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Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

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A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

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I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself.

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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 Coronavirus / Saturday Night Diversions Open Thread: VAX Live (Pre-Recorded)

Saturday Night Diversions Open Thread: VAX Live (Pre-Recorded)

by Anne Laurie|  May 8, 202111:12 am| 92 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19 Coronavirus, Open Threads, Popular Culture

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From Dave Grohl's exuberant return to a concert stage to a wardrobe mixup between Ben Affleck and Jimmy Kimmel, here's some of what to expect from Saturday's "Vax Live" fundraising concert. The show, hosted by Selena Gomez, seeks global vaccine equity.https://t.co/L4DIEpx289

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) May 8, 2021

Streaming on YouTube at 8pm EDT, or on ABC, CBS, Fox, Hulu...

… The pre-taped event brought together celebrities and political leaders at “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” which was recorded May 2. ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube and iHeartMedia radio stations will broadcast the concert staged at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Selena Gomez hosted the show, which was attended by several thousand fully-vaccinated concertgoers who cheered on performances by Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, J Balvin, H.E.R. and Lopez, who enjoyed a duet with her mom.

Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn and David Letterman served as special guest speakers.

Global Citizen said $53.8 million in philanthropic and corporate commitments have already helped procure nearly 10.3 million doses, exceeding the goal for the Vax Live campaign…

All of the performers showed enormous enthusiasm with returning to a live stage, especially Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl who said, “This is a (explicit) concert” on multiple occasions.

“In the last year, I’ve been having this dream that’s happening now,” Grohl said. His band rocked out with AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson during a performance of the rock anthem “Back In Black.”

Eddie Vedder said the concert was the first “taste of the life we’ve all been missing” for more than a year…

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden appeared in a video message in hopes of encouraging the masses to get vaccinated. Both spoke as part of the “We Can Do This” initiative to increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

The president said they are working with leaders around the world to share more vaccines and boost production to help supply every country.

“If we get this done, we won’t have to miss another moment,” he said…

After Prince Harry’s plea, Amitabh Bachchan made a strong one of his own. The actor-producer spoke from India, where cases continue to increase, and asked all global citizens to rise and speak to “your governments, your pharmaceutical companies.”

Bachchan said he wants people to ask those entities to donate, give and extend a helping hand to the public that is in need…

The event featured messages from political leaders including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, French president Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Pope Francis called for a “spirit of justice” to ensure universal access to vaccines and a temporary suspension of intellectual property rights…

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Reader Interactions

92Comments

  1. 1.

    RandomMonster

    May 8, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Pre-recorded and live. Hmm.

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    May 8, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    “Just the vax, ma’m.”

    :)

  3. 3.

    Sister Golden Bear

    May 8, 2021 at 12:26 pm

    Nature is healing.

    Seriously, for performers like myself, not being to be in front of live audience has been a major blow to our collective psyches and emotional health. I’m sure they were ecstatic to be back.

  4. 4.

    Paul T

    May 8, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    “Pre-taped?”  Taped before it was taped?  Was the pre-planning ( the planning before the planning) also taped? )  Then we could have had the pre planned pre tape of the planned tape.

  5. 5.

    Sister Golden Bear

    May 8, 2021 at 12:32 pm

    OT: Another day, another Republican effort to eradicate trans people from public life: MT Gov Signs Bill Banning Trans Students From Sports

    Conservative lawmakers in state capitols across the US have proposed more than 80 laws this year targeting trans people, the majority of them seeking to ban trans children from certain sports teams or limit youth access to gender affirming health care.

    When the Associated Press recently contacted lawmakers behind the proposed bans, most couldn’t cite a single local example of a trans girl playing sports.

    Chase Strangio, who’s been fighting the good fight against them, has a rundown of all the bills that passed and those still in play. In 2021, so far eight new states have banned trans kids in sports, one has banned health care, multiple have enacted other restrictions.

  6. 6.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    This has a very great capacity to blow up in their faces and not drive as much of a wedge in the independent voters they hope to. It’s for the rabid evangelicals and ‘phobes. We should know in November ’22.

    This nonsense strikes me as completely ridiculous but I spent much of the ’70s ’80s in the Girls Bathroom. That’s where the cocaine and the girls were.

  7. 7.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    OT: Finally some Republican honesty.  Matt Gaetz says he’s proud to be “a Florida (sp.?) man.”  So….he and I both had our birthdays yesterday: he celebrated by stoking the wingnut fire with MTG up in The Villages, I was home alone turning 70.  But I think I’m happier than he is.

  8. 8.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 8, 2021 at 12:48 pm

    “Spirit of Justice” and American late stage Capitalism are simply incompatible.

  9. 9.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 12:49 pm

    @Cameron:

    My condolences. I know how you feel, I really do, but I’ve got you beat. Trump was born on MY birthday, but I’m just an ordinary idiot savant. Stable, but that’s recent.

  10. 10.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 8, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    @Nobody in particular: I feel you.  My birthday coincides with Sarah Palin’s.

  11. 11.

    dmsilev

    May 8, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: Caitlin Jenner has managed to stick her foot in her mouth on this issue, railing against the imaginary threat like the good Trumpist she’s become, until someone pointed out the inconvenient fact that she competed in a golf tournament recently…

  12. 12.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Oy! Hey, you’ve been using that nym for years, yes? I remember you from Duncan’s blog.

    John, now I was around when he flipped! Left the Dark Side of the Force. Misha, of Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, still credits John as his Blogfather.

  13. 13.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    @Nobody in particular:

     

    @Villago Delenda Est: Good Lord – are we faced with the Trumpist version of the Bearded Spock universe? (Well, similar but very yooge and classy).

  14. 14.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 8, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    @Nobody in particular: ​
      Yup, same old VDE! Still railing against the likes of Chuckles the Toddler and Mrs. Greenspan.

  15. 15.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    Hey, what’s up with Matt’s hair? Didn’t we used to call that a “pompadour?”

    He’s bald. I’d stake my life it. That’s got to be a rug. No problem, most of my very best friends were bald. That’s why they don’t visit me anymore. Too painful. It’s about the only I have left. My hair.

    It got me thinking about a Dem pol from years ago, in Ohio. Mom in Ohio might know who I’m talking about: James Traficant. He went to prison, also. Like Gaetz. Check out his rug,

  16. 16.

    narya

    May 8, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    I am Kondo-ing my clothes, in preparation for the change of seasons, even though it’s in the 40s and 50s through next week last least. They are (nearly) all piled on the bed, so I have to complete the task before bedtime. It’s going to be a bit more work than usual–I managed to rid myself of four bags of flour (a.k.a. 20 pounds) in the past year, so there are clothes that haven’t fit in a long time that now do. But that’s a good problem to have.

  17. 17.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 1:15 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    You must be my Doppelganger! But I call him Chunk Toad now.

    He’s like a broken clock. Occasionally stumbles over himself to find an insightful remark or take. The rest of the time I find him inciteful. Astrology? Birth order?

    But I wonder… I like to give people silly names, just like you know who. Is it nature vs. nurture again? It’s always been both. What a stupid scientific debate that was.

  18. 18.

    Steeplejack

    May 8, 2021 at 1:20 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Well, technically, Jenner played in the pro-am event before the actual tournament, but, yeah, point taken.

  19. 19.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 1:25 pm

    @Steeplejack:

     

    This is still a ridiculous non-issue. These are (putative) adults acting more childishly and less mature than the very children they are lording over. But it does have unpalatable implications. It must be fought.

  20. 20.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 8, 2021 at 1:31 pm

    @narya: I am Kondo-ing my clothes, in preparation for the change of seasons,

    If you read Kondo’s book you get these fascinating glimpses into small aspects of Japanese culture that we never hear about. She talked about how it is a tradition twice a year to do a seasonal move of clothes between the closets and storage, and she asked herself, “Why do we do this? Why not pare it down to the point where you can keep it all in one place?”

  21. 21.

    raven

    May 8, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Two of my 20 something friends, well their parents are our friends, flew out for it last week. A relative of one is on the organizing committee so they got primo seats. They stayed in an air bnb in Venice, went to the beach and the Mar Vista Framer’s Market and had a great time!

  22. 22.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 8, 2021 at 1:36 pm

    Just had my second shot about 2 hours ago, and then visited one of my favorite pre-lockdown hangouts, a cafe which I have only been maybe twice in the last year.

    They stayed open but cut their hours way back (4 days a week, 8 – 3 from 7 days open until evening). They closed the kitchen. They removed the tables and filled the former dining area with art.

    Turns out that wasn’t temporary. One of the owners told me she likes it a lot the way it is and has no plans to go back. The tables aren’t coming back, and neither is the old food menu though they will have some sort of kitchen again.

    I’m glad they’re not working so hard and can survive economically while doing so, though I’ll miss the old place fiercely. Now I’m doing a lot of musing about how we all have been changed personally by the last year, and wondering if the entire cafe culture is still going to be there when I go back out looking for it.

  23. 23.

    raven

    May 8, 2021 at 1:38 pm

    @Paul T: They took up all cell phones so there was no “leaks”!

  24. 24.

    Jackie

    May 8, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    @Nobody in particular: My birthday, also. This year we’ll truly get to celebrate OUR DAY for the first time in five years!

  25. 25.

    Cermet

    May 8, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    Nice thought this show but getting vaccine equality is a pipe dream; until India recovers and can get its production up and the West has maxed out first, the rest of the world will be screwed. Hopefully, we don’t get screwed by their being screwed – i.e. a new strain that the vaccines are worthless against and it is deadlier than ever.

  26. 26.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Just a gentle reminder, full protection, “immunity” is not accurate, can take up to 2 weeks after the second shot. If you got the BioNtech, it appears it does handle variants as well.  Wear a mask in any case. I’d be happy if we adopted the attitude the shopkeepers in Spain used to have. They close and open when they feel like it.

  27. 27.

    narya

    May 8, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I was thinking about that–but too many things bring me joy to truly pare it down to one closet. I also enjoy the process; I find clothes I haven’t seen in half a year, and THAT brings me joy! I do find I get more inclined to get rid of stuff, though, especially when I realize I’ve owned this dress/other item for more than a decade (sometimes more than two decades), and, while I still sort of like it, it really is time for it to go to someone else. The process also allows me to make use of the cedar-lined/cherry-fronted closet I had someone make for me as a built-in, where the ice used to come in, in the back bedroom. T-shirts, though . . . between handball, back in the day, and beer events and beer-and-running events, let’s just say they are my equivalent to National Geographics, despite my having pared them down.

  28. 28.

    rosalind

    May 8, 2021 at 2:10 pm

    Enjoy the “Vac Live” concert, but please be cautious if they’re asking for donations & check who the $$ is going to. If directly to Global Citizen, they are an organization able to attract top name celebs and politicians to their events, but use millions to fund their staff salaries and production costs, and a much much smaller amount to their “causes”.

    A look at their 2019 tax filing.

  29. 29.

    Ken

    May 8, 2021 at 2:10 pm

    Any thoughts on Florida’s executive order banning vaccine passports?  Other than “outright criminal” of course.  I expect Disney will ignore in, and Norwegian Cruise Line has already announced they wouldn’t sail out of Florida.

    Though for the cruises, I’d enjoy an announcement that they will obey the order while in Florida’s territorial waters, but as soon as the ship is three miles from the coast, passengers should either have proof of vaccination or good swimming skills.

  30. 30.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 2:11 pm

    @Jackie:

     

    The 14th?  It was designated as Flag Day for a time. Maybe still is but we could devote that slot to a host of more worthy causes of celebration and commemoration. At my age, I’m deep into denial of the entire day. Trump made that easy.

  31. 31.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    May 8, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    My building announced they’re going to have the J&J vaccine in the nurses office, free for any resident or employee

  32. 32.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    May 8, 2021 at 2:16 pm

    @Nobody in particular: Yep, I know that. This was definitely a masked visit. It’s just that since we had a rare outing out of the house, I thought I’d stop by and get an actual takeout coffee drink and a piece of cake.

    Nothing is changing at all for at least 2 weeks. We’re not going grocery shopping, we’re certainly not sitting down inside anywhere, we’ll continue to get virtually everything by delivery.

    But I’ve been thinking a lot about after. How many of those changes will be permanent. We’ll likely continue grocery delivery for instance. The only thing I miss is seeing the fresh produce, what’s in season and what looks especially yummy.

    The conversation with the cafe owner made me realize that business owners too are going through the same introspection on “Will we ever go back? Do we want to?”

  33. 33.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    @rosalind:  As is often the case with “charities.”

    As in, “Charitable to whom?” Cui Bono, as Cicero would ask

    The smart folks are here. That’s why I like it.

  34. 34.

    JoyceH

    May 8, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    @Ken: ​
     

    Losing the cruise ships is going to cost Florida billions of dollars. Good. And utterly predictable. After all that Plague Ships coverage of early 2020, no cruise line in their right minds would sail again without proof of vaccination.

  35. 35.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    @Ken: I put up a link (the last thread?) to a piece on Raw Story, quoting an interview with the mayor of Miami.  It’s a disaster.  I assume DeCovid will find somebody to blame – he’s got all that nasty. bullying, insecure personality of his hero.  He may also be as delusional as DJT, figuring that since he’s pandering to the national wingnut base with an eye on 2024, he doesn’t have to give a shit what Floridians think.  Maybe he doesn’t.

  36. 36.

    Mo Salad

    May 8, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    @Cameron:

     The positive and negative geburstagangers from a couple of weeks ago: Tom Lehrer & Joe Scarborough

  37. 37.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    @Mo Salad: One of these things is not like the other…..

  38. 38.

    karen marie

    May 8, 2021 at 2:40 pm

    @narya: Enjoy the 40s and 50s. A bit chilly, sure, but it beats what I’m dealing with: temps hitting 100, with overnight lows in the high 60s. It’s still cool enough now, in the shade, I can sit on my patio till noon, but that will end in another month. I hate summer in Arizona.

  39. 39.

    Mo Salad

    May 8, 2021 at 2:41 pm

    @Mo Salad: Shit. German nouns are capitalized.

  40. 40.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 2:46 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    You are posing the questions that run constantly through my mind. I know my response to them is mine, and mine alone. But I have lived much of my life as a real minimalist. Small to almost no footprint.

    I think this experience is actually a very good thing, and if the forethinkers among us realize this could be one of those moments when instead of the great man hypothesis of history we see that Marx’s Historical Materialism might be a better fit at this point. He argued that human societies and their cultural institutions (like religion, law, morality, etc.) were the outgrowths of collective economic activity.

    I know Another Scott thinks I’m cracked when I go on about the pure ideology of the republicanism of Plato but it really did and does have more to do with socialism than anyone in the US can stand to admit. Socialism was being entertained by several of the framers and future and former presidents before poor Karl was even born. Many were enamored with Robert Owen.

    And as Plato says in Laws, the noblest of communities has neither poverty nor an embarrassment of riches. Although I think Confucius said it first.

  41. 41.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    @Mo Salad:

     

    Tom Lehrer. A genius. I think because he was irradiated by the nuke testing. He was in the army then.

  42. 42.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    @Nobody in particular: Are you a fan of Proudhon or Josiah Warren or Henry George or some combination thereof?  I’ve been a Georgist for about 40 years, but will confess I didn’t get interested in either of the other two until a year or so ago.

  43. 43.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 2:59 pm

    Hmm.  I’m guessing that there’s something missing from this article.  It’s certainly not what I would have expected.  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-fills-immigration-court-with-trump-hires/ar-BB1gvyTO?li=BBorjTa

  44. 44.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 3:03 pm

    @JoyceH:

    Even Justice Amy Barret doesn’t like Florida. 

    Bad time to be in Florida. Fish Stories.

  45. 45.

    Geminid

    May 8, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    @Cameron: DeSantis may be somewhat delusional. I read that after his official inauguration, there was a private ceremony at the Governor’s mansion, during which some preacher anointed DeSantis’ head with oil, like he was some Old Testament king. That’s weird.

  46. 46.

    Mike in NC

    May 8, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    Went to the supermarket today and was alarmed to see about a third of the customers not wearing masks. I assumed they were out-of-towners arriving on Saturday as summer season in our beach town approaches.

  47. 47.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 3:19 pm

    @Geminid: That’s amazing!  Somebody’s gotta let Trump know – given his jealousy and desire for the spotlight, it would make the most terrificest, bigliest food fight ever.  Although if the reports from Moscow of yore are correct, Trump’s been anointed with something very different from oil.

  48. 48.

    JPL

    May 8, 2021 at 3:21 pm

    Bo Obama died and I’m so sad.   Hug your pets, and other loved ones.    Barack Obama on Twitter: “Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between. https://t.co/qKMNojiu9V” / Twitter

  49. 49.

    zhena gogolia

    May 8, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    @JPL: 
    Oh, so sad.

  50. 50.

    Quinerly

    May 8, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    @JPL: 
    Michelle also posted. It was Cancer.
    https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10165306084520578&id=22092775577

  51. 51.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    @Cameron:

    Who?  J/K

    Indubitably. And Michael Hudson.

    And any Econartist who’s honest enough to admit thosee men were all correct, if not “right.” That’s most if not all of the Laureates and that includes Uncle Milty. It’s actually still practiced in variations around the country, but, without the FIRE sector (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate),  draining off (parasitism according to Hudson) the real wealth of the economy and nation we’d all be broke so The Chamber of Commerce keeps on rolling. I’ve seen stuff out there, in scholarly and academic writing attributing the Labor Theory of Value not to Marx, but to John Locke. I find this odd, in particular, because, Marx himself thanked Benjamin Franklin for it in writing, and in glowing terms.  I’m sure Karl had read John Locke’s 2nd Treatise on Gov. and the chapter on Property and may have perceived the misattribution. Locke spends half the first chapter repeating The world, all land and resources are given to all men in common, (Hey! don’t Forget The Ladies!), ad nauseum. He harps on it. Fine because we can safely say GOD was  Georgist!, and the other side, the disloyal oppo, can start calling GOD a commie. You know they will, and hopefully, that feedback loop will cause… something. Look for Karl’s Note A on Commodities. Ben wrote it in 1727 or 29 and published it in 1731.

    You can find it but if you aren’t used to reading text from great minds of the past, it’s work, but well worth it. I do a lot of reading everyone.

  52. 52.

    ColoradoGuy

    May 8, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    To “Nobody in Particular”: This past year has certainly shown the uselessness and parasitic nature of the billionaire class. It hasn’t escaped notice that Putin, Xi, and TFG are all billionaires with blood on their hands for not doing a damn thing about the pandemic, while the minimum-wage workers were keeping us alive on a day to day basis. If the billionaires all disappeared tomorrow nothing would be lost, and we’d all be better off without the Murdochs, the Kochs, and the Mercers of the world. In that sense, it’s a very Marxist moment.

    And Biden seems to be slipping into an FDR role, the man with a painful life story who is becoming the doctor for a sick and wounded nation.

  53. 53.

    Geminid

    May 8, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    @Cameron: Karl Rove would anoint trump’s underwear with Novichok if he thought he could get away with it. Melania would probably help him.

  54. 54.

    zhena gogolia

    May 8, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    This is so sweet, watch this if you want to cheer up.

    This is like exactly the opposite of what used to come out of the trump White House pic.twitter.com/JANOn5Ux3d— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) May 8, 2021

  55. 55.

    James E Powell

    May 8, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    A Saturday night thread and I haven’t even had lunch yet!

  56. 56.

    2liberal

    May 8, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:OT: Another day, another Republican effort to eradicate trans people from public life

     

    I’ve read (don’t have the link handy sorry) that nationwide this applies to a total of 9 persons.  Fox News has run 140 segments on this topic.

  57. 57.

    Ken

    May 8, 2021 at 3:41 pm

    @James E Powell: The blog is now keeping Moscow time, for some reason.

  58. 58.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 3:42 pm

    @Nobody in particular: Michael Hudson, absolutely – to me, he’s the guy who introduces George to our time (not to knock other ones like Foldvary, but he’s a bit too libertarian for my taste).  I think where Hudson brings it up to speed is in addressing finance capitalism vs. industrial capitalism.  The first is pure rent-seeking; frankly, I don’t consider private equity a part of an economic system unless we agree that piracy is part of an economic system.  And now it’s time to shut up, Cameron.

  59. 59.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    @Geminid:

    Well, I say to Karl: It’s your fault too!

    @ColoradoGuy:

    Very odd but extremely enriching, the unfolding of actual history right before one’s eyes, and being old enough to try and really understand the significance of what is happening before our eyes. Two things I was certain of:

    Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil.
    Eric Hoffer, The True Believer

    I felt certain of the outcome of the midterms. 2020 was still certain but I was actually on Twitter then and Norm Ornstein tweeted even a potted plant could beat Trump. I think many of us thought Joe was just Uncle Joe but he’s doing fine and exceeding my expectations. I’m with Mencken on that score.

    “The older I get the more I admire and crave competence, just simple competence, in any field from adultery to zoology.”

  60. 60.

    rikyrah

    May 8, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    The Obamas lost Bo.??

    RIP?

  61. 61.

    SiubhanDuinne

    May 8, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    RIP Bo Obama

  62. 62.

    rikyrah

    May 8, 2021 at 3:56 pm

     

    Barack Obama (@BarackObama) tweeted at 2:01 PM on Sat, May 08, 2021:
    Today our family lost a true friend and loyal companion. For more than a decade, Bo was a constant, gentle presence in our lives—happy to see us on our good days, our bad days, and everyday in between. https://t.co/qKMNojiu9V
    (https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1391106025269440516?s=02)

  63. 63.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 3:56 pm

    @Ken:

     

    Moscow Rules.  If you are a Le Carre fan.

     

    @Cameron:

     

    You know who was also a Georgist? 

    You must if you read Fred. Libertarianism is a tricky word. The American variant is particularly noxious. Chomsky self identifies as a left-libertarian. Kevin Carson has applied the term Vulgar Libertarians. Geo-libertarians as opposed to Royal Libertarians.

    Tolstoy was a devoted follower of Henry George. Tolstoy believed explicitly that if the Land Question was solved, all social problems would be solved. Again, like Mencken, I have a mistrust of simple fixes. Even black swans exist. Churchill was even a Georgist.

     

    LAND, n. A part of the earth’s surface, considered as property. The theory that land is property subject to private ownership and control is the foundation of modern society, and is eminently worthy of the superstructure. Carried to its logical conclusion, it means that some have the right to prevent others from living; for the right to own implies the right exclusively to occupy; and in fact laws of trespass are enacted wherever property in land is recognized. It follows that if the whole area of terra firma is owned by A, B and C, there will be no place for D, E, F and G to be born, or, born as trespassers, to exist.

    a.b.

  64. 64.

    JPL

    May 8, 2021 at 3:58 pm

    @Quinerly:  My first thought was that the previous madman still thrives.

  65. 65.

    Geminid

    May 8, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    @Nobody in particular: Rove may know it’s his fault too. He’d be kind of like that British officer in The Bridge Over the River Kwai, who falls on the detonator and blows up the bridge he helped build. Except Rove would only try if he thought he would get away with it. And Rove would not want to destroy the bridge, just kill the warlord who has taken it over.

  66. 66.

    rikyrah

    May 8, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Just disgusting.?

    The harm they want to inflict.

  67. 67.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 4:03 pm

    @Geminid:  The Great Great David Lean. I would be more like Sir Alec, the CO who realized at the end, “Oh, shit! I’m now collaborating with the enemy!”

  68. 68.

    Sister Golden Bear

    May 8, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    @dmsilev: There’s many, many reasons the vast majority of trans people despise Jenner. That’s one.

  69. 69.

    Cameron

    May 8, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    @Nobody in particular: Wolfram Buttlick was an elitist; I don’t trust anything he ever said or wrote about a political or economic “philosophy.”  I guess if I had to identify as  something, I’d identify as a geo-mutualist.  I was a member (along with a handful of other mutualists) in the Democratic Freedom Caucus for a while, but the combination of its (to me) excessive libertarianism and my anti-social personality led me to quit.  Here in Florida, I would love to see the incredibly regressive state sales tax replaced with LVT – healthier economy, healthier environment, etc.  I believe, if promoted the right way, LVT would have a chance (it’s more business-friendly than most taxes).  But….my influence in Florida politics is limited to the vote I cast.

  70. 70.

    WaterGirl

    May 8, 2021 at 4:09 pm

    @rikyrah: I remember the day Bo came home.  He was a good boy.

  71. 71.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    May 8, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    Bo was a present to the Obama girls from Ted Kennedy

  72. 72.

    Baud

    May 8, 2021 at 4:17 pm

    RIP Bo. I’m glad you lived long enough to see us take back this country.

    ?

  73. 73.

    JPL

    May 8, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    @WaterGirl:  Have a hanky ready..  Quinerly linked to this at comment 50

    Michelle Obama – This afternoon was a difficult one for our… | Facebook

  74. 74.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    May 8, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    petesouza
    Verified

    Bo.⁣
    ⁣
    Every morning when I came to the Outer Oval Office, Bo would be lying next to or sitting nearby Brian Mosteller, the director of Oval Office operations (first photo). ⁣
    ⁣
    As soon as Bo spotted me, he immediately knew it was time to play. Off to the Cabinet Room we would go. I’d chase him around the table, then stop and hide, and then start chasing him again (swipe to see video).⁣
    ⁣
    The Obamas announced earlier today that Bo had lost his battle with cancer. It’s a very sad day for the Obama family but also for all of us that knew and loved Bo.⁣
    ⁣
    RIP. I will always remember our mornings runs around the Cabinet Room.⁣

  75. 75.

    Sister Golden Bear

    May 8, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    @Nobody in particular:

    This has a very great capacity to blow up in their faces and not drive as much of a wedge in the independent voters they hope to. It’s for the rabid evangelicals and ‘phobes. We should know in November ’22.

    I’ve heard similar things from pundits, but unfortunately it doesn’t negate the fact that these laws are going to hurt/kill people — one agency that deals with trans kids reported four suicide attempt in the week after that state banned trans-related healthcare for trans kids.

    These laws are unlikely to be repealed any time soon, and given the current Supreme Court — and their contempt for precedent — I’m not pinning my hopes on them overturning them. Biden reportedly has some moves in the works, but how effective remains to be seen. Some of the reactionary may be perfectly happy losing federal school funds over Title IX violations.

  76. 76.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 8, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    @David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch:

    Bo was a present to the Obama girls from Ted Kennedy

    Damn.

  77. 77.

    karen marie

    May 8, 2021 at 4:37 pm

    @JPL:  Wow.  Any word on the cause of death?  (The tweet doesn’t say.)  Ten seems pretty young

     

    Nevermind.

  78. 78.

    Elizabelle

    May 8, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    @karen marie:   Someone said cancer?

    ETA:  USA Today has a great article, with Michelle Obama’s informative instagram.

  79. 79.

    Sister Golden Bear

    May 8, 2021 at 4:41 pm

    @2liberal: In 140 stories Fox News only found nine trans girl athletes, at least two of whom had already graduated and aren’t competing any more.

    But there’s likely more, because generally it’s not been a big deal, especially when you factor in trans boys — but somehow they never seem to care about trans boys being forced to compete against cis girls (as happened in Texas).

  80. 80.

    laura

    May 8, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: this should link to the March 20 episode of Lovett or Leave It https://crooked.com/podcast/a-justice-league-of-their-own/

    Chase Strangio and Fortune Feimster were guests. Chase was excellent in both the What and the Why of state’s anti-trans policies and how to properly frame the issue and push back. Highly recommend.

  81. 81.

    WaterGirl

    May 8, 2021 at 4:48 pm

    @JPL: I already cried just reading Barack’s tweet.

  82. 82.

    WaterGirl

    May 8, 2021 at 4:50 pm

    @JPL: You were right.  sobbing now.

  83. 83.

    James E Powell

    May 8, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    @Ken:

    The blog is now keeping Moscow time, for some reason.

    Coincidence?

  84. 84.

    JoyceH

    May 8, 2021 at 4:58 pm

    I just posted an article about Bo to my Facebook page. And realized reading it that Bo had gotten old. That happens so fast with dogs! And we should brace ourselves, because Champ is about the same age, both born in 2008. I need to go hug my eight year old dog.

  85. 85.

    Quinerly

    May 8, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    @JPL: 
    actually mine too. Then I went for a dog training book (bought for my JoJo las Orejas a year plus ago) written by the trainer who trained Bo. She died rather young a few years back.

  86. 86.

    JoyceH

    May 8, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    Think they’ll get another Portuguese? Dog owners are often breed-specific. The Bidens, German Shepherds. Me, Samoyeds.

  87. 87.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    May 8, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    @JoyceH: I love samoyeds– such beautiful dogs

    I think the Os went with PWDs because of allergy issues, BHO’s or MRO’s

  88. 88.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    May 8, 2021 at 5:17 pm

    @JoyceH: ​
      in 2013 they got a girl dog named Sunny to keep Bo company (photo)

  89. 89.

    JoyceH

    May 8, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    @David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch: Well, and now they’ll need company for Sunny.

    Confession – I’ve never had more than one dog at a time, but the other day… I started having Puppy Thoughts. I think I need to continue my fitness work for a while first though.

  90. 90.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    @Cameron:

    Excellent name, Buttlick. But compared to this bunch even if he did punch Gore Vidal in the nose, today Vidal might deserve it. He was making complimentary remarks about Timothy McVeigh for a time. I love them both dearly but in the fullness of time when I look at that video, the two of them remind me of two “old queens” going at each other and kvetching. One out and one who’d remain forever in the closet, due to his Catholicism. Even though I was only 7 or 8, I was watching Firing Line from the beginning. If someone says something of value, I take them at their word on that issue. The rest of the nonsense he spouts does not discount the good. My largest beef with Bill was the purging of Peter Viereck, the actual first American Conservative. He kicked him out right along with the Birchers. Edmund Burke wasn’t a conservative either. They claim him because he’s dead and can’t protest the anachronism. Any legitimate conservative would never join a “movement” in any case.

    one agency that deals with trans kids reported four suicide attempt in the week after that state banned trans-related healthcare for trans kids.

    I hear ya Sister. I’m aware of this and it’s just making me angry. Teen suicide is the issue. Not who is playing sports with who in school.

  91. 91.

    Nobody in particular

    May 8, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    @Cameron:

    You might get a kick out of this.

    Hey! I’m an elitist! I’m the L33t3st Pauper there ever was.

  92. 92.

    J R in WV

    May 8, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    Hard for me to understand people being evil and hateful to kids, even though I experienced some of it back when I was a kid most of a century ago… I’m 70 now, so not exaggerating very much.

    But there are more evil people around nowadays than I ever expected to see, people who glory in how evil they get to be right out in public, when used to be they had to kill kittens and puppies in secret.

    Now they practically get to brag about it to their friends. Like that Josh Duggar guy… and because he claims to be a xtian many of them forgive him before the even hear what he’s done.

    Some things can’t be forgiven, Duggars are all one of those.

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