Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

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

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

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

Second rate reporter says what?

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Bark louder, little dog.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

You are here: Home / Right to Vote / Voter Suppression / Merrick Garland Remarks on Voting Rights

Reader Interactions

178Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    Doubling the number of staff is a very good start.
    I didn’t think that they hired Ms. Gupta and Ms. Clarke in order to maintain the status quo.

  2. 2.

    WaterGirl

    Merrick is aspirational when he speaks, in the way that Barack Obama was.  Praise people for being the people you want them to be, rather than the people they might be in this moment.

  8. 8.

    Old School

    I think the world would be a much better place if Garland was on the Supreme Court.

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    I have been re-watching episodes of Monk. I love this show.

    The irony of all of us becoming Monk in 2020 is not lost on me :)

  10. 10.

    Major Major Major Major

    @rikyrah: It’ll be open five days a week but I only like to go in two or three. Most of the team is on the west coast so we were already very remote-friendly before the pandemic.
    @rikyrah: Ha! I’m actually almost done with Monk (for the first time). It’s fun, though the “point and laugh at the disable man” slapstick bits can run a bit long. I’ll need a new cozy procedural soon… Murder, She Wrote perhaps.​

    @WaterGirl: ​:)

    Two mRNA doses for me so it’s not like I’ll ever be more immune. Time to get on with life.

  12. 12.

    West of the Rockies

    Garland’s effort is a good one.  Almost everyday Biden is reversing some stupid Trump thing or another.  It is good and gratifying.  Everyday Trump is just a little more erasesd and diminished.  I hope it hurts and humiliates him and all his helpers and followers.

  17. 17.

    CaseyL

    I watched it, very anxiously because Garland has been very cautious with anything other than the insurrection.

    And then I was happy, because it looks like DoJ will be going after voter suppression as hard as it’s going after the insurrectionists.

    I *get* the concern about DoJ not stomping all over Trump-era bullshit as high priority. I just disagree: the insurrection (and its enablers) and voting rights are Job(s) No. 1. Because if those fail, nothing else matters.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    @Arm The Homeless: I seem to have missed the news of a social media law in Florida.  There is so much shit going down in FL that sometimes I just skip over FL stories because it’s overwhelming.

    Wonder if you might be so kind as to summarize the law in a sentence or two?

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @CaseyL: I was trying to watch it, but the audio kept falling out, and then it stopped completely.  I closed my browser, now I will try again.

    edit: okay, I have audio again.  looks like he is getting to the meat of his remarks now.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    Thanks for the link.

    For those scared by the 45 minute time, he walks to the lectern at ~ 21:40.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  22. 22.

    wvng

    Sounds like Garland will do what can be done by DOJ under current law, and will staff the effort as needed. We clearly also need congressional action.

  24. 24.

    Tony Jay

    You don’t need to have watched it to have any opinion!

    What a relief! I’ve been watching Italy school Turkey in the opening game of Euro 2020 2021.

    In that case I think Garland did a damned fine job laying down markers for the kind of DOJ he’s going to mould over the next few years, and the part where he laid out the main areas in which its resources are going to be deployed should send shiver down the spines of far-Right conspirators at home and abroad. Some people will bemoan the lack of a timetable for the arrest/trial/execution of Trump Administration figures, and I can understand that, but surely his promise to release all of Bill Barr’s secret archives over the next few months should stave off any accusations of business as usual?

    I think that about covers it. Probably.

  25. 25.

    Arm The Homeless

    @WaterGirl: Social Media companies–except those that own theme parks (wink, wink)–cannot ban state-wide politicians on their platforms. Citizens may initiate actions against the companies and fines can be as high as $250,000 per violation.

    It’s basically a law to punish Twitter and Facebook for banning Trump from their platforms.

  26. 26.

    Baud

    WaPo article for those who prefer to read.

    Garland announces expansion of Justice Department’s voting rights unit, vowing to scrutinize GOP-backed voting restrictions and ballot reviews

  30. 30.

    Martin

    Ok, I’m still at a loss for why DOJ is extending Trump protections for defamation, but I’m feeling a bit better that the voting issues were just a delay for Gupta/Clarke to get in and take point.

  31. 31.

    Another Scott

    This is a great speech. I had no idea the DoJ was created by Grant (in large part) to enforce voting rights and the Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  32. 32.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @rikyrah:

    I would love to bingewatch Monk after all these years. Loved the character, loved the show. Is there a particular streaming service/site you’re using?

  33. 33.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Tony Jay: Italy was good (game just ended) but Turkey was awful.  They seemed to like watching the ball go by them before they moved

  34. 34.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Major Major Major Major: I met my co-workers in person for the first time in something like 7 or 8 months and had a shwarma roll-up from Falafel King. Shwarma seems like the appropriate meal when you get the super-team together.

  35. 35.

    JoyceH

    So to recap – the DOJ Civil Rights Division is going to be doubled within a month and will take on not only state voter suppression laws, but also weird sketchy partisan “audits” and terroristic threats against election workers. Sounds to me like they’re determined not to allow 2022 to be stolen if they can help it. Good. It’s not just Marc Elias anymore.

  37. 37.

    trollhattan

    Looking for a downside here.

    “The Republican National Committee would consider circumventing major television networks if the presidential debate process is not overhauled,” Politico reports.

  38. 38.

    Steeplejack

    @rikyrah:

    I liked the garbage strike. Monk got so addled that he was proposing that they burn down the city and rebuild. “It would have that ‘new city’ smell!”

    Then Stottlemeyer put him in a laboratory clean room. Genius!

  45. 45.

    Another Scott

    @JoyceH: +1

    I liked that he referred to litigation from the 1960s, the 1870s anti-KKK laws, etc.  His DoJ isn’t going to sit back and cry Woe Is Me and do nothing because of Shelby County.  He’s going to use every tool he has to protect the vote for everyone.

    Excellent.

    To be clear, we need new national rules and standards, and to revisit Shelby County and Citizens United and all the rest.  But there’s much that can and needs to be done now.

    Everyone who cares about the vote should hear or read that speech (ideally from a video feed that does buffer several times).

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    I just finished the last season of Suits a few days ago, and I cannot get this song out of my head.  For some reason, I want to play it at full volume.

    in one of the final episodes someone asks Mike what Rachel (Meghan Markle) is up to, and he says something like “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you what she’s doing.”  Funny.

  48. 48.

    elm

    The history lesson was good and addressing Shelby County was good.

    I would have liked a mention of the DOJ and Inspector General’s shortcomings in the 2006 US Attorneys firing scandal (en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dismissal_of_U.S._attorneys_controversy) as that was a case where evidence showed corruption if the DOJ to interfere with voting rights followed by institutional non-accountability.

    I think the latter is extremely relevant to this moment.

  50. 50.

    raven

    We’re home, it was a nice trip and good for healing. We had a nail in a tire on our way and, luckily, were somewhere we could get a new tire within an hour. Coming back we hit a deer and, luckily, it only did cosmetic damage to the car. Lucky huh?

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud:

    Debates have become useless.

    Truer words were never spoken.  At least the presidential ones, for sure.  Even the democratic primary debates were awful.

  53. 53.

    WaterGirl

    @Martin:

    Ok, I’m still at a loss for why DOJ is extending Trump protections for defamation

    Because they don’t want Biden and other future presidents to be hauled into court every 45 minutes on every bullshit accusation.

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    @raven: Holy shit. Glad it was a good trip and that you guys are home safe.

    Getting back to the house was hard, no doubt.  But at least you had a break from the day to day reality.

  61. 61.

    Another Scott

    @raven: Yikes!

    Glad the damage was minor!

    I was driving in NC on some deserted US route just outside some town one afternoon on a sunny weekend day when I reached over to adjust the radio on a broad sweeping curve and looked up just in time to see a panicked doe running to get out of my way.  My peripheral vision/instinct seemed to be working properly because I turned the correct way to miss her just in time without really knowing what I was doing.

    We both got quite a scare.

    One never knows when those beasties will be about!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  62. 62.

    James E Powell

    Never mind, this is balloon juice.  You don’t need to have watched it to have any opinion!

    Are you suggesting that twitter is not the best source?

  63. 63.

    MomSense

    @rikyrah:

    It’s such a funny show.  My son and I have been rewatching it as well.  We noticed the same thing – we are all monk now.

  65. 65.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @elm:

    I would have liked a mention of the DOJ and Inspector General’s shortcomings in the 2006 US Attorneys firing scandal

    What about Cap Weinberger? I suppose you’re just ready to sweep that under the rug

  66. 66.

    TriassicSands

    Will anyone be surprised if DOJ efforts are frustrated by the SCOTUS. Roberts, whose vote is no longer critical, has routinely come down on the side of Republican electoral advantage. His opinion gutting the Voting Rights Act was laughable in its disingenuousness, though dishonesty might be a more accurate characterization.

    Switch to partisan gerrymandering and Roberts claimed the Court couldn’t get involved, which of course, gave the Republicans the freedom to do whatever they want to do. Now, however, there are five votes without Roberts, the so-called moderate. After all we’ve seen red states do in the intervening years, would Roberts publicly repeat, in 2021, what he said in Shelby County v. Holder?  

    I wonder, will Barrett ever cast a vote or write an opinion that surprises us (in a good way)?

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: It depends.  I mean, Kraft Singles, white bread, and Campbell’s Cream of Tomato soup has its place in the canon, but so do fancier things.

  69. 69.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Another Scott: One of the places close to LA that I’ve shot Milky Way photos is the Lockwood Valley about 90 minutes north of here.  There is an abundance of seemingly unhappy rabbits there since they seem to have a death wish that involves running out in front of cars.  I’ve only hit one, but I’ve had many close calls.

  70. 70.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: I was hoping that the YouTube version would be better, but it had the same issues and just seemed to stop just as he was announcing the doubling of the personnel.

    This one from CNBC’s YouTube channel is edited to 22 minutes and might be better – it seems to be in my brief checks, but I haven’t watched it yet.

    I haven’t found a decent transcript (there’s one on C-SPAN from the closed captioning, but it’s almost unreadable). Presumably it will be at Justice.gov eventually.

    Thanks again for the pointer!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  72. 72.

    raven

    @Another Scott: Yea, we saw the momma and slowed but the doe ran right into us. I just filed so we’ll have to cough the deductible but it could have been way worse. The last time my bride was a “Isle of Palms” she backed into a palm tree and they had to replace a door. Before that a guy just back into her in a parking lot. She said, “this car is jinxed, we should get something else”! Of course Clark Howard says this is absolutely the worst time ever to buy a car!

  73. 73.

    elm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s a recent and relevant example of how the exact same process being used for investigating Trump’s wiretapping of Schiff, et. al. turned to nothing.

    If you simply do not like critique of Garland, that’s fine.

  74. 74.

    James E Powell

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    You are describing a lot of my Friday lunches, growing up Catholic.

    @WaterGirl:

    Edit, I might have been with you until you got to the cream/milk part.

    We did half water/half milk. It was great.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott:

    I was hoping that the YouTube version would be better, but it had the same issues and just seemed to stop just as he was announcing the doubling of the personnel.

    I tried restarting several times and I never did hear the part about doubling the personnel.

  80. 80.

    Mary G

    O/T, but some bad/good news. Pulitzer Prizes announced, FTFNYT gets one for covid data, and the volunteer Covid tracking project that every single reporter quoted at one time or another, got screwed.

    Super happy for all the Pulitzer winners including my dude @edyong209 and the NYT data folks. There was so much good journalism this past year.

    I’m disappointed @COVID19Tracking didn’t win, but not too surprised. We were quite confusing to traditional journalism.
    — Alexis C. Madrigal (@alexismadrigal) June 11, 2021

    They did give a special citation to Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded George Floyd’s murder.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    @elm:

    See that’s lame.  I don’t know why you think no one is going to disagree with your point of view on a political blog.

  86. 86.

    Roger Moore

    @Arm The Homeless:

    It’s basically a law to punish Twitter and Facebook for banning Trump from their platforms.

    It’s a bit more expansive than that.  It’s also to protect other Republicans’ right to violate TOS however they please in search of votes.

  89. 89.

    CaseyL

    @raven: A “nice trip” – where the only casualties are a tire and a deer.

    I’d hate to think what qualifies as a “not so nice trip.”

    Glad you and your wife made it home safely!

  91. 91.

    randy khan

    @WaterGirl:

    My take is that the general principle – that the President shouldn’t be subject to personal suit for things done in a professional capacity – is good, but what Trump did with Carroll was way, way past whatever line you would want to draw.

  93. 93.

    elm

    @Baud: Disagreement that addresses any points is fine and welcome, but notably absent and smells more of dismissal.

    When you asked me what parts of the Musl Ban and family separation policies I thought could result in criminal or civil cases, I replied in good faith to resounding silence.

    When Watergirl, in the prior thread on a related topic responded to a post directed to her with less than perfect cheer, she’s told that an @Watergirl doesn’t mean the post is about her.

    If you’d like to say why Garland is doing a good job, feel free. I think he’s doing an institutionalist job and I think that is inadequate.

  96. 96.

    Baud

    @elm:

    Jim responded to your point.  He thought your request that Garland address what happened with Bush was misguided, and he mocked why you didn’t include other historical events of tangential significance.  Sounds to me like Garland talked about the relevant history of DOJ defending voting rights.

    ETA: Your “only happy talk” comment was much of the same.

  102. 102.

    Baud

    @elm:

    When you asked me what parts of the Musl Ban and family separation policies I thought could result in criminal or civil cases, I replied in good faith to resounding silence.

    You referenced reporting from early 2017, which I wasn’t going to spend time verifying.  So I dropped the matter.

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @elm: Yeah, I didn’t appreciate my comment being referred to as hysterical, as it seemed that multiple people were saying.  I am definitely feeling kind of cranky today, but I did not see my comments as hysterical.

    At first when you raised your point in #48, I only skimmed your comment because in addition to feeling cranky today, I am also lacking in my usual patience.  Maybe I should just go to bed and start over tomorrow?

    Anyway, to get back to your point… I didn’t see the connection between the US attorneys firing scandal and the voting rights speech today, so to me it felt like you were criticizing Garland for not talking about something that wasn’t even the subject of his speech.

    I wonder if others had the same take that I initially did, without fully reading the comment.

    For what it’s worth, I think you are raising some fine points in the comment I am replying to.  I think sometimes we are all a bit ragged because of the onslaught of bad news from the senate.

  107. 107.

    MomSense

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s one of my favorites.  Another really funny one is the nude beach episode.  The scene in the closet had me in tears every time.

  112. 112.

    Obdurodon

    I can’t find any good information on what “doubling” means in this case. From 1% of the staff it should have to 2%? 10% to 20%? 75% to 150% (because there’s only so much the DoJ can do in this sphere no matter how many people it has)? Anyone have any good information on actual headcounts, and/or how much they can actually *do* before the states tell them to bugger off?

  116. 116.

    elm

    @WaterGirl: Thank you for a productive reply. It is obviously not incumbent on Garland to address prior DOJ failures on voting rights a d failure to hold itself to a high standard.

    I do not expect Garland to do so, because I do not think it is in his nature. I think he is an institutionalist through and through and has faith in his institution.

  120. 120.

    Roger Moore

    @randy khan: ​
     

    My take is that the general principle – that the President shouldn’t be subject to personal suit for things done in a professional capacity – is good, but what Trump did with Carroll was way, way past whatever line you would want to draw.

    Sure, but if you want that result, you actually have to show up in court; you don’t get it by abandoning the case. The ideal outcome is that DOJ shows up and argues the general principle that they should be allowed to defend the President from nuisance lawsuits. Then the judge says the argument is moot because Trump wasn’t acting in his official capacity in this case, so DOJ can take a hike. Now you’ve defended the general principle, gotten the judge to agree, and still thrown Trump to his own devices.

  123. 123.

    smith

    @Major Major Major Major: You might enjoy Brokenwood Mysteries, which is basically New Zealand’s answer to Midsomer Murders. Not too heavy and mildly amusing, though the Kiwi accents take some getting used to. It appears to be available on Prime.

  124. 124.

    elm

    @Omnes Omnibus: How far does the law compel the DOJ to continue its appeals.

    Regardless, you said you would like a court to draw a line. That’s been answered.

  126. 126.

    elm

    Anyway, I was a moderately active poster here from maybe 2008-2012 but have been mostly absent for a bit. I’ve never posted under a different name here.

    I was drawn back by a Silverman comment on the risks of relying on institutions when we are outside the bounds of what institutions have traditionally done well.

  127. 127.

    Steeplejack

    @MomSense:

    For the series in general, I think the way they transitioned from Sharona to Natalie was handled very well. Two different characters who interacted with Monk in different but equally funny ways.

    Just realized that Psych might be another recommendation for Major^4.

  128. 128.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Gin & Tonic: Honestly, the institutional principle here is important.  They will want to take it to an appeals court that can draw a specific line the would be precedent in future cases. A trial court can’t do that.

  129. 129.

    Roger Moore

    @rikyrah: ​
     
    There are lots of good cheeses for a grilled cheese. I love a good Cheddar- West Country farmhouse Cheddar makes a great sandwich- but pepper jack is very good, too. Other good cheeses for grilled cheese include Toscano, Manchego, miniature brie, Gouda, and red Leicester. I will usually get the spotlight cheese from Trader Joe’s each month to see if it will work for grilled cheese, and it very often does.

  131. 131.

    MomSense

    @Roger Moore:

    Just because the DOJ is “defending” the administration doesn’t mean they actually think it’s a winning case or that they want to.
    When our governor was the AG when Paul LePage was governor.  They went to court over his attempt to quarantine a nurse who had cared for Ebola patients.  The administration’s expert was a joke and they lost the case.  They didn’t expect to win it.  I don’t think anyone in the AGs office shed a tear over the outcome.

  132. 132.

    NotMax

    @Major Major Major Major

    Several other second tier* procedural series centering on or including a borderline dysfunctional or otherwise traumatized major character: Endgame, Perception, New Tricks, Serangoon Road, River. As an outlier, since it is SF-dependent as a starting point, would also mention Tunnel (I much preferred the Thai remake to the Korean original; YMMV.)

    *First tier personally defined as more by the book, not reliant on the hook of a personality quirk or similar gimmick. Stuff like (in no particular order) Happy Valley, Mamon, Broadchurch, Spiral, Mystery Road, Fallet.

  135. 135.

    MomSense

    @Steeplejack:

    You can’t go wrong with Tony Shaloub.  We rewatched Galaxy Quest recently and my son told me that the director told Tony to smoke pot throughout filming.  Not sure why, but knowing that he was high the whole time made it even funnier.

  136. 136.

    NotMax

    @WaterGirl

    Strictly a Muenster man. With a wee dab of mustard and a sprinkle of garlic powder before putting on the top slice of bread.

  137. 137.

    randy khan

    @Mary G:

    They did give a special citation to Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded George Floyd’s murder.

    I was very impressed by that – as far as I can tell, it’s the first time someone not in one of the fields that the regular Pulitzers cover has received one of those.

    As the for Times, the award was not just for the data journalism, but for the whole package of coverage.  Whether you agree with the decision or not, it was fundamentally different from the COVID tracking project.

  138. 138.

    NotMax

    @MomSense

    During the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel it felt like he was phoning in his performance. Later seasons showed more presence but there was still more than a hint he was uncomfortable in the skin of the character and thus giving less than 100%.

  139. 139.

    randy khan

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    And it would be great to get a court to draw a line.

    One result of the DoJ stepping back in is that we have that very thing happen.  We just have to hope the line is drawn in a decent place.

  143. 143.

    Another Scott

    @Omnes Omnibus: Thank you.

    I haven’t engaged in elm’s posts for a few reasons:

    1. Garland has been on the job 90 days.  Today’s press conference shows that he engages with the front-line people before coming up with any change in policy direction or emphasis.  That takes time.
    2. What Garland said today was an unqualified good thing.  Spoiling it with whataboutery is counter-productive.  Refighting old battles is a distraction to a very good day.
    3. What I heard of Garland’s testimony before the Appropriations committee makes it clear to me that he’s going to follow proper procedures and make sure his ducks are in a row even before reversing bad policies.  (roughly) “We’re going to follow the laws and the rules even if we would not have decided things that way…”
    4. There is nothing in Garland’s background or public statements that indicates he’s a blind “institutionalist” who just goes along with what predecessors have decided.  He’s not Barr Jr.  He knows how the DoJ works (from being there before), he knows how the courts work (from being a big-wig in the federal courts).  He is doing his best, he wants his changes to be long-lasting, and I think we can give him more than 90 days before deciding that he’s worthless and that law Twitter has his number.

    My $0.02.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  144. 144.

    Baud

    I think this is Barr talking to CNN to try to protect himself.

    Barr pushed investigators to finish leak probes

  145. 145.

    randy khan

    @Roger Moore:

    To my way of thinking, we have a resolution that’s okay right now, even if it’s just at a district court level.  A DoJ appeal in this specific case only makes sense if they want to say the line was drawn wrong and that Trump’s alleged (probably actual) defamation of Carroll somehow fell within the scope of his duties.  So I’d rather they didn’t appeal.

  146. 146.

    MomSense

    @NotMax:

    I think he played it right, though.  He could have easily upstaged the lead.  Plus we were experiencing him through Mrs Maisel and we got to know him better when she moved in with her parents.

  147. 147.

    elm

    @WaterGirl: It’s been several days of the same. I understand cranky insularity, but lurking seems less aggravating.

    It makes me long for makato_chan calling us all whatever her insult was.

  151. 151.

    cope

    @SiubhanDuinne: It’s currently on the Hallmark Mystery Channel and Sundance on our cable system, Spectrum.  My wife and I watched them all except the final two episodes because she reckoned they would be too sad.

  152. 152.

    Obdurodon

    @Another Scott: I don’t think it’s accurate to use “institutionalist” for just going along with what one immediate predecessor did. Yes, precedent is important, but precedent is not necessarily set by just one action which egregiously violated all other precedent and principle before it. A true institutionalist would be comfortable protecting the institution itself by simply nullifying the aberrant action. The proper word for what Garland has done would be “proceduralist” or perhaps “gradualist” IMO. Not that different most of the time, but not identical either.

  153. 153.

    Arm The Homeless

    @Roger Moore: You’re not wrong, but IMHO it’s a threat against Facebook to stop them stepping in to nerf the algorithm that keeps right-wing propaganda constantly at the top of engagement metrics, and the money that flows from their cult through the medium coming in to campaigns.

  156. 156.

    burnspbesq

    @Tony Jay:

    Some people will bemoan the lack of a timetable for the arrest/trial/execution of Trump Administration figures

    ‘There is a timetable. It’s called the statute of limitation.

  158. 158.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Steeplejack: Thank you so much!

    Now that I’ve gotten really into cdramas, which I find only by word of mouth on the web, this is really helpful

  159. 159.

    elm

    @satby: That was it, thank you. You couldn’t even agree with her without being insulted.

    My memory kept going to “kulak”, but I knew that was not it.

  160. 160.

    NotMax

    Bravo to Oregon.

    Oregon State Rep. Mike Nearman (R) became the first person ever expelled from the Oregon House of Representatives on Thursday, with all 59 of his colleagues voting to vacate his seat over his decision to let a mob into the state Capitol last year.

    In a 59-1 vote, with Nearman the sole opposition, the legislature was absolute. Nearman was the only Republican to speak during floor debate. Source

  161. 161.

    guachi

    My wife is all about murder mystery shows. We are watching New Tricks right now. and we alternate with Brokenwood Mysteries, though we are caught up on that.

    Despite a non-recommendation from others, we find Murder, She Wrote delightful because Angela Lansbury is awesome. Its major fault is being from a time where TV shows couldn’t be as adventurous in their stories. Seasons 2-6 are best.

    We also like Murdoch Mysteries from Canada. It’s delightful. Also from Canada and set in the early 1900s is Frankie Drake. Not the greatest mysteries but it’s a female PI and there are lots of story ideas that you’ll likely never have seen before as it’s a) women who b) live in Canada in c) the early 1900s.

  162. 162.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Baud: That being P-Town, I’m left wondering what it’s a euphemism for. Urban Dictionary is no help.

  166. 166.

    bluefoot

    @Mary G: ​
      Ed Yong’s award is well-deserved. I agree the COVID Tracking Project got screwed since it was one of a small number of absolutely essential resources throughout the pandemic whilst our government fiddled (diddled?) while the nation burned.

    Not sure how the FNYT got the public service award.

  167. 167.

    Subsole

    @elm: Dead thread, I’m sure, but why would you staff an institution with people who have no faith in it?

  168. 168.

    CaseyL

    I just had a squirrel in my house!

    S/he ran in through the upstairs deck door (I leave it open during the day when the weather warms up enough), and I noticed her when she came downstairs.  I stayed still, trying to think about the best way to get her back outside.  She ran for the front door, and I went over to open it – but of course she panicked when I came looming up near her, and ran back upstairs

    Well, I propped the front door open, scattered a bunch of peanuts just outside.

    Then waited a little while and went out to look up at the upstairs deck and sure enough, she went back out the way she came in, and was out on the deck.

    I tossed some more nuts out onto the lawn.  Girl had a scare, after all, and will need a pick-me-up!

    This isn’t quite as odd as the time a bat flew in, nor as complicated as the time a whole family of raccoons was coming in every night and eating all the cat food.  But it was still rather sweet.

  170. 170.

    evodevo

    @smith: ​
      Yep…love this series…however I have to turn on the closed captioning sometimes to figure out what was being said…

  171. 171.

    Roger Moore

    @Subsole:

    I still cannot believe Conservatives think Facebook isn’t on their side

    I think they know it’s on their side; they’re just working the ref to keep it on their side.

  173. 173.

    Steeplejack

    @guachi:

    Maybe I didn’t give it enough of a chance, but I thought Frankie Drake was like “Let’s do a wisecracking Phryne Fisher.” Might have to revisit.

  174. 174.

    Anotherlurker

    @guachi: Frankie Drake is from the same production house that brought us Murdock Mysteries, Shaftsbury Productions.

  175. 175.

    Subsole

    @Roger Moore: Yeah. It was more exasperated sarcasm on my part. I think they’re working the refs to keep their base riled.

    I doubt Dorsey, Zuckerberg or the fine folks at Shapirotube need much working.

  177. 177.

    elm

    @Subsole: In the spirit of all the good faith engagement here, I suppose I’d hoped reasonable people could understand that I meant an unearned or excessive amount of faith in the institution.

    Specifically, excessive faith in things like the Inspector General’s office and investigations despite them having been inadequate to prevent past and recent DOJ abuses.

  178. 178.

    J R in WV

    @Roger Moore:

    There are lots of good cheeses for a grilled cheese. I love a good Cheddar- West Country farmhouse Cheddar makes a great sandwich- but pepper jack is very good, too. Other good cheeses for grilled cheese include Toscano, Manchego, miniature brie, Gouda, and red Leicester. I will usually get the spotlight cheese from Trader Joe’s each month to see if it will work for grilled cheese, and it very often does.

    I find that Swiss somehow gains a rubbery taste in a grilled cheese, so I’m inclined to use a very sharp cheddar on Pain de mie from a local bakery, with thin sliced sweet onions and mayo on the inside, grilled with Irish butter in a big cast iron skillet with a lid on to keep the heat in so the cheese and onion cook together.
    Lacking any of those specific ingredients you can substitute, but the quality of the sandwich begins to vary pretty quickly. Wonder bread and Velveeta, for example turns a great food into shit right off the bat. Miracle Whip instead of real mayo works that way also too.

Comments are closed.