Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

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

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

Someone should tell Republicans that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, or possibly the first.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / News Roundup: All Good Things Edition

News Roundup: All Good Things Edition

by | 109 Comments

This post is in: 

Seems like Anne Laurie and I had the same thought about overlooked news, but happily the stories we each included are not the same.

⭐️

I like to see this kind of fight from the administration.

⭐️

⭐️

⭐️

⭐️

h/t commenter smith

Here’s some good news: Ford and Stellantis (Chrysler and more) have agreed to match the GM settlement proposal, so the auto strike may soon be over with a big win for workers. Here’s hoping Biden gets some credit for his strong support for labor in this.

⭐️

h/t Kay with a great poll from Ohio

Good poll for Issue 1 in Ohio.

Anti choice lobbyists rewrote the language of the law to deceive voters and to a certain extent they were successful- the original language garners more support than the deceptive language lobbyists inserted.

However- even WITH their attempts to deceive voters, the poll is 60/40 “yes” on 1. So good news.

Update:  Good News in the title is to indicate that the news stories I am sharing are good news.  I didn’t mean it to say that you guys can only add good news things in the comments.  Just trying to make it clear up front that no one will be hit with another barrage of bad news in the post itself.

 

 

Reader Interactions

109Comments

  1. 1.

    Josie

    I hope the four–Trump, Eastman, Giuliani, and Meadows–are not offered any plea deals, are tried, found guilty, and punished severely. All were complicit and knew exactly what they were doing. None deserve one ounce of leniency.

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    I mean, this is good news for her, and pretty neat news in general: At 115 and counting, Edie Ceccarelli of Willits keeps racking up honors for the ages

    Edie Ceccarelli of Willits keeps setting fantastic records, simply by waking each morning, eating, breathing and looking about at the world into which she was born in 1908.

    At age 115, Edie is officially the oldest person in America, the third oldest on Earth. And just days ago, she established a new record as the oldest confirmed Californian — ever.

    That distinction was held by Christian Mortensen, who died in San Rafael in 1998 at the age of 115 years and 252 days.

    As of Saturday, Edie will be 115 years and 265 days old.

    She lives in a small care home in Willits, her birthplace. Though her memory and awareness have largely slipped away, she enjoys her meals and being nicely dressed and groomed.

    On Thursday, researchers with the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, Natalie Coles and Robert Young, visited Edie. They drew blood for a bio-bank that researchers hope will reveal insights into why a relative few people live to 110 and beyond — and to assist in advancements to allow others to live and remain vital longer.

    Willits is about 80 miles north of me, and my nephew just recently bought a house there. Pretty cool to have a record-breaker nearby :

    ETA: Per Wikipedia, the oldest currently living person is Maria Branyas in Spain, who is 116 years and 236 days old. Second place is Fusa Tatsumi in Japan, 116 years and 184 days. Of the ten oldest living people, 9 are women. Girl power!

  3. 3.

    lowtechcyclist

    Judges have now found that Republicans in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida all used their redistricting power to discriminate against Black voters after the 2020 census

    Whatever happened to that “New South” we used to hear about?

  5. 5.

    p.a.

    Why don’t these fuckers just emigrate to Russia and let the US remain in the 21st century.  Hell, I’ll donate $$$ if they leave with a guarantee of no return.

  8. 8.

    lowtechcyclist

    @UncleEbeneezer: ​
     

    Didn’t you hear? John Roberts decided that Racism is over and there is no need for Pre-Clearance VRA requirements.

    Somebody needs to pull a Martin Luther and nail these decisions to his fucking door. Along with a bunch of clippings of the times that cops shoot unarmed Blacks in situations where it oddly never seems to happen to us white folks.

  10. 10.

    WhatsMyNym

    Here’s some good news: Ford and Stellantis (Chrysler) have agreed to match the GM settlement proposal…

    Stellantis, is a merger between Fiat Chrysler and the French PSA Group (Peugeot).  As of 2022, Stellantis is the fourth largest automaker by sales behind Toyota, Volkswagen Group, and Hyundai Motor Group. They design, manufacture, and sells automobiles bearing its 16 brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall.

    So this is a big deal.

    ETA for clarity.

  11. 11.

    dnfree

    @FelonyGovt: people should if possible find out what their older relatives would prefer as far as quality of life.  My dad had a cousin who lived seven years after having a severe stroke, bankrupting his wife for his care.  He was blissfully unaware.  My dad made it clear that he didn’t want to live like that, and it was good to know when he did lapse into dementia.

    We also had a friend who okayed heart surgery for her mom when her mom was past the point where she even recognized people or spoke much.  Why put someone through that pain for a life they aren’t even aware of?

  12. 12.

    Geminid

    @Alison Rose: This is the 100th anniversary year of the Turkish Republic, so there are a lot of commemorative stories. In one, a Turkish newspaper published pictures and short interviews with eight women. They were all over a hundred years old, and they talked about their experience of growing up with Kemal Ataturk as Turkiye’s leader. One of them recounted begging her father to take her to work on the day Ataturk was to visit the factory. The father gave in and brought her. She recounted how Ataturk pinched her cheek as they had a brief conversation.

    The woman said that in 1938, when she heard that Ataturk had died. she leaned on an apricot tree and cried for hours. For the Turks of that era, Kemal Ataturk was like George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt rolled into one.  Many still revere him today, I think with good reason; he really was a transformational leader.

  13. 13.

    cain

    Judges have now found that Republicans in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida all used their redistricting power to discriminate against Black voters after the 2020 census

    I’m shocked! John Roberts assured me that we are living in a post-racial world and that we don’t need things like VRA because we have eliminated racism! Could he be wrong?!

    @UncleEbeneezer: beat me to it!

  14. 14.

    West of the Rockies

    @Josie:

    I hope Jeffrey Clark goes to prison.  He hoped to take over as Attorney General to assist Trump.  He is heinous.

  18. 18.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Not really “news” but definitely “good”…finally watched the finale of Sex Education and while the last season definitely wasn’t my fave of the entire run, the finale was really great at tying up loose ends and giving characters appropriate endings.  Such a great series.  Probably my favorite overall comedy (and definitely the most sex-positive/progressive one) of the past few years.  I’m going to really miss this show and its’ amazing cast.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @WhatsMyNym: Appreciate all that info!

    That is an even bigger Joe Biden deal.

    I had no idea what the hell Stellantis is so I added Chrysler in parenthesis for reference.  I have updated the post to (Chrysler and more).

  22. 22.

    Glidwrith

    @p.a.: For the same reason Russian oligarchs don’t want to live there. They actually need the West and functioning governments with guaranteed honoring of contracts and stable manufacturing bases because it can’t be found in Russia.

    E.G. – remember the massive looting of Ukraine by Russian troops?

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    Well, my new mattress (new as of 3 months ago) has been christened with kitty puke, courtesy of Mr. Bear.

    When I first saw the mattress, I thought why would anyone want a BLACK mattress?  Mattresses are supposed to be white or in a light color with a pretty design!  But all the other mattresses were this dead-grey color which would have been depressing, and the black one was the one that made my back the happiest, so I got the black one.

    Now I am appreciating the black mattress that hopefully won’t show a water stain after somebody pukes.  No matter how much cleanup I tried to do, I found the light colored mattresses impossible after someone puked.

    edit: And now Mr. Bear is demanding lunch, even after I explained to all 3 of my furry guys that we were postponing lunch because of Mr. Bear’s tummy.  Apparently we are past that!

  24. 24.

    Leto

    Regarding the Sam Levine tweet: water is wet? Showtime recently had this very good 4 part mini-series on regarding the Supreme Court, Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court. Started with the Warren Supreme Court, civil rights, and how court was attempting to address long standing issues. Followed by the predictable backlash, and how conservatives have stacked it. Ended with the run up to, and strike down of Roe. Some of the information I knew, but there was also a good bit that brought further understanding.

    Edit: synopsis of the series.

    About The Series

    Documentary series examining the vital role the Supreme Court plays in the ongoing fight for civil liberties in the context of America’s shifting political landscape. From Chief Justice Warren in the early 20th Century through the latest sessions under Chief Justice Roberts, each of the four episodes features an in-depth look at pivotal cases that altered the state of the union.

  25. 25.

    narya

    Weird to call this “good news,” in a way, but we got my dad signed up for hospice today; I participated via FaceTime. I thought he’d want time to think about it, but nope. First he sorta said, well, it’s not time, but then we said, look, this is to help you avoid the hospital, to make sure you have the care you need at home, etc., and we’re not gonna push you off a cliff. After some more discussion of what it all included and involved, he was ready to sign; didn’t need to think about it any more. During the enrollment process questions, the intake nurse was asking whether he was a vet (yes), and did he serve during wartime (yes), see combat (no); she then asked what war, and without missing a beat, he said “civil war.” Which is perfectly representative of his dry sense of humor. I’m grateful for the technology that let me be part of it, and grateful that we were able to get this going to support him and my mom.

  26. 26.

    FelonyGovt

    @WaterGirl:

    @dnfree: Sorry to cause confusion with my deleted post. I was referencing the story about the 115-year old lady who was still around “though her memory and awareness have largely slipped away” and musing over whether it’s really good that she’s still around.

    My 90-year-old widowed FIL has Alzheimer’s and we are beginning to deal with those concerns.

  27. 27.

    Nukular Biskits

    In other good (?) news, we were treated to a brief Baud appearance.

    🤣

    OMW back to MS. Good news here is no delays (so far).

    Did I ever mention how much I hate flying?

  29. 29.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    The UAW does indeed have a good contract on the table. I’m impressed they did it while not screwing one of their constituents to serve another. Frex, there are good things for both retirees and new workers.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    @Leto: I respect that you are able to watch a show like that, but I feel like I can’t bear it.  I know what’s happening and immersing myself in the details is just too hard.

    I think I have only watched a couple of clips of the new Pastor of the House.  I know what he is and I know we have to find a way to get him gone or work around him, but I feel like I would be drowning if I read all that information.

    That’s one of the reasons I so appreciate Balloon Juice, because I can get the gist of the next awful thing we find out about him without actually reading all the details or watching the video.

  32. 32.

    WhatsMyNym

    @dnfree:

    I’m very glad that my mother had filled out a Living Will and filed it the local healthcare/hospital.  Even though I had a Durable Power of Attorney already, I didn’t need to make a choice for her when the time came.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    Good News in the title is to indicate that the news stories I am sharing are good news.  I didn’t mean it to say that you guys can only add good news things in the comments.  

    Just trying to make it clear up front that no one will be hit with another barrage of bad news in the post itself.

  38. 38.

    Cliosfanboy

    @dnfree: ​
     I refused a pacemaker for my mom when she was like that. She had horrible, nightmarish hallucinations after anthesia and had severe dementia. I could not put her through that

  39. 39.

    Captain C

    @lowtechcyclist:

    Whatever happened to that “New South” we used to hear about?

    The Republicans in power there are doing everything they can to prevent it and to bring back Jim Crow.

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    I got a great Fall Colors On the Road submission from BretH just now.  I hope to see more from a bunch of people.

    Fall colors make me happy, and I could use all the happy I can get right now.

  48. 48.

    Almost Retired

    @WaterGirl:  I’ll send you some fall color photos from last months Canadian Rockies road trip.   No. 1 and No. 3 will be The Larch.  Scenery so spectacular that even my substandard photography skills can’t mute it.

  50. 50.

    sab

    @WaterGirl: I am embarrassed even thinking about replacing my mattress. I would have to leave the old 9ne on the curb for all the neighbors to see. Many, many pet accidents and “accidents.”

  52. 52.

    patrick II

    Mr. Levin can’t be right about all of those southern states trying to cheat minorities of their voting rights.  The Honorable Justice John G. Roberts said the South was past that when he gutted the VRA .

  54. 54.

    dr. luba

    Error in the post: Both GM and Stellantis have agreed to match Ford on key economic terms.

    Ford settled.  Awaiting the other two.

  55. 55.

    cmorenc

    How does Gov DeWine’s admin (Sec of State?) have the power to change ballot initiative language on citizen-initiated initiatives?  To deliberately insert pejorative language designed to discourage favorable votes?

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott: Yes, he posted yesterday on Twitter that he would like to reconstitute what he calls “The Justice League” over on Post, and that once he gets enough people following him there, he will leave Twitter.

    He has 415k followers. I don’t know what he would consider enough to move.

  62. 62.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: He’s not the real Jack E. Smith, as we know.  Some people might get confused on seeing the blue checkmark.

    One of my favorite on-line artists – IamHappyToast – has all kinds of issues with his stuff being stolen without attribution.  He apparently couldn’t get “verified” at Twitter (back when it meant something).

    I see the need for pseudononymous / anonymous people to have a unique identity that others can’t steal. I just think that “verifying” a parody can be problematic. There should be some other badge for it.

    (Honestly, this thing with Smith on Post is about #28,313,213 on my list of things to get worried/upset about.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  63. 63.

    piratedan

    @lowtechcyclist: there is a new south, it’s just that the Old South, in their infinite wisdom, sees them as not being racist enough and has acted accordingly at the legislature level.  Pretty effective culture war being waged down there.  Florida is following the game plan, stop educating the kids, keep them pliable, and keep telling them that the “others” are to blame.

  64. 64.

    dnfree

    @FelonyGovt: Dementia is not good news, but it’s better if the family knows what the person with dementia would have wanted, and better if the family can agree on what should be done.

    My mother-in-law had suffered from dementia for five years at the point when she had a stroke that left her unable to swallow.  The choices were to install a feeding tube or to let her go peacefully with just water used to moisten her mouth.  She had a health care document that said no extraordinary measures, so the family knew to just let her go while being kept comfortable.  I actually think that IS good news.

  65. 65.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: ​
      I was puzzled by the wording also, and it’s been used more than once. FORD has settled, was the announcement yesterday. So it must be GM and Stellantis that have agreed to go along with Ford. It doesn’t make sense the other way as far as I can see.

  67. 67.

    Villago Delenda Est

    A gaggle of middle school students could ask far more incisive and useful questions than the Village stenography pool, AKA the White House Press Corpse.

  68. 68.

    dnfree

    Here’s the newest announcement on the auto industry: ” Jeep maker Stellantis has reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union that follows a template set earlier this week by Ford, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday.”

  69. 69.

    Another Scott

    This Reuters.com story seems to have the latest on the UAW stuff:

    Oct 28 (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers reached a tentative labor deal with Chrysler-owner Stellantis (STLAM.MI) on Saturday, two sources said, moving closer to securing record wage hikes and a new life for a Jeep factory shut down earlier this year.

    The tentative deal is a big step towards ending the first simultaneous strike against the Detroit Three automakers, and will follow a template set just days ago by UAW and Ford (F.N), including a 25% wage hike over the 4-1/2-year contract.

    GM (GM.N) and UAW negotiators re-convened on Saturday after working into the early hours of the morning, two people familiar with the situation said. GM has agreed to the same range of hike and talks are focusing on other matters.

    A public deal announcement with Stellantis is expected later Saturday afternoon or early evening, the sources said. Strikes have entered week seven.

    Stellantis shuttered its assembly plant in Belvidere, Illinois, early this year, leaving 1,300 workers without jobs. The factory, which became a rallying cry for the union’s bargaining campaign, will reopen contingent on expected state and local tax incentives, the sources said.

    UAW President Shawn Fain had vowed to reverse the closure. The Biden administration and the state of Illinois have offered subsidies that could help re-tool the factory. Illinois acquired 170 acres of land adjacent to the assembly plant.

    The tentative contract deal will have provisions on the use of temporary workers, the sources said, adding Stellantis has agreed to significant investment.

    Fain and other senior union leaders are briefing local UAW chiefs by video conference, the sources said.

    The deal is also expected to include investments in other U.S. plants, including the Trenton engine plant, the sources said. The Trenton complex, located south of Detroit, built six cylinder engines. Some of the facilities date back to 1952.

    Some 45,000 workers out of nearly 150,000 union members at the Detroit Three eventually joined the strike, which has cost billions of dollars to the industry.

    […]

    So, it sounds like (as expected) the wage and benefit hikes will be similar at the Big 3, but the details will be specific to the companies.

    Maybe Steve in the ATL will stop by to clarify things, if he knows better.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  71. 71.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @West of the Rockies: Do you mean “Tribune”, perhaps?  Either way, he’s among the fallen, which is not a bad thing.  Stops him from publicly stepping on his own dick, for example.

  74. 74.

    Mousebumples

    @Villago Delenda Est: , he hasn’t been “verified”. He’s forking over $8 a month to Elno. That is ALL that a blue check mark indicates now.

    Does Post have a pay for verification system? I think you might be mixing up Twitter and Post.

  76. 76.

    sab

    @cmorenc: The Sec of State has to approve the language. Since LaRose is a partisan hack (and not a lawyer) he misunderstands the concept of norms. So he rewrites the language to make it more rather than less misleading.

    Further misleading us, Issue 1 in August was anti-abortion (making it almost impossible for voters to override legislation they dislike.) It lost. So we can still try to override the fetal heartbeat bill.

    So now we have a different Issue 1, to guarantee Roe v Wade level of abortion and reproductive rights. So November Issue 1 needs a yes vote to get a result similar to a no vote in August. And the anti-abortion people have vote No signs identical to the signs the pro-abortion people had in August. Same size, same colors, same fonts. Very confusing.

    There is another issue, Issue 2, to legalize recreational marijuana. LaRose and crew could very easily have had that be Issue 1 and the abortion issue be Issue 2, but hack that he is, he went for more not less confusion.

  77. 77.

    NutmegAgain

    @WaterGirl: You can even get them at Ikea for cheap. They do shipping, if there is no store near you. Very necessary for all of us with 4-legs in the household.

  78. 78.

    lowtechcyclist

    @West of the Rockies: ​
     

    Good news: Tribute Pence has joined ranks with the fallen.

    The world will little note, nor long remember, his campaign for the 2024 GOP nomination.

    Seriously, who did he think was going to vote for him? His having done the right thing on 1/6/21 was going to kill him with Trumpists, and his record on everything else was going to kill him with everybody else.

  80. 80.

    sab

    @dnfree: It’s also important to do succession planning on these choices.

    My grandmother had a hereditary degenerative disease which my mother also died of. Mom had a DNR (do not resuscitate) order posted on the fridge, and also on file with her doctor’s office.

    She also had discussed her preferences over the years with my dad, and he agreed with her choices. Until he got dementia. She gave me a medical power of attorney so that I had some standing to override him or leave him out of the decision loop.

  83. 83.

    Eunicecycle

    @sab: I don’t know why they reuse issue numbers at all in the same calendar year. I can’t remember if there were any issues on the primary ballot, but after Issue 1 in August the next issue, the Reproductive Rights issue, should have been 2 and Marijuana legalization should have been 3

    ETA and how LaRose replaced “fetus” with “unborn baby” on the ballot is utter bull shit.

  84. 84.

    Scout211

    @Wyatt Salamanca: Whoa!  That is inevitable good news.

    It’s kind of obvious that most of these GOP contenders get a dose of reality when they go “traveling across the country” and find out that their “mass” appeal is well, non-existent in the rest of the country.

    So who is next?

  86. 86.

    Scout211

    @WaterGirl: I like a thread now and again that encourages commenters to post good news.  I agree that it can’t and shouldn’t be policed but I like nudging the comments in that direction.

    By comment #75 or so, it’s anything goes anyway.  But I like having a positive theme.

    But I am but one user of at least a million unique users in this almost top 10,000 blog, so my opinion is merely a drop in a bucket.  A bucket of a million unique drops.

    🤣

  87. 87.

    Matt McIrvin

    @lowtechcyclist:

    Whatever happened to that “New South” we used to hear about?

    Like the quote said: the Republicans were using their redistricting power to discriminate against it.

  89. 89.

    wjca

    @cmorenc: How does Gov DeWine’s admin (Sec of State?) have the power to change ballot initiative language on citizen-initiated initiatives?  To deliberately insert pejorative language designed to discourage favorable votes?

    Here, the text is set by the writer of the ballot proposition (whether that’s the public or the legislature).  What the Secretary of State does is write the ballot summary.  For the most part, the summaries** are exactly that: a dispassionate summary of what the proposition will do.  Although there occasional law suits over them.

    ** Including the ones which generate most suits.  Mostly those are from authors who would prefer the voters not realize what their proposition would do in practice.

  90. 90.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Eunicecycle: ​
     

    ETA and how LaRose replaced “fetus” with “unborn baby” on the ballot is utter bull shit.

    Could equivalently use the description “unborn, ungrownup, unaged senior citizen.”

  91. 91.

    karen marie

    @WaterGirl: Sounds like a hairball to me. Talk to your vet about mineral oil. It pulls the hair through and out. Veg oil adheres the hair to the intestinal wall, mineral oil does not.

    I’ve been giving it to my cats since the ’80s. Most cats will lap it up. I’ve read it can be an issue if dosed with it manually because it’s very bad if aspirated, but that never happened with either cat who got it by the measured half teaspoon. I discovered the second of the first two was perfectly happy to drink it, so I stopped administering it and just put out a tiny bowl.

    Current cat is the same – she drinks it when offered. I’ve had no problems with a cat puking in many decades.

  92. 92.

    dr. luba

    @WaterGirl: You’ve got Ford and GM switched around. Ford have settled.  The other two have not.  Although it sounds like Stellantis has reached a tentative agreement with the UAW, following Ford’s lead……

  94. 94.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Jackie:

    Next week TIFG’s Fraud civil trial will be lit: Don Jr, Eric, most likely Ivanka and Daddy Dearest are testifying 😂
    I sure wish they were being televised!

    Thankfully they aren’t. I can’t stand this disgusting family of criminals. And how the media would jerk off to televised testimony…

  97. 97.

    Ruckus

    @Alison Rose:

    ETA: Per Wikipedia, the oldest currently living person is Maria Branyas in Spain, who is 116 years and 236 days old. Second place is Fusa Tatsumi in Japan, 116 years and 184 days. Of the ten oldest living people, 9 are women. Girl power!

    I saw that the other day and I’m wondering why. But then I remembered that 50 yrs ago when I was in the military, woman could join and could only serve in a combat zone as a medic/nurse or possibly doctor. I don’t know, I was in the navy and woman didn’t serve on board ships. Then. And I’m not sure about the doctor part also because back then the number of woman doctors was a lot lower percentage than it is now.

    This male is very glad that the numbers have shifted quite a lot. We all live on the same planet, we should all be considered equally and not based on gender. It makes this a better world and it allows those with great skills to actually use them, rather than they be discarded for asinine reasoning. My primary doctor at the VA is a woman and she is very good. Dramatically better than the last male primary doc I had, who I told to go fuck himself as he walked out the door. If he had been a veterinarian, any dog would have bitten him, given any chance what so ever.

  98. 98.

    Dan B

    Is there a chance that North Carolina can be included in a suit to draw a non partisan electoral map?  They were getting very purple for a while.

  100. 100.

    wjca

    @Jackie: Next week TIFG’s Fraud civil trial will be lit: Don Jr, Eric, most likely Ivanka and Daddy Dearest are testifying 😂

    I sure wish they were being televised!

    Just reading the transcript will be fascinating enough.  The kids will, perhaps, manage to keep it together, damning as their testimony will be — if they don’t constantly take the 5th.  But TIFG will inevitably melt down under cross examination.  Somehow one doubts that this will materially improve his position.

  103. 103.

    Citizen Alan

    @Alison Rose:

    Though her memory and awareness have largely slipped away, she enjoys her meals and being nicely dressed and groomed.

    I know you meant it as “feel good,” but stories like this terrify me. My greatest fear–much worse than my fear of dying–is living long enough to experience significant cognitive decline. Both my parents died at the age of 85, and after watching that misery (neither of them was capable of communication for the last several weeks of their lives), I realized that I have no desire to live past 75 at the oldest and if I reach that point, I will takes steps to ensure that end point. If I have any health issues that are likely to leave me disabled or mentally impaired, I will take such steps earlier while I still have a chance to do so.

  104. 104.

    WaterGirl

    @wjca: The5th is about self-incrimination. I don’t see how Ivanka can take the 5th when she always says she had nothing to do with any of it.  the key is SELF incrimination.

  105. 105.

    Chris T.

    @Alison Rose:

    Of the ten oldest living people, 9 are women. Girl power!

    Dead thread by now but I’ll make a note here anyway: as a sort of general thing, women’s bodies are smooth-running, even-keeled engines that are great for long-haul work. Men’s bodies are rough rumbly-bumbly cranky but high torque diesels that can haul a heavy load but suddenly blow out a seal and, well, that’s the end.

    Women have it rougher during the pregnancy years because their hormone levels rise and fall, but men have it rougher overall because their hormone levels never ease up. If you encounter someone who says a woman can’t be president because “what if it’s that time of the month”, well, for men, it’s always that time of the month. So there!

  106. 106.

    brantl

    @Geminid: And he was involved in the genocide of the Armenians, in that he was of the party that did it, and did nothing to oppose it. Real inspirational leader. More like their country’s Colin Powell.

  109. 109.

    Geminid

    @brantl: The Armenian  genocide was carried out by the three generals who controlled the Ottoman government. Mustapha Kemal was at Gallipoli fighting the British, and then in Palestine fighting them. He had no say in what the “Three Pashas” did.,

    The mistaken notion that he was in their party comes from his participation in the “Young Turks” revolution a few years before WWI. But a lot of people were part of the Young Turks movement, including the Armenian activists who later carried out Operation Nemesis. Some were the senior officers who in 1915 carried out the genocide that Operation Nemesis tried to avenge.

    A midlevel officer, Kemal remained in military service and advanced to general because of his abilities, not politics. He returned from the front after the war ended and the Three Pashas were out of power.

    Kemal already had a reputation for his defense in the first days of Britain’s Gallipoli assault. He did not gain real prominence until the last Ottoman Sultan sent him to Ankara suppress the National Assembly that opposed the Treaty of Sievres. Kemal joined the Turkish nationalists instead, and became their charismatic leader.

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