PSA (I suspect you Raskin fans already know about this):
My doctors declared me cancer-free and ready-to-rock, so put on your best bandana and join me and the great @StevieVanZandt for “Bandanas Across America,” a nationwide Zoom celebration and campaign fundraiser next Tuesday, May 23 at 6:00 PM ET! RSVP here: https://t.co/i05trA8g31 pic.twitter.com/spaWAVkXc4
— Jamie Raskin (@jamie_raskin) May 18, 2023
Dear Twitter family, a retweet will be appreciated ?????? pic.twitter.com/USIhhgD74z
— Emily Winston (@Emywinst) May 21, 2023
The G7 is more united, more resolved, and more determined to set up for greater progress in the months ahead. pic.twitter.com/UU6Igk2Agz
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 22, 2023
Sisters 1, Bigots 0:
Just an incredible sentence. Needs to be in history books to capture this moment. The Los Angeles Dodgers went Bud Light on us. https://t.co/CsHFLpU8yb
— David Grossman (@davidgross_man) May 23, 2023
Dodgers "Sincerely Apologize" And Re-Invite Sisters – https://t.co/GqDOJKoi9D pic.twitter.com/uDFZKVEZdq
— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) May 22, 2023
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023
SFist:
… Those “honest conversations” came about because many in the LGBTQ community, includng co-hosts of the event, called foul over all this and told the Dodgers they may as well just call the entire event off if they were going to kowtow to conservatives and disinvite the widely beloved Sisters.
In trying to placate one group of people — Catholic Dodgers fans who were told by Sen. Marco Rubio and Catholic activists that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an “anti-Catholic hate group,” which they are not — the Dodgers managed to piss off the entire LGBTQ community and many of their allies. And instead of removing what they saw as a controversial distraction, the team’s management miscalculated in this culture-war dustup, creating a much larger distraction from baseball, and from whatever good will they showed in establishing Pride Night a decade ago.
At the heart of the controversy was the notion that the Sisters are mocking Catholic nuns, when in fact they say they are inspired by and emulate real nuns through their good works — even if it’s done in a tongue-in-cheek way…
Sister Bearance Knows with the LA order of the Sisters went on CBS LA early Monday to talk about the controversy, and to brag about the fact that it’s only resulted in $15,000 in donations to the Sisters (so far), and interest from across the globe in starting new chapters.
But, now, after flexing its muscle, the LGBTQ community and all of Drag Twitter can rest assured that the news is not not all about anti-drag and anti-trans laws getting passed— some good things still happen too.
According to the LA Times, “Dodgers staffers across all sexual orientations were vocal in their dismay at the decision” last week. And one anonymous employee quoted by the paper said, “We knew the Sisters would react, but we didn’t have a feel for how swift and strong the response was going to be and how it would pull in others.”…
The Los Angeles LGBT Center posted a statement Monday, saying, “Today’s decision by the Dodgers to publicly apologize to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and roll back their exclusion from next month’s Pride Night is a step in the right direction, and we support the Sisters’ vote to accept their much-deserved Community Hero Award.”
The Center added, “Last week’s debacle underscores the dangerous impact of political tactics by those who seek to stoke the flames of anti-LGBTQ bias at a time when our rights are under attack.”
Kay
Good for Raskin. Seems like a great person.
OzarkHillbilly
I guess conservatives will be boycotting baseball now.
Shalimar
Just saw something incredibly stupid. In response to the NAACP call for a boycott of Florida, DeSantis’ spokesidiot went on Fox and announced that it was just a stunt and Florida has record tourism numbers. That is not how a boycott works. You announce the boycott and then people stop coming. You don’t announce a boycott because people aren’t coming already.
Kay
@Shalimar:
Longer term I think he is changing how people view Florida and not in a way that would benefit tourism.
Normies won’t want to go to this miserable culture war combat zone. That’s not fun and relaxing. He had location, location, location in Florida- beaches and weather- and he managed to fuck that up.
Shalimar
From Emily Winston’s twitter feed, I really want the t-shirt that says Being “woke” is literally what Jesus preached his entire life.
OzarkHillbilly
Every now and again:
Shalimar
@Kay: I live a 5 minute walk from the beach and it’s too damn hot here for half the year, but I agree with you. I never ever talk politics with the vast majority of my neighbors. They’re nice enough if you don’t remind them that they’re at war to kill us.
Raoul Paste
My doctor has yet to call me “ready to rock“
Darn
Kay
@Shalimar:
It’s just ALL the news out of Florida is Florida politicians battling some group of Florida residents. I get that the GOP base lives to own the libs, but no normie will want to vacation in a culture war zone. It’s supposed to be laid back and welcoming. It’s bristling with weapons and everyone is on a hair trigger, waiting to see who the next targeted group is. The DeSantis spokespeople are, to a man or woman, crazily aggressive and mean spirited shit tallkers. Why are they constantly fighting with people? Why all this sarcasm and bitterness? I go on vacation to relax, not join one side of a battle.
eclare
@Kay:
A lot of Europeans also vacay in FL. I am guessing that will change. Not just the anti-LGTBQ laws, but also gun laws.
Kay
@Shalimar:
My husband loves Florida because it’s warm and beautiful and there’s a ton of tennis but this year I talked him into Arizona which also has good hiking and just as many fancy, old man tennis players :)
Lacuna Synecdoche
@OzarkHillbilly:
First they came for the football players, and I did not speak out — because I was not a football player.
Then they came for the baseball players, and I did not speak out — because I was not a baseball player.
Then they came for the pickleball players, and I did not speak out — because I was not a pickleball player.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
P.S.:
The Thin Black Duke
I think one of the things that’s driving the GOP’S insane culture war is that all the smart and popular creative folks are on our side of the political divide. P.J. O’Rourke was the only conservative humorous conservative columnist I can think of who was genuinely funny, and he’s dead. As another example, Nutjob Gina Carano made a movie produced by her buddy Ben Shapiro that made $800 dollars its opening weekend. Most Republicans have never been “hip, slick and kewl”, and they hate it.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I just deposited a check by phone for the first time. Now I’m looking at the check and wondering what to do with it
ETA: The oddest part of that Dodgers story is that they were still holding Pride Night. It’s just the drag part they balked at. I don’t know how to parse that.
Kay
@eclare:
They’d never do it – because they’re conservatives – but one of the other southern states with a coastline should position their state as a laid back vacation alternative to grim, authoritarian, culture-warring Florida.
“come here- we don’t hate you”
Shalimar
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Write “deposited by phone 5/23/23” on it and put in whatever storage place you put bank statements?
AWOL
@OzarkHillbilly: No. First they have to start a Go Fund Me for ex-A’s announcer Glen “N***** Leagues” Kuiper,” who swears he’s a loving, enlightened family man.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Shalimar: My bank statements are online, so no storage place. It’s very odd. The world is more convenient but I occasionally don’t know how to act in it.
The Thin Black Duke
@Kay: People will move if it’s not safe. My parents were born in Virginia, but left and moved to New York because of Jim Crow.
Shalimar
@Kay: Alabama would absolutely do that. “come here – we’re the non-asshole part of the state”.
The irony being that Baldwin County, where Gulf Shores is, was one of only 2 traditionally Republican counties (out of 67 total) many decades ago when the entire state voted for Democrats.
BellyCat
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Trump would eat it.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@The Thin Black Duke: Gina Carano had a pretty good thing going before she decided that it was important to mock trans people even after her costar let her know that it was hurting his trans sister. She had an entire television series lined up for her and she threw it away because she couldn’t bring herself to be a decent person to trans people.
That’s what I remember about her. A great character portrayed by a fundamentally awful person.
Jeffro
The boss sets the tone, always.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
Best thing since the pitch clock.
Lacuna Synecdoche
@The Thin Black Duke:
As a historical note, that’s a long-time conservative preoccupation – Nixon identified the problem and tried to make the squares cool again (not they ever were) by trying to rename himself and the rest of the right-wing movement: Orthogonians.
Which is just so … Nixon.
gene108
@Kay:
I doubt normies pay that much attention to Florida politics to stop going to the state for vacation.
Unless violent crime increases in the main tourist areas, like Orlando, people that wang to go to Disney World will still go.
Maybe a determined effort could get some businesses to stop holding conventions in Florida, but it’d take a lot of work.
There’s so many anti-LGBTQ laws being passed in so many states, along with book bans, I think a lot of people have become numb to how outrageous it all is. The bad legislation no longer stands out but just blends into the fabric of what Republican run states are expected to do.
Nukular Biskits
Mornin, y’all, from the benighted state of MS, which is essentially the Great Value version of FL.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@BellyCat: Well then I can’t do that!
TooTallTom
@Kay: One southern state with a bit of coastline already does (in a way). They don’t lean into the culture wars, but Virginia has the BEST slogan that they use for tourism: “Virginia is for lovers”
Baud
@Lacuna Synecdoche:
That so perpendicular, man.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@gene108: Some Florida politician pointed out to DeSantis that half the tourists come to FL for Disney World. Unless DeSantis damages the park in a way tourists hear about, I think they’ll still go. They think of it as going to Disney World, not going to Florida.
The Thin Black Duke
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: What made Carano’s decision even more insane was that she was a relic from the era of action stars (Segal, Van Damme, etc.) who could do the stunts convincely but couldn’t act if you held a gun to her head. The Mandalorian fixed that problem by surrounding her with people who could act. Career wise, Carano won a winning lottery ticket and threw it away.
Nukular Biskits
@gene108:
I fear you may be right on this.
It’s hard to get some folks involved when the issue doesn’t directly impact them personally (or their own wallets).
Dorothy A. Winsor
Oh look, another unhealthy Russian official.
Nukular Biskits
@Shalimar:
It’s my observation, born of experience, that the I-10 counties of both AL & MS tend to be downright “liberal” (relatively speaking) than the rest of their respective states.
This is largely due to the large influx of folks from other areas: tourism, defense industry and other manufacturing jobs, etc.
The Thin Black Duke
@Nukular Biskits: Wait. It won’t be long before some nutjob will exercise his 2nd amendment rights at The Happiest Place On Earth.
John S.
@Kay:
It used to be warm with some natural beauty about 30 years ago. Now it’s hot, humid, crowded and not very aesthetically pleasing unless you like high rise condos and concrete.
And with the current state of politics, I just don’t see what the appeal is any more.
Ken
Have any reporters asked any nuns if they feel mocked by the Sisters? The answers might be surprising.
I strongly suspect that if they were asked whether the Sisters are doing good works, nuns would largely say yes. They tend to be curiously liberal on social justice and welfare issues, possibly because so many of them actually work in that area.
WhatsMyNym
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Write “deposited by phone on mm/dd/yy” on it and wait until it clears. Then shred it.
Lacuna Synecdoche
@Baud:
Ain”t it just? (Said in Fillion Mal intonation.)
MattF
Raskin is my rep, and I’m happy to see him doing well. Needless to say he’s been ‘mentioned’ as a possible Senate candidate— he’d join Van Hollen, the previous rep for my district, as Senator From Maryland, and yeah, I’d be for that.
Ken
@Lacuna Synecdoche: Geez, how did he miss the high-school lesson that you don’t get to pick your own nickname? Besides which, “Orthogonians” sounds like some Star Trek alien race.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@John S.: Mr DAW’s sister and BIL have wintered in Florida for years. They’re gardeners and bird watchers, so wintering in Florida let them do that year round. But the last time we saw them, they were talking about staying in Rhode Island year round, partly because they don’t have access to a good medical center near where their Florida house. Re politics, they just don’t talk to their neighbors about it. They’re Florida residents and vote Democratic, so there is that.
Nukular Biskits
@The Thin Black Duke:
I figure it’s only a matter of time before some “FREEDUMBZZZ!” type ammosexual shows up at the Disney gates with an AR-15 strapped on his back and demands to be let in. And, then when he isn’t, he’ll file a “Second Amendment lawsuit”, claiming his rights were violated.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@WhatsMyNym: That’s finally what I concluded I’d do.
Baud
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Keep depositing it until you can afford to get yourself something nice.
Baud
@Nukular Biskits:
Disney is private and not bound by the Second Amendment. But Disney is at risk of the Florida legislature passing a gun law that allows guns at Disney world.
Scout211
I posted Rubio’s response to the Dodgers re-inviting the Sisters to the Pride Night and apologizing.
What disturbs me about the GOP messaging these days (and this is not new to anyone here) is the ham-handed attempt to turn inclusion into “bullying” and honoring nuns into “anti-catholic” hate. His original letter to the owner made it appear as though honoring the Sisters was the opposite of inclusion. Like honoring the Sisters would automatically dishonor white, catholic, cis gendered people. Ugh. Some in the GOP are better at this than Rubio, though.
Making it seem as though the bigots and oppressors are the real victims when they are called out for their bigotry is scarily powerful as a form of political manipulation.
Did you all read about the DEI officer from Uber who was placed on leave? The poor “Karens” of the world just need to be understood and protected? Whut!?
UBER SUSPENDS DEI OFFICER ADDRESSING ‘KAREN’ SLUR. #WHITEWOMENFEELINGSDONTMATTER.
Kay
@John S.:
We used to like Cocoa Beach because to us it was kind of quirky and fun for kids- the space industry people mixed with the surfers and there were big rental units and the town itself (center) was safe enough for pedestrians the kids could get around on bikes. That was 20 years ago though. The last time I went with just my husband and my youngest son I told myself I probably wasn’t going back. It didn’t help that our flight back was cancelled due to bad weather in Detroit (our destination) , we both had court dates we had to make so we had to rent a car and drive all night home. A Jeep Compass! The economy Jeep :)
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Baud: It’s that kind of advice that cost the Baud!2020 campaign the coveted endorsement of the Bloom Picayune.
PAM Dirac
@MattF:
Yes the fundraiser seems to me to be a sign he is considering it. I was in his district in 2018 and 2020. He worked very hard at the local level. I went to a fundraiser for MD legislative candidates where he was the guest. The district was about 65R-35D so the candidates had very little chance, but he not only showed up but gave a nice detailed endorsement of each candidate. He also explicitly said to donate to the local campaigns, not to his. He won by 62 points in 2022, so I don’t think he needs to buy much media to win the congressional race again, but he would certainly need a pile of money to run a state wide campaign. Raskin would make an outstanding senator, but I think the others already declared would be great as well, so I don’t think Maryland or the country really loses if he decides to stay in the House.
Baud
@Scout211:
That’s literally a centuries old tactic.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I just logged on this morning. Is this story getting the attention I think it should?
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
That’s kinda my point.
So far, states have been passing laws to allow gun nuts to carry firearms anywhere they so desire, with the “loophole” (if you will) about not in places where such a ban is prominently displayed; i.e., so far, “private property rights” > “gun rights”.
It’s only a matter of time, IMHO, before amusement parks and similar venues are declared by state legislatures, ergo facto, “public” and thus forcing them to admit 2A types looking to showcase their penis-extenders.
Such a lawsuit would either be the catalyst or the justification.
Betty Cracker
Jon Hamm is from Missouri and cut a nice ad for Josh Hawley’s Dem opponent Lucas Kunce:
I don’t know MO politics, but I suspect Hawley is like Rubio in Florida — people generally think he’s a pathetic wanker, but due to polarization, he’s difficult to unseat.
rikyrah
Why do these videos of Halle with the children make me😪😪😪
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTREHF7Kj/
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Scout211: When we lived in Detroit, I used to think that the “diversity is great” argument was true, but was mostly a way to fight the bigots. Because in some ways, diversity is annoying. You have to adjust to other people’s sense of how things should be. Then we moved to Iowa where nearly everyone I saw was white. And it quickly became clear that diversity is great! Even in things like the variety of restaurants and entertainment, a diverse population makes things better.
Scout211
More Women Join Abortion Lawsuit Against Texas
sdhays
@Ken: Now that’s just silly. It’s Catholic doctrine that women aren’t worth consulting about anything. That’s why they have no place in the Church hierarchy.
dmsilev
@OzarkHillbilly:
Apple pie is next.
And yes, the pie knows what it did.
kalakal
@eclare: Absolutely. I’ve been posting that Fl is seen in Europe as a family holiday place, bring the kids, it’s safe abd DeStupid is fucking it up
Escalating gun violence with no permit carry, anti Gay, book banning, and racist shit is a major turn off. It’s expensive and hostile, they’ll go elsewhere.
A few tragedies over miscarriages, prosecutions under every fetus is sacred laws and the numbers will plummet.
All he needs to do is go to open carry and foreign tourism is toast.
Who wants to have a family holiday* in a place like that. People will go elsewhere.
Any holiday
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Baud
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
So antifa.
Geminid
@PAM Dirac: My guess is that Rep. Raskin will win the nomination (and then the Senate seat) if he chooses to run. Most politicians in that situation would go for it, but Mr. Raskin seems genuinely conflicted about giving up his House career.
I think that is a good thing. It shows that he is in politics for the work, not the status. Politicians are often valued for their potential to move up, but at least Raskin values himself for what he can do where he is now. Raskin may end up seeking the “higher” office, but if he does I think it will be for the right reasons.
Tenar Arha
@Dorothy A. Winsor: hold on to it like a couple weeks just to be sure you have the money in your account (with the deposited notation suggested) then to dispose of it regularly schedule a shredding of any checks you deposit like that bc it has your account numbers on the back. Essentially that’s what my bank recommended.
OzarkHillbilly
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Sometimes I go to STL just so I can see some black faces.
Roger Moore
@The Thin Black Duke:
If they do, it will be at the entrance station, not the park proper. Disney doesn’t allow weapons into their parks, and they have a search on entry to enforce it. You won’t see people strolling around Disney World open carrying their AR.
rikyrah
@Kay:
Why pay money to go somewhere hostile to me?
Makes no sense
rikyrah
@The Thin Black Duke:
Considering that most culture is created by those on the “outside’, it would never be them😒
rikyrah
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
All she had to do was be decent😒
Jager
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Dodger EVP Eric Braverman is gay, he got engaged on the field a few years ago and it was all over the news and the coverage was positive as could be.
rikyrah
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Yet another one😒
PAM Dirac
@Geminid:
My impression of Raskin is that he is genuinely interested in good government for all people. He has been able to do a lot in the House, including a lot of things that us locals see that doesn’t get national attention. He knows he can do a lot more good things if he stays in the House. I think it is a question of can he do more from the Senate and probably more importantly, there already are very good candidates that have declared for the Senate race, so I think he is considering if there is something he brings that is so much better than the current candidates that it is worth splintering the field even more. I have very little doubt that the D primary winner will win the general. Probably the only R would make it a race is Hogan, but he has ticked off enough MD Rs that it is no where near a sure thing that he would win the R primary. That’s probably why he has said he isn’t interested in running.
Roger Moore
@rikyrah:
What they want, more than anything, is to be able to flaunt their indecency to the world and have it celebrated. Until that happens, they’re being oppressed.
Kristine
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I still have an annual tax file for various receipts and mailed statements–I stick the checks in there.
rikyrah
@Scout211:
Good👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Ksmiami
@Kay: he served on Harvard Law Review with a friend of mine. He’s amazing.
Matt McIrvin
@gene108: Florida has gotten a lot of business from gay tourists specifically, and Disney has acquired a lot of goodwill in the community for WDW being an openly gay-friendly place. I know they’re paying attention and will react if the perception is that it’s not safe to go any more. There is some inertia even there, but it’s not limitless.
zhena gogolia
@Shalimar: absolutely!
Ksmiami
@Dorothy A. Winsor: And the food is so much better too…
lowtechcyclist
@Shalimar:
Yeah, I’m gonna have to get one of those.
Also, the one that says “This is not a Christian nation. It’s a nation in which you are free to be Christian.“
WaterGirl
@Dorothy A. Winsor: First, put a giant checkmark on the front of the check, in pen, so when you come across it you won’t have to wonder if you forgot to deposit the check.
tobie
@Geminid: Raskin is an incredibly decent man, and that kindness and authenticity shines in everything he does. It’s why even a mainstream Dem like myself likes and trusts him and would vote for him in a heartbeat.
Regarding Florida, I have to go there in a week to spend time with my 94-year-old mother. She’s in a senior home there and moving her out of state is not really an option, so although I hate going to Florida, I have to. I stay in her apartment in the home, so I guess I’m not pumping up the FL economy, which is a small comfort. My mother says some Democratic voters need to remain in Florida to change the state. Good luck to her and her friends. That’s the fighting spirit.
Manyakitty
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I wait until it clears my account and then tear it up and throw it away.
Geminid
@PAM Dirac: Raskin is a member of the House class of 2018. I’ve followed the careers of a number of those Reps, and many are like you describe Raskin, doing a lot of good work that does not get much notice in national media. Chrissy Houlahan, Sharice Davids, and Lauren Underwood are just a few examples out of many.
I see a lot of Representatives like this in the House class of 2022. Alaska’s Mary Peltola is a notable example. Some, like Nikki Budzinski (IL), are not so well known outside their states but still promise to be excellent Representatives.
Matt McIrvin
@Roger Moore: What I thought of as the other shoe dropping would be the Florida state government raiding Disney World to seize a trans kid from their parents–piercing Disney’s bubble that makes people think of them as safely separate from Florida politics. I’ve been wondering if DeSantis is dumb/performatively evil enough to do that. He might be, just to score points with the national Republican base and hurt Disney.
lowtechcyclist
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I’d suggest writing “DEPOSITED [date]” on it, scanning it, and shredding the original.
Suzanne
@OzarkHillbilly:
The more things they boycott, the happier I am. They have less fun and I get more space to enjoy things without them around.
Manyakitty
@Betty Cracker: I enjoy the fact that Morning Joe has played that ad no less than half a dozen times so far.
Also, too, I hope someone runs lots of ads about how the Hawleys actually live in VA, not MO.
Burnspbesq
@OzarkHillbilly:
efg ‘em.
Betty Cracker
@kalakal: That’s my impression too. Until he retired in 2020, my dad had a marina and dive tour business that depended on foreign visitors for about a third of its revenue, and this was in a tiny little redneck town far away from the tourist meccas. (Manatees are the primary draw in my hometown.)
I know there’s pressure on DeSantis to sign an open carry law. The gun nuts aren’t content with eliminating permits for concealed carry — they want to wave their prosthetic penises in public or there’s really no point. At a book signing, a gun nut activist secretly recorded DeSantis saying he’s for open carry too but he didn’t think the legislature would send a bill.
That’s a bullshit excuse, IMO — if DeSantis told them to murder their own mothers, statehouse Repubs would smother the old lady with the nearest pillow. Maybe he’s being cagey because he knows what a disaster it would be for the state’s tourism industry. But I thought he’d be smart enough to put off the total abortion ban until after the presidential run, so who knows.
The Thin Black Duke
@Matt McIrvin: Happily, DeSantis isn’t smart. If he was, he wouldn’t be dialing up the anti-woke nonsense to 11. Trump was vulnerable, and the GOP was ready to move on. All DeSantis had to do was slide into the lane Liz Cheney used to occupy as a “moderate Republican”, but he couldn’t because he’s a vindictive asshole. I think DeSantis is going to be a fly on Trump’s windshield, but he’s going to do a lot of damage before he’s gone.
Steeplejack
@tobie:
Why would a mainstream Dem have a problem with Raskin under any circumstances?
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
Yeah, they’ll probably pass a law stating that people can open carry their guns anyplace that’s open to the general public, except for the statehouse, the governor’s mansion, and any facility hosting a convention of the NRA, CPAC, or the state GOP.
Manyakitty
@The Thin Black Duke: and what kind of broken world is this, where Liz freaking Cheney is a “moderate Republican” because she’s against treason. Yikes.
The Thin Black Duke
@Manyakitty: And yet, here we are. Cheney is the GOP candidate that scares me in 2028.
sab
@Betty Cracker: Concealed carry makes traffic stops scary for white male gun nuts. The cops treat them like adolescent Blacks.
Jeffro
Oddly enough, Mrs. Fro and I were talking about this very thing on our morning walk today (in regards to DeSantis having a rubber stamp legislature that’s fine with hurting out-groups in any way possible). But I like your analogy better, Betty – ‘rubber stamp’ pales in comparison!
Frankensteinbeck
@Scout211:
This is textbook gaslighting, the core of what gaslighting is in an abusive relationship. It is as old as humanity and a go-to whenever any movement is driven by cruelty.
@Roger Moore:
THIS. Assholes demand to be praised for being assholes, and more than half of whites in this country are fucking pissed that they’re not getting that praise anymore.
different-church-lady
@Dorothy A. Winsor: The world is not more convenient. The world is more complicated, but they sell it as convenience.
Kyle Rayner
This is nice news to get in the morning. It’s always great to be reminded that some clueless harm will be rectified as soon as it’s identified as such. Not every piece of bad news is here to stay. :)
sab
@Manyakitty: Can we restart the Ohio meetup talks? Maybe for Columbus so Cincinnati jackals can participate.
Baud
@different-church-lady:
I for one like not going to the bank to deposit checks.
Manyakitty
@The Thin Black Duke: same.
Manyakitty
@sab: really? Is it open season on them? Is it bad that I hope you’re right?
Manyakitty
@sab: yes! For sure!
different-church-lady
@Baud: Who uses paper checks anymore when you can constantly upgrade an app and pay fees to a middle man?
HinTN
@Kay: South Carolina? Alabama? Mississippi? (both have tiny coast, anyway)? Texas? Georgia, maybe. I hear Tybee is nice.
Baud
@Kyle Rayner:
You are banned from the liberal internet.
Kay
@HinTN:
North Carolina has a gorgeous coast. But it’s not as warm in the winter as Florida. I have friends who vacation on the Alabama coast- they say it’s fun and friendly.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Bad news 2.0 is in beta.
Matt McIrvin
There are still lots of government situations where somebody requires something like a paper bill with your address on it to establish proof of residency (including for voting rights, where I live), and going to paperless billing eliminates the paper record–though often they do provide PDF downloads you can print out, if you have access to a printer. Of course all this stuff would also be easy to fake, if you had some reason to do so; there’s a certain bureaucratic absurdity to it.
UncleEbeneezer
@Baud: There are diary writings by Plantation Masters/Mistresses complaining about how they are the real victims of Slavery.
Baud
@different-church-lady:
What fees do you pay? The only fee I pay is for credit card surcharges in places that charge them?
Geminid
@The Thin Black Duke: I worry more about the GOP of Brian Kemp in 2028. I think Cheney has in effect burned her bridges with Republican party as it is today and will likely be for the next decade.
Cheney will have a good life in Piedmont Virginia though, teaching part time at U.Va.’s Miller Center. Albemarle County is a nice place to live, and there are plenty of people like her there.
Quinerly
@Jeffro:
After what I have read about his wife, I think she is behind over 50% of the tone. This may very well be her campaign.
OzarkHillbilly
@Matt McIrvin: I had to go to my electric co-op for proof of residency when I renewed my DL.
Matt McIrvin
@UncleEbeneezer: The myth that Robert E. Lee was personally opposed to slavery is based on one of those. He wrote this kind of vomitous missive about how slavery was an evil that morally stained the slaveowners, but at the same time benefited the enslaved people, and it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
Kay
I feel like you really could build a narrative that DeSantis, the sanctimonious scold, really is ruining the fun and oddball parts of Florida.
What is this other than a fuck you to Florida, you’re not “American” enough?
Forget how absolutely ridiculous it is to portray YOUNGSTOWN as some kind of moral center. Youngstown’s claim to fame is organized crime and corruption and really tough people. DeSantis and national media saying it is known for “weekly church attendance” is just further proof that none of them have any idea about any of these rustbelt places.
OzarkHillbilly
@Matt McIrvin: Is this the same Robert E Lee who refused to give his FiL’s slaves their freedom as he had promised?
different-church-lady
@Baud: I’m deliberately munging up a lot of different things. Like PayPal for instance. I don’t know if things like zelle and venmo have fees because I won’t touch them. Same with Apple pay.
‘Course, now that they got everyone fooled into thinking you have to spend money to spend money, I’m sure they’ll soon figure out a way for even the “normal” transactions to cost money.
lowtechcyclist
@Nukular Biskits:
I first ran into that in Kansas a dozen or so years ago when I was out there for my uncle’s funeral. It weirded me out to see a “No guns allowed inside” sign prominently posted on the door to the funeral parlor.
What sort of place is this, where that sort of thing has to be said?
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: How to say, “I’ve never been there.” with out saying, “I’ve never been there.”
Kay
Even Donald Trump says DeSantis is sanctimonious. He’s the only one of these dopes on the Right, his competitiors, to figure out a good negative narrative about him.
tobie
@Steeplejack: All I meant to say is that Raskin is more progressive than me. The only time I’ve been disappointed in him is when he signed the letter saying the US should negotiate with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
Baud
@different-church-lady:
I don’t use PayPal much but I’ve never paid a fee to them, Zelle, or Venmo.
OzarkHillbilly
American.
Nukular Biskits
This is kinda late, but are their any Jackals here on the MS Gulf Coast?
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
The NYTimes does the same thing- they protray Youngstown as this buttoned-up Right wing place. What? They literally pride themselves on rule breaking and they hate anyone who comes in there and tries to change it from anywhere else. When Kasich tried to take over their schools I though “yeah. good luck with that”. They’ll break his legs.
Quinerly
@OzarkHillbilly:
I now have to go to Albuquerque.
sab
@Kay: I cannot wait to tease Goku about DeSantis being his kind of guy. Only Goku’s folks stayed and DeSantis’s folks fled.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Well i’m just engaging in general cynicism. I have done photo deposits, but I don’t actually find that easier than just handing the check to a teller or using an ATM, and they keep breaking the app on my old devices. They won’t send me paper statements anymore, so I have to download them and print them myself — yeah, so much more convenient.
Quinerly
@Matt McIrvin:
I have been wondering what DeSantis plans on doing with Key West.
Maxim
Indian folk metal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iKjSCTxke8
Betty Cracker
@Kay: I really do think a backlash with that theme is building. My “Make Florida Weird Again” bumper stickers should be here this week! ;-)
sab
Any Ohio jackals here this morning want a meetup?
Scout211
@different-church-lady: My bank uses Zelle for digital payments and it’s free. It did take me some time to get comfortable with digitally sending out money to pay bills, but I’ve been using it now for years and I like it. I don’t use Zelle to send money to individual people, though. I send checks for that.
Doc Sardonic
@Kay: Yep, I was born and raised in the state of Florida. The son of a Teacher and a Railroad worker, I was geographically raised in Central Florida, but culturally my upbringing reflected the working class communities of Florida, church twice a week etc. My upbringing had “culturally” fuck all to do with Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Geminid
@Matt McIrvin: Lee was not a very deep thinker. And he really was not that talented or industrious a man. Had it not been for the Civil War, Lee would just be an entry in the Wikipedia biography of his father “Light Horse Harry” Lee, and the subject of a few sentences in histories of the Mexican-American War. Maybe someone would have written a biography: Lee: Winfield Scott’s Unkown Scout.
Kay
@sab:
This Right wing thing of trashing the place you are running amazes me. DeSantis thinks Florida isn’t “American” enough?
I see it with the NYC mayor too “this city is a hellhole and crime-ridden”. Way to be a booster! WTF with these people?
kalakal
@Betty Cracker: I think he’s relying on inertia, he can’t stand again and is aiming to president. He couldn’t care less what happens after he’s gone.
For me the perfect scenario would be he wins the GQP primary and then bombs in the election catastrophically including losing Florida as all his chickens come home to roost
Betty Cracker
I know we have some road trippers amongst this crew, and I have a question: Is there a good app for planning road trips in the U.S., e.g., routes, where to stay, where to eat, place to miss and not miss, etc.? I generally use Google for routing and other sites to book stays, explore stuff to do, etc., but I’m wondering if there’s an all-in-one dealio. Thanks in advance!
lowtechcyclist
@The Thin Black Duke:
I don’t see someone like Cheney having a shot at the nomination in the next decade, and I’d even be surprised if someone of that ilk had a decent shot at it in 2036. Even after Trump dies or is imprisoned (please, Lord!), Trumpism will still rule the party, and that’s what she’s not.
Nukular Biskits
@lowtechcyclist:
It’s a sad state of affairs that business (and private property owners) MUST publicly notify all gun owners that they are not to to carry firearms into their establishments/onto their property.
What I’d like to see is that requirement twisted a little and applied to the bigots who claim to have “sincerely-held religious convictions” that allow them to discriminate against “other”. IOW, there should also be a legal requirement to publicly advertise your “right” to discriminate.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
“How Midwestern Roots Shaped Ron DeSantis”. My God. He’s a governor! He thinks Floridians aren’t churchy enough? Not that YOUNGSTOWN is churchy either. His idiot wife may think she can sell this “heartland” bullshit to the NYTimes but no one else should buy it.
sab
@Doc Sardonic: I was raised by Ohioans in Florida. I remember when our north Florida Episcopal bishop excommunicated our governor when he was planning to marry his third wife. My parents were horrified. My parish priest was cool with it. Weirdness all around.
UncleEbeneezer
Betty Cracker
@Quinerly: My impression is they are equally horrible.
Ken
Only when he’s in Iowa or New Hampshire, and needs to praise those states.
Baud
@UncleEbeneezer:
👍
Jackie
“The poem that was read by poet Amanda Gorman at President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been banned from elementary schools in Miami-Dade County, Florida after the objections of just one parent.”
“The Miami Herald reports that the poem, which is titled “The Hills We Climb,” was removed from the K-5 curriculum in the county after local parent Daily Salinas challenged it as inappropriate for students.”
lowtechcyclist
@different-church-lady:
For free, I go to my credit union’s website, tell it how much to pay to whom, and they either send an electronic payment from my checking account (if the recipient is set up to receive those) or send a paper check in the mail.
Quinerly
@Baud:
I’m totally opposite. I absolutely adore my new bank in Santa Fe. It’s a beautiful building and really cool inside. Great vibe. Plus it is conveniently located near Lowe’s and 2 hole in the wall restaurants. 3 employees that are always the same…not rotated around to other branches. Everytime I come and go, the one guy always thanks me for actually coming in…says customers making that effort is his job security. He’s early 30’s…3 little boys under the age of 6 and wife wants a girl. Plus, they have been excellent resources about community resources, helpful hints, etc. Part of it is because I am new…but I think I will continue to make the effort if I’m not in a huge hurry. So much about banking has changed. I guess I am old fashioned…I like personalized service when dealing with money.
Ken
I’ve sometimes thought it would be great if he kept capturing the Republican nomination (in 2024, 2028, even 2032) and kept losing.
Of course it’d be like juggling hand grenades, a single misstep and we’re totally screwed.
Matt McIrvin
@Kay: The whole COVID-era narrative about “freedom” was that COVID restrictions were liberal authoritarianism, and Republicans were for letting you do what you wanted and have your fun (they do this about other kinds of things too: guns, environmental and safety regs, land use, etc.) They openly mocked abortion-rights rhetoric by framing vaccine refusal as “my body, my choice”.
It’s amazing how quickly, though, they pivot to mailed-fist attacks on freedom themselves.
Of course from their perspective, they could describe us as equally hypocritical: we use lofty rhetoric about freedom when advocating the right to have the kinds of sex God doesn’t like, but won’t let you take your AR-15 to school or ride the subway without a mask! The difference is really what kinds of things we want to restrict: prioritizing harm and consent vs. valuing some kind of abstract purity or religious rules.
UncleEbeneezer
@Ken: No he means FL still has too many Black, Brown, LGBTQ people. When he says “American” he means “White.”
Matt McIrvin
@Ken: Trump as the Republican William Jennings Bryan?
Percysowner
@different-church-lady: I get Zelle through my bank for free. No charges and it’s easy to use. Plus they already have my info so I don’t have to give it to another app.
sab
@Kay: Obviously they have never been to the Butler, Youngstown’s wonderful art museum.
Kay
@sab:
That’s an interesting background. We lived in North Carolina for a short while, my husband and I. I knew I wouldn’t stay. I was interested in the place – I worked for legit southerners who were decadent rich landowners watching their coastal property appreciate and I got a huge kick out of their bizarre family- they ALL drank too much and they had people named, like, “sister”- but I knew I would always be “watching” rather than part of it.
different-church-lady
@lowtechcyclist:
Yes, but I don’t consider my bank to be a middle man. (Although I suppose it is, really.) Perhaps I mean a middle-middle man. I do pay most of my bills this way, but I don’t consider it to be more convenient, merely marginally less expensive since I don’t pay for postage and already need to own a computer for other reasons.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
No serious person is fully libertarian because that destroys civilized society. Our side culturally values freedoms that are tied to privacy and human autonomy and dignity. Theirs on the right to dominate others.
sab
@UncleEbeneezer: Apparently he slept through the parts in elementary school in Florida when they taught that the state’s roots are hispanic.
Matt McIrvin
But it worked so well for Mitt Romney!
Kay
@Matt McIrvin:
I’m amused that the Right so clearly still wants to harp on covid when everyone else had moved on. Trumpsters here STILL bring it up, insisting they were “locked down” which is just bullshit. I worked thru the whole fucking thing and so did most of them. If “locked down” means they can’t sit at the Eagles bar all day Saturday then, yeah, it was brutal.
They don’t handle stress well. We saw the same thing after 9/11 when they completely freaked out for a decade. They’re all nervous ninnies. Covid drove them round the fucking bend.
Quinerly
@Kay:
I miss my NC coast from time to time. Grew up an hr from the ocean and we had a second place on Bogue Banks (Carteret County…Southern Outer Banks) from 1965 until after my mother’s death and I sold it. Everything down there is so over commercialized now. Horrible traffic in season. There isn’t enough infrastructure to really accommodate all the people. Plus, the rebuilding and repairs after Hurricane Florence really changed my attitude about the island. And the county is one of the biggest Trump supporting counties in the state. Big on those MAGA boat parades. I get nostalgic but I doubt I ever even go back for a visit.
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
That’s a more succinct summary but essentially the same as this:
https://balloon-juice.com/2023/05/21/freedom-were-taking-it-back/
and this:
https://balloon-juice.com/2023/05/20/excellent-read-the-four-republican-freedoms/
sab
@Kay: I was born in Durham NC. I learned to talk with a southern accent. My older sister still has hers.
Geminid
@tobie: The origins of that letter about Ukraine are pretty murky. Ro Khanna was the only signer ready to defend it after it was released. Other signers said they were blindsided and that they had signed on to a working document in late June, but were not consulted about its release in October.
In the event, Progressive Caucus Chairman Jayapal disavowed the letter. I was and still am curious as to how all this went down, but the people involved have tried to “turn the page” on the whole affair and I don’t really blame them.
Personally, I found Mr. Raskin’s endorsement of Nina Turner in the 2021 OH-11(?) special election to be more problematic. But Shontelle Davis won and Raskin stayed out of last year’s rematch, so for me this is water under the bridge.
different-church-lady
@Quinerly:
Come bank next to me.
My gigantic multi-national bank (the fourth in a long line of banks that have absorbed an account I started 40 years ago) happenstancally had four branches near me, each of which were like time machines from different parts of the 20th century. One had the grand ceilings of the 1920s, another built in the 30s or 40s still had the old-fashioned iron grates, one from the early 60s had marble counters and built-in teak clocks, and another had a gull-wing California googie style roof. I loved going in these places and just enjoying looking around.
Within a year they had closed three of them, replaced with tiny little bland rooms in places away from foot traffic, that have all the charm of a dentist’s waiting room.
The fourth one, from the 30’s remains. They tore out the teller cages and made it look like a dentist’s waiting room.
Betty
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I never thought about what to do with the paper check then. Shouldn’t you mark it deposited and cancelled? How do banks mark checks they have cashed?
MattF
There’s one small niche of my financial life where I still use paper— quarterly payment of estimated taxes and depositing tax refunds. This means I get immediate notification through my (online) checking account when estimated taxes are actually paid and when refunds are deposited. Otherwise I’m paper-free.
Quinerly
@Betty Cracker:
There is a Road Trippers app that I have used.
I’m old fashioned. I love maps and atlases. Luckily I have had the luxury of having time to plan my long trips on the road (4-8 weeks) months in advance. Maps, books spread out…lap top open. Detail planning with my maps almost as much fun as the actual trip. Learning the history of the area and back roads.
Quinerly
@Betty Cracker:
That Politico article (I think it was Politico) was an eye opener. Craven as description comes to mind.
Suzanne
@Kay:
I live in one of those working-class communities in western Pennsylvania, and allow me to assure you that most of my neighbors don’t go to church. Except my one neighbor who is super-lefty and works at the UU church.
Matt McIrvin
@Baud: I also think about how, back when I was actually reading George Will columns on a regular basis, he’d flip between characterizing liberals as the puritan bluenoses who wanted to ruin your fun, and characterizing liberals as the filthy vulgarians who were coarsening our society, on alternate weeks.
different-church-lady
@Betty Cracker: Ferdinand and Imelda of Tallahassee.
glory b
@Shalimar: You expected a spokesidiot to say something intelligent. Oh, you hopeful sweetheart.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@different-church-lady: I saw some RW bitching about a “hit piece!” on poor Tackie O this morning, but nobody linked to the actual piece. I confess to being low-key interested if she’s driving all the “secret weapon” coverage, or if the campaign team, including Ron and Casey, have convinced themselves that it’s true
patrick II
@Shalimar:
eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
Ephesians 5:14
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Being-Awake
WhatsMyNym
@different-church-lady:
I think the last lot of checks I bought were $0.50 each.
And I’m finally cleaning out my dad’s old filing cabinet. He kept everything.
Quinerly
@different-church-lady:
I’m with the same bank as I was with in St. Louis (probably the 4th incarnation after being bought). Hated going to the branch there. Hated the drive thru. Never used the ATM there…I’m not paranoid but I always thought where it was was a good location for being held up.
Perhaps it’s because I’m in a new place and it will change for me…it’s just a nice little few minutes a couple times a month visiting with these employees. They all have been with this branch for a few years and managed to get thru Covid Times. They seem to enjoy their jobs and hang together some off hours. If a bank can be a special place…this branch has that vibe. All Hispanic. One Trans woman.
Quinerly
@different-church-lady:
💙
evodevo
@lowtechcyclist:
you’d be surprised. I imagine it’s a precaution against family property /burial arrangements disputes going bad during the services. Common in KY.
glory b
@Shalimar: This is why I always recommend living in African American neighborhoods. We talk politics ALL THE TIME, local, state & federal. We are, of course, all Dems, but still have some variation in opinions.
I remember someone making the accusation that the vote tallies my and the surrounding precincts were fraudulent because we went all Democratic, save for about 3 votes, in the last election. We all said yep, that sounds about right.
Quinerly
@WhatsMyNym:
I actually do. Plus, my water district here will only take a paper check. (maybe credit card but with a surcharge)…I was a bit shocked when getting utilities here lined up. I always have had all utilities on auto pay. No problems with gas and electric. No auto pay for water accepted. Have to pay by check… plus, I haul my trash instead of paying for pick up. For bagged trash that isn’t recyclable (recycle is free) have to buy tags or a punch card from the county….check only.
OverTwistWillie
@different-church-lady:
Ron has all the charm of a porn producer.
Quinerly
This is great!
https://www.thedailybeast.com/chirstian-glass-family-receives-colorado-record-dollar19m-after-police-shooting
Kay
@Suzanne:
It’s just such consultant-driven bullshit. “Culturally…” My God.
Why are they raising their kids in Florida if they seek the “culture” of the midwest? Like, the fake pick up truck ad “culture” of the midwest that has nothing to do Youngstown?
I’m just thrilled he’s failing. Loathsome person.
sab
@Suzanne: My husband’s best friend still goes to Catholic church every Sunday. A while back the priest was droning on about how the younger parishioners dress disrespectfully casual in church, and friend stood up and called back to the priest “At least they are here!”
Amir Khalid
@sab:
Good point.
Ohio Mom
@Nukular Biskits: I am pretty sure that Disney has already fortified all their parks against mass shooters, and have all sorts of ongoing security training and surveillance in place.
They are also on guard to prevent pickpockets, kidnappers, drug deals and who knows what else. You don’t get to bill yourself as The Happiest Place on Earth without going great lengths to make yourself a very safe place on Earth.
You will never hear about all the criminal activity they interrupt because Didney is above all else, champions at public relations.
Brachiator
@sab:
Love it!
Great reply.
ETA. Just getting up in Southern California and see 190 plus posts here already. A busy day.
Good morning all.
Betty Cracker
@UncleEbeneezer: DeSantis would not be governor without the support of the most right-wing Latino population in the U.S., which lives in Florida. The majority of Florida Latinos voted for DeSantis — some groups (including those of Cuban and I think Venezuelan descent) at higher rates than white people. They are totally on board with immigrant bashing, LGBTQ bashing, etc.
ETA: I should note there are plenty of Florida Latinos who oppose the fascist takeover, and they don’t deserve to be put in the same box as the extremists in their demographic cohort.
Chris T.
@Percysowner:
I do too, but I get the impression (can’t say from where) that Zelle is incredibly insecure.
Paper checks and their electronic equivalent (also free through my bank’s bill pay feature) are in fact also incredibly insecure, but they have one huge advantage: there’s a whole system in place for tracking them and revoking fraudulent transfers. So I stick with these as much as possible.
Tax payments (to the IRS, and the county for property taxes for instance) still require paper checks, written by me and mailed with an actual stamp, to avoid exorbitant credit card fees. Both CA and WA were willing to let me pay my taxes by credit card for an extra 3%, but in CA in particular, paying 3% of $24,000 = $720 as a “convenience fee” is beyond the pale. It’s bad enough in WA at $210 (for about $7k in yearly property tax).
(Yes, CA was collecting nearly $24k/yr in property tax. It’s one of the reasons we could not afford to retire there.)
Geminid
@Amir Khalid: I’m curious: has Turkiye’s presidential election gotten much attention in your country’s news media?
Jackie
This Politico article is a fun read – if you’re a Democrat. GQP potential candidates don’t want to be on the ballot with TFG at the top. They’re afraid of the *Loser Stink* tainting them.
And TFG doesn’t want state Sen. Doug Mastriano running for senator – as Mastriano on the ballot could taint HIM!
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/22/donald-trump-dominance-spooks-down-ballot-recruits-00097995
gvg
@Kay: Which state would that be? All of the coastal south except maybe Georgia is worse than Florida. I guess Virginia qualifies these days.
Chief Oshkosh
@OzarkHillbilly:
Here’s hoping. It’d be GREAT to go to the ballpark and not have to sit through the insufferable fake patriotism bullshit at the start of every.fucking.game. I can certainly see having celebrations on various special days, but otherwise, just play ball.
frosty
@Betty Cracker: Ms. F uses an app called Road Tripper. I use Google Maps to find state parks and RV parks for camping. For routing, I’ve used a Roads and Routes forum on RV.net which has kept us off some roads that are tricky for a trailer. Including one we’d planned on using that was nicknamed The Snakepit.
EDIT: For things to see and places to eat, I like the Fodor’s guides.
glory b
@Jeffro: Personnel is policy.
Betty Cracker
@frosty: Thank you! The mister and I are planning an epic road trip next year. We had talked about renting a pop-up camper, but after looking at the prices, I think we might be better off finding hotels along the way instead.
tobie
@Geminid: I don’t want to dish on Raskin, especially as I admire him a lot. I was answering Steeplejack’s question. What I was trying to say is that character counts. I trust Raskin — his judgement and his commitment to doing what he thinks is best for the country and will help the most people. This is true even when I’m not entirely on the same page as him.
Chief Oshkosh
@The Thin Black Duke:
Well, plenty of liberal comedians are not “hip, slick and kewl”, but they are funny. The reason that conservative comedians aren’t funny is that their humor is based on cruelty. They basically bully and punch down. One punching-down joke in a whole set or episode might be funny, but any more of that and it’s the opposite of funny.
But, that’s all they have. So they fail compared to their more liberal peers.
Geminid
@Jackie: Politico had another article a few weeks ago about how some Republicans have become fatalistic rwgarding a Trump nomination. One said he and other party operatives would just have to go down into the storm cellar and wait for the tornado to pass.
He may not neccesarily intend to literally hide out, but the plan may be to steer clear of the nomination fight and instead direct resources to vulnerable members of Congress: a strategy of damage control.
Amir Khalid
@Geminid:
Not that much, actually.
RaflW
The LA Dodgers have re-invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, with sincere apologies, and the Sisters have “agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities”!
Excellent! The best part is, if the Catholic League (and lil’Marco) hadn’t Streisanded all this, I’d have never known. The Sisters are specific in this in their coordinated statement.
Also, Hamburger Mary’s is suing DeSantis and the State of Florida.
It’s a good day.
Brachiator
@Betty Cracker:
I was looking at an NBC Florida exit poll story.
But this was a shift from past elections. The GOP seemed to court Hispanic voters harder than the Democrats. Of course, I don’t know Florida politics and am amazed at how much voters let DeSantis get away with.
Quinerly
The guy with the UHaul and Nazi flag at the WH is a teen from an upper middle class suburb of St. Louis
https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/chesterfield-teen-arrested-for-threatening-to-harm-us-president-40116126
lowtechcyclist
@Matt McIrvin:
I’d simply say that their freedom to carry an AR-15 is an imposition on MY freedom, that it places an unreasonable burden on my use of the public square because I have to be wary of people carrying lethal weapons, and have no way of knowing in advance whether they’re the good guy or the bad guy with the gun.
Just like freedom to use hostile speech drives normies out of Internet fora, ‘freedom to menace’ (h/t Bouie) makes the physical public square more dangerous and if this crap continues, is likely to depopulate a lot of formerly safe and hospitable public places.
Betty Cracker
@Brachiator: The GOP definitely does a much better job of courting Latino voters than FL Dems — the state party has been a basket case for years. There’s also a robust network of right-wing Spanish language radio stations in South Florida, which could be a factor. The “Dems are commies” nonsense works well down here. That said, turnout was the biggest problem for FL Dems in 2022. Our voters just didn’t show up.
One of our commenters here (Bupalos, maybe?) pointed out how dangerous it would be for Dems if Repubs nationally figured out how to replicate their success in Florida with Latino outreach. It’s a valid concern, IMO. Of course, Latinos aren’t a monolith, and I think one of the mistakes Dems have made in the past is assuming they are. But it’s alarming that FL Repubs have made such inroads with Floridians from Puerto Rico, etc.
Geminid
@tobie: I think I understood that. I used to be more into your side of the “Moderate” vs. “Progressive” fight. I discovered this blog when I came across an Adam Silverman post calling the head of the Justice Democrats a “lying shitbird.” And I was very concerned about the Nina Turner-Shontelle Brown contest.
This general fight may have resolved somewhat, and there seems to be more mutual appreciation and respect between the two wings of the party, at least among Democratic House Caucus members. Now I tend to see the “two wings” in the House as more like two halves of a fairly plump bell curve.
Outside advocates still try to toss “crabapples of discord” among Democrats, but we seem less eager to squabble over them. Right now there is a a lot of angst and and some recrimination going on over the debt ceiling, but I think this dissension will be short lived.
sab
@lowtechcyclist: Yes. We don’t go to movies anymore. One my stepsons says it’s safe anytime but opening night, but why risk it.
Brachiator
@sab:
I think I went out to the movies once, in Hollywood, after Covid. And this was a matinee with few other people in the theater.
Unfortunately, the two movie houses nearest me went out of business during the pandemic. This makes it easier to stay home.
But I do miss going to the movies, and hot dogs and movie theater popcorn.
Geminid
@Amir Khalid: The Turkish election didn’t get that much attention here either. It might not have gotten any attention except that for a lot of Westerners, President Erdogan is a kind of boogeyman and they hoped he’d lose.
I followed the election fairly closely; I became interested in Turkiye because of its role in the Ukraine war. I’m probably the only person here that likes Erdogan. It’s not that I like him a lot, just that I respect him. And I also think of Turkiye as an important nation.
cain
@Shalimar:
Paul the Crank has entered the chat.
Ruckus
@Kay:
As the old saying goes, little ronnie could fuck up a wet dream.
The Thin Black Duke
@Brachiator: I’m looking forward to seeing Killers of the Flower Moon in a movie theater. Hey, it’s Scorsese.
Wapiti
@gene108: Unless violent crime increases in the main tourist areas, like Orlando, people that wang to go to Disney World will still go.
If Florida gets a lot of press for RWNJs threatening people with displays of guns, that will turn a lot of people off. It will happen more quickly with shootings.
Ksmiami
@Geminid: seconded. This is our chance that we have blown before to bring Turkey closer to western alliances. Do not underestimate their strategic importance. And the Turkish people are wonderful.
JaneE
Someone should have told the Dodgers to consider the source before they took action. Everything offends the Catholicism of Bill Donohue, including occasionally the current Pope.
Quinerly
@The Thin Black Duke:
Fabulous book.
Jackie
The NYT is reporting over 1900 minors abused by IL catholic priests.
Maybe someone should post that on lil Marco’s Twitter account.
Ruckus
@Kay:
They are fighting a loosing battle, the battle of control and acceptance. They are the people that think the world can be only one way. Over my almost 3/4 of a century I’ve seen change in more ways than was likely over centuries. We’ve all seen it. And it happens faster now than it did then. Because we can communicate, we can show who and what we are. We are humanity and not a collection of automations that go through life exactly alike. Even on this here blog we run much of the gamut of human existence. And that gamut is much wider and different than the accepted range was when I came along. And some are horrified that there can be differences in the world and take advantage of that for power, which is humanity at close to it’s worst. If one studies history, humans have changed more in the last 3/4 of a century than in the 3 or 4 centuries prior. We have become open about who and what we are, our differences and if we actually do that we see that the differences are there but they don’t harm us. It’s the fighting to not allow those differences that is the problem and the harm. I doubt that this crap we are seeing out of conservatives is the last of this warfare that humans will ever see, but still it is a last grasp at something that is inevitable. Humanity is not one ideal, it is billions of ideals, and as long as those ideals do not hurt others, like conservative ideals do, they will happen. The dodgers are an example of that.
Captain C
@Baud:
At which point the Mouse will probably equip all the tin soldiers (now played by former SEALS and suchlike) with actual assault rifles, with orders to shadow any armed wingnut on the premises.
Ruckus
@The Thin Black Duke:
They hate it because they want one thing that everyone else realizes is bullshit – that we all have to be the same – one example of humanity. The example they want us to be is white, boxed versions of whatever that all look, talk, act exactly the same way. And while life used to be closer to that – or boxed away so that many never noticed, it no longer is. And it is so much better that it isn’t. But there of course is a backlash of conservatives who can only see one humanity, one way. But there are now not 500 bodies in a small town but 7+ billions of us, all different in small and big ways, in a big world that can mostly see all of it rather easily. This blog is an example of that, part of that, a change in the reality of humanity.
Ruckus
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I’ve been depositing checks by phone for about 4 yrs and find it far cheaper and easier. I store the checks for a while and then shred them, which is what I figure the banks do when you deposit them physically.
RaflW
@eclare: I’ve said before that Disney should propose a billion dollar upgrade to EuroDisney to send the message to the FL GOP, and to European tourists, that they might prefer to stay on that side of the pond.
Or visit the original, in CA!
RaflW
@Shalimar: The thing about ‘record tourism numbers’ is that tourism is off the charts almost everywhere. Flights are packed & airfares reflect this surge in demand. Car rentals are still ridiculously expensive, even as the fleet shortages have largely ended. Hotels, same.
So what I’d want some enterprising reporter to do is actually crunch numbers. If FL has more visitors than ever, but they’re only using their won yardstick, it doesn’t mean that much.
If FL is up 2% over their previous peak, but, say, Las Vegas is up 10%, we’d have some meaningful data.
Ruckus
@JaneE:
Someone like Bill Donohue wants the world/humanity to work in only one way. In this case it’s his way but still if humanity doesn’t follow his way, that invalidates everything he believes, because he believes that his shit doesn’t stink. Which of course it does – badly. I am talking of course about his shitty ideas/ideals that stink. And they stink because he can’t see that there is any other valid way to be. And there are billions of valid ways to be. And most of them are far better than his way…
Suzanne
@Kay:
It’s also fucking offensive because there are people in every big city in America who go to church.
I live in a city. Many of my neighbors don’t go to church. But there are churches (and synagogues, and mosques) and I know some people attend them. I BET HE COULD FIND CHURCHES IN FLORIDA IF HE LOOKED.
Betty Cracker
@Suzanne: Rural Florida is a churchy as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, etc. Despite being a native, DeSantis doesn’t know dick about the state. Large parts of it are culturally the Deep South, as everyone who makes an attempt to understand the place knows. DeSantis left as a teen and didn’t come home until it was time to turn that CV into a career in wingnut politics, and he’s lived 100% in that bubble ever since.
Geminid
@Ksmiami: Glad to hear you say that about the Turkish people. I’ve never gotten to know any Turkish people; I only know them from a distance.
Turkiye’s relations with the West and the attitudes different people have about them are interesting subjects.
Some Americans might say, “Besides all the other problems I have with Erdogan, I really don’t like how he won’t do what the US wants him to do.”
A Turk might look at the same facts and say, “I may have problems with Erdogan, but I really like how he doesn’t do what the US wants him to do.”
Turkish attitudes towards the US are conditioned by a lot of factors, but one is the way George Bush wrecked Iraq, their second biggest neighbor. Aside from the suffering of the Iraqi people the invasion caused, the power vacuum created eventually destabilized northeastern Syria, adding to the violence in Turkiye’s neighborhood and in Turkiye itsef. I can see why Erdogan is somewhat grumpy about the US. Bush invaded Iraq the first year Erdogan became Prime Minister, and Erdogan’s been dealing with the consequences ever since.
Next month will be an interesting test for Erdogan. He has frustrated other NATO countries with his refusal to sign off on Sweden’s accession to the alliance. Erdogan looks certain to win Sunday’s runoff, so he will no longer need to use Sweden as a foil for domestic political reasons. Also, revisions to Swedish laws regarding material support for foreign terror groups, i.e. the PKK, will go into effect June 1, so Erdogan can declare victory in that battle.
I expect Erdogan will agree to Sweden’s membership. He may do it grudgingly in public, but in private he might celebrate another blow to Russia, Turkiye’s historical enemy.
Turkiye has a population of 85 million, while Ukraine’s population is around 43 million I think. The two countries have no inherent conflicts, but instead are natural trading and security partners. I think the two countries will achieve a lot together once this war is over.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: That’s interesting. In addition to his other deficits, DeSantis does seem rootless. That rootlessness could have contributed to his other deficits.
Miss Bee
@HinTN: I checked out Tybee for Confederate Flags and bumper stickers. There were plenty.
Sister Golden Bear
@Ruckus:
Long-term yes.
But short-term I don’t think cis het people (speaking generally) don’t fully grok how tenuous LGBTQ+ rights are at the moment, how extensively and how quickly they’re being taken away, and how disastrous for us it will be if Republican take both the presidency and Congress.
Half the country is now no longer safe for me to live in, and Florida is now a “no go” state — even to do an airport layover in.
Likewise, our rights could be overturned by the SCOTUS at any time for the next generation.
It doesn’t matter if overall people are accepting when Republicans are ramming through unpopular laws — none of the anti-trans laws have majority support in polls — and are hell-bent on permanent minoritarian rule.
It’s all especially bitter, given that LGBTQ+ and trans people — were finally getting acceptance in rights during a few years before 2016. Now I’m doubtful we’ll get back to that place within my lifetime.
So yeah, they’re losing in the long-run, but many of us won’t live to see it. Just as many of didn’t survive the Reagan years.
columbusqueen
@sab: I’m in if you do it here. Let me know.
Ruckus
@Ken:
Also, unless it’s changed a lot in the last 60 yrs or so, and I suspect that overall it hasn’t changed much, the Catholic church operates like it is a thousand or more years old. I’ve written here about my exposure to it way back then and woman were considered a minor necessity to life. And they had to be controlled and watched. Even the nuns had to be controlled and watched to insure they stayed in line. OK let’s be honest, everyone had to be watched to insure they stayed in line. All the boys I went to catholic HS freshman yr were totally lifeless drones in school, where they were watched. And yet when the school bus doors closed and the wheels hit the street, every one of them became the definition of asshole teens. It never works well, this concept that all humans have to act and talk like RC priests and nuns do in public.
Anyway
@Geminid:
I have had many Turkish friends/acquaintances over the years. Most were from the pre-Erdogan era and highly secular and didn’t care for the turn the country took after he rose to power. I am not sure what their current attitude to him is. The younger folk I know have grown up with him in power and are more comfortable with the more Islamized society ushered in by Erdogan. I also know Kurdish people who don’t have such a benign view.
Ruckus
@Sister Golden Bear:
I absolutely agree with you. The world changes, that’s what it does as it goes around. Humans on the other hand, at least a lot of them, seem to abhor change. Or at least the one’s with their heads up their butts do. This world and humans have changed more in my lifetime than they did for seemingly centuries prior. And yet some hand on to what they knew or thought they knew in their childhoods. Take vlad. Please! He still sees the world through his eyes of decades ago, still thinks he’s supposed to own everything, still thinks that everyone should bow to him. That concept of running a country has been going out of style for the last couple hundred years, out of well over a couple thousand centuries of humanity. We are coming to recognize the value of humanity, all of humanity, not just those at the top of the pile. People who don’t fall into one or the other of two categories or have figured out how to steal/hold on to/make a lot of money. We are recognizing that there ARE other categories. My sister was in one of those other categories. You are in one of them. And that is absolutely NORMAL. Those backassward jackoffs will just have to understand the world, and humanity, isn’t as simple as 1 or 2. Or that 1 isn’t more important than 2, or 1 and 2 isn’t more important than 3 or 4 or 5 or what the hell ever the number is. We don’t have to all conform to their simple, asinine concept of human life because that’s all they are capable of understanding. And they don’t get to control it because they are too fucking simple.
Ruckus
@different-church-lady:
The only time I pay anything to use Apple Pay is if I don’t pay it in 30 days. It’s simpler than writing a check, which a lot of places around me do not want to take any longer, and it’s easier and faster. If I purchase something in January, the amount is due by the end of February. It’s easy peasy and I don’t have to carry cash or a checkbook, only my phone and I carry that anyway. Also, most places won’t accept a check any longer, so that leaves cash or credit card. And this is easier than a credit card, although it is just another way to use a credit card, which is what it is in the background. The entire reason Apple Pay or Android Pay work is that they have a credit card as the actual payment method, it is only how it’s used or scanned that is different. And now most credit cards have a chip which is what is read rather than the barcode so really this is just a different way of carrying the card.
Geminid
@Anyway: The Kurdish-based HDU party leadership endorsed Mr. Kilicdaroglu, Erdogan’s opponent. So they at least wanted Erdogan out. Kilicdaroglu did not get as many votes as hoped from the majority Kurdish southeastern area. Some Kurds may have balked at voting for Kilicdaroglu’s CHP party because of its long history as a Kemalist party hostile to a separate Kurdish identity. Kilicdaroglu has liberalized the CHP, but as recently as 10 years ago, when Erdogan opened peace talks with the separatist insurgent PKK, the CHP opposed the talks.
This conflict had been going on for at least 25 years when Erdogan first became Prime Minister in 2003. He liberalized some restrictions on Turkish culture then, and allowed some Kurdish villages to call themselves by their Kurdish names, something previous governments had forbidden. So I don’t know that Erdogan has personal animus towards Kurdish people.
But he continued the fight against the PKK insurgency, and that is a policy most Turks back. Erdogan achieved a ceasefire and peacetalks in 2013. They broke down in 2015, but that was due to instability in northeastern Syria caused by the rise of ISIS.
The PKK says they no longer want separation but will settle for some form of cultural, not political autonomy, so maybe they’ll agree to a ceasefire and return to peace talks.
Dan B
@Sister Golden Bear: LGBTQ rights are one the line. There’s the Chicago billionaire who gave $1.6 billion to Leonard Leo to run campaigns including anti-LGBTQ rights. There will be twice the money Leo spent to take over the courts.