Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

It could be worse. Vance could have said “post-menopausal sows.” Waiting for that audiotape to surface.

The revolution will be supervised.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Let me file that under fuck it.

It’s a doggy dog world.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Everyone is in a bubble, but some bubbles model reality far better than others!

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

Every day Vance writes another chapter in the book called “Worst VP Pick Ever”.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. Democrats must win in November and force court reform.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

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

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

Good lord, these people are nuts.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Saturday Morning Open Thread: A New Year

Saturday Morning Open Thread: A New Year

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Sydney’s is the best fireworks display I’ve seen on social media, but you’re free to dispute my opinion in the comments.

Reader Interactions

247Comments

  4. 4.

    Baud

    My new years resolution this year is to be a worse person so I’ll be more relatable to other people.

  5. 5.

    Spanky

    A random-ish question: Why is Louis DeJoy still Postmaster General? I thought Biden replaced some board members.

    ETA; Prompted by yesterday’s package drop at the PO.

  7. 7.

    Betty Cracker

    Donald Trump won’t be president for even a single day of 2022, so it’s already a better year than 2017-2020. Happy New Year!

  9. 9.

    NeenerNeener

    Happy New Year, Juicers. I’m one of those lightweights who went to bed early-ish last night.

  12. 12.

    HeleninEire

    Happy New Year Balloon Juicers. I was sound asleep at midnight so this is my first look at 2022.

    So far, so good! ?

  15. 15.

    Nancy

    Is there a way that the Romanian Bear Dancers could be imported to chase the bad spirits in the House, Senate, Supreme Court, Fox and more–you know who and what–out of 2022?

  16. 16.

    Spanky

    A warm, rainy, foggy morning here in Southern MD. A good day to stay inside and watch the Christmas tree dry out. And play with the cats. Later, I’ll be called upon for scullery duty as the Missus cooks up one of her blackeyed pea recipes.

    IOW, a traditional New Year’s at the Spanky home.

  18. 18.

    Cermet

    I didn’t bother staying up but for those that did, hope you had a safe and fun time.

    As I’ll repeat from my previous post a few days ago – 2021 was an extremely good year considering the horror that too many endured for absolutely no reason except stupidity or bull headiness.

    Besides that and the previous list in the tweet – don’t forget most intelligent people (non-deplorables with their guns and bibles) got vaccinated in 2021. Better still, the terrible virus has mutated into a far less deadly form even if it is significantly more contagious.

    Finally, the Webb mission continues with success (as does the Mars mission), we have mRNA treatments that will revolutionize treatment of many other illnesses, the economy is humming and for now, most people that need/want to work have more choices. Damn, 2022 is starting off good – hope we finally say goodbye to the pandemic (yes, covid will continue as an epidemic but not in the same manner or as deadly.)

    Hope everyone here and their loved ones and friends remain safe and healthy this new year.

  19. 19.

    CCL

    …”these are the things”…
    Officer Goodman
    Amanda Gorman
    Kpop fans humiliating the would be king
    Infrastructure bill
    Ending Afghanistan war
    Getting vaccinated
    Perserverence
    July
    Democratic sweep of local election in a 50/50 town
    Booster
    Jackels

  20. 20.

    OzarkHillbilly

    3. Labor unions went on strike and won.

    Victories were far too few and too far between for far too long.

  21. 21.

    Ascap_scab

    Getting a jump on NYE 2022:

    Fuck 2022! I’m glad this year is over.

     

    What? Too soon?

  22. 22.

    Spanky

    Once again newspapers, as they do, are running their “Notable Deaths in 2021” columns. I think we should note some notable births in 2021, because those babies are going to grow up to do great things. And the best part is they all have the chance to do just that.

    The only birth I personally know is by my twice-removed cousin. Here’s to you, Oscar!

  29. 29.

    RandomMonster

    @Nancy:  Is there a way that the Romanian Bear Dancers could be imported to chase the bad spirits in the House, Senate, Supreme Court, Fox and more–you know who and what–out of 2022?

    I’d settle for real bears.

  30. 30.

    Spanky

    The Floofy Brothers are cat-wrasslin’ on the living room floor now, so I’ve got in-home entertainment.

  32. 32.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Greetings from the Left Coast, Happy New Year.  I managed to get 8 hours sleep(only woken by the fire crackers breifly) and have to be at work at the Home of the Orange Apron at 7am.

  34. 34.

    jackmac

    Happy New Year!  Big snow arriving in the Chicago area and northern Illinois later today. And since it is a holiday, I get to stay home and simply watch the inches pile up!  Forecast calls for 8-9 inches.

  41. 41.

    debbie

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Yes, but the pendulum is swinging back our way.

    The celebratory gunfire here was beyond ridiculous. It started at 11 pm and ended about 12:20 am. Some people have even taken to driving around and firing off shots. I can’t imagine what all those bullets cost.

  45. 45.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    Happy new Year! I hope the way it started is not a harbinger for 2022. Although it could have been a lot worse so I am grateful.  My 15 year old dog went out for his 5 am pee and came in holding his front paw up and crying. He had caught his dew claw on something and half tore it off. Went to the emergency vet and we are now home with repaired foot , bandage and dressing and a big cone of shame. Dog is whacked out on pain meds so the cats making fun of him does not bother him yet…vet was awesome

  46. 46.

    burnspbesq

    Apparently, Mike Lindell says that The Big Lawsuit That Will Restore Trump To The White House will be filed in the next two weeks. And there’s Evidence this time!

    Why am I reminded of Bullwinkle trying to pull a rabbit out of his hat?

    Happy New Year, y’all.

  47. 47.

    Van Buren

    Early indications are that it is going to be a shitty year. Rosie (found in the upper left corner of your BJ Calendar B January montage) crapped in her crate overnight, probably because I slept late. A lovely way to be greeted on Jan. 1

  51. 51.

    Aziz, light!

    My new year starts on the winter solstice. Today is an arbitrary connivance by some Roman guy.

    Am leading a dozen people on a ten mile hike through Portland’s Forest Park this morning. There’s no time like today to start two or three weeks of keeping new year’s resolutions.

    2022 can’t be any worse than (insert year here) so I’ll hold out for better.

  56. 56.

    Ken

    Every now and then I see something like that Romanian bear dance that makes me think Christianity didn’t replace European paganism, it just made paganism conceal itself as quaint customs.

  57. 57.

    germy

    Friday news dump:

    NEWS: Bernie Kerik has given docs to the Jan. 6 committee. He also provided a log of documents he didn’t turn over.

    One is labeled: “DRAFT LETTER FROM POTUS TO SEIZE EVIDENCE IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL SECURITY FOR THE 2020 ELECTIONS.”

    w/ @nicholaswu12 https://t.co/gHQ9mu19wv

    — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) January 1, 2022

  65. 65.

    WereBear

    @Spanky: Reminds me of when Bud & Lou were pot-bellied, bat-eared, kittens and would slow motion wrestle their way through the whole place, like a big cute furry worm.

  67. 67.

    germy

    @debbie:

    Bernard Kerik, the former New York City Police commissioner and ally of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, also provided a “privilege log” describing materials he declined to provide to the committee.

    It’s like a yule log, except kerik is the one who’s burning.

  68. 68.

    Ken

    @Baud: Probably some uninteresting bureaucratic decision on record-retention requirements for fish hatcheries operating in the mid-Atlantic region. TFG was well-known as a detail-oriented guy who took an active interest in such seeming trivia

    Anyone know if Kerik’s privilege claims are based on presidential executive privilege, or on some version of attorney-client privilege?

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    Romanians in bear costumes dance to the rhythms of drums and whistles to remove the bad spirit of the old year

    And get put on notice by Stephen Colbert.

  73. 73.

    WereBear

    @Ken: Excellent insight. I’m always impressed at how people fleeing fundamentalist religions often turn to their own past, as a way of getting a foothold.

    And how much happier they are as a result. :)

  80. 80.

    Starfish

    I wish that people who are completely oblivious to what Afghanistan for the people there now would shut up about how ending the war was good. We have cut off funding, so hospitals are failing and vaccination is not happening during a pandemic. The amount of money being spent on attempting to get people out is a lot. The process of getting people out is really complicated. This is all seriously messed up and disappointing. Many will die.

  84. 84.

    NYCMT

    If it’s attorney work product, why does Bernard Kerik have it? He’s not an attorney, and he’s not the client.

    No privilege.

  86. 86.

    mrmoshpotato

    @debbie:

    The celebratory gunfire here was beyond ridiculous. It started at 11 pm and ended about 12:20 am. Some people have even taken to driving around and firing off shots. I can’t imagine what all those bullets cost. 

    Oh go buy some damn fireworks!  They’re actually safer, you nutters!

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    Old person’s New Year’s task accomplished.

    First few checks in the checkbook now have (blank)/(blank)/22 in the date field.

    ;)

  88. 88.

    oldgold

    @Starfish:

    Ending the war was a good thing.

    War in Afghanistan is never a good thing for anybody. That has been clear since at least Alexander the Great.

  91. 91.

    NotMax

    Good day to snuggle up indoors. Forecast for Saturday:

    Mostly cloudy. Numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms in the morning, then scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Starfish: @Baud: I’ve never yet seen a war that didn’t include death, destruction, starvation, disease, and all the other maladies of man.

    Ending them is always better than continuing them.

  96. 96.

    persistentillusion

    @debbie: No worries, we got snow over night.  Down here in COS about 3 inches and still gently coming down, ending 233 days of no snow cover.  Up in Boulder, supposed to be 6-9 inches.

  97. 97.

    Feathers

    @Starfish: And the mafia fed widows and orphans.One of the reasons not to start a war is the chaos that happens as it ends. This can never be a reason not to end one.

  99. 99.

    Ken

    @mrmoshpotato: “It’s funny because it’s true.”  There’s a commercial for a new medication that sounds exactly like one of Colbert’s parody — it’s for Peyronie’s disease, and the treatment regimen and warnings are more horrifying than the symptoms.

  100. 100.

    topclimber

    @Starfish: At least we won’t have to worry about the supply chain if we go back to Afghanistan. The locals must have a great distribution network, given all the dollars Yankee Doodle Daddy dropped there.

  102. 102.

    Tony Jay

     

    @burnspbesq:

    Apparently, Mike Lindell says that The Big Lawsuit That Will Restore Trump To The White House Keep Him On The MAGA Book Tour Gravy Train And Provide For His Future will be filed in the next two weeks. And there’s Evidence Even Fewer People Who Care this time!

    Me fixy. No Chargy.

  106. 106.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: yeah! The cats are two and the dog is fifteen so we already had “little old man shouting Get off my Lawn” vibes around here on a good day. Dog has his special blanket on his loveseat. The cats delight in sleeping on it when he decides to sleep in his dog bed. So I get a lot of mooooommmm his in my spot! In the mornings. ?

  108. 108.

    Quinerly

    @NotMax: that made me chuckle. Did you read that the “Let’s Go Brandon” dad from Pres Biden’s call is mulling over a run for public office? Grifters gotta grift.

  110. 110.

    OzarkHillbilly

    My wife was in the kitchen till 1:30 AM, was up and back in the kitchen at 7:00. We must be having the annual seafood paella today.

    Sucks to be me.

  111. 111.

    EmbraceYourInnerCrone

    @WereBear: it’s just gentle mocking. I mostly think they are thinking “Dude what happened to you! Why did the humans put that stupid first be on your head!?” Dog is drugged up so the cone is freaking him out..

  113. 113.

    sdhays

    @Spanky: I haven’t followed it closely, but when it was announced, I remember that the process of appointing and confirming new board members would take some time, and then there would be a process for removing DeJoy, so he wasn’t going to be gone until the new year.

    Which is today! So hopefully this month we’ll finally be rid of that man.

  114. 114.

    Tony Jay

    @NotMax:

    Christ, I’d forgotten about that moron.

    Given the steep descent of the GOP into performative wankery I’m surprised he’s not at least a State Senator by now.

    Perils of early adoption, I suppose.

  116. 116.

    Karen S.

    Happy New Year to one and all! My family got some good news last night. My  94-year-old mother was successfully weaned from the ventilator she’d been on in the ICU since Monday night. She still has an infection to be dealt with but it was lovely hearing her voice. One of the nurses called us so we could chat with her briefly. My dad is over the moon as are we all.

  117. 117.

    burnspbesq

    Here in Central Texas, the temperature is expected to go down by over 40 degrees between 5 p.m. today and 5 a.m. tomorrow. Followed by a hard freeze tomorrow and Monday nights. Will be interesting to see if power stays on.

  118. 118.

    WereBear

    @EmbraceYourInnerCrone: That sounds delightful, and yes, it’s quite the age/energy gap. Our Tristan is now TWELVE (I can’t believe it, he was a tiny foster bean celebrated here on BJ at the time) and he’s living with two teen cats and two kittens.

    We get a lot of Dr. Smith, “oh, the pain! the pain!” from him.

  121. 121.

    Feathers

    @Ken: There was an erectile dysfunction drug that listed runny nose as one of the side effects. Laughed until crying every time it came on.

    Looked up the website for that drug. Curiosity killed the cat abd and all. Appears to be one of those drugs where the trade offs are worth it if you are seriously affected (aka have a disabling injury). However, creating websites claiming that 1 in 10 American men may have this disease is why everybody hates big pharma.

  122. 122.

    burnspbesq

    @Tony Jay:

    While you’re being such a pal, can you find a new club for Lucas Digne, and convince Rangers to let go of Nathan Patterson?

  123. 123.

    germy

    @topclimber:

    the American Dream

    In 2003, two Army guys from Ohio started a small company that provided the US military with Afghan interpreters. They made $4 billion in Afghanistan, where some Afghans who worked for them said they were paid $300/month. This is their story. https://t.co/wDS5n6zPyR

    — Dion Nissenbaum (@DionNissenbaum) January 1, 2022

  128. 128.

    Geminid

    @Starfish: So what is going on with aid to the Afghan people? A U.S. military presence is certainly not a neccessary condition for assistance, and the Treasury Department is granting waivers so aid organizations can deal with the new government. Is the Taliban standing in the way? Can countries who want to help work around them?

  132. 132.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Ken:

    Is it just me, or does it feel like the world has been in a cultural stasis for the last 20-30 years? Obviously lots of social progress has been made, but it sometimes seems like things like fashion and aesthetics haven’t changed that significantly. Or the rate of technological change has slowed down compared to the 20th century and earlier

  134. 134.

    germy

    @WereBear:

    Speaking of beaks, I can always tell what my cat is watching from her window.  If she makes little bird sounds, it’s a bird she’s watching.  There’s another sound she makes if she’s watching squirrels.

    Always very quiet, almost under her breath, but the has a different sound for each creature she spies on.

  135. 135.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @burnspbesq:

    The temperature is going to plunge a good 30 or so degrees here in Ohio as well to where temps in the winter should be. The weather/climate is nuts and has been for the last 7 or 8 years now

  136. 136.

    Tony Jay

    @burnspbesq:

    I’ll get right on it, just as soon as I’ve passed the ‘Pleasing Pep via Penalties’ section of my Premier League referee course.

  140. 140.

    JMG

    Here in suburban Boston it’s warm for us at close to 50, but there’s rain, fog and the sky is very very dark. Monday is the first day we are supposed to see the sun in a week, but it will be in the 20s. That’s OK by me. Sunny but cold alternating with warmer but wet days is about the best a Massachusetts winter can be.

    Was going to take down the trees today, but will wait for sunny Monday. Don’t miss ornaments that way.

  142. 142.

    Chris T.

    @Feathers: The various receptors for various chemicals (i.e., drug targets) are the same in the disparate parts of the body. The alpha-1 subunit that’s used for prostate drugs, for instance, is in both the nose and prostate. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamsulosin for some details.)

    The one I personally find most amusing is that the glucose uptake molecule GLUT3 is found in the brain … and the testes. Further proof, if any were needed, of how men “think”. ?

  144. 144.

    MagdaInBlack

    @JMG: My friend in Lowell, MA just told me it’s a Steven King novel kind of day outside.

    Eta: I’m just sittin’ here in Chicagoland waitin’ for the snow.

  146. 146.

    Geminid

    @JMG: We’re getting rain in Virginia, and we really need it. Sunday will be warmer than normal, then we’ll get a few cold days.

  147. 147.

    Starfish

    @Geminid: I am sorry for bouncing around on this topic.

    WSJ has an article about how much defense contractors made.

    A friend has been working for months to do the humanitarian parole applications for a lot of people. We contributed the fee for one person. It is not clear if they will ever be able to leave. It will be a year or more, and it is like “Hey, I hope your family does not starve or have a medical emergency” while waiting. It is very sad.

    Watching people here be so flippant about who suffers in the aftermath of war is pretty frustrating.

  148. 148.

    Jinchi

    @NYCMT: If it’s attorney work product, why does Bernard Kerik have it? He’s not an attorney, and he’s not the client.

    Attorney-client privilege got redefined during by TFG’s gang.
    Remember this?

    (2017) Donald Trump Jr. recently told a Congressional committee he could not answer questions about a phone conversation he had with his father, President Donald Trump. Trump Jr. claimed that because attorneys were present on the call he had the right to invoke the attorney-client privilege.​

  150. 150.

    Karen S.

    @WaterGirl: So sweet. Thank you! My wife and I danced around my parents’ house after talking to Mom. We tried to get my dad to join in but he said, with a sly smile on his face, “I’m too old for that.” He then shuffled away to pour himself a celebratory drink.

  151. 151.

    germy

    The Rose Parade is going ahead despite a new surge of coronavirus infections. It will have dozens of floats, though Kaiser Permanente canceled plans to have 20 “front-line medical heroes” appear with its entry, dubbed “A Healthier Future.” https://t.co/tluFAw7jDC

    — The Associated Press (@AP) January 1, 2022

  153. 153.

    Feathers

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Some of this is that everything spreads so quickly. A new fashion used to start among artists and have time to grow into something truly unique before being “discovered” and spread to the masses.

    Also, having creative people go to school as a requirement to work in the field is a real damper on innovation. You end up with a workforce of rich (or upper middle class) kids  wanting to stay wealthy. The easier to use technology also means you don’t have subject matter experts pushing the field.

    The internet also means people can see all the references. Older films quoted other films and visual art all the time, it’s just that without access to a library of videos of almost every film ever made, you wouldn’t have known unless you made filmgoing a real hobby.

  155. 155.

    Geminid

    @Starfish: Without reference to people here, I don’t think Americans generally are very aware of the suffering in countries such as Yemen, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan. I do read that the Taliban is nearing agreement with Turkey and the U.A.E. to get five airports running, so that may help in getting aid in and refugees out.

  158. 158.

    Jackie

    Happy New Years greetings from the frozen tundra aka Kennewick, WA! 7 degrees to start off the new year. A couch, fleece toss and football coma is in my future!

  159. 159.

    Jeffro

    @Geminid: the rain is indeed sorely needed!  We were all goofing around at breakfast talking about it: “Father…father, what is this?  Liquid water, falling from the sky?”  “Yes, my son…’tis actual liquid water, which will make things…wet.” (Family gasps in unison) ?

    Climate change dark humor, you’ve gotta love it.

    I took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and got some paddling time in at the local reservoir.

  160. 160.

    Brachiator

    We are officially in “the future.” My sister sent me a message noting that 2022 is the birth year of the animated cartoon character George Jetson. His birth date is July 31, 2022.

    Where’s my flying car?

  161. 161.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Brachiator:

    We are officially in “the future.” My sister sent me a message noting that 2022 is the birth year of the animated cartoon character George Jetson. His birth date is July 31, 2022.

    Where’s my flying car?

    And those 3 hour work days lol.

    It was a shame that the original Jetsons only got a season. Always liked it better than the Flintstones. Aside from Barney’s zingers on Fred, it often wasn’t that clever or funny; rock puns combined with some pop culture references

  162. 162.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Feathers:

    Hmm. Those points make sense. Plus, there’s been no major wars and the Cold War has been over for over 30 years too

  163. 163.

    Anyway

    Philly mummers parade postponed. Good call. Weather’s lousy. Thanks, Joe.

    Happy New Year to all posters, commenters, lurkers, pets …

  164. 164.

    Feathers

    @Chris T.: The skin and brain are both created from the same set of cells in embryonic development. Teeth, hair, the nervous system, the linings of the mouth, etc. all connected.  Makes so much sense. Blew my mind when I learned. Maybe they teach in now, but I never knew.  Your skin and brain were the same thing at one point. Makes all sorts of interconnections understandable.

  167. 167.

    Geminid

    @Jeffro: I hope you get a lot of paddling in this year. I got a little tempted the other day when I saw a kayak at the local Farm & Family store. I think I’ll get a fishing licence first. That may pull me in to a small boat like a kayak.

  171. 171.

    narya

    I dragged my sorry butt out for a run this morning–start the year right and all that–and it is windy AF; I didn’t make it my usual distance, but at least I did it.\. The waves on the lake were big enough for surfing. Today is going to involve lots of bread-baking–I have whole wheat baguettes doing their final rise, I’m about to mix up the dough for the rye bread, and I’m going to use the leftover starter to make pretzel rolls. Otherwise, though, food today is going to be a festival of snacking (cheeses, the aforementioned baguettes, some black-eyed peas with some ham, various sausages, and some fruit from the lovely box my boss sent me). So very grateful for all of you . . . you brighten my days.

  173. 173.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Starfish: So you are asserting America has mission to civilized the rest of the world because of our inherent superiority?

  177. 177.

    Karen S.

    A family friend just dropped off cornbread, black eyed peas and collard greens he fixed for us. Yum.

  178. 178.

    Almost Retired

    We’ve been mostly off the grid for the holiday in a cabin amongst the Redwoods and weed farmers in Northern California.  It’s been delightful, and I was happy to miss the annual midnight reenaction of the Battle of Berlin in my Los Angeles neighborhood.  Just came down the mountain this morning to Santa Cruz check my e-mail and the news and…..Wait….what!?!  BETTY WHITE?!?!?!

    Shit.  Going back up the mountain, then.  And somebody better put a 24/7 medical watch on Dick Van Dyke.

  179. 179.

    Geminid

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: I think the U.S. miltary presence in Afghanistan kept other countries from playing a constructive role there. That may change now that we are gone. I am not alone in paying little attention to that country before the Taliban victory,  or since. My impression is that other countries are still trying to use aid as leverage for better treatment for women and minorities. That is changing some as conditions grow more dire. After all, girls can’t benefit from schooling if they’ve starved to death or are developmentally disabled from malnutrition.

  182. 182.

    Mike in NC

    On this New Year’s Day we will watch either “Airplane!” or “Young Frankenstein” or perhaps both.

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Geminid:

    I am not alone in paying little attention to that country before the Taliban victory,  or since.

    I’m more concerned about preserving this one, frankly.

  185. 185.

    citizen dave

    @germy: I’ll know we’re back to normal when Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan are back commentating on the Rose Parade.  Alas, not this year.

  188. 188.

    Miss Bianca

    @Karen S.: Well, sounds like your New Year is off to a good start! And your post reminded me to put some black beans on to soak (no black-eyed peas in the pantry, so we went with the next closest thing).

  190. 190.

    Cermet

    @Feathers: Depends – skin and brain for most, but the lower bowl and brain for most right wingers; i.e. the end result is their brain is constructed of mostly asshole.

  191. 191.

    Nelle

    @Starfish: I fear you are making assumptions about us and about the realities of violence in the world.   It isn’t binary that we either keep the military in Afghanistan or we don’t care about those who are suffering.  The US isn’t the answer to the world’s trauma, which doesnt mean indifference.  So far, it does mean that our blundering ways in global conflicts have solved very little and often created more suffering.

    I don’t write this at an academic remove.   The rape of my aunts during war was followed by the famine-induced stunting of my uncle’s growth and the frailty of my aunt who died in her teens, the burial of my first cousin who starved to death in that famine that followed war and revolution.  There are still ripples of trauma in the extended family and possibly epigenetic changes.

    It is pure shit that sometimes there are not good options.   And, as we sit, sheltered and fed,  vaccinated and boosted, complaining about the inconveniences of the pandemic,  there is a lot of momentum and some truth to accusing us of flippancy and indifference.  But there is also a hard reality about what is possible to do and a harsh track record of American’s hubris in trying to “fix” other people’s suffering, rather than serving them as they might decide is needed.

  192. 192.

    debbie

    I wasn’t able to stay up late enough to watch both movies like I’d planned, so I only watched True Grit. God, what a great film! And the soundtrack! Hopefully, I’ll be watching News of the World sometime on Sunday (another great soundtrack).

  194. 194.

    opiejeanne

    @debbie: Which True Grit? I prefer the one by the Coen brothers because it honors the book, unlike the John Wayne version which makes him the hero referred to in the title.

  195. 195.

    trollhattan

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: @germy:

    The DeSantis process for selecting a doctor must be a doozy.

    “How can I be sure that in treating me or my family, you will make sure to conduct your treatment and keep any advise fully within the guidelines set out by the Republican Party?”

  199. 199.

    trollhattan

    @debbie:

    Per Jim FL @189 they publicly partied in 2022, avec crowd, sans masks. So if his wife is having cancer treatment, they may be trying to speed the outcome.

  202. 202.

    Miss Bianca

    @opiejeanne: Am I the only one who just really, really dislikes the Coen Brothers version of True Grit? I much prefer old John Wayne, frankly. The first movie had its faults, but the joyous idiosyncrasy of Portis’s language really sparkles in that adaptation. I usually like Jeff Bridges but found his Rooster Cogburn to be a dull, weary thing, and the whole movie a dull, weary slog through a landscape littered with generic Coen Brothers weirdness and weird characters not part of Portis’s vision but seemingly just inserted for “atmosphere.”

    Eh. I probably am the only one. #sorrynotsorry

  204. 204.

    Tony Jay

    @debbie:

    I’m afraid Swartzerfrei Liz doesn’t listen to the likes of me. She’ll just keep on doing out the goodies to everyone, like Saint Tone the Ecumenically Corrupt, who played their part in saving Britain’s rotten Establishment from History’s Greatest Monster.

  205. 205.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:

    Here in the land of neighbors, neighbors and more neighbors, north east Los and Angeles, the explosions/gunshots were far less than last year and pretty much quiet after about 12:15. I was actually almost stunned that they didn’t last longer.

  206. 206.

    Feathers

    @Cameron: Yes, the US needs to stay out of this. There are too many corrupt ties which should not be reopened. Unfortunately, becoming less popular than the Taliban has consequences. On both sides.

  210. 210.

    smith

    @Ruckus: Same here on the South side of Chicago. I could hear booms in the distance, but my near neighbors, who usually indulge exuberantly in fireworks, for some reason didn’t.

  214. 214.

    Soprano2

    @Starfish: There is suffering like this all around the world. How much of it are we responsible for fixing? The Afghan people decided through their actions that they didn’t want us there anymore, as illustrated by how fast the elected government collapsed. They rejected secular, elected government. I think the only thing of ours they eagerly accepted was money.  If you read much about it you know that the only places there that ever really accepted what we offered were the cities; the Taliban and restrictive religious government was never completely rejected in the countryside. I for one was tired of our money and lives being spent on people who by and large didn’t want anything but our money.

    I know someone who works with trafficked people; she knows a 15-year-old who was sold to an Army soldier by her parents. They told her that it would be best for her if she married him. So, it happens everywhere, even here.

  215. 215.

    Ruckus

    @Feathers:

    This.

    Especially this when the war has accomplished nothing actually positive for anyone. Except those who made money off of it and were in no danger from it. And the only positive there was in a bank account. War is sometimes necessary, it is always costly in lives. And if it is not in any way getting anything positive done for the greater good then it never should have been started in the first damn place.

  216. 216.

    opiejeanne

    @Miss Bianca: Maybe not.

    I never really cared for the John Wayne movie, so it was with some reluctance that I saw the Coen Brothers’ version, and was pleasantly surprised. I then read the book and was struck by how closely they tried to follow it, keeping Mattie as the center of the story and using the same stilted antique dialog from the book.

    My reaction was that it was Mattie who was the one with “true grit”, not Rooster Cogburn, something that I did not get from the John Wayne version. Centering the girl is probably the reason I liked the latter version so much.

  217. 217.

    Ruckus

    @debbie:

    I live in Lost Angeles county. Sure the weather is decent, the smog is mostly gone, and quite a few of the 12 million residents are very nice and you get to play music constantly to cover up the sirens of the ambulances/fire trucks/police. (They were going off as I was typing this…..)

  218. 218.

    There go two miscreants

    @debbie: Rats, I was rooting for ‘Rona.

    Yep, me too. I was hoping for a Herman Cain Award for him. No qualms whatsoever.

  219. 219.

    MagdaInBlack

    The snow has begun, in NW Chi suburbs. oh. boy. Although, I’m really kind of glad its on a Saturday when I can watch it and not care.

    Let it snow.

  221. 221.

    J R in WV

    We had no fireworks, nor gunfire last night. Now the night before one next door neighbor actually fired his cannon ~!!~ Was an earth-shattering ka-BOOM sound, a shocking sound even with twisty hollows and a forest between us.

  230. 230.

    opiejeanne

    Happy New Year!

    My first grumble of the year: our retirement fund is playing silly buggers with when they deposit our monthly check to our account. Yes, today is a holiday, but what difference does that make when it’s all done electronically and automatically?

    The first time they pulled this stunt several years ago, our mortgage payment was set to go out automatically on the 1st of every month, and we got a sharp notice from our credit union. Thankfully, they didn’t charge us when we explained what had happened, and they allowed us to set the payment to go out on the 3rd of every month even though it’s due on the 1st. They’ve been really good to us; we do all of our banking with them and they hold the mortgage.

    I think this is the 4th time CalPers has done this, and most people just don’t have the extra cash to cover a big automatic payment like that. We didn’t, the first time it happened.

  231. 231.

    Ruckus

    @Cameron:

    The people that want to control Afghanistan are not looking to form a democracy, in any way shape or form. They want religious/power. Which is never good for the majority. It’s been and will likely be this way for a very long time. To stop this they have to be eliminated. And no one wants to do that because that will piss off other people because of the attack upon religion, and religious people in other countries, because religious persecution and it will be a forever war. The only way it gets solved is the people themselves have to do it. Any outside “meddling,” as we were doing, will only work if it brings a clean slate. Think about what clean slate means. This is an untenable situation and can only be solved internally or by a strictly authoritarian government. Anyone with more sense than a cantaloupe would never have gotten involved in the first place.

  236. 236.

    Geminid

    @Cameron: Releasing the Aghan government’s reserves to the Taliban is probematic politically, at least for now. But there is enough money around the world to keep the Aghan people from starving this winter. It would be pocket change for the Gulf Arab countries. I don’t know if the Taliban is standing in the way. They could be using the welfare of their own people as leverage for recognition. Most countries have withheld that.

    I feel like our country has an obligation in the long run to help those people, since we ended up doing a lot to hurt them. But it may be best in the short and medium term to let their neighbors and the rest of the world community step up to the task.

  238. 238.

    Ruckus

    @Soprano2:

    Also, shouldn’t we fix our own civilization issues before we attempt to tell and make the rest of the world adhere to what we supposedly think is the one true way?

  243. 243.

    Ksmiami

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): there was an article about this: it basically said that as we made a lot of technological progress, the emphasis on design has sort of been frozen since the 1990s… my wardrobe is a good example lol

  244. 244.

    opiejeanne

    @WaterGirl: I will do so, again, but the limit is 4 days, not 3.

    And when the first falls on a Sunday the money always shows up on that date.

    They must have caught hell for it after the first time they did that, 8 years ago, because they didn’t do it again for several years. The next time they gave people a warning  2 days in advance but are most people going to be able to cover it? While I know everyone should have that much available, I don’t think the majority do.

  245. 245.

    evodevo

    @Feathers: Eyes, too…your retinas are basically outgrowths of the brain…when they get near the body surface, the epidermis produces a lot of the rest of the eye, including the cornea…

  246. 246.

    evodevo

    @Ruckus: Yep…the only way to solve such a problem was what the Assyrians and the Babylonians did – exile the entire populace to another distant part of the empire, and repopulate the troubled region with a subdued people from yet another region…not something anyone nowadays will contemplate.  Not much of a solution…

  247. 247.

    Mike G

    Let’s think of some good things.

    Feb 2021:  Rush Limbaugh died.

    Jan 2022:  Rush Limbaugh is still dead.

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