Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

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

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

This fight is for everything.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

It’s a doggy dog world.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

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Saturday Morning Open Thread: World Migratory Bird Day

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Gosh, that’s a shame!

Foreign affairs…

Reader Interactions

83Comments

  2. 2.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us

    Trump really was a chip off the old block so to speak. Both he and Putin are both prone to talking tough with nothing to back it up.

  3. 3.

    oldster

    Was hoping to put up my many bird feeders and suet blocks, but the local bird-knowers tell me that this will only encourage the spread of avian virus. So, no bird-feeding this year. Sad.

  4. 4.

    Ken

    Came across this in Jane Addams’ Newer Ideals for Peace (which I’m proofreading for Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders):

    To work ten hours a day for six days in a week in order to buy himself a pair of stout boots, that he may be properly shod to go to work some more, is the very last thing which really appeals to a boy of thirteen or fourteen.

    I must say it doesn’t appeal to me either, but what I thought was interesting was that writing in 1907 Addams, generally viewed as a humanitarian and social reformer, still thought it the most natural thing in the world that someone should work sixty hours a week just to afford boots.

  5. 5.

    geg6

    So I missed it but I am overjoyed that Biden’s new USPS board members were finally confirmed.  Time to get to work on firing that motherfucker DeJoy.

  6. 6.

    Suzanne

    I sometimes do two yoga classes on Saturdays, but I did a long one last night. So I’m only going to do one today. So I am sitting out in my porch, drinking coffee, BY MYSELF, listening to the birds chirping it up.

    After the dumbfuck dude broke into our house and got blood all over our outdoor furniture (which was nice and I was really sad about it), we had to dispose of everything. So now that it is getting to nice weather, Mr. Suzanne and I have been working on picking out new stuff. We are planning to order sometime in the next couple of weeks. So I want to spend some of the afternoon cleaning up the porch and getting it ready. We already got a new sunshade and new string lights. The porch is easily my favorite part of the house and I am excited. I am hoping to put my potter’s wheel out here, too, but I still need to figure that out.

  7. 7.

    Suzanne

    The one bummer is that it’s still smelling pretty smoky. Yesterday afternoon, the house next to my next door neighbor (so two houses over) had a really bad electrical fire. Apparently they are hoarders, too, and it took like seven or eight fire trucks to come to put it out, and it burned for 45 minutes before they were able to get it under control. An interesting detail: the firefighters reported that there was ammunition in the house and the heat was making it go off. I guess they didn’t keep it in a safe.

    I got a lot of video of the event, and I posted it to our neighborhood page with a warning to be aware and stay away. A local news outlet reached out to me and asked if they could use the video.

  12. 12.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Ken: I wonder if Terry Pratchett read that before writing the famous “boots” passage in Men at Arms (about how it’s more expensive to be poor, because the only boots a poor man can afford when he needs them are ones that wear out more quickly, meaning he spends more on boots in the long run).

  13. 13.

    JPL

    Trump just endorsed Mastriano for Governor of PA.  Hopefully that boosts the democratic nominee.

    Trump must wake up and see what nut job he can endorse today.

  14. 14.

    Gin & Tonic

    In case anyone is interested, the song the guy in Chornobyl is singing is a popular tune by the band Okean Elzy entitled “Все Буде Добре” (Vse Bude Dobre) or “All Will Be Well.” Here’s their version. The Tweet is by the band’s leader, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, so he obviously approves.

  15. 15.

    Gin & Tonic

    Another day of preparing pickled ramps today. Cleaning them is a bit of a pain, though.

  16. 16.

    Suzanne

    @JPL: Yeah, me too. This family is one of the old Catholic families who have lived here for probably fifty years or more. (This neighborhood, like many others, was a pretty working-class neighborhood and it is gentrifying.) The couple who own the house are now elderly and have mobility problems. They just had a wheelchair lift put in a few weeks ago because they can’t get up the stairs to the front door anymore. But I don’t think they can afford to maintain their property very well. They have a detached garage in the backyard that is basically a ruin, and it has been a bone of contention in the neighborhood. Ironically, the garage appears to not have gotten any more damage in the fire. But I would not be surprised if the house had old wiring, or if some of their belongings were what caught on fire. I never went in their house, but apparently they were the type of hoarders who, like, have a single path through a room. Well, after the amount of water that got dumped on their house, and the fire department had to cut out the roof…. I cannot imagine that anything is salvageable.

    Honestly, they need to find a flatter place to live. But no one wanted it to happen like this.

  17. 17.

    Suzanne

    @JPL: I’m scared we’re going to end up with Mastriano. This shit is not funny.

    ETA: there is still bonkers Trump love here. There’s a farm that borders the south side of the PA Turnpike where the owner has made a Trump 2020 sign planted onto the face of his hill. Like, he literally spelled it out on the landscape.

  19. 19.

    Ksmiami

    Currently in Romania- less than 150 miles from Odesa. We need to stop Russia. Right here and Rt now. Send planes, artillery and missiles.

  20. 20.

    Betty

    @Ken: Speaking of Gutenberg, I received a notice from Amazon that they would no longer allow me to download their books. Is it just my Kindle that’s the problem? Know anything about this?

  22. 22.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Baud: Oh you just had to share this while we are currently planning to move out of CA!

    Seriously though, great find.  The smears of CA by Conservatives/Libertarians has always seemed like utter partisan, cultural resentment, to this CA resident.  Especially Texans.  They’re just bitter because they know we are better.

  24. 24.

    Spanky

    @Suzanne: I read where the fire chief wrecked on his way to the fire. I’m kinda curious as to what about a 1 alarm house fire draws the Pgh Fire Chief in full lights and sirens mode?

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @Suzanne:  In order to preserve my sanity, I had to take a break from the news.   My fear is that Walker will defeat Warnock.   ugh

  26. 26.

    oldster

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Now we are finding out who were Putin’s real friends, and who were only fair weather friends.

    Boris Johnson? He seemed to be well and truly bought and paid for. But in the crunch, he turned on his old friend Putin and showed no loyalty.

    The same for Moscow Mitch — couldn’t he have the decency to help a friend in need? Must be always put his own survival above everything?

    Ah, but Rand Paul. There is a true friend. Not just a paid companion. Someone who does it for love.

    Who are the true friends? Rand Paul, Paul Manafort, Nigel Farage, TFG — it’s a small group, but intensely loyal.

  27. 27.

    Ken

    @Gin & Tonic: the song the guy in Chornobyl is singing is a popular tune by the band Okean Elzy entitled “Все Буде Добре” (Vse Bude Dobre) or “All Will Be Well.”

    So not a folksy rendition of “Russian Warship Go Fuck Yourself”. I am slightly disappointed.

  29. 29.

    Geminid

    @JPL: After his “success” with Vance in the Ohio Senate race, Trump thinks he’s on a roll. North Carolina CongressmanTed Budd is likely to easily beat ex-Governor Pat McCrory in that state’s Senate primary next Tuesday, so that will be another feather in Trump’s crap. Or cap.

    On the other hand, David Perdue’s challenge to Georgia Governor Kemp is starting to look like a lost cause despite Trump’s endorsement. And while Herschel Walker looks like he’ll advance to the general election without a runoff, the same Georgia poll that shows Kemp a few points ahead of Stacey Abrams shows Walker down a few points against Warnock. Walker is a weak candidate, a gift by Trump to Georgia Democrats.

  30. 30.

    Ken

    @Betty: Sorry, no idea. At a guess, some digital copyright nonsense. Maybe they’re afraid one of the Gutenberg texts will turn out to still be protected (which happens, rarely), and they won’t be able to remote-delete it from your device.

  32. 32.

    Ken

    @Suzanne: Like, he literally spelled it out on the landscape.

    How refreshingly pagan. Since Matt McIrvin mentioned Pratchett, I’m reminded that he once characterized the Neolithic construction of chalk figures, barrows, henges, and so forth as using the entire landscape for the equivalent of writing “I’ve got a big tonker” on the bathroom wall.

  39. 39.

    Betty

    @Ken: It will be a major loss to me because I need a new Kindle and living where I do, it’ s the pretty much the only available library. If I can’t access their books, I sure won’t buy a bunch from Amazon instead.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    Jennifer Medina
    @jennymedina
    15h
    Pennsylvania’s Senate contest is a case study of whether the Trumpism is within Trump’s control. The view from voters in western PA

    NY Times political coverage is 100% Trump centered. It’s really remarkable. Every single race is viewed strictly through the lens of Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s voters.
    Consumed, swallowed whole, by Donald Trump. The coverage, the books they all write, it’s all Trump all the time.

  43. 43.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Once Joe Walsh finally recognized the truth, he can’t unsee it

    No, I’m not a Democrat, and, yes, I disagree with the Democrats on a hell of a lot of policy, but the Republican Party, my former political party, is an anti-democracy, pro-authoritarian, anti-truth cult. If you support democracy, this isn’t even a close call.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    Like other Republican primaries throughout the country, the Pennsylvania Senate race is testing just how strong Mr. Trump’s grip remains on the party. But unlike other primaries this year, the Senate contest in Pennsylvania has suddenly pivoted into something else — a case study of whether the movement Mr. Trump created remains within his control.

    Trumpology.

  47. 47.

    Elizabelle

    @Kay:  Have you noticed that Biden is virtually invisible?  Both the FTF NY Times and WaPost.

    But Trump;  numerous headlines.  Photos.  Using that jackass to hang stories and analysis on.

    The FTF NY Times is a sick, sick newspaper.

    Their US/DC political reporters are putting off a stench.

  48. 48.

    rikyrah

     

    The Zandarsong’s Reprise (@ZandarVTS) tweeted at 8:46 AM on Sat, May 14, 2022:
    I see Elise Stefanik, worried about being primaried by a Trump drone and losing in August, has decided to play up her racist Q-ball shitbag qualifications to stay in power.

    That is the entirely of the GOP, and if you’re still a part of it as elected or voter, reconsider.
    (https://twitter.com/ZandarVTS/status/1525472636066734080?s=02)

  49. 49.

    kalakal

    @Betty: You can run the kindle app on any smartphone or tablet. There’s also a load of free ereader apps which will let you read Gutenberg, Smash books etc. I use Moon +. I have a kindle but only use it on long trips for the battery life. I hate the interface + find the smartphone app easier

  50. 50.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    It isn’t really Q though, is it?

    Christopher Rufo, who is a mainstream Republican operative has spent the last 6 months saying all public school teachers are pedophiles, and he’s admired by people like Andrew Sullivan and given glowing profiles in the NYTimes.

    The shock and dismay around this is funny. It was okay when the whole Republican Party were calling all teachers pedophiles and now it’s suddenly beyond the pale? This is mainstream on the Right. They thought the smear would be limited to teachers?

  51. 51.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: The Georgia poll with Kemp vs. Abrams and Walker vs. Warnock was conducted April 23-27, and was published by Atlanta TV station “11Live.” There was a fairly large sample of 1300. The poll showed Kemp beating Abrams by 5 points, and Warnock beating Walker by 5.

    Polls have only relative value, but I thought that such different results from the same pool of Georgians showed significant skepticism towards Herschel Walker. His primary opponents have been hitting him on his checkered post-NFL business career and private life and these attacks may be sinking in. Also, Warnock seems a very likeable man.

    Another interesting aspect of the poll was that Abrams led among likely voters below age 50, and Kemp led among those 50 and above.

  54. 54.

    Suzanne

    @Spanky: Well, I don’t know all the details, but there were units from our neighborhood, plus the two adjacent neighborhoods, and it still took a while to put the fire out. The fire department’s report indicates that it is “a hoarding situation”, so maybe the sheer amount of stuff made it more dangerous. Plus the ammunition?

  56. 56.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Of, course, Brian Kemp is a white man and Stacey Abrams is a Black woman, so that would account for some of the disparity in Kemp’s and Walkers performances in the Georgia poll. But I think Walker has problems specific to him personally.

  57. 57.

    Kay

    Mark Joseph Stern
    @mjs_DC
    ·10h
    A Trump judge just BLOCKED most of Alabama’s new law criminalizing gender-affirming health care for minors, holding that the ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy likely violates the constitutional rights of both parents and children.

    I wondered when someone would bring this. It’s the parents rights approach. IMO it’s a really strong argument. “Parents rights” include the parent making decisions on health care that conservatives disagree with. It was inevitable someone would flip that right on its head.

  60. 60.

    Ksmiami

    @zhena gogolia: heading there Monday… beautiful area … the longer I’m here though the more resolute we must all be that Russia get nothing from the invasion. Or this will happen again and again.

  63. 63.

    JPL

    @Geminid: I do hope that Perdue voters stay home.   That would help both Warnock and Abrams.   Pence endorsement could backfire, if trump feelings are hurt.   I’m not sure that trump’s fragile ego can take it.

  64. 64.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    Another interesting aspect of the poll was that Abrams led among likely voters below age 50, and Kemp led among those 50 and above.

     

    Sadly, the olds vote more consistently. I think I read that voters under 50 are now the majority, but it doesn’t help if they don’t show up.

    This is not a new problem.

  65. 65.

    Ohio Mom

    @Gin & Tonic: Zelenskyy does not look relaxed in that photo with the American Republicans, he looks on guard and ready to spring into action on a moment’s notice.

  66. 66.

    JPL

    fyi Public Service announcement.   Today is Stamp Out Hunger Day and local mail carriers are picking up can goods.   You just leave it by your mailbox.    My carrier left a card in my mailbox and I taped that to the bag.

  67. 67.

    japa21

    @Elizabelle: ​
      And if Biden is mentioned, it is usually in a negative way. Why hasn’t Biden cured inflation? Why is Biden letting the price of gas get out of control? Is Biden leading the Dems to their defeat in November (which we have already decided is a foregone conclusion)?

  71. 71.

    MattF

    Erdogan has apparently calmed down about Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Possible that conversation with Biden made a difference.

  74. 74.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Ken:

    I’m proofreading for Project Gutenberg Distributed Proofreaders

    How does one go about getting a gig like that?

  75. 75.

    Geminid

    @JPL: When both Warnock and Ossoff advanced to runoffs after November, 2020, observers discounted their chances to win on January 5th. Historically, the Democratic vote in runoffs dropped off more than the Republican vote.

    In the event, the Democratic vote fell about 100,000, but the Republican dropoff was double that. It seemed that some of Trump’s voters were not loyal to the party, but rather were hostile to it’s “establishment.” This dynamic could be  a problem for Georgia Republicans this fall. They can’t afford to lose many votes at all.

  76. 76.

    JPL

    @Baud: I would love to see Kemp/Perdue in a runoff because it would cost them more money.    With trump’s involvement, the race would become uglier, and that would insure a lower republican turnout in November.    IMO

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