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Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Bad people in a position to do bad things will do bad things because they are bad people. End of story.

In my day, never was longer.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

We will not go back.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

You cannot love your country only when you win.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

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It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

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Constituent Service (Open Thread)

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Republican town halls that go off the rails are my favorite news genre these days, so when I saw this photo on Bluesky featuring a then-unidentified woman flashing peace signs while cops carried her out of Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) town hall, I was immediately interested in the backstory.

Photo of cops carrying a woman out of a town hall while she flashes peace signs.

Now we have it, thanks to Mother Jones reporter Julianne McShane. An excerpt:

(Emily Feiner) was one of several people forcibly removed by state troopers after asking Lawler what it would take for him to stand up to the Trump administration. The moment, which was caught on video and quickly went viral on social media, serves as the latest example of Republican lawmakers endorsing seemingly drastic measures to silence calls for accountability from the constituents they represent…

But Lawler’s apparent efforts to stamp out dissent quickly unraveled. “I asked [Lawler], given all the unconstitutional acts by this administration, did he have a red line, and what was it?” Feiner told me. “Because he’s done nothing yet, while presenting himself as a moderate, to indicate that he is, in any way, going to act as a check on this administration.”

According to Feiner and a friend who filmed the incident and was also removed from the event, Jennifer Cabrera, who is also chair of the local chapter of the Working Families Party, Lawler did not directly answer the question, and instead started talking about the appropriations process. So Feiner called out: “Answer the question, answer the question.”

After that, the cops dragged Feiner out. Here’s a brief interview with the ejected constituent that MoJo posted on Bluesky:

“I think this says that they will not tolerate us being active participants in our democracy—they want an autocracy,” Emily Feiner told Mother Jones.

Meet the 64-year-old retired social worker who went viral after being forcibly removed from her representative’s town hall.

[image or embed]

— Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) May 6, 2025 at 4:45 PM

More from the linked article:

Authorities also reportedly removed attendees from recent town halls held by Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has reportedly told members to skip in-person town halls after many were met by protesters demanding accountability in the early weeks of Trump’s term, baselessly alleging that those who were showing up were “professional protesters.”

Feiner—who, for the record, says she is not a paid protester—says that even if Republicans stop showing up, defenders of democracy should not. “Everybody doesn’t have to do what I do, but everybody has a role: Be a body, be there. Let your elected representative know that you care, that you’re watching.”

She’s right. We gotta keep showing up.

Open thread.

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    174Comments

    6. 6.

      TaMara

      The full video is horrifying. But she is my new hero.

       

      Emily Feiner was forcibly removed from GOP Rep. Mike Lawler’s town hall after she asked her so-called “moderate” congressman to stand up to Donald Trump’s authoritarian power grab.

      There’s a great pushback happening across the entire country — even in Republican held districts.

      [image or embed]

      — Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) May 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM

      Reply
    9. 9.

      JML

      The GOP caucuses are telling their members to not hold public events. They’re literally telling elected officials to hide from their constituents. Sure says something about what they’re doing (and not doing) that the best political advice they can get is to crawl into a hole and hide and hope that no one notices you. But they’re hiding because they are afraid: afraid of looking foolish, afraid of looking weak, afraid of losing their cushy jobs (that they complain about so often), and afraid of the truth.

      Got to keep the pressure on these clowns and not get distracted by the new shiny object.

      Reply
    10. 10.

      p.a.

      Frakin’ Soros offered me bitcoin.😡

       

       

      I was in a hotel elevator Sat and a lovely woman who has taken a few more spins around the sun than my approaching 66 saw my Cyberdyne Systems SKYNET AI t-shirt and asked me how long I’ve worked in the industry and if it really will do everything “they” say it will.  I had to look down, not even realizing what I was wearing.

      “Well… uhh… I don’t think it will, but, uh, this is from the movie Terminator… I’m not in AI.”

      “Oh, I’ve never heard of it.”

      Reply
    12. 12.

      kindness

      Who are the ‘Real’ snowflakes in this media environment?  The MSM’s portrayal of Democrats lost us the last election as much as misogyny, racism and trans hate did.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      Jackie

      @JML:

      The GOP caucuses are telling their members to not hold public events. They’re literally telling elected officials to hide from their constituents.

      Many constituents are holding town halls and the like with a cardboard life size cutout of the cowardly “Representative” (representative is in quotes as they aren’t doing their elected job) featured prominently on stage. I LOVE that!

      Reply
    15. 15.

      comrade scotts agenda of rage

      I see many here have already discussed this as a way to get those sweet, sweet Soros bucks.

      This is brilliant stuff in terms of optics.  Nothing like watching various pohlice hauling old people out of peaceable assemblies.

      Particularly old *white* people because the audience we need to hit are *white* people.  If your average low-info/low-info voter saw the same thing with black people, they’d just think “It’s Another Day in ‘Murka”.

      Next step, get your bog-standard (R) clown to get the pohlice there with water canons to use in case harmless-looking older white women get too uppity.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      rikyrah

      Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) posted at 5:37 PM on Tue, May 06, 2025:
      Our Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is a very smart man. He’s not the blubbering idiot shown in this clip. The reason he can’t answer the simple question “who pays tariffs” is because he knows the answer. He is stammering because he is struggling to formulate a BS explanation. https://t.co/5lN3zxRtCY
      (https://x.com/PeterSchiff/status/1919884142730154311?t=NtQaAPBjQFsx_z9bHEw8ng&s=03)

      Reply
    21. 21.

      JML

      @Jackie: I saw one distract was distributing lawn signs that were like the “missing kid” signs featuring their representative. (who is very much a tough-talkin’, relies on his family’s sports pedigree, macho twat)

      Reply
    22. 22.

      rikyrah

      Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) posted at 8:58 AM on Wed, May 07, 2025:
      New: Rep. Don Bacon, one of the most vulnerable House members, is warning that some Republican leaders have privately tried to get him and others on board with the reconciliation bill by claiming any steep Medicaid cuts passed by the House would be blocked by the Senate anyway.

      “Here’s the tactic they’ve been using: ‘Don’t worry about the Senate. They’ll fix it.’ And now we’re getting ready to take our third vote on this,” Bacon said in a recent interview. “We feel like we’re being pushed up to the edge of the cliff here.”
      wsj.com/politics/polic…
      (https://x.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/1920116124164755588?t=kz0PylRY-RXAl-Ll86A5qg&s=03)

      Reply
    23. 23.

      rikyrah

      Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) posted at 1:05 PM on Wed, May 07, 2025:
      1. CNN has an admin official confirming this and flight trackers that show an Air Force C-17 has filed a plan to fly from TX to Libya

      2. Per NYT, both Libyan govt’s deny this (one is ruled by a warlord who’s son met with Trump admin officials last week)

      3. State Dept cites “harsh and life-threatening” conditions in Libyan detention centers; travel warning cites “terrorism” “kidnapping” and “armed conflict”

      Who are we sending to this hellhole?

      How do we know they’re even eligible for deportation?

      How do we know they aren’t legal residents or even citizens?

      What evidence is there that they’ve committed a crime, let alone crimes that warrant sending them to a torture chamber controlled by an African war lord?

      It is absolutely insane that our government refuses to answer these questions
      (https://x.com/jonfavs/status/1920178236488888751?t=itBhd_evLlifZDeHBxbsog&s=03)

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Sister Golden Bear

      I try not to always post about “today in trans erasure efforts” but there was big news both yesterday and last week that I haven’t seen mentioned.

      Yesterday, the SCOTUS vote 6-3 to green light the military ban on trans soldiers—which had been put on hold by Republican judges at three levels—in shadow docket ruling without any explanation as to why. Technically it’s a temporary measure sending it back to the 9th Circuit, but in reality that’s a distinction without difference, since trans service members can now be purged immediately. Worse yet it seems to be a clear signal that Sinister Six agree with the administration’s policy that declared trans soldiers “not honorable, truthful, or disciplined” for no reason other than their gender identity. Something the district judge hearing the case had ruled was likely unconstitutional and violated of due process, and condemned the policy as overly discriminatory for imposing “demeaning, cruel, and unsupported badges of infamy” on transgender troops.

      It was just a little too on the nose that the ruling was on the anniversary of the infamous 1933 Nazi book burning of Berlin’s Institute of Sex Research’s library (probably the best-known photo of the book burnings). The groundbreaking institute, founded by a gay Jewish man, became a major center for LGBTQ rights advocacy, and pioneered some of the first trans healthcare treatments.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      Sister Golden Bear

      @Sister Golden Bear:

      This follows last Wednesday’s release of a psuedo-science filled HHS “report”* on trans youth healthcare, which just like the infamous Cass Report in the UK, reads less like a medical analysis and more like an anti-trans screed—politicized, inflammatory, filled with 100s of debunked falsehoods, and devoid of scholarly grounding—reaching a predetermined conclusion.

      Specifically that “medical interventions”—which it misleadingly says includes merely social transitioning without puberty blockers, hormones or surgery—should be banned for anyone under the age of 26. I.e. advocating that not just “youth” but also legal adults should be considered not mentally competent to decide how they want to dress themselves, cut their hair, or choose what their names and pronouns are.

      Instead they should forced to undergo “conversion therapy” to make them cisgender, akin to the same sort of conversion therapy conservatives advocate to make gay people straight.

      Worse yet, this fake “study” will undoubtedly be used as “evidence” by both state and federal officials seeking to ban trans healthcare for all trans people regardless of age, and potentially can—and probably will—be used argue trans people are not only inherently mental ill, but consequently can be stripped on their basic rights due to supposed mental incompetence.

      *The report had no named authors, although we’ve since learned those involved included an anti-trans philosophy major and two political consultants—not scientists, and certainly not experts in gender-affirming care. The report wasn’t peer reviewed and bore no hallmarks of legitimate scientific inquiry. Its recommendations contradict those of major U.S. medical associations — including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, which sharply condemned it as  “inaccurate,” “misleading,” and a distortion of “the current medical consensus.”

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Steve LaBonne

      @Sister Golden Bear: I just have no words for this obscene shit. I can only apologize on behalf of our defective species. I will never understand what the hell is wrong with these hateful sickos.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      rikyrah

      Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) posted at 1:32 PM on Tue, May 06, 2025:
      🚨SCOOP: @MigrantInsider has confirmed that about an hour ago, two ICE agents entered Chang Chang, a restaurant in Dupont, claiming to be serving an I-9 inspection notice.

      The agents, both 40-ish men wearing plain clothes and carried a manilla folder and a walkie talkie, were told by the manager they needed a warrant.

      Upon hearing this, the agents said they didn’t need a warrant and tried to push past the staff to get at the kitchen workers, but staff didn’t budge and the manager ran the agents off, insisting they needed a warrant until the agents finally left.

      No one was detained.
      (https://x.com/PabloReports/status/1919822694477947003?t=CYTJclaRWPv1bvtrbZ2Gbw&s=03)

      Reply
    37. 37.

      JML

      @rikyrah: might be the way to stop this crap if the rich jerks lose their domestic staff and have to start parenting their kids on their own again.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      rikyrah

      @Sister Golden Bear:

      Specifically that “medical interventions”—which it misleadingly says includes merely social transitioning without puberty blockers, hormones or surgery—should be banned for anyone under the age of 26. I.e. advocating that not just “youth” but also legal adults should be considered not mentally competent to decide how they want to dress themselves, cut their hair, or choose what their names and pronouns are.

      Instead they should forced to undergo “conversion therapy” to make them cisgender, akin to the same sort of conversion therapy conservatives advocate to make gay people straight.

       

      ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING

      Reply
    41. 41.

      brendancalling

      I love calling and mocking people like this after incidents like this. I left four incredibly obnoxious messages for Mr. Lawler in quick succession today, using my best Gilbert Gottfried voice. I told him he should pick a fight with someone his own size, and stop bullying little old ladies. I suggested he get in a fight with a man, or if it had to be a woman maybe someone like Linda McMahon who has some wrestling experience. I left my phone number, but I doubt that I’ll get a call back.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Rob J.

      To a Republican, “constituent service” means throwing your constituent high in the air and hitting them as hard as you can with a racket, spinning your constituent hard into the dirt in the hopes that they bounce off someplace crazy and your opponent can’t even find them.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      Jackie

      @JML:

      @Jackie: I saw one distract was distributing lawn signs that were like the “missing kid” signs featuring their representative. (who is very much a tough-talkin’, relies on his family’s sports pedigree, macho twat)

      Ooooh that’s great, too! Hopefully, if these chickenshit MAGAts keep hiding, more and more ways to publicly shame them will start popping up – especially when it’s election season!

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Betty Cracker

      @Sister Golden Bear: Age 26? That seems random. I wonder if it has anything to do with the ACA allowing students to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until that age. These evil fucks would want to do anything they can to throw up roadblocks to care.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @rikyrah: two now, lost from the same ship.
      and if hostilities have ended with the Houthi as this president claimed yesterday, why are they still targeting our ship?

      Are we certain this president is not an AI just hallucinating?

      Reply
    60. 60.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Sister Golden Bear: we must do something about the Supreme Court.  There are 6 of them just making it up as they go along.  It is absolutely bonkers to maintain that separation from the military is not an irreparable harm which is what this shadow docket nonsense ruling does.

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Jackie

      This is terrific!

      After 17 years on the Orlando City Commission, retired police officer and U.S. Marine veteran Tony Ortiz has changed his political party from Republican to Democrat, saying it “is not the Republican party I signed up with,” the Orlando Sentinel reports.
      “I once believed it stood for duty, accountability, individual freedom, and family values. But over time, that party has changed. And I can no longer stand by in silence as it turns its back on the very people I’ve sworn to protect.” Ortiz said in his letter.

      Ortiz reaffirmed his dedication to all people, whether black, Latino, white, immigrant, LGBTQ+, young, old, and everything in between.

      “That’s why I’m choosing to stand with a party that better reflects the values I’ve always lived by — the Democratic Party. A party that believes in protecting the vulnerable, expanding access to healthcare, defending voting rights, and confronting the climate crisis. A party that sees diversity not as a threat, but as a strength.

      The America I believe in values every person’s contribution, no matter where they were born, what language they speak, or how they worship… Because leadership isn’t about staying comfortable. It’s about standing up when it matters most. And that’s exactly what I intend to keep doing — for every person who calls the City of Orlando home.”

      Welcome to the Big Tent, Mr Ortiz!

      Reply
    63. 63.

      Trollhattan

      On the one hand.

      “The White House is expected to pull its nomination of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as U.S. surgeon general just a day before she was expected to appear before the Senate for her confirmation hearing,” ABC News reports.

      On the other

      “The news comes as right-wing activist Laura Loomer called on the president to pick a new nominee after it came to light that Nesheiwat received her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean instead of the University of Arkansas. Loomer also criticized Nesheiwat for being pro-vaccine.”

      Woooooooh. {Theremin music}

      Reply
    64. 64.

      Sister Golden Bear

      @Betty Cracker: The purported reason for banning trans care until age 26 is that the adult brain isn’t fully developed until then—I.e. the poor confused kids aren’t capable of making decisions—but I suspect that ACA enabling young adults to remain on their parents health insurance until is also factor. There’s a reason they’re trying to make a crime for parents to obtain trans healthcare for their minor children—and I could see that extended to children up to age 26.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Barry

      @JML:

      “might be the way to stop this crap if the rich jerks lose their domestic staff and have to start parenting their kids on their own again.”

       

      Exemptions can be purchased discretion will be involved.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Geminid

      @HopefullyNotcassandra: The first of the two F-18s I think you’re referring to was lost because the Houthis targeted the Truman with a ballistic missile and it made a sudden sharp turn. The one lost last night was returning from a bombing run. The Truman was not under fire at the time but the arresting gear failed.

      There may have been a wear-and-tear issue because the the carrier has been operating at a fast tempo for the last two months. It’s also in its 8th month of deployment, whereas the standard deployment is 6 months.

      Those sailors left Norfolk last Sept 26 and they will be glad when this cruise is over. They lost a third F-18 this winter when a U.S. cruiser mistook it for a Houthi cruise missile (the pilots survived); and then the ship collided with a Turkish bulk carrier and had to be patched up at Souda Bay, Crete.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      ...now I try to be amused

      @rikyrah:

      Our Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is a very smart man.

      Maybe smart, but not smart enough to avoid working for Trump. Whatever, nobody cares how smart you were once you become a dignity wraith.

      Reply
    70. 70.

      comrade scotts agenda of rage

      @Sister Golden Bear:

      I’d like these clowns to meet a friend of mine back in Brooklyn.  His 16-year old daughter is now his 16-year old son.  I don’t know the particulars, don’t need to know.

      But talking with him and his wife, they spoke about the emerging issues when she hit puberty in terms of depression, etc.  It took them a couple of years to weave their way thru the diagnostic process but when now-he started down that path, it was as if, in their words, a switch had been thrown.

      Happier kid, better in school, more focused, more satisfied with himself.

      Yeah, it’s anecdotal but I’m guessing you ask other parents who have or are going thru this and they’ll provide the same story.

      Wait until 26 is simply a smokescreen.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      One of André Leon Talley's Fifty Pieces of Monogrammed Louis Vuitton Luggage

      McShane is a goddamned hero.

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Sister Golden Bear

      @comrade scotts agenda of rage:

      Wait until 26 is simply a smokescreen.

      It is. It also intended to marked any trans kid who makes it to that age* as “visibly trans.” By banning hormonal treatment they want to ensure a trans child is forced to go through the puberty of the sex they were assigned at birth.

      For trans women switching to estrogen post-puberty does not raise your vocal range, nor eliminate your beard. Which is why I’ve done more than 450 hours of facial electrolysis (yes it fucking hurts), and months of vocal training to try to feminize my voice.

      Also means that you don’t experience puberty changes aligned with your true gender. E.g. not just things like breast development, but estrogen causes the pelvis to wider until the process stops around age 25. In my case, I ended up an irreversible V-shaped body that characteristically male.

      Aside from the intended cruelty of forcing trans kids to go through the wrong puberty, it’s intended to make adult trans people more easily identified so that they can be targeted by all the other forms of anti-trans discrimination and harassment.

      *About 40% of trans teen attempt suicide because yes, society is that hostile to them, the rates are highest among those who experience unwanted puberties and those unable to even socially transition. Some denying that is yet another way to eliminate us—with extreme prejudice.

      Reply
    78. 78.

      Bupalos

      @comrade scotts agenda of rage: My sister (and probably most trans people who came of age in previous decades) was a posterchild for how destructive this is. Living as a male she was depressed and violent to herself and others as she tried to adopt hypermasculine markers to bury her identity or just get revenge on the world. Then trying to transition in the 1990’s… after having married a woman and having kids…going to Mexico for surgery that almost killed her and left her with lifetime medical issues. There are damaged lives all around the fact that society wanted to keep her trapped. And with all that added stress and torture that never needed to happen… she’s still just worlds better socially and mentally than when she was 16 and trapped. No one who saw this whole trajectory could mistake that the world is a better place for everyone when we don’t allow this torture.

      It just didn’t have to be that way.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Omnes Omnibus

      @Geminid: The new commander who should be taking over shortly will probably be a very strict disciplinarian who does not accept any deviation from procedure.  The outgoing commander will either have his career end or become Chief of Naval Operations because of the current administration.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Suzanne

      As for Popewatch….. apparently the CBS reporter noted that the cardinals had to turn in all of their electronic devices before entering the conclave, and said, “I believe the kids call it ‘rawdogging’.”

      LMAO.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      Suzanne

      @Captain C: You know, I am a Marinara-American on my father’s side, but my WASP mom was responsible for the religious education. So I got the much more dour Protestant stuff instead (as well as the grind-maxing work ethic guilt). I have to say: the Catholic Church really kicks ass at the aesthetic stuff. So extra.

      Reply
    87. 87.

      TONYG

      Rockland County elected this Lawler asshole.  Some of the suburban areas of the New York City Metropolitan area might as well be Alabama.  I guess Rockland is one of those suburban areas.

      Reply
    90. 90.

      comrade scotts agenda of rage

      @Bupalos:

      I’ve related this story before.  Have an old friend here in the metro area, known him since 1979.  Has three grown daughters from Wife #1 (from college so I knew them when they started dating).  That marriage ended after 25 years.

      Remarried within a couple of years.

      Two years ago, he came out as she.  The college gang gets together once a month and we’ve all been very frank with each other all these years so the first question was “Did Wife #1 know?”.  Short answer, yes, never liked it but it’s not as if that were the main reason for their eventual split (she was a classic, TV-level-reality-show hoarder).  Wife #2, current wife, also knew from when they were dating.

      I think the thing that amazed our group the most wasn’t the coming out at this age, we didn’t give a shit (in a good way) but that she never said boo all these years.  Because even going back, I don’t think any of us would have given a shit (in a good way).

      The main reason she finally came out was that there were other women in the support group, now in their 70s, who, in the words of my friend “showed you could do this and still keep your own shit together” which, in her words, was in stark contrast to most of the other people there.

      Keeping that in all these years, even to the closest and most sympathetic of friends, took some kind of toll but nothing the way you describe your sister.  In that sense, things turned out okay.

      The hardest part in all of this? PRONOUNS!  Her new first name isn’t the issue but here we are two years later and and it’s still not-even-close-to-second-nature calling her “she”, the default is still “he” although we’re all soooper cognizant of this.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      Joy in FL

      More than 600 are on the celebration Zoom for Justice Riggs right now.
      15 minutes to celebrate then back to work!

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Jackie

      I’ll believe it only if it happens. I think FFOTUS will let Big Pharma win and blame them for failing.

      “President Donald Trump plans to revive an effort to dramatically slash drug costs by tying the amount the government pays for some medicines to lower prices abroad,” Politico reports.

      “Trump early next week is expected to sign an executive order directing aides to pursue the initiative, called ‘most favored nation,’ for a selection of drugs within the Medicare program. The idea would use the administration’s authorities to force prices down.”

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Melancholy Jaques

      @rikyrah:

      That is exactly what I have been saying to people in every election cycle since 1980. I use the expression that they want to repeal the 20th century. It never had the impact I thought it would or should.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      sab

      @Sister Golden Bear: I agree with Suzanne  in comment down below.

      Thank you so much for keeping commenting. I have a trans niece who is my favorite of my nieces and nephews. Sad child, much much happier adult.

      I had no idea she was going through all that when she was a child. She was always the only one helped me do dishes after big family holidays. Everyone else was out in the living room socializing. She was in the kitchen helping me wash up. As what I thought was a boy.

      I didn’t understand any of this except what I saw watching her and what I read from you.

      She also transitioned late.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Bupalos

      @comrade scotts agenda of rage: There is surely a spectrum of dysphoria, and my sister pretty clearly had it in spades. It’s such a different world now just even as far as the social awareness of it as a possibility. I mean, my mom caught her repeatedly dressing up in her (my mom’s) clothes at ages like 8, 10, 13…. and was just like huh, that’s odd….”

      No one would miss this phenomena now- which even outside the social or legal support that is also worlds different- the social knowledge is an advance that makes us all more free.

      It has cost a good double handful of people a great deal, that we were so ignorant. For several it’s been life-determinative. The kids from that marriage are living destabilized lives largely defined by it, and still will be 30 years from now, my parents’ relationship was either set onto or pushed along a path to ending, her wife has languished and lapsed into substance abuse and seemingly has made suicide attempts…  for my part there was some minor abuse and fear growing up in that orbit, and I wonder about the degree to which it suppressed my personality in the first half of my life….I also think about how I was cheated out of a sibling. I’m reminded that when I met my wife at college and she asked if I had any siblings, I answered… “Well…I guess so. I’ve probably said less than 100 words to him my entire life…”

      All these questions, all flowing from society’s need to torture a compromised young person into the shape it required.

      It doesn’t have to be that way and we are wrong if we think standing up for trans rights isn’t about everyone’s freedom. Directly.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      Geminid

      @Omnes Omnibus: The commander in charge when the Truman hit the Turkish bulk carrier was relieved of duty, and the Navy flew out the commander of the Eisenhower, “Chowdah” Hill to take his place. The two F-18 losses while he was in command might not hurt Hill’s career.

      I’m pretty sure the one last night won’t. The Navy imposes strict liability on captains who run a hit another ship whether they were on the bridge or not, but a mechanical failure of the arresting gear would be a different story.

      Reply
    101. 101.

      patrick II

      We know Lawler won’t stand up to Trump, but at least we know now that he will stand up to little old ladies.  With police assistance.

      Reply
    102. 102.

      The Audacity of Krope

      @rikyrah: Data reveals @elonmusk has delivered 0.25% of promised federal spending cuts

      Musk initially promised $2 TRILLION in annual spending cuts.

      He’s on track to deliver $5 billion. And that’s being generous.

      Umm…good?

      Reply
    104. 104.

      Geminid

      @TONYG: Joe Biden carried Lawler’s district. It consists of northern Westchester, Rockland and parts of two other Hudson Valley counties. Some locals think that Lawler won’t even try to defend that seat and will run for Governor instead.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Melancholy Jaques: I know that feeling

      Combine that with the GOP will be lead by flat earthers, because that prediction is now true too.

      Per the New York Times

      “people who question whether the Earth is round [are] running local Republican parties in Georgia and Minnesota and seeking public office in Alabama.”

      Reply
    106. 106.

      Bupalos

      @The Audacity of Krope: Well, this is where our rhetoric gets the best of us a little. This sounds like “he hasn’t done much of anything, it’s all been fake.” That isn’t true. Musk has cut a shitload more than that, and the “net cut” being reported here is minus the estimated revenue losses that the cuts will cost. This should be obvious since USAID has been effectively zeroed out, and its budget alone is like $60B.

      A better way to put this is that Musk has damaged American society in monetary terms by close to double the amount of literal cuts to outlays he’s made, which is certainly north of $100B. I don’t think this line of “he hasn’t cut anything like he promised” is a good line for us.

      Reply
    107. 107.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Matt McIrvin:  a woman was kicked out of a Boston hotel for using the woman’s restroom following a Kentucky Derby viewing party.  It was not the first such incident in recent times.

      I do think these Torquemodas dearly want to check everybody’s privates.  I also think they are miserable so they want to share that misery as widely as possible.

      Reply
    108. 108.

      Bupalos

      @Sister Golden Bear: I don’t know where “they” want to “go…” but from my perspective (and since “going back” is a literally impossible outcome) it should be enough and maybe more accurate to say the 1980’s.

      Or to put it differently, we should understand that a massive regression in freedom is very close at hand and doesn’t require unimaginable leaps into long past history.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Jackie

      @Geminid:

      Some locals think that Lawler won’t even try to defend that seat and will run for Governor instead.

      I think I read somewhere that Stefanik was considering running for governor? If so, Lawler is screwed. FFOTUS will endorse Stefanik.

      Reply
    110. 110.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Bupalos: we still don’t know how bad it might get.

      Remember we have twenty something’s who do not know COBOL mucking about in COBOL systems and lying to courts about whether they have write access (they definitely have had and may still have).   The barely men DOGE boys (not old enough to decide on their own basic medical care as referenced elsewhere in this post) are apparently planning to switch social security from COBOL to a modern code soon.

      https://www.crisesnotes.com/the-crisis-at-social-security-illustrates-elon-musk-and-doges-plan-explode-the-number-and-severity-of-improper-payments/

      If anything goes belly up in government computer land, remember this!!  Point at this president, the soutpiel and his band of big balling wannabes while hollering “they did this!”

      Reply
    111. 111.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Jackie: I think the men in charge of the GOP are attempting to force Rep Stefanik into running for Governor of New York so they can be done with her.  The party of misogynists makes no exceptions

      Reply
    112. 112.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Sister Golden Bear: I think people were kinder actually in the 1750’s

      These guys want the Spanish Inquisition and the Iranian morality police all rolled into one big horror show and they want the “show” streamed 24-7.

      Reply
    113. 113.

      Geminid

      @Jackie: Unlike Lawler, Stefanik has a fairly safe seat and might not run for Governor in what could be a tough year for New York Republicans. Lawler may figure his goose is cooked as a Representative, and he can save some face by failing at a higher level.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      Omnes Omnibus

      @Geminid: I am not a navy guy, but my time in the army makes me think that losing two jets in peacetime is not a career enhancer.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      The Audacity of Krope

      So starting my 2026 electioneering early. Just signed up for a Zoom meeting tomorrow focused on bringing ranked choice voting to MA.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      TONYG

      @HopefullyNotcassandra: Yes; good point about the DOGE idiots.  But, speaking as an old I.T. guy, the problem is not COBOL per se.  (COBOL is actually an easy language to understand; that’s why it was such a popular language for decades.). The problem is that these federal government systems probably depend upon programs that have been patched and re-patched dozens of times over the course of decades — and have little or no documentation.  Even if the DOGE stoners were highly intelligent (they are not) it is very difficult to analyze and modify old systems like that.  For those morons (led by the chief moron Elon) to just start changing shit that they don’t understand is a recipe for disaster.  I’m actually surprised that we’ve made it so far without major system crashes.  Maybe our luck will run out soon.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      Geminid

      @Omnes Omnibus: Yes, it would look bad in peacetime, but these jets were not lost in peacetime. Anyway, we’ll get to see what happens to “Chowdah” Hill after the Truman makes it back to Norfolk.

      Reply
    121. 121.

      Jay

      @Bupalos:

      https://doge.muskwatch.com/

      https://www.muskwatch.com/p/data-reveals-musk-has-delivered-025

      With Musk now preparing to scale back his work for the White House, he joined a farewell Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, during which he took credit for saving the federal government $160 billion. However, the real number appears to be much lower, particularly when considering how much DOGE could save taxpayers in future federal budgets. For fiscal year 2026, Musk Watch’s DOGE Tracker could verify just $5.02 billion in savings produced by DOGE.

      Some accounting holds that the damage done to the US Economy will amount to $1.7 trillion. And of course, he’s blown up the US’s Soft Power, gutted Agencies and put every American’s data in the hands of Putin and cybercriminals.

      Reply
    124. 124.

      The Audacity of Krope

      @Jay: Imagine homeowners thinking it would save money to not repair a hole in the roof or have mold growth removed. That’s the Republican mindset.

      Reply
    125. 125.

      lowtechcyclist

      @RaflW:

      They’re also afraid of their own armed and dangerously mis- and mal-informed constituents.

      Awww, I feel so sorry for them!  How could their constituents have gotten so armed and so mal-informed?  Must’ve been Biden’s fault.

      And having done their part to turn up the stove, if they can’t stand the heat, they need to GTFO of the kitchen. Worthless fuckers.

      Reply
    126. 126.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @TONYG: another point

      I am not certain we have not had problems already

      Think of the folks who showed up dead on the social security NUMIDENT while obviously still living who had to spend hours proving they lived.  Some had their bank accounts emptied too.  We also do not know what caused that problem at Newark or any other problem encountered by this regime anywhere really because we cannot trust a word this regime puts out there.

      Reply
    128. 128.

      surfk9

      So, since this an open thread. My wife and I are going through empty nest withdrawal. I have had children in my home since 1979. My youngest just moved out. There’s a lot of history and emotions, but it is just weird.

      Reply
    132. 132.

      UncleEbeneezer

      @schrodingers_cat: I saw a funny Tweet that said: Podcasters are feverishly reading books about India/Pakistan so they can tell us tomorrow why it’s all the fault of the Jews.

      Reply
    134. 134.

      jowriter

      @Geminid: That’s my guess.  He does no outreach here in Westchester and his “town hall” was in the one Westchester town, Somers, that is arguably red.  The staters acted as his goons, and there was a ten commandments to follow to get in, including showing ID proving oneself a constituent.  I wish that everyone around Emily had locked arms.  She understands the physical requirements of civil disobedience but I wish some other like-minded constituents could have offered support.  Much harder to move a bunch of people than to lift one small older women.  I wished I could have been there but it was my birthday dinner evening and the family had plans for me.  She’s a hero. If there’s a next time, I’ll make it my business to attend.  Lawler is a coward and a weasel, and used $2 million Elon bucks to get elected, I’ve heard.

      Reply
    138. 138.

      surfk9

      @Betty Cracker: We notice it most at dinner. Our youngest is a picky eater and we catered to that. When he was not here for dinner, we had weird dinner nights where we would eat the things we like. Now it’s weird dinner night every night

      Reply
    139. 139.

      Jay

      A security architect with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleges that employees from Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) transferred gigabytes of sensitive data from agency case files in early March, using short-lived accounts configured to leave few traces of network activity. The NLRB whistleblower said the unusual large data outflows coincided with multiple blocked login attempts from an Internet address in Russia that tried to use valid credentials for a newly-created DOGE user account.

      https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/04/whistleblower-doge-siphoned-nlrb-case-data/

      Reply
    140. 140.

      MagdaInBlack

      @Jay: I saw that clip last night, right about the time you were being told he did so poorly. Which obviously is not the case, and I am pleased.

      Reply
    147. 147.

      HopefullyNotcassandra

      @Melancholy Jaques: I think that is changing.    I hope so fervently, too

      Texans just rejected book burning school boards.  That is a nice leap in the direction of sanity

      Reply
    151. 151.

      George

      @Bupalos:

       Yep, doge has destroyed the civil service, which is damage that doesn’t seem to make the headlines very often.

      The federal agency that I left in December has been gutted by doge. Some 5k people out of maybe 30k total have either retired outright or have taken the “fork in the road” retirement. Thousands of others either have been fired because they are probationary or are in the “am I fired or am I not?” limbo. At some point, the reduction in force (RIF) also will be unleashed, likely removing thousands more from the agency.

      People who still are working for the agency have told me that there is internal chaos because of all the uncertainty, and that work simply is not getting done. People have begun melting down into fits of swearing during TEAMS meetings.

      All of those things are costs of doge that are either not reported or reported only in passing.

      Reply
    152. 152.

      Geminid

      @Omnes Omnibus: l have no naval expertise and you know it. But those jets were not lost during peacetime, and it does not take naval expertise to know that. I’ve just followed these carrier deployments ever since 2023. When the Eisenhower came off a 275 day deployment last July, the Navy said it had operated at the highest war-time tempo of any carrier since WWII. Multiple sites including Navy Times reported this.

      The captain of the Eisenhower happened to be Chris “Chowdah” Hill, who (like I said above) was flown in to replace the Truman’s captain after it collided with the Turkish bulk carrier.

      Reply
    153. 153.

      Matt McIrvin

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I just heard about the Disney Abu Dhabi resort and thought “ooh, I bet someone else is putting up the cash”… got it in one. This is like Tokyo Disney, albeit in a more problematic place. Disney is financially strained these days because of the Fox acquisition, and they probably jumped at the chance to do something low-risk for them.

      Reply
    154. 154.

      Bill Arnold

      @Sister Golden Bear:
      As a hint of how grotesquely agenda-driven it is, Jesse Singal has 5 references, 3 of them to jessesingal substack com, and none of them remotely peer reviewed. (A lot of the references are not academic.)
      For those who are interested (warning; do not assume that any of it is honest): Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria – Review of Evidence and Best Practices (PDF (409 pages), Department of Health and Human Services, May 1, 2025)
      I skimmed the psychotherapy section. [redacted]Ugh.

      Reply
    155. 155.

      YY_Sima Qian

      How the beautiful trade deals are going:

      U.S. and Japan remain far apart on tariffs
      BY FRANCIS TANG
      STAFF WRITER

      Trade negotiations between Japan and the United States are headed for an impasse with the two sides unable even to settle on a starting point for an agreement after two rounds of high-level discussions.

      Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s tariff czar, said on Saturday negotiations won’t go forward without the tariffs already in place being included in the current talks.

      This would include the 25% duties on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum products and the 10% duties on most other imports.

      “Unless these elements are properly included in the package, we don’t believe an agreement can be reached,” he said.

      …

      Reply
    156. 156.

      NaijaGal

      OT: I had someone reach out to me on LinkedIn today and it was such a pleasant surprise. The first American friend I ever made! Her mom and mine were on sabbatical at the same university in Nigeria (the University of Calabar) when I was nine years old. I think her mom taught at a university in Indiana. Our flats were close by, so we were in and out of each other’s homes frequently, playing all kinds of games (although I remember avoiding their flat when they got a pet snake). She went back to the US and I moved back to Ibadan before my family eventually moved to the US. To connect on a social network decades later is just simply amazing. One of the few times I’ve seen the upside of social networking.

      Reply
    157. 157.

      TurnItOffAndOnAgain

      @HopefullyNotcassandra:

      I think people were kinder actually in the 1750’s

      These guys want the Spanish Inquisition and the Iranian morality police all rolled into one big horror show and they want the “show” streamed 24-7.

      I’m not a history expert, but the Spanish Inquisition wasn’t disbanded until the 1800s, to say nothing of the rest of the rancidness that infested the 18th century. So…what?

      Reply
    158. 158.

      YY_Sima Qian

      There were questions in the previous threat wet the PRC’s interests in the current Indo-Pakistani flare. I think below is a good take:

      Andrew Small@ajwsmall

      A few quick thoughts on how China is likely to deal with the current situation in South Asia (since I am getting some questions along the lines of: “is the Chinese approach still the same as the one laid out in your book?” which is now more than ten years old…) 1/10

      Fundamentals are the same as they have been for a long time: China supports Pakistan with military kit, diplomatic shielding, does not provide outright assistance to Pakistan in conflict scenarios beyond that. But lots of developments in last decade to note. 2/10

      The Chinese kit is much better, and the balance of the weapons systems that Pakistan uses is now far more China-centric (also a byproduct of developments in US-Pak & US-India ties). Old version was low-end plus nukes / delivery systems; new version includes advanced platforms. 3/

      CPEC added a new factor: in the early years, as investments surged, China put extra stress on Pakistan maintaining stability with India to ensure their economic interests weren’t harmed. But CPEC has stalled and the importance of the economic relationship has dipped again. 4/10

      China-Pak ties are worse than a decade ago. Beijing’s disappointment with CPEC, concerns about failure to protect Chinese nationals, unhappiness with Pak internal security landscape, economic & political situation, put relations on a lower ebb (though they don’t dramatize that)

      That doesn’t change the role that Pakistan plays for China as counterbalance / second front pressure on India. And Beijing never minded a bit of “re-hyphenation” of India with Pakistan- same holds now at a moment characterized by huge strategic (esp econ) opportunity for India 6/

      China won’t want to be too visibly embroiled in Pak response (beyond unavoidable fact that they will be using Chinese weapons): it’s trying to stabilize ties with India now (as w/others) to consolidate China’s position to face the US so will tread slightly delicately 7/10

      China will certainly tilt clearly in Pakistan’s direction though – I expect providing intelligence support and diplomatic support (as we’ve already seen at the UN). This isn’t just about China-Pak relations, but demonstration effect to others that they “look after their friends”

      Further back in time, there was some coordination between Chinese and US approaches (see Kargil, Twin Peaks, even Mumbai). But that hasn’t been the case since Uri- now China’s expectation is that US will provide forms of support to India, and it will do likewise for Pakistan 9/10

      China won’t want significant escalation (few do) but I suspect won’t mind the chance to test Chinese against Western weapons on India’s side. I doubt Beijing will see the Indian strikes as excessively escalatory. A kind of re-run of 2019 would IMO be fine from China’s perspective

      Where I disagree w/the analysis is that I think the PRC is more strongly motivated to see deescalation because it wants to maintain the momentum for the rapprochement w/ India, which in turn is important for its Great Power Competition w/ the US. “the chance to test Chinese against Western weapons on India’s side” is far too small ball to be a serious consideration IMO, & arguably already available from the the fighting 24 hrs ago.

      There there is this item:

      ‘India well prepared to retaliate if Pakistan decides to escalate,’ Ajit Doval tells Chinese foreign minister

      Ajit Doval also spoke to his counterparts in other countries, including the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and Japan and briefed them about the military operation.

      Online Desk, Agencies

      Updated on: 07 May 2025, 6:56 pm 1 min read

      National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and informed him that India has no plans to escalate tensions with Pakistan but is well prepared to “retaliate resolutely” if Islamabad does so.

      …

      I take this as an encouraging signal. I was afraid that, as proof emerge of Pakistan downing at least one French made Rafale fighter (the most advanced in the Indian Air Force’s arsenal) & possibly others (supposedly including a Su-30MKI, the 2nd most advanced fighter in the IAF’s arsenal), Modi might order a massive escalation in indignation, to make up for the embarrassment.

      Then again, Doval’s comments might have come before the reports of the IAF’s losses emerged. We shall see what the coming days bring.

      Reply
    159. 159.

      Jay

      @MagdaInBlack:

      Because Canada just dominates the US infotainment bubble//

      Nobody in the US has paid attention to the fact that when DJTdiot slapped 25% tariffs FFS on Canada, Canada slapped on counter tariffs of 25%, and tossed in boycotts.

      DJTdiot lifted the tariffs briefly, then came back with a 10% tariff FFS.

      It took the US MOU’s 2 months to figure out that boycotts are worse than a tariff FFS.

      And nobody has noticed that Canada never lifted our 25% tariff’s.

      Reply
    160. 160.

      Omnes Omnibus

      @Geminid: Am I supposed to know who Chris “Chowdah” Hill is?  Fair point about the intensity of the naval operations in that area though.

      Reply
    162. 162.

      Jay

      @YY_Sima Qian:

      I take this as an encouraging signal. I was afraid that, as proof emerge of Pakistan downing at least one French made Rafale fighter (the most advanced in the Indian Air Force’s arsenal) & possibly others (supposedly including a Su-30MKI, the 2nd most advanced fighter in the IAF’s arsenal), Modi might order a massive escalation in indignation, to make up for the embarrassment.

      All the OSINT accounts are noting that media is being flooded with disinfo. The Rafele footage is from a training mission crashing in September. The footage of Pakistani counter strikes circulating online, Gaza in October.

      Both India and Pakistan have “engagement farms”, where you can make $40 a day on social media, which is median, so they post a lot of BS for the clicks.

      Reply
    164. 164.

      Bill Arnold

      @Jay:
      Well before that incident, I had a “MUSK AND DOGE TO GITMO” magnetic bumper sticker made.
      IMO, they are at best cybercriminals straight out of a Die Hard-style movie plot, and perhaps also compromised by Russia, either directly or hacked, or both.
      They should be interrogated, through “enhanced means” if needed, until they divulge the details of the backdoors they installed and the materials that they stole, and those details are fully confirmed.

      Reply
    165. 165.

      YY_Sima Qian

      @Jay: No, the latest information shows photographic evidence that an Indian Rafale was indeed downed, & a French official confirmed it. France is trying to verify if more than 1 Rafale was lost.

      Reputable OSINT types (including the War Zone) are also coming to that conclusion

      Unquestionably both sides are awash in disinformation & wild speculation, but I think it is notable that the Indian government has not vocally challenged Pakistani claims of IAF losses.

      Reply
    167. 167.

      YY_Sima Qian

      @Jay: The War Zone is taking the footages of the downed Rafale, as well as the Pakistani use of PRC supplied PL-15E AAMs, seriously:

      China’s PL-15 Air-To-Air Missile Appears To Have Been Used In Combat For The First Time
      The apparent use of China’s PL-15 by Pakistan in the recent eruption of hostilities with India comes as Rafale shoot-down claims swirl.
      THOMAS NEWDICK
      UPDATED MAY 7, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

      Jim Sciutto reporting confirmation from France:

      Jim Sciutto@jimsciutto

      New: A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.  

      Pakistan claimed earlier Wednesday to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. Indian officials are yet to respond to the claim.  

      The French official told CNN that French authorities were looking into whether more than one Rafale jets were shot down by Pakistan overnight.

      Reply
    168. 168.

      Salty Sam

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I wonder if Disney will use migrant workers to build its new Abu Dhabi theme park?

      When I lived in that part of the world in the mid-70’s,  construction work was done by Pakistani laborers.  It was no different than slave labor.  I watched them working on a ten story apartment building one time.  They had a “bucket brigade” tossing buckets of cement up the chain, in 120°F summer heat.  Men would fall out from heat exhaustion, and the crew boss would just send a new guy up to take his place.  It was brutal.

      Reply
    169. 169.

      Geminid

      @Omnes Omnibus: The only reason you would know 0who Chris “Chowdah” Hill is if you followed Navy news. I happened to be interested in the incident where the Truman hit the Turkish bulk carrier, and followed the social media chatter of Navy geeks and Navy veterans over the next couple weeks.

      When the subject came up today I made a point of naming Hill because I like to put names on people in the news. In Hill’s case, I think he will be in the news again because of the reasons you mention. I expect the Navy will take hard look at these incidents once the Truman gets back back to Norfolk. I assume they’ve already inspected the arresting gear on their carriers very closely.

      And Houthi content creators ought to be able to come up with some good stuff featuring this incident, if you like rap videos in Arabic.

      Reply
    173. 173.

      YY_Sima Qian

      @Jay: No disagreement there. I think the only IAF loss that is close to confirmed is the BS001 serial Rafale, even then it is not confirmed whether the plane was downed by Pakistani Air Force fighters, Pakistani SAMs, mechanical failure, or Indian friendly fire (although the last is unlikely, as neither the PAF nor IAF seemed to have physically ventured into each other’s airspace).

      Reply

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