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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Thursday Evening Open Thread: Getting Ahead of the Upcoming Regime Change

Thursday Evening Open Thread: Getting Ahead of the Upcoming Regime Change

by Anne Laurie|  April 28, 20226:02 pm| 130 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Trump Crime Cartel, social media

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“Well bitches I’m back on Twitter,” Stone bragged on Telegram early Thursday morning. “I’m anxious to see how strong Elon Musk’s commitment to free speech is.”

Then he was banned within minutes—again.https://t.co/L9xe6oFhpX

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 28, 2022

First your buddy gets his grubby little paws on the office keys, then you flaunt your reinstatement…

…After the new account, @RogerStoneUSA, was connected to the self-described “dirty trickster,” he was banned within minutes—again.

“The account referenced was permanently suspended for violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically our ban evasion policy,” a Twitter spokesperson told The Daily Beast…

In 2017, Stone was initially banned from Twitter after hurling a series of vulgarities at CNN hosts on the platform…

Yes, it’s another one of Stone’s self-aggrandizing publicity stunts. But it gives me an excuse to post this video:

lolololololol https://t.co/ZRDMrLQkow pic.twitter.com/sXOiAJ8CNM

— mayor of clown town (@linguangst) April 26, 2022

They missed the pigpoopballs aficionados. Can’t have a shiny new social media platform without japesters immediately posting barnyard photos, for the lulz.

for once a times tweet pretty much captures it https://t.co/ii76RMSsS3

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 26, 2022

And that’s why I’m pretty sure the “sale” will never be consummated, because it’s one thing to be King Manbaby, and a whole different thing to be Catspaw to All the Manbabies. It’s no fun if you’re not “in charge”…

People are terrified that me and the boys (from my 4chan crew) are going to get together and do free speech (find a random minority on Twitter and deluge them with racial slurs). https://t.co/CQAkiz6Aj1

— Centrism Fan Acct ?? (@Wilson__Valdez) April 26, 2022

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Reader Interactions

130Comments

  1. 1.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    I’ve expressed doubts about the deal from the beginning.

  2. 2.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    greenwald’s threat to unmask garbageape is so good when you consider doxed RW guys always turn out to be friends of Bannon whose German-Argentinian parents sent them to Eton for a degree in Landlordery and ours are just like, line cook, bike messenger, bike messenger, podcaster,

    — debdrens (@debdrens) April 28, 2022

  3. 3.

    VeniceRiley

    April 28, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Same. He’s going to be off in a huff before too long.

  4. 4.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    One of my favorite weird experiments in non-genre comics is EC Comics' 1955 post-witch hunt "new direction" series ~Psychonalysis~ which contained completely straight stories about people just… talking to their therapist pic.twitter.com/Lye3Pijq7T

    — funkle (@CraigEvil) April 27, 2022

  5. 5.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    A few of the reasons why Elon Musk can be expected to scrap plans to acquire Twitter: he has never done anything he said he was going to, and why would he start now

    — BooDoo (@BooDooPerson) April 27, 2022

  6. 6.

    Another Scott

    April 28, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    In other news, which CherylRofer is no doubt monitoring this and saying “I told you so, long ago”, …

    Eyebrow-raiser in yesterday's Senate Armed Forces strategic forces hearing: @NNSANews Administrator Jill Hruby says casting brand new plutonium pits (the agency's avowed No. 1 priority) is a "hedge" against aging weapons.

    38:45 on the tape, give or take: https://t.co/oUOToyjn7D pic.twitter.com/Hr0FIXVy5t

    — Dan Leone (@Leone_EXM) April 28, 2022

    It’s long past time we took our treaty obligations under the NPT seriously:

    Article VI

    Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.

    We need to make it happen, and it would make sense to do so before spending yet more zillions of dollars on weapons that we know will not make the world safer…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  7. 7.

    Martin

    April 28, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    So, someone was arguing the other day that anonymity favors the little guy. Since the Twitter deal went down, 10s of thousands of bot accounts are being created daily to boost conservative account follows which helps amplify them in algorithms. The little guys are once again getting drowned out by the volume of fake humans that only the big guys can muster. This cycle will repeat indefinitely so long as anonymity is the driving force behind social media.

  8. 8.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    I am so tired of having to think about this asshole for even a single second.

    OT hive-mind question for the cat parents among us: Is carrageenan bad for cats? I was going to buy some froufrou wet food for my cat’s upcoming birthday and glanced at the reviews for a particular product, and one person said she was upset to find out when she received it that it had carrageenan, because it’s toxic/carcinogenic for cats. I Googled around but all I see are blog posts on sites that look, let’s say, not exactly professional. Is this stuff bad enough that you shouldn’t feed them anything with it even occasionally? Or would it not be harmful if it’s not a regular part of their diet?

  9. 9.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    @Alison Rose ???:

    One ingredient that has caught my attention lately is carrageenan.  If one does a PubMed search of carrageenan, they will find many references to “carrageenan-induced inflammation” which is very disturbing in light of how common IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) is in cats.

    Unfortunately, many commercial canned products contain carrageenan.  If your cat has chronic diarrhea or vomiting, I suggest trying to find a food without this ingredient listed but just know that your choices will be limited.

    https://catinfo.org/

  10. 10.

    scav

    April 28, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    Poor far right loons.  All their Lords and Saviors talk big and vanish with swag.

  11. 11.

    Martin

    April 28, 2022 at 6:23 pm

    @Another Scott: pursue negotiations in good faith

    How do you think that’s going to go with Putin? Maintaining a functional nuclear arsenal of comparable scale is the only leverage that has ever worked with Russia/USSR.

  12. 12.

    sdhays

    April 28, 2022 at 6:23 pm

    @germy: I had no idea who “garbageape” is, but apparently it’s someone spreading false (?) information about Glenn online?

  13. 13.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    @sdhays:

    The account is an anonymous one that makes fun of the far right loons.

  14. 14.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    @Alison Rose ???:

    https://betterwithcats.net/best-cat-food-without-carrageenan/

    I try to avoid it.  It’s in some of the brands found in grocery stores, like friskies and 9-lives.  Our cat gets it occasionally, but not every day.  Shouldn’t be  a problem if served only occasionally.

    I’ve been buying Merrick brand wet food and tiki cat wet food, both carrageenan-free.

  15. 15.

    eclare

    April 28, 2022 at 6:30 pm

    @germy:   I had never even heard of this ingredient, but I feed my cats the occasional treat of wet food and have never noticed a problem

    I would think as a birthday treat it would be ok.

  16. 16.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 28, 2022 at 6:31 pm

    @Martin: There’s a difference between anonymity and bots. Wanting to remain anonymous on a platform is understandable for many reasons, safety probably foremost. It doesn’t mean you’re a fake human or want to do something nefarious.

    Credit card companies don’t issue accounts to fake humans…except for cases of fraud. That social media doesn’t police fake accounts seems the issue to me.

  17. 17.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    @eclare:

    Yes, shouldn’t be a problem as a treat.

    catinfo.org is a good site.  I wish I’d known about it years ago. And it’s WereBear approved.

  18. 18.

    Brachiator

    April 28, 2022 at 6:34 pm

    The current episode of the podcast This Week in Google discussed how Twitter might change now that it’s got Musk on it. One guest noted that it was important for some people to have anonymous accounts.

    Another guest praised parody Twitter accounts, especially DougJBalloon.

  19. 19.

    Kay

    April 28, 2022 at 6:37 pm

    Matt Grossmann
    @MattGrossmann
    ·17m
    The status quo moves leftward over time. Republicans have moved further right than Democrats have moved left relative to that moving status quo (roll call metrics are tied to a left moving agenda). But Republicans perceive that as Dems moving while they stand still

    What were their perceptions when they stormed the capitol, gutted the Voting Rights Act, announced they wanted to abolish public schools and ignored 60 years of settled law on abortion?

    This is just nonsense. It was front page news when John McCain was running and seemed wobbly on an abortion exception for a woman’s health. Now they are passing laws disallowing a health, incest and rape exception. That’s what I “perceive” except my perception is based on looking at what they do instead looking at a graph.

    When Clarence Thomas rewrites the 14th amendment and the attorney general of Michigan is removing all the voting machines because they’re hooked up “to China” these people are still going to be telling us that “the woke Left” are the radicals. WTF is it gonna take? Is it that they all live in blue areas? Have they heard from the crop of GOP candidates who are running this cycle? They’re all calling teachers pedophiles.

  20. 20.

    eclare

    April 28, 2022 at 6:38 pm

    @germy:   Thanks!  No more Friskies here.

  21. 21.

    burnspbesq

    April 28, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Apparently (I haven’t read the agreement, but have seen this reported in multiple outlets I trust), it would cost Elon $1 billion to walk. That’s the biggest bust-up fee I’ve ever seen.

  22. 22.

    Another Scott

    April 28, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    @Alison Rose ???: I would be very suspicious of any claims about almost any food ingredient these days.  There’s too much bad-faith screeching out there and too little actual evidence.

    Carrageenan is a thickening agent produced from seaweed. It replaces gelatin. It’s been used for hundreds of years.

    QuickandDirtyTips:

    For example, the anti-carrageenan folks point out that carrageenan is routinely used to induce inflammation in animals as a way of testing various anti-inflammatory drugs. While this is true, the protocol calls for injecting carrageenan into the animals, not feeding it to them. There are many substances which are harmless when eaten but would be irritating or dangerous if injected.

    It’s also claimed that feeding carrageenan to lab animals induces severe intestinal inflammation and ulcers. However, an independent review of these studies found that the substance used was not food-grade carageenan but a degraded form that is known to be toxic.

    More at the link.

    (via ScientificAmerican)

    My $0.02. HTH a little. Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  23. 23.

    trollhattan

    April 28, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    @VeniceRiley:

    Actual huffing may be involved. Paint dries faster that way.

  24. 24.

    Ken

    April 28, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot: I’m sure New Twitter™ will craft a policy that addresses the issue sensibly. For example, banning anonymity for real humans because free speech includes taking the consequences, but allowing it for bots because they aren’t really speaking.

  25. 25.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    @eclare:

    Our cat is a junk food junkie.  She loves friskies, 9-lives, all the bargain brands except for the Aldi one.  Anything with wheat, meat by-products, gravy… she goes crazy for.

    She refuses some of the pricier, healthy brands.  But she likes Tiki Cat, Merrick and a few others.

  26. 26.

    trollhattan

    April 28, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    @eclare:

    Isn’t changing a cat’s food without their permission basically a death wish?

  27. 27.

    evodevo

    April 28, 2022 at 6:46 pm

    @Alison Rose ???: ​
      carageenan is just a plant product derived from seaweed that is used as a thickener in various foods, human and pet…used as a substitute for gelatin in vegan dishes

  28. 28.

    Tom Levenson

    April 28, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    @trollhattan: Tikka frowns on change. Champ doesn’t care what you serve her as long as you do so early and often.

    Cats differ!

  29. 29.

    burnspbesq

    April 28, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    @Kay:

    the attorney general of Michigan is removing all the voting machines because they’re hooked up “to China”

    Not gonna happen. Nessel’s going to get re-elected.

  30. 30.

    Kay

    April 28, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    Donald Trump’s massive tax cut for wealthy people. Left or Right? Is that even a question? I don’t know- maybe Nate Silver can let me know when the “woke Left” passes their matching huge tax increase. Seeing how radical they are and knowing that they run the country, I would have assumed it happened already.

    The Clean Air Act was signed by President Richard Nixon on December 31, 1970 to foster the growth of a strong American economy and industry while improving human health and the environment.

    You can’t even imagine one GOP Senator voting for it today. None of them would. They can’t even leave National Parks alone. Can’t wait to get their grubby hands on those.

  31. 31.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    @Martin: And there is no way to remove bots while enabling anonymity?  I tend to doubt that.

  32. 32.

    Doc Sardonic

    April 28, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    @Alison Rose ???: Having had a few cats with digestive issues and/or IBD carrageenan is a good ingredient to avoid when possible, since it is a polysaccharide derivative from red seaweed. It is mainly used as a thickener or emulsifier and for some cats it can be an inflammation booster. It might be Ok for your cat but watch for changes in bowel habits or nausea/vomiting. Personally, I just avoid food that has it, there are other thickening agents that can be less problematic.

  33. 33.

    phdesmond

    April 28, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    @Alison Rose ???:

    here’s a SciAm article about it.

    the only thing that alarms me right away is that carrageenan is a traditional ingredient in British cuisine.

  34. 34.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    @germy: Thanks. I checked the stuff I give her daily and it’s not in there, and this would basically be two servings on her birthday. I might poke around and see if I can find something else without it, but it’s tricky because I have to do everything by mail/delivery, and they don’t always list full ingredients online (which seems messed up!).

  35. 35.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    @Doc Sardonic: It would only be a one-time thing, but I might see if there are other options!

  36. 36.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    @phdesmond: LOLOL. To quote Poirot, the English do not have the cuisine, they have the food.

  37. 37.

    debbie

    April 28, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    @evodevo:

    Ice cream, even.

  38. 38.

    eclare

    April 28, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    @trollhattan:   Not here, my cats do not discriminate against any food.

  39. 39.

    evodevo

    April 28, 2022 at 6:55 pm

    @evodevo: Or, what Another Scott said…

  40. 40.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 6:58 pm

    I always need to bring my reading glasses to the pet food store because the cat food can labels are often so tiny.  One day I forgot my glasses and picked up a few cans of what I thought was her regular food, but it was the “sensible weight” version.

    She took one sniff and did  a litterbox digging pantomime over it.  That pantomime means “This is shit.”

  41. 41.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    @germy: haha I miss that

  42. 42.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 28, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    d’oh! wrong thread

  43. 43.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    @debbie:

    It’s in a lot of foods, but cats are weird and their stomachs are sensitive.   They’re obligate carnivores and too many cat food ingredients are just cheap fillers to boost the manufacturer’s bottom line.

  44. 44.

    CliosFanBoy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    @Ken: I rather hope “New Twitter” works out as well as “New Coke” did./

  45. 45.

    Elizabelle

    April 28, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    @Another Scott:   Speaking of Cheryl Rofer, and speaking of Elon Musk:

    one of my favorite columnists, Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times, quoted a Cheryl post at LGM for his article 3 days ago on Musk’s offer to buy Twitter.  Have meant to share it, but have not been around much.  Hiltzik has also quoted David Anderson in a column about healthcare a few years ago; think MH might be a lurking jackal. As might be Jen Rubin.

    Anyway: Column: Here’s the danger for Twitter in Elon Musk’s view of free speech absolutism

    There seem to be almost as many opinions about whether Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter will be good for the platform or bad as there are Twitter users (about 206 million, at last count).

    So let’s stipulate that nobody knows whether Musk will be good or bad for Twitter. It all depends on which policies he decides to implement as the platform’s owner, and how.

    … The problem for open platforms such as Twitter and Facebook is that abusive and extremist users drive others away by drowning them out or forcing them to vacate.

    This is sometimes known as the “heckler’s veto,” but that’s a relatively mild way of referring to someone being shouted down at a public speech. Online, it can be far, far more offensive, especially in a forum such as Twitter where users can hide behind pseudonyms.

    It isn’t always easy to implement countermeasures, as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have found. “I’ve created a space in which I can follow experts in foreign policy, the COVID pandemic, open-source intelligence, and a wide variety of science topics,” the physicist and environmentalist Cheryl Rofer wrote Monday, following the announcement of Musk’s deal for Twitter. “In turn, I share expertise in nuclear and chemistry issues and my thoughts on international relations.”

    Rofer wrote, “I block readily and limit replies to my tweets” to cull out trolls. She says, “I’ve done that relatively recently and am not pleased that it limits meeting new people, but there were too many garbage replies.”

    Rofer is quite properly concerned that free speech absolutism “means that bullies and loudmouths like Musk are free to take over the platform, issuing death threats to those who disagree with them…. Dis- and misinformation are hardly absent from Twitter, but removing the restraints that have been applied will flood the zone.”

    … The truth is that “free speech absolutism” doesn’t exist as a virtue in the real world. Every public square places limits on speech, explicitly through posted rules or implicitly through self-regulation by its users.

    An absolutist environment will become dominated by the loudest loudmouths, more likely than not those with nothing of value to offer the community except higher decibels than anyone else. If Musk truly is committed to improving the Twitter experience, he will need to tread very carefully in refashioning its rules of discourse, absolutely.

  46. 46.

    CarolPW

    April 28, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    @Alison Rose ???: Chicken liver or shrimp. It’s her birthday, go big.

    ETA: Human grade, not cat food.

  47. 47.

    WereBear

    April 28, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    @Alison Rose ???:  This link discusses actual studies.

    https://iandloveandyou.com/blogs/pet-blog/is-carrageenan-dangerous-for-pets

    At this point everyone is reacting to inflammation in the test tube with colon cells, which the cat would make contact with as it makes its way.

    No one knows, but I’d compare brands that use it to brands that don’t. If it’s not in the deluxe brands, likely there’s a better alternative.

    I try not to go too cheap.

  48. 48.

    WereBear

    April 28, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    @germy: Thanks, she’s the tops.

  49. 49.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    @WereBear:

    I was buying “I and Love and You” for a while, but I no longer see it on the shelves.  I thought maybe it was discontinued.

    I’m glad to see you back here!  I thought you’d stopped commenting.

  50. 50.

    Wapiti

    April 28, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    @Elizabelle: That reminds me of Ta-nehisi Coates’ time in social media. On his blog (I think with the Atlantic) he was phenomenal, but he expected people to “do the readings”. I never commented because most of the topics were outside my expertise and way above my level. He was great on Twitter, but he didn’t control the platform, and just seemed to have to spend a huge amount of time dealing with hecklers that added nothing. It was a huge loss when he departed from twitter.

  51. 51.

    WereBear

    April 28, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    @germy: You convinced me I need to do a post on it! Thank you.

    Now I must get back to my DAW and finish tomorrow’s post. I now read the article as audio, with the blog post the transcript.

    Here is Wednesday’s. Starts with Lou Costello purring.

    Dear Pammy, My cat is bad on purpose

  52. 52.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    @Wapiti:

    I just finished reading his novel Water Dancer and I really enjoyed it

  53. 53.

    The Moar You Know

    April 28, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    There’s a difference between anonymity and bots.

    @Sure Lurkalot: not to software.  To you, perhaps.

  54. 54.

    Hob

    April 28, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot: There’s more than one reason why flooding social media with bots is somewhat easier than fraudulently applying for credit cards. Some of it is undoubtedly due to the companies not caring enough about it… but preventing online services from getting spammed, when there isn’t really another well-established business infrastructure (like banking) to validate against, is really hard to do. My wife worked in the anti-fraud department of a online business for years and saw how dedicated these assholes are, and how many constantly-adjusted layers of prevention are necessary. Yes the company does have to be motivated to take prevention seriously, but it is not nearly as simple as you may think from your credit card example.

  55. 55.

    JPL

    April 28, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    @The Moar You Know: Do bots know they’re anonymous ?

  56. 56.

    Another Scott

    April 28, 2022 at 7:26 pm

    @Martin: Negotiations take years.  Start the process.  Putin (and Xi) won’t be around forever.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  57. 57.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:26 pm

    @JPL:

    I thought bots were identifiable because they generate more spam in a short amount of time than any anonymous human could.

  58. 58.

    Martin

    April 28, 2022 at 7:26 pm

    @The Moar You Know: Exactly. Software can’t tell them apart. That’s the problem.

    In a small enough community (like this one) it can be managed. In a global one, forget it.

  59. 59.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 7:27 pm

    @CarolPW: I’m a vegetarian so I don’t have anything like that to hand, and honestly wouldn’t want to touch it :P

  60. 60.

    Alison Rose ???

    April 28, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    @WereBear: Thanks!

  61. 61.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 28, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: hmmm…I thought all your posts were going to contain TMBG references.

  62. 62.

    JPL

    April 28, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    BTW  Someone recommended the series Somebody Somewhere on HBO and I want to let him/her know how much I enjoyed it.

    Anyway somebody somewhere recommended it, and it is very much appreciated.

  63. 63.

    Marmot

    April 28, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    @JPL: Just Colossus.

  64. 64.

    surfk9

    April 28, 2022 at 7:28 pm

    Given that this is an open thread, I would like to ask a favor of the group. I will be manning the booth for the local Democratic Club this Sunday at the local Street Fair. Given the purplish nature of my town I expect some mouth breather to come up and call us all pedophiles. I would like to have a list of known Republican pedophiles like Dennis Hastert, Mat Gaetz, Josh Dugger and Gym Jordan covering up for for Larry Nassar. Can y’all come up with some other names. i know the subject is icky, but if someone comes up and does that I would like to crush them.

  65. 65.

    JPL

    April 28, 2022 at 7:29 pm

    @germy: That’s probably true.

  66. 66.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 7:33 pm

    @Martin: So a person who is using social media to communicate and broadcast an antigovernment message in an authoritarian country needs to have  the equivalent of a Twitter blue check?  That seems problematic.

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 7:34 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: It’s off the b-side of an import.  You wouldn’t know it.

  68. 68.

    JPL

    April 28, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    @surfk9:Brian J. Karem on Twitter: “WOW: Prominent MAGA influencer Andrew Tate’s home was raided as part of a human trafficking investigation.” / Twitter

    North Dakota lawmaker quits after child porn suspect texts | AP News

    this was just one day

  69. 69.

    geg6

    April 28, 2022 at 7:39 pm

    @germy:

    I get it from Chewy.  It’s the only thing my Cleo will eat.

  70. 70.

    prostratedragon

    April 28, 2022 at 7:40 pm

    @VeniceRiley:  A brand new 2022 model all-electric huff.

    (Surely I’m not the first …)

  71. 71.

    germy

    April 28, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    @geg6:

    It’s good quality.  High protein, low carb.

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    April 28, 2022 at 7:41 pm

    @surfk9

    Not worth the agita of engaging with them and their shriveled little minds. Ignore them (attention is what they’re after, it’s misinterpreted as validation) and if they become abusive, having a pre-arranged signal to alert security workers at the event couldn’t hurt.

  73. 73.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 28, 2022 at 7:42 pm

    @Hob: Thanks for this hands on information. I didn’t mean to imply I thought it was easy to prevent fraud. Certainly credit card companies have incentive to prevent it and thus will take it more seriously. It just seems to me that social media companies have perverse incentives because they are monetized via advertising to create traffic and thus don’t care if it’s real or fake.

  74. 74.

    evodevo

    April 28, 2022 at 7:43 pm

    @surfk9: Foley, Trump, Roy Moore, to name a couple more…also, if you are talking about fundies in general, check out the “Black Collar Crime” section of each month’s issue of the FFRF paper – it has dozens of crimes of clergy listed in small print…everything from child molestation to extortion and embezzlement…

  75. 75.

    surfk9

    April 28, 2022 at 7:44 pm

    @JPL:  Thanks, I know that it is a target rich environment

  76. 76.

    geg6

    April 28, 2022 at 7:45 pm

    @germy:

    She loves it.  As a treat, I also give her wet food, Sheba small portions.  It’s probably like human junk food but she likes it a couple times a week.  She’s a super picky eater.  She will not touch canned tuna, for instance.

  77. 77.

    surfk9

    April 28, 2022 at 7:46 pm

    @NotMax: ​
    The plan is to be low key, but prepared. Thanks for the advice.

  78. 78.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 28, 2022 at 7:47 pm

    @The Moar You Know: Is there a solution to this (that software cannot distinguish between a bot and an anonymous person)? I’m not in the field (as you likely surmised).

  79. 79.

    WereBear

    April 28, 2022 at 7:50 pm

    @germy: Glad to be back. Took a long rest and with only enough energy to keep the blog going.

    Making a comeback, so now I’m recording each new blog post. Part of engineering my “podcast from bed with the cats” project.

    I think it needs a German word.

  80. 80.

    dm

    April 28, 2022 at 7:51 pm

    @VeniceRiley: He may have to, because he can no longer afford it.  Tesla’s stock is off by over 25% from the beginning of April

    I think a better use of those billions might be building (and attempting not to destroy) a few of his Star Ships, instead.  Or maybe launching his own space station.  I mean, at least then he’d get some return on his investment.

    (Or, you know, feeding the hungry and housing the homeless.)

  81. 81.

    Roger Moore

    April 28, 2022 at 7:51 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot: ​
     

    There’s a difference between anonymity and bots. Wanting to remain anonymous on a platform is understandable for many reasons, safety probably foremost. It doesn’t mean you’re a fake human or want to do something nefarious.

    It’s true that one can be anonymous without having any nefarious intent, but true anonymity necessarily allows people to generate fake accounts. If the site itself doesn’t know who you are, it can never be sure this is your only account. The best you can do is to have pseudonymity where you trust the person in charge of identities not to reveal them. Or, I suppose, something like Slashdot’s “Anonymous Coward”, where everyone wanting to post anonymously gets the same label and the site forgets its origin as soon as it’s posted.
    Shorter: Anonymity, persistent identity, protection against bots: pick two.

  82. 82.

    WereBear

    April 28, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    @dm: Tesla’s stock is off by over 25% from the beginning of April.

     
    Such is our times that I care, thanks.

  83. 83.

    trollhattan

    April 28, 2022 at 7:56 pm

    Anyone else getting the sense that Republicans are hard at work jettisoning Cawthorn, well in advance of midterms?

    April 28, 2022 at 7:52 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard
    “New video of scandal-ridden GOP Rep Madison Cawthorn having his crotch felt by a close male friend and staff member is at the center of a complaint calling for an investigation into him and filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics today,” the Daily Mail reports.

    Those videos don’t video themselves.​

  84. 84.

    MisterForkbeard

    April 28, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    @trollhattan: The thing is, you know that they’ve had this for a long time and didn’t care until he start ratting on them.

    All of this behavior is fine with the Republicans. They’re just releasing it now because they reached the point they want to get rid of him.

  85. 85.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 28, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    Wondering what to think about this article from Vice that Facebook doesn’t know where personal data is:

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/akvmke/facebook-doesnt-know-what-it-does-with-your-data-or-where-it-goes

  86. 86.

    West of the Rockies

    April 28, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    This is unkind and dark… I wish he would cease to be.  Fast and badly, slow and badly… whatever.  He is vile.

  87. 87.

    CaseyL

    April 28, 2022 at 8:01 pm

    My cats love the cheap stuff (Fancy Feast), and turn their noses up at the healthy-and-expensive stuff.  Wet or dry. Oh, well.

  88. 88.

    susannas

    April 28, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    @Kay: Yes, Biden seriously must address the National Parks, making their status permanent and irreversible, including any crazy-ass reasons irrational, greedy people might come up with, or susceptible to executive privilege.  In the maxed-out locale where I live, some people are making noises about using our local parks for needed housing.  All thoughts of greed behind this insane idea.  And wealthy areas here continue to refuse addressing their share of low-income housing, which they always seem to win/delay.

  89. 89.

    Sure Lurkalot

    April 28, 2022 at 8:12 pm

    @Roger Moore: I’m always learning around here!

  90. 90.

    eclare

    April 28, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    @trollhattan:   Wow.

  91. 91.

    ian

    April 28, 2022 at 8:17 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    Rofer wrote, “I block readily and limit replies to my tweets” to cull out trolls. She says, “I’ve done that relatively recently and am not pleased that it limits meeting new people, but there were too many garbage replies.”

    I feel that this is also how Ms. Rofer felt about Balloon Juice.

  92. 92.

    debbie

    April 28, 2022 at 8:18 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Why is there this much video on him to begin with?  ??‍♀️

  93. 93.

    Hob

    April 28, 2022 at 8:23 pm

    @germy: That would be true of old-school spambots, where there were a relatively small number of them, each generating many pieces of spam as fast as possible. With modern botnets, you can instead have very many bots, each generating smaller amounts of spam at longer and less predictable intervals, and each appearing to come from a different network location.

    Basically, for any anti-spam measure you may have ever heard of, there is now a workaround. The workarounds require a bit more resources than a random 12-year-old hobbyist would have, but that doesn’t matter, there are plenty of pros. That is if it’s for anything that is not a huge complicated pain in the ass to sign up for; if you make people jump through a million hoops, then the spammers are more likely to focus their efforts elsewhere, but then you will have also made people less likely to use your service.

  94. 94.

    Benw

    April 28, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    Black lives fucking matter

  95. 95.

    Roger Moore

    April 28, 2022 at 8:28 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    You can to some extent tell the difference between a bot and an anonymous human by behavioral profiling.  But the system will be imperfect. Some real people will be flagged as bots, and some bots and sock puppets will slip through the cracks.  In practice, you’re stuck trying to optimize the system to optimize the balance between ejecting real users and letting bots through.

    Also, you can only tell the difference by letting them on the platform and seeing how they behave, which means bots have some time to cause trouble before they’re caught.  The better they’re run, the longer they’ll manage to keep going.

  96. 96.

    Benw

    April 28, 2022 at 8:30 pm

    Gay and trans lives matter too

  97. 97.

    Roger Moore

    April 28, 2022 at 8:33 pm

    @Hob:

    Another worry is that the spammers will start hijacking legitimate accounts instead of creating fake ones.  Some people will leave the platform but allow their account to lie dormant rather than close it.  When the spammers discover an account like that, they can try to take it over by password guessing (especially if the person reused passwords) or hijacking their email and using the password reset function.

  98. 98.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 28, 2022 at 8:34 pm

    House passes Ukraine Lend-Lease 417-10. All 10 are R’s, and I bet any jackal in good standing can name at least 8 without pausing to take a breath.

  99. 99.

    Scout211

    April 28, 2022 at 8:34 pm

    @trollhattan:

    The Daily Mail article cited in that tweet. also has a copy of the ethics complaint that was filed.

    All of this information was likely an open secret with his caucus members.  It does seem like he must have crossed some sort of red line with them and he is now being shown the door.

    The complaint calls for an investigation into a slew of behaviors that, the group alleges, has put Cawthorn firmly on the wrong side of a host of House Rules.

    Among the many allegations is the claim that Cawthorn provided thousands of dollars in loans and gifts to Smith

    Among the many allegations is the claim that representative for North Carolina’s 11th district provided thousands of dollars in loans and gifts to Smith, a staff member, with whom, the complaint states, he is engaged in an improper relationship characterized by steamy postings on social media and so close that the staffer joined Cawthorn on his honeymoon to Dubai in April 2021.
    According to the filing Cawthorn has provided free housing, travel and loans to Smith, none of which have been declared or repaid.
    The complaint also requests an investigation into the nature of Cawthorn’s relationship with Smith stating that the junior member of staff lives with Cawthorn.
    A campaign payment to Smith submitted in Cawthorn’s FEC filing and attached to the complaint gives Cawthorn’s Hendersonville North Carolina house as Smith’s home address and DailyMail.com has separately verified that Smith is indeed registered as living there.

  100. 100.

    Steve in the ATL

    April 28, 2022 at 8:38 pm

    @Roger Moore: has anyone noticed the difference between my Baud sock puppet and my Omnes bot?  I think they work pretty well.

  101. 101.

    NotMax

    April 28, 2022 at 8:40 pm

    @Steve in the ATL

    Well, they’re no Statler and Waldorf.

    :)

  102. 102.

    cain

    April 28, 2022 at 8:42 pm

    @Scout211: Well if you’re bi or show gay tendencies then you know that is the one thing the GOP can’t ignore. Everything else is just fine, donchaknow!

  103. 103.

    Lapassionara

    April 28, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    @Kay: This! Since Reagan. The Republicans have tried to outdo each other in making government smaller. Democrats on the other hand have passed the ACA, modeled on a Republican healthcare proposal.

    Please!

  104. 104.

    cain

    April 28, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Is there any vote that MTG has done that was a ‘yes’? I swear that woman is just in it to spread shit all over the place.

    I’m hoping she is out this year.

  105. 105.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 28, 2022 at 8:52 pm

    @Steve in the ATL: You’re not funny enough to do Baud.

  106. 106.

    MagdaInBlack

    April 28, 2022 at 8:54 pm

    @Scout211: Well, the knives really are out for him.  Shoulda kept his mouth shut about coke and orgies.

  107. 107.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 8:58 pm

    @ian: me too

  108. 108.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 9:01 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: so the lefties were yes? Good

  109. 109.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 9:01 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: The actual Baud hasn’t commented here in three years.  Steve has him tied up in his cellar.

  110. 110.

    Urban Suburbanite

    April 28, 2022 at 9:02 pm

    The adoration of Elon Musk has never made sense to me, even before this stupid deal. It turns out a lot of dumb, mediocre dudes are desperate to be racist and transphobic on Twitter, and really, REALLY to be noticed by some weird rich dude.

    Tesla’s plunging value will probably kill the deal, but he’s also still under an SEC order, and I’m pretty sure they’ll have some words to say about stock manipulation.

  111. 111.

    Percysowner

    April 28, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    @germy: Mine is the same way. Only eats Hills Science Diet Hairball prevention for Senior cats and will eat some Friskie’s chicken and turkey flavors. I’ve tried to get him to eat others premium food and it just sits there. OTOH he’s going on 20, so I’m not going to try and change things now. Little old cats get to eat what they want.

  112. 112.

    NotMax

    April 28, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    Media note.

    To belay possible confusion, the changeover in name of the streaming channel from IMDb TV to Freevee took place today.

  113. 113.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 28, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Thanks for clearing that up, Steve.

  114. 114.

    MagdaInBlack

    April 28, 2022 at 9:07 pm

    @Urban Suburbanite: They somehow believe him to be edgy and cool. The mans a flake.

  115. 115.

    debbie

    April 28, 2022 at 9:10 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    I was surprised Squirrel Head wasn’t on that list.

  116. 116.

    Elizabelle

    April 28, 2022 at 9:12 pm

    @Wapiti:   TNC had an amazing blog.  I miss those days.

  117. 117.

    NotMax

    April 28, 2022 at 9:12 pm

    @debbie

    Squirrel Head

    Band name!

    ;)

  118. 118.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 28, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    @debbie: HR vote, not Senate.

  119. 119.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    @debbie: you mean Paul? Isn’t he a senator?

  120. 120.

    debbie

    April 28, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Rats. Can’t keep them straight.

  121. 121.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 9:16 pm

    @debbie: he’s a rat all right

  122. 122.

    debbie

    April 28, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    @zhena gogolia:

    After that crap exchange with Blinken.  ?

  123. 123.

    zhena gogolia

    April 28, 2022 at 9:24 pm

    @debbie: disgusting

  124. 124.

    RaflW

    April 28, 2022 at 9:28 pm

    Re that last ‘Valdez’ tweet, the idea of Musk hocking Tesla to spend $44Bn and have that kind of scum turn the place into the worst, dirtiest, sorriest hell’s angels biker bar would be darkly hilarious.

    Sure biker bars can make money, but they’re not influential or interesting places. The payoffs to the mob (and/or cops) for protection can get heavy, tho.

  125. 125.

    Soprano2

    April 28, 2022 at 9:32 pm

    OMG that video, I haven’t laughed that hard for a long, long time. Plus, that’s what would happen.

  126. 126.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 28, 2022 at 9:38 pm

    @RaflW: Also, biker bars have a lot of rules and taboos.  Don’t touch another person’s cut (leather vest).  Don’t touch another rider’s bike without permission.  And so on.

  127. 127.

    FelonyGovt

    April 28, 2022 at 9:46 pm

    @trollhattan: Infuriating that Katie Hill wound up resigning for HER embarrassing video. It’s fine if you’re a Republican (and make) I guess.

  128. 128.

    Hoppie

    April 28, 2022 at 9:51 pm

    I am so glad I eschew obfuscation  social media.

  129. 129.

    Bupalos

    April 28, 2022 at 10:07 pm

    @phdesmond: yeah if your cat seems to be trying to segregate itself in a hidey-hole while still insisting it gets to eat at the common pet trough, discontinue.

  130. 130.

    MrKite

    April 29, 2022 at 11:09 am

    @WereBear: Katzenpajammer

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