Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Open Thread: Repub Cowards, Posturing Bravely

by Anne Laurie| June 11, 20252:24 pm| 143 Comments

Q: "Do you believe that Newsom should face consequences in a legal way?"

.@SpeakerJohnson: "That's not my lane. I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested but he ought to be tarred and feathered, I'll say that." pic.twitter.com/7C50t1rrE6

— CSPAN (@cspan) June 10, 2025

Mr. Charles P. Pierce, at Esquire == “Republicans Are Using the Los Angeles Protests to Get Trump’s Budget Bill Passed”:

Expecting influential Republicans to step up and stop the ongoing madness? Have you been asleep for ten years? Joe Perticone of the Bulwark stopped by the Capitol today to gather some depressingly familiar quotes from our national legislators.

“I think he needs to restore order,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “I’m mainly concerned about public safety and the president has clearly got authority in his federal capacity to deal with the National Guard. So, plenty of precedent.”

“I don’t think that the president had any choice,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “These weren’t just protests, these were riots. And it was clear that the governor and the mayor—the mayor’s idea of containment was to give them a hug and a cup of hot cocoa. And the president did what he had to do.”

Cornyn is a sack of hair, and Kennedy is the guy who once was a Rhodes Scholar and talks in the Senate like Lonesome Rhodes’s dumber brother…

Meanwhile, the Republicans are using the destruction of constitutional order as a means to get the Big Plug Ugly passed because there’s increased funding in it for more bulked-up dudes in masks and camo. From CBS News:

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X on Monday that the legislation, which addresses Mr. Trump’s tax, energy and immigration priorities, “provides the ESSENTIAL funding needed to secure our nation[’]s borders.” Republicans call the legislation the “one big, beautiful bill … The lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY,” Johnson said, pledging that Congress will support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who he said are “fighting to keep Americans safe against illegal aliens AND the radical left.”

Wow. That is so far from the facts on the ground that Speaker Moses probably is somewhere over Delaware by now…

Open Thread: Repub Cowards, Posturing BravelyPost + Comments (143)

Revolutionary Logic (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker| June 11, 202511:25 am| 232 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, Politics, Republican Venality

In The Atlantic, Anne Applebaum wrote about how faltering revolutions tend to choose violence, arguing that this is what Trump’s illegal invasion of Los Angeles is all about. It’s not a distraction but a significant escalation that follows a pattern set by despots like Chairman Mao, among others. An excerpt from Applebaum’s piece:

I doubt very much that Donald Trump knows a lot about the methods of Bolsheviks or Maoists, although I am certain that some of his entourage does. But he is now leading an assault on what some around him call the administrative state, which the rest of us call the U.S. government. This assault is revolutionary in nature. Trump’s henchmen have a set of radical, sometimes competing goals, all of which require fundamental changes in the nature of the American state. The concentration of power in the hands of the president. The replacement of the federal civil service with loyalists. The transfer of resources from the poor to the rich, especially rich insiders with connections to Trump. The removal, to the extent possible, of brown-skinned people from America, and the return to an older American racial hierarchy.

Trump and his allies also have revolutionary methods. Elon Musk sent DOGE engineers, some the same age as Mao’s Red Guards, into one government department after the next to capture computers, take data, and fire staff. Trump has launched targeted attacks on institutions that symbolize the power and prestige of the old regime: Harvard, the television networks, the National Institutes of Health. ICE has sent agents in military gear to conduct mass arrests of people who may or may not be undocumented immigrants, but whose arrests will frighten and silence whole communities. Trump’s family and friends have rapidly destroyed a matrix of ethical checks and balances in order to enrich the president and themselves.

But their revolutionary project is now running into reality. More than 200 times, courts have questioned the legality of Trump’s decisions, including the arbitrary tariffs and the deportations of people without due process. Judges have ordered the administration to rehire people who were illegally fired. DOGE is slowly being revealed as a failure, maybe even a hoax: Not only has it not saved much money, but the damage done by Musk’s engineers might prove even more expensive to fix, once the costs of lawsuits, broken contracts, and the loss of government capacity are calculated. The president’s signature legislation, his budget bill, has met resistance from senior Republicans and Wall Street CEOs who fear that it will destroy the U.S. government’s credibility, and even resistance from Musk himself.

Now Trump faces the same choice as his revolutionary predecessors: Give up—or radicalize. Find compromises—or polarize society further. Slow down—or use violence. Like his revolutionary predecessors, Trump has chosen radicalization and polarization, and he is openly seeking to provoke violence.

Applebaum says that even if cooler heads prevent a large-scale violent confrontation in Los Angeles, the fact that Trump is needlessly and illegally sending U.S. troops into an American city is just an opening salvo. He’ll keep resorting to violence.

Applebaum cites the dehumanizing language Trump used in his speech at Fort Bragg yesterday, where he called protesters “animals” and “foreign invaders.” He is paving the path to escalation.

The logic of revolution often traps revolutionaries: They start out thinking that the task will be swift and easy. The people will support them. Their cause is just. But as their project falters, their vision narrows. At each obstacle, after each catastrophe, the turn to violence becomes that much swifter, the harsh decisions that much easier. If not stopped, by Congress or the courts, the Trump revolution will follow that logic too.

The people have a role also. Republicans in Congress are either enthusiastic participants in Trump’s authoritarian project or too chickenshit to oppose it, and it sure appears that the former outnumber the latter. The judiciary is under threat as well.

I think the No Kings protests this weekend will tell us a lot about whether Americans are up to the task of saving their own democracy. In my opinion, it’s very much an open question. Maddow is optimistic:

Maddow: I also feel like there’s not very much about that that I don’t understand. Like, it’s the same everywhere. This is blond Berlusconi, you know what I mean? This is inarticulate Viktor Orbán, right? These guys are all the same. The authoritarian playbook is the same everywhere

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 6:52 PM

I hope she’s right.

Open thread.

Revolutionary Logic (Open Thread)Post + Comments (232)

Staying Safe! (Open Thread)

by WaterGirl| June 11, 202511:00 am| 35 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Political Action

We’ve had multiple requests for the link to Adam Silverman’s previous posts about staying safe while protesting. I believe the post below is the latest version of that from 2022, so here it is. To open the post, click on “33” below (the number of comments on that post) and it will take you there.

Staying Safe While Protesting Redux

The times they are a changin’, so Adam may have more to say about staying safe, but in the meantime, here’s the info that several of you have asked for.

Staying Safe! (Open Thread)Post + Comments (35)

War for Ukraine Day 1,202: Russia Strikes More Civilian Targets in Kharkiv

by Adam L Silverman| June 10, 202510:15 pm| 15 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

It has been a long day, I’m fried, so I’m just going to run through the basics so I can get cleaned up and rack out.

Note the repeating trend that happens at least twice a year when Russia starts an offensive: there’s talk that Ukraine’s defence lines are about to break and thousands of troops will be trapped. The results are always the same, yet Russians still think next time will be different

— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM

Last night, russia turned most of its terror arsenal on Kyiv alone — 322 air threats in a 5h nonstop assault.
The Defence Forces neutralized 284, incl:
– 213 drones & 64 jammed/lost,
– 2 ballistic missiles,
– 5 cruise missiles.
Ukraine needs #SkyShieldNow and more air defences.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 2:26 AM

Russia has targeted more civilian residential facilities in Kharkiv in the past couple of hours.

Pure nightmare in Kharkiv.

Attacking civilians at night when they are sleeping in their homes is russia’s bloody strategy.

But the world doesn’t give a damn about these innocent people.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 6:08 PM

At least 2 people were killed by russian drones in Kharkiv tonight. At least 28 are injured. Apartment buildings are on fire.

This happens almost every night! This is madness!

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 7:04 PM

Kharkiv right now ‼️ at least 2 people died in russian attack on our city, 37 others were injured, including 5 children.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 8:50 PM

Kharkiv tonight ‼️
Kharkiv almost every night for the fourth year.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 8:58 PM

As flames still rage in Kharkiv, a russian reconnaissance drone circles overhead — the final act of the strike. Somewhere, russian officers are watching the live feed of Ukrainian homes burning… and smiling. To them, burning civilians is victory.

— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 6:43 PM

Here’s President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

For Months Now, Russia Has Been Steadily Increasing the Number of Means of Destruction Used in Its Attacks – Address by the President

10 June 2025 – 19:54

Dear Ukrainians!

Today is another day of exchanges. We brought home our wounded, including those with very severe trauma. These are warriors from various components of our Defense Forces. All of them require serious medical care. We will make sure to provide all the support they need. We expect the exchanges to continue, and, for sure, there will be separate updates on that. The task is to find all of our people in Russian captivity and to free them all. I thank everyone who is helping us in this effort. I also want to thank all political figures, public leaders, and every media professional – everyone who continues to spread information about Russian strikes on our cities and our villages. It is vital that there is no silence in response to Russian escalation – and it is clear that escalation is underway. For months now, Russia has been steadily increasing the number of means of destruction used in its attacks. This is a consistent trend. And it means that Moscow fears no one in the world – no one among those who have called for an end to the killings and for meaningful negotiations on ending the war. Putin wants to continue killing and exploits the lack of a strong response. They don’t listen to Washington. And that says a lot to the world – to everyone.

The European Commission has taken an important step by announcing a new sanctions package. I am grateful that this 18th package is focused on Russian energy resources and banks. That is the right direction for pressure. But this package still needs to be filled with strong details. Russia’s ability to continue the war equals its ability to sell oil and circumvent financial restrictions. That is why it is essential to maximally restrict the Russian tanker fleet, their technological capabilities for extraction and processing, and to do everything possible to keep the price of Russian oil below what they can sustain. Each of our partners knows what the necessary price cap is – no more than USD 30. That price level would mean real pressure on Russia – they must be forced to seek peace, as they don’t understand any other incentives. I know that partners are currently discussing a compromise price, but enough compromising with Russia. Every such compromise only delays peace. We call for a real reduction in the price of Russian oil – in other words, a real step toward ending the war. And I especially want to thank those in the United States who are relying specifically on strength, including the strength of diplomacy through sanctions.

Today, our military officials delivered their reports. I had a separate discussion with Defense Minister Umerov on our efforts to counter drones, protect against missiles, and reinforce our air defense. The Russians have once again used ballistic missiles from North Korea. We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea. This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia. The longer this war continues on our territory, the more warfare technologies evolve, and the greater the threat will be to everyone. This must be addressed now – not when thousands of upgraded “Shahed” drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo.

And one more thing.

Today’s Russian strike damaged ordinary residential buildings in various regions of Ukraine. In Odesa, a maternity hospital was hit. The Odesa Film Studio suffered major damage – decades of history destroyed. In the capital, even Saint Sophia Cathedral was damaged: part of the cathedral’s façade collapsed under the blast wave. To all those who truly know history and feel connected to Christianity, even the slightest threat of damage or destruction to Saint Sophia is utterly unacceptable, indeed catastrophic. But not for Russia. Possessed maniacs with their “Shaheds” and the red button. Catastrophe is the very purpose of their existence. They produce nothing else – and will leave nothing behind. This must be addressed. They must be stopped. And it is not only we in Ukraine that need this – the whole world will benefit when Russia is forced into peace. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

Today, First Lady Zelenska participated in and addressed the all-Ukrainian “Barrier-Free Means When You Can” social change campaign, which promotes accessibility.

Georgia:

#GeorgiaProtests
Day 195 of continuous protests in Georgia.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM

Day 195 of daily protests in 8+ cities across Georgia. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 2:19 PM

Giorgi Akhobadze is one of the detainees from the pro-European rallies who is being accused of drug possession and faces a sentence ranging from 8 to 20 years or life imprisonment. He denies the charges and says he is being punished for participating in the protests.

#TerrorinGeorgia

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 8:48 AM

“She saw the red flags, trained the people now dismantling democracy—and stayed silent too long.”

This is a great article. How the domestic illusion of security (that 🇬🇪 could never be Russified) got us where we are in a record time – and how Western money trained and enabled the dictatorship. 1/

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 1:02 AM

Thank you, @euromaidanpress.bsky.social, and thank you, Nino Robakidze, for speaking up. 2/2.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 1:02 AM

From EuroMaidan Press:

“We fucked up.” It’s not often you hear a democracy activist open with those words, but Nino Robakidze, a veteran democracy activist with over 15 years fighting for Georgian freedom, isn’t interested in pretty narratives.

Speaking at the “FuckUp Night” panel at the Lviv Media Forum 2025, Robakidze laid bare how Georgian civil society enabled the fastest documented democratic collapse in modern European history.

The timeline is breathtaking: December 2023, Georgia receives EU candidate status. Eighteen months later, dozens of political prisoners, including four high-profile politicians, fill Georgian jails, independent media faces criminal prosecution, and the government has abandoned European integration entirely. Over 200 public servants were fired simply for posting pro-European statements on Facebook.

“Georgian civil society is in a perfect storm,” she says. “We saw the red flags. We really saw the red flags. But it was so uncomfortable to really talk about that.”

Twenty-one years after the Rose Revolution promised Georgia a European future, the country has achieved something unprecedented: the fastest documented slide from EU candidate to authoritarian crackdown in European history.

But Robakidze, former Country Director for IREX Georgia, isn’t just analyzing the crisis—she’s dissecting how democracy defenders like herself enabled it through a fatal dependency that made Georgian freedom hostage to foreign funding.

For two decades, the US government poured millions into Georgian civil society—building the independent media, NGOs, and democracy programs that became the envy of the former Soviet space. That investment created something genuinely remarkable: a vibrant civil society that helped Georgia become a beacon of democratic progress in the region.

For two decades, Georgian civil society lived on life support: US government funding. Independent media, NGOs, democracy programs—all relied heavily on American largesse because local businesses feared government retaliation for supporting critical outlets.

“This was mainly the US government funding because there was not enough advertising money in independent media,” Robakidze explains. Vulnerable to state pressure, “big business did not want to work with media outlets like this because they were investigating government corruption.”

The dependency created a catastrophic vulnerability. When Georgian Dream wanted to crush civil society, they had a ready-made weapon: the “foreign agent” narrative borrowed directly from Putin’s playbook.

But the irony runs deeper—and darker. Western funding didn’t just create the vulnerability; it actively trained the oppressors.

Georgian Dream created Western-funded strategic communication units across government ministries. “And then this communication in the crisis, when the crisis was approaching, was used against those who were actually protecting Western values—civil society, media, free media, etc.”

The absurdity was complete: civil society trained its own oppressors. “We were inviting representatives of this group to different trainings, on strategic communication, on public opinion research, and they learned the lesson really well. Maybe they were the best in their class, actually.”

The students became the masters, using Western-funded skills to dismantle Western values.

Much more at the link.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zviad Kharazishvili (Khareba) has left his position – Roman Khartsivadze has been appointed as the new Director of the Special Tasks Department.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 9:05 AM

Norway:

Norway transfers over twice the number of F-16s promised to Ukraine

Norway’s arms report indicates eight more aircraft than declared.
euromaidanpress.com/2025/06/10/n…

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— Euromaidan Press (@euromaidanpress.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM

The US:

‼️In the US, Dmitry Gugnin, the founder of the crypto company Evita, has been accused of laundering over $500 million for Russia.

From 2023 to early 2025, Gugnin used his company to transfer ~$530 million through banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, concealing their origin and destination.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 1:19 PM

/2. According to the FBI, he helped sanctioned Russian companies move money and gain access to export-controlled western technology for the Russian government: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/found…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 1:20 PM

Back to Ukraine.

Our people are home!

This time, Ukraine returns injured defenders from russian captivity.

Welcome home, heroes! 🇺🇦❤️‍🩹

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 10:45 AM

🇺🇦🫂 Birthday on the day of release—a Ukrainian soldier is free and celebrates this day with his loved ones, who have been waiting for him for so long.
Sincere congratulations to our hero!

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM

HUR commented on the condition of prisoners released from Russian captivity.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM

2xAASM Hammer air strike on Russian base.
t.me/BaluHUB777/1…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 4:35 AM

Kyiv:

This is one of the worst and largest russian drone attacks on Kyiv I can recall, the buzz of incoming drones and air defences firing is literally non-stop. God, save us all.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) June 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM

Kyiv last night. This is terrorism

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 7:45 AM

🔴 Russian forces launched a massive attack against Kyiv overnight.

The capital was attacked with drones. There is destruction in seven districts of the city, with high-rise buildings and private homes damaged.

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— UNITED24 Media (@united24media.com) June 10, 2025 at 2:33 AM

The Kyiv Patrol Police have released footage capturing the first moments of a Russian strike hitting a residential building.
t.me/c/1377735387…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 5:16 PM

🚁 A helicopter was deployed to extinguish fires in Kyiv that erupted as a result of a nighttime attack by the Russian army.

❗️As of this morning, the sky in the capital remains thick with smoke.

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 2:35 AM

Russia launched a mass air attack on Kyiv for the third night in four days. Ukraine’s air force said Russia had fired 315 kamikaze drones, two ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles towards Ukraine, with Kyiv as the main target. @fabricedeprez.bsky.social
on.ft.com/45dMdhH

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— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.ft.com) June 10, 2025 at 10:02 AM

From The Financial Times:

Russia has launched a mass drone and missile attack on Kyiv for the third night in four days, following Moscow’s vow to avenge an audacious Ukrainian operation that destroyed Russian strategic bombers at air bases on the ground hundreds of kilometres from the front line.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia had launched 315 kamikaze drones, two ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles towards Ukraine, with Kyiv as the main target. All the cruise and ballistic missiles and 220 of the drones were reportedly shot down.

The Ukrainian capital emerged from the night under thick plumes of smoke after dozens of drones had flown into the city over several hours, hitting several residential buildings and industrial areas, according to city officials. At least four people were injured in the attack.

The latest Russian aerial assault also targeted the seaside city of Odesa, in the country’s south. Two people died and nine were injured in that attack, with the drones damaging a maternity ward, residential buildings and a zoo, city officials said.

Russia has stepped up its bombing campaign and such attacks now routinely involve hundreds of kamikaze drones and decoy unmanned aerial vehicles at a time. It launched a record 479 drones and 20 missiles across Ukraine the day before, with the Ukrainian air force claiming to have intercepted the majority of those.

“Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a message published on X.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said earlier that a strike conducted overnight last week had been made in response to Kyiv’s “terrorist acts” committed on June 1 when Ukraine’s security service attacked four Russian airfields in several corners of the country, destroying at least 12 military aircraft.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also told Donald Trump that Moscow would have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields, the US president said on June 4.

“But Russia has done this sort of attack before and without any justification, just because they can do it,” said Pavlo Narozhny, a Ukrainian military analyst.

“They understand we lack sophisticated air defence systems, that we don’t have enough planes, and they want us to run out of all of this,” he added.

Fresh Ripe Fragrant Peaches and Jeni’s Vanilla Ice Cream for Dinner Open Thread

by WaterGirl| June 10, 20259:54 pm| 22 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Really busy day today. Even though I mostly didn’t accomplish the things I was supposed to do, I did get a lot done!

Still dealing with the aftermath of the musical chairs after the new floor, trying to get everything in order. Our mostly unspoken truism in my family is that when the going gets tough, the tough start organizing. So I think that’s what’s going on with me; the drive to create order around me at home while the world is so bizarre.

Anyway, for dinner tonight I had 3 small incredibly fragrant perfectly ripe peaches and Jeni’s vanilla ice cream. And now I’m going to get in bed and watch a show on my iPad.

Probably going to hell for all of this, but fuck it, that’s where I’m at, ice cream for dinner and going to bed at 9pm. Sue me!

Or we can call it self-care, and you can all pat me on the back. Either way, I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully with a report on the UnFuck America Tour.

Open thread.

P.S. If you haven’t had Jeni’s Darkest Chocolate ice cream, you haven’t lived.

Fresh Ripe Fragrant Peaches and Jeni’s Vanilla Ice Cream for Dinner Open ThreadPost + Comments (22)

Tuesday Night Open Thread

by John Cole| June 10, 20258:01 pm| 144 Comments

This post is in: John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House", Open Threads

Our racist in chief decided while deploying the military to non-white neighborhoods to raise hell he would also roll back the Biden renaming of confederate forts:

President Trump announced on Tuesday that he will restore the original names of seven military bases honoring Confederate officers.

Why it matters: The move reverses a renaming that began under former President Biden, efforts that sought to honor military figures of color and to cease the government’s commemoration of pro-slavery figures.

Driving the news: Trump made the announcement during a visit to North Carolina’s Fort Bragg.

“We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee,” he said. “We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change. And I’m superstitious, you know? I like to keep it going.”

First off, what the fuck is this “we” shit, Private Bone Spurs? You got a fucking mouse in your pocket?

Second, there is no reason for this other than racism. The end.

***

Keeping up on the worst people on the planet:

Southern Baptists voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to call for the overturning of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, with strategists citing the successful effort that overturned the right to legal abortions as a possible blueprint for the new fight.

The denomination has long opposed gay marriage, but Tuesday was the first time its members have voted to work to legally end it. Expanding on conservatives’ success in overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, the vote signals growing evangelical ambitions to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court ruling that was handed down 10 years ago this month.

They’re just getting started, y’all.

***

I have an apple, a nice hunk of stinky cheese, and I am going to go watch the series finale of Andor. I will report back.

Tuesday Night Open ThreadPost + Comments (144)

Open Thread: Gus Walz Interview

by TaMara| June 10, 202512:08 pm| 255 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I somehow missed this…but what a great interview. What a great young man.

I’m just back from LA – I have thoughts, but no energy to put them together. But I have said to others that this summer could make 1968 look like a party.

This is the spirit of Los Angeles.

This is California.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

#FreeDavidEndRaids

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— California Fast Food Workers Union (@cafastfoodunion.bsky.social) June 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM

Someone suggested everyone should carry American Flags so when the US military, etc, attack them, the media, as stupid as they are, gets the point.

#California

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— 5nark Twain (@5narktwain.bsky.social) June 10, 2025 at 8:17 AM

Also, I spent some time with young folks this past month as they graduated; it was eye-opening, somewhat inspiring, and a little concerning. Again – I have the intention of sharing that, too. Just need the brain cells/energy to do that.

This is an open thread

Open Thread: Gus Walz InterviewPost + Comments (255)

WaterGirl on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 8:41pm)

TONYG on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 8:41pm)

WaterGirl on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 8:40pm)

Math Guy on Part 3: There Is No Artificial General Intelligence Down This Road (Nov 12, 2025 @ 8:39pm)

Scout211 on Something Up His Sleeve? (Nov 12, 2025 @ 8:39pm)

Their shamelessness is their super power.

All hail the time of the bunny!

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Second rate reporter says what?

If you’re gonna whine, it’s time to resign!

Shut up, hissy kitty!

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

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

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Let there be snark.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

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