Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

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

Republicans in disarray!

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

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

The desire to stay informed is directly at odds with the need to not be constantly enraged.

When we show up, we win.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Books are my comfort food!

The words do not have to be perfect.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

When I was faster i was always behind.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "Stories from the Road" / Friday Night Open Thread

Friday Night Open Thread

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Yes, I am eating a lot of Mexican food down here. However, I think I have been to at least four different mediterranean places down here- Haji-Baba, a place I can not remember, two different locations for Princess Pita, and probably my favorite, the little grill inside Baiz Fresh Foods. They’re all just soooooo goood. And the prices at these india/medi/asian/mexican markets are just unbelievable compared to even places like Fry’s or in some items even Winco. It’s just so nice being able to find a good, quality lunch for 8 bucks. Seriously- that is what a chicken shawarma or lamb gyro costs at these places. Craziness.

You can even afford to eat at this places if you just lost $450 million.

***

So another bad day judicially and financially for Trump. I’m happy he was made to pay for his crimes, and hope they go after all the other fuckers doing shit like this. I have no idea how much this will impact his finances, but I figure he will manage a way to stay afloat until his next big ripoff in plain sight starts, the IPO for Truth Social. Nothing is going to stop Trump from being Trump except the grave or a supermax, both of which are options I can heartily support.

It’s been a long week and I am tired, so that’s it for now.

Reader Interactions

119Comments

  2. 2.

    Villago Delenda Est

    He hasn’t paid yet. But my understanding is that if he wants to appeal, he needs to place the judgement in the hands of New York state, and that’s a lot of simoleons he doesn’t have on hand as cash, and raising that much cash is not going to happen unless he forks over deeds for various properties.

  5. 5.

    SpaceUnit

    He probably has multiple copies of sensitive classified documents he can sell to America’s enemies for many hundreds of millions.

     

    Wish I were joking.

  6. 6.

    Jeffro

    How about Supermax, then the grave?

    I used to just want him gone.  Now I want him locked all the way up, and then allllll the way gone.

  7. 7.

    lgerard

    You too can Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment

    So far $19.000 has been raised towards the 355.000.000.

    By my calculations it will only take another 50 years.

    Give it up here

  8. 8.

    eclare

    @Trivia Man:

    And someone on MSNBC said besides the judgment and interest, he has to put up 120% of the amount.  So add an extra fifth.

    Looks like NY really wants to make sure you’re good for it.

  10. 10.

    Scout211

    @lgerard: You too can Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment

     

    Really!? A Go Fund Me for a criminal?  Is this even allowed under The Go Fund Me rules?  I just cannot with these crooks and scammers.

  11. 11.

    Alison Rose

    @lgerard: JFC these people are so fucking crazy.

    Some of the comments:

    “What has happen to this American Icon is wrong and UnAmerican. We Stand with President Trump. ❤️❤️❤️”

    “I felt that we do not have justice here, felt like a Gotham city that has no batman, Bring back Trump!”

    “A good Shepherd protects the flock. Do not trade ours.”

    “Everyone who’s paying attention has seen how the left is simply trying to force Trump to either drop out of the race or they will make him broke. Trump isn’t bulging. We must stand by him, we can’t let these corrupt people win!”

    Yes…they said “Trump isn’t bulging”. Nice to see his fans are just as stupid as he is.

  12. 12.

    hueyplong

    And while you are savoring the pre-judgment interest, don’t forget about post-judgment interest.

  14. 14.

    NotMax

    Browning bone-in, skin on chicken thighs in the Instant Pot as first step to making one pot Chicken Cacciatore.

  15. 15.

    bbleh

    @Trivia Man: this indeed!  ETTD!

    … his next big ripoff in plain sight starts, the IPO for Truth Social.

    seen some commentary about this, and apparently it’s not quite as easy as it might seem at first.  For one, he’s locked up for something like 6 months: he can’t liquidate.  And a LOT could happen in those 6 months, eg the whole thing could crash and burn.  And there have been some pretty scornful remarks about the valuation the (self-interested) stock touts have been placing on the shares.

    I Am Not A etc…  But I certainly have no intention of “investing” in whatever vehicle or security bubbles up out of that crock of sewage.   You’re better off in, I dunno, gold futures options mutual funds, or whatever BS they’re peddling on Fox these days.

  17. 17.

    Ken

    @eclare: Looks like NY really wants to make sure you’re good for it.

    The version I saw was “New York has had a lot of experience with deadbeats.”

  18. 18.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Villago Delenda Est: ​ 

    Simoleons. What a great word.

    Etymology

    Most likely a late-19th-century blend of simon, from simon (“sixpence coin”) (17th-century British slang, perhaps related to simony?), and Napoleon (“French gold coin worth 20 francs, bearing the image of Napoleon III”). Perhaps from New Orleans.
    Noun

    simoleon (plural simoleons)

    (US, slang) A dollar.

    That’ll cost you five simoleons.

  20. 20.

    bbleh

    @eclare: @Ken: ima guess they were talking about one of the costs of posting a bond — ie persuading a bank effectively to loan them the money using something as collateral like a piece of property — which is the alternative to putting the whole amount in escrow out of their own pocket.  And yes, this is on top of the interest, both accrued since the original badness and continuing to accrue every day.

  23. 23.

    RSA

    Southwestern cuisine is so good. I’m mostly familiar with New Mexican, though not an expert by any means. Serve me a chile verde with pork for dinner and I could die happy afterwards.

  25. 25.

    Leto

    @Trivia Man: per David Cay Johnson tonight, on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show, Kathy Hochul and New York State legislature handed Trumpov a win in that dept: the 9% rate was reduced to 2%, starting this year.

    He didn’t explain why they did it, but it goes back to Kay’s eternal point of: we don’t prosecute white collar crime enough in this country.

  29. 29.

    Jackie

    @Alison Rose: Laura Loomer agrees with you (sorta) and suggests this fundraiser instead:

    But not so fast, said far-right activist Laura Loomer, a staunch ally of Trump, in a post on X — Trump patriots should be wary of contributing to this effort.
    “Go Fund Me is anti Trump and liberal,” wrote Loomer, saying that the Cardones should have instead used GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding site notorious for welcoming neo-Nazi campaigns.

    “Go Fund Me is notorious for banning conservative campaigns. I have been banned from GoFundMe since 2018.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/trump-loomer-gofundme-maga/

  33. 33.

    West of the Rockies

    I wonder if these on-going humiliations and failures shave any of Trump’s support.  74 million knuckleheads voted for him in ’20.  But did maybe two voters in Wyoming today just say, “Ah, fuck it.  I’m out”?  One more in Rhode Island, four in Arizona…

    It has to have an effect.

  34. 34.

    oldster

    Indelicate query for the fans of middle-eastern food:

    do you have trouble digesting falafel?
    Thing is, I love garbanzo beans in many forms — on salads, in hummus, in moroccan stew. Channa masala is my go-to dish whenever I eat Indian. And I never have any trouble digesting them!

    But whenever I eat falafel, they turn to rocks in my gut. My whole system stops moving for a few days, and I’m in agony.

    Does anyone else have this problem? Any ideas about the cause? I read that many people make falafel with dried beans that have been soaked but not boiled. Maybe it’s the boiling — during cooking or canning — that allows me to digest other garbanzos, but not falafel? I don’t generally have trouble with fried foods, either, though I don’t eat much of them.

    Apologies for the unsavory topic. But I’m curious about the experiences other people have had.

  39. 39.

    Ruckus

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    I do believe that ShitForBrains has screwed himself right into the ground. I’m actually amazed at how long it took him to do it – except he’s shit at everything he attempts, so screwing himself right into the ground wasn’t going to be done well. He’s claimed to be worth dramatically more than he actually is, he’s claimed to be smarter than everyone else – but he isn’t smarter than a dead beetle, he’s claimed to be the worlds greatest human – but that dead beetle was is far greater and better at human…..

  42. 42.

    BigJimSlade

    My wife and I have saved a lot of money eating yummy shawarma/doner and falafel in the Alps :-)
    ($8 shawarma vs $30 fondue, hmm…)

    Other times we pick up food at grocery stores (this is still in the Alps). Pizza and salad fill the gaps not covered by middle eastern food and grocery stores.

  43. 43.

    NotMax

    @oldster

    Could it not be the beans alone but the combination with tahini you’re reacting to? Or even the types of oil?

    I don’t care much for tahini so always ask for them dry.

  44. 44.

    hueyplong

    Times are such that my knee jerk reaction to Loomer’s braying is that she must get a cut of amounts passing through that off-brand fundraising vehicle.

  46. 46.

    Chetan Murthy

    @oldster: Is this all falafel everywhere?  I ask only b/c it might be something in the falafel?  I read that falafel is made with garbanzos, but I have a friend who told me that some places use fava beans ?  And then there’s the oil that’s used to fry them ?  Have you experimented with just eating a single falafel to see what happens ?

  49. 49.

    Leto

    Oh, first schwarma I had was at Eskan Village, Saudi Arabia. First time I’d had French fries in a sandwich. Game changer! I made sure to have at least one a week. I can only thank MSgt Johnson so many times for taking me there during my first week there.

  50. 50.

    BellyCat

    @Leto: Primanti Bros (in Pittsburgh) has been putting fries and cole slaw on sandwiches for at least the last 4 decades. Likely longer. Used to serve produce truckers delivering ant night.  And you’re right — game changer!

  54. 54.

    RaflW

    Reading one of the NYT articles about the NY fraud case, they assert he is not at risk of bankruptcy, and I’m thinking “How the f*ck do they come to that conclusion?”

    I do understand that the $450M can’t be made to go away by bankruptcy, but it seems eminently possible his very highly leveraged house of cards collapses at some point.

  56. 56.

    BellyCat

    @eclare: “mouth feel”… it’s the shiznit. An excellent Trailor Park Condiment ™ for sandwiches is crushed potato chips. Obviously, chips must be fried in lard. 🙃

  58. 58.

    eclare

    @RaflW:

    Michael Cohen was on MSNBC today and said all of TFG’s NY properties were mortgaged to the hilt.  He implied none of those could be used, just not much left over after the sale.

    I don’t see how anyone can know for sure at this point.  But I do enjoy thinking of TFG as worried and desperate, which I’m sure he is.

  60. 60.

    Jackie

    I got my voters’ pamphlet today (WA.) I swear TIFG’s photo is his mugshot from his arrest in Fulton County! He’s so proud of that ridiculous pose🤮

    And, every single person from both parties from the getgo is on the ballot – except RFK Jr. I thought he started as Dem before switching to Indy?

  61. 61.

    HumboldtBlue

    Trump facing a criminal trial on March 25 is significant. To understand, review the bidding.
    First, before Trump was President, he hid his payments (the hush money) to avoid a criminal indictment then.

    Second, he then became President, and said he couldn’t be indicted for his past crimes like the hush money while in office.

    Third, he then committed more serious crimes in office (the Mueller report lists 10), and he said he couldn’t be prosecuted for his crimes as a sitting President while in office.

    Fourth, he then got voted out of office, and so committed even more crimes to try to stay in office (the Jan. 6 charges, some of the most significant charges in the book), and said he couldn’t be prosecuted for them while he was still President.

    Fifth, b/c he couldn’t be prosecuted, Congress impeached him and he said he couldn’t be impeached because the only remedy was to prosecute him after he leaves office, not to impeach him.

    Sixth, he then leaves office and he’s prosecuted (as per exactly what his lawyers said could happen to him), and he now says he can’t be prosecuted because he is absolutely immune from prosecution for acts while he was President.

    Seventh, for crimes he committed when he was NOT President (like the New York ones), he is now saying he can’t be prosecuted for those either, b/c he’s he’s a candidate for President again (as his lawyer argued in court today).

    And oh, eighth, he filed a brief in the US Supreme Court today saying because he was not impeached, he can’t be convicted.

    What is this? What Constitution on earth would permit this?

  62. 62.

    kalakal

    @RaflW: The BBC had a similar take, he didn’t have the cash ( tbf who does?) but he could always mortgage/ sell properties. Aren’t his properties already mortgaged to the hilt?

    Eta I see Eclare already said this

  63. 63.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Jackie: He did, because the Dem path was deemed impossible for him, but he can always run as a spoiler.  The catch is, who will he spoil?  He’s the lunatic anti-vaxx candidate, that hurts TFG.

  65. 65.

    Jackie

    @BellyCat: He posted pics today proving it!

    Sadly, I can’t find the link I saw earlier, and I refuse to click, much less post anything from TIFG’s social site.

  66. 66.

    Prescott Cactus

    John,

    Lo Lo’s Chicken and Waffles is a Phoenix Arizona mainstay for over 20 years. The same family opened up Monroe’s Nashville Hot Chicken, which is a block or two from where the Diamondbacks and Suns play. Without a doubt the best hot & spicy chicken I’ve ever eaten.

    Den’s Pizza in Surprise, AZ which is western Phoenix burbs. Former pizza place owner from Chicago (near MDW) who escaped the snow and moved the box to the valley. Best thin crust west of the Mississippi. . .  A more convenient second choice is a frozen pizza from Chicago called Home Run Inn. A tavern / pizza place makes it big. . .

    Peace

  67. 67.

    Sure Lurkalot

    I agree:

    • French fries on a middle eastern sandwich…delicious, especially with tzatziki.  Does (did) anyone put potato chips on their sandwiches?
    • Cole slaw on a bbq sammy is also delicious! A few pickled jalapeños too!
  70. 70.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @kalakal: Another problem with Trump mortgaging his properties is that he’s barred getting loans from any bank licensed to do business in New York (they don’t actually have to operate there). So that eliminates all the major banks, who have in any case refused to business with him for years — hence going to Deutsche Bank.

    There might be a regional Russian-funded shady bank, but doing so is inviting so intense scrutiny from regulators, especially since Trump was found guilty of inflating the value of his properties.

  72. 72.

    Kayla Rudbek

    A long week here as well. It was a very strange experience to have a panel interview and having two of the interviewers being people who I’m currently working with (and who both asked me to apply – it would be going from contractor back into government so basically doing the same job that I’m currently doing). The next step would be a second interview with the higher-ups to three of the last interviewers

    I am trying to decide what to make with leftover phyllo. I had made a phyllo strudel with cherry filling (canned, the type you’d put onto cheesecake) but the cherry filling was too sweet so if I use that filling again (strudel or tarts) I would want to take the vegan cream cheese mixed with lemon zest and/or lemon juice and add that in the filling to cut the sweetness. I also have The Complete Guide to Vegan Substitutions which has a recipe for vegan sweet tiropitakia that looks tasty (no cherry filling involved though). Although Mr. Rudbek may get up early and decide to make banana bread, which is enough dessert to have around the house for a few days. At least it will be snowing so I can get some things done inside.

  74. 74.

    karen marie

    Hey, John – if you and Joelle would like to support a new business, there’s a new gyro place in Gilbert called Cairo’s Gyros.  On February 20th (between 4pm and 8pm) they’re having their “grand opening,” giving away a gyro or shawarma to every customer!

    I got a haircut near there at lunch time, and my hairdresser recommended it.  They have lamb gyros!  They have turnip pickles!  Apparently though they only put the pickles on the beef gyros.  I got a lamb gyro and begged until they put some on my sammich.  Still not what I dream of – shawarmas from the Lebanese place in Al Khobar in 1977 – but good.  As is the hummus.

  76. 76.

    CaseyL

    @Kayla Rudbek: ​

    Potato chips on tuna salad is much too tame for a Scalzi Special. It would have to be something like kimchee or refried beans… or both.

    My brother, when he was a little kid, loved potato chips on his hamburgers. Since most people eat fries with their burgers, I guess that isn’t much of a stretch into weirdness.

  77. 77.

    laura

    It’s the 30th Anniversary of the blind date I spent 10 weeks trying to get out of. Spouse is sawing logs just next to me accompanied by the little cat. It’s just like winning the lotto except for the money.

  82. 82.

    frosty

    @Jackie: Right. I’m reading High Steel, about the ironworkers who really built the skyline of NYC. TFG and his useless spawn can slip and fall into the hole

  84. 84.

    Jackie

    This Forbes article is fun reading, and worth the entire read. This is my favorite snip of many:

    If Trump can’t pay the entire amount in cash, he might have issues finding a company willing to secure his bond, as multiple legal experts noted to ABC News and the Daily Beast companies may be hesitant to accept Trump’s real estate properties as collateral—both out of a general hesitance to accept real estate, and given the allegations Trump misstated the value of his properties—and the New York Times noted companies may also be hesitant to do business with Trump given his legal jeopardy.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/02/16/can-trump-pay-his-legal-fines-what-to-know-as-ex-president-now-owes-more-than-440-million-after-fraud-trial-verdict/?sh=60a044f911e1

  87. 87.

    CaseyL

    @Jackie: Speculation is that he’ll find plenty of takers among US and foreign oligarchs, who won’t mind if they never get the money back as long as he gets back into the White House and is in a position to dispense favors. (And if he does so, they’ll get their money back – from US taxpayers.)
    SFAIK, there’s no law stopping that sort of thing.​

  91. 91.

    Jackie

    @CaseyL: As long as he gets back in the White House

    Our job is to prevent that, and see him at minimum, trapped at MAL with ankle monitors – especially during the unbearable heat of Florida in the “off season” months. No moving to NJ for the summer!

  93. 93.

    John Revolta

    @Prescott Cactus: Home Run Inn pizzas are far and away the best frozen pizzas! all the more so because they’re really clean and free from additives and crap. (Full disclosure: I used to eat at the Home Run Inn all the time when I lived in Chicago and was really glad when they started selling the frozen ones.)

  95. 95.

    ColoradoGuy

    @NotMax: Speaking of which, now would be the perfect time for Melania to divorce him. Strike while the iron is hot, as it were. Because pretty soon his net worth will be zero or negative.

  96. 96.

    Splitting Image

    @eclare:

    What an ass. As one commenter said, no, construction workers built the skyline.

    Even if we adopt the philosophy that the financiers deserve more credit than the workers, I’m pretty sure that the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building, the Statue of Liberty, and most of the city’s other landmarks were all there before the bastard was born. Even the World Trade Center was completed before he began his career as a slumlord.

    As I recall, the bastard’s most significant contribution to New York architecture was demolishing an Art Deco frieze that a museum had begged him to preserve.

  97. 97.

    Eolirin

    In other news Rosendale has dropped out of the Montana primary. :(

    McConnell is having a much better time of things on the Senate end even as the house is melting down. Most of the primary races are coalescing around a single establishment candidate. Ohio fortunately is not, but that’s about it.

    Have to kind of hope this doesn’t play out the way they want and the lack of firebreathers depresses base engagement more than moderate candidates attract independents and less insane Republican voters to come back into the fold and/or turn out.

    If that happens, and if Trump becomes a drag on the party broadly especially with a few criminal convictions thrown on top maybe we can see a large enough turnout gap to make some impossible feeling things possible. Like flipping Texas and winning Cruz’s seat.

  98. 98.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    Our neighbor works for Bimbo and he gives us damaged or excess baked goods quite often. My wife ‘retaliates’ with home cooked meals and cookies for him and his wife. Today we surprised them with 4 quarts of homemade jam: two of seedless blackberry, one of strawberry and one of raspberry, all grown and canned here at home. We’ve gifted them relish and pickles last fall, along with some jam to go with it. This ought to carry them into summer.

    I saw that we have almost 7 gallons of jam on hand so it was time to share the love. The rest will carry us through summer plus gifts to family.

  99. 99.

    Shalimar

    @Jackie: The idea that any one or even a hundred builders can take credit for the skyline in New York City is too stupid even for Eric to believe.  Which means he really thinks his dad’s supporters are morons.

  100. 100.

    TriassicSands

    @SpaceUnit: ​
    I wish I were joking.

    That might not be an entirely bad thing. Trump is so inept and on such a prolonged losing streak that if he were to try to do that he might very well be caught. That could mean a fifth indictment and a crime that could qualify as treason. Lots of people throw around the word treason when talking about Trump, but so far nothing he’s been caught doing actually qualifies as treason. Putting “traitor” before or after the word Trump would be a nice touch. Why, it might even change a few minds.

  104. 104.

    Ruckus

    @HumboldtBlue:

    What Constitution on earth would permit this?

    His – not ours.

    Don’t you know he wrote his own, makes him president for the next 100 yrs (he’s 77 and in such good health….)

    I’d say not one.

  106. 106.

    opiejeanne

    @lgerard: A beloved member of Furry fandom, the guy who organized the first Furry convention, has stage 4 liver cancer. Within the first 2 hours his GoFundMe page* had nearly double what Trump’s has now.

    Obviously the target amount is a lot lower for him than for TIFG, and they exceeded it the first day. He’s in hospice in his own house, with a group of friends taking turns making sure he’s fed, comfortable, and gets his meds on schedule, and the hospice nurses have been wonderful. Comparing how his friends are caring for him to Trump’s situation is enlightening.

    *Insurance is covering some of it but not everything.

  108. 108.

    Prescott Cactus

    @John Revolta:

    Former Chicagoan who also used to go to Home Run Inn too. Chemical plant near there called Coppers or Koppers Coke. . . We’d go after work. . . We smelled great if you liked creosote.

  109. 109.

    getsmartin

    @Alison Rose: Here’s my favorite: “I paid $5 for the privilege of saying that Donald Trump is a conman, a serial sexual abuser and an insurrectionist scumbag. All of you who seriously contribute money to this man are brainwashed cult members. Trump is a danger to democracy and this country.”

  111. 111.

    mrmoshpotato

    Princess Pita

    They have my stamp of approval from their name alone.

    Also, hooray for gyros.

  116. 116.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @eclare: I like to mix cole slaw with bbq here.

    I recall a 1966 family vacation in NC where more than one joint served bbq sammiches topped with coleslaw. Very tasty IMHO.

  117. 117.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @BellyCat: Primanti Bros (in Pittsburgh) has been putting fries and cole slaw on sandwiches for at least the last 4 decades. Likely longer.

    My first time in Paris (1980) I got several “Tunis fish” sammiches from takeaway shops around the Boul’ Mich’ that were bulked up with fried potatoes inserted into the roll. Meh. I would’ve preferred more fish. But at least they quieted the stomach.

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