Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

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

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

When I was faster i was always behind.

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

No Kings: Americans standing in the way of bad history saying “Oh, Fuck No!”

In after Baud. Damn.

Republicans cannot even be trusted with their own money.

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Saturday Morning Open Thread: You *LOVE* To See It

Saturday Morning Open Thread: You *LOVE* To See It

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Media Village Idiot earns her paycheck:



The first step is admitting that you’ve got a problem…


(Since it’s early: Yep, that’s me being snarky.)

Reader Interactions

159Comments

  1. 1.

    Mousebumples

    Happy Saturday everyone! Looks clear in my neck of the woods, so maybe we can make some outdoor progress with green shoots popping up. ?

  2. 2.

    Baud

    “Is POTUS going to remove an African American woman w/ decades of experience in the foreign service who’s widely respected around the world from her position as ambassador to the UN? He’s not”

    Psaki is on point.

    The reason for ridiculous questions is so right wing media can run stories about all the times Biden says no to something real Americans want.

  3. 3.

    prufrock

    Wasn’t there a whole section of the constitution dedicated to the idea that certain persons were only counted as 3/5ths of the population?

    Were these persons all black?

    Is the Constitution still considered a founding document?

    The questions answer themselves. This line of conservative bullshit is some of the weakest sauce yet.

  5. 5.

    germy

    Anyone remember Dr. Christiane Northrup?  My wife saw on PBS about 20 years ago and bought her book.  Northrup was an opponent of hormone replacement therapy for menopause.  I remember skimming through a few pages and thinking “I don’t know… this Dr. seems like she’s against a lot of treatments…”

    Now I see Northrup will be appearing on this panel, along with Sidney Powell, Mike Flynn, Mike Lindell, Lin Wood and some other characters:

    Conservative “health and freedom” conference this weekend includes a Capitol riot defendant awaiting trial for pushing past police to get into the building. She’s a “featured speaker” along with Flynn, Powell and other election conspiracy theorists. pic.twitter.com/h4EaRSZ6vU— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 17, 202

    From what I understand, Northrup is also against all COVID vaccines.

    It pisses me off, and I wish PBS would pay more attention to who it promotes during their fund drives.  20 years ago, my wife just thought she was a wise woman doctor.

  7. 7.

    Baud

    @germy:

    I don’t know her, but a lot of people who were normal people 20 years ago went off the deep end during that time.

  8. 8.

    WereBear

    @germy: opponent of hormone replacement therapy for menopause

     
    It turns out the problems with that famous HRT study was that they did not distinguish between the patented version and the bio-identical version. Every woman I know (in meatspace or online) who handled their symptoms with the actual hormone have done fine, doing it properly, under informed supervision.

    But that was not publicized. At all.

  9. 9.

    BretH

    Love the way Psaki repeats the stupid questions in a way that clarifies their stupidity. I think I’m in love.

  10. 10.

    germy

    @WereBear:

    Do you have a link?  Because to this day, my wife is convinced HRT causes breast cancer.

    What irritates me about docs like Northrup is that they often fly under the radar with their crazier beliefs, but still influence people into being suspicious of medical treatments.

    My wife knows Northrup is a nut now, but I worry she’s absorbed enough nonsense that in the future, if she develops something life-threatening, she’ll refuse important treatments.  I think Steve Jobs went down that route.

    My wife suffered through menopause and refused HRT.  Insomnia, flashes, the works.   I hope she doesn’t suffer needlessly from something  in the future because of stuff she saw on PBS 20 years ago.

  11. 11.

    MomSense

    Biden Harris administration kicking ass!

    Kid is driving us to his vaccine appointment.  I like being a passenger.

  12. 12.

    Geminid

    @prufrock: After Republicans took the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections, they tried to make some point by having their Representatives read the Constitution on the first day of the new Congress. The tea party folks were big believers in a return to “Founders’ Values.” To get conservative evangelicals on board, many intimated that the Constitution was a divinely inspired document.

    So when the House Republicans read the Constitution that day, how did they handle the infamous 3/5’s clause, and the language authorizing fugitive slave laws? They just left those parts out.

  13. 13.

    MagdaInBlack

    @WereBear: I had my total hysterectomy at the height of that scare, so bewteen that and the fact my whole ordeal started with a blood clot, we chose not to use HRT.  Oh, dear lord, what a hellish experience that was ?

    Instant menopause: not for the weak.

  14. 14.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Attorney General Merrick Garland has rescinded a Trump-era memo that curtailed the use of consent decrees that federal prosecutors have used in sweeping investigations of police departments.

    Two months is taking longer than I expected, but the DoJ is the main organization responsible to punishing the brutal violence the police waged against BLM protestors in 2020.  The cops gloried in knowing the Trump administration would cheer them on, but as Rikyah puts it Garland has the receipts and the bill is coming due, you white supremacist fucks.

    It may be why the latest murders are actually being prosecuted.  It’s CYA time.

  17. 17.

    WereBear

    @MagdaInBlack:

     

    It was my own hellish menopause that got me started on research. In the end, I used bio-identical progesterone, readily available, for stress issues, and took a supplement known as pregnenolone, which helps the body make its own hormones.

    And I still do!

  18. 18.

    MomSense

    @germy:

    Sad to say I do remember her.  She’s a doctor in Maine and I had a lot of friends and acquaintances who flocked to her.

  27. 27.

    germy

    @MomSense:  @debbie:

    I think it was the one-two punch of seeing Northrup on PBS and Oprah that convinced my wife.

    Oprah brought us Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Northrup, and other experts.  Oprah’s a nice lady and a decent interviewer, but she seems to be a poor judge of competence.  I cringed when people were asking her to run for president.  Can you imagine her cabinet?

  28. 28.

    debbie

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    It needs to be pointed out more often that the increase in police violence coincides with Trump. Once they knew there would be no consequences, they went to town. I look forward to a time when everyone faces consequences.

  31. 31.

    debbie

    @WereBear:

    Absolutely. I remember those shows. I also remember marveling at the fact she was getting so many white women to listen to her about things like racism and abuse. But she was prone to a little too much magical thinking.

  32. 32.

    WereBear

    @MagdaInBlack: Happy to spread the word. It turns out, Germans led the world in hormone research in the 1920s, but their perfectly scientific research was smeared with WWII cooties.

    To this day, most endocrinologists are still more about NOT giving anyone hormones, which is no medical help at all, since there is NO other treatment for a hormone deficit. Like trying to treat Type 1 diabetes without insulin…

    And it’s turning out the lab tests they rely upon are not that reliable, either, especially when it comes to the four forms of thyroid, a real woman’s problem that is often overlooked.

  33. 33.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    The reason for ridiculous questions is so right wing media can run stories about all the times Biden says no to something real Americans want.

    I thought the “she’s [i.e., Thomas-Greenfield] parroting the ChiComs’ talking points” was a nice [sic] touch from the “journalist.” [No, she didn’t actually call them “ChiComs,” but I haven’t heard them referred to as “Chinese Communists” since around Nixon era. But it was an interesting tell.]

  34. 34.

    germy

    @WereBear: Now, I’m more likely to think of the charlatans she unleashed on the world…

    My wife ran out and bought the “Real Age™” book when she saw the author on Oprah.  He’s a short old guy who tries to look younger with jet black dyed hair.  He says everyone should take aspirin every day.  He jealously protects the term “Real Age”  with copyrights and trademarks.  I think Dr. Oz had him on a bunch of times, too.

  36. 36.

    Argiope

    @MagdaInBlack: I’m going to come out as an actual Junk Doctor (TM) to this blog (research PhD in nursing, clinical APRN speciality GYN) and direct folks to a reliable source of information before we all go down the Dr. Google Rabbit Hole: the North American Menopause Society.  They have a whole bunch of reliable information geared to regular people (and another bunch geared to professionals).  Give them a try.

  38. 38.

    WereBear

    @debbie: Exactly! The stuff she brought up was real and that part was good, but the ones she chose to help her with it were hucksters.

    And I’ll never forgive her for Wally Lamb in her book club. That guy is a loathsome writer…

  39. 39.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Argiope: Thank yo

    Eta: I’m well past the hell part, mostly now its curiosity that sends me down the google rabbit hole.

  42. 42.

    MomSense

    @rikyrah:

    I’m going to sob when we are all vaccinated.

    My dad is finally coming home from Florida on May 2nd.  I haven’t seen him in a year and a half.  Despite DeStupid trying to kill him, he’s going to be back in Maine.  

  43. 43.

    Argiope

    @Baud: maybe THAT would be a way to get through to GOP lawmakers about how ladyparts work.  Especially if there was a fishing and hunting segment.  (I know, I know, phrasing.)

  44. 44.

    germy

    @MomSense:

    I admire Oprah for being one of the few really self-made people in the world.  I respect her achievements.

    Unfortunately I think she was taken advantage of by some real charlatans in the health field.  Lots of smart people are.

  45. 45.

    debbie

    @WereBear:

    Isn’t that more a part of the patriarchal belief that women’s problems “are all in their minds” and they should “just tough it out”? Or have I become too cynical? ?

  46. 46.

    SFAW

    @germy:

    Oprah brought us Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz,

    Careful! Dr. Oz was THE BEST guest host for Jeopardy! Well, for those two weeks. Maybe.

    The thing that got me about his appearance was that the donations were going to his own foundation. Fuck him. I don’t care how “noble” his foundation’s professed goals are. Yes, I’m a petty mofo.

  47. 47.

    WereBear

    @Argiope: I’d add “don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion when the first one isn’t following good research.”

    A doctor who gets indignant with me when the treatment isn’t working is ignoring a patient.

    Usually a woman patient… there’s real studies showing that doctors will attribute a woman’s stubborn symptoms to mental issues much faster than they would with men.

    Sometimes symptoms are stubborn because they made a wrong diagnosis, but it’s a rare doctor who is open to that. Fortunately, my doctor is one of them :)

  49. 49.

    SFAW

    @debbie:

    Or have I become too cynical?

    Not sure I understand the question. I mean, maybe on a “My Little Pony” website you would be. But here?

  51. 51.

    debbie

    @WereBear:

    Forgot about him and never read the book. But she really widened Toni Morrison’s audience.

    Her lowest point for me was that show where people reexperienced birth by being rolled up in a mattress. I had to leave the room.

  52. 52.

    germy

    @SFAW:

    I’ll be honest.  When it comes to Jeopardy, for years I was the guy who always said “Why does everyone make a fuss over Trebek?  All he does is read clues.  Anyone could do it.”

    And then I tried watching some post-Trebek episodes, and I finally appreciate the man. He made the show what it was.

  54. 54.

    WereBear

    @debbie:

    Isn’t that more a part of the patriarchal belief that women’s problems “are all in their minds” and they should “just tough it out”? Or have I become too cynical? ?

     
    If you are too cynical, come sit six feet from me :) That has now been supported in study after study, and as a woman who didn’t get properly diagnosed for waaaaaay too long a time and had to rely on Dr. Google for finally getting help: I’m a radical now.

    The rare issues with certain vaccines are being recognized, and it illustrates the incredible variety of our DNA as expressed in a given individual. As I discovered on my arduous quest, doctors are being trained too hard in the “when you hear hoofbeats, think horses” direction. Zebras do exist, and if the “think horses” treatment isn’t working, that’s a clue, Sherlock!

    The chronic illness community, which I sadly landed in as a result of no one figuring out my treatable issues, has this same problem, and when you add all these zebras together, it’s a LOT of preventable suffering.

  55. 55.

    Baud

    @debbie:

    Her lowest point for me was that show where people reexperienced birth by being rolled up in a mattress.

     
    “Only by experiencing what the victims of a mob hit go through can we begin to heal.”

  56. 56.

    geg6

    Got my Moderna #2 yesterday.  I am having quite the bout of side effects.  Really miserable.  Hope it’s over by tomorrow.  Not pleasant.  Still…thanks Dolly!

  57. 57.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    I guess we should be grateful that the “journalist” didn’t ask if Thomas-Greenfield was a “com-symp” or a “pinko.”

    Reason # 4,387 why it would be a mistake to have me [try to] do Jen Psaki’s job: were I the recipient of that question, my knee-jerk response would have been “I don’t recall you asking the previous [mal]administration if The Former Guy’s parroting of Putin’s (and Lavrov’s) talking points meant he was a Russian Communist sympathizer. Am I forgetting something?”

  59. 59.

    Argiope

    @WereBear: it’s infuriating the number of times I’ve heard stories of clinicians not listening carefully to people –and a lot of the people I hear this from are nurses themselves, or people who later became nurses.  It’s doubly infuriating that people have to arm themselves with evidence in order to get excellent care.  I mean, we shouldn’t have to know this stuff in order to make things work.  It’s like going to a mechanic: I don’t want to have to read about engines before I take in my vehicle to fix a problem.  And yet, here we sometimes find ourselves….  yet frequently the engine manuals available on the intertubes are wrong, misleading, or outdated.  It’s no wonder people are frustrated.

  61. 61.

    WereBear

    @debbie: Yes, that turned out to be actively dangerous and wrong science…

    I think it’s an inevitable consequence of constantly putting on show after show while dependent on ratings. Sadly, a person has to dip lower and lower into the Common Denominator to reach a mass audience, and losing thoughtful viewers is not that big a blip…

  62. 62.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: The Chinese Communist Party is now promoted by rightwing politicians and radio hosts as the new Big Scary Thing out there.

    President Biden’s foreign policy team is working hard to build alliances to counterbalance Chinese assertions of sovereignity over the seas off its eastern coast. The Chinese took offense to Thursday’s joint communique released by Biden and Japan’s Prime Minister.

    But nothing Biden will do can be enough for these conservatives. They now want the U.S. to formally commit to defending Taiwan against China, backed up by an ambitious naval construction program.

  63. 63.

    SFAW

    @germy:

    I really miss him. I think that Rodgers kid has potential, although his delivery is a slight bit too monotonal.

    But I really appreciated Alex. About the only thing he did which I didn’t like was when he affected an accent, usually British. On the other hand, I recall reading that he spoke something like four or five languages (I think), so I’ll cut him some slack.

  64. 64.

    WereBear

    @Argiope: I put most of the blame on the conveyor belt that rushes the interactions between patient and doctor — forced by our screwed up medical insurance system.

    For-profit medicine has the same problems as for-profit prisons. We lose all that makes us humane.

  65. 65.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    Somebody should pull a “republic, not democracy” on them: “The Chinese are not Communists, unless ‘Communists’ now means someone who’s become a capitalistic manufacturing powerhouse. Or do you think China is still the agrarian society it was under Mao?”

    Yeah, I’m taking some slight liberties with definitions, but I think the overarching point is reasonable.

  66. 66.

    mali muso

    @Argiope: ​
     Thanks for this! I started getting a few pre-menopausal symptoms when I turned 40 (oh yay, already?) and my doc has brought up HRT in conversation as something to keep in mind for the future. I like to do my research (preferably something more evidence-based than Dr. Google), so thanks for the reference.

  68. 68.

    Argiope

    @WereBear: Agreed.  And multiple insurance companies that are linked to employment means that no single entity is taking responsibility for a person’s health costs and outcomes for a lifetime–so there is little financial incentive to head off future issues by providing excellent, comprehensive primary and secondary prevention.  It’s a big part of the reason we spend so much and have such craptastic outcomes.

  69. 69.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    But nothing Biden will do can be enough for these conservatives.

    Agree. Unfortunately, that’s true for every policy area, so long as Traitor Turtle and That Fucking Guy are on the scene.

  70. 70.

    debbie

    @WereBear:

    My situation is similar to yours and dates back to 1987, so I totally agree. I have to say I’ve noticed doctors are becoming more open minded, so that’s at least something.

  72. 72.

    WereBear

    @mali muso: I had to turn to actual papers on Pub-Med because there’s a metric TON of bad menopause advice online. Apparently, all one has to do is go vegan and exercise!

    But not everyone has the skills to figure out actual papers, and I relied heavily on people who could backstop me about whether I was interpreting it right.

  73. 73.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: The Chinese Communist Party definitely runs the place. President Xi probably has as much or more control of China than any historical leader. They certainly embrace capitalism, but on their own terms: workers cannot unionize, but capitalists cannot assert any political program outside that of the Party.

    Republicans focus on the CCP because it seems a scarier threat, and as cover for their racism. So it’s the Red Menace, not the Yellow Peril..

  75. 75.

    WereBear

    @debbie: Everyone disses Dr. Google, but for people with rare or difficult-to-diagnose conditions, having a trove of information that is easily searchable by civilians can do wonders.

    The rare conditions all have a website and an organization these days, and once someone is on the right track, they can hunt down medical allies.

  77. 77.

    WereBear

    @NotMax: Everyone likes to make fun of game show hosts, but it’s a real skill. And look back at the famous crash-and-burns just in the talk show business :)

    Chevy Chase comes to mind…

  78. 78.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    “Chinese Communist” is the modern equivalent of “National Socialist” (i.e., Nazis). They can call themselves whatever they want, doesn’t mean they really are adherents to that political philosophy.

    I completely agree re: Xi and his absolute control, etc., by the way. Also re: Red Menace vs Yellow Peril.

  81. 81.

    sab

    @prostratedragon: I think we should back off on the cat thing. If Pres Biden got a cat Major Biting might kill it, which would be bad for the Bidens, Mjr Biting and the cat. Only Faux News and OAN would be happy.

  82. 82.

    BC in Illinois

    People have been having a lot of fun reacting to the creation of the Anglo-Saxon Caucus in the US Congress. While technically it is named the “America First” Caucus (lots of history there*), it is devoted to “a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.”

    In other words, White Supremacy.

    People have been talking about the Anglo-Saxon architectural traditions (thatched roofs, mead halls), the tradition of losing to losing to the Normans and adopting the French language, and the like. I think that Josh Marshall at TPM has picked the name for it:

    The Beowulf Caucus

    + + +

    * On the “America First” title, there is always the old Woody Guthrie song:

    And I’m gonna tell you workers,

    ‘fore you cash in your checks

    They say “America First, ”

    but they mean “America Next!”

  83. 83.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @debbie: I don’t know. The police sure fucked with and fucked up a lot of Occupy Wall Street protesters, and that was long before the Trump fiasco. No, that was a different Republican asshole (repetitive, I know) administration.

  86. 86.

    SFAW

    @NotMax:

    Original run’s host Art Fleming wasn’t exactly chopped liver.

    I used to watch that as a kid. And with Don Pardo as the announcer! But that interview with Costas was pretty interesting, thanks for the link.

  88. 88.

    NotMax

    @WereBear

    Semi-famous incident from when a game show goes kaboom.

    ;)

    Oy, the Chevy Chase late night debacle. Flop Sweat R Us. It was actually painful to watch the premiere show disintegrate in real time.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia: Seems like she went with deep colors, one might say power colors, at first.  Now that some time has passed, or maybe because spring is here, I am now seeing some pastels and prints.

    Whatever she wears, she looks great and she is surely a great press secretary.

  90. 90.

    SFAW

    @BC in Illinois:

     it is devoted to “a common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions.”

    Do they know that Jesus wasn’t a white Anglo-Saxon? Or, maybe, in their “mind,” he is.

  92. 92.

    No name

    @germy: Ugh I couldn’t believe people were falling for her bullshit 20 years ago and she’s still slinging it.  Embarrassment to the state of Maine right behind SusieQ.

  93. 93.

    WereBear

    @MagdaInBlack: Google is a place to start

     
    Yes, and it’s much more efficient than medical libraries with the card catalog and the stacks :)

    I had a cat advice client recently who said they turned to me because “I’m new to cats and looked on the internet, and half of it contradicts the other half!”

  94. 94.

    sab

    @SFAW: In all the paintings Jesus has light brown hair and hazel eyes, so they probably haven’t figured that out yet.

  97. 97.

    SFAW

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    So 1065 is the height of civilization?

    Some guy named Harold Earl (or something like that) thought that.

    By the way, have you ever read “1066 and All That”? I’m guessing you might have, but don’t know.

  99. 99.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @WereBear: This struck me when I was researching weight training, particularly something to do with bench pressing. Half the articles said “never do X, always do Y” and the other half said “never do Y, always do X” and they both had plausible explanations why.

    That’s when it hit me that the people writing the articles are just making it up. They’re trainers and just spitballing based on how they think the body works. They don’t actually know any more than I do.

  101. 101.

    JPL

    @geg6: My DIL had a rough time after the first, and I have hopes that she is spared next time.    My son gets his second Moderna vaccine on Monday.

  102. 102.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: Xi and his theorists seem to be transitioning from Marxism to a neo-Confucian ideology emphasizing order, and a citizen’s duty to authority. They certainly are not interested in any withering away of the state.

    A pretty day here. Did you get snow? Is it melting?

  103. 103.

    sab

    @JPL: Anecdotally, it seems that with the double dose vaccines one of the doses is rough. Sometimes the first, sometimes the second. I have not heard of any cases where both were difficult.

  104. 104.

    sab

    @Geminid: He is a Han supremicist. China is actually a culturally diverse country. He does not like that. His wife is a Mandarin folk song pop star. China’s previous post-Mao rulers were engineers. This guy cares about popular culture and he wants it to be Han.

  105. 105.

    JPL

    @sab: Thanks for the information, and I’ll share it with her.   She’s pregnant, and the little one is due early in July.   She’s already miserable.

  107. 107.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Her immune system might be pretty vigilant as part of the pregnancy, which would explain the stronger reaction. I’ve heard that people with strong immune systems feel more side effects.

  108. 108.

    Ken

    @WereBear:  “I’m new to cats and looked on the internet, and half of it contradicts the other half!”

    “I am cat, I contain multitudes.”

  110. 110.

    sab

    @Ken: Whenever our cats do something unexpected, or annoying, my cat-loving husband laughs and says “they’re cats!”

    As a dog person I want to say “but there are rules and norms.” He and the cats just laugh and sneer.

  111. 111.

    Amir Khalid

    @SFAW:

    The belief among white Christianists that Jesus was one of them, denying his historical Jewishness and brownness, has precedent. The white supremacist Third Reich liked to insist that Jesus was “Aryan” — i.e. blonde, blue-eyed northern European. I suspect white Christians assume Jesus was white simpky because centuries of European religious art depicted him that way.

  113. 113.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Amir Khalid: That’s probably entirely it. I recall pictures from my childhood depicting him as blonde and blue eyed. My parents ( bless them) told me that was simply not the case. Wanna really mess with a christianist head? Suggest to them that there were no white folk in the bible. ?

  114. 114.

    Amir Khalid

    @WaterGirl: ​
    I was having a strange issue with YouTube yesterday: it would insist I was not connected to the internet and must reconnect, when I knew perfectly well I was connected. Not having that problem today, so I guess they fixed whatever was causing it.

  117. 117.

    SFAW

    @Geminid:

    A pretty day here. Did you get snow? Is it melting?

    Three or four inches of snow, Current temp is 39 (according to our outdoor thermometer), so technically it’s melting, but hard to tell.

    Re: Xi: whether Marxism, neo-Confucianism, or Church of the Sub-Genius-ism, it’s still totalitarianism, give it any name you want. Economically, I expect it’s a lot closer to state-controlled capitalism than it is to communism.

  119. 119.

    different-church-lady

    I would like to formally nominate “Blissfully not spokespeople for the Kremlin” as a rotating tag line.

  120. 120.

    Geminid

    @SFAW: It’s good kite flying weather here. I am reminded that I need to buy a kite. The place I live is on a ridge, with enough open space to get a kite up.

  121. 121.

    smith

    @Chief Oshkosh:  The police sure fucked with and fucked up a lot of Occupy Wall Street protesters, and that was long before the Trump fiasco. No, that was a different Republican asshole (repetitive, I know) administration.

    WHAT?! That “Republican” administration was Obama’s. One of my major disappointments with him was that there was no recognition from him of the widespread violations of Occupy protesters’ civil rights.

  122. 122.

    grandmaBear

    @WereBear: that reminds me of something my sister once said. She hated getting advice on child rearing from people who only had one child. It’s not until you find that nothing that worked with the first child works on the second that you begin to grasp the complexity.

  123. 123.

    StringOnAStick

    I don’t think the Biden’s should get a cat either; the white house is big and filled with lots of people hurrying around and it’s that energy that Major is reacting to.  I think a cat would just be scared there, and any negative cat/Major interaction would be a PR disaster.

  124. 124.

    different-church-lady

    @StringOnAStick: Some cats would freak, and some cats would thrive. (I had one of the latter — more people to love, the better. I’d throw a party with 70 guests and he’d just hold court.)

  125. 125.

    Amir Khalid

    @StringOnAStick:

    It depends on the cat’s personality. Some do better around people outside their human family than others. But I would generally confine a new cat to the residential quarters, at least at first.

  126. 126.

    SFBayAreaGal

    @grandmaBear: I’m  the oldest of my brother and sisters. They were allowed to do more things than me. When I complained, my mom said “you were the first, so you were the experiential child, or the practice child”

  128. 128.

    Miss Bianca

    @WereBear: I didn’t have a particularly bad menopause, so I didn’t even think about HRT. I do remember hearing that HRT was BAD BAD BAD back in the day, but I was still bleeding regularly then, so didn’t pay much attention to the provenance of such theories.

  129. 129.

    Brachiator

    @sab:

    In all the paintings Jesus has light brown hair and hazel eyes, so they probably haven’t figured that out yet.

    Yah, but how many of those paintings did Jesus actually sit and pose for?

  131. 131.

    Miss Bianca

    @sab: I hope that’s true. I had symptoms for my first dose, and was supposed to get my second one yesterday morning. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule, since I had come down with some sort of nasty bug in the last couple days (*not* the ‘rona, I think, just some kind of stomach thing), and am still recovering. Shot appointment now scheduled for next week, and I so *hope* I won’t have a bad second shot reaction, because feeling sick for prolonged periods of time is not for sissies like me.

    @Alison Rose: Me too! Using Safari.

  133. 133.

    Brachiator

    @grandmaBear:

    that reminds me of something my sister once said. She hated getting advice on child rearing from people who only had one child. It’s not until you find that nothing that worked with the first child works on the second that you begin to grasp the complexity.

    I remember that a close friend was very hovering and protective with her first child. When the second came along, she was like “fuck it. As long as the kid isn’t wandering into street traffic, it’s OK.”

    The two kids had very different personalities and sensibilities. And yeah, an interesting dynamic as they grew up.

  134. 134.

    Miss Bianca

    @WaterGirl: No, I don’t think so, because tweets on the blog haven’t been loading for days for me – weeks, actually, now that I think about it. Haven’t tried Firefox yet, because I quit using Firefox because of some other issues, can’t remember what they were, now.

  136. 136.

    Amir Khalid

    @Brachiator:

    There were no photos of Jesus to work from, so the artists had to guess what he looked like, and they didn’t happen to know any brown people, so …

  137. 137.

    NutmegAgain

    @MagdaInBlack:

     

    @WereBear: Lucky for me after an oophorectomy (endometrioma) my body said, “ok, were done here.” So despite an abrupt menopause, almost nothing in the way of hot flashes etc. I was 50 anyway. NBD

    The issue for me about HRT, specifically Premarin, is the animal abuse of the horses who provide the PregantMareUrine. And the resulting colts with no real future, as they are not wanted in and of themselves. I really find that level of animal farming appalling.  Maybe that’s just me. (and I’m not even a horse person, just really big dogs…)

  138. 138.

    Kathleen

    @sab: (ominous voice) How do we know the Bidens didn’t have a cat but Major discovered it?  Hmmmm??? I hope someone from Politico asks Jen about it!

  140. 140.

    Kathleen

    @sab: I think they will. We could start a betting pool. Or be mo”anonymous sources” on Politico tipline.

  141. 141.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Geminid:

    They now want the U.S. to formally commit to defending Taiwan against China, backed up by an ambitious naval construction program.

    Sounds good to me. What’s the problem?

  142. 142.

    Miss Bianca

    @NutmegAgain: Actually, I have to tell you that at least some of the resulting foals from Premarin farming were highly sought after, once they started breeding the Percheron mares they were using to some higher-quality stallions. I have an acquaintance who has a Premarin baby, and she is  one big, powerful, dynamite sporting machine.

    Not that that means I am an advocate of factory-breeding for horses or any other animal, mark you…just that the breeders discovered they could make a buck more than one way, if they upped the quality of the foals.

  143. 143.

    StringOnAStick

    @NutmegAgain: Premarin is like using a sledgehammer to kill a gnat, and that alone should be why it’s not used p!us the fact that how they produce it is horrifying.

    Bad menopause runs in my family. Fortunately I have a OB/GYN who specialises in this and every year we go over the studies that have been released that year.  I’m on the lowest dose possible to keep away symptoms, which are always just waiting for a chance to break through for me unfortunately.  If you start HRT as you start menopause, you can stay on the low dose regime as long as you want, while weighing the pluses and minuses; you can’t safely be in menopause for years and then decide to get on HRT. This is where the inherent sexism common in medical care is critical because there is window of opportunity that can shut before you even know your options if you don’t have a doctor who focuses on this area of care.

  145. 145.

    StringOnAStick

    @Amir Khalid: I’m sure it depends on the cat, and that might be hard to suss out in a kitten.  The WH is such a fraught environment it seems.  I suspect why the Clinton’s cat ended up with a staffer is because the staffer likely had more time spent with Sox because of the official duties of Hillary and Bill.

    Major appears to find the environment difficult to handle, so maybe the two dogs alone is OK for now.

  148. 148.

    J R in WV

    @debbie: 

    Her lowest point for me was that show where people reexperienced birth by being rolled up in a mattress. I had to leave the room.

    OK, that sounds really funny… wait, you mean they were serious?!!! That IS really Funny!!!!

  149. 149.

    Brachiator

    @Amir Khalid:

    There were no photos of Jesus to work from, so the artists had to guess what he looked like, and they didn’t happen to know any brown people, so …

    Cultures that depict deities tend to depict them in their own image, without regard to history.

    Rembrandt, I think, used people from his country’s Jewish community as models in some of his works.

    Also, I think there are a few selfies of Jesus and his disciples, but some argue over their authenticity.

  151. 151.

    Geminid

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Taiwan is close enough to the mainland that defending it from a determined Chinese effort to conquer it would be a heavy lift for the U.S.. Navy and Air Force. It might be done, but the Taiwanese would certainly pay a heavy price if the Island became a battleground. And we would need those new ships to just to replace the ones we lost to Chinese missiles. And new sailors, too.

    Currently, the U.S. policy regarding the defense of Taiwan is “strategic ambiguity,” where we don’t say we will, but we don’t say we won’t. Some Republicans want us to get off the fence, and declare a new doctrine committing us to defend Taiwan. That would be an easy promise to make right now. It might not be so easy to fulfill ten years from now.

  152. 152.

    J R in WV

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    @Geminid:

    They now want the U.S. to formally commit to defending Taiwan against China, backed up by an ambitious naval construction program.

    Sounds good to me. What’s the problem?

    Reply

    Never get involved in a war in Asia. Let me list the reasons why not:

    Korea
    Vietnam
    Afganistan
    Iraq

    And these are just the recent ones that we — America — were involved in. There are lots of others. You can’t win. McArthur forgot that rule because he helped win against the Japanese, who are a tiny island country with few natural resources, and are not on the Asian mainland.

    So he f’ed up in Korea, and wanted to use multiple Nukes on China AND Korea. Imagine how fucked up the whole world would be after that cluster?

    How exactly do you suppose America could defeat China, fighting on China’s home turf?    Think about that.   Outnumbered by 350 million to a couple of billion? Would use nukes, and America would become a world pariah and deservedly so.

    And what business is it of ours how Taiwan and China work out their long held differences? NONE, we have nothing to do with either nation’s political differences with one another.

    “Sounds good to me.” right after right wing nuts spout off the most damaging possible international viewpoint. Amazing!

  153. 153.

    J R in WV

    @Wapiti:

    No white people in the Bible? What about Pontius Pilate, huh?

    Pretty sure he was Roman/Italian, so no blue eyes back then…

  154. 154.

    Anotherlurker

    @sab: I had a rough time after both Moderna injections.  Flu like symptoms.  Severe fatigue. Chills. Joint pain. Body aches.  It lasted for 3 days and after that I would have 2 good days and then a day of some or more of the above .

    One month + beyond vaccination and I am now fine.

  155. 155.

    Ruckus

    @WereBear:

    I find that docs with the attitude that everyone is the same and we all react the same way to something are a real problem. IOW simpleton docs are not your friend. I’ve fired docs with that attitude.

  157. 157.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @J R in WV:

    And what business is it of ours how Taiwan and China work out their long held differences? NONE, we have nothing to do with either nation’s political differences with one another.

    Ummm because the PRC wants to forcefully annex the ROC against it’s will and doesn’t because of our protection?

    And I do think the PRC/CCP should be opposed. That doesn’t mean it has to come to a land war in Asia or a nuclear exchange. It would be a war fought in the South China Sea

  158. 158.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Argiope:  When I was having pinched nerve pain from pec minor syndrome and got sent to the premier university-related pain clinic, I actually had to tell the doctor: “I respect your experience, but I hope you’ll respect the experience I have living in this body.”

    Doctor didn’t like that much, especially because I’d become extremely well-educated about that particular medical problem — which I matched every symptom on the a differential diagnostic list — and knew exactly what treatment was needed. I’m sure I got labelled a disrespectful and unruly patient. But after two months of pushing I finally got the epidural steroid injection I’d been asking for — and the near-suicidal levels of breakthrough pain disappeared within a week. No, I’m not bitter…

  159. 159.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Wapiti: I said suggest, I dont know, neither do they. But, if PP was white, then a white man ordered Jesus tortured and killed.

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