Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Everybody saw this coming.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

The willow is too close to the house.

Second rate reporter says what?

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

So many bastards, so little time.

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

Books are my comfort food!

The words do not have to be perfect.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

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

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Text STOP to opt out of updates on war plans.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

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Reader Interactions

102Comments

  5. 5.

    emmyelle

    @WaterGirl: It’s without a doubt the right decision. And anyway we are already at about 75-80%. But the holdouts. It’s going to be something to see.

  6. 6.

    piratedan

    well, I heard a rumor that the Democratically controlled Senate passed two infrastructure bills and that they will work with the stimulus that is already out there to provide a healthy push to start tidying up around the place

    as the parlance goes, that’s a big Biden deal…. here’s to hoping that the House agrees and gets these on to the President’s desk.

  11. 11.

    Scout211

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/11/politics/fda-third-dose-covid-19-vaccine/index.html

    Good news for the immunocompromised. Booster shots could be approved within “48 hours.” I told my sister and she was excited since my BIL has leukemia and has an appointment next week with his specialist so they will ask him about making a referral. Yay!

    CNN)The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce within the next 48 hours that it is authorizing Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for some people who are immunocompromised, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
    This would be a third shot of the current two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That announcement could slide, the source cautioned, but this is the current timing.“The FDA is closely monitoring data as it becomes available from studies administering an additional dose of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines to immunocompromised individuals,” an FDA spokesperson told CNN. “The agency, along with the CDC, is evaluating potential options on this issue, and will share information in the near future.”

  13. 13.

    Ken

    @emmyelle: Ours isn’t a mandate, but everyone “should get fully vaccinated now”. Also, only fully-vaccinated people will be allowed to return to the office, and then only if they choose to.

  14. 14.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl:  Are all frogs green?

    No. Some of them are bright red or orange or yellow or purple, which is their way of saying “you can eat me but I will stop every nerve impulse in your body”.

  17. 17.

    emmyelle

    @Ken: That was phase one for us. Now we are going to see what happen when this is challenged by people who demand tie right to work from home.

  19. 19.

    emmyelle

    @WaterGirl: I think the assholes and jerks might just quit. But that’s going to be disruptive. Don’t get me wrong, i’m fully behind the decision (and I have to enforce it in my unit). But we have to be ready for some impact on operations.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    Today I called ahead for curbside pickup at the local meat & deli store.

    Note to self: when you go for curbside pickup, it helps if you don’t leave your fucking phone at home.

  24. 24.

    Poe Larity

    They got the guy

    Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire have also been facing a second enemy: a serial arsonist who went on a spree of setting fires in July and August — and who sought to trap fire crews with his fires, according to agents from the U.S. Forest Service. They allege former college professor Gary Maynard is the culprit, citing their tracking of his movements and other evidence.

  26. 26.

    WaterGirl

    I came this close to calling up my sister who won’t get vaccinated and asking why she only cares about “all the babies that are being murdered every year” and won’t get a fucking shot that would help keep 50 million babies safe.

    I so wanted to do that, but of course I did not.  But the next time she brings up the “millions of babies who are murdered every year”, I’m definitely going to bring it up then.

  27. 27.

    Eunicecycle

    @sab: my husband went to pick dinner up with his flip phone. But you’re supposed to click on a link they send you when your order is ready. But you can’t do that with a flip phone. Luckily they had a number you could call, too. But if you didn’t have a cell phone at all…

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    I am currently working all my meal planning around tomatoes.  If it doesn’t go with tomatoes, I am not making it.

    Did I mention that I have 8 tomato plants this year?

  30. 30.

    sab

    Got the big deer back in the backyard chomping on the blacknerry bushes. Yay deer! But the dogs want to go pee.

    We got all kind of weather alerts that a storm front was moving thru with 80 mile per hour winds. When it finally came thru the wind lasted for maybe 15 seconds, and then was done. Weird.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    @sab: As did I.  How dumb do you look when you have to walk in and say “I called for curbside pickup but I forgot my phone”?

    Pretty dumb.  And I have now done this twice.

    I like to think it’s that I am distracted, not downright stupid.

  37. 37.

    WereBear

    Reading Tragedy in Sedona about the James Ray sweatlodge incident. Two dead, several seriously injured.

    It has insight into the whole Tony Robbins schtick: big dramatic events that are also taxing and somewhat dangerous. With Robbins, he mostly does it emotionally. (Though he did injure people in a big firewalking event.)

    Ray pushed people to the brink of death… and pushed them over.

  39. 39.

    pat

    In the past few weeks we have had an electrician in the house for an hour at a time. Without a mask.
    Yesterday when he came again I found out that he is not vaccinated. He “doesn’t believe the news.” (Asked him to wear a mask yesterday and he complied.)
    Today I called his company and learned that they do not follow the vaccination status of their employees.
    I am looking for a new company.

  40. 40.

    Eunicecycle

    @Poe Larity: I really hope they do end the support. We pay the same amount per month for the flip phone as we do my smart phone so it’s dumb. I think he just likes the reaction when he tells people he still has a flip phone.

  42. 42.

    Hungry Joe

    Just got back from the grocery store. Wore a KN95 with a big ol’ cloth mask over it. It was stuffy and kind of uncomfortable. It was also FIFTEEN MINUTES. Gosh. A little uncomfortable for 15 minutes. Now we see the violence inherent in the system.

    A friend suggested a line of persuasion for vax resisters who insist that they’re strong and healthy, so their immune systems can handle Covid:

    ”It doesn’t matter how intelligent someone is — they can’t read until someone teaches them how. Same with your immune system. It can’t fight the virus if it doesn’t know it’s there and doesn’t have the proper tools. The vaccines teach the immune system how to recognize Covid, and arms the immune system with an appropriate, customized weapon.”

  43. 43.

    Evap

    I’m in a car, on the way from Portland to Bend.  (No, I’m not driving.) Car says it’s 107F outside!!!!   Thank goddess for air conditioning.  Looking forward to sampling many tasty brews in Bend.

  44. 44.

    Catherine D.

    Cornell is all masked indoors no matter vaccination status, currently at about 94%. All students will be back to surveillance testing at least weekly, and faculty/staff who have frequent contact with others will also be tested.

    The county board of health injected a dose of numeracy by noting that positive COVID tests for vaccinated people made up 0.2% of all vaccinated people in the county so far. Since testing right now is for symptomatic or exposed, that sounds about right.

  46. 46.

    Eunicecycle

    @pat: we had a guy put to do some carpentry that we’ve known for 35 years. He and his brothers built our house. It turns out he’s anti-vax because he went to his chiropractor who gave him some vitamins and supplements, so he’s all set! He did offer to wear a mask, though, so that was good.

  49. 49.

    topclimber

    @WaterGirl: With any “luck” she will be able to beat you over the head with the numbers. There are about 600K abortions in the US every year. There are about 50 million kids aged 1-11. For Covid to kill 500K of them would take a death rate from the disease of 1%, which is about 5 times what the rate has been so far.

    Of course, there is the danger of long-haul Covid, which we know damn little about in adults and close to zero for kids in terms of length and severity. With any “luck” you will be able to appeal to her on this basis when you next meet, rather than making a comparison with abortions, which so-called Pro-Lifers will never concede.

  51. 51.

    WaterGirl

    @VeniceRiley: Ha!

    And here I thought donations dropped off today because the double-double match was over. :-)

    But we got there and that’s what counts!

    I feel slightly cranky knowing that you got fajitas and beer today and I did not.  It will be your fault when I eat dessert tonight after dinner even thought I had some after lunch.

  54. 54.

    brendancalling

    So long as my test comes back negative, I am seeing my son Sunday up in Montreal.
    First time since March 8, 2020!

  55. 55.

    WaterGirl

    @topclimber: Well, I skipped our 8-day family trip last week because she and one of her grandkids who were both visiting from Colorado refuse to be vaccinated.  So I didn’t get to see my other sister, my BIL, my two favorite nieces, etc.

    It just seemed like too high a risk to be in close contact with multiple unvaccinated people under one roof for a week.

    I thought I might feel sad, and I am sad that I didn’t get to see many of the people.  But my first thought every time they sent a photo was “I’m glad I’m not there.”

    They went to a paint your pottery place, and the vaccinated sister and niece wore masks but not the unvaccinated.  It’s so fucking selfish that it nearly sends me into a rage just thinking about it.

  56. 56.

    Eunicecycle

    @RSA: his phone is a Samsung. It’s probably the real original flip phone! I mean it literally is about 12 years old. I think my son had it in college.

  59. 59.

    cope

    @WaterGirl: Having spent a literal lifetime looking at the ground in search of intriguing rocks, fossils, pottery sherds, arrowheads, sea shells and the like what I have learned is that you can prioritize the objects you seek on the basis of color, shape or anomalous appearance.  To find Cole’s frogs, shape is your best bet. Also, knowing that frogs like to hang out near the surface of water, legs and body dangling down below, with only eyes and nostrils above, you can narrow your target objects to things that fit that profile. Or you can just ask somebody.

  60. 60.

    VeniceRiley

    @WaterGirl: Does the rage party come from knowing they won’t lift a finger (get vaccinated) so you can see your family? That’s where my rage is coming from. They think so little of us, it’s making us (me anyway) think so little of them.

  61. 61.

    sab

    @Eunicecycle: I like my flip phone because it never butt dials anyone. My sister calls me from restaurants with friends, and I get to listen to her chatter to  strangers in Mandarin in the middle of the night.. My stepsons call their dad by accident in the middle of the night or crack of dawn. That’s terrifying until we realize it’s a butt dial ( more polite is pocket dialed.)

    Nook does almost everything my husband’s iphone does, with a bigger screen plus books.

  63. 63.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @sab: We lost half our sunflowers to deer, just before blooming. “Yay” was not my first impulse.

  64. 64.

    topclimber

    @WaterGirl: Yeah, had to bail out on my nephew’s wedding in Florida next month for similar reasons. They were pitching us on how cool it would be indoors, thanks to AC, since we have held off ever visiting in the summer.

  65. 65.

    WaterGirl

    @VeniceRiley: She is very religious and prides herself on being a such a kind and caring person.  That’s the core of how she sees herself.  It’s the selfishness and hypocrisy that get me.

    And the arrogance.  God loves her so much that he will take care of her.  “I don’t have it.  I won’t get it.” God must love her so much more than the millions of people who have gotten sick or died.

    It makes me want to bang my head against the wall.  Or scream.  Depending on the day.

  66. 66.

    MagdaInBlack

    @WaterGirl:  Frogs can sport all shades of green, from emerald to khaki, sometimes all on the same frog.

    Eta: my normal hour commute was an extra 30 minutes due to traffic lights out from last nights storms. That 30 minutes was to go 2 miles. I love Chi suburbs traffic ?

  68. 68.

    sab

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: I am quite worried about the new seckle pear, but the goat lady didn’t want string an electric fence to do a poison ivy filled blackberry patch. She is only human.

    I had heart surgery about five years ago. It fixed the congenital arrhythmia, but my thermostat and energy has been shot ever since. I used to happily do eight or ten hour stretches of yard work. Now my husband has to haul me in after an hour because I have turned beet red just from weeding.

  70. 70.

    Bluegirlfromwyo

    @WaterGirl: I feel your pain. I’ve been tempted every time my cousin posts on the Book of Faces. Luckily our family reunions ended long before covid.

  73. 73.

    Betty

    Happy to report I got my second  Covid shot. The delta has hit here in Dominica big time over the last 10 days. The Astra Zeneca vaccine just arrived. Otherwise it was just Sinopharm here. The fast spread seems to be encouraging a lot of people to get vaccinated.

  74. 74.

    sab

    @Betty: I love so much hearing about people finally getting access to vaccines being happy and willing. I remember spending hours on line trying to book an appointment last February and March.

  76. 76.

    brendancalling

    @WaterGirl: 

    Im just going up for the day but if the border stays open I’ll make a weekend in September. At some point I hope to be going every weekend.

  77. 77.

    Betty

    @sab: Thanks. I was in NYC in March, but as a non-state resident was not eligible for the vaccine. I watched as family members spent hours on-line and finally succeed in getting appointments. It was wild.

  78. 78.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: Sorry.  :-(

    Obligatory:

    Reminder to Unvaccinated Conservative Christians:

    The Lord sat out the Holocaust.

    Do you really think He’s going to cancel His lunch plans to swoop down and protect you from COVID?

    — Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) July 19, 2021

    [ Insert story of the drowning man praying to be saved. ]

    Though I’m not religious, I’ve occasionally been attracted to religious teachings that say that all-powerful gods cannot be tricked, they cannot be summoned to do one’s bidding, they cannot be manipulated by simple words or incantations. It’s dangerous to tempt them by thinking one knows what they will do. They’re going to do what they want, and one shouldn’t think that they understand. “God will protect me!” – Why should she? What if her plan is to use you as a counter-example??

    :-/

    Hang in there! :-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  79. 79.

    Starfish

    Mississippi’s entire medical system is going to collapse in a week or two due to COVID-19, staff shortages, and a dingbat governor who does not care about the people of his state. It is awful.

    They are turning a garage into a field hospital, and it is not clear that they have enough people to staff it.

  82. 82.

    Starfish

    @Betty: I grew up in Mississippi. Watching people I know a) have COVID-19 while the hospitals are full or b) still refusing to get the vaccine is horrifying.

  83. 83.

    Elizabelle

    @Betty:   Relief is good.  Happy for you.  Must have been very anxiety-provoking to watch the news and have to wait, wait, wait on vaccine availability.

    Which is not a problem for most people over 12 in the continental US.  But:  horse.  Water.  Probably more stupid than a horse, sadly.

  86. 86.

    WaterGirl

    @brendancalling: I know someone who is heading into Canada and he said there are 6-hour waits in lines of cars trying to get from the US into Canada.

    Maybe you can time your entry into Canada at off-hours?  Or head there a day earlier so if you do get caught in a super long wait, it won’t eat into your time with your kid?

  87. 87.

    Eunicecycle

    @Starfish: I think I saw that Joe is sending federal docs, nurses, etc to help with staffing. Once again we pull a red state out of a mess of their own making, and the ungrateful citizens will probably say “See it wasn’t so bad.” It’s the right thing to do, but it does grind my gears a little.

  89. 89.

    owlbrick

    Starting to get a little white-knuckled about this goddamn gubernatorial recall in California… in a sane world it wouldn’t stand a chance, but in an off-year like this, with the special election held in September instead of November, and the Repubs highly motivated for turnout, and with the Dems not seeming to be doing anything at all to encourage GOTV efforts… it could be real real bad.  They only need to get 50%+1 to remove him. With low enough turnout, we would end up going from Newsom (smarmy, but overall actually a pretty good governor) to whatever stooge gets a tiny plurality of votes in the second half of the ballot.  And the current R frontrunner is nowhere near as amenable to compromise as Schwarzenneger was last time around.  If we don’t motivate people to turn out, we could be in for a world of hurt.

  91. 91.

    Starfish

    @Eunicecycle: They cut the funding to the state health department by half several years ago. The head of the state health department has to deal with the pandemic and also be in depositions due to the illegal ass abortion legislation the state is passing.

    He said the state is short 2000 medical professionals. Meanwhile, the stupid governor, Tate Reeves, is out of state doing fundraising and saying that the medical providers are not there because places passed vaccine mandates. These Republican governors are building careers on top of the corpses of the citizens of their own states. It is ghoulish.

  95. 95.

    Ken

    @bluefoot: That line by Michael Caine (Alfred) in The Dark Knight, about “some men just want to watch the world burn”?  Apparently it’s not always a metaphor.

  96. 96.

    Kayla Rudbek

    Mr. Rudbek had to resort to an ammonia-soaked rag to chase off a fox from the bicycle graveyard in our backyard (underneath our deck). Coyote noises, wolf noises, and dog noises got the dogs on our block barking, but the fox was unfazed. I think that it liked the pile of leaves underneath the bicycles and trailer…it was there around lunchtime (when Mr. Rudbek biked over to the grocery store and chased it away) and came back around 2 pm.

  101. 101.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:

    In your most deadpan voice, ask her if her life insurance and will are up to date. As well as her medical POA.

     

    I have taken to asking all the anti-vaccine folks that I know those questions. They get offended, and I am like, ‘why’?

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