• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

When we show up, we win.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

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

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

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

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

“Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on.”

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

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

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

I would gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

Mobile Menu

  • 4 Directions VA 2025 Raffle
  • 2025 Activism
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
Open Thread:  Hey Lurkers!  (Holiday Post)

Open Threads

You are here: Home / Archives for Open Threads

PG&E Penalized $45 Million Dixie Fire Settlement

by WaterGirl|  January 28, 202412:46 pm| 71 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

PG&E $45 Million Dixie Fire Settlement 1
Burned trees rise above a truck destroyed by the Dixie fire in the town of Greenville, Calif.(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

PG&E was penalized $45 million in a settlement related to its role in the Dixie fire.  (L.A. Times)

Pacific Gas & Electric Company will be penalized $45 million for its involvement in one of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history under a settlement reached recently between the utility and state regulators.

The Dixie fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres and destroyed more than 1,300 homes, ignited July 13, 2021, after a Douglas fir tree fell and struck energized conductors owned and operated by PG&E. The blaze became the first known wildfire to burn from one side of the Sierra Nevada to the other.

The California Public Utilities Commission announced the settlement Thursday and said the penalty includes $40 million in shareholder funding for an initiative to transition some of the utility’s hard-copy records to electronic records.

The initiative “will support public safety by enabling more accurate recording of information and immediate awareness of the condition of PG&E’s assets, thereby improving the timeliness of inspections and preventive maintenance, and assisting the CPUC in conducting future audits and investigations,” the regulatory agency said.

PG&E will also pay $2.5 million in fines to the California General Fund and $2.5 million to tribes affected by the Dixie fire. PG&E will distribute those payments to the Greenville Rancheria and Maidu Summit Consortium, a nonprofit representing a number of Mountain Maidu tribes and organizations, the CPUC said.

Compared to $83.3 million for E. Jean Carroll, $45 million doesn’t seem like that much.

Not following this closely, but from afar, it sure seems like PG&E is a repeat offender.  Too big to fail?  I did order a smoke filter to have on hand for my air purifier for the next round of fires that spew smoke across the nation.  Too pessimistic?

CA peeps, does this seem like a reasonable penalty?

Open thread.

PG&E Penalized $45 Million Dixie Fire SettlementPost + Comments (71)

Could You Give the Definition of Carpetbagger?

by WaterGirl|  January 28, 202410:20 am| 147 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Looks like there are 9 Republicans running for the seat in CO-4, which makes me wonder if Boebert has any regrets about switching to the new district in order to have a chance of keeping her seat.

Oh wait, that’s not why she moved, just ask her yourself.  (I bolded the best question and the Palin-like word salad in the answer.)

As expected, Boebert faced sharp questions about her decision to move into a new congressional district to escape a rematch with Frisch.

“Could you give the definition of carpetbagger?” Lynch asked Boebert.

Boebert said she is proud to be Weld County’s “newest resident.”

“My boys and I needed a fresh start. That’s been very public of what home life looked like,” she said.

Could You Give the Definition of Carpetbagger? 1

This guy, the competitor next to her at the public event,  looks like a big fan.

Could You Give the Definition of Carpetbagger?

I’m beginning to think that Boebert may not be all that smart.

Arrest Records Draw Crowd Laughter

Six of the nine candidates on Thursday raised their hand in response to a question of whether they have been arrested at some point.

That included Boebert, Holtorf, Leisy, Lynch, Phelan and Sonnenberg.

oh my god.  All the best people.

*It also occurs to me that this isn’t a very charitable post for a Sunday morning.

Open thread.

Could You Give the Definition of Carpetbagger?Post + Comments (147)

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Our Failed Major Media, Still Trying to Make ‘Fetch’ Happen

by Anne Laurie|  January 28, 20248:11 am| 227 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Our Failed Media Experiment

Part of why you see a lot of doom and gloom coverage is because the people who do it for a living are themselves in a very precarious position and most people they know in their industry are too. https://t.co/9olvfIhjWV

— Alex גדעון בן װעלװל (@JewishWonk) January 25, 2024

I’m genuinely sad about the demise of news media, but how will repeating the same mistakes make what they’re selling more palatable to the rest of us?

I have no idea how anyone could even attempt to justify this argument based on the economic data

Low income workers have had their wages outpace inflation for the entire post-pandemic period, even when inflation was high. They've had the best wage growth nonstop for 7 years now https://t.co/agG7NSNWfW

— Swann Marcus (@SwannMarcus89) January 28, 2024

show full post on front page

FALSE—the data shows the last four years have been perhaps the fastest dripcovery in American history

We don't talk about it, but the median American today has levels of drip that would blow previous generations' minds https://t.co/bJZVINNBhZ pic.twitter.com/jeYdmqxYgt

— Joey Politano 🏳️‍🌈 (@JosephPolitano) January 27, 2024


The drip, our economy has it!

Elsewhere…

I remember how right-wing media and social media went nuts when a small amount of cocaine was found in the visitors tour area of the WH. Fox did a week straight on it. Meanwhile, the Trump WH was the largest drug trafficking organization in DC. https://t.co/0JnhFB8W3F

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 27, 2024

When the Obama administration started blackballing Fox reporters because they wouldn't stop blatantly lying, and directly called them out for lying, Jon Stewart dedicated half an episode to furiously lashing out at them for being mean to Fox News. https://t.co/kJJYiLMdeI

— Argella Stone (@argellastone) January 27, 2024

Why is our Sekrit Code no longer delivering the results we prefer?!?

very funny to get mad at predictit for not just spitting out the rcp or 538 polling average, isn't the entire point of it that it tells you *more* than what's publicly available? https://t.co/GwXpnhDKCz

— Matthew Zeitlin (@MattZeitlin) January 26, 2024

But even the far right media [e.g., Tim Pool] can’t stop hitting that extinction-burst button…

Amazing. pic.twitter.com/2H66BwD4zT

— Sir Humphrey 🇺🇦 (@bdquinn) January 27, 2024

Sidebar: Anybody seen Betty Cracker recently?…

Revelers in festive dress fill downtown Tampa, Florida, for the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest https://t.co/8ZAppXO0IW

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 28, 2024

Sunday Morning Open Thread: Our Failed Major Media, Still Trying to Make ‘Fetch’ HappenPost + Comments (227)

Late Night Open Thread: Puppy and Cake

by TaMara|  January 28, 202412:15 am| 28 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Pet Blogging

Looks like we could use a late night thread. Not that late here, but I’m ready to call it a night.

Dinner was delayed tonight, Jasper was set to expire if I didn’t get my act together:

Late Night Open Thread: Puppies and Cake

Don’t worry, everyone was eventually fed and they are all in their beds now (ducks and dogs, the cats are snoozing on the couch next to me).

And here is the 3-Minute Molten Lava Chocolate Mug Cake I mentioned yesterday

Late Night Open Thread: Puppies and Cake 1

The recipe is here. 

 

I also mentioned in a thread that I have stumbled upon Sort Of on Max and I’m loving it. Charming, funny, heartbreaking, and easy to watch a 22-minute episode when I need something to end the day on a good note.

This an open thread!

Late Night Open Thread: Puppy and CakePost + Comments (28)

War for Ukraine Day 703: A Brief Saturday Night Update

by Adam L Silverman|  January 27, 20249:46 pm| 23 Comments

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

The crest of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. A wine colored cross on a silver shield with the gold Uktainian Tryzub in the center on a circular blue medallion. A pair of silver maces and an upright sword are between the blue medallion and the wine colored cross.

I just want to clarify something really quick. One of the reasons I link to and post excerpts from some of the analyses that are published in places like Foreign Affairs or from CSIS or other think tanks, which I did last night with Hal Brands piece at Foreign Affairs, is not because I agree with what is being linked to. Either in whole or in part. The reason is so that you can read what the people in the five sided monstrosity, Foggy Bottom, Langley, on the National Security Staff, on Capitol Hill, the students at the Senior Leader Colleges, as well as folks at other think tanks are reading. The authors of these pieces are often invited in to meet with people on that list above. Which is why you have this continually, repeatedly, galactically wrong RAND staffer visiting the White House twenty-one times since July 2021!

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

show full post on front page

Despite various challenges, Ukraine has managed to keep our struggle for independence in the focus of international attention – address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

27 January 2024 – 19:40

I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

This day, this week is coming to an end. It’s time to summarize the first outcomes of January – for Ukraine and our relationships with partners.

Despite various challenges and many difficulties, Ukraine has had success in keeping our Ukrainian struggle for independence in the focus of international attention. We have added even more resilience to our state – a key argument in international communication. It’s about what you are capable of, what you can endure, and what you can overcome. The world pays attention to the resilient and bold.

First, this month we signed an ambitious security agreement with the United Kingdom. It now serves as a baseline reference point for working with other partners. Negotiations for new security agreements concerning bilateral documents implementing the G7 security declaration are ongoing – and not only with European states. I am confident that soon there will be new results regarding the provision of security commitments to Ukraine. I’m grateful to all our partners who are assisting.

Second, practically in this month, our teams from Ukraine and Poland have reset relations. We have a good understanding of each other, clear benchmarks that are important for our societies and security interests. By the way, Poland has joined the G7 security declaration, with a total of 32 countries now working with us in this direction.

Third, there is a positive result in relations with the European Union. Substantial preparations for the start of negotiations have begun – the process of screening of Ukrainian legislation. It is the official assessment of Ukrainian legal acts for compliance with EU law. There is already an understanding of the schedule of meetings and all the necessary next steps. It is important for the Ukrainian government team to be sufficiently mobilized for this work: Ukraine is interested in achieving as much results as possible in relations with Europe this year.

Fourth, I am grateful to Switzerland for very good, fruitful negotiations during the visit, as well as for the effective organization of the advisors’ meeting regarding the Peace Formula. An agreement has been reached on organizing the first Peace Summit at the leaders’ level in Switzerland. Very active contacts regarding this continue. It’s a truly powerful narrative – we are working on it.

Fifth, defense packages for Ukraine. We have seen decent trends over the month. Of course, we need more to gain control in the sky and greater capabilities on the ground, especially in artillery. But no matter how difficult it is for us, we have deliveries of artillery, missiles, and ammunition for air defense. I thank every country supporting our soldiers, protecting Ukrainian lives. Hundreds of Russian missiles and drones have been shot down this month. And we continue to work with our partners. We await the appropriate decision from the United States – it’s crucial for us.

I thank every country that announced new support packages at the recent Ramstein meeting, including nine support packages and, in particular, some critical items for our defense. We are already preparing for more agreements with partners in February.

I would like separately emphasize the results of talks with partners regarding Russian assets: this month, we have come closer to the decision we need, one that will be fair. All Russian assets – those of the state-terrorist and associated individuals – frozen in various jurisdictions, should work to protect against Russian aggression. They must be confiscated. We are doing everything to ensure that this decision is well prepared in the near future. Thank you to everyone who is helping us advance this mechanism of justice.

And of course, sanctions. A new European Union sanctions package is needed, and we are preparing it. We are also preparing new steps to limit Russia’s ability to bypass sanctions.

Every manifestation of pressure on Russia is a step toward peace. Every act of assistance to Ukraine is protection of lives. I am grateful to everyone standing with Ukraine! Thank you to all who fight and work for our state, our independence, and our people!

Glory to Ukraine!

The price:

Sometimes, it's hard to say goodbye.
Our defenders fight daily against the russian aggressor to ensure their loved ones have a future in a free Ukraine.

📹: https://t.co/HXzoT3NH3u / Instagram pic.twitter.com/ZDASFT08i2

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 27, 2024

The stakes:

Many Western analysts and politicians make a serious mistake in thinking that Russia already suffered a defeat in Ukraine. The reality is that Ukraine has serious problems in mobilization, economics, and demographics. The collapse of statehood and the cessation of the Ukrainian…

— Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) January 27, 2024

Many Western analysts and politicians make a serious mistake in thinking that Russia already suffered a defeat in Ukraine. The reality is that Ukraine has serious problems in mobilization, economics, and demographics. The collapse of statehood and the cessation of the Ukrainian nation aren’t merely theoretical concepts but potential goal that Russia can achieve if Ukraine won’t receive necessary support.

A peace deal with Russia that involves ceding territories would likely lead to the mobilization of local inhabitants into the Russian army, as seen in Donetsk, where the entire male population has been conscripted, and local estates and businesses were overtaken by Russians or their puppet government.

There exists no middle ground or partial solution. It’s either Ukraine wins, or it faces not only the loss of statehood but also the erosion of its national identity through forceful Russification.

If a minority of Republicans in Congress really block aid to Ukraine, the US is at risk of seeming not just like an unreliable ally, but an unserious ally. A silly ally. https://t.co/ULx05eIuVu

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) January 27, 2024

From The Atlantic:

Updated at 7:02 a.m. ET on January 27, 2024

As I write this I am in Warsaw, 170 miles from Poland’s border with Ukraine. The front line, where Ukrainians are right now fighting and dying, is another 450 miles beyond that. Not so far, in other words. A long day’s drive. I am well within range of Russian missiles, the kind that have hit Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv so many times over the past two years.

Tens of millions of other people—Poles, Germans, Romanians, Finns, Estonians, Swedes, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Czechs, Latvians, Norwegians—are also in range of Russian conventional missiles, whether launched from Belarus, Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, or Russia itself. Anyone in Europe could also be hit by Russian nuclear weapons, of course, as Russian television propagandists so frequently like to remind us. Dmitri Medvedev, a former Russian president, in recent months has threatened Poland with the loss of its statehood, threatened Sweden and Finland with nuclear and hypersonic missiles, and said the Baltic states belong to Russia anyway.

Most of the time, the possibility of Russian aggression doesn’t affect anybody or change anything. No one talks about it. Life goes on as normal. In Finland and Romania, preparations for presidential elections are under way. In Germany, farmers are on strike. Lithuania is holding an international light festival.

The moment the Ukrainians start to lose, all of that will change. For the past few months, Western observers have been tossing around the word stalemate, as if the Russian invasion of Ukraine had settled into some kind of dull, permanent stasis. In fact, the battlefield is dynamic. The front line is constantly changing, and the changes, both material and psychological, are starting to favor Russia. The Ukrainians are just as brave as they were a year ago and just as innovative. Their drones recently hit a Russian gas depot near St. Petersburg, hundreds of miles from Ukraine, among other targets. With no navy of their own, they have pushed much of the Russian Black Sea fleet away from their shores. But on the ground, in the southern and eastern parts of their country, they are rationing ammunition. They’ve never had sufficient missiles and bullets, and now they are at risk of not having enough to keep fighting at all.

Were their front line to fall back dramatically, the horrific violence alone would trigger a shock wave through the rest of Europe. Russian occupation of more territory would continue to mean what it has meant for the past two years: torture chambers, random arrests, and thousands of kidnapped children. But an even deeper, broader shock wave would be triggered by the growing realization that the United States is not just an unreliable ally, but an unserious ally. A silly ally. Unlike the European Union, which collectively spends more money on Ukraine than Americans do but can’t yet produce as many weapons, the U.S. still has ammunition and weapons to send. Now Washington is on the verge of refusing to do so, but not because the White House has had a change of heart.

The looming end of American aid to Ukraine is not a policy decision. For two years, the Biden administration successfully led an international coalition to provide not soldiers but rather military aid to Ukraine. Officials convened regular meetings, consulted with allies, pulled in military support from around the world. Majorities in the U.S. continue to support Ukraine. Majorities in both houses of Congress do too. The Senate is said to have its legislation almost ready to go. But now, for reasons that outsiders find impossible to understand, a minority of Republican members of Congress, in a fit of political pique, are preparing to cut it all off. They might succeed.

Many different, bad choices led to this moment. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision last summer to cut Ukraine out of a larger budget bill was the first. The strange idea to link Ukraine aid to controversial changes to U.S. immigration law and border policy was the second. The ballots cast by voters in Iowa and New Hampshire then put Donald Trump on a seemingly unstoppable path to the Republican presidential nomination; Trump’s telephone calls to Republican senators, telling them to kill the Ukraine/border legislation, suddenly mattered. His motives are blatantly selfish: He wants the U.S.-Mexico border to remain chaotic so that he can use the issue in his campaign. He doesn’t want Biden to benefit from any perceived solution or progress. And he doesn’t care if Ukraine runs out of ammunition as a result.

To the outside world, none of the logic behind any of these decisions makes sense. All they can see is that the American political system has been hijacked and rendered dysfunctional by a radical, pro-Russian faction led by Trump—a disgraced ex-president who used violence and deceit to try to remain in office.

By abandoning Ukraine in a fit of political incompetence, Americans will consent to the deaths of more Ukrainians and the further destruction of the country. We will convince millions of Europeans that we are untrustworthy. We will send a message to Russia and China too, reinforcing their frequently stated belief that the U.S. is a degenerate, dying power. Less than a year ago, when Biden made his surprise trip to Kyiv, the U.S. projected confidence and unity as the leader of a functional alliance. Now, suddenly, we don’t.

Elected legislators don’t get that many opportunities to make a real mark on the world. But right now, the actions of just a few congressional Republicans could help stop a series of bad decisions from morphing into a worse one. This is their chance to make America serious again. Do they have the courage to take it?

If you are angered by this, as some here seem to be…please write to your Senator and your member of Congress, and let them know

— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) January 27, 2024

Julia Davis at The Daily Beast from December 2023:

Republicans voted to block a $110.5 billion emergency spending bill to aid Ukraine and Israel Wednesday night, sparking celebrations in Moscow where they believe the U.S. will withdraw support for Kyiv allowing them to win the war.

A classified briefing with administration officials reportedly devolved into a meltdown on Tuesday afternoon, making it clear that the measure would fail. “We are about to abandon Ukraine,” Senator Christopher S. Murphy told the press as he left the briefing. “When Vladimir Putin marches into a NATO country, they will rue the day they decided to play politics with the future of Ukraine’s security.”

These developments prompted jubilation in Moscow. During Wednesday’s broadcast of a state TV program 60 Minutes, Evgeny Popov said Ukraine was now in “agony” and it was “difficult to imagine a bigger humiliation.”

During his morning show Full Contact on Wednesday, top pro-Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov joyfully noted: “[Janet] Yellen screamed, “Don’t you dare!” [Joe] Biden screamed, “Don’t you dare!” but Republicans said, “Go to hell! We won’t give your khokhols [slur for “Ukrainians”] any money.” The segment was entitled, “No one needs Ukraine anymore—especially the United States.”

Appearing on his program, America analyst Dmitry Drobnitsky noted, “The downfall of Ukraine means the downfall of Biden! Two birds with one stone!”

During his appearance on 60 Minutes, Dmitry Abzalov, president of the Center for Strategic Communications, predicted that the fiasco with the funding for Ukraine will spell the political demise of Biden. Host Olga Skabeeva added, “We’ll have no pity for him! To the contrary, we’re ready to hammer those final nails right in!” With a happy grin, Skabeeva said, “Well done, Republicans! They’re standing firm! That’s good for us.”

Roman Golovanov, the host of Golovanov’s Time on Vladimir Solovyov’s channel Solovyov Live, pointed out, “This will be a great revelation to other countries. It is even more dangerous to be a friend of the United States than its enemy. In the end, they will abandon you, leaving nothing but the scorched earth on your territory.”

The GOP’s willingness to jeopardize Ukraine’s ability to defend itself provided a sudden boost to the faltering Russian propagandists—a crucial element of Putin’s war effort that is used to motivate the masses. In recent months, their rhetoric devolved from “When we win” to “If we win,” reflecting realities on the ground. Winter’s arrival added another layer of concern. The Republicans brought back the joy for Putin’s gloomy propagandists, reviving their musings as to how they will “punish” Ukrainians once Russia wins.

The GOP’s willingness to jeopardize Ukraine’s ability to defend itself provided a sudden boost to the faltering Russian propagandists—a crucial element of Putin’s war effort that is used to motivate the masses. In recent months, their rhetoric devolved from “When we win” to “If we win,” reflecting realities on the ground. Winter’s arrival added another layer of concern. The Republicans brought back the joy for Putin’s gloomy propagandists, reviving their musings as to how they will “punish” Ukrainians once Russia wins.

More at the link!

Kyiv:

Kyiv's bookshops offer a unique discount today: Bring in Russian language books for recycling, and the funds go towards purchasing a truck for the air defense unit. The place has never been more crowded. If that’s what Putin had in mind? pic.twitter.com/wCOHnjBMY3

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) January 27, 2024

Remarkable. Much of what's here was razed, the Kyiv we know today rebuilt over it. But see TsUM shopping mall in 📸 2? It was one of few bldgs intact. Standing at corner of Khreshchatyk St & Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St, it underwent a renovation in 2016, but historic facade remains. https://t.co/IOQcpJOMDY

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 27, 2024

That’s horrible. I can’t imagine what they felt. So many are experiencing it now, yet again. It is a dark time.

— John Vsetecka (@JohnVsetecka) January 24, 2024

Indeed.

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 27, 2024

Krynky, left bank of the Dnipro, Russian occupied Kherson Oblasts!

Magyar publishes footage of a massive explosion of a Russian ammo stock in Krynky on 27 January, saying "Worms will have no ammo to shoot tonight".https://t.co/AClvqohDFr pic.twitter.com/DabzQO7Gkl

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 27, 2024

Magyar’s Birds continue their hunt!

They, and similar units, could use some resupply!

🐈🇺🇦 Big ongoing campaign for the drones and transport for 36th and 56th Brigades. https://t.co/Rivb2H3axy

The drones are intended for a unit that operates in the direction of Krynky, Kherson region. If you have been watching this area of the front, you know that the vast… https://t.co/64xiFzcI7S

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) January 27, 2024

🐈🇺🇦 Big ongoing campaign for the drones and transport for 36th and 56th Brigades.

http://help99.co/patches/special-kherson-cat-6th-patches-campaign

The drones are intended for a unit that operates in the direction of Krynky, Kherson region. If you have been watching this area of the front, you know that the vast majority of Russian forces and AFVs destroyed there are the result of the use of Drones. Therefore, it is important to ensure that at this part of the front the “Drone Army” is always in its best shape.

Avdiivka:

110th Mechanised Brigade repels another mindless zombie assault in Avdiivka. Wave after wave they're sending these groups in the hopes of establishing a foothold, but all they find is death.https://t.co/dlYHWFkyEj pic.twitter.com/nYO1886q3K

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 27, 2024

I know the Soviet inheritance is truly huge but if 2024 continues in this vein I really wonder just how many MBT, IFV, SPH etc RF will be able to field in 6 or 12 months. https://t.co/Ipd7tlTZuQ

— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) January 27, 2024

Belgorod Oblast, Russia:

Belgorod, Special Military Operation Zone.

About 1h ago. pic.twitter.com/6ns247VCkA

— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 27, 2024

Illovaisk, Russia:

Photo of the aftermath of the strike on Russian drone operators in Illovaisk https://t.co/aQPj6UkMb1 pic.twitter.com/3umVf5uMjK

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) January 27, 2024

For you thermobaric enthusiasts:

🇺🇦 drone pilots gave some warmth to the occupier's tank in these cold winter days.

📹: 103rd @TDF_UA Brigade pic.twitter.com/r4faK2T61k

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 27, 2024

 

For you counter-drone enthusiasts:

These Shahed-136/131 have been apparently downed mostly intact. Of it would be only one then it could be a malfunction but three separate events indicate the usage of electronic warfare. Especially the first pictures shows a trail behind the drone. It landed as softly as… pic.twitter.com/mqHAoyVYsv

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) January 27, 2024

These Shahed-136/131 have been apparently downed mostly intact. Of it would be only one then it could be a malfunction but three separate events indicate the usage of electronic warfare. Especially the first pictures shows a trail behind the drone. It landed as softly as possible.

Source of pics: https://t.me/operativnoZSU

#Ukraine

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which is now also International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

#HolocaustMemorialDay

We have to remember. Always pic.twitter.com/uO8CA411eS

— Patron (@PatronDsns) January 27, 2024

I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church — and there was nobody left to be concerned."
— Martin Niemöller, German pastor and Holocaust survivor

— Patron (@PatronDsns) January 27, 2024

The 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Watch live.https://t.co/NwIvTqApYV

— Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) January 27, 2024

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 703: A Brief Saturday Night UpdatePost + Comments (23)

Sometimes It’s the Simple Things

by WaterGirl|  January 27, 20243:49 pm| 185 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

I love this so much.

What to say to someone who recently got clobbered for $83M:

1. Acknowledge the loss (“Geez, that was a lot of money”)

2. Offer comfort (“I’m sure your crazy cult will bail you out…again”)

3. Share a memory (“Hey, remember when you were rich and on the Forbes list?”)

4. Tell…

— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) January 27, 2024

Auto Draft 92

Between that and finally getting my new TV set up just the way I like it with Tivo, and with my new Apple TV, today is a good day.  (Thank you, PatrickG for the friends & family discount on the Apple TV!)

My old Apple TV and Sony TV were from 2007.   They had a pretty good run!  I think my Sony TV gave out when the new uppity Apple TV arrived and said, ‘What’s up, old-timer?”

Open thread.

Sometimes It’s the Simple ThingsPost + Comments (185)

Open Thread: If Libertarianism Is the Answer, What Was the Question?

by Anne Laurie|  January 27, 20242:41 pm| 129 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Glibertarianism, Popular Culture

https://t.co/FQzrjsRhFg
This, from Penn Gillette, is interesting to ponder, and I am genuinely not sure whether I agree. I'll think about it some more, but I would love your input. pic.twitter.com/CoVJHffIXa

— Mom for Gliberty (@fakegreekgrill) January 26, 2024


 
Surprisingly good interview from Cracked — “Penn Jillette Wants to Talk It All Out”:

… So, if it’s not A.I., what do you worry about?

Without being overly dramatic — but, I think, being accurate — there’s a small chance, but still real non-zero chance, that we’ve destroyed our country with monetizing hate and monetizing aggression and monetizing outrage. What makes you the most money is outrage and hate.

I’m beginning to think that the whole MAGA movement, it’s possible we can blame that on fiction — it’s so exciting to have that turnabout in a movie where you find out that there’s a deep state. I certainly feel the pull for that — so much of trying to live our lives to do it right is tedious. And truth is very tedious. Trying to figure out how a certain insect interacts with an environment in the tundra is a lifetime of work — whereas saying that Hillary Clinton has a pizza place where she’s blowing young boys in the basement is no work at all.

Einstein comes up with this idea E = mc² — a profound, powerful, mind-blowing idea — and he has to work forever to make people understand that and to share that reality. Woodward and Bernstein are pretty sure the president of the United States committed crimes, and they work their asses off to try to prove that. But if you’re deep in the MAGA movement, you can just type that Biden went to China and set up a secret nuclear arsenal, and you get this incredible amount of praise with seven-minutes work. Trying to get the news cycle to look as much like 24 seems to be the goal…

And yet, with all of this doom and gloom, everything is getting better by every metric we have. Things are getting better if we don’t destroy the planet with global warming and if Donald Trump doesn’t blow things up or Putin blows things up — those are the biggest “ifs” anyone’s ever said. But fewer people are starving. More girls are educated. Fewer people die at the hands of other people than ever in history. Those are big milestones. And some people argue — and they might be right — that art was part of that because the idea of reading a novel and putting yourself in someone else’s position, that (was) a huge deal…

For so long, you identified as Libertarian. What changed?

I completely have not used the word Libertarian in describing myself since I got an email during lockdown where a person from a Libertarian organization wrote to me and said, “We’re doing an anti-mask demonstration in Vegas, and obviously we’d like you to head it.” I looked at that email and I went, “The fact they sent me this email is something I need to be very ashamed of, and I need to change.” Now, you can make the argument that maybe you don’t need to mandate masks — you can make the argument that maybe that shouldn’t be the government’s job — but you cannot make the argument that you shouldn’t wear masks. It is the exact reciprocal of seatbelts because if I don’t wear a seatbelt, my chances of fucking myself up increase — if I don’t wear a mask, the chance of fucking someone else up increase.

show full post on front page

Many times when I identified as Libertarian, people said to me, “It’s just rich white guys that don’t want to be told what to do,” and I had a zillion answers to that — and now that seems 100 percent accurate.

So how do you identify politically?

Well, let’s go to empirical evidence: I’m going to vote Democrat, maybe that’s all you need to know. I will not vote for a third-party candidate. I believe all the clichés, I believe they’re true — I believe that Trump and MAGA might make the United States unrecognizable enough that it’s not a beautiful place to be…

(Trump’s) basic idea that, in a transaction, someone wins and someone loses is the most deeply anti-American, anti-capitalist idea you can possibly have. The idea of winners and losers being said about capitalism is a gross distortion of what that’s supposed to be. The way Penn & Teller run (our) business is I want everybody to make money. When we do a show, I have many friends who are freaked out if the promoter makes too much money — (that’s) a “bad deal” — but I just go, “Fuck, I want every promoter that books Penn & Teller to make a million fucking dollars clear. Wouldn’t that be great?” I’m certainly not talking about the way blues artists were treated — I’m talking about me who gets paid very well, that’s a whole different thing. But Trump says over and over again someone has to win and someone has to lose, and the fact that that’s being seen as American and as capitalism, that is the most unpatriotic thing…

Open Thread: If Libertarianism Is the Answer, What Was the Question?Post + Comments (129)

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 603
  • Page 604
  • Page 605
  • Page 606
  • Page 607
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 5293
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - dmkingto - Pine Lake Park / Stern Grove Pt. 1 3
Image by dmkingto (11/10/25)

Flash Fundraiser! (TN-07)

Donate

Recent Comments

  • Eyeroller on Monday Afternoon Open Thread: (Putting Out) Little Fires Everywhere (Nov 10, 2025 @ 8:34pm)
  • Chief Oshkosh on Monday Afternoon Open Thread: (Putting Out) Little Fires Everywhere (Nov 10, 2025 @ 8:33pm)
  • debit on Utter distraction… (Nov 10, 2025 @ 8:33pm)
  • zhena gogolia on Utter distraction… (Nov 10, 2025 @ 8:32pm)
  • Belafon on Utter distraction… (Nov 10, 2025 @ 8:29pm)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
On Artificial Intelligence (7-part series)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup

Upcoming Meetups

Virginia Meetup on Oct 11 please RSVP

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix
Rose Judson (podcast)

Flash Fundraiser! (TN-07)

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc