Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

I really should read my own blog.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

Do we throw up our hands or do we roll up our sleeves? (hint, door #2)

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

People are weird.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

This really is a full service blog.

You are here: Home / Politics / Proud to Be A Democrat / Non-Personal Sunday Afternoon Open Thread

Non-Personal Sunday Afternoon Open Thread

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In his first words directed specifically to Americans, Pope Leo XIV told young people on Saturday how to find hope and meaning in their lives through God and in service to others.

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— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) June 15, 2025 at 1:34 PM

For those who don’t want to intrude on the glorious No Kings protest posts.

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Trump really helped Francis & Leo push the US Catholic Church away from the right & more toward the Hebrew Bible & the Gospels.

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— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) June 15, 2025 at 12:57 AM


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@governorwalz.mn.gov: "The road to authoritarianism is littered with people telling you you're overreacting."

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— CAP Action (@americanprogressaction.org) June 13, 2025 at 10:50 AM

Reader Interactions

46Comments

  1. 1.

    Lyrebird

    Thanks, Anne Laurie!

    Anyone reading here, can you tell me if the multitude of copy-pasted Google reviews for the Minecraft movie is a known joke meme?

    Deciding whether to take my kids to it.  Most readers here may have taken a pass on it, totally understood

     

    ETA on topic:

    Choosing El Salvador’s current troubled regime for extraordinary renditions is probably also pushing more Roman Catholics away from Trumpism, or so I hope.

    Based on the bad history of attacks on Maryknoll nuns and a Salvadoran bishop.

  2. 2.

    Tony Jay

    @Lyrebird:

    I don’t know about the reviews – though copy/paste spamming is to be expected these days – but we took my 12 year old to see it a few weeks ago and 2/3 of us laughed our socks off.

    It’s silly, knowingly cheeky, often very funny, and populated by actors who do not take themselves in the least seriously.

  3. 3.

    Betty

    The Pope’s challenge to Opus Dei is a good sign that he knows the nonsense its US members have been up, meddling in rightwing politics.

  4. 4.

    Sister Golden Bear

    After sending out almost 250 resumes over the past month, I’ve actually got a second round job interview tomorrow. Good wishes, lighted candles and/or spells greatly appreciated.

    Honestly, I’m not letting myself get hopes up—given being OLD in Silicon Valley plus my particular field being in the toilet, hope is a dangerous thing, hope can drive a woman insane. But I’m gonna give my best shot.

  6. 6.

    Lyrebird

    @Tony Jay: Thanks, I appreciate getting your take!!  Laughter is good, and the most introverted member of the family expressed interest in seeing it in theater.  We’ll do it.

     

    @Sister Golden Bear: Mojo streaming your way!!!

  7. 7.

    Liminal Owl

    @Lyrebird: We haven’t seen it (and probably won’t), but a couple of 20-something acquaintances told me how much they enjoyed the movie.

  11. 11.

    Moondoggus

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    my brother, an older engineer and tech product manager, is also looking for work. He’s gotten interviews, but he says that companies are in no hurry to hire these days. Probably a lot of uncertainty in the job market.

  16. 16.

    laura

    @Sister Golden Bear: Hope is a dangerous thing, and it’s a choice. Sending you best wishes in round two. I hope you have a power outfit that imbues and exudes confidence, competence, and pizazz. Even if the interview is remote, dress for success.

  17. 17.

    Spanky

    @Melancholy Jaques: I saw his picture yesterday and it made my fist as twitchy as Dr. Strangelove’s, but with a case of backpfeifengesicht. I don’t need to see it again.

  18. 18.

    What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

    Walz really does have a knack for saying what needs to be said in a simple, direct easy to comprehend way.

  21. 21.

    RaflW

    Not a Catholic, but as someone in a faith tradition that highly values justice, and often does coalition work with other progressive faiths, I’m relieved that the new Pope so far seems to be in the line that Pope Francis had hoped.

    I know religion can be a bit third rail-ish around here some days, but it is neither unalloyed good nor bad, but it is a myriad of human institutions. Some might wish them all away, but while many traditions have lost adherents in the US (and other nations) in recent decades, they’re not vanishing anytime soon.

    Turning back American Christian Nationalism? Critical! You’ll never get an argument against that from me. But I hold hope that Pope Leo at least means that the arch-cons among US Catholic Bishops will not be gaining power in the near term.

  24. 24.

    WTFGhost

    Gad.

    If you told the 25 year old ‘Ghost that one day, 33 years in the future, he’d be feeling overwhelmed because he has to cook a large amount of bacon, on large carbon steel griddles in the oven, with a keen understanding of the timing and temperature settings, he would not have believed you for a moment, but he would have taken down the timing and temperature settings, were you foolish enough to risk the space-time continuum by letting them leak.

    If you told him he’d be unable to make pizza, even with a Kitchen Aid to do the kneading, he’d either scoff in disbelief, or wonder what the ever living eff was keeping 58 year old him alive. And the answer is, it’s the wife, in rehab, keeping him alive. (She’s hitting all the markers, feels Covid is whipped.)

    Um. Sorry for being a bit moany. This is your occasional reminder that there’s nothing effing romantic about mental illness or physical disability.

    And I decided not to delete it all, because… somedays, people have odd reactions to me. I need compassion. And the only guy who can explain why, is the guy who oftentimes can’t even speak his mind, because of the brain weirdness. So sometimes, when it feels you’re extending someone an awful lot of “compassion credit,” you’re actually throwing a lifeline. Because you really never do know the challenges of the people you interact with.

    Off to cook bacon. It’s a sin to waste good bacon.

  27. 27.

    ewrunning

    They’re not just targeting Catholic charities. They’ve sent letters to 200 NGOs that have provided services to refugees, migrants and unaccompanied minors. This includes Global Refuge (former name Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services), one of the elements of the Lutheran “money laundering” syndicate formerly targeted by Musk and Michael Flynn. Green and Brecheen clearly have aspirations to make this into another House Un-American Activities Committee with hunt. “Are you now helping or have you ever helped an ‘illegal alien’ (refugee)?”

  28. 28.

    ewrunning

    Obviously, I meant to say witch hunt in my comment above. Also, to clarify the Green mentioned is Committee Chairman Mark Green, the one who’s about to resign to take up some shady business opportunity in Guyana. Brecheen (Rethug – OK) is the subcommittee chair and evident Nixon or Joe McCarthy wannabe.

  31. 31.

    Lyrebird

    @Liminal Owl: Thanks Liminal Owl!

    :-)

    Reports from acquaintances of esteemed BJ commenters are likely to be way more useful than blurbs written by the distribution company.

  32. 32.

    jonas

    @ewrunning: IANAL, but I would think these groups all have a good case that the government was violating their 1A religious rights by preventing them from assisting migrants or refugees. It’s literally in the Bible dozens of times that Christians (or Jews) are to show mercy and kindness to “strangers” and “sojourners” — terms widely understood to mean displaced persons/refugees. You don’t even have to do any exegetical hocus-pocus to get at the meaning like you do for all the right’s other hobby horses like abortion — it’s right there: “don’t mistreat refugees.”

  33. 33.

    Lyrebird

    @WTFGhost: Wishing you a BIG BOOST of kindness, ‘Ghost!

    And the answer is, it’s the wife, in rehab, keeping him alive. (She’s hitting all the markers, feels Covid is whipped.)

    YAY and further good wishes for the Mrs., and yes that amount of bacon to cook sounds overwhelming.  There are people your age who are still branching out from microwaved frozen dinners.  Go ‘Ghost!

  35. 35.

    ewrunning

    @Lyrebird: As Digby just pointed out on Hullabaloo, these are the same ridiculous characters who threw a major hissy fit over the very idea that the IRS might review some of their favorite “charities” 501.3.(c) eligibility for breaking the laws on directly endorsing/supporting political campaigns. Last I checked, no one has a constitutional right to a tax exemption.

  38. 38.

    gene108

    @WTFGhost:

    This is your occasional reminder that there’s nothing effing romantic about mental illness or physical disability.

    Trying to send good thoughts your way.

  39. 39.

    gene108

    I’m doing some work for my job, I have the “Clue” movie on in the background. I haven’t seen it in ages. The movie’s reason for everyone being together is they’re being blackmailed, and the blackmailer decided to get them together.

    One of the people works for the State Department. He’s homosexual. He said being outed would cost him his job, and he’d lose his security clearance.

    Somethings have changed for the better. It doesn’t always feel like it.

  40. 40.

    hotshoe

    I am fiercely anti-catholic; despise the Church both for its philosophy and for its corporate behavior, hate the pro-forced-birth pro-repression smug Bishops and Archbishops.

    Damn, if the Pope keeps being an actual decent human being, I might have to re-think some of my hatred of his church.

    They are not all totally fucked up if they can raise him within their institution. Well, not totally fucked, that’s as far as I will bend for now. We’ll see.

    Definitely good to have a strong institution standing against Dumpster Don and the insane so-called christians on the right.

    I hope Vance has a splitting headache from the cognitive dissonance today.

  41. 41.

    Gloria DryGarden

    sister golden bear, wtfghost

    candles lit for you on the virtual altar.

    oh course, also incantations and thoughts of getting what you need and for the highest good, and for landing where you are welcomed, seen, and appreciated.

    i hope the job interview goes so well that you’re delighted and surprised.

  42. 42.

    Gloria DryGarden

    On another note Heather Cox R has a short YouTube discussing Alex Padilla, what a big deal it is.

    she says sending military to LA is part of a long standing plan to take away elected government, and to stage a military coup.
    the feds saying it was because of “violent protests” was not only a lie and an excuse, but also, it was a cover up for their much longer term plan for a coup.

    4 years of violence, and fighting off coups in so many jurisdictions… I feel tired already. It needs to be stopped.

  45. 45.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @RaflW: I am so tired of having the US Conference of Catholic Bishops being the Republican Party at prayer. Between Francis and Leo, I’ve started saying rosaries again when I need to meditate for anxiety, and I might actually consider going back to church (although still looking at the Episcopal Church or the Unitarian Church)

  46. 46.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @hotshoe: Vance should be excommunicated in my arrogant opinion (I was raised Catholic, I would probably be subject to it as well as I have various unorthodox beliefs)

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