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You are here: Home / 2024 Elections / The Real ‘Liberty’ Agenda

The Real ‘Liberty’ Agenda

by Betty Cracker|  March 13, 202311:23 am| 195 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Elections, Open Threads, Politics

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Ron DeSantis and team are now crying “hoax” when accused of banning books, which suggests maybe they dimly realize that book bans aren’t popular outside the extra-frothy “Moms for Liberty” bubble. As Judd Legum reports, Team DeSantis published a “fact sheet” on the official government website that purports to debunk “myths” about the “book ban hoax.” It’s pure gaslighting, as Legum details in his coverage:

DeSantis falsely claimed that a video of empty book shelves recorded by former Duval County substitute teacher Brian Covey was a “hoax,” noting that Covey was fired. It’s true that Covey lost his job for recording the video, but the video was not a hoax.

A spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Tracy Pierce, told Popular Information in February that the empty shelves in Covey’s video once housed “the fiction titles” in the school media center, but all those titles were removed pending review by a media specialist. That review was mandated by a “curriculum transparency” law signed by DeSantis last year…

In addition to making false claims about Covey’s video, DeSantis smeared teachers, claiming there was a “concerted effort to bring some of this sexualization into the classroom, particularly in these young grades.”

The so-called “curriculum transparency” law DeSantis championed is vaguely worded by design, just like all of the other bullshit culture war legislation, to maximize the intimidation factor. On their own initiative, districts removed or covered book titles that are subject to review. The “fact sheet” notwithstanding, we have copies of district memos and official statements that resulted in bare shelves and covered titles.

Sometimes all it takes to ban books is a complaint from one parent. A single extremist in Martin County, Florida is behind the banning of nearly 100 titles in a district, including books by popular author Jodi Picoult. She wrote a piece about it in The Daily Beast:

The 92 books that were pulled from Martin County School District shelves were based on the complaint of a single parent…

Look, I’m a mom. I used to read books before my kids did, to make sure I felt they were emotionally ready for the content. If it was a hard topic, we used the book as a springboard for discussion. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a parent deciding a certain book is not right for her child. There is a colossal problem with a parent deciding that, therefore, no child should be allowed to read that book.

Bolding mine. Those sentences underscore the irony here because the book bans in Florida and elsewhere invariably arise from right-wing “freedom” or “liberty” agendas that flatter busybodies who want to curtail their neighbors’ freedom and liberty.

I remember PTA and school board meetings I attended when my kiddo was a Florida public school student. Frequently, there would be a random religious kook who’d go off on a tangent about a book or movie or classroom policy that might tempt their precious Snotleigh to stray from the path of righteousness. The rest of us would exchange glances and roll our eyes while enduring the paranoid rant.

Now randos like that are effectively if not literally running entire school districts. An actual “liberty” agenda requires opposing them at every turn. After decades of mindless humping, there’s so much gross wingnut ball-sweat on words like “freedom” and “liberty” that liberals can be excused for avoiding the terms in the past. But goddamn it, it’s time to hose the words off and reclaim them.

Open thread.

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    195Comments

    1. 1.

      pacem appellant

      March 13, 2023 at 11:26 am

      Fυck DeSantis. Anyway, can more newspapers get comfortable with “lie” vs “falsely claim”. One is simple to understand, the other is equivocating.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      Alison Rose

      March 13, 2023 at 11:28 am

      DeSatan and his ilk never seem to want to answer the question of whether or not books featuring straight couples also count as “sexualization” in the classroom. I mean…men and women fuck. That’s where babies come from. But somehow, people like him have no problem showing those relationships. GEE I WONDER WHY NOT.

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 11:29 am

      First the COVID hoax and now the book ban hoax.  We libs are incorrigible.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Jackie

      March 13, 2023 at 11:30 am

      Are these book bannings getting the attention of non MAGA and non anti woke voters?

      Reply
    5. 5.

      geg6

      March 13, 2023 at 11:33 am

      If I had a kid, particularly if I had a kid in FL (which, horrors!), I’d get my hands on those lists and buy every fucking one of those books and Junior/Junioress and I would be reading them aloud every night.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 11:34 am

      OT: I won the auction. Caran d’ache neocolor ii crayons are on the way

      And I saved $ 55 off  the lowest retail price.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 11:34 am

      Cookbooks nearly always include the word “breast.” Multiple times, even.

      Also too, “rump” and “butt.”

      Think of the children!
      //

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Brachiator

      March 13, 2023 at 11:35 am

      A spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Tracy Pierce, told Popular Information in February that the empty shelves in Covey’s video once housed “the fiction titles” in the school media center, but all those titles were removed pending review by a media specialist. That review was mandated by a “curriculum transparency” law signed by DeSantis last year…

      So, are they saying that the books were not “banned,” but removed for review and then all returned to the library shelves?

      Reply
    9. 9.

      frosty

      March 13, 2023 at 11:35 am

      … gross wingnut ball-sweat…

      Betty Cracker, you’re a treasure!

      Reply
    10. 10.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 11:36 am

      @schrodingers_cat:

      👍

      Reply
    11. 11.

      frosty

      March 13, 2023 at 11:36 am

      @schrodingers_cat: Congratulations! Have fun with them.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 11:37 am

      @Baud: My early birthday present to myself!

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Gin & Tonic

      March 13, 2023 at 11:37 am

      Behold, how the family of a russian “dissident” suffers

      The first photo is the fight for freedom. The second photo is the fight for power. Do not confuse them. pic.twitter.com/am3K1eweAt
      — Taras Mishchenko (@tarasmi) March 13, 2023

      Reply
    14. 14.

      cmorenc

      March 13, 2023 at 11:38 am

      The RW culture warriors want the US to be like their imagined remembrance of the US c.1953, except with China as our cold-war enemy.  Back then, the entertainment industry was censored, and schools opened with prayer and pledge of allegiance.  And white folks were still in charge of everything.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 11:39 am

      @frosty: Thanks! I will. I do feel a bit guilty though it was a bit of a splurge.

      Reply
    16. 16.

      Jobeth

      March 13, 2023 at 11:39 am

      There was a new dept head at work who introduced herself and talked about her two dogs named Liberty and Patriot. I knew immediately she was a wingnut that would be lousy at her job. Sure enough she only lasted six months, the whole time whining and blaming everyone else for why she couldn’t get her work done. It’s a shame the right has taken ownership of those words but at least it gives you fair warning.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 11:40 am

      @Brachiator

      Not just removed for review. Removed for review by a position (“media specialist”) that’s vacant.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 11:43 am

      ball sweat

      Now we’re treading into Tuckums’ territory.
      :)

      Reply
    19. 19.

      AliceBlue

      March 13, 2023 at 11:43 am

      I saw a tweet earlier this morning that said DeSantis is the guy who would “consider unplugging your life support to recharge his cell phone.”

      Reply
    20. 20.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 13, 2023 at 11:44 am

      @NotMax:

      There’s a scene in To Catch a Thief where Grace Kelly, rummaging through the picnic hamper, asks Cary Grant: “Would you prefer a thigh or a breast?”  Quite the racy dialogue for 1955!

      Reply
    21. 21.

      JPL

      March 13, 2023 at 11:44 am

      DeSantis is a coward since he can’t even own up to the harm he has caused children.   His not me is nothing but bullshit.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 11:45 am

      @Gin & Tonic: RRR’s maker’s outlook on the Indian freedom struggle hews too close to the RSS for my comfort.

      Anyway I am going to see the movie before saying anything more. But most Americans including reviewers have no clue about the subtext they are glorifying.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 11:45 am

      @NotMax: I guess The Woke Cookbook won’t be able to find a publisher any time soon.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 13, 2023 at 11:46 am

      @Jobeth:

      Hi! These are my dogs, Wingnut and Batshit.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Elizabelle

      March 13, 2023 at 11:46 am

      @schrodingers_cat:   You will put them to such good use.  Everyone needs a little splurge and luxury.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      Elizabelle

      March 13, 2023 at 11:46 am

      @SiubhanDuinne:  Laughing.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      UncleEbeneezer

      March 13, 2023 at 11:49 am

      I’m all for re-claiming words like “Freedom” and “Liberty” generally, but I do find it helpful that as soon as I see them in the name of some organization, I know with 99% certainty that the organization is Christo-Fascist/Nazi and I can weigh their words accordingly.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      rikyrah

      March 13, 2023 at 11:50 am

      See, that’s my issue.

      If MY child can’t read said book, then NO child should read it.

       

      If MY child shouldn’t go to a Book Reading at a library by a Drag Queen, then NO child should be able to.

      See, that encroaching on the rights and decisions of other parents to know what they want for THEIR children.

       

      It’s time for a group of Black parents to get together and SUE TO GET THEIR HISTORY AND VOICES OF PEOPLE WHO HONOR THEIR CHILDREN BE PLACED BACK INTO THE SCHOOLS.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      rikyrah

      March 13, 2023 at 11:51 am

      @schrodingers_cat:

       

      Congratulations

      Reply
    30. 30.

      cope

      March 13, 2023 at 11:53 am

      @NotMax: In 2017, I retired after teaching public school in Florida for 28 years.  Even back then, media specialists were being whittled back because it was equal to a classroom teaching position and budgets were being thinned. I think one would be hard pressed to find a true media specialist at any school in my old district anymore.  At least at my high school, IT staff were given the duties previously done by the media specialist.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      twbrandt

      March 13, 2023 at 11:54 am

      Meanwhile, here in Michigan a package of bills repealing the 1931 abortion ban heads to Gov. Whitmer’s desk for her sig.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      waspuppet

      March 13, 2023 at 11:55 am

      On their own initiative, districts removed or covered book titles that are subject to review.

      See, that’s the problem. That made DeSantis look bad. What they were supposed to do was keep them there and taken their chances that DeSantis would wake up in a good mood and not feel like criminally charging them. That’s freedom! And really there’s only like a 30 percent chance they’d be charged, so why were they so uptight?

      Reply
    33. 33.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 11:55 am

      @SiubhanDuinne

      Merrily We Live (1938).

      A pair of Great Danes.

      “That one’s name is Get Off The Rug. The other one is You Too.”
      :)

      Reply
    34. 34.

      Elizabelle

      March 13, 2023 at 11:56 am

      @rikyrah: I wonder if a lawsuit like that is in the preparatory stages.  It should be.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      RaflW

      March 13, 2023 at 11:57 am

      This is good. I actually think DeSantis is quite vulnerable. He’s been sniffing his own right wing farts for so long, he doesn’t get how much all this stinks to 2/3rd – 3/4ths of voters.

      UNF Jacksonville did a poll of 1,452 FL voters about 10 days ago and found that Ronnie Dee And The GOPee is flogging very unpopular ideas:
      Six week abortion ban   22% fav  75% opp
      Concealed carry              21% fav  77% opp
      Ban CRT/DEI at univs     35% fav  61% opp

      The war on freedom of thought – and freedom from being gunned down anywhere by anyone, as well as the freedom to chose reproductive care – is only resonating with a narrow, hard-right slice, even in FL!

      Reply
    36. 36.

      Tarragon

      March 13, 2023 at 11:59 am

      @schrodingers_cat: It was clear to while watching RRR that it has a political sub-text beyond “British Bad”. Then there is final dance sequence where it hits you over the head with a political message that I had no context to understand.

      In many ways it’s a great film, but I’m hesitant to recommend it because I don’t understand the message.

      Reply
    37. 37.

      Betty Cracker

      March 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm

      @Jobeth: LOL! It’s definitely a tell. There’s an auto repair place in my area called “Patriot” something, and I’ve mentally crossed it off the list of available options should I need those services.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:01 pm

      John Oliver had a really good piece on DeSantis week before last.

      https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/06/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-recap-ron-desantis

      A former classmate of his said DeSantis would test his dates.  On a date he would intentially mispronounce Thai food as “thigh food.”  If his date corrected him, he would leave because he did not want a gf who corrected him.  That is creepy and scary AF.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:05 pm

      Most of the early reporting I saw (in both local and national media) about the Florida Public School Inquisition was on people and events here in Manatee County, where I happen to live.  Not just teachers, but county-level school administrators confirmed that the classroom libraries were either locked up or abandoned.  A teacher who brings in an unapproved book and shared it with their class can be charged with a felony.  It figures that this asshole would go the DJT route, telling easily falsified lies while claiming everybody else is lying.  If I had kids of any age through college, I wouldn’t live here.

      On the upside, a friend of mine is probably going to get her dream job at a college in South Carolina.  I suggested to her that she should recommend the college look to Florida to fill any teaching openings.  Any professor worth their salt is almost certainly looking to get out of here.

      Reply
    40. 40.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:06 pm

      @Gin & Tonic:   What are you saying about Navalny?

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Jackie

      March 13, 2023 at 12:07 pm

      @rikyrah: EXACTLY!

      I was too busy encouraging my kiddos to read to even consider denying them the opportunity. I read most of the books they brought home to encourage discussion and, when necessary, sharing a different point of view. The GOAL is to EXPAND their horizons – not restrict or limit them.

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Cacti

      March 13, 2023 at 12:08 pm

      Good luck to those of you living in fundy land.

      I chose to move to the unchurched belt and can’t see myself ever leaving.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      Eolirin

      March 13, 2023 at 12:09 pm

      @RaflW: Policy preferences are bad predictors of voting behaviors, unfortunately. Outside of the core ones around taxation and social spending. FL politicians are unlikely to pay much of a price for pushing deeply unpopular legislation.

      Abortion access might move the needle a little, maybe, especially as women start dying. But the hole Dems are in in the state is so big now that it may not make much of a difference. It’ll probably hurt DeSantis nationally though.

      It’s really hard to see how this fever breaks when so much of the electorate continues to support the GOP even when they disagree with what they’re doing.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      JPL

      March 13, 2023 at 12:09 pm

      @Cameron: Great title.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:10 pm

      @NotMax: Also, rubbing and [shudder] dry rubs. “Embrocate the breast, thusly.”

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Kay

      March 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm

      @twbrandt:

      I hope Democrats watch Michigan as a bellweather rather than NY.

      we’ll see how MI Democrats do with protecting women’s rights and (with repealing RTW) workers rights.

      it’s a good test state for Democrats

      Reply
    47. 47.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm

      @Jackie: Right. How can a school produce readers with no books?

      Reply
    48. 48.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm

      @SiubhanDuinne

      Grant had the leeway to get away with a lot.

      Can you picture Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda or Gary Cooper expostulating “I just went gay all of a sudden!” (Bringing Up Baby.)

      Impossible. &nsbp: :)

      Reply
    49. 49.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm

      @eclare: “It took issuing Stepford Firmware Version 4.3 before Sir Ron could acquire a suitable mate.”

      Reply
    50. 50.

      Delk

      March 13, 2023 at 12:11 pm

      And yet the book filled with whores, incest, and lusting over donkey dick is safe for children.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:13 pm

      @Jackie:   My parents took no interest in what I read, and  I am very glad about that.  They prob would not have liked some of what we read in AP English, although I don’t see how anyone can understand a Faulkner book outside of reading it in a class.

      Reply
    52. 52.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:13 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: Really, is this “reading” so important now that we have Audible?

      Reply
    53. 53.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      @trollhattan:   Hahaha…comes with opera gloves and cape!

      Reply
    54. 54.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:15 pm

      @Jobeth: Heh. Does she happen to have boys named Walker and Texas Ranger?

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:16 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: They’re not supposed to produce readers.  They’re supposed to produce service workers.  You want a reader, send your kid to private school.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      Doc Sardonic

      March 13, 2023 at 12:17 pm

      @Betty Cracker: If the business has the words Liberty, Freedom, Patriot. Maranatha, etc, or trucks emblazoned with the christian swastika(fish), and/or lots of flags. I know not to use them because they are going well overpriced and under quality for the work they perform.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Gin & Tonic

      March 13, 2023 at 12:17 pm

      @eclare:

      No, Mr. Zelensky, you can’t speak at the Oscars, that’s politics. But we’ll give an Oscar to “Navalny”, that’s not politics. And Navalny’s wife will speak, that’s also not politics. But she won’t mention her country’s invasion of Ukraine, because… Yeah, you got it.
      — Danylo Mokryk (@DMokryk) March 13, 2023

      Reply
    58. 58.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 12:18 pm

      @Tarragon: I saw the message loud and clear when I saw a couple of trailers and teasers. I am going to watch it this week because if I am going to offer a critique I feel I need to do that. As many people IRL and here are asking me about it.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      Roger Moore

      March 13, 2023 at 12:18 pm

      @RaflW:

      The problem is that voters don’t actually vote for policies in isolation.  They vote for parties, and they seem comfortable voting for the Republican party in spite of their dislike of many Republican policies.  Knowing that people don’t like the 6 week abortion ban abd permitless concealed carry might be useful for someone trying to pass ballot measures opposed to those points, but it turns out not to be terribly useful to the Democrats.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 12:19 pm

      @trollhattan

      Worse.

      Girls named Ronald and Reagan.
      //

      Reply
    61. 61.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 12:19 pm

      @rikyrah: Thanks.

      Reply
    62. 62.

      citizen dave

      March 13, 2023 at 12:19 pm

      @Betty Cracker: I had to abort (traffic jam) getting on my local beltway this morning and drove through my lovely city for a bit.  I saw a Poor Mann’s Tire place.  Google review says they have used tires as low as $40 with a 7 day guarantee.  (Anyone remember John Edward’s Two Americas framing?).

      Reply
    63. 63.

      catclub

      March 13, 2023 at 12:20 pm

      @Jobeth: ​
       

      It’s a shame the right has taken ownership of those words but at least it gives you fair warning.

      Many retailers know that if the organization name has ‘Christian’ in it they will not pay their bills.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      catclub

      March 13, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      Bolding mine.

      I see zero bolding in the passage.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 12:22 pm

      @citizen dave

      Gadzooks. Retreads?

      Reply
    66. 66.

      catclub

      March 13, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      @NotMax: Girls named Ronald and Reagan.

       

      Girls named Goneril and Regan! Also Cordelia.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      Alison Rose

      March 13, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      @catclub: WWJB

      who would Jesus bilk

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 13, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Before I forget, I’d like to thank you for bringing that to my attention. I’ve seen a lot of American reviewers I respect going gaga over that film and now there’s always this asterisk there in my mind. Haven’t seen it though.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      Kay

      March 13, 2023 at 12:24 pm

      @eclare:

      I didn’t monitor what my kids read.

      I’m still good with that – I made sure they got to school and the public library and just cut em loose :)

      they did a competitive reading program in our public school and my daughter was absolutely dominating so I got caught up in that, which was fun, but I didn’t know what she was reading to rack up all those points

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Bruce K in ATH-GR

      March 13, 2023 at 12:25 pm

      @Betty Cracker: Performative patriotism, yeah. The sort of people who’ll fly the Stars and Stripes, the Stars and Bars, the Gadsden flag, the blue-line flag, and the POW flag depending on their mood – kind of a red flag for me, as it were.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      UncleEbeneezer

      March 13, 2023 at 12:25 pm

      @Doc Sardonic: Also, any business that replaces C’s with K’s.  Like Kountry Karwash etc.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 12:25 pm

      @catclub

      Twins named Bryant and Schlafly?

      Reply
    73. 73.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 12:27 pm

      @Matt McIrvin: I think it reminds the film critics of the glory days of Hollywood. I loved Gone with the Wind when I saw it as a teen in the theaters in India. Even though some of the subtext about black people was troubling. I did not link that to the systemic racism and defense of chattel slavery. I was able to overlook it since I only had a fleeting acquaintance of American history and politics.

      But yes a film critic should be better informed than a 13 year old.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      Gvg

      March 13, 2023 at 12:28 pm

      DeSantis and the republicans want what they want without taking responsibility. They write these laws with deniability in them, because they want to please ALL of the conservatives who don’t like each a different personal list of things but they also don’t want to stand up and say yes we banned such and so. Probably they also know it will be easier to overturn if it is that specific but this law comes across as scared to take responsibility. Lots of people, especially education administrators and lawyers need to point this out to the public. This law is to hide behind. It is deliberately badly written so that people have to guess. Can we attack it based on that?

      I’d like his law degree revoked, and anyone who voted for such a law.

      Reply
    75. 75.

      neldob

      March 13, 2023 at 12:28 pm

      ” it’s time to hose the words off and reclaim them.” Absofuckinglutely, if you don’t mind my saying so., and even if you do. Right on Betty Cracker!

      Reply
    76. 76.

      NotMax

      March 13, 2023 at 12:28 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer

      Krispy Kreme.

      (The lowest common denominator of doughnuts.)

      Reply
    77. 77.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:31 pm

      @eclare: That look is going to stay resident in my head for awhile. I don’t think it was an accident.

      Reply
    78. 78.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:32 pm

      @Gin & Tonic:   Thanks.

      Reply
    79. 79.

      Jeffro

      March 13, 2023 at 12:33 pm

      These book bans are unpopular, just like the anti-CRT nonsense, just like the wokety-woke-woke boogeyman, and just like the GOP’s crazy-ass anti-reproductive rights stance.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      eclare

      March 13, 2023 at 12:35 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer:   There used to be, may still be, a Krosstown Kleaners here.  Gives me the willies.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Mustang Bobby

      March 13, 2023 at 12:36 pm

      @NotMax:

      Belles on their Toes (c 1950)

      Two canaries:

      “One is Shut Up, and the other is You Heard Me.”

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Kay

      March 13, 2023 at 12:37 pm

      I think parents are often NOT the best judges of their own children – I actually learned things about my children talking to other adults who dealt with them and sometimes changed my mind about what was good for them.

      This whole rigid “parents know best!” slogan is bullshit – any honest parent will tell you they’re  biased as hell and often just wrong- although I recognize I probably could not run on this  :)

      Reply
    83. 83.

      Jackie

      March 13, 2023 at 12:38 pm

      @eclare: His dates are eternally grateful, I’m sure.

      Makes one wonder about Mrs Anti-Woke, though; several articles hint that SHE’S the brain of his political aspirations.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      Anyway

      March 13, 2023 at 12:40 pm

      @NotMax:

      Twins named Bryant and Schlafly?

      Bwahaha!

      Patriot and Liberty in names are a definite red flag for me.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      SiubhanDuinne

      March 13, 2023 at 12:40 pm

      @catclub:

      Girls named Goneril

      There’s a vaccine for that now.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Betty Cracker

      March 13, 2023 at 12:44 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: There’s a restaurant in my town called MawMaw’s Kuntry Kafe. The food is pretty good, but Jeebus people, work on that nomenclature!

      Reply
    87. 87.

      Doc Sardonic

      March 13, 2023 at 12:45 pm

      @UncleEbeneezer: Ohh Yeah……. Forgot about Kletus’ Kountry Karwash Liquor and BBQ

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      March 13, 2023 at 12:48 pm

      @Jobeth: Megan McCain and which Ben she’s married to named their daughter “Liberty”, which should get some kind of trying-too-hard award. They would’ve been more honest if they’d named the kid “Budweiser”

      @Betty Cracker: Hoo, boy. That sets off all kinds of sensors. Changing Cs to Ks always make me raise an eyebrow, especially down south.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Nelle

      March 13, 2023 at 12:48 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Guilt is over-rated.  Create.  Bring more color into the world and our  lives.

      Reply
    90. 90.

      Jackie

      March 13, 2023 at 12:49 pm

      @Roger Moore: ROE Your Vote made a huge difference in ‘22. One major reason we expanded the Senate and kept the GQP House red wave to a trickle.

      I predict the Roe/Dobbs continuing effect to be foremost with women and the men who love them when they vote in ’24. ESPECIALLY if prescriptions for abortions are banned NATIONWIDE.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      Gravie

      March 13, 2023 at 12:49 pm

      As a graduate of the formerly (mostly) excellent Florida school system — first grade through bachelor’s degree — I am sickened and enraged by what is being done to people in my home state. All to support the ambition of a soulless weasel like DeSantis.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 12:50 pm

      @Betty Cracker: MawMaw’s Kuntry Kafe

      You sure that wasn’t an abandoned set from “Animal House”?

      Reply
    93. 93.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:51 pm

      @Betty Cracker: True, but I think it would be worse if they replaced the K’s with C’s.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:53 pm

      @Jackie: She’s assigned herself the impossible task of making him likeable.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:54 pm

      @Doc Sardonic: “Make your way to the KKK” does have a certain ring to it.

      Reply
    96. 96.

      artem1s

      March 13, 2023 at 12:54 pm

      Snotleigh
      Love it. this made me snort with laughter.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      March 13, 2023 at 12:54 pm

      @Betty Cracker: There’s a gas station in Iowa called Kum and Go.

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

      March 13, 2023 at 12:55 pm

      Here in the Midwest, there is a chain of convenience marts called Kum & Go. No, really

      Edit: And Dorothy A Winsor beat me to it!

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Mike in NC

      March 13, 2023 at 12:57 pm

      Haven’t read about it of late, but in our county we’ve had right wing extremists from Heritage Action or whatever it is (was?) called trying for years to get books banned that offended their fascist sensibilities.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      Doc Sardonic

      March 13, 2023 at 12:57 pm

      @Betty Cracker: Now, if she opened up an oil change place next door…..

      Reply
    101. 101.

      Citizen_X

      March 13, 2023 at 12:58 pm

      DeSantis falsely claimed that a video of empty book shelves recorded by former Duval County substitute teacher Brian Covey was a “hoax,” noting that Covey was fired.

      You know, when Putin says, “That war-crime video was fake, and the reporter was shot,” that doesn’t exactly fill me with trust.

      Reply
    102. 102.

      Cameron

      March 13, 2023 at 12:58 pm

      @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: What sort of….convenience….are we talking about here?

      Reply
    103. 103.

      Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

      March 13, 2023 at 1:00 pm

      @Cameron:

      I know, right?! But they are basically gas stations with the mini-marts attached.

      Reply
    104. 104.

      Doc Sardonic

      March 13, 2023 at 1:03 pm

      We have a convenience store in the area called the Hit & Run…. It has been robbed a few times.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      Tony G

      March 13, 2023 at 1:03 pm

      @Jackie: Unfortunately, empirically, the majority of people in Florida who bother to vote support this third-rate fascist.  They are the problem.  If DeSantis were to drop dead tomorrow, someone else would fill his high-heeled go-go boots.

      Reply
    106. 106.

      StringOnAStick

      March 13, 2023 at 1:04 pm

      I got pinched by a scary huge dog last week, if the owner holding his collar didn’t have him under control I would have been seriously injured.  She was trying to introduce him to me slowly and the female dog was cool with me; I made no moved to pet him or touch him, he just went apeshit and now my friend is realizing he’s too dangerous and will have to put him down, though she’ll try the best trainer available first.  Rottweiler Doberman mix, about 100 lbs.  I’m still feeling traumatised,though once I got back home, it made me appreciate our gentle, sweets pair of kitties even more.

      Reply
    107. 107.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      March 13, 2023 at 1:07 pm

      @NotMax: Molly Ivins, who wrote a great obituary:
      “Shit the dog finally croaked on December 9 after fourteen and a half years of marplotting through life”

      Do google books links work? We’ll find out together

      Reply
    108. 108.

      Tony G

      March 13, 2023 at 1:08 pm

      @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: Convenience stores with a Happy Ending!  Sounds good.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Tony G

      March 13, 2023 at 1:10 pm

      @Citizen_X: I’m obviously not a lawyer — but doesn’t DeSantis leave himself open for a libel lawsuit by falsely accusing Brian Covey of perpetuating a “hoax”?

      Reply
    110. 110.

      Betty Cracker

      March 13, 2023 at 1:14 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Budweiser or Plagiarism!

      @StringOnAStick: How scary. I hope the trainer is able to help the dog so that he doesn’t have to be put down.

      As I’ve mentioned, we’re dealing with a dog aggression problem, though in our case, it’s dog-on-dog aggression, and they are small dogs, so a different situation. But we’ve made remarkable progress with a combination of training and meds, so I know it can be done! Takes a TON of patience and commitment though.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      Mai Naem mobile

      March 13, 2023 at 1:18 pm

      I think RonnyBoy DeSantis is just  Scotty Walker 2.0 with better hair.  During the Obama years, Wisconsite BJrs used to comment about how Scotty Walker wouldn’t catch on outside Wisconsin but I was always worried about him being the next big GOP thang.

      Reply
    112. 112.

      Soprano2

      March 13, 2023 at 1:21 pm

      @eclare: Reminds me of a man I worked for a long time ago. His secretary, who was professional, said the first time she corrected some of his grammar errors in dictation he blew up and told her he wanted it typed up exactly how he said it! She said she had never before had a boss who didn’t want you to make them look better.

      Reply
    113. 113.

      CaseyL

      March 13, 2023 at 1:22 pm

      @Betty Cracker: Good to hear there is progress in the Pete-Badger Detente!

      Reply
    114. 114.

      cain

      March 13, 2023 at 1:22 pm

      @eclare: bullet dodged  – probably says something about mrs. DeSantis. I hope she’s ok.I mean, didn’t this guy get his jollies at Gitmo?

      Reply
    115. 115.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 1:24 pm

      @Mai Naem mobile: Was Walker as hellbent on prosecuting the culture wars as DeSantis? He seemed primarily focused on breaking government and unions, from several states away, while DeSantis appears hellbent on hippy-punching and putting Jesus in everybody’s underwear.

      Part of that may be because Florida already has rid themselves of the whole “effective government” problem.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      trnc

      March 13, 2023 at 1:25 pm

      @Kay: If that one parent gets to do all the parenting related to what our kids can read, why don’t they have to pony up every once in a while for our kids’ tuition when the time comes?

      Reply
    117. 117.

      cain

      March 13, 2023 at 1:25 pm

      @Mai Naem mobile: the man won’t be able to stand challenge. In Florida, the entire GOP apparatus bows to him. He doesn’t have what it takes to handle a national campaign – especially with many other rivals ready to go at him.

      Of course, the GOP race is going to be going to set crazy to 15 as they try to whip up votes. There will be a lot of crazy talk, and the media will cover everything gleefully because it will get the libs all upset.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      Soprano2

      March 13, 2023 at 1:28 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: Yeah, they bought out the Git ‘n Go stores here about 20 years ago, so they’re all over the place here. I’m used to it now, but at first I did a double take every time I saw that name!

      Reply
    119. 119.

      trollhattan

      March 13, 2023 at 1:33 pm

      Nobody has declared a winner yet, but it appears California has broken our old snowfall record with half a month or so, yet to go. Which makes the forthcoming “pineapple express” even more interesting to ponder.

      Reply
    120. 120.

      FelonyGovt

      March 13, 2023 at 1:44 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Congrats! Hope you love them!

      Reply
    121. 121.

      Betty Cracker

      March 13, 2023 at 1:49 pm

      @cain: All indications are she’s every bit as horrible as he is.

      Reply
    122. 122.

      Gravenstone

      March 13, 2023 at 1:54 pm

      @trollhattan: Was Walker as hellbent on prosecuting the culture wars as DeSantis?

      That era wasn’t as toxically aggressive as what the aftermath of Trump has bestowed on us as a nation. But ol’ Scotty did have a hate boner for the UW system, especially the Madison campus. So yeah, I’m confident he’d have gone whole hog on the culture wars of today were he still in office.

      Reply
    123. 123.

      JaneE

      March 13, 2023 at 2:00 pm

      Can we fight fire with fire?

      Raise hell if your kid is not allowed to read the books you think he should – and if they are “banned” demand to know why your child should be denied the right to learn about whatever it is they object to if you as a parent think he would benefit from it.

      Reply
    124. 124.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 13, 2023 at 2:02 pm

      “We never banned all these books, we were just strategically vague about which ones we were banning and threatened to arrest people for felonies.” This is just like their vote-suppression tactics.

      Reply
    125. 125.

      cain

      March 13, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      @Betty Cracker: ​
       
      Ah,.so they are both devils and deserve each other. Got it.

      Reply
    126. 126.

      Frankensteinbeck

      March 13, 2023 at 2:08 pm

      @cain:

      the man won’t be able to stand challenge

      I think this is crucial.  DeSantis is bad at hitting back.  Trump hit back like an elementary schooler going “I’m rubber and you’re glue!” but that fits his Let’s Go Brandon audience fine.  DeSantis freezes up.  That’s going to hurt him badly on the campaign trail, and especially in the primaries.

      Reply
    127. 127.

      Frankensteinbeck

      March 13, 2023 at 2:10 pm

      @Matt McIrvin:

      This is just like their vote-suppression tactics.

      I do wonder how much this had to do with the low Democratic turnout in Florida.  DeSantis did a great job of broadcasting that he would arrest any Democratic voter he could accuse of voting wrong for even the slightest excuse, like being black.

      Reply
    128. 128.

      glory b

      March 13, 2023 at 2:13 pm

      @Jobeth: Of course.

      This is also why any corporation with the words “Liberty,” “Patriot” or “Eagle” in its title never gets my business.

      Reply
    129. 129.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 2:13 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck:

      Probably some, but my guess is that fundraising disparities played a bigger role.

      Reply
    130. 130.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      March 13, 2023 at 2:19 pm

      OT:

      Jose Pagliery @Jose_Pagliery

      Breaking news: the Manhattan Trump grand jury is hearing from Jennifer Weisselberg today. “It’s bigger than any taxes, paper, insurance, banks, insurance… it’s bigger than money,” she told ⁦ @thedailybeast⁩ exclusively.

      I’ve been wondering if Alan Weisselberg was somehow back in play, as a witness or a target for new charges? I’d be skeptical  of an ex-in-law, and I’d take her comments to teh press with a large grain of salt, but I’m guessing prosecutors have taken that into consideration.

      Reply
    131. 131.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 2:23 pm

      @glory b: Oh and anyone declaring their religiosity in their social media bio is someone I steer clear off.

      This goes for both “proud Hindu”  or ” devout Christian” profiles.

      Reply
    132. 132.

      glory b

      March 13, 2023 at 2:26 pm

      @Tony G: Yes, false accusations of dishonesty are defamatory. He will have to prove damages, but if he can tie his firing to DeSantis, maybe so..

      We will have to consider that the judicial branch of government is tied to DeSantis too. Remember that when he fired the prosecutor for being “woke,” the judge agreed it was outrageous but said he’d have to sue in state court, as the federal didn’t have jurisdiction.

      As I recall, the former prosecutor and his attorney didn’t bother, but I could be wrong. I don’t think the statute of limitations is up yet.

      Too bad that people in FL seem to have no recourse for this display of almost fascistic behavior (almost?).

      Reply
    133. 133.

      glory b

      March 13, 2023 at 2:27 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Yep, better to avoid those types of people when you can.

      Reply
    134. 134.

      smintheus

      March 13, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      The real agenda is imposing right-wing Christian beliefs and practices upon everyone else. The Christianist bigots realize that they need to normalize imposing all manner of beliefs/practices to make it seem impossible to resist their agenda. Books are at the top of their list of things to impose because their own agenda comes from their favorite book of fairy tales, via their own twisted minds.

      Reply
    135. 135.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 2:34 pm

      I have found my people on Twitter, a bunch of other Indian people who think that Nattu Nattu is overrated and unmusical. We even prefer Jai-Ho (If I were to make a list of Rahman’s best Jai-Ho wouldn’t make it in the top 20)  to it.

      The choreography was not too bad. Of course YMMV.

      Of the Oscar contenders I personally preferred Lady Gaga’s song.

      Reply
    136. 136.

      karen marie

      March 13, 2023 at 2:36 pm

      @StringOnAStick: Has she worked with a trainer?

      Doesn’t sound like it!

      Reply
    137. 137.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      @schrodingers_cat:

      It was fine but didn’t strike me as anything special as far as Indian movie music goes.  But I’m happy for them for making history.

      Reply
    138. 138.

      glory b

      March 13, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      @RaflW: I’ve said this before here and say it again now, lots of people know what the Democratic party stands for and what we want to do. They like a lot of it. They just don’t want to vote for the party with the black people in it.

      Reply
    139. 139.

      Yutsano

      March 13, 2023 at 2:37 pm

      @NotMax: ​That made me physically shudder. Yeesh. Such cursed names!

      Reply
    140. 140.

      Betty Cracker

      March 13, 2023 at 2:38 pm

      @glory b: The state attorney DeSantis unlawfully suspended (Andrew Warren) appealed the federal judge’s ruling. The lackey DeSantis appointed to take over for Warren, Susan Lopez, plans to run for the office in 2024. I wonder if Warren will too.

      Reply
    141. 141.

      TerryC

      March 13, 2023 at 2:41 pm

      @glory b: I named my disc golf courses the BRATS Red, White and Blue DGC which makes it obscenely difficult to argue with me on social media if you’re on the right.

      Reply
    142. 142.

      LiminalOwl

      March 13, 2023 at 2:41 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Congratulations! I hope you’ll share views of your lovely creations. (And do you know about the word карандаш in Russian?)

      Reply
    143. 143.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 2:47 pm

      @Baud: Yeah pretty so-so, not very original and quite unmusical. India’s last entry that got a nomination in the foreign film category, Lagaan has better musical numbers than Natu Natu.

      This one from Haider

      is one of the best Hindi cinema musical numbers in recent years in the last ten years or so.

      Reply
    144. 144.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 2:48 pm

      @LiminalOwl: No I don’t. What does it mean.

      Reply
    145. 145.

      LiminalOwl

      March 13, 2023 at 2:49 pm

      @Betty Cracker: On my way to work I have to pass the “Patriot Village” apartment complex.  I hoped it might refer to the not-really-local football team, but the cartoonish statue of a dog at the entrance, painted all over with the Stars and Stripes, makes that seem unlikely.

      Reply
    146. 146.

      LiminalOwl

      March 13, 2023 at 2:56 pm

      @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: Have you ever heard the country song “Standing Room Only”? Barbara Mandrell…

      Reply
    147. 147.

      Jeffro

      March 13, 2023 at 3:06 pm

      @trollhattan:hippy-punching and putting Jesus in everybody’s underwear

      Give the people what they want!

      LOL

      Reply
    148. 148.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 3:14 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: *Haider is the reimagined Hamlet set in Kashmir.

      Reply
    149. 149.

      J R in WV

      March 13, 2023 at 3:15 pm

      deleted

      Reply
    150. 150.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 3:20 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck: I did not watch the debate between DeSantis and Crist that was hosted by a South Florida Sinclair station,  I saw at least a couple people say that DeSantis did not perform well. Among other things, Crist was said to get DeSantis flustered somewhat on the question of whether he would run for President in 2024. I wluld tbink that’s a question DeSants would have expected to be pressed on and been well prepared for.

      So he may be on the brittle side, and that could hurt him in primary debates. Those  count for some, maybe a lot if someone blows up. I expect DeSantis will be pushed plenty by the other non-Trump candidates. Or pulled, as he’ll be the highest crab in the bucket.

      I still could not rule DeSantis out as the nominee. For one thing, I can’t tell how strong Trump and the other likely candidates will be. It seems that like DeSantis they all have weaknesses, but one of them still has to win.

      Another problem is that this seems to me to be a very unpredictable primary electorate. Part of that may be due to Trump’s effect as a chaos agent, and part may be due to tensions from well before Trump. The party and its voters  seem fractured and unsettled to me, and that state could persist well into the primaries.

      That could be projection on my part. But anyway, I think I’ll have to learn about next year’s Republican voters the hard way: watching primary results and popping popcorn.

      Reply
    151. 151.

      RaflW

      March 13, 2023 at 3:22 pm

      @Roger Moore: It’d be really useful for Democrats and progressive-aligned folks to talk about these issues. All the time.

      Reply
    152. 152.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 3:27 pm

      @RaflW: I’ll get on my high horse again and say part of that is talking about how blue states are doing things differently than red states.  Michigan has been doing some great things with the Dem takeover there.

      Reply
    153. 153.

      jefft452

      March 13, 2023 at 3:29 pm

      Be very worried when someone says “Parents should decide”

      They dont mean you should decide for your children

      They mean some other kid’s parents should decide for your children

      Reply
    154. 154.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 3:39 pm

      @Baud: Blue states are doing good work in the area of clean energy transition. That is becoming a force in state and local economies..

      Reply
    155. 155.

      gvg

      March 13, 2023 at 3:41 pm

      @Jackie: I am pretty sure those are from his staff or other fluffers trying to help him evade responsibility for his own actions. I see no reason to buy those stories.

      Reply
    156. 156.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 3:45 pm

      @Geminid:

      Via Reddit, Dems have a new explainer in chief.  Jeff Jackson, NC. He’s like a glass of warm milk.

       

      https://v.redd.it/frasue5zwjna1

      Reply
    157. 157.

      Bill Arnold

      March 13, 2023 at 3:46 pm

      @eclare:

      If his date corrected him, he would leave because he did not want a gf who corrected him. That is creepy and scary AF.

      I wish that just once, a date had been quick enough to reverse-engineer the question and rather than correcting him, ask him about why he disliked women who corrected him.

      Reply
    158. 158.

      Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

      March 13, 2023 at 3:52 pm

      @glory b:

      They just don’t want to vote for the party with the black people in it.

      Or the uppity womens who don’t know their place or the gheys or …

      Reply
    159. 159.

      Bill Arnold

      March 13, 2023 at 3:53 pm

      @Delk:
      The Brick Testament (Bible in Legos)

      Genesis 38:9 “But knowing that the child would not be his, whenever Onan [dirty bits redacted to preserve Florida’s innocence] on the ground to avoid giving offspring to his brother.”

      Reply
    160. 160.

      Anyway

      March 13, 2023 at 3:55 pm

      @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:

      @glory b:

      They just don’t want to vote for the party with the black people in it.

      Or the uppity womens who don’t know their place or the gheys or …

      Too many immigrants in the party!

      Reply
    161. 161.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 3:56 pm

      @Geminid: Texas actually leads the nation in renewable electricity generation, but for dumb ideological reasons Republicans don’t brag on it. Kemp is making the most of electric vehicle investments in his state, but on a national level the party is locked into a reactionary position on the environment. This I think presents a real opportunity for Democrats, as the Republicans are on the wrong side of popular opinion in this area.

      Reply
    162. 162.

      Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

      March 13, 2023 at 3:56 pm

      @LiminalOwl: I hadn’t, but LOL

      Reply
    163. 163.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 4:02 pm

      @Anyway: Rs have always been the anti-immigrant party since the days of Lincoln and definitely during the 1920s.

      Reply
    164. 164.

      Kay

      March 13, 2023 at 4:02 pm

      Completely insane coverage of “wokeness” in the WSJ.

      Wokeness causes bank failures.

      I told you the anti wokesters were idiot ninnies and they prove it every day.

      Reply
    165. 165.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 4:09 pm

      @Baud: Jeff Jackson is the freshman Rep for the North Carolina 14th CD. He’s 40 years old, and was a State Senator before running for Congress.

      Last month Karl Kondyk (U.Va. Center for Politics) put out a set of ratings for 2024 House races, and he rated Jackson’s district a “Tossup.” That was because his and three other blue North Carolina districts may be affected by a new round of redistricting by the Republican legislature.

      Reply
    166. 166.

      Elizabelle

      March 13, 2023 at 4:10 pm

      Meanwhile, in Rodanthe NC (Outer Banks, south of Nags Head), the woke ocean took down another house today.  That makes four in the past year.

      WaPost video feature, with about 2.6 K reader comments.  Gift link:  Retreat in Rodanthe

      I truly don’t understand how anyone bought an oceanfront home here in recent years, but … I kind of wish they’d return these islands to nature preserves, with some camping and temporary structures.

      Barrier islands want to be barrier islands.

      Reply
    167. 167.

      Baud

      March 13, 2023 at 4:11 pm

      @Elizabelle:

      the woke ocean took down another house today

      Heh.

       

      @Geminid:

      Hopefully, he’ll get some buzz with this video.

      Reply
    168. 168.

      way2blue

      March 13, 2023 at 4:18 pm

      Gosh.  This brings back memories…  My sons’ sixth grade history teacher wanted to take her class to see the new film, Der Untergang.  One set of parents objected—they didn’t want their child to see it.  Fine?  But.  They insisted it would be unfair to said child—if the rest of the class saw it.  So.  No field trip.

      I did of course take my sons to see it.  Well worth it…

      Reply
    169. 169.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 4:18 pm

      @LiminalOwl: I figured it out!

      Reply
    170. 170.

      lowtechcyclist

      March 13, 2023 at 4:19 pm

      @Bill Arnold:

      I’ll see your Brick Testament and raise you R. Crumb’s Illustrated Genesis.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Genesis_(comics)

      Reply
    171. 171.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 4:19 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: You may well know this already, but in 1860 the nativist American (Know Nothing) Party dissolved itself, and the bulk of its members went over to the new Republican Party. The American Party had been a force in 1850’s politics, and it’s politics have been a powerful strain in the Republican party ever since. One could say that an amalgam of the American and Dixicrat Parties dominates the party today.

      Reply
    172. 172.

      🐾BillinGlendaleCA

      March 13, 2023 at 4:21 pm

      @trollhattan: I need to speak to the management about this, I have vacay next week and all I see in the forecast is rain on the days I am off.  This is unacceptable, I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER RIGHT NOW!

      Reply
    173. 173.

      Bill Arnold

      March 13, 2023 at 4:34 pm

      @lowtechcyclist:
      R. Crumb’s book looks like a worthy entry; thanks!

      The book’s cover contains the warning, “Adult Supervision Recommended for Minors”.

      (While not Jewish, I do go to Jewish services and can (phonetically) read the liturgy (well, Friday evening at least) in Hebrew. A favorite pastime when bored is finding non-normative interpretations for passages. )

      Reply
    174. 174.

      Chris Johnson

      March 13, 2023 at 4:37 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Literally the first thing Trump blames is ‘RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA SCAM’, posted in that twitter thread, in his subsequent meltdown.

      That guy has no self-control at all, and when it comes to things bigger than money, I think that’s it. Trump was Russia’s guy the whole time, that’s how he became President, and somehow the ‘bigger than money’ thing is that they’ve got him dead to rights on it.

      I think Trump got caught. He’s Russia’s guy. That’s bigger than money.

      Reply
    175. 175.

      Matt McIrvin

      March 13, 2023 at 4:50 pm

      @Kay: One of the standard conservative explanations for the 2008 financial crisis was that it happened because lenders were forced to make home loans to non-white people.

      This time around, they’ve just gone on to assuming that putting non-white people in a bank’s management will make them foolish.

      That train is, as the man said, never late.

      Reply
    176. 176.

      lowtechcyclist

      March 13, 2023 at 4:57 pm

      @Elizabelle:

      I truly don’t understand how anyone bought an oceanfront home here in recent years, but … I kind of wish they’d return these islands to nature preserves, with some camping and temporary structures.

      Barrier islands want to be barrier islands.

      I totally agree.

      From the article: “she estimates it will cost her $200,000 to move her home and have its first floor rebuilt, an expense not covered by insurance.”

      These articles never talk about how they can get insurance at all.  You’d think that would be an important part of the conversation.

      I assume they must be getting Federal flood insurance because I can’t imagine a private insurer having anything to do with low-lying coastal properties like these.  But I wish that just one time, an article about houses in places like this would say where they got their insurance from, and how.

      Anyway, I raised this question with the reporter on Twitter.  I’ll see whether he responds, and what he says if he does.

      Reply
    177. 177.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 4:58 pm

      @Baud:

       

      @Geminid: Jeff Jackson’s 14th NC CD consists of much of Charlotte and suburban Mecklenburg County. It’s 57.1% White, 21.8% Black, 12.8% Hispanic, and 6.9% Asian. He carried it 57.7-42.3% in 2020. Joe Biden got 57.5% of the vote there.

      Jackson made a serious run for the open U.S Senate seat but in December, 2021 he suspended his campaign and endorsed Cheri Beasley.

      Jackson was an officer in the Army JAG Corps, and served in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. He is now a major in the North Carolina National Guard.

      Reply
    178. 178.

      Elizabelle

      March 13, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      @lowtechcyclist:  Good question. Let us know if you hear back.

      Reply
    179. 179.

      StringOnAStick

      March 13, 2023 at 5:11 pm

      @karen marie: There has been several rounds of training, starting at puppy class.  They are 2.5 years old now and the male is tightly bonded to her husband.  She figured his aggression had to do with feeling he needed to protect the husband because he was feeling a sudden onset of hip joint pain and playing it for everything he could to get attention from my friend, as he usually does.

      There was a prior hint 6 months ago when he nipped or snagged an elderly woman’s hand and drew blood; now that event is being reviewed as being more meaningful.  My friend and I sat together in the kitchen and the dogs could run around outside and come to the door; he’d look at her with love and at me with murder in his eyes.  When they were locked up in their laundry room to keep him away from me, he was hitting the door in a state of rage trying to get out and get to me, so they had to be put in their crates until I left the next morning.  I got away with a 2″ diameter blood blister thanks to the jacket I was wearing ; the next person might not be so lucky and this is a very, very large and powerful dog.

      Reply
    180. 180.

      cain

      March 13, 2023 at 5:26 pm

      @Frankensteinbeck:

      I think this is crucial.  DeSantis is bad at hitting back.  Trump hit back like an elementary schooler going “I’m rubber and you’re glue!” but that fits his Let’s Go Brandon audience fine.  DeSantis freezes up.  That’s going to hurt him badly on the campaign trail, and especially in the primaries.

      The key here though is in a debate – you go for the jugular when DeSantis falters – say stuff like “why are you stumbling? What’s wrong?” – the trick is to make him look weak to his audience.

      Hopefully, the press and stupid liberals don’t shake their heads about ‘tone’. Every time it is about that we will lose the battle.

      Reply
    181. 181.

      Urza

      March 13, 2023 at 5:44 pm

      @Gvg: The “Many Questions doctrine” that appears to be the new rightwing legal theory for denying laws would actually work in our favor here.  Any law that isn’t very specific would have Many Questions as to its validity.

      Reply
    182. 182.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 5:57 pm

      @Geminid: Yes I do know about the Know-Nothings and how they hated the Irish immigrants.

      Reply
    183. 183.

      LiminalOwl

      March 13, 2023 at 6:01 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: It means “pencil.” Transliteration is KARANDASH, and yes, that does tell you where they tto the name from.

      Reply
    184. 184.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: The Know Nothings were anti-Irish, anti-German, and anti-Catholic. Then they became anti-Labor. I identify that strain with the “Taft Republicans” of the 1940s and 50s. The “Eisenhower Republicans” could hold them at bay for a while, but after the Southern party realignment of the 1970s the Know Nothings had powerful allies, and what used to be the Eisenhower Republicans were marginalized.

      Reply
    185. 185.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 6:22 pm

      @Geminid: Now most of them are Democrats, the Eisenhower Republicans of yore.

      Reply
    186. 186.

      Geminid

      March 13, 2023 at 6:36 pm

      @schrodingers_cat: Yes, a lot of them came over to the Democratic side. I still see a few remnants in the Republican Party around me, but they are aging out. My State Senator, Emmet Hanger, is probably one but he’s in his 70s.

      There is a group of Eisenhower-tupe Republicans who run a Virginia political blog, Bearing Drift. They still try to fight the radicals, but their audience is small. It’s a good publication, though.

      Reply
    187. 187.

      schrodingers_cat

      March 13, 2023 at 6:38 pm

      @Geminid: I knew a few of them in Maine, most of them voted for Obama. All most all of them have become Ds, some have become independents.

      Reply
    188. 188.

      LiminalOwl

      March 13, 2023 at 7:37 pm

      @LiminalOwl: oops, sorry. I see you didn’t need the explanation.

      Reply
    189. 189.

      kalakal

      March 13, 2023 at 7:50 pm

      @Cameron: In one of C. S. Forester’s books, Hornblower is on half pay and is working as a teacher at a private school. “Readers – penny a week, Writers – tupenny, Counters – thrupenny”

      DeStupid is already trying to fill teacher vacancies by waiving all qualification requirements for vets.

      As people have pointed out he’s stiff  and inflexible  in debates. He’s a very thin skinned I speak your weight machine who can’t handle pushback which is why he always operates in a controlled bubble. He won’t be able to do that at a national level.

      Being thin- skinned is a real problem for a politician, many voters are turned off by people who can give it out but can’t take it. DeSantis is particularly bad as he just whines, pouts, and sulks.

      Reply
    190. 190.

      Ruckus

      March 13, 2023 at 9:55 pm

      @kalakal:

      Ronnie sounds like he has the maturity of a 2 yr old.

      And yes I’m giving him credit here…..

      Reply
    191. 191.

      whatsleft

      March 14, 2023 at 8:22 am

      @Tony G: No because of the burgeoning new law making it illegal to criticize the Florida governor or his cabinet unless you are “registered” with them.
      https://www.wfla.com/news/politics/florida-bill-would-require-bloggers-who-write-about-governor-to-register-with-the-state/amp/

      Reply
    192. 192.

      Paul in KY

      March 14, 2023 at 8:56 am

      @Doc Sardonic: Back in the paleozoic, when I used to wait in line for great UK basketball tics (outside in very cold weather) a Maranatha nut or two would harangue us at about 3 or 4 in morn about how we were all heathens bound for Hell.  Good times….

      Reply
    193. 193.

      Cthulhu

      March 14, 2023 at 8:57 am

      @rikyrah:  I just wish the media (Corporately right wing owned, so little hope of this) would call these people what they are, Nazis and Fascists.

      Reply
    194. 194.

      Paul in KY

      March 14, 2023 at 9:00 am

      @StringOnAStick: I never understand why someone would want an animal that, if it decided, could kill you, and you couldn’t do anything about it (unless you had a gun handy and could use it).

      Reply
    195. 195.

      Paul in KY

      March 14, 2023 at 9:14 am

      @Geminid: They got a great deal on that one. I wonder why..

      Edit: Comment was for Elizabelle comment below :-)

      Reply

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