Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

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

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

American history and black history cannot be separated.

Republicans in disarray!

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

The lights are all blinking red.

I would gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today.

“They all knew.”

America is going up in flames. The NYTimes fawns over MAGA celebrities. No longer a real newspaper.

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

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Everybody saw this coming.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

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Archives for 2024

Verdict & Open Thread

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I’ve been on the road and out of the loop since morning, so I haven’t paid attention to the news. I left the TV on to keep the dogs company, so when I got home, the first thing I saw was that the Hunter Biden verdict came down: guilty on all three charges.

That’s 31 fewer felony convictions than Trump! And Hunter Biden isn’t running for office.

We haven’t followed the trial, but the outcome isn’t a surprise, right? Sounded like they had a ton of evidence, including a confessional book authored by the defendant. For Joe Biden’s sake, I hope the fact that this was the son’s first offense will keep the judge from imposing a harsh sentence.

I do expect we’ll see an enormous contrast on reactions to the Trump and Hunter Biden verdicts. An entire party is undermining the justice system to cover Trump’s guilt. Democrats, including the president, will accept the jury’s verdict. I hope normies see that and fully understand the implications.

Open thread!

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Thriving

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Rolling Stone reports:

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, and more convened on the White House lawn on Monday evening for a celebration of the upcoming Juneteenth holiday.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. MCed the concert, which featured appearances by Gladys Knight, Patti Labelle, Ledisi Anibade Young, Kirk Franklin, Patina Miller, Doug E. Fresh, and Brittney Spencer. The concert was filled with memorable moments including Knight’s joyful performance of her 1967 hit “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” which she first debuted with The Pips…

“In many ways, the story of Juneteenth and of our nation is a story of our ongoing fight to realize that promise, our ongoing fight to build a nation that is more equal, more fair and more free — a nation where every person has the opportunity not to just get by, but get ahead,” said Harris when speaking to the crowd gathered on the South Lawn, before announcing that on Juneteenth, the Biden administration “will hold a national day of action on voting.”

Harris continued, “While Juneteenth is a day for celebration, it is also a day for dedication … a day to renew our commitment to defend our freedoms, to honor our history and to continue to fight for the promise of America.”…

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On The Road – ema – 2024 NYC Fleet Week

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ema

Before I fell in with the Balloon Juice crowd, I led a normal life.

I would see sailors in Midtown, note in passing that it’s Fleet Week, and go about my business. Now, I attend official NYC Fleet Week events in Times Square with a press pass, and get pushed around by professional photographers. A brief aside, what is it with these people and being pushy? I understand that, unlike me, they have to take good pictures to make a living but, still, there is never a good excuse to be rude.

And speaking of being rude, wait till you hear what happened at the USMC Band and Silent Drill Platoon event I attended. On with the show:

(all links are to YouTube videos)

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On The Road - ema - 2024 NYC Fleet Week 9

When you think of Marines in dress uniform, you think prim and proper. One performance by the USMC Band (51s) was anything but. Everybody, from the conductor to the musicians, was quite dancy. I didn’t realize that Marines are allowed to be that expressive during official duties. It was an enjoyable surprise.

Late Night Open Thread: The Probationer

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My client was in some kind of denial. The charges were serious; the evidence was strong. But he was certainhe would be acquitted, and that negative vibes would hurt his chances. He had a sort of manic “The Secret” energy that made me worry what he might do if disappointed.

As the jury came out to read their verdict, the deputies started backing away from him. Sharing the same thought, I took off my glasses so they wouldn’t break if I got punched in the face. I wondered what might happen if the client’s shock belt went off while he was on top of me.

Guilty on all counts. No punch in the face. About as good an outcome as I could have hoped for.

But now I was in a position intimately familiar to Donald Trump’s attorneys: How do you prepare a client for felony sentencing when he can’t admit guilt or express remorse?…

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War for Ukraine Day 838: Russia Has Publicly Declared that the US Is an Enemy State

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Quick housekeeping update: Rosie’s chemotherapy today went smoothly. The oncology vet was happy to hear that she had no side effects last week. We’ll see if this week goes as smoothly as last week. But, for now, she’s good. She’s lying here on the bed, watching TV while I type this. Thank you all, again, for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

As of 8:15 PM EDT, air raid alerts are up for all of eastern Ukraine.

Russia publicly changed the way it refers to the US

Russia also unleashed more glide bombs on Kharkiv today:

There is no new daily address or other event video of President Zelenskyy posted to the official website or YouTube channel of the President of Ukraine. I think it is because he is traveling to Berlin for a conference.

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Monday Night Open Thread

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My sister’s husband was in the news:

A tiki boat captain is credited with saving a kayaker who needed help on the river over the weekend.

It was supposed to be a routine Sunday tiki boat outing on Pittsburgh’s three rivers when things got very interesting and dangerous for one of Dale McCue’s tiki boat skippers and a capsized kayaker.

He noticed something scary in the middle of the captain’s safety brief for his passengers.

“He had a one o’clock pick up on the North Shore,” David Dale McCue of Cruisin’ Tikis Pittsburgh said.

Captain Chris Patton saw a kayaker bobbing in the water in the middle of the Allegheny River.

Captain Patton told his passengers to stand by on shore so he could check out the person in the channel. It didn’t take long to figure out what happened.

“When he got there, he realized the kayak was separated from the kayaker; it capsized. The kayaker had on a life jacket that wasn’t fitted properly; it was over the top of his head.”

And it would turn out, the victim didn’t know how to swim.

Battling higher and choppy waters, the captain positioned his vessel to pull the man from the water, saving the man from possibly drowning. This is the third time a tiki boat has made a big save, including a rescue of a young man from the bottom of the river and another save in August 2023.

Chris and Devon were river rafting guides and kayakers for decades, so it does not surprise me that Chris saw the guy was in distress. Adn that reminds me- your annual reminder that drowning victims don’t look like you think they do:

For those of you who are parents/grandparents/funny uncles, those are worth watching. Actually they are worth watching for everyone. I digress.

I know I said earlier I had a lot to talk about, and I do, but I am tired and not in the mood to write, but I did thought I would share that story with you.

Fuck Samuel Alito.

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Ultra 2 PSA (Open Thread)

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Ultra 2 PSA (Open Thread)Rachel Maddow launched a second season of her Ultra podcast today. The first season examined a Nazi-supported, pro-fascist movement in this country that had tentacles in Congress, local governments, industry, churches, etc., prior to U.S. entry into WW2.

I’ve mentioned before that despite the hard subject matter, I found the first season inspiring because of the many stories of regular people opposing fascism back then. The behavior of the goons of that day distinctly resembles Republican Party demagoguery in service of the convicted felon now.

When courts failed and politicians caved, ordinary citizens stood up. We can (and must!) do it again!

Here’s an excerpt about Ultra 2 from a Vanity Fair interview with Maddow:

Season two, the first episode of which is out today, tells another little-known story about the American ultraright, taking listeners back to the postwar 1950s, in which, as Maddow put it to me in an interview last week, “a bunch of totally crazy shit happens.” The story includes “an American fascist who ends up becoming a mole inside the war-crimes trials, working for the Nazis” and “becoming essentially the godfather of American Holocaust denial,” she explains. It also involves two senators—one perpetrating a Nazi propaganda hoax in the Senate, the other trying to stop them—who become mortal enemies. “By the end of it, one of them blackmails the other, and the guy who’s getting blackmailed kills himself, and the other one almost becomes president—and it’s not the good guy,” Maddow says.

I know Maddow isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and even though I believe Maddow is in the class of beings we don’t deserve — along with Dolly Parton and dogs — I get why that is. But maybe check Ultra out, even if you become impatient with Maddow’s “build a clock when asked the time” style on TV. Longer form is her metier!

Open thread!

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