If any of you were wondering about how Joelle feels about the new Lectric tricycle she has had about a month now, the answer is she loves it. The way she sits upright, pedaling helps break up the surgery scar tissue, it moves along at a fair clip, and you should see the wide smile on her face- the kinda smile like you know she had as a five year old on her first big wheel. She just loves it so much and tonight was a new experience for her- the ease of picking up takeout on a trike with a basket as opposed to a bicycle. It’s really a big quality of life improvement, so I would recommend it to anyone interested in getting one.
In other news, it looks like we’re about to invade Yemen. That’s going to be our own Guernica. It’s going to be brutal and horrifying and a slaughter, and that’s if it goes “well,” which it won’t because these fucking maniacs are in charge and they’ll probably end up conducting this operation in a manner that it ignites a broader regional open conflict.
At any rate, peace out, y’all.
War for Ukraine Day 1,147: Some of You Have Questions, I May Have Answers
satby
With the Saudis and the UAE? Insane.
Gary K
A question for everyone but most especially WaterGirl. About a month ago you were compiling lists of Alternative Information Sources and wrote “Once it’s done there will be a link in the sidebar.” Has that link appeared, and if so what is the text?
Jay
@satby:
And ISIL,
My money is on the Houthi’s.
cain
Looks like terrorist groups are going to get some free training in both cyber ops and combat.
Everyone knows that this administration is incompetent and they are going to fuck it up. They are likely giddy with killing brown people.
It’s going to be a slaughter but then there is the long battle because these people are not going to go down without urban warfare and these people don’t she the patience for that.
Sister Golden Bear
Realizing that as a trans person its not safe the remain in this country. Need to start looking at exit plans. Probably Portugal.
Hopefully, it’s only for a couple years, but maybe permanently… 😭😭😭
JML
It wouldn’t be a GOP administration unless they invaded a country in the middle east?
I always assume that everything these people do like this is either for personal gain or bread & circuses to cover up something else horrible they’re doing to wreck the country.
Chetan Murthy
@JML: [little girl asking “porque no los dos”.gif]
Yeah, I bet this is part of why Jarvanka got that $2B.
RandomMonster
How the fuck did they settle on Yemen? I’m guessing some Nazi said, “Shithole with the fewest air defenses….”
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Peace out. Departing Athens now and flying through London to Charm City. It’ll be a month and a half at least before I can return to the Free World, if all goes well.
Jay
@cain:
Let’s see, the Houthi’s, took on the 2 then 3 factions of the former Yemeni Governments, the UAE, backed by the US, Sawdi Arabia, backed by the US, AQAP, (ISIS and various other Islamic terrorist groups, all at the same time and basically won.
And that was when Iran was just backing them with words.
They are a minority in Yemen. 35% of the population.
Chetan Murthy
@Sister Golden Bear: I share your emotion. in November I was -this- close to pulling the trigger to go, and I was -distraught-. So distraught I suspect my doctor thought I was close to self-harm.
It’s hard to do it, it hurts. Hard to even contemplate.
ETA: like you, I’m coming around to believing I need to do it. But this time, not as distraught.
Chetan Murthy
@RandomMonster: Mister Bone Saw asked nicely. And what Mister Bone Saw wants, Mister Bone Saw gets.
NotMax
@Bruce K in ATH-GR
Admit having to look that up.
May your travels and medical procedures proceed swimmingly.
Jay
@RandomMonster:
the US has lost 4 MQ-9 Reapers, 10% of the total inventory, to Houthi air defense, in the past 4 weeks.
When the Houthi’s started attacking Israel and later, Red Sea shipping over Israel’s Gaza genocide, they became a target.
Kinda, there is a split in the Admin where The Usual Suspects, bitch about “bailing out the EU”, because most of the Red Sea/Suez shipping is headed to or from Europe, ( Couchfucker et al. see WhiskeyGate), while ignoring that over half of the Naval forces protecting shipping in the Red Sea/Suez is EU and other former allies.
There is also the issue that the US has, so far, spent over 40% of it’s “smart munitions” inventory, to no effect.
kwAwk
My two thoughts for today. I’d like to see left wing media start referring to Trump’s Gaza plan as Trump’s Final Solution to the Palestinian Problem.
I also think that Trump’s approval rating hasn’t tanked because of his tariffs yet, simply because the tariffs haven’t really kicked in yet. He keeps pausing them. The 245% tariff on China is going to hit hard and fast in the next couple of months and especially in the rural areas that grew Walmart to what it is today.
Sister Golden Bear
@Chetan Murthy: I’m still working through distraught myself. Like you said, it hurts to even contemplate. But yeah…
Jay
@kwAwk:
He was at 47% November 6th. He was at 37% March 18th.
Chetan Murthy
@Sister Golden Bear: When I decided to wait-and-see, I also stopped all planning, all preparation. That was a mistake. I’m sure you won’t make that mistake: go ahead and take the trips, start the work to get a visa. That way, when and if you decide to go, you will have all that done. I need to start on the visa …. -soon-. Ditto taking a trip to scope out where to live.
frosty
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: Welcome to Charm City. Only a few of us know where you’re landing by that nickname. I hope everything goes well. Have a crab cake for me.
cain
@Sister Golden Bear: Oh man! My wife has been looking at Portugal, but pretty much anywhere in Europe. I’m looking for new jobs now that will allow me to move to Ireland.
I’ll fight (eg vote) from remote but being brown also means that I’m not interested in a one way trip to El Salvador.
cain
@Jay:
The Houthi’s are going to embarrass them. Which means they are going to make makes. Terrible mistakes that’s going to get even Israel upset.
cain
@kwAwk:
They are going to start closing those walmarts. Not enough shoppers and profit. If they thought it was shit now, wait till they turn into dust towns.
They’ll be looking at each other with their MAGA hats wondering when America was going to be great.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
@Sister Golden Bear: I am so very sorry that it has come to this. Chetan Murphy too, to whom I, alas, don’t know how to link. I can’t even offer comfort, because how do you comfort 2 people who have decided it isn’t safe for them to live in the country of their birth?
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
FFS Cole! Are you trying to make me jealous? I can’t even afford an ordinary ebike let alone an electric trike.
Parfigliano
@cain: Fuck ’em.
oldster
Saudia Arabia, UAE, and the USA in an alliance? Are you kidding me? And we know whose kids are going to get killed, right?
The old joke from the 90’s still applies: the fight-song of the Saudi Army is “Onward Christian Soldiers,” i.e. they are going to send our kids marching off to war while they watch from safety.
Everything the Trumpists say about Europe taking advantage of us? Those are lies about Europe, and cold facts about Saudi Arabia.
lowtechcyclist
@Sister Golden Bear:
I wish I could tell you your fears are overblown, but no, they’re not. Best of luck in finding a haven abroad where you can be safe and happy.
lowtechcyclist
Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but before the Executive Branch commits to a non-secret military operation in another country, shouldn’t it be running it by Congress first?
I’m sure that the cowardly Republicans in Congress would rubber-stamp it while making speeches that give Trump a tongue-bath, but those fuckers should be on record on this.
Geminid
@oldster: I think in this case it will be Yemeni kids being killed. Not American, or for that matter Saudi or Emirati kids either.
YY_Sima Qian
@Jay: The US also moved a THAAD battery from South Korea & a Patriot battalion from Japan(?) to Israel, as well as half of the B2 fleet to Diego Garcia. The carrier battlegroup normally in the Western Pacific is also now in the Indian Ocean.
So much for prioritizing against the PRC threat.
Professor Bigfoot
As is typical for these conservatives, they’re just looking for a “little crappy country” full of brown peoople “up against the wall to show the world we mean business.”
Fucking Confederates.
Geminid
@YY_Sima Qian: Speaking of Patriot batteries, reports of U.S. troops withdrawing from NE Syria note they took a Patriot battery with them. Destination: Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
Geminid
@Geminid: The Obama administration deployed several hundred U.S. Army soldiers into Northeast Syria in 2014, as part of the campaign against ISIS. The force was increased to over 2,000 last December whdn the Assad regime fell.
Now a sizable force has left Raqqa Governate for northern Iraq– according to observers around 175 truckloads of soldiers and equipment. It’s not clear if or when the remainder of the military mission will leave Syria.
lowtechcyclist
@Professor Bigfoot:
Agree with you on the motivation for the choice of target.
And boy howdy, it’s such a demonstration of our military might, that we can go beat up on some “shithole country” to steal someone’s phrase.
Being bullies is one of their basic character traits. Brown-skinned immigrants, trans people, Yemen – pick fights with groups least able to fight back.
Which is why the rest of us have to stand with the people they want to pick on.
YY_Sima Qian
@Professor Bigfoot: That is among the data points reinforcing my sense at many (not all) of the über China Hawks in the Trump 47 administration are play acting the role for career advancement, for the grift, & fear mongering the “big bad” helps pave the way for the White Herrenvolk ethno-nationalist order they want to bring forth. They may not be interested in an actual kinetic great power war that could easily turn nuclear & destroy what they are trying to accrue or build.
Laura Loomer convince Trump to fire several China Hawks (on natsec) from the NSC, because they are neocons, is another data point. So are the marginalization of the remaining China Hawks (on natsec), such as Mike Waltz, Ivan Kapanathy & Alex Wong.
That doesn’t stop the economic nationalists (& illiterate ones at that) from trying to burn the world’s economic/trade/financial order down.
Paul in KY
@Sister Golden Bear: Understand. Best wishes to you!
Paul in KY
@lowtechcyclist: Reminds me of Fascist Italy.