Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

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

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

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

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Books are my comfort food!

Tick tock motherfuckers!

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

No one could have predicted…

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Hey Lurkers!

Hey Lurkers!

by | 399 Comments

This post is in: ,

looking in a large storefront window with reflections in the glass and a sign that says “Come in, We’re Open"

It’s way past time for another thread for all the lurkers out there.  I don’t think we’ve had one for a few months.

You may already know this, but when you post your first comment, it goes into moderation, and sometimes it takes a while for one of us to see it and free your comment so it shows up for everyone.  Once it’s released from moderation, it goes into the comments with the time-stamp for when you first submitted it, so then most people probably never see it.  So it’s not surprising that first comments often don’t get replied to.

So here’s a special open thread where we can keep a particular eye out for first comments that go into moderation.

A few of you who poked your heads up on previous lurker threads have turned into commenters, but don’t let that scare you away!

In any case, it’s lurker appreciation day here on Balloon Juice!  Welcome, all.

Totally open thread.

Reader Interactions

399Comments

  1. 1.

    Geoduck

    OK, I’m a semi-lurker, posting a comment once a week or so, but I’ve been here a long time. Originally I was attracted because John came across as a conservative capable sometimes of rational thought.

  7. 7.

    Tony Jay

    Anyhoo. Hello all Lurkers, Lurkesses, and unaffiliated Lurkoids! Get your chit-chats out and shake ‘em all about.

    Sorry, I’ve been catching up on old Doctor Who ready for the November Specials and Ten has been rubbing off on me.

  8. 8.

    Wave Function Collapse

    Hi Juicers!  Long time lurker here. I hail from the upper left coast and thought I would use this as a chance to finally establish an identity here.

  9. 9.

    Cameron

    I was thinking of changing from my real name to ‘Harrison Wesley’ as my nom de blog, since somehow my e-mail has been picked up by somebody with this name, and that person subscribes to the damndest lists that I now get. I’m not a lurker, sort of a fitful poster, but I guess I’d be treated as a newcomer if I change my identity to HW.

  15. 15.

    pacem appellant

    @Tony Jay: I’ve been out of Doctor Who for a while. Was watching it pretty religiously, going so far as to VPN into Coventry to watch it on the BBC. A Whittaker episode broke me (the writing, not the actor, Whittaker is amazing!), and I haven’t come back since except to watch clips of Tom Baker’s doctor. How’s the new stuff?

  17. 17.

    Cameron

    @Baud: ‘The name is Wesley.  Harrison Wesley.’  Yeah, I guess it doesn’t sound as peculiar as my given name.  Although I have met 3 other Camerons (and actually worked for a couple of years with one of them).  But those are stories unto themselves.

  19. 19.

    Greg Stone

    I wanted to point out two things:

    I think the message that the Supreme court has eliminated the right to privacy should be pounded every day with a list of what previous rulings depended on it, like birth control and freedom from laws that regulate how you can have sex.

    According to evangelicals we will spend an eternity in heaven or hell. If you spent a billion years on Earth dividing that time by infinity still rounds to 0% of eternity being spent on earth. Evangelicals also believe that 90% of adults go to hell when they die, so only about 10% make it to heaven. Babies go to heaven 100% of the time, so for every ten abortions thwarted nine will go to hell rather than heaven. They are literally (in their minds) collecting souls for the devil.

  20. 20.

    WaterGirl

    @Cameron: You might need to keep aka Cameron in parenthesis for awhile, but it can be done.  If you want to do it, and you want to do it today, I can catch you right away since I’m watching for new nyms.

  21. 21.

    la caterina

    I guess I am a semi-lurker.  I promise to comment and participate in political actions more so that Mango Mussolini won’t get elected again!

  22. 22.

    WaterGirl

    @pacem appellant: I haven’t watched since the end of the first season of the female Doctor, who I really liked.  I think the pandemic messed with the schedule or something, maybe they were on a long hiatus?

    Is she still Doctor-ing, or have they replaced her?

  23. 23.

    Wave Function Collapse

    @WaterGirl: Retired engineeer. But the nym refers to my upcoming NY resolution to teach myself a complete understanding of WFC. This has approximately the same probability of success as all the other resolutions out there.

  26. 26.

    Tony Jay

    @Cameron:

    If there wasn’t there should be. Packs of pasty faced guys in long macs whose devilish plan was to hang around in terrible bars not talking to girls.

    @pacem appellant:

    Yeah, that was the problem for me. I tried really, really hard to stay upbeat about the whole thing but between the fact that the BBC muckity-mucks clearly stuck their oar in and the other fact that Chibnall cannot write dialogue, character development or plot progression to save his life… pity, Whittaker could have been great.

    The new series hits around Christmas, but before that there are three Specials starring David Tennant back as The Doctor, but not as Ten, instead as Doctor number Fourteen who is as confused by having that face back as we are.

    Excited? Just a bit.

  29. 29.

    Wave Function Collapse

    @WaterGirl: Former engineer.

    The nym refers to my New Year’s resolution: to completely understand the phenomenon. It has the same probability of success as all the other resolutions out there do.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    @Tony Jay:

    Packs of pasty faced guys in long macs whose devilish plan was to hang around in terrible bars not talking to girls.

    Hey, you take that back. :-)  Lurkers aren’t losers!  At least not the ones on blogs.

  31. 31.

    OB-118

    I read Balloon Juice daily but almost never comment, mostly because of a certain . . . latency . . . that occurs between reading and writing. Scholars, if one of them were to examine the phenomena, would probably attribute the . . . delay . . . to the plethora of committee, sub-committee, and ad-hoc meetings that invariably place themselves in that vast space that has reading at one end and writing at the other. Or so I have observed.

  37. 37.

    tommyspoon

    Long-time semi-lurker here!

    I have been following the Ukraine war posts with great interest, so a hearty thank you for those of you who are putting them together.

    I’m still in the PNW, doing more writing than acting these days.

    I’ve got the day off, so I’m writing and am about to go into the kitchen to make a double batch of crust for a hearty apple pie.

    Hope all y’all are doing well and enjoying the season as best you can.

  38. 38.

    Harrison Wesley

    @WaterGirl: I try, but the messages keep changing.  Except for the ones inviting me to hawt local sexx, which appear to multiply every time I try to unsubscribe from one of them.

  39. 39.

    Pennsylvanian

    I’m here all the time, but rarely comment. This is the site that I most read out loud to my spouse, who doesn’t read blogs, because the comments are always awesome you just can’t keep a Betty Cracker down or pass up a good ole grouchy JC scolding. This is good stuff.

    So yes, the lurkers are out here! I’m even a Patreon supporter! And whoever had that idea gets a star. I always hated that John felt guilty asking for money and now he doesn’t have to anymore. That is also good stuff!

    I should probably change my name because we moved from Pennsylvania to Maine a couple of years ago. But I did put in, um, several decades in Pittsburgh, so I guess it still works. Greetings all!

  40. 40.

    Tony Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    Not Lurkers, Lurklords!

    Imagine a pack of 1980s wannabe New Romantics, except they’re all 15, hang out in village pubs and have more spots than a Dalmatian convention.

  42. 42.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    Wasn’t my calling eemom up from the depths of hell enough of a warning that you never never never engage with lurkers?

  43. 43.

    Harrison Wesley (aka Cameron)

    @WaterGirl: I try, but the messages keep changing.  Except for the ones inviting me to hawt local sexx, which appear to multiply every time I try to unsubscribe from one of them.

  44. 44.

    Tony Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    First one is November 25th. I presume it’ll be available on BBC America? But of course, you’ll hear me squealing closer to the date.

  50. 50.

    Malovich

    I’ve been mostly a lurker, every now and then squeaking out a comment, especially when it comes to Canadian matters, just ’cause.

    Love what y’all bring to the table. You read it/watch it/endure it so I don’t have to and vent your spleen on what happened in nice, digestible-sized articles that saves me a lot of time.

    On occasion there’s something that sends me down the rabbit-hole. Not often. But when it does I’m learning something that’ll likely keep me alive re: Pandemic.

    So again, a hearty thank you to the front-pagers and salutations to the rest of y’all who make this place alive.

  51. 51.

    A Good Woman

    I seldom comment but I do learn stuff here.  I really appreciate Adam Silverman’s dedication to the Ukraine updates.  I also appreciate BJ’s commitment to putting our $$ where our mouth is when it comes to helping others.

  53. 53.

    Harrison Wesley (aka Cameron)

    @JaySinWA: It’s not just political (and the politics are weird).  It’s everything you could imagine – witch covens, senior dating services, job offers from MAJOR INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS, etc.  It’s not a name I ever would have thought of (and probably wouldn’t have used, anyway).  I have no idea who this person is, assuming they exist, or how I wound up as a go-to e-mail address.

  55. 55.

    RedDirtGirl

    I read BJ multiple times a day, and maybe comment once or twice a week. But I never seem to get into any discussions. I just drop in a comment and then, poof, I’m gone. I’d like to dig a little deeper. But I’m often at work, and can’t take more than a few moments. Or, more likely, just don’t have anything very interesting to add.

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    @Pennsylvanian: Yes, Cole HATED asking for money.  Me, I hate talking about money if it’s for me, or related to me.  Otherwise, I am totally fine with talking about money. :-)

    So I can ask for funds for the blog or for political fundraising, and it doesn’t bother me one bit.

    Thank you for supporting Balloon Juice.

  61. 61.

    pajaro

    former lurker, infrequent poster, although I do love (and post in) Medium Cool on Sunday nights.  I like y’all, because you have hope.  For myself, I am comfortable seeing the proverbial glass as both half empty and half full.

  64. 64.

    pacem appellant

    @Tony Jay: Tenant as number fourteen should be fun, I think! Chibnall as showrunner was a disaster imo. So much potential with Whittaker and her companions, completely ruined with empty plots and wooden dialogue.

    I’ll have to see if the VPN trick still works. They may have locked that down.

  66. 66.

    MrRoivas

    Long time reader. Haven’t really commented much.

    I’m Jewish. And what I’ve been seeing from college campuses terrifies me.

    Anyone who reads this and counts Jewish people amongst their friends or family, please reach out to them. Let them know they’re not alone.

  68. 68.

    Antonius

    Long-time semi-lurker. 10 years? 12? It was after John stopped being a Republican that I was a regular.

  70. 70.

    Pennsylvanian

    @WaterGirl: It’s truly my pleasure.

    I’m not much of a joiner, but how can one pass up being part of a pack of vicious, snarling jackals?

    Proud supporter!

  72. 72.

    Trivia Man

    @Tony Jay: I was just reading today about Delia Derbyshire, co-composer of the original Dr Who theme song. Fascinating story about the OG of EDM.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    @Malovich: Welcome!  And you come bearing compliments, your mom must have taught you well.  Since it’s too early for a bottle of win, compliments were an excellent choice.

    Where does your nym come from?

  75. 75.

    Ron from MN

    Howdy from Minnesota! Long time lurker but I did delurk during the last delurking post a few months ago.  I have a question regarding arthroscopic repair of my rotator cuff……. I had the surgery 7 weeks ago  and have been doing physical therapy the last 3 weeks and I fell on my back (and shoulder) last Sunday.  Hurt like heck but I have been able to continue my therapy at home but we have been out of town this week (able to continue my exercises while out of town) so I haven’t seen my trainer since the incident and  won’t see her until Tuesday.  So I’m curious if anyone has any experience with this and how hard is it to retear the tendon with a slight fall.  The pain has decreased since Sunday back to the level it was before I fell, but I’m just curious of other folks’ experience w this.  (I just turned 69 and in pretty good shape, mtn biker and pretty active if that matters)

    Thanks in advance for any answers and i will talk w my trainer on Tuesday, but just kinda curious about it.

  76. 76.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Cameron: ​
     

    Although I have met 3 other Camerons

    I’ve known a few over the years. First one was a girl I knew in college, the rest were guys. Most recent was a guy who was in our local theatre troupe, was a very good George Bailey when we did It’s A Wonderful Life a few years back.

  79. 79.

    Laertes

    Hi all. I’m an oldtimer. Like, I remember John making fun of Steven Den Beste as he happened. I’ve gone into lurker mode on and off, and I guess I’ve been a lurker for over a decade now. I read here regularly, but comment only rarely.

    Anyway. I’m alive. And I love this place.

  80. 80.

    WaterGirl

    @RedDirtGirl: I think everyone has something interesting to add.  You just never know when someone else will pick up on it, or even just nod because they agree.  But it may be long after you’re out of the thread.

  87. 87.

    WaterGirl

    @MrRoivas: It’s scary.  It’s like cockroaches that are there in hiding, and something happens to give people permission to hate, and they come scoring out as if a light was turned on.

    You are welcome here!

  89. 89.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @WaterGirl: You’d have never known John hated asking for money the way he threw the collection plate around every time the blog needed an upgrade which was always and always before he made some fabulous personal purchase.

  94. 94.

    Harrison Wesley (aka Cameron)

    @lowtechcyclist: The one I worked with for several years was a female Cameron, and she was a tad sour that her parents hadn’t known what ‘Cameron’ meant in Gaelic when they named her.

    The second was a gent that I met in AA who did not appreciate my sense of humor.  I asked him if it was true that ‘Cameron’ meant ‘man with the broken nose’ and he told me it actually was a bit broader – ‘person with the bent (or broken) nose.’  He walked away when I suggested that perhaps in our case, it meant ‘man with the bent elbow.’  Oh, well.

    Third was a Black Cameron, who was a volunteer at Philabundance when I worked there.  I only met him twice, very briefly, since we were located in very different parts of the city.

    Isn’t that a whole lot more information than anybody here ever wanted to know?  Sorry, I’m – what should I say? – running at the fingers?

  95. 95.

    lefthanded compliment

    Delurking just long enough to express my great appreciation for this joint and all those who make it a place I want to visit every day.

  100. 100.

    Hoodie

    @Ron from MN: My doc told me that the repair was safe after 6-8 weeks, fully healed in 6 months.  If you had biceps tendon reattachment, that’s the weakest link.

  101. 101.

    WaterGirl

    @Ron from MN:

    My wild guess is that if the pain has decreased in just a few days, maybe you’ll get off scott free from the fall.  Fingers crossed.

    Hopefully someone here has been through something like that before, and they can give you a better answer.  I had a vet chime in on a post about my kitty, Mr. Bear, and they were oh so helpful!

  111. 111.

    Guy Incognito

    Long time reader/lurker here. Just don’t have much to add, but I always enjoy the discourse. I’m a middle-aged white guy from Colorado with an amazing African American wife to whom I’ve been married almost 25 years. We have had one child together, a 22 yo son who now has to function in this mad world. He’s doing good so far!  I’m astonished daily at the way things have been going in this country.  Joe Biden has been a great president, and I don’t care about his age. Donald Trump is filth personified. It’s madness that the election is even close, but we have a lot of dangerous characters out there that profit from chaos. It’s just good to know that there are other sane people out there! Keep up the good work!

  112. 112.

    Rachel Bakes

    Back again. The big kid’s high school production of The Play That Goes Wrong (that my husband designed and built the set for) was last weekend. It was a smash hit and no kids injured by (purposely) falling set pieces. The goal was to beat the numbers set by previous Fall plays. We beat the total attendance on 2 nights alone! Point of pride for the first show with a new director.

  120. 120.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: If only…

    My schedule at the Orange Place is late afternoon to midnight, so my awake/non-working time is usually not prime BJ comment time.  My days off, I’m usually either preparing/getting sleep to head out to shoot.  Today is my day off(as was yesterday), but I’ve got a tire with a slow leak, so no shooting.

  122. 122.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud: ​
     

    Always on Nov. 11. Observed on nearest weekday.

    This. Us Federal types are enjoying a day of relaxation today. (Don’t bother checking your mailbox today.) President Biden will visit Arlington Cemetery tomorrow for the official observance of the occasion.

  124. 124.

    geg6

    @MrRoivas:

    If it gives you any encouragement at all, I work in a college campus and there is none of that happening there.  Nor any other local colleges around here.

  126. 126.

    Alison Rose

    @Tony Jay: Methinks your Google translate had a hiccup :P And NOT JUST THEM although, yes, if I’d been a teen girl in the early 80s in Essex, I would indeed have flung myself at everyone in DM with the velocity of an unladen swallow.

  128. 128.

    RevRick

    I may or not count as a lurker, but I often do feel like a B-52 bomber, dropping my payload of dubious opinions and disappearing over the horizon. This is one of my favorite sites, but since I visit others, try to get in my daily steps, take naps, and am involved with church stuff, I am seldom around to respond in a timely fashion. So, I am here to ask forgiveness.

  132. 132.

    tarzanne

    I’ve been a lurker here for years.  I read the site several times a day and particularly appreciate the Ukraine coverage.  Also love the cat and dog postings (and have been wondering what happened to the ducks and geese coverage recently).

  135. 135.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @WaterGirl: I work retail, so not much $$.  While my pay is a few bucks over minimum wage here in CA, I make exactly the same as a new stiff they get off the street today, after 2 1/2 years.

    @Baud: Working the closing shift gives me consistent hours(except on Sunday now), but not consistent days off.  The last 3 weeks I’ve had Thursday and Friday off.  Next week, I have Wednesday and Thursday off, then it gets weird(I only have Monday and Thanksgiving(paid holiday) off).

  144. 144.

    Asparagus Aspersions

    I’ve been reading this blog daily for 15 years but only started recently leaving the very occasional comment. My husband is a regular listener of the blog, because rarely a day passes that I don’t read him a couple of my favorite turns of phrase.* This place is great. I know some commenters better than I know some of my relatives.

    * @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony — Thanks to you, I just read to him the entire Unitarian Jihad column, and then we chose our Unitarian Jihad names. I am The Mallet of Warm Humanitarianism.

  151. 151.

    Jackie

    Looks like Mayor Adams is possibly in some hot water:

    “FBI agents seized Mayor Eric Adams’s electronic devices early this week in what appeared to be a dramatic escalation of a federal corruption investigation into whether his 2021 campaign conspired with the Turkish government and others to funnel money into its coffers,” the New York Times reports.

    “The agents approached the mayor on the street and asked his security detail to step away… They climbed into his SUV with him and, pursuant to a court-authorized warrant, took his devices.”

    “The devices — at least two cellphones and an iPad — were returned to the mayor within a matter of days…

  161. 161.

    trollhattan

    @lowtechcyclist: Never got Veterans (Armistice) day in the private sector (or Memorial Day, Presidents Day, it’s a long list). It was like, “veterans? meh, get to work!” MLK? As if.

  162. 162.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: I just had my corporate compliance training, unions are bad, very bad…

    They make promises that they can’t guarantee and take your money…
    Why do you need to have a third party who doesn’t know you speak for you, when we have an “Open Door” policy?

    /s

    The corporate compliance training is an hour and a half long and the anti union crap is right in the middle.

    A lot of the workforce is from the southern states and they reflexively thing unions are bad(socialism), another group doesn’t think unions have a place in retail at all(points to Kroger’s bad contract), and others think union dues will a huge expense.

    There was a union vote in a store in Philly, it failed, but corporate was throwing lots of pizza parties for them before the vote.

  171. 171.

    Citizen Alan

    @Tony Jay:

    I will never forgive Chibnall for the damage he did to my favorite show. I haven’t hate-watched Doctor Who since Colin Baker’s era.

  178. 178.

    MrRoivas

    @WaterGirl: I wish it were that simple.

    What it boils down to: In the eyes of certain leftists, Jewish people are white. We’re not a vulnerable minority with a history of persecution, displacement and genocide.

    No, we’re the oppressor. And oppressors deserve no empathy, and can be freely killed by those they oppress.

    I wish this was caricature. Too much support can be found for my summation in the statements I’ve seen many left wingers openly state in these last few weeks.

    Black lives matter to me. I’ve been a queer/LGBTQ ally before I knew what the term was. I’ve argued against Islamophobia in the atheist online spaces I’ve participated in.

    Yet when my people are under attack overseas by a terrorist organization which openly declares their genocidal intent overseas and in anti-Semitic bursts of violence nearby, suddenly many left wingers have more important things to care about.

    My sense of betrayal is immense.

  180. 180.

    tommyspoon

    @WaterGirl: Preference. I was the member of a murder mystery dinner theater company, The Dinner Detective. As COVID fell, we suspended our productions and the longer I got away from performing, the more I got into writing. Mostly short stories, then longer ones.

    I’m working on a novel right now that I would describe as a “cathartic reaction” to the political climate of the last six or seven years. Might be of interest to the readers of this blog, who knows?

    I am enjoying writing my own stories more than performing someone else’s. I’m not seeing that trend changing anytime soon, although a local theater has announced that they are putting on “Sweeney Todd” next Fall… May have to dust off my theater shoes for that audition!

  181. 181.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @WaterGirl: I’ll add it wasn’t my first nym on this site. My original nym was Zzzzz. Someone either mentioned or linked to the Unitarian Jihad, and then I had to have one of the names!

  187. 187.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @WaterGirl: You didn’t make that up. I decided to add the quiet because it was such a contrast with the machine gun part.

  189. 189.

    WaterGirl

    @tommyspoon: I have been to some of those mystery dinners, and they are fun.

    Are they still fun when you do them night after night?  I imagine it might be a little like teaching, where you can teach the same thing but each class goes really differently because the students are different?

    When your book is done, will you self publish?  At least these days writers aren’t totally at the mercy of publishers, who may or may not be interested.

    We have Authors in Our Midst posts.  Once your book is close to being published, send me an email message?

  190. 190.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @WaterGirl: I’m pretty frustrated…I’m on time everyday, I’m running around the store like a madman(I’ve lost over 60lbs since working there), deliveries are done and ready to load on the truck the next morning, I and my coworker Ed got a shoutout on our last regional walk for exceptional(out of the park was the phase used) pick times…

    We get badges(Homers) with a cash reward for each 3.  I got 3 my first 3 months, none since.  I’m wondering who I have to blow to get any.

  197. 197.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @WaterGirl: I think someone else did take that nym later. Mine always had 5 Zs. I had that nym really early on. I can’t remember when I changed it, but it was in the aughts.

  198. 198.

    Asparagus Aspersions

    @Alison Rose:

    Thanks! One of the reasons I love this place is that no one in the normal world would recognize what I was alluding to. You are my people :)

  202. 202.

    TriassicSands

    @WaterGirl: Hopefully you still think Cole is capable of rational thought.

    Oh, c’mon, WaterGirl, now that Cole is a Democrat it’s obvious he’s totally insane. It goes with the territory.

    I mean, who in their right mind would want to make voting accessible to every eligible voter? In a democracy no less. Ridiculous!

    You have to be insane or a communist, but if you’re a communist it doesn’t matter if everyone votes, because the votes don’t count. Obviously, we Democrats are just trying to destroy America by allowing people to vote. (Reference source: Mike Johnson and the entire Republican Party)

  203. 203.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @JaySinWA: At the Orange Place, if there is a problem, have a pizza party.  Corporate had a large presence at that Philly store before the union vote.  The company founders are pretty right wing, but the owners now are mainly investment funds(Blackrock, Vanguard…).

    I’m an introvert, so not an organizer.  I can do the backend stuff well, but not the front end.

  204. 204.

    Alison Rose

    @MrRoivas: A Black Jewish friend gave me a good way to think of it and to try to explain it to some who seem to think that white Jews aren’t marginalized because we are white. What she said is that those of us of Ashkenazi descent are white by appearance and benefit from “conditional access to white privilege”, but that this access can be swiftly and frighteningly revoked at a moment’s notice, if the wrong kind of person finds out we’re Jewish.

    A lot of folks refuse to believe that, and think that our white skin means we are insulated from any form of oppression. They’re wrong, but unfortunately they are very loud and proud of their wrongness.

  210. 210.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    @WaterGirl: You don’t think “who do I need to blow” works?

    The Orange Place is pretty top down from corporate as far as wages go, they can’t be granted on the store level, I’m not even sure that it can on the district level anymore.  Corporate is also trying to minimize labor costs(lots of cutting hours for PT and even some FT).   So, if you’re in the Orange Place and you have trouble finding help, or the person you find doesn’t know anything(like asking the delivery guy about what paint is the best), it comes from the top.

  212. 212.

    Highway Rob

    Late to the thread but it looks like it’s still hopping. Long time reader, first showed up during the days of Obama and the PUMAS.  Rare commenter, I’ve been around long enough to learn I don’t have that much to say.  On the other hand, one of my proudest moments on-line was here, a joke mixing Politico and Method Man (it got laughs but you had to be there).

    Still miss ABL.

  213. 213.

    MrRoivas

    @Alison Rose: Yes, quite right.

    Here, the political sides are mirrors of each other. Right wingers see us as white unless they don’t like us, then we’re a despised minority. Left wingers see as a vulnerable minority when attacked by the right, and white, potentially oppressors the rest of the time.

  217. 217.

    tommyspoon

    @WaterGirl: I haven’t even thought about publishing, to be honest. I’m having too much fun with the writing! Unlike other stuff I’ve written, I’m not doing any outlining. Just making it up as I go along!

    I’ll probably write up a pitch at some point and make the rounds of any likely publishers. But that’s going to be an exercise for me, and that’s OK.

  218. 218.

    Beavis C Dawg

    Long long time lurker here and there are not many sites that I read the comments on but BJ is one. I follow Adam’s Ukraine posts every day along with some on dkos and have recently found a site that maybe he has an opinion on. It is ENGin which seem to be a go between English speakers and Ukrainians to help them with conversational English. I will not post a link at this time as I do not know the policy for link posting here. Thanks.

  219. 219.

    WaterGirl

    @Highway Rob: I was just thinking about ABL today!  Yeah, I wish the had been handled better, and maybe we wouldn’t have lost her.

    I’m not clever like Baud or Betty Cracker, and if I expected myself to be, I would never comment.

    But a lot of folks who do comment wish that more people would reply to their comments – they don’t know about the people who are nodding along when reading their comment – and they would be happy with a response to theirs!  We don’t all have to be Shakespeare.  My two cents.

  224. 224.

    baquist

    Hi!  Long time lurker who very occasionally comments. This is always my first site of the day.  Would love to have a meetup in Denver metro – unfortunately missed the first one.

  227. 227.

    WaterGirl

    @Beavis C Dawg: You are the second new nym today with Dawg in  it.  I was happy to see it in both.

    You are welcome to post links on Balloon Juice.  For the link you want to post, your best audience is likely the Ukraine post.  I recommend asking your question in that thread.

  229. 229.

    Bill Arnold

    @WaterGirl:

    But a lot of folks who do comment wish that more people would reply to their comments – they don’t know about the people who are nodding along when reading their comment

    This place has more influence than its ranking would suggest. And that includes the comments, which are indexed by search engines, unlike e.g. disqus. (Sometimes the ends of long threads aren’t (re-)indexed, fwiw.)

  231. 231.

    WaterGirl

    @baquist: Welcome!  If nothing’s happening on the Denver meetup front, you can always try to organize a Denver meetup yourself.

    I love that lurkers and mostly lurkers go to BJ meetups!

  232. 232.

    Gin & Tonic

    I comment less often lately, but probably don’t qualify as a lurker; but just wanted to extend a welcome here to those who might be hesitant about posting. Jump in, the water’s fine (unless you’re Freddie deBoer.)

  234. 234.

    KM in NS

    I lurk every day! I love this place because it’s a connection to my home. I grew up in a Red State but emigrated to Canada 28 years ago. I still keep tabs on the goings on in the US because I still have family Down South.

  237. 237.

    caringandsensitive

    I’ve been reading the site for 15 to 20 years and have commented perhaps a dozen times. It is my every day go to site. Speaking as someone was a few comments back of missing commenters, I miss red kitten. Her line about not being a fucking astronaut is as timeless as John’s about tires and anthrax.

  243. 243.

    Beavis C Dawg

    @WaterGirl:  Thank you for the information. Some sites are sensitive to link posting because of tracking and trolls so I’ll ask in the next update. I must have missed the other dawg comment but yeah I like all animals

  247. 247.

    ceece

    long time lurker, since just before the Schiavo days.

    I don’t usually post, since I am often so late to the threads that nobody reads my comments anyways.

    but hi, everybody!

  249. 249.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Greg Stone: ​
     

    According to evangelicals we will spend an eternity in heaven or hell. If you spent a billion years on Earth dividing that time by infinity still rounds to 0% of eternity being spent on earth. Evangelicals also believe that 90% of adults go to hell when they die, so only about 10% make it to heaven.

    Yeah, these are two things that are just totally screwed up about evangelical theology, if it can be given that word. If God is love, and he’s sending the vast majority of the people to eternal torture that he created and loves so much – and this even 2000 years after Jesus came to keep that from happening – you’d think he’d just shut the whole thing down before creating yet more people to send to hell.

    And the notion of infinite punishment for finite sin is just crazy. The punishment is infinitely disproportional to the crime. And if 90% of people are going to hell, then most of those weren’t particularly bad people, in fact may have been very good people, but are being infinitely punished for just not saying the magic words.

    Babies go to heaven 100% of the time, so for every ten abortions thwarted nine will go to hell rather than heaven. They are literally (in their minds) collecting souls for the devil.

    And of course, the mothers being forced to give birth to these babies are women who are on the road to hell themselves, so by their lights, these aren’t kids who are less rather than more likely to be raised in what evangelicals would consider to be a Christian manner. So the ‘unborn babies’ they save would seem to be even more likely than most to be destined for eternal torment. If on average, 10% of people go to heaven, it’s probably well down in the single digits for the ‘unborn babies’ they ‘rescue.’

  251. 251.

    KM in NS

    We’re getting ready to observe Remembrance Day tomorrow. It’s always a somber, thoughtful time… a moment of silence and then a reading by Leslie Nielsen of On Flanders Fields. Then we lay poppies at the Cenotaph. It’s very respectful and a great mix of old and young. I really appreciate the way it’s done up here.

  254. 254.

    ljt

    I have commented some in the past, and shared photos for On the Road. I may be mostly silent, but I am here everyday. Thank you to all the regular commenters and especially the FPers for helping me stay sane.

  256. 256.

    cain

    Hiya lurkers! Welcome – hope you are having a productive day. I’m doing some chores and my wife is preparing for Diwali making Gulab Jamun and other things. I also have a dental appointment – my dentist is my ex-wife. lol. Funny times. :)

  263. 263.

    WaterGirl

    @ceece: Hello!  I recognize your nym, maybe you posted more frequently before?

    Also, a lot of us keep a tab open for a thread even if it’s died down, and then come back to it later.  Sometimes I’ll find that someone has replied to one of my comments, or to other people’s comments.  So don’t be shy about commenting later, someone will likely read it.

  264. 264.

    Caroline

    @Alison Rose and @MrRoivas thank you both for making me feel connected to other Jews like me who are getting more and more anxious about the current situation…

    Alison, what you said about those of us who are “passing” but it can be revoked at any time really resonates.

  268. 268.

    TBone

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: thanks for the jihad link, I am Sister Howitzer of Tolerance.  Which actually fits to a T since I always try to have a good neighbor policy doing unto others but it frequently gets me mistaken for weak instead of kind.  That’s when the howitzer mouth kicks in  – I am from Delaware County, PA (just outside of Philly) and now live in rural Central PA where my accent and brazen flatlander liberality stick out like a sore thumb to the evangeluglican rumper population that surrounds me.  This place is a lifesaver and I’m grateful as hell for all of you.  Oh, and FUCK TRUMP!

  271. 271.

    Jay

    @🐾BillinGlendaleCA:

    In my experience at the Orange, to get Homers you need to be seen by your DS and AssMan constantly as going above and beyond. So you need to be there during part of their core hours, but,………

    you can’t create any extra work for them, (which may or may not be part of their core duties) such as improvements, errors in the system, etc.

    You need to be seen giving excellent Customer Service, but also have a DS and AssMan who recognize that many Orange Departments have mostly Internal Customers.

    It is retail, so many of the DS’s and AssMen who make pennies to a dollar more than you an hour, are doing the least they can for their paycheck.

    The “best” way to make more $$ at the Orange is to move into sales jobs, and use your profit sharing to buy HD Stock just before HD get’s another tranche of Fed Bailout money and uses it to do another stock buyback inflating share prices.

  274. 274.

    Ripley

    Hiya, good people

     

    I have 5 Bluesky invites if anyone is interested. (Now, to figure out the mechanics of sharing them.)

  278. 278.

    Ruckus

    @Tim in Cape Fear:

    I’d bet I should know this one…. I have cause and receipts.

    I’ve been doing a bit of shopping and there must be a lot of people who get Vets day off, it was as crowded as hell, which seems to be close to full.

  280. 280.

    tarzanne

    @WaterGirl:

    Yes — I named my first cat Sheena.  When I got a second female cat from my brother, I decided on Tarzanne as an appropriate name for her.,

  281. 281.

    WaterGirl

    @tarzanne: Was your “yes” in response to my question about your nym?

    In case you are anyone else doesn’t know how, you can reply to a particular person by clicking “reply” (lower right under each comment) and then it fills in their nym and then you can add your comment

    edit: I see that you had already replied to me in the next comment, so you already know how to reply.  But I’ll leave it anyway for other who don’t know.

  284. 284.

    JoyceCB

    Late to the party as always.  That’s why I lurk.  But I did de-cloak yesterday, and now today as well – maybe I’ll make it a habit!

  286. 286.

    caringandsensitive

    @WaterGirl: It was in response to Palin’s I can see Russia which made her qualified to opine on foreign policy. She said “I can see the moon from my porch but that doesn’t make me a fucking astronaut”

  290. 290.

    Steve in the ATL

    @lowtechcyclist:
     

    And the notion of infinite punishment for finite sin is just crazy. The punishment is infinitely disproportional to the crime.

    Do the sinners have arbitration rights? Because an arbitrator would totally agree with you and bring them back, though possibly without backpay.

  292. 292.

    Alison Rose

    @zhena gogolia: And then you try to explain and it’s so not funny. I’ve said “all of them Katie” in response to things so many times, and then I have to go “well remember when palin blah blah blah” and they’re just like “Uhh…ha ha”.

  293. 293.

    The "I Want" Song

    First time/longtime here, SoCal based. I really enjoy all the commentary and check the site several times a day usually. The next step will be to post a comment with an actual opinion in it, I guess, but I often follow threads to the very end and run out of time. Maybe soon, though! Until then —

  294. 294.

    Nelle

    Late, of course.  In my basement, a 7, 6, 4 year old plus a 16 month old all screaming and running in circles.  Friday afternoon sillies..two neighbors, two grandchildren, plus supervising Grandpa and neighbor.  I’m hiding upstairs and watching for DIL to come fetch hers.  Neighbor likes to listen to my husband talk politics.  Neighbor boy borrows my husband every Veterans Day for honorary grandpa for the school assembly.  Happy to see all the comments here

  295. 295.

    EarthWindFire

    @RevRick: Same, I often feel I shouldn’t post because I can’t always respond until hours later.

    Geminid, if you’re on here, follow up on the morning thread: I don’t think you’re naïve. I’m just cranky and uncharitable about Republicans’ intelligence.

  296. 296.

    walkingg

    I may have made a grand total of two comments over the years; I usually just get to the posts so late. I’m late now and may not have said anything today except that there was some talk a few days ago…I think it was Alison Rose regarding colored pencil purchases so I hope she sees this. I’ve used many brands over the years and I would strongly urge against Prismacolors. They feel amazing, they have wonderful color laydown and a huge range of colors but they BREAK! So so easily and often while they are being sharpened, you can go through half a pencil trying to get a decent point. it’s enraging and expensive.

    If your heart is set on them you might try the cheaper but similar version from Blick art supplies. I’d actually suggest Koh-I-Noor Progresso Woodless Colored Pencils or if you are feeling extravagant Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer Watercolor Pencils.

  297. 297.

    Tony Jay

    @lowtechcyclist:

    And the notion of infinite punishment for finite sin is just crazy.

    Let’s not be too hasty. You’re saying one little sin and when I die I never have to see a single pinch-faced Evangelical for the rest of forever?

    Tough one.

  298. 298.

    MrRoivas

    @Caroline: I’m glad my words have made you feel better.

    I’m lucky enough to have a family who’s helped me through this time, and a very supportive non-Jewish wife. I hope you have people too in this time of need.

  301. 301.

    WaterGirl

    @The   The rare sighting of someone who reads all the comments before posting one?  I had heard bout such people but I wasn’t sure they actually existed in the wild!

    Most people don’t let that stop them. :-)

    Interesting… WordPress doesn’t seem to know what to do with the  quotation marks in your nym.  Can you try another comment so we can make sure that will go through without manual approval.

    WordPress doesn’t like apostrophes in nyms, and those nyms have to be manually approved each time, so let’s test the apostrophe right away.

    Can you post another comment?

  302. 302.

    Scout211

    Oh man, I keep missing the lurker threads!

    Welcome all you newbies!

    Please continue to contribute a comment once in awhile, or even often. We may not always respond to your comments, but please know that your comments are being read by many, many commenters and lurkers.  There must be about a million people reading this almost top 10,000 blog every single day!  🤣

    Anyhoo, welcome newbies!

  303. 303.

    anitamargarita

    @🐾BillinGlendaleCA: I work at, not for, an orange store, merchandizing the live product. My experience has been that mgmt wants to demoralize and eventually get rid of all the good, long-time employees, and have a staff of minimum-wage part-timers. They really don’t care about retaining people with any level of expertise or competence. I once mentioned “union” to a supervisor, and he basically shushed me, looking around to make sure I hadn’t been heard.

  304. 304.

    WaterGirl

    @Nelle: Since you are here, I am tentatively thinking tomorrow afternoon maybe 2 or 3 o’clock for your report.  Any preference? Will that work for you?  If you’re babysitting, we should reschedule, because I’m sure folks will have questions.

  307. 307.

    Alison Rose

    @walkingg: Thank you! I’ve had a few options saved in a draft email because I can’t make up my mind, even though they’re not even for me, LOL. That’s good to know about Prismacolor’s flaws.

  308. 308.

    WaterGirl

    @Scout211:  Oh, no!  And you had asked for a lurker thread at least a couple of weeks ago, maybe longer!  I should have thought to let you know, but it was kind of spur of the moment for me.

    It’s fun meeting new people!  Maybe we’ll have to have another one in 2 or 3 weeks so you can be here.

  312. 312.

    edgefigaro

    I’m out of town helping out at the family farm through harvest this season, but ima get back to bents in champaign before the year is up.

  313. 313.

    WaterGirl

    @Ripley: @anitamargarita:

    If you both send me email at my nym at balloon-juice.com and identify yourselves, I can pass along the code.

    Ripley, in fact if you want to share 2 or 3 I could pass them along for you as needed.

    edit: If that’s too cryptic, click on CONTACT US up top and you’ll see the format for email to reach a front-pager.

  314. 314.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Tony Jay:

    Let’s not be too hasty. You’re saying one little sin and when I die I never have to see a single pinch-faced Evangelical for the rest of forever?

    Tough one.

    Nah, sorry to break the news to you but your hell is to be trapped in the fellowship hall with a whole pack of them for all eternity. ;-)

  316. 316.

    TBone

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony: thanks!  You made me feel welcome and I would like to also extend support and allyship to all those who are having a hard time because of current events.  I like to think of this Ghandi quote in these times, I hope it offers some small comfort:  “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

  321. 321.

    edgefigaro

    Champaign, IL, Aye. Bentleys Pub on the north side of downtown.

    Downtown (and the city in general) has gotten problematic since covid, but I hear that has mostly passed and I can go back to worrying about rent going nuts =/

    Town has an airBNB problem where it’s driving up rents. I got some friends who should vote against me if I tried to run on the “sundown/tax new airBNB units” platform.

  322. 322.

    Jay

    @anitamargarita:

    at the Orange I worked at, (Tool Rental Repair Tech), they brought in International Students, 20 hours a month max. None had any exposure to tools in any way shape or form. I got fired, (PITA to my DS and AssMan at the time, hero to my previous DS and AssMan) because they can always fire you, was replaced by my trainee Gary, whom they fired 4 months later for similar “cause”. Since then in 4 years, they are on their 9th Tool Rental Repair Tech and are back to hiding broken tools in cargo containers and not reporting them so that the DM has no clue how broken tool rental is.

    They used to hire Skilled Trades, but in 2008, they stripped staff, cut wages in Canada to prop up US Stores. Since then in Vancouver and other places, they can’t get even broken down old skilled trades as employee’s because gig work pays $3600 cash for a two week job on renovations, and if you still have your ticket, you can get $50 to $150 an hour and 5 years work on any one of the hundreds of construction projects going up.

  323. 323.

    Citizen Alan

    @Tony Jay:  I don’t think he does. I think Chibnall is an egomaniac and a narcissist. Not to Trump levels, perhaps, but I think he is ecstatic that with the Timeless Child bullshit he has enacted a change to DW canon that they will never be able to get rid of. The Doctor is now millions of years old and has had probably scores of regenerations that they no longer remember. And the entire televised history of the show is that brief period where he was stumbling around with amnesia, a period far less important to the Doctor’s overarching story than all the fanfiction about unknown gun-wielding badass Doctors that lives in Chibnall’s head.

    And that’s before we get to easily the worst iteration of the Master ever and, worst of all, a storyline about the destruction of Gallifrey (again!) that utterly shat on the 50th Anniversary episode and its resolution of the Time War.

    Can you tell I’m bitter about this?

  324. 324.

    Geminid

    @EarthWindFire: Sorry. I thought later later that I should have said that I knew you weren’t neccesarily implying that I was naive or credulous, that instead I meant to generalize about the expression “you are a better person than I am.”

    I remember the first someone here told me, “You are a kinder person than me.” They had fallen out with another commenter over Elizabeth Warren; it was the 2020 primary season, tempers were short, and I had stood up for the second commenter.

    So I responded, “I don’t think I am a kinder person, maybe more tolerant.” Big mistake!

    “CALL ME INTOLERANT, WILL YOU?!! I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW….”

    I started a response pointing that when they called me “a kinder person” I had not realized they meant that they were themselves cruel. But then I thought better of it and hit the “CLEAR COMMENT” space instead. I have since come to realize that the CLEAR COMMENT button is one of this blog’s most valuable features.

  327. 327.

    Citizen Alan

    @lowtechcyclist: Evangelicals don’t care about non-evangelicals going to hell. Indeed, they take pleasure in the thought of everyone who wouldn’t bend the knee to them being tortured for infinity. By far the most successful manifestation of Evangelicalism in modern pop culture was the Left Behind series, which was nothing but Christian Revenge Snuff Porn that made millions.

  330. 330.

    edgefigaro

    @WaterGirl:

    Bents has been around for decades, buts its been under a new set of mgmt for the past 5 or 6. It has a fair amount of the community Mike and Molly’s used to have.

    Rosebowl has been killing it over in urbana since covid. Charlie bought into it and it’s really begun to fill a significant chunk of the venue void the Monkey and 51 main left when they closed.

    Champaign is never going to have the same good vibes of 2005-2015. They might get new good vibes, but they’ll be different. I’m not young enough to be at the front of that these days though.

  333. 333.

    Tony Jay

    @Citizen Alan:

    I really don’t blame you. The three things you mention pissed me off too. The Timeless Child reveal has such huge connotations that it’s going to be very difficult to believe The Doctor wouldn’t spend every second of every one of his (now endless) lives hunting down the full truth. The latest Master had moments of growing on me, but like the genocide on Gallifrey, his very nature was a pointless, destructive rubbing out of years of steady building of storylines by better writers.

    Maybe that’s why RTD is pushing so hard with the New Reboot nature of the 15th Doctor. He can see the damage 13’s tenure did to the franchise and wants to kill it dead ASAP.

    Chibnall better not turn up at many Comic-Cons, he will not be welcome.

  336. 336.

    ThinkRocks

    Hi – long time lurker here. I’m older than Cole, but probably not wiser. I started following because I appreciated Cole’s perspective and clear writing, and stayed because BJ keeps adding contributors with expertise in different fields.

  339. 339.

    Geminid

    @Citizen Alan: That kind of twisted evangelical theology contains two conflicting ideas: that there Is a wise, omniscient and omnipotent Being who runs the universe, but He is also a vain, petty and narrow-minded Asshole.

    I think Ben Franklin got it right. In his Autobiography Franklin described a commission he took as a young printer and freelance pampleteer. A devout Philadelphian was alarmed by the increasing popularity of Deism, and paid Franklin to write a pamphlet refuting this new and pernicious doctrine. So Franklin read up on Deism and wrote a serviceable anti-Deism tract. But he said his studies persuaded him that Deism was the right philosophy for him.

  343. 343.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    that there Is a wise, omniscient and omnipotent Being who runs the universe, but He is also a vain, petty and narrow-minded Asshole.

     

    Sounds like my philosophy towards presidenting.

  344. 344.

    Marigold

    Not a first time poster, but rarely enough that I might as well be.

    We adopted an 8 month lab/pittie? a week ago tomorrow, and I know she’s going to be great, there are glimpses of awesome, but I am so very very tired.

  349. 349.

    Ripley

    Hey, all

    Ran to the store and missed your comments in the moment. I’ll send the info to WaterGirl.

    Have a great weekend, everyone!

  351. 351.

    Marigold

    @anitamargarita: Thank you! I’m kind of in love

     

    @WaterGirl: We do have a crate! The nanny cam shows that she’s calm when no one is home, but she yowls non-stop if I crate her to shower, for example.

    Our 7-year-old cattle dog has given me so many reproachful looks. He’s been really tolerant of her taking his toys and parkouring off the couch.

  360. 360.

    Gary

    I read the post on my RSS feed and I go to a post if I’m intrigued by what sort of comments I expect to find.

    Does that make me a lurker? or is there a lesser category?  I have made a few comments, mostly in these lurker posts.

  362. 362.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Citizen Alan: ​
     

    Evangelicals don’t care about non-evangelicals going to hell. Indeed, they take pleasure in the thought of everyone who wouldn’t bend the knee to them being tortured for infinity. By far the most successful manifestation of Evangelicalism in modern pop culture was the Left Behind series, which was nothing but Christian Revenge Snuff Porn that made millions.

    Oh sure, they don’t care, but in theory at least, their god does. How does their vision of their god compatible with “God is love” which is in fact something the Bible says? For that matter, how are they and their joy in revenge compatible with it?

    That question pretty much answers itself: they’re not. They’re horrible people, and if there was a hell, they’d be the ones going there. If there was to be a Rapture, they’re the ones who’d be left behind, desperately coming up with other explanations for the people who disappeared, so they could claim that the Rapture was still to come. And their reaction to Trump makes it quite clear that they’d be the most devoted followers of the Antichrist, if there were to be such a thing as the Antichrist.

  363. 363.

    Rose Weiss

    I’ve been mostly lurking since John began his conversion. DK was so hateful back then I couldn’t take it any more. Somehow here I got hooked. I’ve been checking this site every day for Eek! decades now. My late husband was also a fan so we would compare thoughts over dinner on the day’s posts. Tunch’s death was traumatic for us because we were always cat people. Now I make rare remarks now and then, mostly in the night threads.

  365. 365.

    WaterGirl

    @Rose Weiss: I am not on the late night threads much.  Very sorry to hear that you lost your husband.  That’s rough.

    Yes, Tunch’s death was a real gut punch.  Definitely a disturbance in the force that day.

  366. 366.

    TEL

    @Asparagus Aspersions: Thread is long dead but was laughing at my Jihad name Sister Spikey Mace of Enlightened Compassion (also got Sister Katana of Warm Humanitarianism) – I may have gone through several of these!

  367. 367.

    Polish The Guillotines

    I used to hang around here back in the ancient times, when Hawaiians were Kenyans and a moran was a moran.

    I burned out on the Democrats’ circular firing squad during Obama’s second term and stopped actively passively following politics. After 2016, I felt compelled to re-engage, but at that time on Twitter. I’d probably still be there to some extent, but as soon as I saw Elon Musk on horizon, I pulled the ripcord and bailed out — a decision I will never regret.

    Anyway, I’ve never deleted my bookmark to the Juice, and I’m pleased to see that folks I remember from way back then are still around.

    I have no idea how much I’ll lurk, post, or whatever, since I’m terribly busy working on my plan to rebuild the nation’s steel industry. I call it “Blades For Billionaires.”

    Happy Friday.

  368. 368.

    pabadger

    Long time, long time lurker. I think this my first comment. I come for News of Steve, and before that Tunch. Also the dogs. And some of you have interesting things to say.

  370. 370.

    SootyFoxSparrow

    Hello all – I’ve been a lurker for years! Never posted on any social media before, so this is a bit beyond my comfort zone but I’m hoping that gets better :)

  374. 374.

    Peggy

    Thanks for the nudge to post.  While this may be the only one I ever make please know that I respect and admire the variety of interests and quality of writing by everyone involved with this excellent site, authors and commenters alike.

  375. 375.

    WaterGirl

    @Peggy:  Welcome to commenting!

    Now that your first comment has been manually approved, you can jump into any conversation and your comment will show up for everyone right away.

  376. 376.

    FelonyGovt

    Welcome, late arriving lurkers! From someone on the west Coast who often doesn’t get to threads until long after they’re dead!

  377. 377.

    dark patriot

    i’ve only posted once or twice i believe(once definitely this year ) but have been lurking for a good 8-10 years. mustve seen or heard of Angry Black Lady somewhere and followed her here. I’m from CT so whenever peeps talk about NY or New England my ears perk up with familiarity

  379. 379.

    WaterGirl

    Nice to see so many new faces, and to hear from folks who don’t comment regularly.  And to see the welcoming comments from some of the regulars.

    I am closing the laptop for the night, but I will check in the morning and will be sure to approve any comments that are still in moderation.  If you post a comment after that, it will show up for everyone right away.

    Thanks, everybody!

  381. 381.

    Ailuridae

    Used to be regular poster and then couldn’t for a while because of a computer snafu but have never stopped reading.

  384. 384.

    La Nonna

    Mostly lurking from Italy, still vote and engage in American politics though from afar, still have lots of family there (the hostages to fortune), occasionally feeling a bit guilty for making the most of la dolce vita.  This blog is one of my morning stops, thanks again for all the commentos and comments.

  385. 385.

    Asparagus Aspersions

    @WaterGirl: Now I have! I was scrolling too rapidly through the comment thread :) Sometimes I think of updating my nym, but the memory of Louis Goehmert and his asparagus brings me too much joy.

  386. 386.

    dark patriot

    @WaterGirl: lots of yellow and oranges at the moment. most of my leaves are still up while some local friends have already spent hours corralling theirs.

  387. 387.

    Jerseydude

    I have been lurking here for a very long time  I love the snark and of course the dog pictures

  390. 390.

    Senator Ted

    It’s been so long since I’ve commented that not only am I not sure if BJ remembers me, I’m not sure anyone remembers Senator Ted “(I)t’s a series of tubes” Stevens

  391. 391.

    Mark von Wisco

    More of an occasional commenter than a lurker. My comments have never not gotten the 5 minute moderation timer…

  393. 393.

    WaterGirl

    @Mark von Wisco: Hello!

    I’m not quite sure what you mean.   Lots of people think at first that the timer is related to moderation, but the 5-minute timer is for editing, and moderation is a different thing.

    If you’re in moderation after posting your comment, there will be a message that your comment is in moderation, and only you and the front-pagers can see that comment.  You only go into moderation for your first comment on the site, or your first comment after using a different email address or commenting from a new device.  Or if you put more than 7 links in any individual comment.

    The timer shows how much time you have left to fix a typo or add or change something else. Let me know if you have any question.

    Either way, happy to see you here!.

  394. 394.

    Tim in Cape Fear

    @Ruckus: I worked yesterday and got, like, 33 cents off some Stacker shots thanks to my Proud Veteran Homeowner shirt. So I had that going for me. Which was nice.

  395. 395.

    Booski Minki

    Long time lurker, I read BJ every morning but I really think that other commenters post all the things I want to comment on and they say it better than I can. I still miss Tunch

  396. 396.

    WaterGirl

    @Booski Minki:  That’s when I go with “I was going to say the same thing, only you said it better!”  Everybody loves to know their comment has been seen. :-)

    As for missing Tunch, so say we all.  He was one special cat, wasn’t he?

  397. 397.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: Veteran’s Day is always on November 11 because that was the Armistice Day date in World War I.  Veterans don’t like their day being moved around for other people’s convenience

  398. 398.

    WaterGirl

    @dnfree: Yes, I knew the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month part, but I wasn’t thinking about that when I asked the question.

    All the other holidays seem to move around.  Mostly, these days, Veterans Day means mattress sales and the like.  That totally cheapens what should be a solemn holiday.

    Someone up thread said that it’s celebrated on the closest weekday to the 11th, but I will always think of it as the 11th, hence my post today.

Comments are closed.