There is hope š
— Lev Parnas (@levparnas.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
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"At the end of the day, taking money from the poor to give tax cuts to the rich, sadly, isnāt that heavy a lift for modern Republicans."
— LOLGOP ??? (@thefarce.org) June 2, 2025 at 6:34 AM
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Hurricane season is here. But with FEMA and NOAA in turmoil, experts fear the real disaster could be in the response.
— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) June 1, 2025 at 2:45 PM
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Guys, the election is over, you don't have to keep up that old charade.
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 9:45 AM
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I should offer a more substantive critique than this but look at this guyās face and listen to his voice when he talks; you are a mark if you trust him
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 1:54 PM
On The Road – Albatrossity – April, ave atque vale
satby
We’re all marks in the Republican party’s eyes.
Baud
Talking points for the base. They want to keep them people believing that Dems are lying and not to be trusted.
Baud
@satby:
I can’t even blame them, given the success they’ve achieved.
ETA: Marks and serfs
satby
Special mention of Joni Ernst and her sarcastic “apology” after her “we’re all going to die” comment. How dare people question their betters?
Sorry, link was paywalled. You can see it all over the web though.
satby
@Baud: nope, I can’t either. I blame the people who voted for them.
Baud
@satby:
People question me all the time. I take it in stride.
Soprano2
@Baud: I wish the reporter would put the points from Project 2025 for the relevant topic on the screen and then ask him about them one at a time. Isn’t that the job of a reporter, to get the truth? You don’t just let them lie about it and shrug your shoulders.
ETA – They’re predicting a good chance of rain for the next nine days after today. Just shoot me now……For context, we set a rain record in April of over 12 inches, had over 7 inches in May, and look like we’re on track for lots more rain in June. Time to start growing rice! The worst thing is that my strawberry plants are doing well, but if we can’t get any sun I won’t have strawberries!
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Well white people and wanna be white people (like Vivek R) are more wedded to their bigotry than their personal/group wellbeing.
Soprano2
@schrodingers_cat: This is true, it’s really the only thing that makes sense. I wish Democrats could get it through their heads that people by and large don’t vote for issues, they vote based on feelings. Even if things are bad under a Republican, for some reason they aren’t willing to share they just “feel better”. Even if things are good under a Democrat, they just “feel bad”. Joe Biden’s administration was the best one for unions in a long, long time, yet I’d bet that lots of union people voted for FFOTUS. That’s about feelings, not their pocketbooks.
sab
(I can’t link.) According to Ohio Capital Journal : 1 in 9 families in Ohio received SNAP benefits last year, averaging $6.28 per person per day. To qualify a family of four must have an income under $32,150 per year.
My expectation is that both our senators will vote for the Huge Horrible Bill because those benefits are too generous.
Please call your senators again today.
Ohio Capital Journal can be found via Statesnewsroom.
Gin & Tonic
I’m seeing videos showing truck traffic pretty much at a standstill all over russia. Pretty inconvenient when every container could be a Trojan horse.
At the “peace” talks in Istanbul, Ukraine released its proposals to the media, in writing – in Ukrainian and English, of course. russia hasn’t presented anything, and is now whining that Ukraine didn’t also release its proposal in russian. I like the Ukrainians’ insistence that russian is a foreign language – at the last round (and I expect this one) they insisted on having a russian-Ukrainian interpreter.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
This is note that I left for my patrons over at Patreon this morning:
I have GoFundME here
Another Scott
Happy Monday.
In yet more news you can use, … Science.org – Will your car hit that deer? Depends on your headlight bulbsāand the deerās personality.
All life doesn’t perceive things the same way we do. It makes sense to actually do the work to see how types of lighting affects wildlife’s reactions, and understand how animals aren’t automatons, because your gut isn’t going to give you the right answer all the time. Whodathunkit??
Best wishes,
Scott.
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone š š š
satby
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I’m so sorry Bill. Hoping this helps and you hit your goal.
Gin & Tonic
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Sorry to hear of your difficulties. Hope my little bit helps.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@satby:
@Gin & Tonic:
Thanks much, this apartment isn’t all that great but it has been home for 15 years.
sab
@Another Scott: That is really interesting.
I have only hit one deer and we both survived, but they are everywhere around here in Ohio.
I have noticed that I am a lot better at spotting live deer at the side of the road than my husband is.
Fortunately I don’t drive at night any more. I think I’ll tell our kids about that article.
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:Ā ā
Well of course! You’re a pretty questionable character.
Geminid
This morning’sĀ Politico PlaybookĀ had items about this year’s New Jersey and Virginia elections. Trump will participate in a tele-rally for New Jersey candidate for Governor Jack Ciatarelli this evening. Ciaterelli will almost certainly win next week’s Republican primary, while Rep. Mikie Sherrill appears to be leading a crowded Democratic field.
And Pete Buttigieg has endorsed former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney for Virginia Lieutenant Governor. Our primary will be June 22, I think.
In other Virginia news, the aircraft carrierĀ Harry S. Truman finally returned to Norfolk on Sunday after over eight months at sea. TheĀ TrumanĀ left Norfolk last September 27.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Another Scott: The only animals I’ve run over are rabbits, Lockwood Valley(one of my favorite shooting locations) has the suicidal rabbits.Ā I’ve managed to only hit one there over the years.
Quiltingfool
@Soprano2: Iāve been thinking about people voting their feelings. Ā You and I live in red Missouri, weāre surrounded by Republicans. Ā My very unscientific take, though, is that the folks who live around me think both parties are corrupt and all politicians lie. Ā They donāt really see a difference EXCEPT that they believe that the Democratic Party is corrupt AND are Agents of Satan. Ā So they vote Republican. Ā In their minds, lesser of two evils.
Another unscientific thought is that Republican voters expect Democrats to keep Republicansā worst impulses in check. Ā They wonāt say that, and I think it is a subconscious belief.
That may have worked in the past, but no more. Ā Democrats will be blamed that they didnāt stop Republicans. Ā Not āwill be blamed,ā are right now being blamed – by other Democrats.
Matt McIrvin
@Soprano2: Thinking again about something my daughter told me, that a lot of the young people who were markedly unenthusiastic about Biden or Harris still have tremendous nostalgia for Barack Obama. That tells me it’s not particularly about ideology– the socialists and anarchists I hear complaining about Democrats all *hate* Obama. It’s not some policy objection. As someone was saying here (Suzanne?), it’s vibes. Obama was a really cool guy.
Belafon
@Geminid: There’s a reason the Navy has the highest turnover rate of any of the branches.
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:
That sucks. Bad things never seem to happen to bad people, only the good ones.
Stately Plump Buck
My letter to Senators Budd and Tillis:
āHey, asshole ā
Thereās a kind of rot that sets into a soul long before the body is cold. You can smell it in the air at certain town halls, rising like sulfur from the mouths of the self-righteous. And recently, it came reeking from the lips of Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, who, when faced with a citizen trembling for the lives of the poor under the knife of Medicaid cuts, declared with the serenity of a hangman: āWell, we all are going to die.ā
Senator, I write to ask whether you kneel at the same altar of indifference.
Do you whisper the same dark catechism?
Would you stand before a mother whose child clings to life by the threads of public care and offer her that same benediction? Would you lay a hand on her shoulder, look into her red-rimmed eyes, and say, āWell, we all are going to dieā?
Would you utter that phrase to the parents of Laken Riley, whose tragic death your party holds up like a lantern in the dark, not to mourn, but to signal your arrival at the gates of another argument? Would you, too, speak of death so glibly when it serves the interests of the weak, not the strong?
Do not mistake Senator Ernstās remark for gallows humor. It was not ironyāit was revelation. It was a glimpse into a soul that has bartered compassion for ideology and now hides the trade behind a grin and a scripture verse. She speaks of Jesus but walks among the tombstones as if she planted the crosses herself. She speaks of the poor but signs their death warrants with a fountain pen engraved with donor names.
This is not just one womanās callousness. It is a sickness of spirit that has crept like mold across your party. The House budgetāwhich she so heartily praisesāis not a piece of legislation. It is a bloodletting. It strips the frail and the fearful so that billionaires may keep polishing their yachts and building their fancy rocket ships.
Tell me, Senator, is this why you came to Washington?
To let the hungry starve, the sick suffer, and the poor die quietly, out of view, while you balance ledgers and flatter donors?
If Senator Ernstās words made your conscience stir, even faintly, then you must speak. Because if you say nothing, we will know what you believe. That we are all, in your eyes, just waiting for deathāand some of us deserve to arrive there a little sooner if it keeps the budget balanced.
You were not sent to D.C. to preside over despair with a smirk. You were sent to serve. And so I ask plainly:
Do you agree with Senator Ernstāthat āweāre all going to dieā is an acceptable answer to Americans pleading for their lives?
If not, then say so. Say it loud. Say it in the record, in your votes, in your actions. Because if you will not rebuke this cruelty, then you stand with itālike Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands and let the innocent be condemned.ā
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Obama personified cool, but it’s all the same excuse. Diss what we have by imagining someone better. It’s just that different groups of different “someone better” that they cling to.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Thanks, here’s a shot I took last Thursday morning:
Milky Way at Fossil Falls(HaRGB).
Belafon
@Quiltingfool: I got into a mini-argument with Oliver Willis on bsky over his latest “Why Democrats suck” articles, which was basically “The Trump administration is bad, the courts have no power since they can’t enforce their rulings, and Democrats aren’t talking enough.” Note who is missing.
All of this got me wondering if my view of things is based on the fact that the only time I’ve ever had a Democrat represent me was Ralph Hall, who was a blue dog Democrat who then switched to being a Republican. It’s hard to be angry at Democrats when you’re used to fighting from behind enemy lines all the time.
I would really like all of the writers on the left to teach us how to fight Republicans, to write out what we should say when a new lie is promoted by the Right. I can eventually come up with an appropriate thing to say, but I know a lot of them can come up with something in an hour that it would take me a day to figure out.
Baud
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:
That’s gorgeous.
Baud
@Belafon:
It’s all a scam.
rikyrah
Dear FrontPAGERS,
Please highlight Bill’s GoFundMe.
One of our Jackals needs our help.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
Thanks.
VOR
@Quiltingfool: I had a conversation like this with a colleague. He told me that all politicians lie – except Donald Trump, who speaks nothing but the truth. I mentioned the huge number of lies documented by the WashPo. Well thatās just the liberal media. I mentioned a big lie currently in the news. Well nobody knows the real truth. Just no way to get thru to a cult member. He was willing to admit that other Republicans lied, just not his Orange King.
I think we need to separate lie from stretching the truth or poor memory. Elizabeth Warren did not lie about her ancestry, she just repeated something she was told by family. if the number is 4.5 and it gets rounded up to 5, thatās stretching the truth.
Suzanne
@Soprano2:
If it makes you feel any betterā¦. people make all kinds of important decisions based on feelings. Vibes, if you will. If we werenāt irrational, we wouldnāt be people.
It always amuses me when one of them lets the mask slip. Joni Ernst just says, straight up, that the people she hates should die. And some idiots, high on their own (probably white evangelical) supply just clap and cheer. Dumbfucks.
zhena gogolia
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Just chipped in. All best wishes.
Omnes Omnibus
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:Ā I am sorry you are having troubles.
Baud
@VOR:
Donald Trump doesn’t lie about his hatred of the same people your colleague hates. Everything else is academic.
Matt McIrvin
@Belafon: One of the most persistent myths I keep seeing trotted out is that the Democrats had complete control of the government at some time in the recent past, and they didn’t do this or that, so they must not have wanted to, so why should you vote for them?
Democrats– certainly *liberal* Democrats–haven’t had full control of the government such that they could just do whatever they wanted in my lifetime. The last time was the mid-1960s, before I was born. Since then, there’s always been someone on the other side who has sufficient power to stop or slow down the agenda.
We haven’t actually seen what a full-bore liberal agenda looks like since the LBJ administration. And the Democrats were very different then. But there’s always someone telling you that Biden somehow had that level of power and didn’t use it.
narya
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: So sorry to hear this. Hope Jackaldom can come through for you (threw in my bit, too) and that that helps with the “alone and scared” part. Your photos are a wonderful feature here.
Soprano2
ITA with your point in the first paragraph. It’s why I quit trying to point out to people how corrupt FFOTUS is. The response I get is something like “they’re all corrupt like that, at least FFOTUS is out in the open about it, so he’s actually more honest!”. This is truly what most MAGA and some other people believe, that every politician is selling access and totally corrupt but they’re all sneaky and hide it, so at least FFOTUS is being open about the corruption they’re all certain is there. I’m not so sure about the second point; I think Democrats believe this, but lots of R’s doing want them to be held in check anymore.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
That argument does ignore Republican judges. It also ignores that we have a lot of diversity of opinion within the party and, except for Obama’s first two years, we have barely had a majority in Congress in those few years we’ve had a majority.
And our majority has always depended on centrists getting elected.
The argument depends on viewing Dems as a corporation you buy something from rather than a party you participate in. It’s a flawed vision of the political system that helps Republicans, whose voters have a much more accurate and mature conception of political power.
Professor Bigfoot
Welp. I finally blocked O-Dub.
āBrother, if you wanna ride with these disingenuous white āleftists,ā best of luck to you. Hope I live long enough to see them turn on you, as they always do.ā
UncleEbeneezer
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Ugh I’m so sorry. Ā I’ll throw you some $ this afternoon or tomorrow. Ā Maybe WaterGirl can make a community fundraising post for this like she did for us and other wildfire victims.
bbleh
This new line from the TACO administration about “gold standard” medicine is just enraging.
And casually dismissing over SIXTY studies by saying “oh there hasn’t been an RCT” is just bullshit. Ā And that’s quite apart from the ethical concerns of even conducting one, when the evidence is so overwhelming regarding vaccines’ efficacy. Ā It would require deliberately depriving one subset of pregnant women of access to the vaccine under the hypothesis that significantly more of them will contract COVID. Ā Were I an ob/gyn, I don’t think I would be willing to participate in such a trial.
schrodingers_cat
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Can you also link to your Patreon and your shop?
I hope you reach your goal soon!.
laura
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: You are not alone. Wishing you better days ahead, and soon.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@rikyrah: Thank you for helping to get the message out.
@zhena gogolia: Thanks much.
@Omnes Omnibus: Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Wolvesvalley
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I’m so sorry to hear of your difficulties; just chipped in a bit. What on earth is going on with your Social Security (if it’s not too intrusive a question, and if it is, just ignore it)?
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Prof- Bigfoot’s summation of the problem is accurate. Many of our white voters are more transactional than Republican white voters.
BS of Vt is a good stand in for such voters on the left side of the spectrum and former senator Manchin for those on right side of that spectrum.
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin: Obama said something similar after his presidency. He would be criticized from the left, and he said something like, “It wasnāt that I didnāt agree with them, it’s that I didnāt have the votes.”
I wish we had a different word for the “centrists with main-character syndrome”. Like Sinema, Manchin, Marie Glusenkamp Perez, etc. Most of our centrists get under my skin but ultimately do the right thing. I want a way to talk about these douchebags without lumping in the rest of the centrists.
Mr. Bemused Senior
You are channeling Bemused Senior.
UncleEbeneezer
@Soprano2: It would be helpful if our side (liberal and progressive voters) didn’t constantly demand that Dems get on a podium and tell everyone how/why they suck. Ā We couch it in terms of “accountability” but that shit puts Dems in a no-win situation and only perpetuates problems with the public perception of the Dem brand. Ā Relentless whining, posting, commenting about all the ways Dems fail us, really doesn’t help attract voters. Ā It turns many of them away and gives them justifications for apathy and even antipathy towards doing the right thing. Ā I don’t know why so many people (not you, tbc) can’t accept the truth of that. Ā Shitting on Dems hurts our chances and helps the GOP. Ā Full stop.
lowtechcyclist
@Matt McIrvin:Ā ā
If the Dems under Clinton or Obama had been willing to ditch the filibuster, they could have gotten a lot more done than they did.
The excuse was always that they’d need it to stop the Republicans when the GOP was in power. The thing is, that’s always been asymmetrical: the Dems have wanted to create programs that helped people. The GOP has wanted to either pass tax cuts (which could be stuffed in a reconciliation bill) or repeal Dem programs (and it’s always politically harder to take a benefit away from people than keep them from having it in the first place).
Soprano2
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Just threw a little in the kitty. I hope you reach your goal, it sucks to be working and still precarious.
Matt McIrvin
@Baud: That’s the other part of it: when Democrats do just barely have the supermajority to pass something, the marginal Democratic votes are the absolute worst centrist Democrats. But their deficiencies aren’t a reason not to elect Democrats, they’re a reason to elect more so those people don’t hold a veto any more.
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin:
A little wordy, but accurate.
bbleh
Sigh, I realize it’s Just What We Do, and frankly I’m happy to be part of a party that routinely engages in introspection (even if it goes over the top sometimes) rather than one that marches blindly in whatever direction the Leader last commanded (even it’s the exact reverse of his last command), but I gotta admit there’s something humorous about “Dems suck who say other Dems suck!”
I’m all for just heaping shit on Republicans. Ā I mean, there’s SO much shit to heap, and they SO deserve it.
UncleEbeneezer
Yesterday a man threw Molotov cocktails at elderly Jewish People in Boulder peacefully protesting to get the Israeli hostages released. Ā He did so while shouting “Free Palestine” and “end Zionists.” Ā And too many liberals/progressives won’t say shit to condemn it, question why this movement attracts so much violent antisemitism or even make a public show of support for their Jewish friends/loved ones. Ā The whole way this multi-year rise of antisemitic hate has been completely overlooked, ignored and even defended by people who claim to be allies, is just disgusting.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Like I said, it’s a scam. People aren’t doing what’s in their best interest if you believe what they say they want.
You can’t really appease people who basically partially want some of what Republicans are offering, or who want the leverage that a strong GOP provides. And we look like chumps for trying to.
Geminid
@Belafon: The war in the Middle East hasĀ been a real strain on the Navy. When the Gerald FordĀ got involved in October of 2023, it was tbe first time in several years that a carrier group had deployed to that area. Since then the Navy has had one or two carrier groups active in the Middle East, including two brought over from the Pacific theatre. Every one has had its deployment extended beyond the standard six months.
But at least those sailors from theĀ Truman got some nice weather for their return. It’s been a couple of prettyĀ days in Virginia.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@narya: Thanks for helping.
@UncleEbeneezer: Thanks,
@schrodingers_cat: My Patreon is: patreon.com/BillinGlendaleCA
My store needs an update, but the address is http://www.BillinGlendaleCA.com.
@laura:Ā Thanks.
schrodingers_cat
@UncleEbeneezer: This.
schrodingers_cat
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Thank for the links, Bill. I hope you reach your goal quickly. And your troubles end soon.
I was wondering if you have thought of starting a YT channel for amateur astrophotographers/photographers. I would certainly follow it!
Old School
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Sorry about your troubles. Ā Also, your website is down.
Harrison Wesley
A friend texted me this morning linking to a report that the Southwest’s largest egg supplier has partially shut down due to bird flu affecting 95 percent of its hens. If it recovers, process will take several years. No indication in the article of any government response. Sorry if this was already posted.
Geminid
@UncleEbeneezer: One aspect of that attack in Boulder: the eight victims were mostly senior citizens, the oldest being 88. Two of them were airlifted to a critical burn unit in Aurora, Colorado.
schrodingers_cat
@Old School: Yeah it didn’t load for me either.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
All that said, we need to move past people who hate us and figure out which groups of people are willing to work with as part of a new majority.
Ruckus
@Soprano2:
You donāt just let them lie about it and shrug your shoulders.
You do if you support the lie. And the rethuglicans do. They may not even believe it’s a lie. But I’d bet most of them know that it is. They want what they want and do not care if it hurts everyone but them.
Public servants my ass.
Matt McIrvin
@Baud: And if the answer is that there isn’t one?
Professor Bigfoot
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Wishing you all the luck in the world, right down to the quantum level; and I hope my little bit helps.
Belafon
@lowtechcyclist:
We’re about to really test this theorem.
twbrandt
@Gin & Tonic:
To mangle a metaphor, they’re locking the barn door after the Trojan horse is inside.
evodevo
@Quiltingfool:Ā ā
Yeah..this. My TX Republican sister is aghast everything that is occurring, and the first thing out of her mouth – and this was 3 months and a lot of damage ago, was “why are the Democrats allowing this?” And I’m thinking, don’t you know who has the majority in congress? Haven’t you been listening to the news for the last decade? SRSLY? Well, SHE HASN’T. She’s one of those normies who tunes in to MSM broadcasts very occasionally and won’t read my politically-infused FB page, so is pretty much uninformed. She has NO clue.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Then we stay in the minority. It’s something that can happen to any political party.
satby
@Stately Plump Buck: Wonderful letter.
Belafon
@bbleh: I had that thought about myself as well, but then I’m stuck between two mirrors reflecting myself over and over.
Omnes Omnibus
@Matt McIrvin:Ā ā
Doom scroll and whine? Or maybe keep trying. Up to you…
twbrandt
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Bill, I am so sorry to hear this. I’ve donated a bit, hope it helps.
Omnes Omnibus
@UncleEbeneezer: It’s been a “wonderful” opportunity to block ghouls on BlueSKy.
Belafon
The lock screen on my computer has a quote that says “AI is playing a critical role in the race toward a more sustainable future.” Yep, it’s driving us away from that goal faster than we were before.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Wolvesvalley: Thanks, I took early SS when I was 62 1/2, but I also work.Ā So, if you make over a certain amount they cut your benefits $1 for every $2 over the limit until you reach full retirement age.Ā One of the things I misunderstood was that it was 65(which I was in January), not full retirement age which is 67 for me.Ā After full retirement age they go to a 1 to 3 ratio and the earnings cap is significantly higher.Ā The other thing that they do, which I also didn’t understand, is that they don’t pay out until you reach the cap.Ā So I was expecting payment in January which never came(or February…).Ā The Social Security site is really poor at explaining all of this.
@Soprano2: Thanks, I guess it is just the nature of the retail business.
satby
@Baud: The argument depends on viewing Dems as a corporation you buy something from rather than a party you participate in. Itās a flawed vision of the political system that helps Republicans, whose voters have a much more accurate and mature conception of political power.
Quoted for accuracy. Bolded for emphasis. They dragged an incoherent, diaper wearing moron over the finish line in an election because they focus like a laser on winning with what they have to gain the power they need, while we continually whine that our candidates are too (xxx) or not (zzz) enough and undermine our own side.
Professor Bigfoot
@twbrandt: A singularly appropriate metaphor mangling, I must say.
Ruckus
@Soprano2:
Thatās about feelings, not their pocketbooks.
Yes it is but then that’s actually what most politics is about. Money is talked about but not often in substantive ways about what the money will actually do. Usually only in broader terms, as in who pays and who benefits. Politics is about 2 things and money is one of them. Who gets it, who benefits from it and who pays for whatever IT is. And in government it’s all of us. We pay taxes, businesses pay taxes. Politicians spend it. Hopefully in the manner it was paid into government for.
jonas
@satby: If any Democratic pol ever talked like this, their political careers would be over. Stick a fork in ’em, done. The fact that Ernst and othe Republicans get away with shit like this is testimony to how behind the curve Dems are in the national media landscape right now.
...now I try to be amused
@Geminid: The Virginia primary election is on June 17.
Barry
@evodevo: “My TX Republican sister …”
is expecting Dems to save her, after depriving the Dems of power.
Belafon
@UncleEbeneezer: It is strange to me how some people cannot seem to be able to say “October 7th was wrong, and Israel’s response has been wrong, and attacking people here in the US no matter what side they are on is wrong.”
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@schrodingers_cat: I’ve thought about doing a YouTube channel with instructional videos, but I’ve never really found a “hook” that I think would work.
@Old School: You’re right, I’ll have to update my domain hosting.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Professor Bigfoot: Thanks.
brendancalling
@evodevo: One of the more darkly humorous aspects of our current predicament is that a lot of voters expected (and still expect) the Democrats to save them from what they voted for.
Suzanne
@jonas: Ernst gets away with it because Republican voters want to kill half the country. (The liberal half.)
Matt McIrvin
@Belafon: It does make the situation sound more symmetrical than it is: the people fighting on both sides seem to think deadly reprisals against civilians are fair game, but one side has some terrorists and the other has an air force and the ability to starve the whole population. Being less powerful doesn’t give you the moral high ground but it limits the damage you can do.
And, yes, I’m really thinking about the US in the early 2000s here, which probably colors my thinking.
Professor Bigfoot
@Belafon: Itās the kind of thing that makes one wonder if itās āZionismā that they object to, or āFree Jews.ā
BlueGuitarist
Fun with alliteration: vs Republican ripoff
(Elle, fka Reina del Cid, is a musician who does a lot of excellent covers)
https://youtube.com/shorts/XeirUTzisL0?si=pywtA-II33Tb10wf
JML
I would have never thought in a million years that Josh Hawley might actually stick up for Medicaid. He’s still a horrible little shit, part of the problem and not the solution…but if he votes to sink the hellscape tax & budget bill the GOP is trying to ram through with lies! deception! (tm Saw Gerrera) and finally sees his way to doing the right thing in the meanness of his desiccated soul…I’ll take it.
(I will not trust him, nor will I thank him. But I’ll take it)
Scout211
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Iām so sorry Bill. Ā I added to your fundraiser. Ā I enjoy your amazing photography and am always grateful that you share so many of your photos here.
Yes, those tricky rules with SS for age 62 early payments are extememely confusing. Ā My neighbor had to take early SS at 62 because she couldnāt work anymore due to a disability and needed income because her husband had lost his job, too. They were barely making it financially and she was looking forward to getting her full retirement amount once she reached her full retirement age. Ā It was a shock to her that it doesnāt work that way. Ā Itās a common misunderstanding and even the SS website explainer is not really all that clear.
I hope you can get back on your feet soon.
chris
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Glad to help. Ive always enjoyed your pics and comments here.
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin: There’s also been some (ha ha, some) bad faith present in the discussion. It is entirely possible to condemn antisemitic violence against civilians, and still support the larger goal of freedom and liberation for Palestinians.
BlueGuitarist
NE Ohio peeps may have already seen this commencement address send up from the sewer department, video 2:20Ā
https://bsky.app/profile/neorsd.org/post/3loliz7zscc2g
Jeffro
just straight-up lying to our faces, all day every day
I hope karma comes for Vought, and soon
Jackie
@JML:
If his NO vote, and enough other republican NO votes sink the bill, I will thank them. Both of my senators are D, so thanking the republicans who do the right thing – even if for the wrong reason(s) is important, at least IMPOV.
Elizabelle
@Quiltingfool: Ā Republicans/”conservatives.” Ā Such masters of projection.
We truly should not need to use flashlights at night. Ā It is projection. Ā All of the time.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Scout211: Thanks, I was reading a comment by a guy on redit who signed up at 62, earned well over the cap and never got a payment, then retired and found out he was locked into the lower payment since he signed up at 62.Ā It can be very confusing.
@chris: Thanks, glad you enjoy my pics.Ā I had a set that I was going to post 2 weeks ago, wrote everything out, hit submit and the whole post went to the bit bucket.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Russian paranoia about trucking will likely cause as much damage as the drone attack on those bases did.
PatrickG
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: chipped in and hope things turn around
Matt McIrvin
@Suzanne: One deplorable thing these acts of theatrical violence do is what ISIS/Daesh used to call “eliminating the grayzone”: making it so you feel you have to pick sides in a war of total elimination, with no option that turns down the heat. In domestic politics it always benefits the violent right.
brendancalling
Since it’s an open thread, I’m gonna open my big mouth and say I’m really disappointed in Hakeem Jeffries. Embarrassed, really. Today’s quote after Trump crossed Hakeem’s “red line”…
…sounds a lot like “yeah, I’ll meet you at the flagpole for a fight. But not today, because um, my mom says I need to be home to help make dinner. BUT I’LL FIGHT YOU NEXT TIME, JUST NOT NOW OR NEXT WEEK.”
I know Jeffries has (had?) a lot of fans here, but until he starts acting like a leader, count me out.
Coyoteville
I just made a $55 donation to BillinGlendaleCA.
Good Luck.
Coyoteville
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@PatrickG: Thanks
@Coyoteville: Thanks much.
tam1MI
If the Gazassholes aren’t running scared after this, they should be. It’s being investigated as a terrorist attack. And US anti-terrorism laws and RICO laws have a very long reach.
But as to your larger point, yes, it’s disgusting the way the tankies have wildly embraced violent, terroristic anti-semitism, and how other leftists refuse to condemn them for it.
Ruckus
@Geminid:
In other Virginia news, the aircraft carrierĀ Harry S. Truman finally returned to Norfolk on Sunday after over eight months at sea. TheĀ TrumanĀ left Norfolk last September 27.
When I was in a normal cruse was 6 months but on a ship much smaller than a carrier. But we had a lot of other ships but not a lot of carriers. They are freaking huge and cost a huge amount of money to make and to operate and have far larger crews than a smaller ship. People that run the ship, people that fix/fuel/maintain the planes, people that fly the planes. And – we only have so many carriers and a lot of the reason is what it costs to operate them, let alone build them. And they have to be in port for some of their operating years. For some of my time in the USN we did what’s called plane guard duty. Two ships sail behind and off to each side of the carrier in case a plane goes into the water. Things happen to planes and taking off of or landing on a carrier is not the easiest nor safest thing in the world. We once had to rescue a man when things didn’t go well. Can’t remember more details but he ended up in the water.
My point is that we do not have an endless number of carriers so they likely stay at sea longer than other ships in the USN. And it does not mean that the ship is always at sea for that 8 months, ships do pull into port on occasion.
Geminid
@…now I try to be amused: Aha! I have not followed the primary closely; I know who I’ll vote for but I’m confident Democrats will choose capable candidates. Anyway, the vote in November for AG and Lt. Governor usually tracks the vote for Governor fairly closely.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
That’s because one gets more attention tearing someone down, and these writers on theĀ Left are just there for the attention. Wining elections, persuading people to your side is hard work. It’s like working in manufacturing, not fun.
Baud
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
Are you referring to that poll that said the US should have more manufacturing but other people should work those jobs?
If so, good analogy.
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin: Another thing that Iāve observed is American liberals being justifiably upset about some pro-Gaza voters not turning out for Harrisā¦. but that shouldnāt have anything to do with the foreign policy that we support.
Geminid
@brendancalling: Hakeem Jeffries is a grown man. He doesn’t need his mother’s permission to do anything.
And I think it’s a good thing that Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar will not let the media, you or anyone else pick their battles for them, or choose how to fight them.
schrodingers_cat
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I am not aware of the photography space on YT. Let me take a quick look, perhaps I can help with the brainstorming. You have a lot you could teach, judging by your photographs.
[email protected]
rikyrah
@UncleEbeneezer:
Absolutely horrendous
when I read about it, I was terrified for those people
schrodingers_cat
@rikyrah: Same, and history tells that even if Jewish people are the first to be attacked by revanchist forces they are seldom the last.
schrodingers_cat
Israel with all its faults and leadership that is close to the RWNJ side of the spectrum is our only ally in a hostile and an important region. So no President is ever going to abandon Israel, like the Genocide Joe contingent wanted President Biden to do.
And targeting Jewish Americans for violence, for what Israel does is the textbook definition of antisemitism.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
To many people are trapped in Manicheism thinking, someone has to be the hero, and the other side is the Ultimate EVIL that must be destroyed.
Another Scott
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I’m sorry.
Thanks for letting us know.
You’ll get through this.Ā Hang in there.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Joy in FL
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I put a bit in your GFM and joined your Patreon. I think your photography is wonderful, and I want you to be able to stay in the home you are in.
I hope this bad time draws to a close soon.
Sure Lurkalot
@lowtechcyclist:
Big truth. Suzanne commented that when criticized, Obama āsaid something like, āIt wasnāt that I didnāt agree with them, itās that I didnāt have the votes,ā the 60 vote rule was one of the walls he declined to breech.
Republicans go to town when theyāre in power and while they have also held the filibuster sacrosanct (time will tell if that remains true), they are willing to say and do most anything to advance their agenda. Will Joni Ernst lose her seat over her āmy Jesus says FOAD, poor peopleā comments? I wouldnāt put money on it.
I get all the āour side respects the rule of lawā arguments but standing firm on traditions and norms, like the filibuster, blue slips, āour friends across the aisleā BS, effectively disarming ourselves, has not proven to be a winning formula in todayās America. The law firms that folded under pressure and threats from Trump are losing existing clients and future ones because people prefer strong advocacy.
Jeffg166
The felon and strong man doesnāt go together in the same sentence. The felon is a weenie. Everyone knows it.
My 75 year old neighbor was talking to my 90 year old felon supporter. The 90 year old said he would still vote for the felon with everything he has done to destroy this country.
It a cult.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Baud: Yes, and I’ve worked in manufacturing since the late ’80s, I didn’t need to see the poll to understand that attitude.
NotoriousJRT
@Another Scott: Whodathunkit??
Not MAGAts. Their guts bat 1.000.
Soprano2
@UncleEbeneezer: I wish you would name who these people are who you believe aren’t talking about antisemitism enough, or at all. So far all I’ve seen from both R’s and D’s are statements condemning the attack and saying how terrible it is. Say who you are talking about specifically instead of saying “too many” people aren’t making statements.
Omnes Omnibus
@Sure Lurkalot: I would suggest that gap between politicians respecting traditions/norms and law firms capitulating to Trump is far larger than you imply.
Soprano2
@Ruckus: I’m talking about the interviewer, and how they let people say things like that without much or even any pushback.
Geminid
@Ruckus: Yes the Truman made a couple of port stops early in it’s tour. Then the wars in the Middle East heated up again and it spent months on end in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman.
The crew did get a brief layover in March at Souda Bay, Crete. But that was to patch up damage from a collision with a Turkish bulk carrier just south of the Suez Canal.
TheĀ Truman also returned to Norfolk minus three aircraft. All in all, this was a bad-luck deployment, but I think the crew came out of safe and sound.
Belafon
@Sure Lurkalot: His pushing, as President, to remove the filibuster would have gotten him probably negative votes considering how more “centrist” the party was back then.
Soprano2
Wow, how did she think Democrats were supposed to stop it?
schrodingers_cat
@Soprano2: What about Rashida Tlaib and the rest of the Squad. Her sister headed the activist group that was lead the drive to not vote for Harris
Have they said anything?
brendancalling
@Geminid: Good for you!
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@schrodingers_cat: I follow some astrophotography channels on YouTube, but mostly processing shots.Ā The absolute best on composition and lighting is Nightscape Images.
Two possible niches that I’ve thought about is processing landscape astro with deepĀ space tools, which I do; and budget astro(there’s already an “Astro on a Budget” channel).Ā Maybe, astro on the cheap.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Another Scott: Thanks, as I said, it was difficult for me to talk about.Ā I guess I like to keep things totally positive and the only bumps along the road is when I leave something at home(my patrons know what happened).
@Joy in FL: Thanks much, one of the things I’ve been doing more often is shooting from here for deep space.Ā This was partly due to conditions.
Geminid
@Soprano2: I think it’s too early anyway to gauge public reaction to this crime. Personally. I think it’s also too early to be scoring political points over it but that’s become the norm with every kind of event these days.
Jeffro
It does track closely…I’d say I can see AG Miyares racking up a larger share of the VA GOP vote in his race than the current Lt Gov will, though.
(but then again, it’s not like the VA GOP has any standards, so who knows?
ETA: Spanberger currently has a 17-point lead over Earle-Sears, so hey hey hey!
rikyrah
@Gin & Tonic:
Why?
I don’t know the backstory
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@rikyrah: The Ukrainians blew the snot out of the Russian version of SAC using drones launched from trucks. They are calling it the “Russian Peal Harbor “
Belafon
@rikyrah: Ukraine spent at least a year getting drones positioned in places throughout Russia that were used in yesterday’s attack on Russian airplanes. They were placed in shipping containers that were then delivered to their destinations to wait until launch.
I should add that I don’t actually know the timeline on when the drones entered the country compared to when they were launched. But semis were used to get them to their destinations, right under the Russia’s nose.
schrodingers_cat
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Is it possible to do any astrophotography with the phone with addition of clip on lenses?
An astrophotography series which starts of with low investment in time and money and progressively requires more equipment and skills
Astrophotography for the absolute beginner.
Geminid
@brendancalling: Why exactly would you describe the Congressman chosen by 214 other Democratic House members to be their leader as needing permission from his mother to act? Do you and the other people who constantly belittle Hakeem Jeffries hear yourselves?
Belafon
@Belafon: It wouldn’t be very hard for that to happen here and Trump’s golden dome wouldn’t protect against it.
brendancalling
@Geminid: why are you saying I “constantly” “humiliate” Hakeem Jeffries. Show your work. Show me the “constant” criticisms. OOPS YOU CAN’T BECAUSE IT’S NOT TRUE.
This is the first time I think I’ve criticized him, and you start crying like I stole your pacifier. Grow up. People are still allowed to lob criticism, even at some of your favorites.
Jeffro
btw VA’s Cardinal News has a good piece on the six Dems running for VA Lt Gov, and how to decide amongst them
All I know is, Terry McAuliffe cut an ad for Levar Stoney, which is enough for me to back someone else. Ā =)
frosty
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:Ā ā
I chipped in. I don’t understand how the Social Security checks stopped, but you don’t have to fill us in. Best wishes for an improvement in your situation.
Geminid
@schrodingers_cat: Reps Tlaib and Omar denounced the murders of the Israeli diplomats eleven days ago. I expect the other Squad” members did as well, and I think it will be no different in this case.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@schrodingers_cat: Cellphones can be used for landscape stuff and many have a specific mode to do so, but for deep space you would have to have such fast exposures, not sure it would work.Ā The greater the zoom the shorter the exposure without tracking.Ā Also the smaller sensors zoom in on their own.Ā So adding a tracker would add another expense.
I think the general consensus is to get a cheap used dslr or mirrorless and a lens.
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Have they condemned influencers who give their platform to those who preach violence against Jewish people. MM had promoted one of these lefties influencers as “our” answer to Joe Rogan.
Matt McIrvin
@Soprano2: I feel like the whole “will you condemn” game after 9/11 was one of the things that pushed me into endorsing horrible shit during the Bush years.
Of course I condemn terrorist acts. The next step is some James Lileks type saying “there can’t be any ‘but’ clause after that statement or else you’re not sincere.” And then it’s Bush rolling out the tanks saying “you’re with us or you’re with the terrorists”. You can’t, in fact, say a thing without saying a bunch of other things you didn’t intend. Eliminate that grayzone…
And the hell of it is, that’s exactly the terrorists’ game too. Murder a bunch of American Jews while shouting “Free Palestine” and now every slogan in support of Palestinians also means “kill the Jews”. The meaning of everything gets distorted in destructive ways.
Soprano2
@Geminid: It’s just I hear people say “not enough liberals/progressives say ‘x'”, but it’s rare that any names are actually attached to that accusation, as if we’re all supposed to know who’s being talked about.Ā That’s the kind of thing that R’s are constantly saying about us, so when one of us says it I would like to know who is being discussed.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@frosty: Thanks, my possibly flawed understanding is that they don’t reduce payments when they reduce the total for income over the cap, they just stop paying.Ā Say I make 40k from my job and the cap is 20k and my regular benefit is 1.5k per month, so 18k a year.Ā 40-20=10, so I’d only get 8k, so I’d only get 7 payments.Ā At least that’s the way I understand it.Ā Any don’t get any payment until you reach the cap if you’re working, it will list you as “suspended”.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Easy as pie.
Who cares what right wingers say is their litmus test?
Soprano2
@schrodingers_cat: That’s what I want, name names don’t just say “too many liberals/progressives”. I expect R’s to say that, but I don’t expect people on my own side to do the same. I don’t know, I haven’t searched for those specific people but I’m not the one saying “too many liberals/progressives haven’t responded”. Are we going to start smearing all liberals with something said by ImProgressive123 on Twitter? (just an example, not a real thing).
Eolirin
@Matt McIrvin: Except Israel is not a stand in for the Jewish people. Hell, even the Israelis don’t have majority support for what their government is doing. The hostages and the victims of October 7th are also victims of Israel’s far right government. Those terrorist actions could not have happened, and would not have happened, if not for choices they had made along the way designed to consolidate their power.
But this is exactly why I’ve been concerned about Jewish voices not focusing intensely on centering the Palestinians in this conflict, and the way Netanyahu and his circle have been weaponizing complaints of antisemetism. It makes every Jew less safe.
Old Man Shadow
Apropos of nothing, of course… nope… not a bloody thing:
schrodingers_cat
@Geminid: Ds need to draw a sharp distinction between the rights of Palestinian people and supporting people who sloganeer about globalizing the intifada. Which is what Colorado and the shootings in DC look like.
frosty
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Understood. Your earlier response that you took it at 62 while working explained it pretty well. At least it’s not from Musk messing with Social Security. I nervously check my bank account on the payment date every month.
So happy to know that Peter Thiel and Palantir have my bank account number now. Not.
Geminid
@Jeffro: Ed. Yes, the much sought-after McAuliffe endorsement!
I intend to vote for State Senator Aaron Rouse for Lieutenant Governor. Rouse has a bright future ahead of him in my opinion.
I will also vote for former Delegate Jay Jones for AG. He and Rouse are both from the Hampton Roads area, so this will violate my old-school principle of a geographically balanced ticket. But Jay Jones is another young talent that I want see advance.
Also, Black Democrats are the cornerstone of our Virginia party. I think Black Democrats deserve representation at the state level, and it won’t hurt to have two if they have the “right stuff” which I believe Jones and Rouse do.
Hoodie
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: IIRC there’s a limit as to how much you can earn outside of SS if you are younger thanĀ your full retirement age. After that age,Ā there’s no limit on outside income.Ā If you reach the cap before full retirement, they’ll suspend payments, but you will eventually receive them once you reach full retirement age.
Suzanne
@Matt McIrvin: It gets gross. I saw people ā liberals! Dems! ā saying that it isnāt worth it to support Mahmoud Khalil’s right to free speech and to oppose his unlawful deportation because he has said antisemitic things, and that might alienate Jewish voters from our coalition, and Jewish voters are more likely to be Dems than Muslim voters.
The right thing is the right thing, and doing this calculation about which heinous acts we condemn and which people we support based on whether or not theyāre “on our side” or not is craven and morally bankrupt, and I want no part of any of it.
Hoodie
@Soprano2: “Vibes” is just another way of saying people vote heuristically.Ā Heuristic reasoning is pretty much a given with humans, but a large part of the electorate is uninformed, misinformed, disengaged and/or distracted, so their heuristics tend to be pretty crappy, often based onĀ things like religion, race, gender, appearance, whether a candidate is entertaining, etc.Ā Ā A lot of people don’t understand how the various branches of government even work.Ā Ā When I see that I think back to all the dumb, disengaged and distracted people I knew in high school and realize that most probably haven’t changed much.Ā Ā You can subsist and even succeed economically in this country without much in the way of political knowledge.Ā In fact, ignorance – particularly ethical ignorance – can be rewarded.Ā Donald Trump is one of the most ignorant people you’d ever encounter, yet he managed to become president.
Soprano2
@Matt McIrvin: See the post just above yours for how the goalposts can move. That’s what frustrates me, for some people no amount of denouncement is ever enough because they don’t believe the denouncement in the first place.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Hoodie: Yeah, there’s a cap for full benefit payment if you work.Ā After that number they reduce payment by 1 for every 2 dollars earned from work.Ā After full retirement age, the cap goes up significantly or goes away and they reduce payment 1 for every 3 dollars.
Matt McIrvin
@Eolirin: I’ve been very careful to try to boost *Israeli Jewish* voices condemning their government’s actions, for all these reasons. I don’t know if there’s majority support there or not (I’ve seen disturbing poll results) but I’m not sure that should morally matter to me.
I think it’s true both that the right here and there has weaponized accusations of antisemitism in illegitimate ways… AND that there’s some real antisemitism in the pro-Palestinian movement. And that makes expressing one’s position a difficult tightrope to walk.
Scuffletuffle
I hope to be able to pitch in on Thursday when my next paycheck hits, but in the meantime, have you checked to see if California has any programs that assist in paying rent arrearages that might be able to assist you.Ā I am in Massachusetts, and the state has a few programs here that do so.Ā If all you need is to come up with rent, or money to help you move, there may be help available.
Matt McIrvin
@Baud:
Yeah, but I bet that on some level, it didn’t sound like enough, right?
Gin & Tonic
@rikyrah: Late to the party, but you’ve gotten most of the backstory from others. The SBU (Ukraine’s “special ops” and intelligence group) released a lot of details, including photos of the false-top containers being prepared, within hours after the attack took place. Some people questioned that action: “why reveal your methods?” This is why. Now you see a truck in Irkutsk carrying a container and you don’t know if it’s packed with drones ready to demolish your strategic bombers, or, you know, Chinese crap. How can you be sure? Stop and inspect every one. That’s inconvenient.
schrodingers_cat
@Soprano2: Since you are referring to my comment, Piker who has been banned from Twitch was given a platform on PodSaveAmerica and was promoted by MisterMix on this blog as an alternative to Joe Rogan in a front page post.
You can Google as to what he says about Jewish people yourself and tell me whether you think he is a good messenger for Ds.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Scuffletuffle: Thanks, I checked a fewĀ years ago, and there didn’t seem to be much that applied, I’ll check again especially since I’m a senior citizen now.
Ohio Mom
@sab: I call them every couple of days and their aides keep swearing they wonāt cut the safety net. Iāve taking to ending the calls by telling the aide that when Iām proven right, I want them to look in the mirror and ask themself if this is what they want to do with their lives, support cruelty and misery.
Gin & Tonic
My DIL mailed in her citizenship application (accompanied by a check for $760!!) today. Good thoughts eagerly accepted.
Geminid
@Gin & Tonic: One detail of of this operation that I would like to see confirmed is: were the truck drivers unwitting dupes? I can see how they would be. To a trucker, a load is a load and wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary to be told, drive it to point A and we’ll meet you there.
I saw that two of trucks pulled over on the highway before their cargos were activated. I guess they heard something over the radio.
trollhattan
Make of this what you will, Fetterman and Pennsylvania senator not named Fetterman “debated” in Boston.
https://www.youtube.com/live/OaSf58Qpu-4?si=ZtwNwV8YYxBwHcmF
Gin & Tonic
@Geminid:Ā āI’ve seen an alleged summary of an interview with one of the truckers, who seemed oblivious. Pick up load here, take there, get a phone call on the way, hey, unscheduled stop over here. Professed to know nothing other than the first name of the guy who hired him. I’ve also seen (unsubstantiated!) reports that one of the drivers was pulled out of his truck and beaten to death by locals.
But SBU was very careful to say they had exfiltrated everyone involved. I’m inclined to believe that.ā
Madeleine
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: just added a bit. Iām sorry that youāre needing it, but happy to help.
Jeffro
@Geminid: interesting that both Dem AG candidates are UVA grads!
decisions, decisions…
Ohio Mom
@Another Scott: Reminds me of Temple Grandinās work with designing slaughterhouses in ways that make cows calmer and more cooperative ā things like making the walkways curved and keeping the lighting even (no alternating light and dark areas, like youād get with a picket fence).
She calls it a ācowās eye view.ā
Suzanne
@Gin & Tonic: CONGRATS TO HER! Best wishes eagerly sent.
Old School
@trollhattan: The link has nothing to do with Fetterman (that I can tell).
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Enough for what?
To satisfy people who won’t take yes for an answer?
Baud
@Gin & Tonic:
Good. We need more good people in this country. We’re outnumbered!
rikyrah
@Gin & Tonic:
Positive thoughts being sent her way.
Eolirin
@Gin & Tonic: Whoever came up with this idea was brilliant. As Adam said this op is going to be studied for decades. Besides the substantial damage to Russia’s strategic bombers, the damage to their trucking infrastructure because of the need to check everything is likely to be durable and significant.
Hugely disruptive even beyond the direct damage. I hope the Ukrainians have a few more surprises like this lined up.
trollhattan
@Old School:Ā ā
Hmm, “copy” didn’t copy. This is the link.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/02/nation/fetterman-fellow-pa-senator-mccormick-debate-boston/
TEL
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: I’m so sorry to hear about your current situation. I hope my little bit helps.
schrodingers_cat
@Gin & Tonic: Good luck! She will breeze through the interview. I can answer questions if she has any about the interview prep.
Eolirin
@Matt McIrvin: It does. As a Jew the whole situation fills me with intense sadness. Everything about this is a violation of our purported values, and it’s almost impossible to talk about the situation with nuance because of the way the bad actors have successfully distorted the conversation.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Madeleine: Thank you very much
@TEL: Thank you, every little bit helps.
Trivia Man
Madison jackal meetup? In 3 weeks the World Naked Bike Ride is here, perfect opportunity to socialize and make a social statement about fossil fuels, body positivity, and general tolerance.
Geminid
@Jeffro: Wahoo versus Wahoo!
Aaron Rouse, on the other hand, is a Hokie. He was a football star too, back when Tech had good teams. Those Virginia Tech grads are tight, so that should be good for a few extra votes.
Ohio Mom
@UncleEbeneezer: The entire question about where anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism overlap is complicated and nuanced once you get past the bumper sticker level. Trump is muddling it all for his own purposes (for a perceptive overview, I reccomend Eric Altermans new article, āThe Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trumpā).
But there is absolutely no question that that throwing bombs at, or shooting Jewish people because they are Jewish is deeply and horribly anti-Semitic. And also, no question that there is a lot of unexamined anti-Semitism on the left.
brendancalling
@trollhattan: I’ve already left messages about this bad-faith exercise in pretending you’re doing something when you’re not.
The Inquirer reports that Fetty has to be “shamed” into doing his job. “He has missed more votes than nearly every other senator in the past two years. He regularly skips committee hearings, cancels meetings, avoids the daily caucus lunches with colleagues, and rarely goes on the Senate floor. Fetterman, a first-term Democrat, is also following the path of Republican elected officials by not holding town halls with constituents for fear of being heckled.”
So he has to be shamed into doing his job and he’s avoiding his constituents because Mr. Tough Guy can ‘t answer a few difficult questions or take the same criticism he loves to dish out. He also broke down in a tear-filled rage a few weeks ago meeting w/ the teachers unions asking “why does everyone hate me, why is everyone mad at me,” totally freaking out everyone present with his mental breakdown. Other reports have him fighting with his wife, nearly getting in car wrecks and more.
And yet this jackassāone for whom I knocked on doors, my infinite apologies everyoneāhas time to galavant off to Massachusetts, a state he doesn’t represent, for a pointless debate about nothing, presumably to show his voters “look, I’m doing something.”
He’s doing something alright: he’s deliberately and gleefully shoving his fecklessness, laziness, bad faith, and cowardice in the collective face of Pennsylvania voters. Fuck that guy.
I’ll put this as gently as I can: I hope that Josh Shapiro has the opportunity to appoint someone to replace the sonuvabitch before the end of the year, and hopefully before the end of the month.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Ohio Mom: Eric Alterman is the first political stuff I read much of
I don’t know if his “Altercation” would be classed as a blog.
schrodingers_cat
@Ohio Mom: Well said.
Harrison Wesley
@trollhattan: PA Senators debating in Boston? A novel way to reach voters in the Keystone State.
lowtechcyclist
@Jeffro:Ā ā
Is that so unusual? I mean, UVa is Virginia’s flagship university, and while it may not be Enormous State University, it’s not exactly small either. I wouldn’t think the odds against it would be particularly long.
Jeffro
The ramifications are absolutely enormous.
Not just for warfare but for security forces all around the world.
Jeffro
@Geminid: I like Rouse but like Hashmi just a little better. Ā I’ll be happy with whomever wins. Ā Same with AG.
I’d be happier if I didn’t see Spanberger ads featuring Carville’s endorsement, though. Ā Yikes!
Harrison Wesley
@brendancalling: He’s always been a strange cat – look at his history when he was mayor of Braddock. I think the stroke has made him far worse, though. He really should resign.
terraformer
He keeps saying “it’s between a doctor and a patient” regarding whether the COVID vaccine is indicated.
How about abortion?
ema
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:
I took a quick look and there’s definitely a market for your niche. For example (more views than Subs means there are many viewers interested in the topic):
1) Glenn Martin Photography has 10.2K Subs and >200K and 70K views recent videos.
2) CosmicCaptures has 7.41K Subs and >60K and 10K views videos.
3) Ian Lauer Astro has 41.4K Subs and >1million and >500K view videos.
As a starting point, watch this video from Ian several times. Answer the ‘What value do I provide to my viewers?” and you will be successful.
If you need any help with YouTube let me know (WaterGirl has my email). Good luck!
Soprano2
@brendancalling: It sounds to me like Fetterman is unhappy with his job, so he should resign and let it be filled with someone who wants to do it. I think the stroke did a lot more damage than he wants people to know.
WTFGhost
“Fetterman is acting like WTFGhost (on ‘Ghost’s bad days), and that means, if he ever said or did anything good, it’s meaningless, and any hopes or dreams we had for him are now null and void, and we should apologize for having had them”?
I’m sorry – that rewording made it sound a lot more personal than it should sound, but – that is precisely what you just said, if you were to swap out my name (well, “nym”) for his.
I had hopes for Fetterman too, and I was one of the strongest defenders of the principle that “having some speaking problems doesn’t mean the brain behind the language center is bad!”
I was willing to handle that he was suckered in by Israeli supporters, into thinking Hamas was completely evil – I didn’t see the danger of all-or-nothing thinking, of “drowning” in one side of a conflict, so you can’t imagine the other.
Now, he’s showing signs that he’s brain damaged, and I feel like total shit for the guy, because if *I* were a Senator, I’m not sure I’d be doing any better than he is, even if I imagine I was still capable of working.
So: apologizing for helping him get elected brought up a lot of pain, for me, that just happens to be especially acute today. I’m sorry. But – if I don’t speak up for me, no one else will, and this is one of those times I need to speak up.
Sometimes, us weirdos act out of character – far, far, more than you normal folks act out of character (at least, in public) – and the important thing is “out of character.” You know who we are, or would be, without illness/injury/disability changing us.
And we need understanding, and compassion, not apologies for us, from former friends who seem to view us with contempt.
CaseyL
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:Ā ā
Oh, jeez, BillinGlendaleCA: You are way overdue for some good luck. I kicked in a little to the kitty.
FYI, when I click on http://www.BillinGlendaleCA.com, it takes me to a GoDaddy page, says you’re parked there for free currently, and asks if I want to get the domain. I think that means the store isn’t active at all…?ā
jonas
@Eolirin: This war had already decimated the Russian military . Tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed in a country already reeling from irreversable demographic decline. Now a not- inconsiderable part of its strategic bomber force has been destroyed, on top of losses like the Moskva in 2022.Ā It’s not like Ukraine has not suffered enormously as well, but I don’t see how Russia recovers from this in the long term.
brendancalling
@WTFGhost: You are making some pretty huge assumptions.
“Iām sorry ā that rewording made it sound a lot more personal than it should sound, but ā that is precisely what you just said, if you were to swap out my name (well, ānymā) for his.”
That is not precisely what I said, at all.
“Now, heās showing signs that heās brain damaged, and I feel like total shit for the guy, because if *I* were a Senator, Iām not sure Iād be doing any better than he is, even if I imagine I was still capable of working.
So: apologizing for helping him get elected brought up a lot of pain, for me, that just happens to be especially acute today. Iām sorry. But ā if I donāt speak up for me, no one else will, and this is one of those times I need to speak up.”
I’m not apologizing for helping him get elected despite his stroke. I didn’t think the stroke mattered. No, I’m apologizing because he has turned out to be a pretty shitty senator who delights in pissing off the people who helped him get elected.
“And we need understanding, and compassion, not apologies for us, from former friends who seem to view us with contempt.”
Again, the contempt has nothing to do with his health issues and everything to do with the fact that he acts like an asshole.
rikyrah
Kenny BooYah!Ā![]()
Ā (@KwikWarren) posted at 1:25 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
I watched this with my mom because she always watches CBS Sunday Morning. Bill Clinton answered the questions based on first hand experience with&observations of Joe Biden. Too bad people would rather believe unnamed sources. Props to Bill&Hillary for having Joeās back.
(https://x.com/KwikWarren/status/1929242924761415952?t=sgfauZjXdoUaTFyUPcDVPQ&s=03)
rikyrah
Candidly Tiff (@tify330) posted at 4:26 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
When only 39% of Democrat respondents think Democratic Party leadership is not strong enough that requires self-reflection and thats the point of polls. Dems need to figure that out.
85% pf Republicans on the other hand think their leadership is strongĀ https://t.co/afxxoYYXaI
(https://x.com/tify330/status/1929288377515360716?t=2RuB0ZU2b_RDcu3_qUX5xA&s=03)
WTFGhost
@terraformer: Abortion is why they use that excuse – the difference is that not every pregnancy is as dangerous as Covid-19, and not all abortions are as safe as the vaccine; that there was a pandemic was also an excuse, earlier.
@Suzanne: “we can’t help Nazis, even if they pretend to be on the side of Jewish people for now,” isn’t always an easy message to represent.
Ohio Mom
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Eric Altermanās article is in the New Republic and doesnāt seem to be paywalled. I also remember his old blog.
On another note, I know from managing Ohio Sonās Social Security benefits how convoluted and byzantine that system is.
I think itās because itās one big kluge ā theyāve made changes over the years and those changes may or may not fit in with the structure that was already there.
There definitely seems to be a push to encourage people to take their retirement later rather than earlier. The math must show they pay out less overall that way. As my sister often remarks about health insurers, but also applies here, āTheir actuaries are better than yours.ā Meaning of course, you are not going to come out ahead, no matter what.
la caterina
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: So sorry you’re struggling.Ā I put in a bit.Ā Looks like your total is growing!Ā Hope you meet your goal!
WTFGhost
No – I really didn’t. I was most careful to point out that I was speaking to my pain, and not your posting.
I was saying, “lots of people see bad behavior, and they think the only possible explanation is assholery. But he’s showing signs consistent with brain damage, and it hurts to see someone called an asshole when we can also reasonably impute his behavior to damage/disability/illness.”
And you said, if I read you right, that no, no, no, you’re not engaging with him on disability – you’re engaging with him because he’s an asshole.
Well – my assumption was that you could understand the difference between “he is likely brain damaged” and “he is just an asshole,” and, that assumption has been rent asunder, so, as you see, I do track my assumptions carefully.
I was wrong to think you’d be interested in the difference. See? Clear thinking. Unlike your own.
Belafon
@rikyrah: I would love to know the answer on why they think leadership isn’t strong. How much of it is reading “Democratic leadership isn’t strong”?
There go two miscreants
(Deleted. The text box strikes again!)
persistentillusion
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Bought a little something from your store.Ā Hope that helps.
There go two miscreants
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:Ā āDropped something in your gofundme, Bill. I’ve always enjoyed your photos posted here.
Geminid
A lot of people seem to have tuned out on news from the Middle East, and plenty of folks boycott Twitter now. But for the others, I can recommend a very good aggregator: “Chitowngringa #Boycott Bibi-BenGvir.” They repost a wide range of reporting and opinion, mainly from Israeli and Arab sources.
Right now there’s a concentration on Israeli politics, the Gaza war and developments in Syria. A lot is posted in Hebrew or Arabic, but it machine translates easily and the little extra time it takes is worth it. Chitowngringa must be doing this almost full-time; they post a whole lot of good stuff, much of it within two hours of the original.
When I saw Chitowngringa was based in Evanston, Illinois I though, “Hmm, I wonder what they have to say about the Illinois 9th CD race.” That one’s gotten a lot of attention, but it turns out they don’t post about it at all. I found that to be refreshing.
rikyrah
Melanie D’Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) posted at 9:03 AM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
Vought is lying.
60-70% of Project 2025’s executive action proposals have been initiated or implemented ā like gutting education and environmental laws.
30-40% is currently proposed as legislation ā gutting healthcare, banking deregulations,Ā voter suppression, and more.
(https://x.com/DarrigoMelanie/status/1929176897604264254?t=FPoJCHDzSmVsow5qjmlEYA&s=03)
brendancalling
@WTFGhost: You’re welcome to think whatever you like, homie!
RevRick
@Baud: When those who voted for Trump claim he doesnāt lie, what they really means is he blurts out whatever he feels and thinks without compunction. He literally has no regrets about anything he says, no matter how vile.
We think of lies as anything in contradiction to and denial of reality. We think of lies as having to do with making a false claim. But for Trumpās supporters lies are a matter of concealment and for them telling the truth is saying whatever is on your mind without fear of the consequences. Itās why heās so popular with the white working class where masculinity = brash fearlessness. He can be so, so wrong, but in their eyes heās so, so right.
trollhattan
@rikyrah:
It’s operating in two layers: the thing that “didn’t exist, never heard of it” during the campaign is “not being applied” now, during the period it’s being put into practice.
Really, all just an understanding and stop picking on this poor man who’s just doing his jerb.
rikyrah
ššÆš²š±š„ ššš±š±š¢šÆš° (@politicsusa46) posted at 2:02 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
This reporting by MSNBC should come as no surprise to anyone. I suspect that Hegseth and other cabinet members use Signal as direct circumvention of the need to comply with the need to document conversations and actions.
They know that once they are forced out of office there will be no trace of illegal activities that took place. Aside from being illegal it represents a catastrophic security risk.
These criminals know exactly what they are doing.
š„ TikTok – vm.tiktok.com/ZNdBDVQPp/
https://t.co/kfMwoIG1lz
(https://x.com/politicsusa46/status/1929252263068864864?t=qIIsDoLpjdfuk3PWJ6dl0A&s=03)
rikyrah
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) posted at 2:24 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
Huge premium hikes are coming.
The Big Ugly Bill fails to extend tax credits that lower health insurance premiums.
Your premiums could go up by 75% or more.
All because Washington Republicans chose to put partisan politics ahead of working families.
(https://x.com/SenatorWarnock/status/1929257700451373212?t=Fz3p-riudszHY4oNLsArzA&s=03)
rikyrah
Kenny BooYah!Ā![]()
Ā (@KwikWarren) posted at 1:58 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
Did Walter Cronkite ever say he despised a political party? Why is Jake Tapper saying he despises the Democratic Party? And why is no oneāespecially the suits at @CNNācalling him out4saying that? And why was someone who hates Democrats allowed to moderate a presidential debate?!
(https://x.com/KwikWarren/status/1929251132984963527?t=Qh0BJD_uDaa7_56h0VYmgg&s=03)
Old School
On the law firms that did/didnāt make deals with Trump:
rikyrah
uh huh
Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) posted at 1:39 PM on Sun, Jun 01, 2025:
We need a new term for what is happening under Trump and with the Republican Party. They are mindlessly blowing up government and government services not to save money but to destroy. Itās nihilism mixed with autocracy. Call it nihilocracy.
(https://x.com/NormOrnstein/status/1929246332906049908?t=n4XvPtrCjtg9N2vAqsn2cg&s=03)
Belafon
@rikyrah: We won’t buy his book.
trollhattan
@rikyrah:Ā ā
Well yeah, how long ago was “drown it in the bathtub” coined? Same restaurant, worse menu.
artem1s
The GOP and Karl Rove ran the same disinformation campaign against the Clintons going back to the 90’s. They have Democrats believing all sorts of nonsense about Bill’s administration.Ā The GOP was terrified he would get nominated to SCOTUS and/or the federal bench – that’s why Ken Starr took the Whitewater investigation completely off the rails and was allowed to investigate unrelated issues until he could be charged with a federal crime (lying under oath). Or the thing they feared the most was that Bill would be the beneficiary of overturning the 22nd amendment -which I am certain was something they would have tried if W hadn’t been such an egregious fuckup.
It’s no surprise to me they are doing the same with Obama.
schrodingers_cat
@rikyrah: Journobros and podcast bros don’t like sharing power with black people, Jewish people, women, others who them deem lesser They will tolerate us as cheerleaders but not as equals or in positions of power.
For many people its happening at a subconscious level. They don’t consider themselves racist and are not overtly racist like T and Musk.
Joe Biden was too old because his VP was a black woman with immigrant heritage.
rikyrah
what is this?
Los Angeles Times (@latimes) posted at 8:33 PM on Fri, May 30, 2025:
Gov. Newsom proposes ‘asset test’ for low-income and disabled Medi-Cal applicants. What does that mean?Ā https://t.co/gVdCtUCppY
(https://x.com/latimes/status/1928625744759898339?t=j3_QCSA_Ks7PQ9sgFlNgsQ&s=03)
schrodingers_cat
@Belafon: His hate precedes the book. Its the reason for the book.
gene108
@lowtechcyclist:
I disagree. It wasnāt until President Biden that the Democrats had coalesced around a more liberal agenda. Repealing the filibuster under Clinton or Obama would not have achieved the great āsocialist utopiaā liberals dream of.
Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA), head of the Senate Armed Forces committee, fought President Clinton tooth and nail about letting gays serve in the military. President Clinton burned a lot of political capital in getting DADT passed, which at least acknowledged gays can serve in the military, if they stay in the closet.
The response on our side had been how much DADT sucked, and was a total failure.
From a political perspective itād have been easier and more popular to not challenge the then status quo that gays have no right to serve in the military.
Clintonās healthcare plan failed before it even got to Congress, because he inexplicably handed it over to his wife, who had no prior experience in government, and did not sufficiently include Congress in the negotiations to keep them on his side.
Obamacare is treated the same way as DADT, as a insufficient failure, by the Left because it wasnāt single payer or had a public option, because Democratic Senators for places like North Dakota and Louisiana did not support it. States Democrats can no longer win.
The only time repealing the filibuster wouldāve been effective was Bidenās first two years, but even then Democratic Senators opposed it. If rumors are true, the group opposed to repeal was more numerous than Manchin or Sinema.
trollhattan
@rikyrah: Based on the article it looks like the asset test was removed last year and the proposal is to reinstate it, at the same levels as before. The larger budget battle is going on this month because CA’s fiscal year is July-June.
More here if one can get past the paywall.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article307460146.html
Soprano2
@WTFGhost: When I read that Fetterman is unhappy with his job and doesn’t want to do even the most basic things the job entails, that makes me think he should resign and let someone who wants to do the job do it. Whether it’s because of brain damage from the stroke or him being an asshole doesn’t make any difference if he can’t be an effective voice for his constituents.
RevRick
@Sure Lurkalot: Obama had no power to change the filibuster. Itās a Senatorial rule and Senators generally get damn prickly about President telling them how to run their business. And having served in it, he was smart enough not to inject himself into any discussions. Which means there was never the votes to change it.
The Democratic majority in the Senate was composed of a Senator from Alaska, Nebraska, Florida, Indiana, South Dakota, Louisiana, North Carolina and Missouri, plus two Senators from Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin plus Joe Lieberman. I can count at least 15 reluctant Democrats among them.
tam1MI
@Belafon: We wonāt buy his book.
His book is failing as we speak.
Read and enjoy!
rikyrah
Mike Morton (@TheMikeMorton) posted at 7:50 AM on Sat, May 31, 2025:
These are not the criminals, rapists and thugs they promised to deport. They are trying to meet the quota of 3,000 deportations per day and they don’t care who it is.
Any filthy MAGAts defending this are the scum of the earth!
(https://x.com/TheMikeMorton/status/1928796331499303329?t=O-Mq8XrGSZk6MJWn_m3WEA&s=03)
Marc
IIRC, you are not white, but one of the most annoying things (to me) that white “liberals” do is demand that us minorities condemn one person or group who happens to be of our race/religion before we are allowed to speak on some subject or another.Ā I’m done with that.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: so sorry you’re having trouble! I kicked in a bit to help out. Your photos are great!
Ruckus
@gene108:
I served over 50 years ago in the USN. There were gay people in the Ā USN. We had at least one and quite possibly 2 on our ship – that I know of, out of just over 300. Now not everyone was going to be open about it, but that wasn’t really different in or out of the military over 50 years ago. And my now deceased sister was gay and had a lot of gay friends. She came out in the mid 1970s.
Marc
It’s Newsom auditioning to be the future of the Centrist Democratic Party.Ā It’s funny, if Newsom was a Republican and turned against the interests of his party the way he has been, the recall campaign would have started months ago.Ā Maybe it’s time to give Newsom a scare :)
rikyrah
@schrodingers_cat:
UH HUH
UH HUH
Ohio Mom
@rikyrah: I am surprised to read California had the standard asset limit for Medicaid āno more than $2,000 in assets ā and tossed it. I had assumed the limit was a federal requirement.
There are ways to shelter money ā trusts, and for disabled minors, ABLE savings/investment accounts ā Ohio Family has both for Ohio Son, so he can receive benefits related to his disability. As usual, itās the middle class and above who are able to use shelters, the poor get stuck staying poor.
There is a strong argument that the asset limit should be raised. My Senator Sherrod Brown was working on this before lost his seats
tam1MI
He had the scare. He came through it with flying colors and his opponents wasted a bunch of money for nothing. Nobody is going to bother to try and recall him again, they are just going to grit their teeth and wait until he is termed out.
trollhattan
Priorities!
I’m sure she’s really grateful now.
Matt McIrvin
@Jeffro: IA IA WILLIAM AND MARY FTAGHN
lowtechcyclist
@gene108:
First of all, there’s a vast gulf between “could have gotten a lot more done than they did” and “achieved the great ‘socialist utopia’ liberals dream of.”
And second, I’m sorry, but it’s ridiculous to assume that there’s no daylight between what he could have gotten 50 votes + Biden for, and what he was able to get 60 for.Ā Hell, just not having to deal with Lieberman would have been a big plus, especially if one actually remembers December 2009.
Hell, his 60th vote went away in January 2010. He had 59 Senators and a damn huge House majority, and wasn’t able to pass much of anything during 2010, other than the ACA, and that only because it passed the Senate in 2009.Ā Are you telling me he wouldn’t have done any better legislatively in 2010 if he’d only needed 50+Biden, rather than the 60 he didn’t have?
I’m sorry, but that makes no fucking sense at all.
Matt McIrvin
@terraformer: Nothing is just between a doctor and a patient if there’s also an insurance company involved.
BigJimSlade
@Ohio Mom: Alterman, god, I used to read him all the time! And Charlie Pierce would do a guest spot on Fridays, IIRC.
Harrison Wesley
@trollhattan: That’s a touch of weird that makes this even more horrible to me.
Baud
@lowtechcyclist:
I agree with you generally, but back then, a lot of people were still under the illusion that voters were capable of holding Republicans accountable for their behavior. Not unreasonable given that 2006 and 2008 were massive Dem wins.
The appetite for norm breaking wasn’t there in that environment. It’s barely here now.
Belafon
@lowtechcyclist: All of the arguments along these lines seem to fall back to “If Democrats passed it, it must have been easy, and they could have done more.” No, no they couldn’t.
Marc
@tam1MI: You are right. Time passes so quickly these days, I forgot the GOP did try to recall him 4 years agoā :)
Baud
@Belafon:
The other argument I’ve heard is that something passes with well above the bare minimum number of votes, we left something good on the table.
Geminid
@Baud: Yeah, and if Dems had abolished the filibuster Republicans would have done a lot of real damage 2017-2019 when they held the White House and both Houses of Congress, as well as currently.
I remember plenty of people in 2021 saying we should abolish the filibuster because the Republicans would anyway once they controlled the Senate. But guess what? They control the Senate now and they haven’t even tried. That’s because the votes aren’t there, just like they weren’t there for the Democrats.
BigJimSlade
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: just kicked in a few bucks – hang in there!
Baud
@Geminid:
I oppose the filibuster on principle.
The GOP hasn’t abolished it yet, but they have overruled their parliamentarian already to avoid the 60 vote threshold.Ā We’re inching toward that fateful day when it’s completely gone.
ETA: I agree with your general point that predictions are worthless. Especially when it comes to what Republicans will do.
Geminid
@Harrison Wesley: This whole thing is a tragedy. The political point-scoring that’s ensued is bad enough, but that’s still the least of it.
Miss Bianca
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Damn. Even after your explainer I still didn’t understand it, which means that there’s no way this person hovering on the brink of 62 is going to be able to make a rational decision about when to tap SS without some expert consultation.
Sorry to hear about your financial woes. Hope I can kick something into your kitty after I get paid this week.
Belafon
@Baud: In general, I oppose it as well, and had we abolished it years ago, we might not be in a position where Republicans could wipe it out and undo the last 100 years for good, including reinstating voting restrictions.
Baud
@Belafon:
I don’t want to speculate on where we’d be if there had been no filibuster. We could easily be in a worse situation. The rules shouldn’t turn on speculation about outcomes.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@BigJimSlade: Thanks much.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Miss Bianca: It is a lot more complicated than the way it is explained on the SS web site, which seems quite simple.
Baud
@Baud:
The same thing happens when people look at particular outcomes when arguing about whether things like rank choice voting is a good thing or not.
Elizabelle
Bill in Glendaleās fundraiser is just $375 from its goal. Ā Go for it! Ā You know you want to!
Link in his comment (12?) above.
Matt McIrvin
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA:
This is the part I don’t understand. They don’t pay out until your earnings reach the earnings cap? What if you don’t work at all? Or is it your full-retirement-age month when they pay out?
Miss Bianca
@WTFGhost: You know, it’s possible to be brain-damaged *and* be an asshole. Now, if you want to take *that* message personally, I can’t stop you.
Matt McIrvin
@Baud: I strongly suspect that if we had ranked-choice voting for national elections, our current Green types would be urging people to not rank the Democrats at all, because for them defeating Democrats is the point. However, new third parties might emerge that were less toxic. I think FPTP elections make third-party candidates worse because they either have to deny spoiler effects or welcome them, and that favors cranks and bomb-throwers.
Baud
@Matt McIrvin:
Someone here said that something like that* is going on in the NYC mayor’s race, where there is ranked choice. Not sure if the Greens are among the players on the left in that race.
* With respect to the candidates competing in the Democratic field.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Matt McIrvin: They can see that you’re working since they get that from the IRS, but there is a delay.Ā There is an app that you can enter your earning from the previous month that I just found out about.Ā As I said, they make it sound really simple, but the devil’s in the details.
schrodingers_cat
@Marc: I am asking Democrats to not grace or give a podium to a person/group who promotes hate against a particular group. Its not equivalent to what you are stating.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@Elizabelle: Wow, I’m amazed and quite thankful to y’all.
š¾BillinGlendaleCA
@schrodingers_cat: Not related to this comment, but about cellphones and astro…
There are now “smart telescopes” that have an app that runs them and they are relatively inexpensive(around $500).Ā That’s probably the best option for someone just starting out.Ā The Seestar S50(and S30) and the Dwarf 3 are some good examples.
Sure Lurkalot
@Ohio Mom: I read that Eric Alterman post (The Coming Jewish Civil War Over Donald Trump | The New Republic) when it first came out and thank you for bringing it up in your comment so I can go back and re-read it. Eric Alterman’s blog was one my very first forays into the blogosphere (along with Charlie Pierce) way back when.
As a born Jew with an Orthodox sister, long time atheist, my experience in discussing Jews, Israel, anti-semitism, Zionism, Palestinians, terrorism, evangelical rapturism has been a life-long tip toe through land mines. Enmity that goes back before the common era in lands that have been soaked in bloodshed over millenia with thousands of bad actors along the way exploiting the hatred, fanning the flames.
Geminid
@Matt McIrvin: One thing I noticed last year about “jungle primary” states like California and Washington is that this process works to marginalize third party candidates. I’m not saying it’s a good thing or a bad thing, just that it’s an effect of that system.
Alaska has a hybrid system, with one open, “jungle” primary and then a Ranked-choice runoff between the top four finishers. I could live with that, but it won’t happen any time soon in Virginia because we’re slow adopters.
Geminid
@Baud: The Greens are not a factor in NYC’s primary race, but the Democratic Socialists of America are. That’s where their largest chapter is. The candidate running second in the polls, Queens Asemblyman Mamdani, has a DSA affiliation although I don’t know of he’s a member.
There is also the Working Families Party. They have their own ballot line under New York’s singular “Fusion” voting system, but they also often endorse in Democratic primaries. I don’t know if they have endorsed in this one.
There is a recently released Emerson College poll on the NYC Mayoral race. I won’t get into it right now, but the “crosstabs” showing voting preference by demograghic group are interesting.
zhena gogolia
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: We’re thankful to you for your art. And for being you!
Ohio Mom
@trollhattan: I can accept the claim that he was thinking about attacking/killing Jews for a year but he couldnāt have been planning that specific attack so far in advance, that protest was probably organized only at most a couple of months ago.
schrodingers_cat
@š¾BillinGlendaleCA: Thanks!
This info too could make a great YT video.
Geminid
@Ohio Mom: I read that this protest was a weekly event, but I don’t know for how long.Ā State and local news sites ought to give a fuller story in coming days.
dnfree
@Ohio Mom: The law of averages and actuarial science is one thing and the experience of you or me as an individual beneficiary of social security is another. Ā Some people pay in for a lifetime and die before they receive a dime in benefits. Ā Others pay in for just enough quarters to qualify (or never work at all but receive spousal benefits or dependent child benefits), and get far more.
Currently if you are able to postpone taking social security payments until age 70, your monthly payment is much more than at your standard retirement age, or at 62. Ā But if you then die at age 72 or 75, you lost money by not claiming sooner. Ā If you live to 95, you come out way ahead. Ā I think the break-even point is somewhere in the mid-80s, varies by situation.
Ohio Mom
@Sure Lurkalot: I donāt have any Orthodox Jews in my family, but ditto to everything else you said.
i hadnāt thought about Eric Alterman in years but I kept seeing people I follow on BlueSky raving about that article so I took a look.
It put into words (with evidence and examples) so much of what has been bubbling around in my head. Though I must admit Iāve had my own private civil war against the ultra-Orthodox and Heradi for a long time now.
Ohio Mom
@Geminid: Okay, that makes sense. I like being corrected, generally, if I deserve it.
There are a row of āBring Them Homeā lawn signs in front of the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center. Whenever I pass them, I think, That’s a stupid place to put them, put them in front of Netanyahuās house. A āVote Likud Outā sign might make some sense though.
TONYG
@satby: Joni’s little sermon about “Jesus” in that “apology” was very inspiring. Ā I don’t know whether Jesus Christ ever actually existed or not, but the version of him that these people pretend to believe in is a real asshole.
TONYG
@Geminid: The Fusion Voting System. Ā Pioneered by Mile Davis back in 1969.
WTFGhost
@brendancalling: So: are you stating the obvious fact that I have free will (or a perfect illusion thereto)? It’s not a very useful observation, IMHO. Is it really that hard to come across someone who expresses an opinion that you dislike?
@Soprano2: I agree that resignation is probably the right choice for him. I’d be surprised if anyone thought otherwise, given the mass of evidence. One problem is, it’s very hard to come to grips with your brain misfiring; that’s your baseline reality measure, after all. And you just know he has Republicans trying to use his illness as a weapon, convincing him that only the bad, nasty, Democrats are saying he’s got problems.
@Miss Bianca: There are *so* many people who are *so* eager to insist that they aren’t able to affect my thoughts! And those who proclaim that inability are ever so truthful, since they make no meaningful contribution to the discussion.
I’m sorry you don’t like having someone defending the dignity of the disabled, but I’m still going to do it from time to time. If you think that makes me an asshole, maybe I’m holding up a mirror, and you’re looking at a reflection. It’s been known to happen.
Marc
I shouldn’t be surprised, but it turns out that a new Newsom recall petition was approved on March 28, I guess they’re out gathering signatures now.
Marc
There was one unfortunate third party side effect we saw several times in the Bay Area before the new primary system.Ā A Democrat interested in a state/local office would calculate they had no chance of winning the Democratic primary for that office (party had favored candidate), get the nomination of some third party, win the election, then almost immediately renounce their membership in that party and rejoin the Democrats.Ā That pretty much killed the Green Party here.
Ruckus
@Baud:
Naw, predicting what they will do is easy.
Always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS the opposite of what the democratic side wants. Decades ago it would be not so much in opposition but in a crappy, not all that well thought out other than how it affected certain bank accounts concept.
Ohio Mom
@WTFGhost: āOne problem is, itās very hard to come to grips with your brain misfiring; thatās your baseline reality measure, after all.ā
You probably already know this but others on this (almost dead) thread may not: Pyschiatry has a term for that, anosognosia.
From the NAMI site: āā¦someone is unaware of their own mental health condition or that they canāt perceive their condition accurately. Anosognosia is a common symptom of certain mental illnesses, perhaps the most difficult to understand for those who have never experienced it.ā
Miss Bianca
@WTFGhost: You seem quite bound and determined to take everything personally that you possibly can, put the worst possible construction on it, and then fly up into the boughs over what you imagine you’re understanding. Jesus, dude.Ā I wasn’t talking about *you*.
Another Scott
@dnfree: I did some rough figuring a year or so ago.Ā It seemed to me that the cross-over point was something like 13-14 years (ignoring hypothetical COLAs).Ā So, if you thought you would be collecting Social Security for longer than 13-14 years, it made sense to wait until you were 70.Ā If not, it made sense to take it at 62.
My step-mom came from a family of very long-lived women (several made it past 100).Ā She was always very healthy.Ā She waited.
She died of cancer at 76.
:-(
One never knows.Ā But, as you and David Anderson said – actuaries rule the world.
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Ohio Mom
@Another Scott: 13-14 years is what I have also heard.
Geminid
@Ohio Mom: I wasn’t correcting you so much as adding some information I picked up from preliminary reports. Like I said, there will be more thorough reporting on this attack in coming days, and state and local media will be likely places to find it.
Debbie(Aussie)
@rikyrah:
I like what Bill said at the end of the clip, about āpeopleā trying to use the fact that (Democrats)Biden lost for the current situation.
Only the Democrats have agency.
Lauryn11
@JML: Ā I donāt think Josh Hawley has had a Damascan-style conversion and become a better human. (Like all of us Iāll take any ānoā vote on this shambling horror of a bill.) Ā Apparently, due to a ballot measure (Republicans opposed) the state of Missouri enshrined the Medicaid expansion under the ACA in the state constitution. As I understand it this may put the state on the hook to make up any shortfall, which would be grave if the bill passes. If it were otherwise I think heād be all for it.