Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

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

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Everybody saw this coming.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Books are my comfort food!

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

“Joe Biden deserved better than he got from some folks in his own party.”

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

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Thursday Evening Open Thread

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Hola. I realized today that it has been almost half a year (or maybe it already has) since I promised to set up a Spanish class and more than a month of living in Arizona and you want to know how many new Spanish words I have learned or taught myself.

Not a god damned one. Murrica, Fuck Yeah!

I have picked up a couple, but nothing that would help one speak the Spanish language. I mean how many times a day do you need to use the words “arroyo” or “tortilleria” or “carniceria” into conversation although now that I think about it I probably use the word carniceria way fucking more than my doctor would like me to with her always telling me that “You’re great there just needs to be less of you.” I’m just assuming she means physically, but who knows…

***

My sinuses have been kicking my ass the last couple of days- and don’t you fuckers run to the comments and tell me I have fucking valley fever or some other exotic bullshit it’s just my sinuses. Regardless, they have made me lethargic and feel like shit, so I have just been chugging a ton of water and taking it easy. Had several hours to burn before picking Joelle up from a work function, so I loaded Jack up into the car and we drove off to the dairy to return all the milk containers we had amassed, and after turning them in and getting a new half gallon, I decided to have a vanilla milkshake and because I asked real nice and they gave me an extra cherry on top. And it only came to a couple bucks.

I took the 202 on the way out and it was really pretty with the rolling hills and on the southwestern portion of the loop, the houses built into the hills were quite striking. I could live there were the houses not so close together. Little farther up to the west is the Gila River resort and casino. I just took Southern Ave to Baseline for the ride back, always on the lookout for something interesting. Went to Lowe’s to pick up a drill bit, then walked Jack for a bit and went to pick up Joelle.

I’m hoping I adjust to it. Still better than everything else hurting and being cold, I suppose.

***

I saw some clips of the Fani Willis testimony today and I enjoyed it immensely. The court may not hold these motherfuckers in contempt, but she and I are sure free to, and boy howdy did she:

I feel better? How about you?

And for dessert there is this:

An FBI informant has been indicted on two counts of allegedly feeding the bureau false information about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign.

Alexander Smirnov, 43, disliked Joe Biden and was arrested in Las Vegas after returning from a trip overseas, according to the Justice Department. The case grew out of the special counsel investigation being led by David Weiss, who is also leading the case against Hunter Biden. Weiss had been appointed by then-President Donald Trump as the top federal prosecutor in Delaware.

The 37-page indictment alleges that Smirnov had been a confidential human source for the FBI since 2010 and “provided false derogatory information to the FBI” about both Bidens after Joe Biden became a candidate for president in 2020.

Smirnov allegedly told the FBI — falsely — that officials with Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that Hunter Biden worked for, had told him they hired Hunter Biden because he would “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.” Smirnov allegedly told the FBI — again, falsely — that Burisma officials had told him they paid Hunter Biden and Joe Biden $5 million and that it would take investigators 10 years to find the illicit payments to Joe Biden.

Ouch. That sure is going be a problem for Comer’s House “investigation.” Speaking of Comer, I misread something this morning that said Comer and thought it said “Comey” and shouted outloud “FUCK THAT GUY” and then when realizing it said Comer and not Comey I bellowed “AND FUCK HIM TOO.”

***

Thurston’s diet is going well and I thought I saw his spine for the first time today in a long while. And I mean his actual spine not a metaphor for courage, because he is still a cowardly little shit who starts things that yelps like bloody murder when other animals react. At any rate, here is a picture of the little bastard:

Thursday Evening Open Thread 3

When Joelle is not around I like to remind Thurston that even his mother didn’t love him. And she didn’t!

I had other things to say but I forgot them.

Reader Interactions

98Comments

  1. 1.

    Quinerly

    I’m on a roadtrip, eventually to Bisbee. Was late leaving this AM because of the hearing in Fulton County. Started listening  and immediately sucked in. So had  MSNBC on Tune In the car from Santa Fe to Las Cruces. My timing ended up being good…my lunch of a Green Chile Cheeseburger at The Buckhorn Tavern in San Antonio, NM (population 9) was exactly when the court recessed for their lunch.

    Tomorrow’s testimony is going to be interesting. Pretty sure that her father will testify.

  5. 5.

    HeleninEire

    I love that Fani testified.  And I especially love that she did it in a shocking pink dress.

    She said about Wade “he is a southern gentleman; me, not so much.”

  6. 6.

    Ohio Mom

    I have a general policy of only giving unsolicited advice once but in this case, I can’t know if you (Cole) have ever received it. If you have never consulted an ENT about your recurrent sinus problems, please do.

    There may be something that can be done that will at the very least, reduce the number the sinus episodes you suffer, if not eliminate them.

  7. 7.

    Leto

    don’t you fuckers run to the comments and tell me I have fucking valley fever or some other exotic bullshit it’s just my sinuses.

    You have herpisypharrehea of the sinuses. Report to the medic asap before you infect the entire platoon.

  9. 9.

    piratedan

    @Quinerly: weather reports look good for your trip, should be mostly glorious in SE AZ.  Just a touch too soon for spring alas, but the temps should be pleasant.

    If you end up in the Old Pueblo, drop me a line, you can meet my family of furry friends.

  11. 11.

    JoyceH

    I had a thrilling moment this afternoon – Jazzy RAN across the yard! For those who missed it, Jazzy had surgery in January and had two toes removed, so basically has half a foot in back. I genuinely thought she’d never run again and was thrilled she could walk without a limp. But she can even run!

  22. 22.

    TaMara

    I stepped outside today while on the phone with a client and the ducks just gave me what for (their pool was empty and I couldn’t refill it until the temps warmed enough to use the hose). My client couldn’t stop laughing. “They sound like they are talking to you and expect you to understand.” She wasn’t wrong. And mostly I do understand them.

    In other news, I bathed 3 Great Danes tonight and lived to tell the tale (tail?)

  27. 27.

    TaMara

    @eclare: Yes and my wish is for a laundry room with a shower stall to bathe them in cold weather.  Although, my bathroom is SUPER clean now, after I wiped down all the walls, tile and floor. 🤣

  31. 31.

    Quinerly

    @piratedan:

    Thanks for you offer and suggestions! Much appreciated.

    Chiricahua tomorrow and 3 nights in Willcox, then a week in Bisbee. Just realized  a musician friend from Santa Fe has been in the area a week playing in Bisbee, Tombstone, and Douglas. I am missing him by one day. Bad timing.

  34. 34.

    Jay

    @TaMara:

    In the old place, I put in hot and cold taps, outside, over a pea gravel drain bed, did the same in the previous house.

    Wash dogs outside, let them shake, towel them off, then back in the house.

  40. 40.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @WaterGirl: Maybe Joelle will give him some love (if Jack will allow it, since it sounds like Thurston starts things with Jack).

  44. 44.

    Leto

    Something that came up during the grilling of DA Willis was her habit of keeping large amounts of cash on hand at all times. Avalune had an older friend who helped her out tremendously when she first moved to South Carolina. This woman, and her husband, routinely kept a few thousand dollars in cash by the back door. It was “grabbin’ money” for when they went out. But it was… just there. In a drawer. They basically paid, in cash, for everything. I knew people in the military who would pay for everything in cash. Cars? Home renovations? Cash.

    What also stuck out was her dad’s advice to keep six months wages on hand in cash. Reminded me of how POC were treated by banks (general distrust), as well as Holocaust survivors. I learned that a lot of survivors would buy gold in the form of rings, earrings, necklaces, etc, as well as jewels. In the belief that if it happened again, they’d have a form of currency to be able to barter for their lives (travel, papers, etc).

    Basically there’s a whole hidden history of money involved that most people aren’t even aware of in that whole exchange.

  46. 46.

    Jackie

    @Joelle: Wasn’t he a rescue when you and John were driving down the road? I vaguely recall a rescue with your insistence and John’s resignation? (John would have done it anyway – hello Rosie!)

  47. 47.

    Lyrebird

    @rikyrah: oh mercy mercy me!  I do not like Broadway tunes at all, but Mr. 2 Raw 2 Real is tops!

     

    @Joelle: Thanks, Joelle!  So you have a NAFO mascot in your very own house, huh?  Pretty cool.  (I am joking, not actually suggesting you got Curtis because of a meme.)  All the best to you.

  48. 48.

    KrackenJack

    @Quinerly: ​
     Cool. I’m taking notes since I’m going to be in NM and AZ for a few days in early April. Just rambling around with my college buddy doing some nature photography. Might try to join him in TX for the eclipse. Otherwise, Albuquerque to Santa Fe, Taos, Farmington, Flagstaff.

  49. 49.

    piratedan

    @KrackenJack: would happily steer you to Madera Canyon State park for nature shots, its a noted birding area.  If you’re into more controlled settings, then the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a great trip, with examples of all critters from bugs and insects to flora, fauna and minerals.  The Hummingbird enclosure is an special pleasure to just sit and watch them do their thangs.

  50. 50.

    gwangung

    @Leto: Yeah, that rings a chord….not sure if a lot of middle class white people will understand (LOTS of small things strike them as exotic or odd), but it makes sense to me.

  51. 51.

    Sure Lurkalot

    OT, here’s a good piece about Jon Stewart’s show and act, by Stephen Robinson, formerly at Wonkette, now on his own substack (The Play Typer Guy). Part of his argument aligns with what some BJers think (stale schtick) but the article goes into much more, it’s witty and piercing. Here’s a taste and the link

    Stewart showed clips of Democrats supporting the president, which he spun as partisan wagon-circling rather than people who’ve worked closely with Biden attesting to his competence. Vice President Harris is both a former prosecutor — so she knows the difference between evidence and unsupported opinion — and someone who’s been in tense meetings that Biden led as commander-in-chief. She spoke about how Biden was fully engaged and in control on the day of the deadly Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. Dismissing her firsthand account, Stewart snidely responded, “Did anyone film that? That would be good to show to people.”

    No, Jon, Harris probably doesn’t Instagram Live sensitive foreign policy discussions. It’s revealing that Stewart easily accepts Hur’s harsh depiction of Biden, but demands video footage and two forms of ID before believing the highest-ranking woman in US government.

  52. 52.

    Jackie

    Off topic but of importance:

    “Donald Trump is passing up the chance to add a fourth case to a trio of Trump-related appeals already stacked up at the Supreme Court,” Politico reports.

    “Trump elected not to ask the justices to reverse a federal appeals court ruling issued in December rejecting his claim that presidents have absolute immunity from being sued for actions taken while they are in office.”

    “That means at least three lawsuits brought against him in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol can advance to the next phase — a period of limited evidence-gathering related to Trump’s activities on Jan. 6, 2021 and whether they were official or political in nature.”

    I believe these are the lawsuits brought on by both the police officers and Congress-members?

    TIFG can’t keep up… 😂

  55. 55.

    TBone

    @Leto: I never had any plastic till I was 50 y.o. (on principle). Cash or check only. I was raised to never, ever use credit, but to save up for what I needed.  My parents were pretty strict about never using credit unless absolutely necessary as well (and only got plastic when they needed it for traveling late in life).  The only debt they ever took on was a mortgage.  For college, they helped me get every grant dollar possible and paid the rest of my way in cash.  We never had car payments.  You bought what you could afford and paid yourself first (savings deposit) out of every paycheck. We shopped at thrift stores and outlets.  Food was generic, almost no name brands unless sale priced.  When I met my hubby, he had 5K in his pocket.  That’s how a lot of people live.  None of that buy first, pay later crap.  If you can’t buy it with cash, you don’t really need it.  My parents retired very, very well off by investing wisely during their working years instead of paying interest on anything except the house, which they paid off early.

  63. 63.

    Narya

    Well, YOU maybe haven’t learned any Spanish, but thanks to that post I started Duolingo and actually paid for it this year. I am learning very slowly and indirect pronouns give me agita, but I like it. So thank you! I’d thought about doing it for awhile; glad I started!

  64. 64.

    opiejeanne

    @Quinerly: I have a friend who has a place in Bisbee, Moira Hahn. She’s an artist and I met her when I took anatomy and other drawing classes from her at a Junior College about 15 years ago. I think she was going to retire there.

  67. 67.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Leto:

    We have Garage Cash at our house. I keep a stash of cash on hand out there in a hidey spot and have always done so. My wife knows where it is and lets me know when she raids it and for how much, as I do her.

    It’s dinner out, delivery, weed shop and other stuff money. It’s handy to have, as Fani can testify (and she did!). Servers appreciate cash tips, also. Too.

  71. 71.

    patrick II

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    I don’t see why the media puts so much stake in Hur’s description since they, and the rest of us, have seen Biden fairly often over the past few years.  He is a slow speaker since he is being careful but what he says is about a hundred times more coherent and thoughtful than his future opponent. Can’t they trust their own eyes?

  72. 72.

    West of the Rockies

    So Trump’s NY criminal hush money starts in about 40 days.  Anyone know how long it’s expected to last?  Might the bloated turd be facing an actual conviction and prison time in fairly short order?

  73. 73.

    Gretchen

    @Leto: My daughter married a Staten Islander and they were getting a few hundred in cash to pay the electrician. I said do electricians even take cash? They said Staten Island is a cash economy in a lot of ways.

    I went out there to help for a few months when there twins were born, and periodically after. Every time I leave, SIL gives me a hundred dollar bill from his dad. What’s this for? SIL: « that’s how he shows love ». When they announced the twin pregnancy, dad went in the bedroom and came out handing out hundred dollar bills to everyone there to celebrate.

  74. 74.

    Gretchen

    @Leto: I have a Jewish friend who does the same. She has a large safe with lots of cash, jewelry, gold coins and the like, just in case.

  79. 79.

    Pete

    Hey John:

    As a 40+ year resident of the Valley of the Sun (ASU faculty) it’s fascinating to watch you discover the area (and find some places I hadn’t heard of).  If you’re interested, I’d love to treat you and Joelle to lunch some day at our retirement place in Tempe (Mirabella, adjacent to the ASU campus) and chat.  You can see my email, so let me know.

  81. 81.

    David 🏈 Mahomes! 🏈 Koch

    IOWA CITY, Iowa — There’s never been a player in college basketball like Caitlin Clark.

    Now she has the record to prove it.

    Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball Thursday night, hitting a long 3-pointer in the first quarter of No. 4 Iowa’s 106-89 home win against Michigan.

    Clark didn’t stop there, finishing the first quarter with 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting, adding four assists before finishing with a career-high 49 points to go with 13 assists.

    It’s a crowning achievement for the senior guard, who has redrawn the geometry of the women’s basketball court with her audacious long-range shooting — bringing the “logo 3” into the vernacular of the college game — and helped elevate her sport to record crowds and television ratings.

    Sniffle. They carried her off the court “Rudy” style (photo)

  83. 83.

    sab

    @Sister Golden Bear: I started keeping cash around after my bank in Nevada got bought out by some bank from Georgia and it took them many weeks to get their computer and ATM systems aligned. So my pay got direct deposited by my employer and I had no way to access it until the bank got itself reorganized. Buying food was a problem that month, also paying my mortgage.

  84. 84.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Survived replacing the waterbed mattress, liner and heater today. No leaks and hope to not hear the wife going GLUBGLUBGLUB before I crawl into bed. Nor afterward, of course! It was nice to find a mattress that is made here and heavy duty (22 mils).

    The last mattress was in for 14 years and still looks good but its time is up. Haven’t had a leak yet and want to keep it that way!

  85. 85.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @TaMara: I don’t know if this thread is dead yet, but THANK YOU for finding the original post.  I vaguely remember reading it, now :-)

  86. 86.

    Downpuppy

    The coyotes are going nuts tonight. Our dog is used to it by now, and is sleeping through it on his couch.

  90. 90.

    Greg Ferguson

    Still a beautiful boy….

    Valley Fever note: does not hit sinuses. You get a weird dry cough. When I moved to Tucson, 14 years ago, in February, hit me in the first month, then passed. Still have an encapsulation that shows up on X–rays, however.

    👍🤠

  92. 92.

    Quinerly

    @KrackenJack:

    Thread be dead. You probably won’t see this. But if you do, feel free to get my email from a front pager. I can give you lots of NM suggestions.

    If convenient and timing is right, maybe can meet up in Santa Fe.

  93. 93.

    Lawrence A Schuman

    Phoenix area resident here. I live on the north side but I drive to Tempe for work three days a week. You may have allergies. The website I use to monitor pollen counts says there have been medium/high concentrations of pollen the last couple of days. Juniper and Ash. Juniper is one of my bad guys. And I have been feeling it. I take a set of OTC pills morning and afternoon to control it, as recommended by my allergy doc. Going into the season, spring rains until it gets hot in May, when pollens are heavy.

  94. 94.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Hola. I realized today that it has been almost half a year (or maybe it already has) since I promised to set up a Spanish class and more than a month of living in Arizona and you want to know how many new Spanish words I have learned or taught myself.

    Not a god damned one. Murrica, Fuck Yeah!

    I have picked up a couple, but nothing that would help one speak the Spanish language.

    Well geezypeezy, Cole, whadja speck? Anyone over the age of 16 who takes up an unfamiliar language and expects to learn it fluently is simply foolish. Maybe you could learn to get by if you were dumped into an area where no one spoke English and it was a matter of bare survival.

    One other exception: Someone with fluency in a related tongue and a talent for mimicry can manage it in later life. In my 30s I picked up enough Italian jn a semester in night school to get by for a month in the Boot and Triangular Football digging up family records – but only because I’d done pretty well in 4 years of French and the two languages are similar enough grammatically but not so close as to cause confusion. From what I’ve seen of Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian I might have a fighting chance due to two years of college German (not that I’d need to, most folks in those countries have some English), but I’ve been trying to learn Czech for 30 years with very little success – when in Prague I can, like you, pick up a few words in chatter and construct a few simple sentences a 5-year-old might say, but beyond that all I’ve learned to say is Mluvim jenom trochu česky, ale bohužel ne rozumim nic (I only speak a little Czech, but unfortunately I don’t understand it at all) – which I only need because I can mimic the pronunciation of those few words well enough that listeners presume I’m fluent and start babbling at me…

  96. 96.

    Joelle

    @Steeplejack: a border collie Pitt mix.  About 13 yrs old.  He belonged to a lady and my bff was walking him for her.  Her Parkinson’s progressed dramatically and she had to go into an assisted care facility very quickly.  When my friend told me what was happening I just said… he can come to my house.  And I told JG and JG said of course.  And he’s just the goodest boy ever.  He and JG copilot the Honda all over the valley while I’m at work.

  98. 98.

    Ella in New Mexico

    Si no dedicas tiempo a interactuar con hispanohablantes en Arizona, nunca aprenderás su idioma.
    Aprendí español no de los 4 años de clases que tomé en la escuela secundaria y la universidad, sino de las madres y niños hispanohablantes con los que trabajé en el refugio para víctimas de violencia doméstica. Me enseñaron español, no un libro ni una clase ni una “app.

    They also taught me to cook the best Mexican food you will ever eat: homestyle Mexican of Southern New Mexico if that’s an incentive to go voluteer somewhere. ;-)

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