Republicans are determined to shut down the government and crash the economy.
We will not be party to their toxic scheme.— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social) March 9, 2025 at 9:51 AM
The Hill reports that “Dozens of major conservative activist leaders and organizers are urging conservatives in Congress to support a clean continuing resolution (CR) to avert a government shutdown in a memo organized by the Conservative Action Project”, which is a pretty good indicator Rep. Jeffries and his fellows are correct that it’s a very bad offer.
Per the Washington Post, house news for the town whose monopoly industry is politics, “Republicans unveil another extension to try to avert government shutdown” [gift link]:
With less than a week to go before a March 14 shutdown deadline, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) are pushing a bill that would extend current funding levels until the end of the fiscal year in late September.
The measure unveiled Saturday, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, would stave off a politically costly shutdown if it passes.
But it would also mean that Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, would largely keep funding set by President Joe Biden last year, rather than allow the appropriations committees to set new spending levels — hardly the win they were hoping for.
It is also not guaranteed to pass the narrowly divided House, where Republicans have a 218-214 majority and have had to rely on Democrats to pass previous funding measures to keep the government open. As it is, House Republicans can afford to lose only a single vote if all lawmakers are present. [see below]
The House Republican plan trims spending from the 2024 fiscal year by $13 billion in nondefense spending. It would increase funding for veteran health care and defense in an attempt to assuage defense hawks. And it includes more flexibility for the White House to direct funding, according to House GOP leadership aides, including a request by the administration for more money to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
The bill does not include disaster relief for fires in California earlier this year or funds that legislators take back to their districts for community projects. It also does not raise the debt limit, which Congress must address in the coming months.
By bypassing the yearly appropriations process, Congress would cede some of its power to dictate how money is spent — which is exercised through that process with more specificity — and give the Trump administration more leeway over federal spending. Democrats argue that a continuing resolution would make it easier for Elon Musk, who oversees the U.S. DOGE Service, to drastically slash the size of government because it continues current funding levels without as much specificity about how the money should be spent…
As a possible government shutdown looms this week, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) says he hasn't decided his vote on a continuing resolution to avoid the shutdown, and Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) says "right now, I'm a no," because "there's been no outreach on a bipartisan basis." pic.twitter.com/I6IFOxRJzp
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 9, 2025
.@AOC: "They're saying cut $880 billion from the Energy & Commerce Committee. I sit on that committee. Almost the entire budget that Energy & Commerce explores is Medicaid and Medicare. There is no way that they can make their math square without enormous and devastating cuts to… pic.twitter.com/nuzwmYfY6F
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 8, 2025
House Republicans just published the text of their continuing resolution. 99 pages.
docs.house.gov/meetings/RU/…— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur.bsky.social) March 8, 2025 at 1:08 PM
If it were that easy / generous, the Oval Office Occupant wouldn’t be sending out ‘PLEASE‘ plaints already. SAD!:
I held this post up to the light.
— Ivan the K ™?? (@ivanthek.bsky.social) March 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
When I think of budding dictators about to institute thousand year reichs, I think of a man who has to ask his own party to pretty pretty please not shut down the government and humiliate themselves.
— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 9, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Hate to get into an Appropriations nomenclature argument, but straight up, the Republican "continuing resolution" is not a "continuing resolution."
This looks a lot more like a partisan omnibus.https://t.co/xhzYjZE0L4
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) March 8, 2025
GOP funding patch boosts defense and deportations, cuts other programs…
It's doubtful that Democrats would support this Continuing Resolution (CR)…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-funding-patch-boosts-defense-172021485.html— Fighting Liberal Texas Dem🌈🌊💙🦋Congress Switchboard 202-224-3121 (@fightingliberal.bsky.social) March 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
TELL THE TRUTH.
The Republicans’ proposed continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown has a bunch of poison pills.
Example:
It zeroes out the Toxic Exposures Fund to care for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
Heartless MONSTERS who HATE our vets.— Nick Knudsen (@nickknudsenus.bsky.social) March 8, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Punchbowl‘s Jake Sherman is very much in favor, which IMO is a clear indicator that it’s bad for Democrats and for the country…
A “clean continuing resolution” is an unchanged continuation of previous spending levels. Republicans are increasing spending on things they like (defense) and cutting it on things they don’t, while Trump is refuses to abide by enacted funding levels. None of that is a clean CR
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) March 8, 2025
My beloved senior Senator has a counter-offer: Four weeks. If you can’t get your sh*t together in a month…
“We need a short-term continuing resolution, maybe four weeks, in order to finish the budgeting process and get that done,” Warren told Semafor’s @burgessev.bsky.social.
— Semafor (@semafor.com) March 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Remember ‘they can only afford to lose one Republican vote’? GOP Rep. ‘Sand in Every Gear’ Massie has already put down his marker:
I’m not voting for the Continuing Resolution budget (cut-copy-paste omnibus) this week. Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found?
We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight.
Here we are in March, punting again!
WTFO
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) March 10, 2025
On The Road – Albatrossity – Fall back
satby
Same shit show, different day.
Suzanne
I remember a commenter here telling me I was ashamed for voting for Elizabeth Warren. Nope. Nope then, and still nope. Big fucken nope.
TBone
Continues:
https://bsky.app/profile/ariellaelm.bsky.social/post/3ljykqijnts2i
Betty Cracker
Got to take our Pete to the vet this morning for his annual checkup, booster shots and fat-shaming. I wish I’d remembered it was DST when I made his 8 AM appointment. He’s the biggest pain in the ass when we go to the vet — resists getting into the car, squirms like an electrified ferret when carried into the office, refuses to get on the scale, tries to jump off the examination table, etc. Now not only do we have all that to look forward to, Pete and I, we’ll begin our hellish journey in the dark and in the rain.
satby
Kevin Drum has gone silent on his blog again. Last health update wasn’t good. Sending best wishes to him and his wife.
TBone
New Canadian PM Carney resume (in second skeet):
https://bsky.app/profile/wutangforchildren.bsky.social/post/3ljyclndhi22i
Reply:
satby
@Betty Cracker: drive safe.
TBone
@Betty Cracker: sending best hopes for the least discomfitting experience for all concerned!
Suzanne
@Betty Cracker: Make sure you tell Pete how beautiful he is.
Betty Cracker
I’ve actually thought about using one of my “green bag” grocery totes to cart Pete back and forth to the vet’s. I’d cut four holes in the bottom for his legs, cut a hole in the side for his head and just schlep the little prick around like a sack of potatoes. But I know it wouldn’t work. He’d spin around inside the sack and end up with his ass sticking out of the head hole and his nose protruding through a leg hole.
TBone
@Betty Cracker: maybe a tiny bit of sedation is in order (for Pete!)
I sure could use some today!
TBone
In addition to ICE renditioning Mahmoud Khalil yesterday, Dotard has defunded Columbia U. Plus this:
https://newrepublic.com/post/192503/donald-trump-executive-order-loan-forgiveness
https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-protests-antisemitism-palestine-israel-9c209ce040e4b60d2702b40b9c2fb321
BellyCat
@Betty Cracker: Nobody fat-shames better than a vet!
Jeffg166
Daily Krugman’s.
It was predictable that the co-presidency of Donald Trump and Elon Musk would eventually face a backlash. After all, Trump’s entire campaign was built on fantasy promises — like lowering grocery prices on day one of the Administration – that he had no way and no plans to honor. Moreover, the Administration’s actual policy agenda manages to be both deeply unpopular and economically destructive.
Even so, I admit that I am surprised at how quickly the backlash has developed. Republican members of Congress, rather than face angry denunciations by their constituents, have stopped holding town halls in their home districts. Tesla dealerships across the country are beset by protests, and in some cases vandalism. Fox News and the Wall Street Journal have both turned critical as the economy and the stock market rapidly deteriorate.
Notably, America’s oligarchs have been slow to wake up and smell the outrage. Until very recently most CEOs and large investors were bullish on Trump. But Trump’s dizzyingly erratic moves on tariffs may have finally delivered the message to the oligarch class that the Musk-Trump duo have no idea what they’re doing.
You can see this dawning revelation in stock prices. Let’s be clear: The stock market is not a good measure of how the economy is doing. It is, however, an indicator of the mood of people with a lot of money to invest. Now that reality has begun to set in, the market has given up all of the “Trump bump,” the stock gains that followed Trump’s election victory:
More at:
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-paranoid-style-in-maga-policy
I think this is free.
BellyCat
@Suzanne: Another voter for Perfesser Warren here. She’s amazing.
Jeffg166
Daily Krugman.
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-paranoid-style-in-maga-policy
Think this one is free.
Matt McIrvin
@TBone: We’re taking our cats to the vet today and they’re trying to get us to sedate Luna, our more… problematic one. But we cannot figure out any frickin’ way to get any kind of drug into her. She can seemingly sniff out trace quantities of anything mixed into any kind of treat and immediately refuses it. It’s difficult to even act nonchalant enough to keep her from sensing off vibes. And getting her to swallow a pill is asking for bloodshed–that’s the reason they’re trying to get us to sedate her in the first place.
It’s a problem. They may just need to give her the muzzle.
Princess
@Suzanne: Is there a better, more vocal, more steadfast Senator than Warren right now? I’ll never regret my support for her.
BellyCat
@TBone: Wild. Twenty years ago, the very first person to criticize Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in a conversation with me was a devout Jew. All points made were credible and deplorable.
They protested every weekend at their Temple, as well. That guy had stones.
TBone
@Matt McIrvin: oh dear. If you can’t get kitty into a carrier, my past experience with pills was a two-man operation. Wrap cat securely in big towel so it cannot struggle. One person holds the bundle while the other shoves pill down throat with one finger (cut fingernail very short first!). Gotta put finger with pill partway down throat, past cat’s spitting ability.
Good luck.
TBone
Mood music Wall of VooDoo
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw
Princess
@TBone: Nothing says “I hate antisemitism “ like moving to destroy Columbia, a university that is almost a quarter Jewish.
As for Khalil, I’m certain I have the profoundest disagreement with his views and methods, but this is a litmus test issue. The Nazis began with unpopular political prisoners. Once the populace accepted what was done to them, it was open season on anyone the Nazis disfavoured.
TBone
@BellyCat: upside down world is upside down. That’s my “deep thought” for today.
I’m (hopefully!) getting off of the net for long periods today in an effort to regain equilibrium. One can hope.
TBone
@Princess: 🎯
Suzanne
@Princess: @BellyCat: Yeah, she’s fantastic, and our Senate is dramatically improved by having her in it.
TBone
Robber barons bite my ass music
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KmFI4ykK64A
Jackie
I know this is a nuthin-burger – if Murphy was republican. In fact, he’d probably be applauded, but as one of our more vocal senators going after FFOTUS/Muskrat via the media, this is somehow gonna bite us. Sigh…
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
TBone
@Jackie: they just can’t keep it in their pants. Ferfukksake.
Why does impulse control always elude these people, nevermind I know why.
Matt McIrvin
@Princess: The First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech doesn’t say anything about citizenship status. Leveraging immigration regulations to punish political dissenters is tyranny. There seem to be a lot of people out there who believe that non-citizens have or should have no legal rights, and this is horrifying.
Professor Bigfoot
Once it’s agreed that non-citizens are not covered by the Bill of Rights, then it becomes an exercise in determining just who is actually a citizen.
I refer you to Dred Scott.
raven
@Betty Cracker: My ex and I had one cat in 20 years. We took Itty Bitty Kitty to the vet and she wanted to put him in a crate. I said “nah it’s ok”. He got his shots and she carried him outside and he bolted and we never found him.
Matt McIrvin
As for the budget CR, it seems like what DOGE is aiming for (as Josh Marshall pointed out) is to pare down the government to just the services that would operate during a shutdown, so why are Republicans afraid of a shutdown? Permanent shutdown is what they want.
kalakal
@TBone: The old joke in England was the Tories had sex scandals and Labour had financial ones. Labour voters didn’t care too much about someones sex life but got pissed off with grifting & vice versa.
No longer the case
Matt McIrvin
@Professor Bigfoot: Which is exactly where you get things like the attempt to nullify the 14th Amendment’s citizenship guarantee by executive order.
Draw the circle tighter, and legitimize atrocities done to anyone outside it.
Geminid .
@Princess: Mahmoud Khalil’s detainment got a lot attention on social media last night. That included the numerous anti-Gaza protester accounts. One of those posted a “greatest hits” compilation of Khalil speaking to reporters in his capacity as protest leader and (I think) spokesman.
I thought it was pretty tame stuff. By this standard, Homeland Security could likely detain dozens of others in Khalil’s situation. I won’t be surprised if they do because rightly and/or wrongly, this is a very unpopular group.
Professor Bigfoot
@Matt McIrvin: Nazis.
They’re fucking nazis, and they make no bones about it.
Nazi rhetoric: “Vermin!” “Poisoning the Blood of our Country!”
Nazi policies: “MASS DEPORTATION NOW”
Nazi threats of political violence: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by!”
They’re fucking nazis, and it’s frustrating as hell to see how little this recognized.
(Not NAZI, because that’s the acronym for actual members of the National Socialist German Workers Party, as our man Adam reminded me a long time back; but they ARE fucking nazis.)
satby
@Jackie: He’s separated. It is a nuthin burger and not paying attention to it is the answer. We’re our own worst enemies, always preemptively dumping our effective leaders because they might become targets.
prostratedragon
There is an ICE detainee location search page
:
Professor Bigfoot
@satby: I’d like to see us take up the description of UK’s Labour voters above– I don’t give a damn who they’re bumpin’ bellies with, it ain’t none o’ my bidness; but I absolutely DO care that they’re corrupt thieving sonsabitches, 100%– that IS my bidness, and all of ours.
NotMax
Mellow Monday music.
;)
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Massie is such a tool. At least he’s possibly doing our side a favor.
The only real waste and fraud is the (R) House.
satby
@Geminid .: He has a green card and a pregnant American citizen wife. After he was seized, his lawyers were not told where he was or given access to him. And his green card was supposedly cancelled, though that requires a hearing in front of an immigration court. He joins several tourists from Germany and the UK, also seized and being held for unknown reasons. They’re disappearing people and everyone should be raising a stink about it.
Professor Bigfoot
@NotMax: Hadn’t heard that in a hounds age; thank you.
satby
@Professor Bigfoot: exactly. We need to make MYOB great again (hat tip Ann Landers and her twin sister Dear Abby)
Cliosfanboy
@TBone:
We’re taking our Jazz to the vet this am, and we have to drug her up so much that she can’t stand up straight, and that’s for a nail trim. Whoever her first owner was (she’s a rescue), they sure did a number on her. But we love our “big weenie” and she’s worth it.
Cliosfanboy
@TBone:
And a knife-resistant glove that you use for cleaning fish is helpful as well!
NotMax
Bullsh*t framing.
More accurate as to whence budget bills originate: “would largely keep funding set by the Republican controlled House last year.”
TBone
Holy cow, Long Island is on fire!
(We too have fire warnings in our Hazardous Weather alerts for central PA today.)
Aussie Sheila
@Jackie:
Why the fuck would it? With whom? JFC!
After the absolute shitshow of your President being an adjudicated rapist, you are worried about what the ‘neighbours ’ will say about a relationship between consenting adults?
No wonder the Democrats can’t defend the defenceless. They can’t even defend Senators who haven’t done anything wrong except have a relationship with another adult after separating from their spouse.
Un fucking believable.
Geminid .
I was looking up this morning’s Politico Playbook for news a out this week’s budget battles and discovered they now have a New Jersey Playbook. It looks similar to their Illinois Playbook that’s been around a few years
There was Trenton political news as well as coverage of the Democratic governor primary. That included an article about Trenton Mayor Ras Barak. Barak is running in the primary for governor along with Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer plus a couple other hopefuls.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: they are indeed loud and proud nazis. Bullhorn loud for those who recognize fascism on the move.
TBone
@Aussie Sheila: it’s about much more than sex, please don’t yell at us. It’s the identity of the chosen new paramour. I don’t need to explain why it’s problematic.
TBone
@NotMax: good eye! Let us hold the Overton Window frame where it should be.
TBone
@Cliosfanboy: yes!
TBone
@satby: but where’s his inner monologue before acting on the impulse – the one that says “I should not give the opposition any free ammo!”?
Ohio Mom
I was scratching my head, wondering what Medicaid has to do with energy and commerce, so I went to google and what a hodgepodge this committee oversees.
“Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest continuous standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was originally established in 1795 to regulate interstate and foreign commerce.
Today, the Committee has the broadest jurisdiction of any authorizing committee in Congress. It legislates on a wide variety of issues, including:
health care, including mental health and substance abuse
health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid
biomedical research and development
food, drug, device and cosmetic safety
environmental protection
clean air and climate change
safe drinking water
toxic chemicals and hazardous waste
national energy policy
renewable energy and conservation
nuclear facilities
electronic communications and the internet
broadcast and cable television
privacy, cybersecurity and data security
consumer protection and product safety
motor vehicle safety
travel, tourism and sports
interstate and foreign commerce
The Committee also oversees several federal departments and agencies, including:
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
Food and Drug Administration
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Indian Health Service
Environmental Protection Agency
Department of Energy
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Department of Commerce
Department of Transportation
Department of Homeland Security”
I’m left wondering what’s left for the rest of Congress’s committees to oversee.
I used to promise that one day I’d learn how to put big quotes in boxes, and clothe my naked links but today I feel honest, I’m never going to get around to that.
The above is from: https://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/about-ec
Matt McIrvin
@TBone: Here too, in Massachusetts. Don’t grill outdoors!
Aussie Sheila
@TBone:
So?
Is there a scale of ‘acceptable lovers’ for Democratic Senators now?
So ‘no digital media owners please, we’re Democrats and it mightn’t look, you know, very nice, if Democratic operatives and Senators have affairs, especially if said operatives own media sites supportive of Democrat talking points’.
Christ almighty.
It’s ineffable, it really is.
u
@Suzanne: Yup. I was also a Warren supporter in 2020. Unfortunately, the “average American voter” thought that she reminded them too much of that seventh-grade teacher they had who expected them to do their homework. A nation of lazy morons.
Soprano2
@Betty Cracker: Good luck with all that. I have a dog who hates to get in the car too, it’s weird because most dogs can’t wait to go somewhere in the car.
TBone
@Aussie Sheila: ok then Free Love for everyone, I’m totally down wth it.
Cozy bedfellows with media would never present a conflict of interest!
Soprano2
@Matt McIrvin: They had to do that with one of my cats when they were trying to draw blood for a test. I don’t blame them, she was trying to bite them!
p.a
Remember the protesters stuffed into unmarked vans in tRump1? I don’t remember if those reports were ever verified, clarified, etc. Charges? Indictments? Releases? Memory-holed?
TBone
@Matt McIrvin: I promise! My rumpy neighbors regularly burn in their backyard though. I will shout WTF while standing in my driveway like I do when they set off M80s. Or simply send a copy of the Hazardous Weather Alert via text. Why not both?
raven
@Soprano2: We just went to the dog park and, even though it’s pouring, Artie couldn’t wait to go! She doesn’t like to be left at home so we take her wherever we can and leave her in the van. (with the windows appropriately lowered)
Soprano2
@TBone: And yet, Pete Hegseth hired a virulent anti-Semite as some kind of communications person. No contradiction there, no sirree…..
Spanky
@Betty Cracker:
So, he’s a cat.
Professor Bigfoot
I had cleared my entire pie filter out; though I have my differences with certain commenters I could also see a great deal of value in some of their comments, so I did the grown up thing.
Then some white foreigner comes along to tell us how bad Democrats are, and it was time to fire it back up again. <sigh>
Soprano2
@Princess: Yep, that’s what I think too. They’re painting him as a Hamas terrorist, which is untrue.
TBone
@Soprano2: right?
TBone
@p.a: I REMEMBER.
I watched it on a live feed – it happened.
“We don’t need no stinking badges!”
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: c’est la vie
Professor Bigfoot
OPEN THREAD: Y’all, I’m gonna be firing up the convertible today! In fact, I think I’m going to go fire it up RIGHT NOW and head over to ‘The Dough Co.,’ just the best damn donuts in the county!
Try not to burn the joint down while I’m gone, aight? (laugh emoji)
Soprano2
@raven: I learned to use a carrier after I got my cat Chester fixed. It was a two block ride to my house, and in that time I swear he peed a half gallon on the passenger seat of my car! I found a miracle worker car guy who took that seat out and used something that got the cat urine smell out of it. After that, cats are always in a carrier when they’re in the car.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: I am now in a state of serious jealousy! I miss my little convertible.
TBone
Cats should NEVER be in a vehicle where they can wedge themselves under a gas or brake pedal. Ask me how I learned that they ALWAYS need a carrier.
Aussie Sheila
@TBone:
Oh, well then! Fancy that. Who would ever think politicians and media operatives have close relationships, affairs even!
It’s unbelievable such a nothingburger even got a mention on a site that ostensibly, exists partly to support Democratic candidates, debates and talking points.
The aims are laudable.
The pearl clutching makes my teeth ache and my eyes roll so far around my head I need my hands to see.
JFC.
BlueGuitarist
@Jackie:
courier newsroom seems pretty good, focused on swing states. More attention to good journalism would be better than more tiger beat on the Potomac.
https://couriernewsroom.com/local/
TBone
@Aussie Sheila: tooth hurty is time to see a dentist.
raven
@Soprano2: Yea, it was a hard lesson.
Professor Bigfoot
@Professor Bigfoot: I stepped outside— it’s still only 35F out there! BRRRRR, even!
So I’ll be taking the daily driver to Dough Co.; with the nice heated seats and especially the heated steering wheel (aaaaaahhhhhhh).
LATER I’ll be firing up that roadster, but not now!
Cliosfanboy
@TBone:
and don’t let them steer, ala “Groundhog Day.”
satby
@Professor Bigfoot: I use it regularly and resist the urge to toggle, because it always reminds me that I pied them because they were more annoying than informative. Trolling is a behavior, not a person.
Aussie Sheila
@TBone:
No dentist could cure the sheer idiocy of this.
Cliosfanboy
@Aussie Sheila:
There is such an easy “Deep Throat”-type joke just sitting there.
“Honey, tonight let’s play ‘deep under cover’.”
“OK, but no leaking! We don’t want a ‘special edition.’!”
Soprano2
This is exactly who the First Amendment is designed to protect. This is like the anti-communist stuff that happened in the 1950’s. I wonder how many more people in Dearborn are regretting their votes today.
Soprano2
@satby: That’s what I think, too. Ignore it, and if you’re asked a question about it say it’s none of your business and pivot to something relevant.
artem1s
moot point, they’ve already ceded their power to the Muskrats. How about the a codicil in CR sending all the GOP home to whatever Orange district they came from to explain why they are trying to put meemaw and papaw out on the street and close what’s left of their public schools and county hospitals.
Soprano2
Huh what? That’s literally the first I’ve heard that they’re holding tourists! That should be a front page story.
Josie
@satby: So true. In the grand scheme of things, this is a stupid item to bring forward. I really don’t care about any senator’s personal life as long as he is doing his job, and this particular one is doing quite well.
ETA: Also, AOC’s explanation of the Medicaid angle is excellent.
Soprano2
@TBone: See down the thread how I learned the same thing. I could have left that car unlocked with the keys in it on the street of any city and no one would have stolen it!
Soprano2
@Professor Bigfoot: You’ll have to pry my heated seats and my heated steering wheel out of my cold, dead hands! Lord I’m old and spoiled.
WereBear
@Betty Cracker: As the recipient of many charming rogues — I’m laughing in sympathy.
satby
@Soprano2: news item about one from ABC.
MCat
@Betty Cracker: Oh Betty, good luck. You are a great pet mommy. The first week of DST is just awful.
Ramalama
@Professor Bigfoot: a convertible (meaning warm weather) and non-Tim Horton donuts? Professor, consider me jealous. Carry on then.
Edit: 35 degrees, Fahrenheit, right? Still a sweet ride to a nice destination.
Suzanne
@Soprano2: In AZ, I yearned for a cool steering wheel. Went through so many of those covers, but the elastic always gave out. But the steering wheel burns…. they were A Thing.
Ksmiami
@TBone: who cares. Seriously- I really don’t and the expectations that Dems have to be perfect are frikking killing us
TBone
@Soprano2: oh the days of yore when we knew no better hahaha! Your comment was the reason for my subsequent yowl!
Geminid .
@Ohio Mom: I think some of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction is not exclusive and that other commitees like Banking and Interior have joint juridiction in many of these areas.
Energy and Commerce is still considered one of the most powerful House committees. Seats on this committee are highly sought after, and the Democratic Caucus is careful to ensure representation is distributed among all regions. The Steering Committee votes on members, and the Caucus voting as a ehole almost always ratifies their choices.
This year, newly added members include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This will be a good opportunity for the New York Congresswoman to work in areas including climate-related legislation: clean energy, conservation etc.
Democrats have little chance of getting major energy legislation onto the House floor this Congress, but Ocasio-Cortez and other Energy and Commerce Democrats may be able to in 2027. I expect they’ll be working towards that end, as well as pushing back on Republican initiatives during this Congress.
jonas
@satby: Yeah, after a flurry of posts, the blog’s been quiet for at least the past week or so. He’s battling a severe inflammatory response to the pneumonia. Really hoping he pulls through…
TBone
@Cliosfanboy: TOONCES!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5fvsItXYgzk
Ksmiami
@Jackie: no. Who fucking cares. Start defending our guys ok. We are the good ones. And this is an existential battle rn.
TBone
No standards or ideals for anyone FUCK YEAH
WereBear
@Matt McIrvin: Grind up the pill in butter or coconut oil and and swipe that on her foreleg.
She HAS to clean it off. Glaring daggers at you from a distance.
But then she WILL mellow out :) Hopefully.
YY_Sima Qian
I posted this in an earlier thread, but the DOD took the time to post a video that is apparently in response to the DNC’s “choose your fighter” video. Here is the link. Utterly asinine, coming from a supposedly non-partisan organization, & none of Pentagon’s vaunted bureaucracy managed to waylay this BS.
Also, note the complete lack of minority faces in the video.
Ksmiami
@TBone: they’re consenting adults and Murphy is an ethical guy.
prostratedragon
@Soprano2:
Another case involving a young British tourist.
WereBear
@YY_Sima Qian: Marketing is always the first to fall in line :)
A Ghost to Most
I pretty much lose the first 3-4 hours of my day to being a catlap to my son’s 16 year old cat. The perils of being a cat magnet.
jonas
@TBone: Yeah, yeah I guess he and his wife aren’t *officially* divorced yet so this gets some tut-tutting. But sheez, it appears to be two consenting adults who can make decisions about their personal lives. Who cares?
TBone
@YY_Sima Qian: not sure I dast…curiosity kills cats sometimes. Just knowing it exists might be enough for me this Monday mourn.
Ksmiami
@Aussie Sheila: completely stupid and irrelevant. We need to stop this eating our own shit Rt fucking now
TBone
@A Ghost to Most: there are worse ways to spend that time hahahaha!
BritinChicago
@satby: Yes! But following Tim Walz, I’d say MYODB
WereBear
@prostratedragon: Thanks to the hollowing out of the economics in many red states, tourism is one of the last ways for rural areas to keep the wolf from the door.
Trump really knows how to go to the jugular, I’ll give him that. To his own cultists.
Now that’s arrogance.
Jackie
@Ksmiami: My point was it IS a nothing burger, but FFOTUS and his faithful minions will probably run with it as an attempt to keep Murphy off the media programs – because he’s becoming a strong vocal force against Muskrat. Anything to tear Democrats down is fair game – no matter how trivial the reason.
I could care less about a relationship between consenting adults, but it obviously matters enough for some to try damaging Murphy’s political reputation.
LAC
@satby: GM! Me too. I toggle and find that 99% of the time the initial reason I pied is still there. There are few on my list, but it stands. And life is better for it
Oh, and I thought Jeffries was doing nothing or not showing leadership or something. 🙄
TBone
@Ksmiami: did ANYONE bother to look her up? No?
Here
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_McGowan
On conflicts of interest
Princess
@Ksmiami: Yeah this is complete b*llshit. They’re all consenting adults and the relatioship is out in the open. There’s nothing wrong with it. And I really hate agreeing with Aussie Sheila about anything.
Americans are so weird about sex. You can have any kind of conflictual relationship you like but the minute sex is involved, everyone freaks out.
WereBear
@A Ghost to Most: You suffer for love, though.
Princess
@TBone: No stupid standards for our side alone. No unilateral disarmament. FUCK YEAH!!
Ksmiami
@Jackie: then we need to push back hard against the fuckers destroying our economy and our democracy. The market is dropping like a rock and the GOP want to give Trump et Al more power. Fuck this shit.
YY_Sima Qian
Huh, I would have thought the Trump Administration would want to sell nukes to South Korea:
These kind of moves will put the South Korean right wing in a cul-de-sac. While there is growing support in SK to acquire nukes across the political spectrum, in face of the growing nuclear & missile capabilities in NK, as well as rising concerns about the reliability of the US alliance, the SK right wing has been particularly vocal. At the same time, the foundation for the SK right wing’s (that has been rapidly radicalizing & reactionary, see the aftermath of Yoon’s autofulge) worldview is the alliance w/ the US (see all the US flags in the pro-Yoon protests), in the name of anti-Communism, anti-NK, & increasingly anti-PRC. MAGA putting the squeeze when the right wing is still in power, w/ more sure to come, will probably break brains.
All is not well in SK society. The men in the younger generations are trending reactionary, while the younger women are increasingly fed up with the situation (contributing to the utter collapse of birth rates). Capture of politics (across the spectrum) by the big corporations is pervasive & deep. Most SK industries are facing existential competitive challenges from the PRC, or have already lost much of their global market share.
TBone
I personally DGAF who is schtupping who. I was merely seeing the point Jackie had made. But then everyone wanted to argue on Monday morning.
Ksmiami
@TBone: you are really really in the weeds here. Maybe reel it in a little
prostratedragon
@WereBear: And another phase of isolating the country, no doubt a key objective of you-know-who.
Meanwhile Don Moynihan, who has compiled the list of newly verboten words that we’ve seen, has a list of the fallout already resulting from this supression. It is not a little list.
YY_Sima Qian
@WereBear: Too true.
WereBear
@satby: That’s a great point. Collaborators in moral panic.
TBone
@Ksmiami: are you familiar with the concept of piercing the corporate veil? I was trained to do it.
prostratedragon
@YY_Sima Qian:
“would have thought the Trump Administration would want to sell nukes to South Korea”
Why would Putin want that?
UncleEbeneezer
@TBone: The student loan forgiveness that was enacted by (old) Joe Biden but everyone pretended never happened.
And now punishing Universities for campus protests…something people swore that Biden was doing, but he never actually did.
Sigh…
Geminid .
@Soprano2: Mahmoud Khalil’s detention is an alarming precedent for sure. His attorneys will argue that point in federal courts, which are where this battle will be fought mainly.
I expect there will be other cases like Khalil’s before too long. This administration is unlikely to stop with him because it will try to exploit this program politically.
TBone
@UncleEbeneezer: yep, another Monday mourn.
Professor Bigfoot
@Ramalama: Definitely Fahrenheit— although, if it were 35 Celsius that car would STILL not be running- at least, not with the top down.
Nothing quite like being stuck at a red light in 80 degrees F (or more!) under the burning sunlight… LOL
TBone
@Geminid .: I’m wondering about all the new detainees who don’t have high profile media coverage, where they’re being disappeared to. People like those shopping in a market in Philly that were carted off by I.C.E. over the weekend.
Professor Bigfoot
@Soprano2: I had a 2010 model of the same car, it had heated and cooled seats but having a heated steering wheel in the 2018 version (“GAME CHANGA!”) has been a revelation.
I am now seriously SPOILT. LOL
TBone
Beloved mood music
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4TYv2PhG89A
Dedicated to Fani Willis
Geminid .
@YY_Sima Qian: I noticed that video also showed an Osprey landing. I would have left that one out. Those things don’t always land in a good way.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: that makes me happy.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@u:
To each their own. I was a Hillary fanboy way back, and have always been loud and proud of Harris. Warren, though, sets my teeth on edge – too much exasperated schoolmarm and overly repetitious about catchphrases which I find to be shopworn and not as effective as the users believe.
Plus she’s 75 now, and I’m a believer that our septuagenarians and octogenarians need to stand down and make some fucking room.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@u:
To each their own. I was a Hillary fanboy way back, and have always been loud and proud of Harris. Warren, though, sets my teeth on edge – too much exasperated schoolmarm and overly repetitious about catchphrases which I find to be shopworn and not as effective as the users believe.
Plus she’s 75 now, and I’m a believer that our septuagenarians and octogenarians need to stand down and make some fucking room.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@UncleEbeneezer:
“But Joe Biden promised student loan relief and didn’t accomplish it, so Both Sides are the same and they shouldn’t expect our votes.”
YY_Sima Qian
@Princess:
@Matt McIrvin:
As I said in a previous thread, the reactionaries are probing w/ bayonet. If they find mush, they will keep going. Whether Khalil’s views are repugnant or not is immaterial, he has not violated any US law, he is being persecuted for his views. & the reactionaries are happy to turn a blind eye or promote vile views from other quarters (be they racists, Christian fundamentalists, or supporters of the Israeli far right).
That is also why I warned against the bipartisan effort to ban TikTok when it gathered steam in early 2024. The position is essentially that US incorporated subsidiaries of foreign corporations do not have Constitutional rights if the USG just invokes “national security”, w/o evidence, even if they have not broken any US laws.
Khalil’s case is in a similar vein, the implication is that non-citizens do not have Constitutional rights if USG just invokes “terrorism”.
MAGA reactionaries have wanted to set up an apparatus for “de-naturalization”, so then they can go after naturalized citizens.
We are presenting mush to the bayonets if the focus is on the popularity of Khalil’s political views.
schrodingers_cat
@satby: Greencards can’t be cancelled like that. He can sue the government.
All the Gaza protests have died down since now there is a Republican in office.
Coincidence?
TBone
@TBone:
https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-legal-bills-trump-election-willis-72d5476d2e03721fff7703107f62060a
WereBear
@jonas: What is this, 1919? At least in NY, a separation is a legal document where their lives diverge. After it stays that way for a year, it become the basis for the divorce.
You can even DIY if things are simple financially and you are speaking like civil beings. It’s a break-up.
Professor Bigfoot
@YY_Sima Qian: Looks like Twitter has died.
Again.
Just another level of absurdity.
YY_Sima Qian
@Geminid .: Ospreys are absolutely reviled by the Okinawans. However, the entire video is a white macho dominance display to a DNC video featuring women legislators (half of whom are ethnic minorities), the equipment they showed is beside the point. I am more concerned by the ongoing attempt recasting of the US military as a White organization, & by implication one that will do its part to advance Herrenvolk White Christian nationalism. Surely that is Hegseth’s goal.
Comes to think of it, there are no women in the DOD video, either.
Another Scott
@WereBear: Brilliant!
One categorical imperative against another, lesser one. Take advantage of the brain’s rankings!
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
satby
@LAC: Right?
Going to be a gorgeous day here, 64° and sunny. There was snow on the ground Sunday. Since after this short burst of warmth the cold, rain, and snow is coming back next week, heading outside to catch some Vitamin D. Have a great day!
Professor Bigfoot
@BritinChicago: ONE of the things I love about that white dude— “Mind your own damn business!”
There are those dudes you just KNOW are righteous, and Tim Walz is one of ‘em.
YY_Sima Qian
@Professor Bigfoot: Yep. We can be thankful for small blessings.
While I actually spend a lot of time on X because there is great content from the very carefully curated list of people I follow, things might be worse overall if the reactionaries are somewhat competent actors & X is a more stable/reliable/usable platform dominated by reactionary views.
WereBear
@YY_Sima Qian: Then WHY? I don’t like the platform, but if there’s no good reason to ban it, maybe I should go back. It did well for me for a while.
Another Scott
@Jackie: I get where you’re coming from, but we all know they just make stuff up and have for decades.
Vince Foster
Max Cleland
Ralph Northam (“post-birth abortions”)
Etc.
We have to do the Obama shoulder dust-off, stay on our message, and move on.
Hang in there.
Best wishes,
Scott.
YY_Sima Qian
@prostratedragon: SK nukes do not threaten Russia, but they will push NK to align even more tightly to Putin.
At the end of the day, Putin wants to see the world in chaos, & then try to gain from that chaos.
Matt McIrvin
The YouTuber Alberta Tech has been making a lot of videos mocking indiscriminate layoffs, with definite shade being thrown on DOGE by implication. I just saw a Musk fanboy yesterday trying to argue with everyone in the comments, saying that everyone Musk laid off at Twitter really was just pretending to work, on the grounds that after he fired them all Twitter didn’t implode.
Nice timing.
WereBear
@TBone: The land of sweet tea keeps surprising me. They were once about Atlanta when it was “the city too busy to hate,” and it grew into a something of a real city and a possible attractor.
This is the relief valve in the red state hatred of cities. They have to have at least ONE state capital. Then rebels and creatives (but I repeat myself) go there for cheap rent because everyone wants their own baronial kingdom in the suburbs and only the uncouth live there.
And the uncouth make it into a cooler place to live.
Professor Bigfoot
This is a nutrient dense paragraph, and for me profoundly clarifying— it puts together several puzzle pieces that make sense from a purely human point of view even if you’re completely ignorant (as I am!*) of SK’s specific politics.
The Trumpnazi effort to backstab every single one of America’s allies is having other, follow-on effects beyond the mere fact that not a one of them will ever trust us again.
(*I am, but less so now.)
One of our challenges is that the US sits on one of Earth’s richest landmasses. EVERYTHING it needs to run a modern economy can be found within its borders; it doesn’t actually need a global economy to survive.
BUT— as of Bretton Woods, America BUILT this global economy by tying the world directly to its own economy. The Americans abandon the Terran project and it falls apart— just as Putin would like.
Ruviana
@satby:
@Jonas
Rumor via Bluesky is that he passed over the weekend. Poster is cuñato who is a relative. That’s a I know.
Suzanne
@YY_Sima Qian:
You mean he has the right of free speech even if it’s unpopular, and Palestinians need a path to peace, equality, and prosperity even though American supporters of Gaza are annoying?
catclub
I am confident this has been going on forever in the US. Anti anarchists in the 1890’s
RevRick
@Matt McIrvin: Of course, the GOP CR is their usual bait and switch. They keep screaming about waste, fraud and abuse, but that’s only a cover story for their attacks on the federal government as a whole. And, of course, they have a huge “amen” chorus in rightwing media that echoes their talking points.
But this attack on the federal government is a part of their larger agenda of undoing the 20th century. They have always wanted to cut taxes on the wealthy, deregulate businesses, and prevent any downward shifting of wealth. And that reflects their belief in natural hierarchies of race, class and gender, where those deemed lesser submit to those who “deserve” to rule.
If truth be told, Republicans probably are secretly thrilled that Trump calls himself a king.
Jackie
@Ruviana: 😢
Omnes Omnibus
@TBone: I fucking don’t care who he dates.
@TBone: FFS
WereBear
@YY_Sima Qian: If that is their plan, it it is doomed to fail.
Especially if they include the National Guard, who were so abused under W (and he HID there from Vietnam, the rat bastard) that I wonder.
Even the Chinese, with a relatively homogenous population which imposed culture (much like our heartland) had to adapt their own dreams of control, to bend with capitalism, as Russian did.
Some forms of government can’t operate without iron control, and that’s why they fail because no one can keep it up. Even Stalin got murdered by his own underlings.
I’d add the Confederacy to that. Everyone striving for the aristocracy, but willing to be patient — unto death — until they get there. In the meantime, happy to bask in a reflected sun.
prostratedragon
@TBone:
Maybe that ICE detainee locator should become part of the red card package, so the information might get to people most likely to have names to search. At least, as long as it exists.
Geminid .
@catclub: And there is the case of Marcus Garvey, the Black political leader. I think he was deported in the late 1920s or early 1930s.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Professor Bigfoot: Another proud moment from the man who has anointed himself the head of IT for the entire Federal government. The absurd part is there are people who still think Musk is a genius and not some poser and a stoner.
TBone
@prostratedragon: you, my dear P.D., are a genius!
Resistance Level: EXPERT
prostratedragon
@schrodingers_cat: I think maybe not, though the acid test won’t be until later in the spring.
YY_Sima Qian
@WereBear: TikTok?
The official bipartisan reason was that the CPC regime can supposedly brainwash American youths by manipulating the recommendation algorithm. Politicians in DC really have a dim view of American youths.
The actual bipartisan impetus was TikTok being the sole social media platform post-10/7/2023 where pro-Palestinian voices dominated (which unfortunately included anti-Semitic ones).
In short, moral panic about the PRC gaining ground & Israel losing ground.
All of USG’s arguments, including in front of SCOTUS, were hypotheticals. SCOTUS voted unanimously to uphold the divest or ban legislation, anyway, deferring to the executive branch on the latter’s national security claims. Also a bad precedent IMO.
However, in comes the Trump gang, & they’ve given TikTok USA temporary reprieve, in direct violation of standing US law. The proposed solution reported in the news is ByteDance (TikTok USA‘s Beijing based parent) licensing the product for Oracle to operate in the US. The PRC government is unlikely to approve ByteDance licensing the recommendation algorithm, Oracle is unlikely to come up w/ a replacement (even if it did it is unlikely to come close to replicate the current TikTok experience), & if ByteDance holds on to the proprietary algorithms, then the claimed natsec threat is not addressed.
Through all of that, there has been little protest from proponents of the ban from either party. Indeed, as the prospect of TikTok being banned approached, both the outgoing Biden Administration & members of Congress from both parties were busy proclaiming the desire to keep the platform up for Americans. Some dire natsec threat it proved to be.
The whole thing is a sad farce from my POV.
TBone
@Omnes Omnibus: I remember Fani Willis.
TBone
@WereBear: it’s a Fani Willis revenge tour.
We never closed ranks around her, and leaving an open flank anywhere is a very bad idea right now.
Omnes Omnibus
@TBone:
So do I and I remember that a bunch of left of center people ran for their fainting couches it was mentioned. So maybe we could try not doing that.
YY_Sima Qian
@Suzanne: Yes, it should go w/o saying, but nevertheless some times it seems that it must said, even here.
Josie
@TBone:
There is no comparison in the two situations. You are making a mountain out of a molehill and doing the Republicans’ work for them.
worn
@satby: I’ve been relentlessly refreshing the Jabberwocking web site all weekend, as a kind of prayer, I guess. I certainly don’t want to spread false news, but this Bluesky account appears to be from his sister-in-law & she says he passed away this weekend:
https://bsky.app/profile/lonelydoll.bsky.social
Kevin’s blog has been how I start my day for 15-20 years. This news, coupled my own father’s quick & unexpected death approximately a year ago leaves me in a mood that dances between black and maudlin. That’s two north stars gone from my world.
Rest easy, Kevin. You brought much light into this dark, fucking place, a claim not everyone can make honestly.
TBone
@Omnes Omnibus: ffs back did you read any of my prior comments today or just the one. I saw a point Jackie had made. I let her know that. Then the dogpile began and now I have fleas, but no fainting couch.
Geminid .
@YY_Sima Qian: Turkish journalist Ragip Doylu posted another DOD video that’s gotten Turks talking. I haven’t been able to look at it, but evidently the video features some dangerous looking wolves. Since the grey wolf is a totemic animal for the Turkic peoples, Turks are like “Oho! Those Yankee know who they gotta watch out for.”
TBone
@Josie: are they in the room with us right now?
u
@u: I always preferred the scholarly Warren to the bombastic Bernie — not that either of them had a chance.
YY_Sima Qian
@WereBear: As I said in a previous thread, I am pretty confident the reactionaries (at least the current utterly incompetent & shambolic gang) will fail. My concern is how much damage they will do before they fall, & they’ll last longer & do more damage if they can corral at least a portion of the US military. It will break the US military, but the signs are that MAGA will give it a try.
LAC
@TBone: i remember a number of folks here in BJ were in a lather about how ill adviced it was and blah, blah. I must have missed the “live, laugh, love” vibe here when that came out.
jonas
@Ruviana: Just went over to jabberwocking and saw that thread. Looks like he didn’t make it. No official post from the family or anything on the frontpage, but yeah, a really sad thing to read. He was a good guy.
Redshift
Proud to note that Aaron Fritchner is a staffer for my congressperson, Don Beyer!
TBone
Singin’ teh blues while teh lady cats cry
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R2uRRDV63ns
WereBear
@YY_Sima Qian: Well, damn. But it proves irrationality is catching.
Thanks much for the info, it’s been a big help, friend.
Omnes Omnibus
@TBone: I read the thread. And have you thought that you are getting the push back you are getting because it is warranted?
TBone
@LAC: I stood here resolutely for Fani the entire time.
TBone
@Omnes Omnibus: for replying to Jackie???
Ksmiami
@TBone: I don’t care – Rt now we have real battles to fight.
WereBear
@Omnes Omnibus: Yes, and I was ticked off as well. That’s the kind of thinking we will want stopped.
u
@YY_Sima Qian: Ha. Well I was once an American Youth in the seventies. My main priorities at the time were getting high and (unsuccessfully attempting) chasing girls. Foreign propaganda was not high on my to-do list.
TBone
@Ksmiami: then why is everyone dragging this on and on? I didn’t make the original comment, I saw Jackie’s point.
Professor Bigfoot
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Not that there’s anything wrong with being a stoner, eh wot? ;)
Matt McIrvin
@catclub: Yes, and it was always tyranny. Similar things happened under Bush and Obama too and I don’t and didn’t approve. But Trump’s blatant self-dealing and Stephen Miller’s herrenvolk ideology mean that it’s probably going to be applied in a big way to punish anyone who dissents where they can find an angle.
They’re also going to be trying to revoke people’s citizenship to *put* them in the state where immigration law can be leveraged to punish them.
Omnes Omnibus
@TBone: Sure, Jan. That’s what it is.
YY_Sima Qian
@satby: Are the German & British tourists also of Middle Easter descent? Were they also detained for espousing “pro-Hamas” views on social media?
There has been reporting that DHS will use AI tools to comb the internet & social media platforms for “pro-terrorism” expressions, to be used as evidence of such renditions & expulsions. Flip a coin whether it is Palantir or OpenAI.
jonas
He’s literally quoting Napoleon on Truth Social and some folks at CPAC were holding sessions on how to circumvent the Constitution to let Trump rule in perpetuity. They even had a poster of him dressed like Caesar. So they’re not even using inside voices anymore. They’re openly pro-dictator.
Of course they might do well to recall what ended up happening to both Caesar and Napoleon in the end…
catclub
@Soprano2:
They are calling any criticism of the Israeli war as supporting Hamas and terrorism. So much for free speech. It will not matter if he is a citizen or not.
WereBear
@worn: I find it helps to leave a memorial, and once Driftglass and I hung out at Steve Gilliard‘s place, a bright spot in the darkness of the stolen election in 2000.
I contributed some articles as his life partner figured out what to do and we all mourned together. It ended in 2007 but there he is, still offering his unique and sharp angle.
If anyone doesn’t know him, look back and enjoy.
By way of saying you wrote a lovely tribute, I’m sure his loved ones would be glad to hear from you if you wish to do so.
NotMax
@Professor Bigfoot
Rapid unscheduled disinternetity?
//
TBone
@Omnes Omnibus: slavish devotion again
YY_Sima Qian
@Professor Bigfoot: There is going to be a period of chaos & pain if the US turns autarkic, but then the world will move on. Yes, Putin thinks he will take advantage, but the PRC is in far too strong a position, even India is, & the EU may be finally pulling together (we’ll see if it lasts).
TBone
Timeline Cleanse
YY_Sima Qian
@Geminid .: I think MAGA has always had a severe case of envy of Russian displays of ethno-nationalism & toxic masculinity w/ bears. I guess the bald eagle is just not toxically masculine enough.
LAC
@TBone: i do not recall you as the issue then.
The hypocrisy and sexist racist nonsense about Fani derailed the case just as she was making inroads. So it was a big deal.
Other than that, having the temerity to respond to the original poster should not cause such blowback. I hope that your concerns are not realized, but I do not feel the need to yell at you.
Geminid .
@TBone: For replying to Jackie on a slow news day!
TBone
@Geminid .: but but but debt limit increase for Dotard!
(Thank you.)
TBone
@LAC: thank you Calm Voice of reason.
NotMax
@YY_Sima Qian
Regis envy.
//
Josie
@LAC:
I don’t believe that anyone yelled at anyone else. We had a disagreement about a subject. If one cannot accept disagreements, one should not be commenting. As I recently pointed out to my seven year old granddaughter, a remark stated in disagreement is not yelling.
Geminid .
@YY_Sima Qian: I think the DOD’s video producers selected the wolves randomly, but that’s not stopping Turks from having fun with them.
TS
@Ksmiami:
Can only assume he’s happy to crash the world markets – that’s another way to hurt on people world wide – that will teach them for standing up to him – a 1929 style crash/depression.
YY_Sima Qian
@Geminid .: Well, the Grey Wolves of Türkiye have been pretty bad actors.
Zippity
@Matt McIrvin: I haven’t read the full thread, so maybe someone else suggested this, but a pull syringe is a lifesaver. You just put your hand on top of their head and pull their head back-they have to open their mouth. Stick the syringe in and push the plunger. I give my old cat two pills a day without her spitting them out. Sounds like you may need someone to hold the cat, but I can’t recommend the syringe enough.
UncleEbeneezer
Good lord, this is the dumbest protest movement ever.
Rabbi disinvited from anti-Nazi rally, because he won’t denounce Israel. This toxic anti-Zionism (that uses a cartoon caricature of what Zionism actually means to 90% of Jews) has made it crystal clear that the assumption that Israel has no right to exist, is a litmus test for anyone to be welcome in the FreePalestine movement. Hamas may have wisely removed the language of destroying Israel (and cleansing the land of all Jews) from their official charter, but it doesn’t matter because now activists all over the world still hold those goals as central to Palestinian “freedom” and have zero tolerance for anyone who disagrees (or dares to point out the antisemitism of such goals). Congrats to the Soviets, their campaign to spread antisemitism under a patina of AntiZionism has been far more effective than they ever could’ve imagined.
Geminid .
@TBone: The Debt Limit question could be really acute in a few weeks if Republicans can’t find a way to kick that can down the road with these continuing resolutions. If the national economy is slowing down so are tax receipts.
Raoul Paste
@worn: I wish you the best, and a measure of grace.
terraformer
“Sounds like Senate Dems might not hold the line”
At least Josh @ TPM is thinking Senate Democrats are getting antsy – this is NOT GOOD.
“What I hear though is that Senate Democrats simply don’t have their heart in the fight.
But if you’re going into this fight you have to have laid the groundwork for it. If you won’t provide the votes, what are you demanding exactly? What’s necessary to get the votes to open it back up? I hear vague references to the “power of the purse”? I don’t think that’s going to cut it. I think you need to say, Elon’s got to go. He’s unpopular. Everyone understands what that means since they hear about him every day.
But they just haven’t been making that case. And without that case it’s probably not sustainable politically. Of course, you might not lay that groundwork if you weren’t planning to go to the mat over it anyway.”
FFS Senate Dems, get your sh!t together
worn
@WereBear: Thank you for your kind words. And I’ve most enjoyed reading you here and over at your blog over the years.
For some reason, Kevin’s precipitous decline really affected me deeply. As I mentioned, I am sure there is a little knock-on effect from losing my father on the same sort of timeline a year ago (four weeks between initial hospitalization & death). Both he and Kevin had a kind of unflappable pragmatism as liberals that I found inspiring, in the face of so much headless chicken kinds of reactions by others to life’s vexing machinations.
What I’m really left with is a rumination one’s life’s work and the mark each person leaves in this world, if any. Struggling a bit with that, as regards my own existence, currently.
LAC
@Josie: you brought up the “nohingburger” story. TBone replied. Why she is getting smoke about a take that could have come from anyone else and being condescending to me about commenting is a bit much.
But you are correct about one thing, you were not yelling, just being snippy and allowing a revisionist take as to how this started.
WereBear
@YY_Sima Qian: Yes, further proof they are stupid. There were meetings about it, “Pentagon officials discussing how to respond if Trump issues controversial orders” which I looked up afterwards because I know they love to plan things.
And this was before this administration declared war on our veterans. It would take a MAGA with ‘nads of steel or brains of jam, but they do have plenty.
On the other hand, I’m sure such are a known threat.
YY_Sima Qian
@UncleEbeneezer: Yes, that is f*cking dumb. We need the largest possible coalition to defeat the Fascists.
lowtechcyclist
@Princess:
This. He’s here on a green card, and you don’t need to be a citizen to have free speech rights under the First Amendment. They’ve not charged him with any crime, they’ve detained him and are threatening to expel him from the country simply because they don’t like his politics.
This is a big fucking deal. I’ve already called my Congresspersons about this.
Omnes Omnibus
@LAC: FWIW commenter Jackie brought up the story, not Josie.
rusty
@Professor Bigfoot: Nothing better for lifting your mood than driving with the top down! I had an enormous Pontiac GranVille convertible in high school, and an almost as big 1974 Chevrolet Caprice convertible after college. I went through a convertible deficit for years, but bought a 2013 Fiat 500C convertible new and still have that. It’s got over 200K and is on its last legs, hoping to replace it with a used Miata when it finally dies. Damn, still too cold here in New England to pop the top. Have fun!
WereBear
@jonas: If they had the capability to clearly look at how past actions tie into current events, they wouldn’t be wingnuts.
I believe this has a biological component. In an adult, we can do a brain scan and find brain areas and see if they developed properly, or maybe, not. The part about empathy is notably smaller in the Anti-Social Personality, which cannot be psychiatrically diagnosed officially – until adulthood. Known popularly as a psychopath.
But the brain scans turned up people now known as “ethical psychopaths” because they were law-abiding, contributing citizens. But as always, it’s the way the nature/nuture things fall.
On the flip side, this condition becomes conditioned and more likely when the child is abused. Look at the way these people have raised each other for decades, only encouraged by crazed fundamentalists to be more cruel instead of less, and I think MAGA has a lot of that floating around in there, too.
All those guns… all that cover… I think the real danger is that the politicians will fear shot at by their own side, their voters they nursed on terrorism.
Taboo has already been broken. By their side. How much fear of Trump/Putin? How much their own constituents?
Josie
@Omnes Omnibus: Thanks.
TBone
@Geminid .: they gonna give Dotard the ability to run up “the limit” without any guardrails, unless I miss my guess. And I hope I do!
Geminid .
@YY_Sima Qian: The youth wing of Turkiye’s ultra-nationalist MHP party certainly gave the Gray Wolf symbol a bad name. It’s still a crime to flash the Gray Wolf* sign in Austria, and Germany’s football federation gave a Turkish player a two-game suspension for flashing the sign after scoring a goal in the Euros last fall.
But Turks in general seem to be reclaiming the Gray Wolf as a national symblol that transcend’s sectional politics. This is part of a revival of interest in Turkic culture that began over a century ago.
* The Gray Wolf sign is made by pointing the index and pinkie fingers in the air like ears, and forming the wolf’s head with the the thumb and two middle fingers.
I read that Colonel Alp Arslan, who founded the ultra-nationalist MHP and its violent youth wing in the 1960s, was taught the Gray Wolf sign by an elderly shaman lady. It refers to the she-wolf Bozkurt who, according to Turkic legend, nutured the race’s founder much like another legendary wolf nurtured Romulus and Remus.
TBone
@Zippity: TIL you can tube feed a cat through its mouth? (clumsy joke). What is this sorcery? I have syringed liquid meds into mouths many times but a syringe for pills? Why has no highly paid vet informed me of this? Thank you!!!
Geminid .
@TBone: I think Johnson and Thune want to extend suspension of the Debt Ceiling. There are some Republican House members who say they won’t vote for that. I guess we’ll see if they mean it.
LAC
@Omnes Omnibus: you are correct. I apologize to Josie – in all the pile up on T-Bone, I mixed up the Js. However, my point still stands, so anyway…
TBone
@Geminid .: gah, what they say…always running interference for Dotard/Pooty, et al.
My Spidey senses tingle…and I wish their pants would literally spontaneously combust live on camera with every lie told!
Certain debts are tools and weapons for grifters!
TBone
@LAC: at the risk of running my big mouth again, I appreciated your kindness.
LAC
@TBone: You have done it for me and others in the past. Least I can do. Thank you!
The Thin Black Duke
I’m glad to see you back, Omnes.
WereBear
@Zippity: The latest is to move away from pills altogether, as in chronic use it causes problems.
I crush into a liquid and I don’t even have to open their mouths.
WereBear
@worn: Aren’t we all this year!?!? :)
Look at the difference between a compassionate contributor and a spiteful taker.
Look at the difference that makes… and we realize we ARE more important than capitalism makes us think we are.
rikyrah
Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) posted at 8:40 AM on Mon, Mar 10, 2025:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court takes up a case challenging Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, after having previously turned down many other similar challenges.
(https://x.com/chrisgeidner/status/1899093033909387597?t=7sIGgbg6MGCoThsyh2VJ7Q&s=03)
rikyrah
@The Thin Black Duke:
Me too :)
rikyrah
Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) posted at 8:19 AM on Mon, Mar 10, 2025:
Trump Recession Timeline:
1. This will be a Golden Age on Day 1! Prices will come down and economy will boom!
2. These policies won’t cause a recession. We know what we’re doing.
3. Ok, it will cause short-term pain but will be good in long term.
4. This is Biden’s recession!
(https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1899087722595115125?t=nj_vI-Bi0J6qKvVMSPRl0A&s=03)
TBone
@WereBear: I have tried that gambit many times, always unsuccessfully. My cats also eschew plain, unflavored, uncolored Pedialyte. It’s just like water but their distrustful sniffers always root out any foreign substance. I guess it doesn’t smell like our (filtered first) tap water…I can’t even hide crushed meds in their favorite stinky tuna water successfully!
WTFGhost
Hey, Tommy boy, tell us you don’t know anything about the Republican Party *AT ALL*, while not saying you don’t know anything about the Republican Party *AT ALL* (while being a Republican):
Rocket: “Talk about metaphors fly right over his head.”
Drax: “Nothing would fly over my head – my reflexes are too good. I’d catch it.”
knittingbull
@Matt McIrvin: ask your vet for Bonqat, our semiferal house panther will actually eat it in her food. Nothing else works since she smells it
dc
@satby:
Last update from his wife, Kevin Drum has died. Damn.
His wife opened a memorial page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/680072304689441/
worn
@WereBear: I’m sure this is a dead thread by now (had to go to work), but goodness, that is such and good and apt phrase. I’m a gonna steal that one!
worn
@rikyrah: For what it’s worth, I am thirding this. Still sad about that front page posting from last week that drove commenter Kay away. Thought we had lost you, too, Omnes.
<back to lurking>
Central Planning
@TBone: We had a cat like that. The only way to trick her was to cut her pills up small enough to fit inside gel caps, and then we stuck those inside pill pockets. We got to the point where we would also have to stick a cat treat to the pill pocket so she would eat it.