Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

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

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

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

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

I really should read my own blog.

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

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

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

No one could have predicted…

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

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Fear and negativity are contagious, but so is courage!

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

You are here: Home / Archives for 2024

Archives for 2024

‘Clean the Slate’

by | 309 Comments

This post is in: 

JFC how broken does your brain need to be to say shit like this on the “liberal” TV network:

After convincing President Biden to pardon his son Hunter, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn is now calling for clemency for Donald Trump. “If we keep digging at things in the past, I’m not too sure the country will not lose its way,” Clyburn tells MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart.

Clyburn is one of Biden’s most trusted advisors in Congress. I sure as hell hope Biden isn’t listening to him on this one.

I couldn’t find much Democratic pushback to what Trump said on MTP yesterday, by the way.  I guess the leadership of the Democratic Party in DC (until recently, Clyburn was Assistant Democratic Leader in the House) is too busy trotting out nonsense like this.

‘Clean the Slate’Post + Comments (309)

Monday Morning Open Thread: President Biden, Still Doing His Job

by | 274 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Biden at tree lighting says his holiday wish is for US to continue to seek light, liberty and love

[image or embed]

— Associated Press ?? (@asssociatedpress.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 7:17 PM

229 judges confirmed under the Biden-Harris Administration… and counting!

— KamallaDreams (@kamalladreams.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 10:48 PM

BREAKING: President Biden will become the first President in American history to register job growth in every single month during his Presidency. This is huge.

— Democratic Wins Media (@democraticwins.bsky.social) December 7, 2024 at 3:47 PM

Biden adds to the nation's list of national monuments during his term. There's an appetite for more

[image or embed]

— Associated Press ?? (@asssociatedpress.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 9:30 AM

Monday Morning Open Thread: President Biden, Still Doing His JobPost + Comments (274)

On The Road – Albatrossity – Day at the beach

by | 21 Comments

This post is in: ,

It’s Albatrossity Monday!

I would have picked the water photo (obviously) for the featured image in the fly-out, but one of the privileges of always being our Monday morning guy is that Albatrossity gets to choose the image he wants to be featured.  But you can’t expect the bird guy to choose the water photo, am I right?

Oh, and we have posts in the queue from Captain C and Uncle Eb, and a post from ema arrived today.  But that’s it!  So now would be a great time to send in some pics if you have been thinking about it.  And if you haven’t been thinking about it, maybe you can let the idea of submitting something rattle around in your head?

On The Road - Albatrossity - Day at the beach 10

Albatrossity

After the Friday evening birthday party for my daughter-in-law at a local brew pub, the next day was very relaxed. The birthday girl was treated to a spa day by her buddies, and the rest of us went to the beach. Montana de Oro is a wonderful state park along the coast south of Los Osos, and we headed there. Most of the pictures today are from that park.

On The Road – Albatrossity – Day at the beachPost + Comments (21)

On The Road - Albatrossity - Day at the beach 8
Montana de Oro State ParkSeptember 28, 2024

The Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) were abundant, and they were enjoying the abundant wildflowers. The yellow pollen on the bill of this young male attests to the fact that the flowers benefitted from their visits as well. Click here for larger image.

Medium Cool – Great Scenes!

by | 222 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in.  We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.

Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered.  We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.

I’ve been watching the series Cross on Netflix this past week as my “treadmill show” and there are a ton of great scenes, including one shocking scene in Episode 6 where I actually blurted out holy fucking fuck!   (I watched the last episode last night, and today started Slow Horses.)

But I think my favorite scene is where one of my favorite characters in Cross is sitting at a table in a bar or a restaurant, waiting for someone to join him, and some redneck rubberneckers at the bar are looking right at him.  He looks at them, and as friendly as any James Garner character, says “First time?”

The rednecks look perplexed, so he clarifies.  “Seeing a black person.”

They turn away.

Such a great little scene.  Couldn’t have lasted even 30 seconds, but so well done.

Then there’s this classic scene:

Any noteworthy scenes in films or shows that you can think of?  Long or short.

Note: for those new to Medium Cool, these are not open threads.

Medium Cool – Great Scenes!Post + Comments (222)

War for Ukraine Day 1,019: A Brief Sunday Night Update

by | 29 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , , ,

Four, quick housekeeping notes. First, I’m still feeling really rough, so I’m just going to run through the basics again.

Second, I DO NOT CARE if you think you’re being sarcastic or joking or using a word or phrase to point out the hypocrisy of those who use it regularly, if it is a slur I’m going to delete your comment and give you a time out. In this specific case, of a comment with this type of language that came in over night, I have just trashed it. I’ve pushed a screen shot to Cole and he’ll make the decision on a time out. Or not.

Third, if someone is pointing out another front page post on this site, whether it is highlighting it for me or for someone else in comments, don’t jump on them if it is not to their liking.

Fourth, and again, I do not read any other posts here. I don’t comment in any other posts here. I do not write, except under really unusual circumstances, any posts but these war updates.

There is still no new video of President Zelenskkyy – address, press conference, etc – again today.

Here’s the butcher’s bill from Russia’s genocidal attack on Ukraine last night/overnight:

⚡️28 drones intercepted, 46 lost in Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine, Air Force reports.

The drones targeted multiple oblasts, with debris from downed drones causing damage to residential buildings, the Air Force reported on Dec. 8.

[image or embed]

— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 8, 2024 at 5:07 AM

From The Kyiv Independent:

The Ukrainian military shot down 28 Russian drones but lost track of another 46 during a nighttime attack by Russian forces, the Air Force reported on Dec. 8.

The drones targeted multiple oblasts, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Russia launched a total of 74 drones at Ukraine, with the military successfully downing 28, the Air Force said in a Telegram post.

Forty-six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) went off the radar, and their exact trajectories remain unknown.

Authorities reported damage to residential buildings caused by falling debris from downed Shahed drones during the overnight attack.

The attack follows a steady increase in Russia’s use of Shahed-type kamikaze drones, marking the third consecutive month of intensified drone attacks on Ukraine.

Data from the Air Force shows a sharp rise in Russian drone activity, with 2,576 drones deployed in November, compared to 2,023 in October.

The Kremlin shows no signs of relenting in these nightly attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is also bolstering its drone capabilities. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Dec. 5 that over 30,000 DeepStrike attack drones will be delivered to the military in 2025.

These next-generation drones are designed for autonomous long-distance operations and precision targeting, marking a significant advancement in Ukraine’s defensive and offensive capabilities.

The President-elect has called for Putin to negotiate with President Zelenskyy and for the PRC to help. Here are the details from The Kyiv Independent.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take action toward negotiating a truce, saying on Dec. 8: “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”

Trump’s comments on his Truth Social platform followed his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris as world leaders gathered in the city for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.

Despite Trump’s call, the Kremlin has said that Russia is not prepared to pause the war in Ukraine, arguing that such a move would allow Kyiv to rearm and regroup. However, Russia has expressed readiness to negotiate on its own terms to end the conflict, insisting that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from four regions annexed by Russia in 2022, even though Moscow does not fully control them.

Meanwhile, the outgoing U.S. administration has continued to supply Ukraine with weapons, aiming to bolster Kyiv ahead of any potential ceasefire talks.

On Dec. 7, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced a new military aid package worth nearly $1 billion for Ukraine. The package won’t arrive in Ukraine immediately, instead, it will involve contracts with U.S. defense companies to manufacture new drones and air defense munitions.

Since February 2022, the U.S. has spearheaded a coalition of nations to supply Ukraine with weapons and equipment, and Austin emphasized that abandoning Kyiv would be a grave mistake.

Trump comments on Russia, Ukraine, Syria and Iran after meeting Zelensky in Paris. He says Russia abandoned Assad; Moscow and Tehran weakened. War must end: Kyiv wants to “make a deal”; Putin should “act.” He also shares casualty figures: 600k Russian troops; 400k Ukrainians.

[image or embed]

— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 5:57 AM

Zelensky after Trump meeting: “When we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first and foremost talk about effective guarantees for peace… Russia brought war to our land, and it is Russia that most seeks to disrupt the possibility of peace.” He adds: 43,000 troops killed, 370,000 wounded

[image or embed]

— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 8, 2024 at 6:03 AM

I don’t watch Meet the Press or any other Sunday show or any TV or cable news at all as they’re worthless and you shouldn’t waste yout rime with them. Anyhow, apparently the President-elect told his interviewer that Ukraine should, possibly, prepare for a reduction in aid:

⚡️Trump tells NBC News Ukraine should likely prepare for reduced US aid.

When asked whether Ukraine should prepare for reduced U.S. assistance, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump responded, “Possibly, sure.”

[image or embed]

— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 8, 2024 at 2:08 PM

The Kyiv Independent has the details:

The U.S. President-elect Donald Trump suggested in a Meet the Press interview aired on Dec. 8 that Ukraine could receive less aid under his presidency. When asked whether Ukraine should prepare for reduced U.S. assistance, Trump responded, “Possibly, sure.”

Trump reiterated that he is working to end the war in Ukraine, building on his previous campaign claim that he could resolve the war within 24 hours if he were in charge.

However, he confirmed that he has not spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin recently, adding, “I don’t want to say that because I don’t want to do anything that could impede the negotiations.”

Trump also wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier that President Volodymyr Zelensky “would like to make a deal” and “stop the madness” of the war in Ukraine, following their meeting in Paris on Dec. 7.

Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders convened for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The meeting, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, marked the first in-person discussion between the two since Trump’s election victory in November.

Trump also refrained from guaranteeing the U.S. would remain in NATO but emphasized that the U.S. would continue its membership if treated “fairly” in terms of contributions.

While this is disturbing, it’s also pretty clear he hasn’t thought about any of this stuff and he’s just reacting in the moment to the question about reductions in aid. As for the claim he hadn’t talked to Putin recently, I have no way of knowing if that’s true or not, but there has been reporting that he spoke to Putin at least seven times on an unencrypted commercial cell phone through to election day in November. I expect this is one of his reflexive tells, where the denials are actually admissions of the truth.

show full post on front page

War for Ukraine Day 1,019: A Brief Sunday Night UpdatePost + Comments (29)

Here’s the Lineup

by | 113 Comments

This post is in: 

I know I’m the guy who writes that expecting legacy media to do anything for Democrats is pointless, but is there any better example than this week’s Sunday shows?

ABC’s “This Week” — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of U.S. Central Command.   [Here’s the report on what Khanna said.  At least he got in a plug for Medicare for All before he said how much he loves DOGE.]

___

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — President-elect Donald Trump.  [Res Ipsa Loquitur]

___

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. [Transcript here.  Hosts went after Dingell and Durbin on the pardon.  Durbin says he’s keeping an open mind on Kash Patel and Pam Bondi but wants to see the FBI investigation.]

__

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Reps. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Frank McCourt, founder and CEO of McCourt Global.  [Kelly/Crow dialog was all about the hearings on the Secret Service’s failures in protection of Trump.]

___

“Fox News Sunday” — Reps. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass.; former national security adviser H.R. McMaster.   [I scanned the video and it was mainly Mills and Moulton agreeing on how to better spend our defense budget.  And also how cutting the national debt has bipartisan support.]

Basically, when a Democrat gets on these shows, it’s either a pick-me like Khanna or Moulton (someone wiling to shit on Democrats to get attention) or a warhorse like Durbin who’s been on the shows a zillion times in the past.  The questioning is centered around the Republican message of the day, and time allotted to Republicans is more than Democrats.

So when I say that we need a different way to get our message out, this is a textbook case of why.

Here’s the LineupPost + Comments (113)