Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Mediocre white men think RFK Jr’s pathetic midlife crisis is inspirational. The bar is set so low for them, it’s subterranean.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Fight them, without becoming them!

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Petty moves from a petty man.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

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

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Drizzly Sunday (Open Thread)

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I made a lemon drizzle cake today. I’m not much of a baker, but the recipe is mostly foolproof.
Drizzle (Open Thread)

It’s pretty good! But Paul Hollywood would probably say something unkind about the crumb structure.

It’s a good weekend for cocooning, featuring gloomy skies and frequent drizzle. Our dirt road is so bad that only the hardiest vehicles can get through.

Just saw my first Harris-Walz ad in the wild while watching the Dolphins vs. Jags. It was economics focused and featured Harris speaking directly to camera, sounding impossibly coherent and reasonable.

She contrasted her approach to Trump’s anti-freedom, pro-plutocrat agenda, and an orange-tinted photo of the deranged shit-sack flashed onscreen briefly.

The ad seemed effective to me, but I’m not the audience. It captured the visual contrast — the weird old shrieking yam vs. the normal, competent woman — about as well as possible.

That contrast will be unmistakable in the upcoming debate. Will y’all watch?

I’m undecided — maybe I’ll just catch the highlights. I know who I’m voting for, and limiting exposure to the toxic orange sludge pit in semi-human form seems a healthier choice.

Open thread!

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Exciting News from NCAAT about our Fundraising!

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On Wisconsin!

The good folks at NCAAT found us a second external match for $20,000!

So our first $5,000 had an external match, and an Angel match, which is 4x.

Everything going forward until we reach our $25,000 goal – will have DOUBLE external match.  That means that if we also have an Angel match, all donations are 6x.

So $10 turns into $60, and $100 turns into $600!  I’ll let you do the math for the amounts in between. :-)

And we do!  I swear that some of you guys can feel me thinking “this angel match is over, and I don’t have anything lined up”, and then I get an email message from a new angel, as I did this morning.

So we have a $1,500 Angel match, anonymous, and they will match up to $150 per person!  6x matching!

More information that would have made yesterday’s post too long!

Many / most of the organizations we support are “non-partisan”, which means they they organize to get people to register and vote, and to understand the stakes in the election, but they don’t tell you HOW to vote.  In that case, it’s all about the target population.

Native Americans tend to vote for Democrats at 90+% – you don’t need to talk to people about how to vote if the choice is between the side that wants to help you and the side that wants to kill you.  Think about it; I won’t spell it out group by group, but that’s true for most of the groups we support.

Supporting and Endorsing Kamala Harris

NCAATIA’s NC Youth Poll shows Harris leading Trump by 45 points! 

Now we just need to get them to vote!

They are educating youth on Harris’ work defending reproductive rights and the environment (climate change), as well as other issues deeply important to AAPI and BIPOC youth, including protecting immigrants’ rights and prioritizing a ceasefire in Gaza.

***

But NCAATIA’s own polling indicated that while 80% of BIPOC youth have been following the presidential campaign, only 45% can say the same about the governor’s race.

Downballot Races

DOWNBALLOT RACES: The NC governor’s race is between the eminently qualified Democrat Josh Stein and the MAGA extremist Mark Robinson.  But NCAATIA’s own polling indicated that while 80% of BIPOC youth have been following the presidential campaign, only 45% can say the same about the governor’s race.  NCAATIA is educating students on Stein’s record in protecting DACA recipients, prioritizing public education and criminal justice reform.  Robinson, on the other hand……The goal is to energize turnout for Stein through education; which will ultimately benefit the Presidential race as well.

***

Defeat an Anti-Immmigrant Ballot Measure

NCAATIA is motivating AAPI and BIPOC voters to turn out to beat a disingenuous initiative to amend the state Constitution to state that only citizens can vote (already the law), effectively erasing the sole mention of naturalized citizens in the entire document.  This is obviously an effort to stir up anti-immigrant rhetoric and chill voting by naturalized citizens.  NCAAT seems this as an opportunity to mobilize voters – much like Prop 187 did for the Latino community in California in 1994.

***

We are seriously heading into direct donations to Balloon Juice candidates, even as we finish out our final few organizations.

Look for these in the coming week.

Also, stay tuned for a North Carolina-based down ballot candidate and Supreme Court fundraiser soon, with invaluable input from our friends at NCAATIA and the Black Alliance.

And a thermometer for the surprising Senate race in Nebraska, and a House race there, too.

***

Open thread!

 

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Quilt Raffle Reminder (and check to make sure you’re on the list)

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Our goal for the quilt raffle was $5,000 – and the thermometer reads $5,001.

Great job everyone!

Open Thread & New $1,250 Angel Match for The Civics Center

 

Reminder:  Tickets for this gorgeous quilt are still available until 5 pm Eastern Time.

If you “bought” tickets for the quilt raffle, please check the list below and make sure you are on it!

My list shows 122 tickets purchased, but the amount of $$ in the thermometer is the equivalent of 200 tickets sold.

Possible explanations:

  • You “bought” tickets but forgot to send email to WaterGirl.
  • Made a donation to Montana in the quilt thermometer by mistake.
  • I somehow missed your email.
  • You wanted to see the quilt raffle make its goal, so you did a straight donation into quilt thermometer.

Not everyone included their nym in the email, so if you didn’t, check for your first name or your initials.

Also, please check for the number of tickets.  If you bought more than one, you are listed here as “more than 1” because I didn’t think it was anybody’s business to know how many any one person bought.  So if you got more than one ticket, feel free to email me and I can let you know how many I have you down for.

Nym

1 or 1+
Kristine

1
Raleigh

more than 1
RedDirtGirl

1
Banditqueen

1
skyweaver

1
Marleedog

more than 1
Subaru Diane

1
Avalie

more than 1
dnfree

1
Robin

1
TL

1
Darkrose

1
Cynthia

         more than 1         
longtime lurker

more than 1
Madeleine

more than 1
Paul

1
Rachel

more than 1
GH

1
Sandy

1
Peter

1
Joe

1
PT & S

1
RH

1
RA

1
WW

1
KM

1
Ann

1
Chris

1
lurker

1
silvery

more than 1
Blue Guitarist

more than 1
Nancy

more than 1
Dmkingto

more than 1
Luci

1
Needs more dogs

more than 1
JanieM

1
netto

1
Talaith

more than 1
Shane in SLC

more than 1
evodevo

1
gkoutnik

more than 1
Cam

more than 1
HinTN

more than 1
Peggy

1
Stuart

1
Constance

1
Zach

1
Frank

1
artemis

1
GB

more than 1
Barbara

more than 1
Ken

more than 1
way2blue

more than 1
Memory Pallas

more than 1
Eric

1
Stephen

1
lurker JK

1

Open thread!

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Sunday Morning Open Thread: Last-Minute Notice(s)

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War for Ukraine Day 927: A 67 Drone Swarm

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Screen shot of painting by NEIVANMADE. It has a grey border. On the left is a Ukrainian apartment block in the background. In the left foreground is an armored forearm and fist blocking incoming Russian rockets and missiles. The Russian rockets and missiles are red and have the "Z" symbol on them. The backgound is black. Above the armored arm and fist, written in white, is "Every Single Day in Ukraine."

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Two quick housekeeping notes. First, Rosie is doing great. Her next treatment is a week from Monday. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations.

Second, President Zelenskyy was still traveling today and has not posted a video address or any other new video.

Last night Russia launched a swarm of 67 Iranian made Shahed drones against Ukraine. Ukrainian air defense was able to neutralize 58 of them.

A news source, has finally accurately described the US’s approach to supporting Ukraine.

From The Scotsman: (emphasis mine)

A Russian missile strike on Lviv, in western Ukraine, left Yaroslav Bazylevych the sole survivor of his family this week. His wife and three daughters were killed, victims of a war where, in the words of Lithuania’s Foreign Minister, “Russian planes are better protected by Western guarantees than Ukrainian civilians.”

Yaroslav, his wife, Yevheniya, and three daughters – Emilia, Daryna and Yaryna – all lived in Lviv, a city near Ukraine’s border with Poland which has long been considered a safer haven within Ukrainian territory. Until recently, it has experienced limited Russian attacks. This recent bombardment came after devastating missile strikes on the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, which claimed the lives of over 50 people, making it one of Russia’s deadliest attacks on Ukraine to date.

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is intensifying, and yet still the Western posture seems to be utterly stuck in a rut. Ukraine complains – rightly – that Western weapons deliveries are simply not enough, that they take too long to arrive and that too many restrictions are placed upon their use. This has become a particular point of focus as Western partners – principally the Biden administration – insist on a blurred policy when it comes to using American-made weapons to strike military targets within Russia.

Although the White House lifted its blanket ban on targeting assets in Russia earlier this year, they continue to dole out a whole range of excuses as to why certain weapons systems must not or should not be used. Usually, “unnamed officials” at the State Department reference the risk of nuclear escalation or claim that the use of longer-range weapons hitting inside Russia won’t change the strategic outlook of the war because the targets aren’t worth hitting.

If the war has shown us anything, it’s that Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling is just that. But the idea that Ukraine can’t change the strategic outlook is simply for the birds. A recent study from the US-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, argues that there are around 250 military objects – airfields, military bases, communications stations and logistics hubs – within range of Army Tactical Missile Systems, a tactical ballistic missile built by Lockheed Martin and supplied by the US.

Ben Hodges, a former commander of American forces in Europe, told The Economist that the “constant excuse-making is both misleading and inaccurate. There is no moral or legal reason for not going after these targets.” He was even more blunt when he took to X/Twitter after the Russian bombing of a housing block in Kharkiv when he said: “US policy is protecting Russia’s ability to do this.”

Another example would be the UK and French-supplied Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles. Ukraine wants to use these to target legitimate Russian assets but because they contain American components, the US gets an effective veto.

The supply of Storm shadow missiles – albeit limited – is not insignificant. They have a long range and can, for example, penetrate hardened aircraft hangers. They would present a headache for Russian military planners, who have already moved significant assets further away from the Ukrainian border. But Joe Biden says no. With his pushback, Russian bombers sleep a little more soundly.

In recent days, Ukrainian officials have travelled to Washington in the hope of securing a readjustment to the current policy of ‘yes but, no but’. It’s understood Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also raise the issue directly with Biden when the pair meet at the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York.

A change is indeed needed if Ukraine is to win, and this war is to come to an end. How can it possibly be that we – politicians and citizens of the West – allow Russian bombers to be better protected than Yaroslav’s wife and three children? Ukraine must be allowed to strike back if they are to protect their sovereignty, which is entirely the point of article 51 of the UN Charter.

What we are witnessing in Washington is the slow boiling of a frog. Biden’s stubbornness, and his inability to see the bigger strategic picture, will prolong the war, deteriorate European security even further and only encourage Russia to push the envelope as they seek to create a new wave of Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

John Foreman, the former British Defence Attaché in Moscow, put it rather well to me earlier this week when he said: “The US strategy is the inverse of Roosevelt’s. Biden speaks loudly but carries a small stick.”

More at the link.

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Saturday Night Open Thread

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Saturday Night Open Thread 18

That’s looking like the last big harvest of the year. Still have about 25 or so in various stages of green that I will pick as I need, but that is the last big picking this year. Oh well, on to other things.

The local apple orchard is back open for the fall, and I picked up a new apple I had never had before- the sweet maia, and it is one of the sweetest apples I have ever had. Maia actually stands for the midwest apple improvement association, and the “sweet maia” is a cross between a wintercrisp and a honey crisp. It’s a smaller apple, very dense, with a ruby red coloring, and very crisp and extremely sweet, but with a good bit of what I call the essence of apple. They are very good!

***

Watergirl has uploaded the stickers and yard signs, but they are not quite ready for sale with the shop still creating problems, but I thought you all would like to see a preview:

VERY EXCITING!!!

Update from WG: Look for more options in two comments below at #50-something.

***

Other than that, not much going on here. Shoulder hurts, Rosie is pissy, Max is a dick, Steve is chill. The usual. Did have a little chuckle at Joelle’s expense because she waited late to go to the pool thinking she would have it all to herself, got there at 3:55, and was promptly told the pool was closing. Which totally sucks because now she has to pedal back home in Arizona hit. She told me and I called her a “big dummy,” she said “Did you just Fred Sanford me?” and that made me think of just how awesome 70’s and 80’s theme songs were:

Quincy Jones. What a talent.

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Zooming with Steve Benen about His New Book (and Open Thread)

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Hey BJ peeps, we are planning to have a zoom with Steve Benen about his new book: Ministry of Truth.

Ministry of Truth spent a couple of weeks on the New York Times’ hardcover non-fiction bestseller list, and just this week, it debuted on the New York Times’ audiobook bestseller list. (Steve thinks he fact that Rachel Maddow did the audio might’ve had something to do with this!)

“A fierce takedown of right-wing mendacity committed in the service of a bigger lie.” — Kirkus Reviews

The zoom with Steve Benen will be on a Saturday, mostly likely starting somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 pm Eastern.

The book itself sounds super-interesting, and this post is to get a feel for who might be interested in participating.

To find out more about the book check out this link to a pdf file:  MINISTRY OF TRUTH

The big question is timing.

Do we do it in October before the election, or after the election?  Steve is good either way.

Will we be too busy and distracted before the election?  Or would the zoom be a welcome distraction?

If you’re interested in participating in the zoom, let us know your preference on timing in the comments.

Otherwise, open thread!

 

 

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