Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

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

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

They don’t have outfits that big. nor codpieces that small.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

I would gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Tuesday Night Open Thread

Reader Interactions

150Comments

  2. 2.

    J. Arthur Crank

    I agree about the front pagers here.  Lots of good content to read.

    We have had some cold nights in the San Diego area with lows near 40 F.  I am about 5 miles inland, and the temperatures are even lower the further east you go (the elevation increases to the east).  Santa Ana conditions out east, but so far no huge wildfires.

  8. 8.

    RevRick

    This afternoon I led our PNEC UCC Conference Racial Justice Team meeting in planning for our annual meeting and this evening I led a Zoom book discussion for the Racial Justice Team of Cole Arthur Riley’s This Here Flesh, a book I’d highly recommend.
    There were a lot of RW butthurt reactions over on X to the Episcopal Bishop’s sermon yesterday that got under Felon47’s skin.
    Mainline churches still have some bite in them.

  10. 10.

    cain

    I avoided balloon-juice and the news in general yesterday. I enjoyed the tranquility of the ocean.
    We are going to be seeing a lot of shit. The shit that’s going to get to me is not Republicans and Trump doing whatever they are doing. It’s the obsequiousness of Dems reaching out to try to find common ground.

    They better watch their shit because I think we’re headed towards splitting the Democratic party. I don’t think Jews are going to feel safe in a party that is going to knuckle their forehead to Trump and his nazi saluting assholes.

  11. 11.

    Old School

    An unnamed spokesperson (they sent the email from a general account) for Fetterman says:"John had absolutely zero clue who he was. He took several dozens of photos with people today alone."— Tom Dreisbach (@TomDreisbach) January 21, 2025

  14. 14.

    frosty

    That fucker Fetterman. I gave his campaign more money than any others. I knocked doors for him in two different counties. I was proud of him.

    The double-thumbs up Trump style was the last straw. I don’t give a shit whether he knew who the guy was or not, that gesture is a deal breaker. Fuck him.

  15. 15.

    RoseWeiss

    Regarding Wikimedia, I’ve made an annual donation to them for years. I consult Wikipedia almost every day, so it’s only fair to support them in my small way.

  17. 17.

    Nukular Biskits

    Just a fly by … long day, still on travel, monitoring the Southern Snowmaggedon from San Diego (7 inches at my son’s house about twenty miles north of Pascagoula around noon today).

    Also give to your local, independent news/journalist source.  Here in MS, that would be the MS Free Press and MS Today.

    Ditto for other organizations we’re desperately gonna need, like ACLU and Planned Parenthood.

  18. 18.

    John Cole

    Fetterman had no idea who the dude was and neither would any of you. And no, he is not switching parties. He’s got flaws but let’s stick to the real ones.

  19. 19.

    ArchTeryx

    @comrade scotts agenda of rage: And people were on my case about Fetterman being a crypto-Republican. He manages to be even worse than Kyrsten Sinema and that’s saying something. At this point, the party needs to just plain eject him. Posing with insurrectionists is a bridge too far. Let him get primaried and lose to a fascist Republican. Can’t be any worse than what he’s doing now.

  20. 20.

    beef

    Reddit’s front page is currently filled with discussions from various subreddits about whether to ban Twitter links. It started with UK football club forums, as far as I can tell, and spread from there to other sports fan subreddits, to r/NewJersey, r/D&D, r/MarvelSnap, r/NewYorkYankees, and so on.

    It’s a good idea. It’s heartening to see so many normal people saying “No, we’re not sharing space with you. We’re not giving you cover.” Easy to join too. Don’t click. Nothing said there is that important.

  21. 21.

    Shalimar

    Fetterman has been thinking about his next election for awhile now, moving towards Republicans on issues he doesn’t care about to increase his chances in 2026.  I hope it’s a bad strategy because the Republican brand is in the shitter by then, but I’m not the one with my job on the line.  And he isn’t a Manchin or Sinema yet.  This congress hasn’t had any meaningful votes.

  22. 22.

    smike

    @beef: ​
      I’m glad to hear of the dissent. It may not be just democrats because it seems almost – oh, what’s the word? Organized?

  24. 24.

    prostratedragon

    @RevRick:

    Here’s a video of the sermon. I hope a transcript appears soon, as it has quite a bit more meat than the headline remarks about justice toward LGBTQ people. Seemed to me that the squirming started in earnest just past the 5-minute mark, when Rt. Rev. Budde described the “culture of contempt” that has come to afflict our society.

  25. 25.

    Divadias

    I tried to put a positive spin on my life also on Jan. 20, by setting up more monthly donations to institutions I trust.  Wiki is at the top of my list. Like you said John, it’s not a lot but it all adds up.

  26. 26.

    YY_Sima Qian

    When I read on X & BlueSky that the ADL came out excusing Elon Musk’s Nazi salute as “awkward gesture”, I had to check to make sure it wasn’t Russia agitprop.

    Then again, the ADL’s purpose these days appears to be legitimizing & normalizing far right/Fascistic Israeli policies in the WB (apartheid) & Gaza (genocidal) in the minds of US politicians & general public, punching down at Palestinians, rather than punching up at the anti-Semites & racists in power.

  31. 31.

    Rusty

    It’s a good moment to thank all the front pagers for their hard and thoughtful work here.  I’ve been thinking about why I have been spending much less time at LGM in the last year, and it comes down to the attitude of the front pagers. There are more assholes that comment over there, but that reflects that a number of the front pagers are assholes too (that does not include Cheryl Rofer by the way).  Their politics may be generally good, but they lack kindness and lash out.  The front pagers here all have at least some innate kindness, some of them a lot of kindness.  It makes a real difference in the overall tone.  I’m just really burnt out on nastiness.  Yes, the comments here have at times been mean, and sadly some people have because of it, but over time we seem to return to a mean that is more healthy.  That’s because of the front pagers.  So thank you to the front pagers for continuing to care.

  33. 33.

    ColoradoGuy

    I too want to thank the front-pagers for their patience and insights. It is easy to forget we are in the midst of a decade-long World War III carried out with exquisitely sensitive and advanced methods of psychological coercion. People who are compassionate, kind, and seeking understanding are under relentless attack by an army of trolls, both domestic and foreign. This affects all of us, and this psychological attack is skillfully designed to confuse, frighten, and depress all people of conscience.

    Which is why I want to thank the front pagers. It takes strength to stay sane and stable under these conditions.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    No contrarian comments so far? Fine, I’ll do it. The front pagers really need to step up their game.

  36. 36.

    sab

    OT : Negative 9 degrees farenheit here. Yesterday we saw a bunch ( 5) deer trouping from our neighborhoods to our metropark. I hope they don’t starve. Around here deer don’t normally troupe.

    Meanwhile, OT, my satby rescue girl (Echo the very shy one)  is sitting/sleeping on my lap in the dark while I read Balloon Juice.

    ETA Nothing going on here, so I am going back to my Dorothy Dunnett novels. Nicholas!

  37. 37.

    TBone

    I have tumbled deep into the well of darkness brought on by a confluence of real life events beyond my control and am feeling the helplessness very acutely today.  I also too had a dream I was peeing and woke up in a wet bed.

    Fuck this day.  I need a drink.

    Somebody please make a joke about TMI.

  39. 39.

    sab

    @TBone: How is your kitty?

    I took my light of my life kitty to the pet hospital during early Covid. We sat in the parking lot while they took him away. He was hyperthyroid and he was a very bad boy about his pills. Master at hiding not swallowing them. Killed himself with his sneakiness.

    I hoped they could rehydrate him. Instead they reported massive organ failure. He was sick and ready to die and did die, but I desperately miss him.

    I still do.

  41. 41.

    p.a.

    Local weather covering the deep south snow event said 10 inches of snow in New Orleans.  A mistake?!?!  Holy crapshow if true.  Most other Gulf of Mexico coastal areas show 1″-3″.

    I remember an old Alton Brown/Food Network show about 1/2″ of snow in Atlanta that he turned into a spoof of Blair Which Project as the cast is trapped into a home scrounging food in a horrified effort to survive.

    Hope everyone stays safe.

  43. 43.

    TBone

    @sab: that pretty much describes how I feel about my beloved.  He’s gone but not gone.  I’m feeling very guilty for taking him in to the vet at all in the first place because maybe if I had waited and they hadn’t injected him he would have avoided the adverse reaction but my adult self knows it’s silly to blame myself so I have an internal struggle going on and I’m losing.

    He was always in bed each morning to greet my awakening.  He’s not here and I might die of missing him today.

    ETA my manners came back suddenly.  I fucking hate that that happened to you.

  44. 44.

    p.a.

    @sab: Sorry for your loss.  My GF has two older pets, a rescue boxer male & a female tuxedo, both sweethearts, and I know we’ll not be dealing with their loss well.  She also has a female African Grey that will outlive us and is an a$$#ole…

  45. 45.

    sab

    @p.a.: I have a BIL in Baton Rouge. We in Ohio always call him and laugh at his heat in July and August, and he always calls us in January and laughs at our cold and snow.

    Not happening this year. He laughs at their drivers but I doubt even he could drive through what they have. He agrees. Hunkered down like hurricane.

  49. 49.

    Raflw

    @Quinerly: I won’t make any excuses for him, but one does wonder how much of this could be his TBI causing personality changes.

    I do not mean this as some sort of ableist slam on him. His recovery is significant and I’m genuinely glad he’s shown that people who survive serious strokes can win office and serve.

    But there’s also evidence that people can experience longer term changes in emotional regulation as well as othe personality traits.

    That’s on top of what happens to people generally when they reach a level like Senator. Look at the now ex-Sen. Sinema. Her politics changed for the worse w/o a TBI.

    And Mayor Adams seems all but destined to be a Republican by the 2028 convention.

  50. 50.

    TBone

    @Baud: THANK YOU

    I am spitting hissing mad and need a productive outlet for this rage before I go to the animal hospital today.

  54. 54.

    Raflw

    @p.a.: My brother and SIL live next to a hill (technically a ravine) in Houston. Yesterday they shared lots of photos of kids sledding. Kind of a treat for those young’uns!

    Bro and wife actually really like winter, too, so they had fun watching, and walking the neighborhood. A few folks who hung onto Xmas lights had ’em blazing, too.

  57. 57.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Baud: it’s a great opportunity for snow sculptures/ protest art.

    Hockey on the streets sounds fun. We used to ski the park when we hit enough snow. It’s not that often, even in Denver.

  60. 60.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Raflw: Truth is, when I lived out in the cornfields of northern Illinois, I did not mind winter and snow nearly as much as I do now, living in the suburbs (spit) and dealing with the drivers who should not be allowed to drive.

    I do love snow, when I can enjoy it like your bro and wife are doing. Glad the kids got to enjoy it

  62. 62.

    sab

    @TBone: It happened to me a long time ago. Five years. Time flies during a pandemic.

    I have moved on but I don’t think our cat troupe have.

    StarScream was our morality. He was always cheerful and friendly to the other cats. They loved him. But he was always a enforcer, a big cat with opinions. He stopped every spat. He just strolled in and looked down at them with his ears forward but his tail twitching, and they backed down.

  64. 64.

    sab

    @TBone: It happened to me a long time ago. Five years. Time flies during a pandemic.

    I have moved on but I don’t think our cat troupe have.

    StarScream was our morality. He was always cheerful and friendly to the other cats. They loved him. But he was always a enforcer, a big cat with opinions. He stopped every spat. He just strolled in and looked down at them with his ears forward  and they backed down.

    I miss him so much.

    ETA I think Echo and Solly miss their human mom as much as I miss StarScream.

  65. 65.

    sab

    @Baud: I trust you, but I do not believe they have hockey skates in Louisiana, nor would they know how to skate if they had them.

  66. 66.

    TBone

    @sab: Noah was given his name in a non-joking Bible reference because he saved me from continuing a life awash in crime and drugs hahaha that part IS half a joke.  He and his sister Katrina (storm reference, and she is still my tiny tornado, high strung where Noah is docile) are polar opposites and I knew I had to survive the pain of Lyme, then long Covid, because I needed to live for them.  They gave me the will to fight when I wanted to give up and swallow the entire prescription bottle of opioids and lay down to go to sleep.  More than once.

  67. 67.

    MagdaInBlack

    @TBone: Funny you should mention Mexico: I am the only white woman in my shop/office. Yesterday I asked if I could live on my SS check in Mexico and after some discussion they believed I could so long as I live where they are from. Boss’s family has a rancho somewhere in the state of Durango. and he says I am more than welcome to pitch a tent.

    ( office staff of 2 young women call me their cool Tia who tells it like it is )

  69. 69.

    Geminid

    Some good Syria news from Ankara-based Clash Report:

       Syria’s Tartous Port Authority cancels its contract with a Russian company, reclaiming all revenues for Syria.

    Workers will return to local authority.

    Syria’s Tartous port had been leased to Russia for a duration of 49 years by Assad regime.

    This is probably related:

       Russian cargo ship SPARTA III has entered Syria’s Tartous Port, home to a Russian naval base, after being anchored [offshore] for 8 days due to new Syrian zuthorities denying entry.

    Russia will use this ship to evacuate military equipment and arms from Syria.

    But some bad news from Iraq:

       Iraq officially legalizes marriage for 9 year old girls under law passed.

    Iraq’s new law allows clerics to follow interpretations permitting marriage of girls ss young as 9.         –source AP

    This is the law Iraqi Kurdish Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani spoke out against in an Al Arabiya interview a couple months ago.

  72. 72.

    TBone

    @sab: great huge grief is evidence of great huge love like Professor Bigfoot reminded me yesterday.  Your heart must be gigantic.

  75. 75.

    sab

    @TBone: Every cat who comes into our house does not know they need to beat StarScream in my affections, and probably none of them ever will. Love them all but none of them are him.

  82. 82.

    kalakal

    @TBone: So sorry for your lost  I’ve always felt guilty as well( I’ve lived with cats for over 50 years). In the end you’re showing your love by taking away the pain. You did everthing you could for him. It always hurts but with time what I remember most is the love and joy, not  the end. May it be the same for you

  84. 84.

    TBone

    @kalakal: thank you.  We’re facing off with what comes next today and I’m in my battle gear.  Fully armored and ready to do the adulting as hard as I can.

  85. 85.

    Princess

    @Quinerly: Thumbs up? The Trump sign? Bullshit. He knew. If he’s running around letting a zillion people photograph him on Trump’s Inauguration Day in DC, he knows they’re all Trumpers.

  90. 90.

    Barry

    @YY_Sima Qian: “Then again, the ADL’s purpose these days appears to be legitimizing & normalizing far right/Fascistic Israeli policies in the WB (apartheid) & Gaza (genocidal) in the minds of US politicians & general public, punching down at Palestinians, rather than punching up at the anti-Semites & racists in power.”

    They are members of FascIntern, pure and simple.

  91. 91.

    BellyCat

    @cain: They better watch their shit because I think we’re headed towards splitting the Democratic party

    Been thinking same. Might be the next evolutionary step for democracy to survive but DAMN it will be disruptive and touch and go for a while if this happens.

  93. 93.

    different-church-lady

    [Musk appears on TV with a swastika arm band]

    MEDIA: “Awkward choice of wardrobe from Musk raises questions about autism”

  95. 95.

    different-church-lady

    “I’m skeptical it was on purpose,” said Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which tracks online hate. “It would be an act of self-sabotage that wouldn’t really make much sense at all.”

    They really are incapable of processing what’s happening. Of course it doesn’t make sense to you because you still think most everyone would see Nazi behavior as repulsive, and that’s no longer true. They’re not at all keeping up with what’s happening to our society. Just raw denial.

  96. 96.

    Ohio Mom

    @cain: Oh, there are Jewish Republicans (much to my dismay). The Orthodox are a solid Republican block, they vote religiously (sorry/not sorry about that). Here in Cincinnati, a lot of the leadership of the Jewish organizations are Republican. They will feel a twinge of discomfit about Musk’s salutes but they won’t budge.

    Still, Jews belonging to the Reform movement and other, smaller Liberal Jewish movements, as well as unaffiliated Jews (about half of us in the U.S.), are solid, reliable Democratic voters. And we are the majority.

  97. 97.

    different-church-lady

    “When you’re a public figure at the highest echelons of power on Inauguration Day, doing a salute like that is extraordinarily disturbing and it calls for an explanation from Musk,” he said.

    NARRATOR: “Nobody called for an explanation from Musk.”

  98. 98.

    p.a.

    Local bird deaths apparently from H5N1.

     

     

     

    The Audubon Society recommends monitoring bird feeders for avian flu and removing them if local, state, or federal wildlife agencies recommend it. 

    What to do

    • Monitor birds: Watch birds in your yard and at bird feeders from a safe distance 
    • Check with local agencies: See if your local, state, or federal wildlife agencies recommend taking down bird feeders 
    • Remove feeders if recommended: If a local agency recommends removing feeders, take them down 
    • Clean feeders regularly: Clean feeders with a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach to remove bacteria and mold 
    • Wash your hands: Wash your hands after cleaning bird feeders 

    Why to monitor bird feeders

    • Uncertainty exists about which birds can transmit the avian flu virus 
    • Removing feeders can help reduce the spread of bird illnesses 
  100. 100.

    p.a.

    @different-church-lady: They really are incapable of processing what’s happening.

     

     

    Tangential, but given the apparent (lack of) intelligence displayed by the electorate, Democrats decrying oligarchy should maybe find an easier-to-understand word/phrase.  I’m sure “oligarchy” has a vaguely negative connotation for most, but if we’re losing among the no-college voter, maybe dumb it down.

    Thesaurus: clique, mob, conspiracy, cabal, Mafia…

  106. 106.

    p.a.

    @Princess: Netanyahu/Likud/etc kissing ass w tRump after his Charlottesville Nazi rally comments showed exactly where he stood & what he stood for, if more evidence was needed.

  109. 109.

    BellyCat

    @Gloria DryGarden: Was it you that asked about nicotine lozenges vs. patches a few days ago (or Glory B)?  As I understand it, the patches are really only for those already addicted to nicotine and lots of reports of skin discomfort. The lozenges permit control over frequency of use. If one were tempted to try it, and I would be cautious to try it as nicotine is HIGHLY addictive, at first, one would almost certainly experience some nausea and light-headedness. That passes pretty quickly as your body adjusts to it while balancing euphoria (sort of like drinking for the first time).

  110. 110.

    Geminid

     

     

    @p.a.: Please correct me if I’m wrong, but you seem to be saying that the Prime Minister of Israel represents Modern Orthodox American Jews. I’m not sure you thought this one through.

  111. 111.

    Ohio Mom

    @Princess: That’s true. Modern Orthodox are outliers though and they are a small group.

    If you live in a metrolitan area like D.C. or New York where there are a good sized communities of them, you will be mislead into thinking there are more of them than they are.

    Once you leave the East Coast, most modern Orthodox end up assimilating into Conservative Judaism. A group that tends well, more conservative.

  113. 113.

    BellyCat

    @TBone:  Get thee to a Humane Society and walk out guilt-free with a couple boxes of love. My belief and excuse for doing same the week after my beloved LavaCat crossed the rainbow bridge is that he would be PISSED if I was allowed to run my life as I pleased without feline supervision.

  115. 115.

    TBone

    @BellyCat: his sister is still here and I can’t do that to her right away and also there is still a slim chance they will pull him through giving care I am incapable of here at home (he’s getting intravenous meds & hydration and there is talk of a feeding tube).

  116. 116.

    zhena gogolia

    @prostratedragon: That is one of the most fantastic videos I have ever seen. The faces of those evil people. Only Usha managed some decorum. Tiffany is INCREDIBLE.

    How dare she confront them with the words of Jesus of Nazareth!

  118. 118.

    TBone

    @zhena gogolia: also before that a guy sang Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

    I had to do it: my favorite cover (k d. lang)

    m.youtube.com/watch?v=P_NpxTWbovE

    I went swimming in a rooftop pool at the Four Seasons Hotel in Munich one time.  Overlooking the city lights under a glass canopy. In the moonlight.

    The rest of the time, we stayed in zimmerfreis.

  119. 119.

    BellyCat

    @TBone: Gotcha. You’re off the hook then, as you clearly DO have some degree of feline supervision. Whether it is an adequate amount of supervision for your degree of trouble-making remains TBD!

  123. 123.

    BellyCat

    @TBone:  Hilarious. I saw and LOVED the “Hillary guffaw” part but did not know about the Bill shushing part.  Just one more example of how Hills woulda been HELLA BETTER than President Depends-On-How-You-Define-A-Blowjob.

    She has no poker face whereas, his is still too good.

  125. 125.

    Scout211

    Ronny Chieng’s opening segment on The Daily Show last night was really good.  It was a sarcastic take on Trump’s first day.  If you have 11 minutes, it’s worth your time.  I think it may be the only way I will be able to watch the news in the next few months.

  126. 126.

    TBone

    @BellyCat: I can never be adequately supervised!  I climbed a chain link fence dressed in nothing but a diaper at 18 months old and they found me several blocks away barefoot and knocking on a neighbor’s door.  I had just been released from a chest-to-knees orthopedic brace because hip socket too large for ball joint on femur. The brace had me in a sitting position too long!  It’s been downhill ever since!

  129. 129.

    Quinerly

    Well aware that we are “to pick our battles.” With that said, I am enjoying the international fall out over Musk and his salute.
    “Berlin judge, Kai-Uwe Herbst, told the Berliner Zeitung that a deliberate diagonal right arm thrust in the air is sufficient evidence on which to bring a charge against someone under German law.
    But he added it would also be necessary to prove malicious intent, and that the individual concerned knew that this was a Hitler salute.”
    theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/21/the-gesture-speaks-for-itself-germans-divided-over-musks-appa…

  130. 130.

    BellyCat

    @TBone: Lest you start to feel TOO special, my GF told me that as a toddler, the day after getting out of both a leg and arm cast, both of which she broke for reasons I can’t recall, she thought it would be a good idea to take her rocking horse out for a spin. Naturally, she rode it DOWN THE STAIRS and broke her nose! (confirmed by her mother)

    My nickname for her, which she has taken to with aplomb, is Tigger. One of her favorite gifts from me are vintage Tigger earrings from the ‘50’s. ADHD is a HELLUVA drug! :-)

  131. 131.

    glory b

    @BellyCat: Trust me, democracy WILL NOT evolve through something like this.

    I’ve listened to the podcast “If Books Could Kill” most recent episode, a revisitation of the book “What’s The Matter With Kansas.”

    They cite LOTS of polls, papers, etc, during each of their episodes. There is an opinion that a probably-durable, post Civil Rights White Identity is growing. It will likelky be more successful than we think, because they seem more willing to put aside differences to pull in the same direction, while Dems are finding it harder to keep together a fractious coalition.

    someone asked if anyone has noticed that iy’s only Dems and our coalition members being exhorted NOT to vote, and how has that worked out for us?

    Another interesting point made by a cited academic in the podcast: most Americans (who have historically known very little about actual policies) chose a party and gradually align their beliefs with the party’s, not the other way around.

  133. 133.

    Quinerly

    I like “Popular Information” and Judd Legum. Really the first I have read this much about the new Trump Tower (with Kushner’s investment fund) in Serbia. Maybe I’m just behind on catching this in other news sources.

    “The development will be known as Trump Tower Belgrade and will be built on a former military site leased to Affinity Partners by the Serbian government. The complex will have 175 hotel rooms and sell 1,500 residences.
    In October 2024, well before Trump Belgrade was announced, Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote to former Attorney General Merrick Garland and urged him to investigate Kushner’s ‘apparent ongoing efforts to sell political influence to the highest foreign bidder.’

  134. 134.

    Another Scott

    Amanda Marcotte’s latest at Salon:

    A huge part of the peekaboo troll is provoking extensive arguments, by preying on the often misplaced faith among progressives in the power of reason and evidence. These go-nowhere debates exhaust progressive energies and make it easier for the right to paint the left as “shrill.” As counterintuitive as it may seem, this “whatever dude” response can make it easier for people, especially fence-sitters, to be open to reason. Instead of feeling brow-beaten, they are invited to trust what their own eyes and ears are telling them. That’s a more inviting approach to persuading people to look at evidence.

    By not wasting too much energy doing a frame-by-frame analysis to determine if something meets an exacting definition of a “Nazi” salute, progressives and smart journalists have learned to spend time on what really matters: the context and impacts.

    +1

    When trolls decide what we talk about, and what takes all our head-space, we have less time and energy to combat their policies and actions.

    Sleight of hand is a distraction. That’s the whole point.

    Hang in there, everyone.

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  136. 136.

    TBone

    The Great Kate is on TCM today in a movie I haven’t seen yet!

    I am CHUFFED.  Grateful for the escapism on offer today.

    en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Woman_Rebels

    Also too my favorite vet on Noah’s team has called and we’re continuing the fight for his life.  They have been syringe feeding and will do feeding tube if they have to.  This is the whip smart lady vet who makes me laugh when she can.

  137. 137.

    TBone

    @TBone: can’t shower till the laundry is finished with the hot water. Hurry up washing machine!

    I’m on my way to hold you Noah!

  138. 138.

    Quinerly

    Agree with the commenter here on one of the threads who hates “Axios” formatting. But it is the outlet crossing my news feed on this:

    “Trump vacillated during an internal debate over targeted clemency vs. a blanket decision according to two insiders.

    But as Trump’s team wrestled with the issue, and planned a shock-and-awe batch of executive orders Day 1, ‘Trump just said: ‘F -k it: Release ’em all,” an adviser familiar with the discussions said.”

    axios.com/2025/01/22/trump-pardons-jan6-clemency

  141. 141.

    BellyCat

    @glory b: Agree in part. Unsure in part.

    Parties do shape people. The concern is how people are being shaped. One party has refused compromise for decades and their spine is inflexible. The other party, ours, has proceeded with a respect for norms and compromise that once existed but does no longer. If our party does not more productively adapt to the new norm of “no norms, no compromise”  then the frog boils in the water. Change is required to move our goals forward. What that change can, will, or should be is ripe for speculation.

  144. 144.

    Quinerly

    @Baud:

    Hey…guess you are active on BlueSky. I have mentioned that I am not.

    Are you following any of the heads of produce and citrus unions in CA/FL? If you are, are any of them “tweeting” about workers not showing up because of impending ICE raids?

  148. 148.

    Manyakitty

    @sab: Asimov still misses Heisenberg (as do I. I wake up crying about it). Cygnus is adorable and fun, but not the cuddly old man Asimov relied on.

    Anyone who tells you animals don’t grieve never paid attention.

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