Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

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

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

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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

Consistently wrong since 2002

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

Washington Post’s Catch and Kill, not noticeably better than the Enquirer’s.

Republicans in disarray!

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

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

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

In my day, never was longer.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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Monday Morning Open Thread: Keep Moving Forward

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209Comments

  3. 3.

    NotMax

    Everyone see the wackaloon Attorney General of Missouri wants to sue the state of New York for bringing charges against Dolt 45?

    “The cray-cray is strong in this one.”

  9. 9.

    Chief Oshkosh

    As I filled up the tank of what I think will be the last ICE car I’ll ever own, it occurred to me that it’s high-season for summer travel and gas is under $3/gal everywhere I look (sorry Cali and a few other spots). Strange how the MSM is ignoring this, along with recent polls as noted in the OP.

    ETA: And ABC “news” reliably informed me this morning about the myriad of crucial goals Biden must achieve in his debate performance or it’s all over for his campaign.

    It would be great if all this people stepped on rakes tomorrow morning and had to spend the day at an Urgent Care doc-in-a-box, hopefully contracting whatever is going around.

  13. 13.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The child’s mother told police that the alleged attacker – since identified as 42-year-old Elizabeth Wolf – questioned where she was from and whether the two children playing in the pool were hers, police said. Wolf also made statements about the mother not being an American, police added.

    In a news release on Friday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) said the child’s mother wore a hijab and modest swimwear, and she was watching her children play in the shallow end of the pool when Wolf approached her.

    “The alleged attacker reportedly approached the mother with racist interrogations then jumped into the swimming pool and grabbed the children to the deep end of the pool to allegedly drown them,” the statement said, adding that the mother’s six-year-old son was able to escape but her three-year-old daughter was unable to do the same.

    “The alleged attacker snatched off the mother’s head scarf and used it to beat the mother as well as kicking her to keep her away while forcing her daughter’s head underwater,” Cair’s statement said.

    A bystander helped rescue the three-year-old, Cair said, with the police news release adding that the child “had been yelling for help and was coughing up water”.

    According to Cair, after police were called out and an officer arrested Wolf, she allegedly yelled to another bystander who was comforting the mother: “Tell her I will kill her and I will kill her whole family.”

    Wolf has since reportedly made $40,000 bail to be released from jail pending the resolution of her case.

    I think the judge set that bail a little too low. I mean if somebody threatened to “kill her and I will kill her whole family” after trying to do just that, a million dollar bail seems about right to me. Or no bail.

    Also,

    In a statement released through Cair, the mother – identified only as Mrs H – said: “We are American citizens, originally from Palestine, and I don’t know where to go to feel safe with my kids.

    “My country is facing a war, and we are facing that hate here. My daughter is traumatized; whenever I open the apartment door, she runs away and hides, telling me she is afraid the lady will come and immerse her head in the water again.”

    She continued: “Also, my husband’s employment is jeopardized, due to having to leave work to accompany me and our four kids whenever we have appointments and errands to run.”

  17. 17.

    SFAW

    @satby:

    I notice that Don Winslow, curiously, left off the Biden “accomplishment” that cancels out all the so-called “good” things. Specifically, he somehow neglected to mention that Sleepy Joe Brandon is OLD, and GETTING OLDER. Explain THAT, libtard!

    On a more serious note: that list should get as much airplay (so to speak) as the Biden team can get it.

  18. 18.

    bbleh

    @hueyplong: pending election

    A periodic reminder that Republicans and “conservatives” generally do not care much for the rule of law anymore, which means that the courts and legal processes are for them mostly opportunities for publicity and politicking.

  20. 20.

    SFAW

    @Baud: ​

    God wants Joe to win

    Maybe the False God that Demon-rats worship. But not the Real God warshipped by Real ‘Muricans!

    ETA: Not a typo, in case anyone was confused.

  21. 21.

    SFAW

    @Baud: ​
     
    That’s an excellent idea. And the same should go for Ken Paxton, when he inevitably joins the suit.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: Misery is not that lucky.

    @SFAW: Neither is Texas.

    Honestly, I think this is one of those little jokes God is playing on us where we get what we asked for, good and hard.

  23. 23.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Baud: ​
     This is one of the rare times your sense of humor doesn’t land well with me.

    As Cheryl Rofer noted some years ago, much more eloquently: When we parrot the opposition’s negative framing – and in this case, misogyny – we are helping to make that negative framing more widespread.

    MVP Harris deserves better.

  26. 26.

    Ken

    @NotMax: Less snarkily, [the Missouri AG] doesn’t have [standing to sue New York], not by any tortuous stretch of the imagination.

    THOMAS: “I dunno, I can imagine some pretty wild stuff.”

    ALITO: “Hold my beer. Not you, Kavanaugh.”

    THE OTHER FOUR: “We’re OK with outright torture, so tortuous is no problem.”

  28. 28.

    lowtechcyclist

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    She did her damnedest to try to drown a three year old child.  Like you, I can’t believe bail was set at all, let alone so low.

    I hope there are some good Samaritans around there who will accompany the mother on her errands so her husband can continue working. I’d volunteer in a heartbeat if I didn’t live a thousand miles away.

  30. 30.

    Ken

    @SFAW: he somehow neglected to mention that Sleepy Joe Brandon is OLD

    It’s not been that long since Trump’s 78th birthday. Give it another week, when he can be more confident the American public will have forgotten that little fact.

  31. 31.

    sab

    My oldest stepson actually did nut sorting when he first started out in a machine shop. But I don’t think making a career kf it was an option.

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    @Ken

    THOMAS: “Here, take a gander at these shots of Ginni in her dominatrix get-up. Are those hot or what?”

  33. 33.

    WereBear

    @SFAW: I do think tRump’s timely dementia might just help save the nation.

    Corporate media will notice it when they want to. That’s why they are “handicapping” Biden so severely. Horse race, horse race, Camptown races.

    Their real polls must be screaming for them to do it this obviously. What if the normies notice?

  34. 34.

    satby

    @lowtechcyclist: it’s possible that her husband has to do it because they’re a more conservative Muslim family and the mother is only supposed to go out in public with a male family member and there aren’t any others around. They probably classified the pool in their apartment complex as part of “home”. Or it’s possible they aren’t that conservative, but just feel safer with dad. It’s appalling that they’ve been put through that.

  35. 35.

    Kay

    I have a difficult week at work ahead BUT the following week I have the whole family for a week at Lake Michigan including the Copenhagen Contingent.

    They’re planning a kayak trip on a group text and I snuck in there and offered to watch the 6 month old while they all went galivanting and my daughter took me up on it. Yay!

    My middle son texted me privately and said “I saw what you did there” :)

    I took the baby.

  37. 37.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @NotMax: WHERE”S THE BRAIN BLEACH??? BRAIN BLEACH EMERGENCY!!!!

    Some day, if the Gods are just, you will pay for this and all your other sins.

  38. 38.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    “Arsenal”? Why so bellicose?

    More seriously: “shrill” has probably been applied here to Kthrugman far more than to any woman.

    Of course, then we get into the rathole re: “well, it’s supposed to be a negative term applied to women, so misogyny etc. etc.” But it’s too effing early in the morning to start in on semantic hair-splitting.

  41. 41.

    BellyCat

    @OzarkHillbilly: Horrifying… And $40k bail for attempted murder of a three year old child is telling about of the judicial disposition of this Texas judge.

  43. 43.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Baud:@H.E.Wolf: I know the drawing the line is tough, so I’m not going to argue, but that view would eliminate all mockery from our arsenal.​

    I agree with you that drawing the line is tough. Maybe we could meet halfway, and eliminate what’s misogynistic from our arsenal.

    @Baud: ​@rikyrah: Good morning. Seconded!​ 

    [ETA: This is a wonderful example of messing up my own framing, while commenting on other kinds of framing!]​​

  45. 45.

    SFAW

    @NotMax:

    I had a co-worker who had the same pet peeve.

    Of course, she was kind of a numbskull otherwise — which you, fortunately, are not.

  46. 46.

    TBone

    @Baud: I had that useage explained to me here recently when I got uppity about it.  That explanation was helpful (I had forgotten an important Internet tradition).

    Someone had used it to describe Rachel Maddow.

  47. 47.

    Soprano2

    @NotMax: “The cray-cray is strong in this one.”

    Yes, it is. All he does is file performative lawsuits like that, and the MAGA’s in this state love it. He’s running to be elected, because he was appointed to that job by the governor when the previous AG, Eric Schmitt, who was also like this, became the junior senator from MO.

  48. 48.

    Suzanne

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I think the judge set that bail a little too low. 

    Ya think?! Holy balls.
    Who are these weak-ass scaredy-cat people who can’t leave the house without being scared of brown people?! Good Lord.

    You know, there are many times when I think, “Thank God I wasn’t raised Catholic”. And almost as often, the thought will cross my mind, “Thank God I wasn’t raised around just white people”.

  50. 50.

    Kay

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I’m smitten with this one. She’s tiny. They were worried because she’s 10th percentile but I just think she’s a small person, like my daughter. She’s REALLY engaged – smiles and follows everything with her eyes. I need a day with her without her parents hovering over us, bugging us :)

  53. 53.

    Barbara

    @satby: ​Needing an escort seems to have started after the attack. Or else missing work wouldn’t be a new development. I’m not surprised by the attack. One of my clients was attacked for wearing a hijab on the way to and then again at school. Attempted drowning should have required a much larger amount of bail and release conditioned on staying away from the victim and any common areas.​. Or maybe it was but not reported.

  54. 54.

    TBone

    @Baud: I read that astronauts were stranded on space station for several (5?) days recently because of another Boeing failure (we’re not relying on Russian transport to and fro anymore).

  55. 55.

    SFAW

    @H.E.Wolf: ​
     

    I agree with you that drawing the line is tough. Maybe we could meet halfway, and eliminate what’s misogynistic from our arsenal.

    Excellent idea. I think we should ask Cole to set up the Balloon Juice Language Review Board, to ensure that each comment conforms to certain requirements. That would be double-plus-good!

  56. 56.

    H.E.Wolf

    @sab: ​
     I once had to do some emergency nut sorting, under the wrathful eye of the stockroom manager, after I accidentally overturned a wheeled cart full of boxes of different sizes of same….

  57. 57.

    p.a.

    @TBone: Wouldn’t be surprised if they jack up prices more in “Red Zones” to reinforce the conservaturd narratives.

     

    We’ve heard of “Blue Zones” so “Red Zones” (regions, not necessarily states) are where people live shorter, crappier lives by choice.  Or impose shorter, crappier lives on those who can’t escape.

  60. 60.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Kay: ​ I need a day with her without her parents hovering over us, bugging us :)

    We are fortunate that way with the STL Gdaughters. Right now the 2 youngest are snoring away in the bed with my wife. We still get the youngest every Monday, tho that window is closing as she will start preschool in the next year or so.

    I do wish I could say the same for our NOLA Gdaughters, but I just don’t think my wife or I are up to that drive every week.

  62. 62.

    Betty

    @SFAW: How about a letter to the editor with this list in every paper in the country? This should be plastered everywhere.

  63. 63.

    pluky

    @hueyplong: Since no one else has responded other than snarkily (not that that’s a bad thing) to this: his grounds for standing are that the conviction interferes with the rights of Missourians to hear from the presumptive Republican nominee. I don’t think this will fly.

  64. 64.

    WereBear

    @Barbara: Also, hate crime.

    But maybe not in Texas.

    The number one indicator of voting for Trump is being an exurban young white racist… whose county has whites as a lower proportion than it used to be.

    And paranoia. Always paranoia. Not since Kings Row has there been such a mess when the Small Town rock gets turned over.

    And by a man from New York City! Don’t they read their bibles?

  65. 65.

    Soprano2

    So, dog update – I talked to the director of the place where I got her, and she said they would take the dog back. I can’t take her until Wednesday, though. I’m so torn about this – my husband is attached to her, and keeps saying what a good dog she is (he says this to all dogs, though LOL). She sleeps near him downstairs, so I think she’s attached to him too. That’s exactly why I got her! Then I go upstairs and see my lonely, miserable cat who could come downstairs if he wanted to but doesn’t. I’ve had people tell me to give it time and eventually the cat will come around, to which I reply “The last time this happened my cat lived in my bedroom for over 2 years, until she died, so I don’t have much faith that it will get better”. I’m sure WearBear will correct me if I’m wrong (paging WearBear on the emergency pager!), but I think once my cat has had this kind of fear reaction to this particular dog he won’t “get over it”. I don’t know what happened – until the first Wednesday we had the dog it seemed like they were going to get along. He’s fine with my other dogs, and was even fine with my BIL’s dog who also lived around cats, but he’s terrified of this dog. I’ve tried sitting with him in my lap on the stairs, and as soon as he sees the dog he starts trying to claw over my shoulder to get up to the bedroom. That doesn’t make me think he’s going to get over his fear. It’s not fair to my cat who is used to going in and out of the house to make him live in my bedroom so he can feel safe. I’m also afraid if I let him go outside eventually he won’t come back.

    I’m so conflicted about this, I wish I hadn’t done it in the first place. I had good intentions, but we all know what’s paved with them.

  66. 66.

    SFAW

    @Betty: ​
     
    Excellent idea. I think most RWMF-loving papers would not publish such a letter, but it’s worth a try.

  70. 70.

    Soprano2

    @Chief Oshkosh: I’ve noticed that too. I think we have enough oil production here now that Saudi Arabia can’t keep the price artificially high no matter how hard they try. There were several times this spring here that the price would be going down, then suddenly it would pop up $0.40/gal. This time it’s going down and showing no signs so far of popping back up.

  71. 71.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @pluky: That’s no grounds at all, because this conviction sure as shit hasn’t shut that fuck up in the least little bit. In fact, he’s whining louder than ever!

  72. 72.

    WereBear

    I’m sure WearBear will correct me if I’m wrong (paging WearBear on the emergency pager!), but I think once my cat has had this kind of fear reaction to this particular dog he won’t “get over it”

    Yes. It was likely accidental, but that means it could easily happen again. The dog might not be “cat trained.”

    If the cat is not afraid of dogs it’s possible to get a good “cat dog.” My spaniel mix would greet new cats with his belly. “Go ahead, you’re the boss, I’ve submitted. Now come over here, you cute little thing. I want to nose boop with you.”

    That’s the kind of dog to get!

  73. 73.

    CliosFanBoy

    Referencing the last tweet, listing the President’s accomplishments: And he did all that while the deficit DECREASED and WITHOUT raising taxes on the lower 90% of incomes.

  77. 77.

    H.E.Wolf

    Off-topic: I hope everyone’s doing OK in the summer heat. We’re currently in a (very welcome) cool trough between two warm spells, which means I’d better log off and get some chores done.

    Happy Monday to everyone on this side of the International Date Line. :)

  78. 78.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2:that Saudi Arabia can’t keep the price artificially high no matter how hard they try.

    I read somewhere recently that the Sauds have given up and brought production back up to their norm.

  79. 79.

    Soprano2

    @Barbara: It stuns me how many people are crazy about other people’s harmless life choices. If that woman was in the government trying to make everyone wear a hijab, then I would object, but her choosing to wear one and choosing to be a Muslim doesn’t harm anyone! And yeah, that bail is way too low – should have been no bail at all. Let me guess, that woman is white.

  80. 80.

    Geminid

    @H.E.Wolf: We’re getting a slight break in Central Virginia today, with temps only in the high 80s. I’m trying to keep hydrated with a mix of cool water, lemon juice and a little bit of sea salt.

  81. 81.

    p.a.

    @WereBear: My GF’s female tux has a new thing: if I’m laying down, instead of being happy belly-pillowing on me, she sits on my sternum, stares face-to-face, then lays out and demands petting.  Her paws are right on my throat and she’s a kneader when petted.😱😩😂.  She gets miffed when I rearrange her but stays put.

  82. 82.

    Soprano2

    @pluky: It’s stunning to me that Republicans think not being allowed to threaten people is interfering with his freedom of speech. Bailey knows better, he just doesn’t care because he’s performing for the MAGA voters in MO.

    I have an acquaintance who works with trafficked people. She said every election year like clockwork the AG, whoever it is, will have a big splashy announcement about working to stop human trafficking, but they never consult with anyone who actually does that work, and it’s almost always only performative. She said that if they do bust anyone, it almost never results in any charges other than a couple of misdemeanors, and the people they find who are being trafficked (almost always women working in “massage parlors”) are eventually deported. She said employment trafficking is way worse and more common than sex trafficking, but it’s not “sexy” like sex trafficking is. She said parents in rural areas “selling” their underage daughters for marriage is more of a problem than people realize. I don’t know how she does that work. I mentioned to her that I heard Bailey make some kind of announcement about “efforts to fight sex trafficking” and she just rolled her eyes and said “he didn’t talk to any of us about that”.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @p.a.: Her paws are right on my throat and she’s a kneader when petted.

    And if you don’t she rips your throat out.

  86. 86.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: They said they “cat tested” her, which means they walked her through the cat section of the shelter and she wasn’t aggressive toward them. I told the director that might be true, but living with a cat is different than being exposed to them for a few minutes, and she agreed with me. I think the dog wants to play with the cat and doesn’t mean any harm, but the cat has interpreted this as aggression and is terrified of her now. My cat has been fine with other dogs, which is why I didn’t anticipate this being a problem.

    I figure at the very least if I try to get a dog again I want to make sure they’re good with cats, and it will probably be an older dog who is less likely to be so excited by the cat.

  87. 87.

    Baud

    @WereBear:

    The number one indicator of voting for Trump is being an exurban young white racist… whose county has whites as a lower proportion than it used to be.

     

    The League of Exurban Young White Racists for Biden is offended by your comment.

  88. 88.

    Soprano2

    @WereBear: Yes, this is true. She’s a nice, active dog, I don’t think she’ll have a problem finding another home. I feel badly for her too, because she seems to really like my husband. I’m afraid to wait longer, because the longer this goes on the harder the separation will be.

  90. 90.

    Suzanne

    @H.E.Wolf: Dood. I woke up at 5 this morning and did a 5-mile run because it’s been swampy for the last week and I wanted to make the most of this brief cool spell. Felt so good at 63 degrees.

    Summer sucks.

  91. 91.

    hueyplong

    @Baud: “You can damn well bet that if someone behind Biden in the camera shot is holding up a sign saying Young Racists For Biden, he’s a plant paid by the DNC.”

    –FoxNews talking head, probably

  92. 92.

    3Sice

    Runny Jackson lays it out

    Link to kos.

    “Those drugs are out there. They treat the cognition part of it. They try to make it where he can think straighter and he’s not lost and confused as much. And then there’s drugs that actually treats alertness like Adderall and other amphetamine type drugs. Maybe Provigil and things like that. And then there’s a host of drugs that try to take the agitated edge off most of these cognitive disorders.”

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Soprano2: We were at $3.03 when I bought gas the other day. But Biden still hasn’t brought the price of eggs back down and don’t give any of that phony baloney “bird flu” crap! There’s no such thing! And if there is, it’s no worse than a mild cold! And have you seen the price of Prime Rib lately??? It’s ridiculous!!!

  94. 94.

    satby

    @Soprano2: why are you dragging this out? I get that you’re conflicted a bit, but you’re just going to make everyone’s adjustment worse the longer you wait to do what you essentially decided you needed to do last week. In the end, it’s not about your feelings, it’s about making the situation better and less stressful for you all. The people telling you to keep giving it time aren’t living there and don’t have to deal with the consequences. Ignore them.

  98. 98.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    If you’re looking for a clever, provocative book, try James by Percival Everett. It’s a retelling of Huck Finn from Jim’s point of view. It’s the same story, plot beat for plot beat, but when the pov changes, the story changes.

  99. 99.

    Soprano2

    @satby: Trust me, I wish I had been able to take her back on Saturday. It’s the director of the shelter who told me they can’t take her until Wednesday. I don’t like it either, but I’m not in control of that, she is. I guess I’m just venting because I’m so pissed at myself for causing this in the first place.

  101. 101.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Chief Oshkosh: ​

    As I filled up the tank of what I think will be the last ICE car I’ll ever own, it occurred to me that it’s high-season for summer travel and gas is under $3/gal everywhere I look

    It’s currently $3.59/gal here in northern Calvert County, MD.
    When we go down to central FL to see the in-laws, their gas prices are usually pretty close to ours, at most maybe 15-20¢/gal difference, but usually not even that.

    @Soprano2: ​
     

    I think we have enough oil production here now that Saudi Arabia can’t keep the price artificially high no matter how hard they try.

    Also, the last time they tried, Biden sold a bunch of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (And refilled it later when oil was cheaper.) Can’t remember where I read that, so no link, but it was a legit news source.

  104. 104.

    Soprano2

    @3Sice: It’s true as far as it goes that these drugs are used with people who have dementia, but there’s nothing that is guaranteed to improve cognition. What they do is temporarily slow down the decline in some people.

  105. 105.

    Attempted Chemistry

    @Kay: As the doctor said about our son, “Someone has to be in the 10th percentile.”

    (He’s 17, perfectly healthy, and yes, shorter than he’d like to be.)

  108. 108.

    TBone

    Those are called veggie trays.  We won a Senate election over the word “crudites” here in PA 😆

  109. 109.

    narya

    @Soprano2: I’m so sorry you’re going through this added stress; give yourself a little grace, if you can. Yes, good intentions and road-paving materials and all, but you’re doing the best you can under really shitty circumstances. Again: I’m so sorry you’re going through [waves hands around] ALL of this.

  110. 110.

    SFAW

    @Soprano2: ​
     

    but there’s nothing that is guaranteed to improve cognition.

    For some reason, I am reminded of a sign I used to have in my office: “Stupid is forever. Ignorance can be fixed.”

    Someone — Joan Didion, maybe? Can’t recall — once opined that you/we don’t know anyone as stupid as TCFFG — “You just don’t.”

  112. 112.

    OzarkHillbilly

    And the girls are up so my morn here is done. I will leave you this parting gift via Marked Man over at OTB:

    Biden-Harris HQ@BidenHQ
    President Biden vs. Donald Trump speaking at the same venue in Philly

  114. 114.

    SFAW

    @narya:

    Thanks! I guess my own cognition needs some work. Damn.

    Here’s her full comment:

    “Everyone says he is crazy – which maybe he is – but the scarier thing about him is that he is stupid. You do not know anyone as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.”

  118. 118.

    WereBear

    @p.a.: They express closeness with closeness. But yeah, kneading is problematic.

    I keep a little blanket on the couch for them to sleep on, and I can grab it when hurting their feelings endangers my very life… and they learn to accept these necessary adjustments.

    She is expressing mommy love, so there we are.

  122. 122.

    Ken

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I suggested that theme — retelling a story from another character’s POV — for a Medium Cool. My examples were Sandra Newman’s Julia (retelling 1984) and Ursula K. LeGuin’s Lavinia (retelling part of the Aeneid).

  124. 124.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Ken: Not that I’ve read these, but there’s also Margaret Atwood’s retelling of the Odyssey (The Penelopiad) and Pat Barker’s of the Iliad (The Silence of the Girls), both from the POV of women.

    And of course Grendel (retelling Beowulf from the monster’s POV) by John Gardner, which I did read back in the dark ages.

  125. 125.

    Chris

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    … who the fuck has forty thousand dollars just lying around to pay for bail.

    But I suppose that’s wingnut privilege for you.  Either you’ve got it, or a gaggle of activists will rush to supply or raise it for you, because the kind of proud American who’d attack a child deserves nothing but the best.

  126. 126.

    TBone

    Heads up on the shadow docket and other Supremacists Court fuckery.

    Two recent rulings of the Supreme Court—one on its “shadow docket” and the other a decision on the merits reveal a deep division among the justices with regard to issues concerning voting and the electoral process. Each ruling was decided by a 6-3 margin, with the familiar ideological split among the current justices Each will have significant consequences for our political system in making it harder to bring challenges to the drawing of election districts.

    https://angrybearblog.com/2024/06/scotus-rulings-on-election-districting#more-148772

  128. 128.

    PAM Dirac

    @narya:

    Fran Leibovitz said that.

    I saw her live not too long ago and it really is an entertaining couple of hours. She did go on about how stupid drumpf is, but she also said he was incredibly lazy. Speaking as a lazy person herself she said “Sloth recognizes sloth”. I first encountered her many years ago when I was working at the college radio station and engineered a recording of her interview with the PR staffer for a speaker series. I had to spend most of the interview hiding behind the console because I was laughing too much. The thing I most remember is her story of Pope Ron in the 21st century whose 2nd wife made him a tee shirt that said “infallible but not inflexible”. The two of them were updating things, including taking the interior of the Sistine Chapel back down to the original brick. She has a very cynical, self deprecating sense of humor that I probably shouldn’t find funny, but I really do.

  129. 129.

    Ken

    @O. Felix Culpa: I enjoyed John Gardner’s Moriarty novels. Those wouldn’t qualify for the theme, as they were new stories, not re-tellings of the Conan Doyle ones.

  130. 130.

    BR

    Josh Marshall noticed what I was saying the other day — from a very conventional perspective, AOC really is much better at this than her backbencher peers:

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-different-take-on-jamaal-bowman-israel-ny-16

    This is a much more general point that is more about AOC than Bowman. But it’s important. Bowman simply isn’t a very effective politician.
    …
    AOC is backing Bowman to the hilt, which makes perfect sense. She participated in the mega rally in support of him in the district a few days ago, along with Bernie Sanders and other progressives luminaries. I suspect she also played a big role in organizing it. But in AOC we can see the difference between an ordinary politician or not especially able one and one who is a truly historic political talent.
    …
    To be clear, I don’t present these moves as matters of cynical positioning. I think this is who AOC is. But I’ve never met her. I don’t know her. I have no idea how her mind works. All I can judge is the results. What she does. She’s made it seem so comparatively effortless, now just part of the political firmament that it’s easy to forget how many opportunities AOC has had to fail. The contrast between her and Bowman, who she clearly sees as an ally and for whom she is pulling out every stop, couldn’t be clearer.

  132. 132.

    Chris

    @TBone:

    @Baud: I read that astronauts were stranded on space station for several (5?) days recently because of another Boeing failure (we’re not relying on Russian transport to and fro anymore).

    I’d be lying if I said that on my last two flights, I didn’t look at the little fact sheet and go “oh great, it’s a Boeing.”

    Picking up friends from airport last night:

    Them: “Yeah, we were actually on a double decker plane.”
    Me: “You mean an A380?  Oh, thank God!  Not a Boeing then.”

  134. 134.

    JML

    @Chris: … who the fuck has forty thousand dollars just lying around to pay for bail.

    nobody, which is why people go to a bail bondsman, put 10% down in cash and secure the rest with their house. but it’s also how the cash bail system is extremely tilted towards the more affluent: if you have assets you can get out of jail, if you don’t (even if you’re no flight risk or threat to society) you can’t.

    This lunatic should have had a much much higher bond set, if they were allowed one at all, but…Texas.

  135. 135.

    Torrey

    @H.E.Wolf: ​
    @Baud: ​ 

    I know the drawing the line is tough, so I’m not going to argue, but that view would eliminate all mockery from our arsenal.

    Hats off to both of you, especially Baud. The initial comment hit me wrong as well. Don’t know why, exactly. Maybe because it was the first comment, so the thread hadn’t had time to develop a contextual framing. Maybe because it was stated so flatly, with no framing. Maybe because I have heard it said seriously a few times too many. Anyway, I was relieved to see H.E. Wolf’s comment and feel that I wasn’t alone. But I also really appreciated Baud’s gracious response and decision not to argue the point, even though he disagrees.

    Just wanted to express my appreciation.​

  136. 136.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @BR: People underestimate what it takes to be a good politician and effective legislator. It’s a rare combination of skillsets and requires a LOT of energy and intelligence.

    And before someone brings up MTG or one of her ilk, remember I said good. ;)

  137. 137.

    satby

    @Soprano2: you tried to do a good thing for a shelter dog and your husband, and it didn’t work out. No need to be pissed at yourself for not being able to foretell the future. Ask them to repost her on Petfinder while you “foster” her for the two days.

  139. 139.

    Melancholy Jaques

    She’s made it seem so comparatively effortless, now just part of the political firmament that it’s easy to forget how many opportunities AOC has had to fail.

    Not to mention, people from across the political spectrum have had their knives out for her from the day she won the primary against Joe Crowley.

  141. 141.

    JML

    @BR: Josh Marshall noticed what I was saying the other day — from a very conventional perspective, AOC really is much better at this than her backbencher peers:

    She’s very skilled, and AOC seems to do a good job of not making it personal with her colleagues as well. She does a great job of pushing for what she wants and believes in without backing herself into a blind alley, doesn’t let perfect be the enemy of good, and does an excellent job of framing issues without putting her colleagues in tougher districts in a box all the time. She also doesn’t make the unforced errors some of the colleagues she’s allied with do very often, if ever.

    I’m a fan.

  143. 143.

    smith

    @lowtechcyclist: Also, the last time they tried, Biden sold a bunch of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (And refilled it later when oil was cheaper.) Can’t remember where I read that, so no link, but it was a legit news source.

    This is where I saw it. 

    Too bad most of the coporate media seems to have missed it.

  144. 144.

    Chris

    @Melancholy Jaques:

    Not to mention, people from across the political spectrum have had their knives out for her from the day she won the primary against Joe Crowley.

    AOC was “lucky” enough to come onto the political scene at a time when the media was still floundering from the political end of favorite-chew-toy Hillary Clinton, and frantically looking around for a new Democratic woman who could take her place.  AOC was a strong candidate: the fact that she’s young, not white, and on the progressive wing are all icing on the cake for the media.

    (Other potential chew toys included Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Chelsea Clinton, and, well, Hillary Clinton again, in the sense that every now and then a pundit wakes up from a dream in which Hillary Clinton is running for president again and feverishly punches out an article about it before the dream has a chance to fade.  At this point they seem to have settled on Kamala Harris as the chew toy of choice – there’s a reason they’re all so eager for Biden to retire, and it’s not just that they’re trying to screw the Democrats.  But with AOC never too far behind).

  147. 147.

    rikyrah

    uh huh
    uh huh

    CNN says that it’s not their job to fact check during the debate.

    scary lawyerguy
    @scarylawyerguy
    This is basically the Chuck Todd school of journalism which was founded when the ACA was passed, Republicans threw out bold-faced lies about it and Todd threw up his hands and said it was Obama’s job, not his, to debunk them.

    https://x.com/scarylawyerguy/status/1805223196854976889

  149. 149.

    TBone

    @rikyrah: JFC they make actual bounty hunting sound so anodyne with that headline.  It’s almost like they’re trying to normalize it!  🙄😡

    …from his desk overlooking rickhouses storing barrels in the Bourbon Capitol of Bardstown, scoffed at comparisons to McCarthyism as “nonsense.”

    He’s a former staffer to then-Sen. Jim DeMint, the South Carolina conservative Republican who later led Heritage and now helms the Conservative Policy Institute, where American Accountability Foundation has a mailing address. Jones also worked for Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, and provided opposition research for Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s 2016 presidential bid.

    With six researchers, Jones’ team operates remotely across the country, poring over the information about federal workers within Homeland Security, the State Department and other agencies that deal with immigration and border issues…

  150. 150.

    TBone

    @rikyrah: if it’s raining outside, it damn well IS their job to look out the fucking window and tell us we’ll need umbrellas!!!

  155. 155.

    narya

    @PAM Dirac: Did you see her “Pretend It’s a City” on Netflix? or the interview that Julia Louis Dreyfus did with her? Both quite good!

  156. 156.

    UncleEbeneezer

    But her emails…(Hillary on Xitter)

    I’m a Supreme Court voter because of some simple math: Trump already appointed 3 justices who helped overturn our reproductive freedoms. If he wins again, he could appoint as many as 4 more. We need justices who’ll stand up for our rights—not their own right-wing agendas.

  159. 159.

    rikyrah

    I love when people bring receipts on these clowns.

     

    Salad Shooter

    @saladshooter9

    Peter Baker is another snot-nosed puke employed by the NYTimes who had a key role in boosting Trump. At the end of 2017, where Trump kicked off major democratic backsliding, Baker said he “brought a reality show accessibility” to the presidency. This was a game to him

    https://x.com/saladshooter9/status/1805032806575194135

  161. 161.

    Chris

    @TBone:

    It’s a small and probably petty thing, especially since I do like the show and it’s not the first time this has been done in the universe, but there’s something that saddened me, in an “everything gets copagandafied” kind of way, about The Mandalorian making a bounty hunter (who looks exactly like the original) the hero of a Star Wars show.

    Like, in the original stories, the “fringe” hero is specifically not the bounty hunter, it’s the smuggler, i.e. his natural prey, who’s just trying to earn a living in a shitty universe.  The bounty hunters are understood to be scum buckets, who help people like fascist governments and greedy gangsters to enforce their will and keep making the galaxy a shittier place.

  162. 162.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Chris: What separates AOC from the rest of the squad is that she seems to be conscious of the fact that she is in a DEEP BLUE district but most of America is not.  She recognizes that her audience is more than DSA Progressives.

  165. 165.

    TBone

    @Chris: I’ve only ever seen the original.  I thought the sequels and spin-offs couldn’t do any further justice to the cause, but maybe I need to rethink that…

  166. 166.

    Central Planning

    @Soprano2: I was in England last week. Gas (‘petrol’) is almost $7/gallon (convert from Pounds to Dollars and liters to gallons). Roads were jammed with cars and trucks, and in London they are instituting low emission zones and implementing surcharges for people that use them.

    Of course we all know the American public has no idea about costs of things elsewhere in the world, only that our prices are always too high.

  167. 167.

    Mike in NC

    Fat Bastard’s most recent rants included one about renaming schools and military bases that once honored Confederate traitors. The imbecile even suggested that George Washington didn’t own slaves, while of course he had more than 300.

  168. 168.

    TBone

    Adam Klasfeld xit.  Jack Smith is bringing the receipts.

    Just in: On Friday, Trump’s lawyer argued that ex-AG Bill Barr only appointed Senate-confirmed US Attorneys as special counsel.

    Jack Smith just contradicted that in a supplemental briefing showing three of Barr’s special counsel picks from 1991 and 1992.

    https://x.com/KlasfeldReports/status/1804998499244646848

  169. 169.

    kindness

    It’s oddly fun to watch MAGA types twist their reality into pretzels.  They can’t admit grocery prices have dropped as that is so much of what they blather about, they just lie and ignore the actual price changes.

    That’s how the entire Republican party rolls now.  There isn’t an honorable one in the whole barrel.

  170. 170.

    OldDave

    @Chris: I’d be lying if I said that on my last two flights, I didn’t look at the little fact sheet and go “oh great, it’s a Boeing.”

    I remember taking a seat on a cross-country flight, beginning to read the current AW&ST (aviation trade magazine) and finding a story on recently discovered stress fractures on Lockheed L-1011s.  Looked around, and yep, was sitting in one of those magnificent birds.

  171. 171.

    Geminid

    @BR: I would differ from Marshall in that the Jamaal Bowman rally where Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders spoke was no mega-rally; by attendance, it was really more of a mini-rally.

    The three Democratic legislators fired up the small crowd before they went canvassing for Bowman, so it was a success from that standpoint. But I was surprised at the low turnout and felt a little sorry for Bowman.

    This has been a bitter and divisive primary race, and the only thing good about it is that it will end tomorrow.

  174. 174.

    Chris

    @OldDave:

    Then again, if we really encouraged and incentivized Lockheed to get back into the passenger jet business for real, maybe Boeing would start thinking they’re not irreplaceable after all and start tightening it up.

  175. 175.

    lowtechcyclist

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    And the girls are up so my morn here is done. I will leave you this parting gift via Marked Man over at OTB:

    Biden-Harris HQ@BidenHQ
    President Biden vs. Donald Trump speaking at the same venue in Philly

    The Biden campaign should open a Truth Social account just to post that pic and make sure the iDJiT knows about it.

  176. 176.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Chris: The thing about Boeing is that while they’ve got a lot of problems, there’s been a media dog pile on them that is kind of unfair: I’ve seen stories about plane issues that are touted as “more trouble for Boeing” that realistically have nothing to do with them except they were on a Boeing plane, and it creates this impression of them all being deathtraps. Just from the stats, air travel is way safer today than it was in Boeing’s heyday even on *their* planes. There’s just a lot more scrutiny.

  178. 178.

    Geminid

    @Baud: You can look at the promotional posts on social media to see. But my impression is that Bowman’s campaign pitched the rally as “come one, come all” and hoped for a bigger turnout.

  180. 180.

    Geminid

    @Baud: The speeches weren’t long, and the video clips are worth checking out. Bowman in particular was very energetic.

  181. 181.

    Baud

    @Geminid:

    From the Marshall excerpt above, I got the impression he was underwhelming.

    I really don’t care that much about primary battles, especially this one which I haven’t paid attention to at all.

  182. 182.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Baud: My past monetary support for various Democratic candidates gets me a lot of appeals to help them in primary races where I’m usually not even sure they deserve to win. I pretty much ignore those.

  187. 187.

    Jackie

    @lowtechcyclist: I believe Biden’s campaign media staff has a TCFG social media account – just to troll him. That Xitter would be perfect!👍🏻😁

    @smith beat me! And, amazed, as always, how quickly Team Biden reacts!

  189. 189.

    lowtechcyclist

    @smith: ​
     

    This is where I saw it.

    Yep, that was it! I must’ve followed a gift link when I first saw it, because I remember being able to read more than I could see of the article just now.

    Too bad most of the coporate media seems to have missed it.

    Indeed! Normies woulda loved that.

  190. 190.

    Ironcity

    @Kay: Sounds like my youngest, who at 6 months looked like she was videoing everything and keeping receipts.  At 17 now she is trying to run the place, so watch it and good luck.

  195. 195.

    Geminid

    @Baud: I used to care a lot about Democratic primaries, but not so much since August of 2021, when Shontelle Brown beat Nina Turner in the OH11 contest that chose Rep. Marcia Fudge’s successor.

    I still pick favorites, but I don’t sweat the outcomes like I used to. Now I mainly hope primaries don’t create lasting division, and trust the leadership team of Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar to wrangle new additions to their caucus

  196. 196.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @Soprano2: She should write a letter to the editor of the Springfield paper. It won’t do much, but might take the wind out of his sails with the GOP loving cranky old folks who do read the paper.

  199. 199.

    Barbara

    @WereBear: This is just my view.  I see hate crime charges as a way to enhance the penalty for conduct that wouldn’t necessarily trigger significant punishment, like simple assault (pulling off the hijab).  If they are serious about prosecuting this woman for attempted murder of a defenseless child, I can only hope she is facing a long jail sentence for that alone.  I don’t object to the enhancement but I don’t see it as having the same impact on the consequences for the perpetrator.

  201. 201.

    tam1MI

    @Bostondreams: Some great points there. This is how a movement for life annd liberty and safety destroys itself.
    :/

    Called it.  And it was never about life and liberty and safety. As per usual, it was only about Teaching Those Filthy Normie Dems A Lesson.

  202. 202.

    lowtechcyclist

    @kindness: ​
     

    That’s how the entire Republican party rolls now. There isn’t an honorable one in the whole barrel.

    And to the extent that any of them were to experiment with being the least bit honorable, they’d be kicked out of the party a la Kinzinger and Cheney.

  203. 203.

    lowtechcyclist

    @smith: ​
     

    They did and they did.

    Gotta say, the Biden folks got game. I should have expected that if I could think of it, they’d have already done it.

  204. 204.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud: ​
     

    I use a separate email address for donations so I can send all incoming emails to my junk.

    Your junk has its own email address? ;-)

    Since you don’t wear pants, I guess it can hunt-and-peck on a keyboard. :-D

    Seriously, I’ve also gone the route of having an email address just for political and charitable contributions. It keeps them from overwhelming my regular email.

  207. 207.

    cain

    @BR: Let Kamala break the glass ceiling for President and we can have AOC and Mayor Pete – we have a great bench of candidates.

  209. 209.

    Warblewarble

    Biden condemns the attempted murder of a Palestinian child in Texas, ongoing murder in Gaza, send more bombs.

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