Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

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

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

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

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

Republicans do not pay their debts.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

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Thursday Night Open Thread

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Just got back from a picnic for a friend’s birthday party- great food- shish kabobs, numerous salads, cous cous, etc. It was a really good time and the bitches (I love yelling “C’mere bitches” or “C’mere girls” and having them both come running) were mostly behaved- Lily was, as always, a perfect angel, and everyone agreed Rosie was so much better from a few weeks ago, although she went into snarls when the young lab at the party got up in her grill to play. Got home and my brother had sent me some new pictures of Boghan:

I’ve decided I am calling him the Boghanator. When I met him the other day, I was struck by the pure rich chocolatey beauty of his eyes and that big beautiful brown nose.

Also, don’t forget the Thursday night menu:

I had some chipotle peppers left over from the Baby Back Ribs with Citrus Glaze last week, so I thought I’d pull this marinade out for this Thursday’s menu. Since it’s a 3-day holiday for many, I figured grilling would be a safe bet. I love 4th of July, that and Thanksgiving are my favorite holidays. Time to break out 1776, do some grilling, have a picnic and enjoy the fireworks. Really, what’s not to love? All week long I’ve been posting 4th of July recipes, so check them out if you’re looking for ideas. I’ll be making the Drunken Chicken Appetizers for sure (and I’m pretty sure I’m soaking more than the skewers in bourbon). What plans do you have for the holiday?

On the board tonight:

1. Adobo Sirloin

2. Garlic Roasted Potatoes

3. Cucumber & Zucchini Spears tossed with Italian dressing

4. Summer Fruit w/Mint

I love everything on that menu and the only thing missing is tomatoes. I may have to hunt down Tamara and swoon her. Adobo is such a good taste.

Also, everyone there agreed that you all are great people (they are all readers). I concurred. Group hug.

Must run- Tunch is bitching.

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When Did That Happen?

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I’m not trying to pretend I am old and over the hill, but when did a couple hours of manual labor followed by sitting at a computer desk working mean that my knees felt free to completely lock up when I try to stand? Same with driving- 3-4 hours of driving and I almost fall over when I get out of the car.

The people who want to raise social security eligibility to age 70 most certainly do not work in construction or other manual labor.

Also, somewhat unrelated, but my tomato plants (that I am no longer trimming because I got yelled at by you all) simply refuse to accept my attempts at tying and just want to go wherever the hell they want. They completely ignore my OCD attempts to bring order to the garden- don’t they know I just want them to have a structured and safe place for them to raise their young? So I can eat them.

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Another Open Thread

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I was lucky enough to remember to put the camera on the end table next to the chair, and caught these snaps. For those of you wondering what the wild and crazy decadent nights at Balloon Juice HQ look like, this is it:

I can’t believe it was just a little over a year ago and I was debating whether I should get a dog. If you don’t have kids, you owe it to yourself and the animals to have pets. Trust me, your quality of life will go through the roof.

And while we are at it, don’t forget to get your Balloon Juice swag at the CafePress store. All proceeds (and by all, I mean 100%) go to the lovely folks at Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue to support their mission.

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Wednesday Night Open Thread

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I have deemed you worthy:

I think that sums up the general mood around here. We’ve had several beautiful days in a row- mid 70’s, sunny, no humidity, beautiful breezes. I’m loving it, and I love being able to have all the windows open with the ceiling fans on.

Had a really good dinner- I bought some wild caught salmon filets and dad turned them into this delicious salad he makes with rice, asparagus, peas, tomatoes. Also had some more tomatoes with basil and mozz., and am now having a glass of Aconga, a really cheap Malbec/Sauvignon Blanc I found at Kroger for 3.99 a bottle, which is a decent price for a servicable table wine. I think it will be a busy night of sitting on the porch and then on the lazyboy with the girls.

BTW- for those dealing with the IE issues and the site, I’ve scheduled another rebuild maintenance for the end of August.

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Open Thread

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I contend there is nothing finer than fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper. Except maybe pets:

I’d post a picture of Tunch, but I left the storage room in the basement open so I probably will not see him until tomorrow morning when he decides to wake me up for breakfast and has cobwebs strewn all over his whiskers and ears.

The change in Rosie in just two weeks has been remarkable. She played all day today with Guesly and Lily, and she sat on dad’s lap and was super affectionate. Mom thinks it is because I bought her some bling, so now she feels secure.

The new Ipad showed up, so I’ll be tinkering with that tonight. Kinda want to check out that new show Memphis Beat to see if it is any good.

*** Update ***

Apparently Tunch escaped outdoors somehow. There was meowing at the door, I looked, and there he was. I guess he got the benefit of an outdoor experience without giving me a heart attack.

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This amuses me

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I’ll get off the Goldberg beat soon, but this made me laugh: to show the world that he was right about Al Qaeda-Iraq connections, he had Eli Lake guestblog that Goldberg was right about Al Qaeda-Iraq connections. If you’re not familiar with Lake, he writes for the Washington Times and (formerly) New York Sun, does podcasts with Pam Geller, and pimped the hell out of the Mark Levin book that spawned ManziGate.

Turning to an openly ideological foreign policy reporter to prove to his “hard-leftist” critics that there really was a “potentially meaningful” between Al Qaeda and Iraq? Also too, it’s hard to miss the irony of relying on an openly ideological “reporter” to rescue one’s reputation after numerous spittle-flecked posts attacking “absolute partisans” like Ezra Klein.

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