. 47.

    cain

    @M31:

    I love the song Jolene, but damn I don’t like that gal Jolene. :-)

    Of course, I change the lyrics around so instead of a man, it’s a cat.

    ? jolene, jolene, joleeeene, I’m begging you please, don’t take my cat.

    I have to have this talk with you,  last time you took by beau, now you got your eyes on my cat, Jolene ?

    JOLENE MUST BE STOPPED!!

  50. 50.

    Nicole

    I think “9 to 5” is the greatest song ever written about American capitalism.  “It’s a rich man’s game/No matter what they call it/And you spend your life/Putting money in his wallet.”  Perfect.

  51. 51.

    Dan B

    @Sister Golden Bear: Great move by Biden’s team.  They are hitting many good notes, with a few moderately controversial choices.  It’s interesting that an old straight, white guy could do this with such sureness and grace.

  53. 53.

    Nicole

    @LurkerNoLonger:

    The Dixie Chicks too, although  they’re called The Chicks now and I don’t know if they are considered country anymore.

    The album they just released last year (after the one’s ex-husband held it up in court because he was sure it was all about him and that was a solid assumption, I think) is pretty darn good.

  55. 55.

    NotMax

    Joy Reid let it all hang out on the closing segment of her show today (about the last 5 minutes). Need a cigarette after that. Make that two ciggies.

  58. 58.

    mali muso

    Had a lovely impromptu dance party this evening with my four year old kiddo and my hubby. We jumped around the living room to tunes like Happy and Higher Ground. It feels like a new day is about to dawn.

  59. 59.

    Mike in NC

    My department head on my first ship (at Mare Island in 1980-81) had a life-size poster of Dolly Parton on the bulkhead in his stateroom. Aside from that he was a complete asshole.

  60. 60.

    Mike in NC

    Apparently there is a number in the musical “Les Miserables” called ‘One Day More’ and people all over the country have been playing the living crap out of it today.

  62. 62.

    Haydnseek

    @Raven: Really?  I hadn’t heard about that.  I saw him pitch at Dodger Stadium more than once.  A friend of mine didn’t think he belonged in the Hall Of Fame and I directed him to Sutton’s record.  Then I said “remember the time he punched out Steve Garvey?”  He just laughed and said “okay, you got me.”

  64. 64.

    Splitting Image

    Dolly Parton is everything that the Orange Thing has been pretending to be for the last four years and isn’t. A successful businessman who built an empire from nothing, a patriotic American, a devout Christian, a hard-working philanthropist, and one of the most popular celebrities ever all rolled into one.

    She is everything the Republicans claim to love but don’t. Many happy returns for her.

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    @mali muso:

    It feels like a new day is about to dawn.

    You mean like as in this song? Van Morrison, Brand New Day

     
    When all the dark clouds roll away
    And the sun begins to shine
    I see my freedom from across the way
    And it comes right in on time
    Well it shines so bright and it gives so much light
    And it comes from the sky above
    Make me feel so free, make me feel like me
    And it lights my life with love

    And it seems like and it feels like
    And it seems like, yes it feels like
    A brand new day
    A brand new day
    Yeah, yeah, yeah

  69. 69.

    dogwood

    @Leto: Another great story about I Will Always Love You involves Elvis.  Elvis decided to record the song in the mid 70’s and Dolly was over the moon about it.  Then Col. Parker informed her that Elvis required the publishing rights to every song he recorded and she said “ No Sale”.  She knew it was a great song and you don’t give away your best work.  The music business is hard for women and Nashville is the worst.  Nashville snubbed the Trio albums and they’ll probably never induct Linda Ronstadt into the Country  Music Hall of Fame.  Listening to those albums you’d swear Dolly, Linda and Emmylou are sisters.  That kind of exquisite harmony usually comes from family voices.

  73. 73.

    different-church-lady

    One thing I would like to see Biden do right away is launch a federal agency that identifies very depressed people and brings them meatloaf.

  77. 77.

    Emma from FL

    @HumboldtBlue: Jesus is that fuckery still going on? You’d think once the guy with the gun got caught and admitted he had “the wrong intelligence” they would have stopped.

  79. 79.

    Nicole

    @dogwood: The way Dolly Parton tells that story about turning down Elvis is hilarious, too.  Let me cut and paste:

    “I said, ‘I’m really sorry,’ and I cried all night. I mean, it was like the worst thing. You know, it’s like, Oh, my God … Elvis Presley.’ And other people were saying, ‘You’re nuts. It’s Elvis Presley.’ …I said, ‘I can’t do that. Something in my heart says, ‘Don’t do that. And I just didn’t do it… He would have killed it. But anyway, so he didn’t. Then when Whitney [Houston’s version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland.”

  80. 80.

    Anya

    @geg6: I’ve met Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at a fundraiser and they’re the sweetest. Tim is so freaking sweet and kind.

  82. 82.

    aliasofwestgate

    Meijer sent me an email tonight about registering for future vaccinations here in Wisconsin. Roomie and i are registered. We’ll likely be in group 1C or 2.  Either way, they’re gearing up to give it out through that venue and i imagine other places are too. But Meijer gave notice and have a splash page for registration right now. Kudos to them. XD

    I’ve grown up hearing Dolly, and i love that she’s such a class act to this day.

  87. 87.

    Miss Bianca

    @dogwood: I remember – will never forget – the first time I heard that Trio album. It was Christmas time, around 1987. I was driving with one of my sisters to my eldest brother’s house in NH for Christmas. I was driving my sister’s car; the sun was setting over the black trees in a little New England square all light up for Christmas, and my sister hits the cassette deck and that first track, “The Pain of Loving You” comes on, and they hit that first big high note in 3-part harmony and Oh.My.God. I almost passed out and ran us into a tree.

    I became a fan of all three singers – whom I’d never given the time of day to before – that very instant.

  91. 91.

    LeftCoastYankee

    @cckids:

    I laughed too hard at that.  Awesome.

    Maybe that was why Dylan always had nice things to say about the Byrds….

  98. 98.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Management here set up a clinic for us with a nearby hospital, the one where I was for my heart attack as it happens. We just got the news tonight and we able to schedule it right away.

  99. 99.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I could go for some meatloaf

    I’d need mashed potatoes for it to make even a temporary dent in my depression

  100. 100.

    different-church-lady

    FINE! THE FEDERAL AGENCY IDENTIFIES THE COMFORT FOOD OF THE PERSON’S CHOICE, AND HAS MEAT LOAF DELIVER IT! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW??!?

  106. 106.

    J R in WV

    @jl:

    Make a cabinet position for her. Minister[person] of Damn Good Country Music.

    Edit: Damn Fine Country Music. Probably closer to how Dolly would say it.

    I want to pick a nit with this. Plain old fine music, no need to add a “country” adjective to the sentence at all. Will be remembered for centuries as a great singer and composer, long past when all of us have slid into anonymity.

    I am not a Nashville country fan, although I admire Old Time Mountain music a great deal.

    My roots music some might say. Although The Blues hits me where I breathe as well.

  107. 107.

    different-church-lady

    Holy god, I had no idea until now that Utopia was the backing band on “Two out of three…”

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    also the steadiest work he’s had since the last Celebrity Apprentice

    (If this weren’t a restricted thread I’d mention that Rachel Maddow is rattling off all the lawsuits and business challenges trump is facing as he watches the clock tick down to his sparsely attended sunrise farewell, and it’s kind of fun)

  111. 111.

    Robert Sneddon

    @HumboldtBlue: I’m waiting for the day a Congressman or Senator is sworn in with their hand on a copy of Kernighan and Ritchie (1st edition of course, 2nd edition at a pinch).

  113. 113.

    Jay

    Beef loaf because Meatloaf is not specific.

    can do the 80/20 beef pork mix,

    but not lamb, turkey, mutton, horse, chicken,

  116. 116.

    brendancalling

    @Baud: I believe her politics are quite good. I think she’s even spoken out in support of BLM. She’s definitely cool with the LGBTQ community.

  117. 117.

    bemused senior

    My 5 yr old grand twin’s distance learning teacher read his class a book about MLK today, and they got to a part about MLK being arrested by police and taken to jail. “NO! That’s just wrong!”

  123. 123.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @J R in WV: I watched the Ken Burns series on Country Music and the history was very interesting. Confirmed that I was not in general a fan, but do like Bluegrass, which is about the music and not the singer. Also some of the rebels, who have crossed over from Country to universal, Johnny Cash in particular. And songs like Pancho and Lefty.

  124. 124.

    Ken

    @Robert Sneddon: “We’ll be using git for version control as we write and edit bills; and I’d like to introduce the agile methodology and daily stand-ups to the committee process.”

    (From what I’ve read, Congress needs some sort of version management system. They not-infrequently pass bills, and afterward no one’s quite sure how that special tax break got in there….)

  125. 125.

    Another Scott

    @NotMax:

    Watch tonight at 10:00 p.m. E.T. as I join @JoyAnnReid on a special edition of @thereidout to discuss tomorrow’s inauguration, the importance of defending our democracy by convicting President Trump following his impeachment for inciting an attack on the U.S. Capitol & more.

    — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) January 20, 2021

    I haven’t watched MSNBC in ages, but I’ll see if I can catch this.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  127. 127.

    Mary G

    @HumboldtBlue: This time there was a happy ending:

    (Washintonian) While the conspiracy theory’s juice has diminished over the intervening years, it had stirred a bit during 2020. Owner James Alefantis told Washingtonian last year that Pizzagate dingleberries never stopped bothering the shop and it was something staff had mostly learned to live with, even during a pandemic that’s clobbered the restaurant biz. On Tuesday night, he said the last night the restaurant had drawn such a motley crowd was the night of the Women’s March on January 21, 2017.

    On Tuesday night, however, Comet patrons fought back. As a large phalanx of police looked on, the restaurant blasted music that drowned out the protesters, including “We Will Rock You,” Bill Withers’s “Lovely Day,” and “Hit the Road Jack.” Alefantis brought the protesters champagne on a tray, which an apparent leader of the group declined by pouring out his glass, then accidentally knocking over the whole tray. Comet patrons began dancing around the protesters and singing, and eventually outnumbered them to the point that they piled into a white van with Ohio plates and left.

  131. 131.

    dogwood

    @Miss Bianca: yep, They’re all great.  But IMHO Linda Ronstadt is the greatest pure vocalist of her generation.  There was nothing she couldn’t sing with authenticity.  It pains me to see her in interviews struggling with Parkinson’s.

  132. 132.

    Barbara

    Apparently Trump has been talked out of pardoning himself or family members, along with a number of other high profile “trophy” pardons.  According to CNN, he was browbeaten into understanding that if he pardoned himself or his family it would be perceived as an admission of guilt that would significantly complicate efforts to avoid civil liability. Also, in some seriously karmic justice, he is avoiding “controversial” pardons out of concern that it would make Republican senators more willing to convict him in his upcoming trial.  This might include any pardons for the marauders who took over the Capitol.  Apparently, he is still debating whether to pardon Bannon.

    If this is true, I think we can definitely settle any contest of who is the most tactically and strategically stupid president ever.  Link

  134. 134.

    Barbara

    @dogwood: Linda Ronstadt had an incredibly big, gorgeous voice, marred in my view by being just a bit nasal at edges and flattening notes at the top of her range.  You can hear both of these in the song that was embedded above.

  136. 136.

    Quiltingfool

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Fried Chicken!  Best. Comfort. Food. Ever.

    Best fried chicken I’ve eaten was at a little bar and grill — when the waitress asked me if the chicken was okay, I told her it tasted like it was made by good Southern Christian women!  (Hey, I know men can make delicious fried chicken, too.)

  137. 137.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Sister Golden Bear: Ha! I had somehow completely blanked that Meatloaf was in Rocky Horro

    ETA: I remember Meatloaf croaking out (I think) some version of the Star Spangled Banner at a trump rally, and Susan Sarandon campaigning for Bernie… 2016 was a weird fucking year. Where was Barry Bostwick?

  138. 138.

    Quiltingfool

    Mr. Quiltfool is eating pudding right now, and the cat is VERY interested.  She is sitting on my lap and is staring intently at the pudding bowl, while tapping her paw on the end table.  He will probably give her a tiny bit when he is done, and she knows it.  We spoil that animal so much.

  140. 140.

    NotMax

    @dogwood

    Fine voice but I have unpleasant (as in very, very unpleasant) memories of a juncture with her in a professional capacity.

  141. 141.

    TS (the original)

    It has been 4 years since I read such a hopeful collection of posts on BJ. From a distance, we are so happy he is gone – but that is nothing compared to those that have had to live with this c.f. for 4 long years.

    Blessings to everyone – what a delight it is to see the future emerging from behind the black cloud of the recent past.

  144. 144.

    Ken

    @Barbara:  I think we can definitely settle any contest of who is the most tactically and strategically stupid president ever.

    I feel William Henry Harrison didn’t have a fair opportunity to show what he could do.

    But you’re right.

  146. 146.

    danielx

    Apropos of nothing: love making New Orleans barbecue shrimp, but I really should have coupons for coronary bypass procedures for everyone who eats it.

  147. 147.

    dogwood

    @Miss Bianca: yep, They’re all great.  But IMHO Linda Ronstadt is the greatest pure vocalist of her generation.  There was nothing she couldn’t sing with authenticity.  It pains me to see her in interviews struggling with Parkinson’s.

    @different-church-lady: I adore Emmylou.  But there are genres that Linda could sing that Emmylou would never even attempt.

  148. 148.

    trollhattan

    Do it Donny, DO IT! The Republicans deserve your further efforts.

    “President Trump has talked in recent days with associates about forming a new political party, an effort to exert continued influence after he leaves the White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

    “Mr. Trump discussed the matter with several aides and other people close to him last week… The president said he would want to call the new party the ‘Patriot Party.’”

  150. 150.

    Mike in Pasadena

    I will fly my United States stars and stripes tomorrow if for no other reason than to remind my six neighboring households that a real president is being sworn in. Finally!
    I tried to sign up for Covid vaccine on the Los Angeles County Public Health website but it is a mess of misinformation. This vaccine rollout is really great. Not. Fortunately, the website is almost useless — then I remembered, I don’t want to get that vaccine within a day or two of an infusion of chemo. No medical professional knows the interaction of the vaccine with the chemo cocktail I’ll be receiving. Until the doc that has me on this chemo regime tells me there’s no danger, I guess I’ll have to wait.

  151. 151.

    NotMax

    @Ken

    “Don’t blame me. I’ve been giving him the ‘wrap it up, already’ signal for 90 minutes now.”

    ;)

  153. 153.

    Brachiator

    @Quiltingfool:

    Best fried chicken I’ve eaten was at a little bar and grill — when the waitress asked me if the chicken was okay, I told her it tasted like it was made by good Southern Christian women!

    There is nothing like very good fried chicken made by a very bad woman.

  156. 156.

    Barbara

    @Brachiator: I made my husband’s family fried chicken according to Edna Lewis’ recipe and they agreed it was the best ever.  Unfortunately, it takes more than a day to prep — it involves brining.  But it really is great.

  159. 159.

    Melusine

    She is an icon, a proud individualist, a compassionate human being, and has a delightfully dirty sense of humor. Loved the interview where a reporter asked her bust size and she responded, “That’s none of your business and up yours for asking!” in the most charming possible way. When I think of peoe who genuinely try to live Christian values, I think of Dolly: tolerance, love, generosity, and speaking up for the rights and dignity of those whose voices are often shouted down. “Loose” women, the LGBTQIA community, BLM, the poor and uneducated…she has such a sunny delivery  she can make outsiders seem less scary and more human to those on the inside. ?

  161. 161.

    Ken

    @trollhattan: Oh, what agonies the Republican Senators will be in.  Vote to impeach then bar him from running again, so that his cult starts gunning for the apostate traitors?  Or vote to acquit, and see the Republican party split?

  166. 166.

    Quiltingfool

    @Brachiator: I agree – I am a very bad woman, and I can make good fried chicken!  But I’d rather have someone else fix it; if I had my druthers, I’d never cook again.  My joy is sewing!

  168. 168.

    Martin

    This is encouraging. Members of Congress were hitting Trump up for a pardon for their involvement in the Capitol attack –  and he turned them down. Seems they’re worried about criminal liability. Good, they should be held liable. Trump turned them down because he feared it would expose him to criminal liability. So, they go down together.

  169. 169.

    HumboldtBlue

    @dogwood:

    But IMHO Linda Ronstadt is the greatest pure vocalist of her generation

    I was absolutely floored the first time I heard her sing on a live album. Her music was part of the mix in our family at the time, but it was a crowded house in many ways and her music didn’t make a real impact on me until I was in my late 20s.

  171. 171.

    J R in WV

    @Leto:

    Hey, ya’ll — I think Meatloaf died a few weeks ago… not positive, but I’m thinking so. Mountain, right? Big guy? Great guitarist?

    Sorry…

  173. 173.

    dmsilev

    @Martin: It’s pushing eleven PM Eastern and still no pardonpalooza. I wonder whether Trump is still trying to pardon himself and the White House switchboard operator or pastry chef or whoever else is left has been stuck with the job of trying to talk him out of it.

  174. 174.

    Ken

    @dmsilev: Several people around here have been saying for weeks that if he couldn’t pardon himself, out of spite he wouldn’t pardon anyone else.  We can hope.

  175. 175.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Mary G:

    I love a happy ending (even though I posted to the wrong thread with my original link).

    Are you guys in any fire/power outage danger?

  177. 177.

    JWR

    @dmsilev: I’m pretty sure the final decision about a self-pardon will be announced tomorrow, after he’s safely ensconced at Marred-a-Loco. Also, it will be his final official act, if he does it.

    ETA, adding that yes, I’ve read the piece over at CNN.

  178. 178.

    J R in WV

    @A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan):

    Pancho and Lefty.

    Really Texas music, not quite country, wouldn’t be allowed into Nashville. Texas ‘Outlaw’ Music… so many kinds of music.

    Old Time music isn’t bluegrass, which came about in the 1940s or so.

    Old Time is folk music from the mountains in the 1800s. No bass, no drums… Guitars, banjos from Africa, mandolins and fiddles.

    Bluegrass is a commercialized pop version of Old Time… Not that Bluegrass isn’t good, but Old Time is more mournful… partly because the mountain folk lived on the edge of starvation every winter.

    Subsistence farming sounds great, until your garden doesn’t do well, your cow doesn’t freshen, your pig dies, or the chickens quit laying.

    One neighbor pushing her 90s  was still putting up 200 quarts of green beans every summer, when asked she would always say “I might not be able to put beans up next year, and then what would I do?” She aimed to have food all winter long, and so she grew as much as she could, and put it up…

  180. 180.

    Punchy

    @Barbara: came here to ask about this, thanks for the info.  I thought that list would have been released by now….has it?  As long as the insurrectionists dont get off, I dont care about the rest.

  182. 182.

    Punchy

    @J R in WV: Wiki says he’s alive and still stealing air.  He looks like complete shit and is a huge Trump-supporting d-bag, but not pushing up daisies yet.

  183. 183.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Punchy:

    He looks like complete shit

    lost his looks, did he

    ETA: Brian Williams hints that they’re expecting the pardon news to be released soon.

  184. 184.

    Brachiator

    @Quiltingfool:

    I agree – I am a very bad woman, and I can make good fried chicken! But I’d rather have someone else fix it; if I had my druthers, I’d never cook again. My joy is sewing!

    A good friend of mine is sometimes a bad woman who sews up a storm. For a while she thought she wanted to be in the fashion business, went to a Fashion Institute in Los Angeles.

    She is also a fabulous cook. I once teased her about some unintentional false modesty. A group had come to her house for dinner, and she apologized that she had only had time to make two salad dressings from scratch, from the herbs in her garden, etc. I reminded her that the average person might have apologized for only having two store bought dressings in the fridge.

    I have known a few people who sew, knit, and do quilts. I am always in awe of their talent.

  185. 185.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Jennifer Jacobs @JenniferJJacobs · 20m
    BREAKING: Trump is likely to grant Steve Bannon a pardon, sources tell me, ending federal prosecution of the president’s former strategist for allegedly defrauding donors to a group that sought to build a wall on the Mexico border. Story out soon.

    Bloomberg story, paywalled for me, which I think is new

  186. 186.

    chopper

    @Barbara:

    i make some mean-ass fried chicken. usually every year i have a huge house party with like 100 guests and fry up a ton of it. not this last year tho, unfortunately.

  189. 189.

    Brachiator

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Trump is likely to grant Steve Bannon a pardon

    There is probably a good chance that Trump will wake up, say, “Fuck it,” and self-pardon. And we will hear about his other pardons. No matter what, it will just be a nasty little historical footnote.

  191. 191.

    Barbara

    @Punchy: Word appears to be that he is planning to pardon Bannon.  It sounds like there is no plan to pardon insurrectionists. That would actually be fairly complicated.  I will say that if he does feel like such a move would expose himself to greater jeopardy, that means that impeaching him was objectively very effective, even if he is never convicted.  The threat of conviction might have avoided a pardon free for all.  Who knows, but yes, hoping dearly he doesn’t pardon those who stormed the Capitol.

  192. 192.

    sdhays

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I hope he waits so long that the pardons are announced at the last minute and Biden cancels them before they’re actually sent out. Apparently, there’s some precedent for this from the 19th century.

    Maybe moot in this electronic age, but I hope the Biden people have at least gamed it out.

  194. 194.

    sdhays

    @Barbara: It’s instructive that this is the first time I think I’ve ever read Dump considering Republican Senators’ feelings on any subject.

  195. 195.

    sdhays

    @Brachiator: I really think they’ve gotten through to him on the subject of civil liabilities. Without the pardon, the DoJ might not end up charging him with anything, and he can tie up civil liabilities in court for years and then settle.

    But with the pardon, he’s almost guaranteed being charged by the DoJ in an attempt to settle the question of whether self-pardons are legal at all, and if he loses that, that means real jail. And, perhaps even more terrifying for someone like Dump, since the pardon is a tacit admission of guilt, those civil lawsuits become a lot more straightforward.

    He could stand to lose a lot of money relatively quickly. I expect that that’s what really got his attention.

  199. 199.

    Brachiator

    @sdhays:

    I really think they’ve gotten through to him on the subject of civil liabilities.

    We have seen that nobody really ever gets through to Trump.  He may think that he can weasel his way out of any legal difficulties. And he never considers anything fully or deeply.

    But note that I am not firm about any prediction.

    We will see what his low cunning and anger and resentment leads him to do.

    He could stand to lose a lot of money relatively quickly. I expect that that’s what really got his attention.

    In contemporary times, we have tried to make sure that our former presidents are well provided for. I am very cynical. I think that there are enough plutocrats, foreign and domestic, who will bail Donald out if he falls too far.  The Saudis and some Russians will throw in a few bucks.

    Don Jr and Ivanka might have to do a little work. Young Jared will toss Trump a few bucks.

    He will, of course, lie about being broke and busted.

    But if he doesn’t make a totally foolish decision, it will be a surprise even to him, as well as to everyone else.

  201. 201.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    CNN says Dump to pardon remaining members of the Manson family in the name of unity

  204. 204.

    Honus

    @geg6: Brad Paisley is from Glen Dale WV, about 20 miles down the river from Cole.  Lady Gaga’s grandma lives there too.

  223. 223.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    A star is born (photo)

    Ella Emhoff’s curls made me tear up. Never have Jewish curls like hers been represented in the White House. During a day of so many firsts, let us not forget the Jewish girls – and women – that can see themselves in our nation’s Second Family.

    — lisa hendricks (@MsLisaHendricks) January 20, 2021

    Ella Emhoff looked like a kickass time traveler! I loved it all!

    — Spinoza’s Godzilla (@Mr_Eurypterid) January 20, 2021

    Ella Emhoff did with one coat what Ivanka couldn’t get done in four years. Instant style icon.

    — Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) January 20, 2021

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