Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This really is a full service blog.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

In after Baud. Damn.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

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

“But what about the lurkers?”

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Republicans in disarray!

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread 2

(John Deering via GoComics.com)

Reader Interactions

143Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Repeating myself:

    Investigators believe a man told his four-year-old child to fire a gun at officers following a dispute over his order at a McDonald’s drive-thru in suburban Salt Lake City on Monday, police said.
    ……………
    The unidentified man brandished a gun at the pick-up window at the restaurant in Midvale, Utah, demanding his order be corrected, said a spokeswoman for the Unified police department, Sgt Melody Cutler. After workers asked that he pull to a waiting area while they corrected his order, they called police, she said.

    The man did not cooperate and had to be pulled from the car, Cutler said. But as officers were taking the man into custody, one looked back and saw a gun pointing from a rear window, she said. The officer who swiped the gun to the side as it was fired also yelled “kid” to other officers after seeing how young the shooter was, Cutler said. A witness observed the man tell the four-year-old, who was in the backseat with a three-year-old sibling, to shoot the gun, Cutler said. She declined to elaborate.

    Gun culture is a sickness in America, right? According to the sheriff that had nothing to do with it:

    The Salt Lake county sheriff, Rosie Rivera, said it was a sad day for law enforcement and the community. “To have an adult think it is OK to encourage a four-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten,” she said.

    Yeah, that’s right. Telling cops they can’t shoot random unarmed black people and holding them responsible when they do is the reason for this.

  4. 4.

    Gin & Tonic

    For me there was a surprising element in the speech. There was nothing about geopolitics, global order, power. It was all a pogrom-like, racial screech about eliminating Ukraine as a nation— Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) February 21, 2022

  8. 8.

    NotMax

    Le sigh. Palm Beach Pravda.

    Trump’s Truth Social app was offered for download from the Apple App Store to a limited number of subscribers who had preordered, with others added to a waiting list to be given access over the next 10 days.

    The site encountered technical glitches shortly after launch, with reports that subscribers were shut out for hours. Others had trouble signing on. The site is not expected to be open to anyone who wants to download it until next month.
    [snip]
    According to Apple’s rankings, Truth Social was the top free app in the U.S. this morning, besting the “Talking Ben the Dog” children’s game, streaming service HBO Max, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.[*]
    [snip]
    Trump is hoping to tap into outrage over the social media bans to attract a broad audience to keep the stock rising — and possibly hand him hundreds of millions of dollars personally — but he faces significant challenges.

    None of alternative messaging platforms already open to public, such as Gettr and Parler, have been able to move beyond an echo chamber of conservative political commentary. Source

    *Those last five are mature services, so using fresh downloads of those apps as a metric of comparison is, to say the least, misleading.

  9. 9.

    guachi

    @Gin & Tonic: That’s such a pathetic response. Putin’s “sending peacekeepers” was such transparent nonsense I can’t believe anyone fell for it.

    Apparently there really are idiots in the White House who fell for it.

  10. 10.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Brianna Keilar @brikeilarcnn 53m
    “An invasion is an invasion and that is what is under way,” says WH Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer as Putin orders troops into Eastern Ukraine.

  15. 15.

    Gin & Tonic

    @schrodingers_cat: I have no idea, and never engage in alternate history speculation. It is irrelevant, as TFG is not, in fact, in office.

    What matters is the “sanctions” announced yesterday by TCG are meaningless.

  16. 16.

    Betty Cracker

    Even the liberal WSJ opinion page…

    Wisconsin GOP Suicide Watch
    Fantasies about undoing 2020 will help re-elect Gov. Tony Evers.

    Donald Trump’s delusions about the 2020 election are the gift that keeps on giving—to Democrats. “We don’t wear tinfoil hats,” says Wisconsin state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. Yet he is running for Governor while urging lawmakers to somehow “reclaim” the “fraudulent electoral ballots” that Wisconsin gave to President Biden.

    Where to begin? There is no legal route for a state to undo the Electoral College votes cast in December 2020 and counted on Jan. 6, 2021. Zero, zip, zilch. Even if Mr. Trump had won Wisconsin’s 10 electors, he still would have lost the White House.

    Tuesday Morning Open Thread 3

  21. 21.

    RSA

    @NotMax: I thought this was some nice shade thrown, though:

    Truth Social was the top free app in the U.S. this morning, besting the “Talking Ben the Dog” children’s game,

    …whether intentional or not.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    @Patricia Kayden: It is a remarkable turnaround from all the speculation we heard going into redistricting! Unfortunately, it’s not all bourbon and roses — in many states, districts are so damned gerrymandered in favor of Republicans already that local GOP crooks devoted resources to shoring existing badly drawn districts up rather than poaching new ones. But it seems we won’t be as sandbagged going into the elections as we thought, and that’s a good thing.

  24. 24.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    So Putin is going to invade, what he already stole, declare victory, end up eating a pile of sanctions, likely be bitching about the sorry ass state of the Russian economy next year. Suppose it beats WWIII.

  27. 27.

    Ken

    @NotMax: 2/22/22 calls for a random selection of duets

    Or a series of themed crimes culminating in the destruction of the Dynamic Duo!!!  — Harvey Dent

  29. 29.

    Taken4Granite

    I like the John Deering cartoon in the OP. It seems appropriate that VVP is standing on a box labeled “vodka”.

  32. 32.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Gin & Tonic: It is not alternate history to compare and contrast the current administration policies vs. the last one’s actions and draw inferences.

    Trump wanted to get the US out of NATO and had he been reelected he would most certainly not be leading any diplomatic effort against his best buddy. We have all seen how he behaved in the presence of Putin.

    What would be sanctions with teeth according to you?  Do you share  Adam’ opinion that sanctions never work. I remember you mentioning something about SWIFT transfers.

  33. 33.

    Barbara

    Since this is an open thread, I wanted to give a shout out to the “Venice” exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in DC for those looking for something to do in the area. It was fun and illuminating if a little contrived at times. And had some really great art.

  35. 35.

    hueyplong

    @NotMax: The good news re the apples-to-oranges measure of Trump’s initial traffic is that it will make the inevitable crash seem even more severe.

  39. 39.

    hueyplong

    @schrodingers_cat: I’ve seen G&T’s list of actions and they seem legit and not Dr Strangelove-ish.  I think Biden is saving those for the next round but G&T (and probably Adam) scoff at that.  They know more than I do though my layman’s read is that they’re nearing the point of becoming invested in the idea of Biden failing us (and, of course, Ukraine).

    For the wannabe optimists, I think both of them are probably mildly and pleasantly surprised at Germany’s reported intent to take real action.

  42. 42.

    Gin & Tonic

    @schrodingers_cat: The sanctions that were announced yesterday by the US prohibit foreign investment in the “DNR” and “LNR” – which is non-existent. Even if there were any such economic activity, sanctions would be affecting the occupied territories, not the occupier.

    Cut off currency transfers. Revoke all visas. PNG the oligarchs and their families. Halt air traffic. Plenty can be done if there’s the stomach for it.

  44. 44.

    Sloane Ranger

    To be fair to Boris Johnson (hard I know, but I’m trying), he did say that the sanctions he’s just imposed are only the start and more are in the pipeline. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s true, and what any further sanctions consist of.

    Though, if he’d announced that the Tories would refuse any further donations from Russian Oligarchs, I might be more inclined to believe him.

  45. 45.

    Spanky

    Start the popcorn a-poppin’.

    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Maryland State Police say they are aware of a planned cross-country trucker convoy calling for the reopening of the country that’s set to arrive in the Washington D.C. area next month.

    Michael Ricci, a spokesperson with Gov. Larry Hogan’s office, released the statement from the agency, saying police are aware of the protests and will be monitoring the convoy as it moves across the country.

    “State police are coordinating with public safety partners in neighboring states and will be ready to respond appropriately with adequate resources to ensure the free flow of traffic throughout the routes of travel,” police said.

    Truckers WJZ spoke with said they’re looking to make their voices heard.

    “We have no union we have no representation for people to stand for all the other truck drivers,” said Nehat Ismani, a trucker of five years. “I’m hoping they do go out there, I’m hoping they stand there as long as they could until they run their diesel tanks empty, just to get that point across. Let them know we’re here to help the country out.”

    Ismani said he can’t afford to take a week off to protest, but he hopes others do.

  51. 51.

    Ken

    @hueyplong: I pity the person who, around Thursday, has to tell Trump that he’s once again being outsold by “Talking Ben the Dog”.

    Well, I’d pity them if they hadn’t decided to work for Trump.

  57. 57.

    hueyplong

    @Gin & Tonic: It’s probably impossible to know, but do you suspect that the requisite level of pressure on the oligarchs would cause them to move on Putin?  Obviously, such hopes didn’t come to fruition wrt some prior supervillains (Hitler, Stalin, etc.).

  58. 58.

    Baud

    @Spanky:

    Ismani said he can’t afford to take a week off to protest, but he hopes others do, so he can take the business that they would have gotten.

  59. 59.

    Spanky

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    “We will be along the beltway, where the beltway will be shut down.” said trucker Bob Bolus, an organizer. “If they can’t get to work, jeez that’s too bad.”

    This dude has no idea that if he does this, he’ll be begging the police to come for him.

  62. 62.

    schrodingers_cat

    @NotMax: Yep. BC and other BJers and many on the left were upset when Biden was polite to Turtle and praised him a bit and concluded that he was naïve.

    As if one gets elected President by being naïve.  Don’t forget the same crew (leftie Twitter and the MSM )had written him off in favor of their favorites (EW and BS)

  64. 64.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Spanky:

    “I’m hoping they do go out there, I’m hoping they stand there as long as they could until they run their diesel tanks empty, just to get that point across. Let them know we’re here to help the country out.”

    This is a couple of points short of even an Underpants Gnome theory of protest

  66. 66.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: What are you waiting for? Start taking credit for it now, it will make for a hell of an ad in your presidential campaign.

    “I’m Baud, and I ended Covid.”

  67. 67.

    Roger Moore

    @Ken:

    Truth Social, or any social media that’s designed for people of only one political persuasion, is an incredibly dumb idea.  What’s the fun of a social media platform if there aren’t any libs to own?  More broadly, unless everyone you know is a Trump bot, you’re going to have to be on at least one other social media platform to interact with everyone.  Network effects are going to push users toward the platform with more people, so deliberately limiting your platform is an insane place to start.

  70. 70.

    Baud

    @Roger Moore:

    Network effects are going to push users toward the platform with more people, so deliberately limiting your platform is an insane place to start.

    But it’s a great way to keep a blog from crossing the magic top 10,000 mark and attracting a bunch of riff raff.

  72. 72.

    thalarctosMaritimus

    @Gin & Tonic:

    What matters is the “sanctions” announced yesterday by TCG are meaningless.

    I googled TCG sanctions but nothing relevant came up. What is TCG?

  75. 75.

    dmsilev

    I get emails…

    I’ve created a new way of understanding the Universe called The Paradigm of Numeric Types. It applies to cosmology and biology, overthrows physics cosmology, and allows us to access knowledge about the Universe that we couldn’t otherwise obtain. The following is derived from the paradigm:

    “There are 254 types of sub-atomic particles in the hydrogen atom and a maximum of 121 elements which exist in 9 of the 11 types of planets. This is represented by 254 à [21] ß(9), where [21] contains 121 representing the maximum number of elements and (9) represents the number of planets which contain the 121 elements and the elements are based on the hydrogen atom. This means that 2 of the 4 gas planets within our solar system contain the 121 elements. With 4 at [3] contained in [3] representing the 4 gas planets, and 11 in 11 à [3] representing the 11 gas elements, 2 of the gas planets must have cores.

    The 254 types of sub-atomic particles of the hydrogen atom relate to its three isotopes of protium, deuterium and tritium. For the proton to attract neutrons through the absorption and emission of photons requires that it have a greater absorption and emission capacity then the neutron. Of the sub-atomic particles, the proton contains 121 and the neutron 111. This sees the electron containing 22.

    In accordance with the universal law of matter, the 121 elements also have a derivation of EM radiation which is represented by 137 at [16] in 137 à [15], where 121 is contained in [15], and 137 represents the maximum number of photons in the maximum density of EM radiation.

    Is 7:30 AM too early to start drinking? Because being sloshed out of my mind is the only way that this would make even a tiny bit of sense.

  76. 76.

    Yarrow

    Won’t be holding my breath for the British to impose significant sanctions.

    The PM told the House that Roman Abramovich has already been sanctioned. He hasn’t. It’s untrue.— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) February 22, 2022

  80. 80.

    Sloane Ranger

    @Gin & Tonic: I’ve also been thinking of other things that might make life difficult for the Russians in the separatist regions and their “governments”.

    I think you or someone else once said that these regions are economically devastated and that the Ukrainian government was still paying pensions and other State allowances to residents there, who were dependant on them for survival. What if the the Ukrainian government was to announce that there was some reason why the physical presence of Russian troops there made that impossible. I’m sure that someone could gin up a reason that sounds vaguely believable. They could add that the people there shouldn’t worry, the money they’re owed will be kept in the bank and paid out just as soon as they’ve found a work around.  If that went on for long enough, the “authorities” there and/or the Russians would find themselves under pressure to financially support those who had lost out.

    If the US and/or NATO wanted to be more aggressive without kicking off a war, they could set up a front organisation of Ukrainian expats, which could be used to hire ex-SEALS, SAS or similar as mercenaries to cause mayhem. This would give the necessary deniability. I have no training in military matters, but the the CIA has previous for doing this kind of thing.

  81. 81.

    Baud

    FWIW, we should know more by the end of the day.

    The United States is coordinating with allies and will announce new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday after Moscow recognized two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent and sent “peacekeeping” forces there, U.S. officials said on Monday.
    “Tomorrow, the United States will impose sanctions on Russia for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters after a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday evening.

  82. 82.

    dmsilev

    @hueyplong: It’s crankery. I get a fair number of such things, usually just ignore/delete, but this one was at least amusing. Another small excerpt:

    “The inner most core of the hydrogen atom, in being split from the rest of the sub-atomic particle structure, is the only place in the Universe which is a self-contained process of matter absorbing and emitting photons. Other than the Universe itself.”

  87. 87.

    Betty Cracker

    @schrodingers_cat: Since you called me out by (fake) initials, I’ll stand by what I said then — it was stupid and counterproductive of Biden to publicly praise McConnell as a truth-teller and honorable man. I heard the eleventy-dimensional-chess justifications, and they all sound like horse shit to me.

    Naive people can’t get elected president? LOL! Let’s roll the tape. GWB anybody? Donald Fucking Trump? Please. But even presidents who are good and smart and strategic overall can be naive in certain areas.

    Your point seems to be that Biden is a better president than Trump. Duh. We all know that. But he’s not almighty God, and it’s not blasphemy to voice criticism where warranted.

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Patricia Kayden: Hopefully they will tack the federal sentence onto the end of their state sentences so that they have to do their time in state facilities first. I can’t say for sure but I suspect Georgia prisons are a lot less comfortable than federal prisons.

  93. 93.

    Jerzy Russian

    @MattF:   Same here.  Most of the letters were such that simply being wrong would have been an improvement.  Those were the days…

  94. 94.

    Mike in NC

    The local rag had an op-ed entitled, “Conservatives, Don’t Give Up On College” by some AEI pinhead. Apparently more and more right-wingers don’t want heir kids to go to college because something something. Better to have them spend their careers pumping gas at a filling station in Hooterville.

  95. 95.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Betty Cracker: Fake initials? Betty Cracker == BC for short, if that offends you I will stop.

    I don’t think Trump is naïve.

    Your point seems to be that Biden is a better president than Trump. Duh. We all know that. But he’s not almighty God, and it’s not blasphemy to voice criticism where warranted.

    You will get no disagreement from me. Its not blasphemy to criticize Biden. I just didn’t agree with that particular criticism

    To get elected President you need to have good political instincts and both GWB and Biden have it. There are plenty of intelligent people who could not get themselves elected as their Town selectman.

  97. 97.

    Cermet

    @guachi: Oh please; their response was and is more sensible. Sanctions – ones with teeth – should be reserved for a real invasion of Ukraine. The Ukraine State ceded that region long ago to the ‘rebels’. These professional regular Russian solders … I mean rebels, have occupied that region for well over a decade. That is no more an invasion then acknowledgment of reality of the situation. Biden, for once, is playing it very smart.

  101. 101.

    Soprano2

    @Spanky: Real truck drivers can’t afford to take a week off for a protest, that’s for sure. It made me wonder about the thing in Canada from the beginning. Were those real truck drivers, or people with rigs who used to be drivers?

  102. 102.

    Cermet

    @Sloane Ranger: The russians are beyond brutal when it comes to insurgency (just ask Chechens that tried that and there aren’t many still alive. Nor their family members – that isn’t something any sane person should desire) and frankly, the CIA records in that area has been bad  to disastrous (Bay of Pigs).

  107. 107.

    J R in WV

    @Spanky: ​
     

    “We have no union we have no representation for people to stand for all the other truck drivers,” said Nehat Ismani, a trucker of five years.

    I will cut Mr. Ismani a tiny break as it appears he isn’t from here, but Truckers DO have a union, and it’s called the Teamsters.

    I hear from Wife’s union pals the Teamsters actually do a pretty good job of representing Truckers more recently, as well as lots of other sorts of workers.

    A shame Ismani doesn’t see Teamster literature at every truck stop!

    And of course the RWNJs fomenting these convoys have no more interest in helping workers and truckers than I have in helping Trump’s newest scam succeed. I think the unit of measurement would be piconanometers?

  108. 108.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Cermet: Shit, I’m so old I can remember when you were arguing that Putin’s actions were somehow to do with NATO expansion – a subject he mentioned exactly zero times in his speech yesterday.

  109. 109.

    Soprano2

    @Betty Cracker: Happy birthday to a fellow February birthday holder! Mine is Thursday, hubby’s is tomorrow, so we’re having our birthday on Wednesday unless the storm currently heading this way drops a lot of ice and snow. I’m not willing to cancel until something actually happens, because the last forecast of a “monster storm” was a nothingburger.

  111. 111.

    guachi

    @Cermet: LOL.

    There’s some nice Russian apologia. I’m actually honored I was a target of your propaganda.

    Russian troops are in sovereign Ukraine territory against the will of Ukraine. It’s an invasion and an escalation.

  116. 116.

    geg6

    @Mike in NC: ​
     
    Because, apparently, their kids get liberal/progressive/Democrat cooties and tell their parents what assholes they are for being anti-vaxx, racist, idiotic MAGAs. Sad.

  117. 117.

    Urza

    @Mike in NC: Yea, but have you seen the conservatives that do go to college?  Tell me that isn’t wasted money when they come out just as idiotic as the gas station guy.

  119. 119.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Gin & Tonic: Of the sanctions I have seen announced so far, only Germany’s actually have teeth. The US and UK gave pablum. The WaPo even has a story about how the White House can’t decide if yesterday’s invasion was actually an invasion. “Opinions differ.” And no, the byline on the story is *not* DougJBalloon.

    From the WaPo:

    the administration official repeatedly refused to say whether Putin’s decision to send “peacekeeping” troops into the two Russian-backed separatist areas constituted a red-line invasion in the eyes of the Biden administration.

    I don’t see a reason why the U.S. should dither on sanctions.  Whatever sanctions we would in response to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we should go ahead and do, now.  Just because Russia’s already had troops operating undercover in those provinces doesn’t mean nothing’s changed.  This is the open assertion of the right to move as many troops there as they want to, and they’re going to be there in force in the next few days.  This is a Big Fucking Deal, as our President might say.

    And the sanctions should start with the oligarchs.  Any wealth they have in U.S. real estate or in U.S. banks or stocks, should be frozen.  If they’re in the U.S., they shouldn’t be allowed on an airplane or ship, or to cross a land border.  Hit ’em where it hurts.

  120. 120.

    Betty Cracker

    Thanks for the birthday greetings, all!

    @schrodingers_cat: Didn’t mean to imply I’m offended by the use of my fake initials — not at all! We’ll have to agree to disagree on whether sound political instincts / low cunning, etc., preclude naivety. I think they can and do frequently coexist. Also, thanks for the birthday wishes! :)

    @Soprano2: My hubby’s birthday is also in February. Pisces rule! :)

  121. 121.

    J R in WV

    @JAFD:

    My dad started the first FM radio station in W — he made it a mostly Classical music station, with some jazz and big band music, had actual big studios with acoustic walls. Then there was a strike at the family business, just as it started to break even.

    Happy birthday to Betty Cracker, also one of my favorites here at the B-J community!! Also all the other February natal day folks. I know about shitty weather on your birthday, mine is V close to New Year’s, tho I will confess February has more universally shitty weather.

  122. 122.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @geg6: @Mike in NC:

    Because, apparently, their kids get liberal/progressive/Democrat cooties and tell their parents what assholes they are for being anti-vaxx, racist, idiotic MAGAs. Sad.

    Yep. Plus, once some of them leave, they never come back (except holidays and funerals). They often become less religious. They would rather hold their children back than let them evolve.

  123. 123.

    geg6

    @Betty Cracker:

    Have a great birthday, Betty!  My John celebrates his on Friday.  He’ll be 75.  Only a dozen years older than me.  And of course I don’t tease him about that!  Heh.

  126. 126.

    Ken

    @Baud: @OzarkHillbilly: The virus, having neither eyes nor mouth, couldn’t stare back and reply; but if it could it would say “I throw off trillions of mutants every second, and only have to be lucky once.”

  127. 127.

    Ken

    @dmsilev: Number theory is the same as numerology, right?

    It sometimes comes up with results that make me think so.  Even the mathematicians recognize this, and use names like “Monstrous Moonshine”, which was proved using the “No-Ghost Theorem”.

  131. 131.

    Soprano2

    @geg6: OK this is weird, because my husband is also John and he’s also going to be 75 just on Wednesday, and there’s 14 years difference between us (I’m younger LOL). I still wonder how many people who don’t know us think I’m his daughter, because I look a lot younger than my age.

  132. 132.

    hueyplong

    @Soprano2: For the first time in forever I noticed what appeared to be one of those spouts for rolling coal on a pickup last Saturday.  Couldn’t help but wonder how much the rube had spent installing it.  I haven’t actually seen the black blast of whatever in years.

  133. 133.

    NotMax

    @JAFD

    Transistor tuned to WOR (710 on the AM dial) on weeknights for years and years to listen to Jean Shepherd.

    Then twirled that dial at 11 p.m. to WMCA to hear Barry Gray.

  134. 134.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Mike in NC: In 2017 when the Republicans were hashing out their big tax bill, I got into a Facebook argument about a provision that would tax the tuition waivers provided to many grad students on teaching or research assistantships as regular income. I pointed out that this would effectively destroy graduate education as we know it, since that tuition waver is often nominally much more valuable than the stipends actually being paid out to the grad students.

    Someone else replied, more or less “Good. The colleges have gotten so liberal I don’t know where I would send my kid, and I’m tired of the students doing nothing but riot all the time.”

  136. 136.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Jerzy Russian: There was a punk band in Vancouver in the 80’s called DOA whose lead singer/guitarist was named Joey Shithead. Disappointingly, not his real name.

  140. 140.

    Citizen Alan

    @Eunicecycle:  Actually, they have with some regularity, usually caused by white frat boys either happy or angry over some sports-related event. The most destructive college riot I can recall in recent years was at Penn State when the students took umbrage over the head football coach getting fired for not reporting a pedophile on his staff.

  141. 141.

    Gravenstone

    @dmsilev: “The inner most core of the hydrogen atom, in being split from the rest of the sub-atomic particle structure, is the only place in the Universe which is a self-contained process of matter absorbing and emitting photons. Other than the Universe itself.”

    blink

     

    blink blink

     

    Huh? Waaaaaah?

  142. 142.

    Ruckus

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:

    Evolution looks forward to the possibilities.

    DeEvolution keeps things from changing, which happens anyway but takes longer, but change would require actually paying attention rather than walking around with their heads up their asses. And some seem to be rather comfortable in the dark with a smell they recognize…..

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