Balloon Juice - Open Threads Archives

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Back to the Grind

by Anne Laurie| September 2, 20256:27 am| 251 Comments

This post is in: Justice, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trumpery

Im 100% convinced something serious happened; Trump probably hasn’t gone 5 days without publicly taking to the press since the 70’s. But I’m also convinced the White House & the Trump family will dissemble & try to hide it as long as possible.

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— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 10:48 PM

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And where are his kids? Are they making deals or near their dad?

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— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 10:50 PM

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A well-deserved retirement for a true mensch.

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— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 9:43 PM

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Jerry Nadler has had immigrants’ backs his whole career. His office in Congress has been working hard on positive immigration legislation for decades. I’m sad to see him go but I can’t help but feel glad he is able to leave in good health and with time to enjoy retirement.

— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 9:46 PM

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Republicans control the Senate
But with Roy Cooper in North Carolina, the emergence of @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social in Iowa and Sherrod Brown maybe returning in Ohio, the map looks a lot better
If Democrats beat Susan Collins and @ossoff.bsky.social holds his seat, the balance of power will change

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— Adam Cohen (My Personal Views Only) (@axidentaliberal.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 10:13 PM

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Back to the GrindPost + Comments (251)

Early Morning Treat: Dave Roth on Texas Politics

by Anne Laurie| September 2, 20253:12 am| 33 Comments

This post is in: Excellent Links, Local Races

I am in the blog chair for the last Defector Sunday Shift of the summer, and treated myself by writing about Mark Teixeira's greasy new congressional campaign and Pondering The Void: defector.com/mark-teixeir…

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— David_j_roth (@davidjroth.bsky.social) August 31, 2025 at 4:13 PM

A little bon-bon, to ease us into the work week. It’s Teixeira in the title, but I especially appreciate his riff on Chip Roy:

As Texas congressional districts go, the 21st is pretty easy to parse. The outline of it, which dips into Austin and enfolds a vast swath of the San Antonio suburbs, looks like a lumpier-than-average flightless bird, or a small-headed figure wearing a cape in a windstorm. It is rich and Republican by design and has been represented by Rep. Chip Roy since 2019. Roy was born and raised around suburban D.C. and got two degrees from the University of Virginia. After a brief career in investment banking—”nearly three years,” according to his official bio—Roy moved to Texas and into the world of conservative politics for roughly the same reason that an aspiring actor might move to Los Angeles, or that someone looking to make a bunch of money at once might rob a bank instead of a florist. Even in the sinecure-intensive world of conservative politics, where even the most unctuous and otherwise unemployable goober can count on a job even when the party is out of power, you have to go where the opportunities are.

This is not to say that Roy doesn’t really believe the things he says he believes. His refusal to go along or get along as a charter member of the ultra-strident House Freedom Caucus suggests that he is at least sincerely committed to the core libertarian principle of annoying as many people as possible at all times. The nature of Roy’s deep and seemingly authentic personal offense at the existence of LIV Golf—”It just pisses me off,” Roy said in 2022, “I could just put on the Golf Channel, I could watch golf, now it’s fully charged political”—suggests that he is if nothing else in the right political party. But moving to Texas, for someone with ambitions like Chip Roy’s, is also a business decision. He identified that he had the necessary skills, which in Roy’s case were a high motor, stringently punitive politics, and a deeply disagreeable personality, and went where the work is for people who want to make a living in that industry. Roy worked in various high-level assistant roles for Ken Paxton and Ted Cruz and John Cornyn; he ghostwrote Rick Perry’s presidential campaign book, which was entitled Fed Up!

Representing the 21st Congressional District in Texas is a job that someone with Chip Roy’s politics could hold for as long as he wanted, provided he never developed the sort of principles that would get in the way of him doing the job in the way that someone with those politics would do it. That hasn’t been a problem for Roy, exactly. As with most House Freedom Caucus members, the times when Roy has broken with his party have mostly come when he felt there was too much governing going on. That ideological and practical aversion to even the most basic Congressional function made Roy and his cohorts very useful when the party was out of power; “18 more months of chaos and the inability to get stuff done,” he said in July of 2021. “That’s what we want.” He was able to deliver that, and so to create the sort of broken and abstracted political situation necessary for the triumph of Trumpism.

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The problem is that this is just how Chip Roy is all the time, which means that he would be left out and unhelpful in a Republican-led House that sees its role as delivering ornate flattery and sweatily gung-ho support re: whatever it is that Donald Trump is on about at any given moment. Roy favored Ted Cruz over Trump and his own gnarled principles over Trumpism’s relentless and servile managing up, and his seemingly quite real distaste for Congress as a concept and Trump as a leader led him to become more and more obviously bored in the job. He and the rest of the Freedom Caucus kept opposing various Trumpian gambits because he believed they could with some time and attention be made even worse, and then caving when it became clear that absolute fidelity to Trump’s vinegary whim was both more important than anything else to their fellow Republicans and absolutely necessary to their own political survival; at some point, Roy grew a moderately distressing goatee.

As is often the case with libertarians, this can almost seem admirable if you can somehow look past every other thing they believe. Chip Roy is just not built to issue fulsome birthday wishes to a blowzy and dimwitted autocrat, and that really is a matter of principle, but also it is more salient that all of his other principles amount to “using the power of the state to make vulnerable people’s lives harder, shorter, and worse” and I guess also “no Saudi money in golf.” Like many members of the Freedom Caucus, Roy is leaving the House to seek a different office that would allow them to keep doing all the awful things they want to do out from under the long shadow cast by Donald Trump’s thumb. There is still a lot of damage to be done out there, and next year Roy will be seeking to do it as Paxton’s successor in the office of Texas Attorney General…

Just some advice: Defector is currently offering a three-month subscription special. Well worth it, to this non-sports reader, just for its political & science coverage!

Defector’s strongest sales pitch has always been to simply get people who are considering a subscription to read more of the site. To that end: In honor of our fifth birthday, new subscribers can try three months for just $5. defector.com/products

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— Defector (@defector.com) September 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM

Early Morning Treat: Dave Roth on Texas PoliticsPost + Comments (33)

War for Ukraine Day 1,285: You May Not Be Interested in World War III, but World War III May Be Interested in EU

by Adam L Silverman| September 1, 20258:26 pm| 19 Comments

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

Honestly, do people in Europe still hope Russia’s war will stop at Ukraine’s borders? How many alarms must go off before the danger is clear?

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 6:43 AM

From The Kyiv Independent:

Editor’s note: The article was updated with additional comments.

Suspected Russian GPS interference forced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane to land in Bulgaria using paper maps, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Sept. 1, citing three undisclosed officials.

The European Commission later confirmed the incident, as well as suspicions of Russian involvement.

“We can confirm there was GPS jamming, but the plane landed safe,” European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta confirmed for the Kyiv Independent.

“We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia,” Podesta said, adding that “threats and intimidation are a regular component of Russia’s hostile actions.”

Von der Leyen was flying to Plovdiv on Aug. 31 as part of her tour of the EU’s eastern member states, discussing Europe’s security with leaders of countries in Russia‘s vicinity.

During an approach to a Bulgarian airport, the aircraft lost navigational aids and, after circling for about an hour, the pilot decided to land the plane using analog maps, the FT reported.

Moscow has not yet commented on the incident.

Just caught up this this. Wild.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a…

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— Ciaran Martin (@ciaranm.bsky.social) August 30, 2025 at 4:55 AM

From The Guardian:

Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway’s intelligence service has said.

The admission, by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), marks the first time that Oslo has formally attributed the cyber-attack in April on Bremanger, western Norway, to Moscow.

The attack on the dam, which which is used for farming fish, released 500 litres (132 gallons) of water a second for four hours until the incident was detected and stopped.

The head of PST, Beate Gangås, said on Wednesday: “Over the past year, we have seen a change in activity from pro-Russian cyber actors.” The Bremanger incident was an example of such an attack, she added.

“The aim of this type of operation is to influence and to cause fear and chaos among the general population. Our Russian neighbour has become more dangerous.”

he incident did not cause any injuries or damage because the water level of the river and the dam, which is close to the town of Svelgen, was a long way below flood capacity.

The alleged perpetrators reportedly published a three-minute video, watermarked with the name of a pro-Russian cybercriminal group, on Telegram on the day of the attack.

Kripos, Norway’s organised crime police unit, told the Aftenposten newspaper it was “aware this group brought together several actors who commit crime in the cyber domain” and had been linked to several cyber-attacks against businesses in the west in recent years.

Gangås said: “Russian intelligence services spend significant resources identifying, cultivating and recruiting contacts in Norway. Norwegian citizens could be good sources of information for them.”

More at the link.

President Zelenskyy did not make an address today.

First Lady Zelenska participated in a joint lesson at all the Superhero schools on the first day of the Ukrainian school year.

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LTG Budanov say for an interview with TCH:

Georgia:

Day 278 of daily, nationwide protests in Georgia. 🇬🇪✊

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 1:03 PM

🟥The General Prosecutor’s Office is summoning the heads of civil society organizations for questioning as witnesses in the so-called “face masks” case over alleged sabotage against the state.

#RepressionInGeorgia
batumelebi.netgazeti.ge/articles-in-…

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— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) September 1, 2025 at 10:01 AM

The Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia announced that several NGO leaders have been summoned to the Prosecutor General’s Office for questioning as witnesses in the “sabotage case.”

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 8:50 AM

The Prosecution now wants to interrogate individuals from the CSOs whose assets were frozen over “hostile” steps such as “purchasing gas masks” for crackdowns.

In the worst case scenario, the individuals could face a sentence of 15 years.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 9:46 AM

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 9:25 AM

1/🇬🇪 GD’s Mikheil Kavelashvili sent an open letter to Donald Trump, saying the U.S. “pays too little attention to Georgia.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 3:25 AM

‘

2/ “This, against the background of complete value alignment between the governments, surprises Georgian society,” Kavelashvili writes.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 3:25 AM

3/ “Unfortunately, instead of your administration, the so-called ‘Deep State’ is still active”, he says.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 3:25 AM

4/ “You have even restored a partnership with Vladimir Putin. However, against this backdrop, your administration says nothing about Georgia, which, as I have already mentioned, is surprising to Georgian society.” – Kavelashvili writes to trump.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 3:25 AM

Ex-GD PM Giorgi Gakharia, who is the only leader in exile, & runs in the local elections against the majority will of the democratic electorate, again from exile, stated today that the Parliament boycott was a mistake and that he might allow his members to take up seats after the local elections. 1/

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

This is when many people are consolidating around the idea of an acute revolution, and when the refusal to legitimize the Parliament is seen as arguably the most efficient political step in this entire process – 2/

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

something that first triggered regime isolation both at home and abroad, and something that helped restore basic trust towards the democratic parties (many feared the opposition wouldn’t be able to resist the benefits and a comfortable life). 3/

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

Kids, fighting a dictatorship isn’t hard because you face the regime, it’s hard because you are surrounded by all sorts of unreliable people. (However, truth be told, my biggest beef isn’t even towards Gakharia because at least he’s consistently been reliable in his unreliability). 4/

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

Thankfully, Gakharia no longer “makes the weather” in Georgia, as we say. The society has moved on from him. Funny how he positioned himself as the kingmaker for years, and also how he mocked Mikheil Saakashvili for his exile. 5/

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

I try to not lash out at other parties but this isn’t something that can be ignored. 6/6.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:19 PM

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM

The US:

Here’s a field good story TaMara forwarded to me. From Colorado Hometown Weekly:

On a sunny August morning, Ievgen Potykun and Hanna Boiarska completed some bike repairs before opening their bicycle shop in Boulder for the day. The first person to come in that day was an old co-worker and friend of Boiarska’s who stopped in to check in on the couple.

This routine of fixing bikes and catching up with friends and regulars has become the new norm for Boiarska and Potykun, but it was not always like this.

Three years ago, the couple and their two children watched as Russian forces began invading and bombing the Kyiv region, which is where they lived. The family then went to live with Boiarska’s mother to escape the bombing, as she lived about 60 miles from Kyiv.

“They started to bomb Kyiv immediately, and we were crying, just calling all our relatives, it was terrible,” Boiarska said. “Now, after three years, you can speak about it, but at that moment, I remember grabbing all the kids documents, and that’s it.”

After Russian forces were kicked out of the Kyiv region, the family decided to return and try to resume working and continue their life there again. But Boiarska’s mother was soon contacted by a friend who she had worked with in the U.S., about the Uniting for Ukraine program.

The program, started under the Biden Administration in April 2022, allowed Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members to come to America if a supporter/friend in the U.S. was willing to host them and give them financial support. Once both parties agreed, the program would fly the Ukrainians to the U.S., where the program would help them get visas as well as work visas.

Boiarska’s mother declined, wanting to remain with her own mother in Ukraine, but she told Boiarska about the program.

“It was never our goal to emigrate somewhere. We love our country …,” Boiarska said. “But my husband told me, ‘You should go for the summer,’ so I went for the summer, and now it’s been three years.”

Boiarska and the children, who are now 5 and 12 years old, arrived in Washington, D.C., on May 29, 2022. But when they arrived, the friends they were supposed to stay with did not have enough room for her and the two children, since they were only expecting Boiarska’s mom. So, the friends in Washington, D.C., contacted another friend who lives in Longmont, who had a fully furnished basement in their house that Boiarska and her children could stay in.

Boiarska and the children lived in the basement for three weeks before moving into their own apartment. A Boulder County housing program helped them to get the apartment since Boiarska was not able to make any income at that time. But she did not realize that they would be moving into an unfurnished apartment.

“We slept for two weeks on the floor,” Boiarska said.

That summer, Russian forces became more aggressive and started bombing throughout Ukraine. Because of this, Boiarska and Potykun decided that she and the children should stay longer in America, and Potykun decided to leave everything they had in Ukraine and join his family in Colorado. With an unfurnished house, and knowing they would stay into the fall – having only brought summer clothes – Boiarska needed help.

The friend that they had lived with in Longmont told Boiarska about NextDoor, an app where community members can buy, sell, or ask for help between neighbors.

Laura Ankeny saw the post and reached out to Boiarska via NextDoor.

“Hanna posted on NextDoor that she was looking for a bit of help and support, and she had just arrived three weeks prior with two little boys,” Laura said. “I said, meet me at Target. So I met her at Target and we got the kids’ supplies and got clothes.”

Laura Ankeny had grandparents who had immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine, and she grew up in an area of Pittsburgh that had a refugee community.

“I just kept thinking about my grandparents and how somebody helped them years ago,” Laura Ankeny said.

Potykun arrived in late October after being away from his family for almost half the year. It was a decision he could not go back on, because the Uniting for Ukraine program works like a one-way ticket. Under the program, if they were to visit Ukraine to see family, they could not come back to the U.S..

“It was a big decision because I left everything,” Potykun said. “They destroyed many electric facilities, electricity plants, and stations. They tried to make Ukrainian life black out.”

Boiarska found that enrolling the kids into the school system was easy, but receiving a work permit took till December. In the spring of 2023, she got a job as a manager at the Safeway on Arapahoe in Boulder. Potykun ended up getting a job around the same time as a children’s soccer coach and referee at Boulder and Longmont Indoor Soccer complexes.

Throughout all of this, the family’s relationship began to strengthen with Laura and her husband Chuck, who had founded Freedom Folding Bikes, a bike shop in Boulder, in 2015.

“The first dinner they invited us to was Thanksgiving. It was like, you guys won’t be alone,” Boiarska said.

Boiarska and Potykun began expressing their concerns about how the area and people who lived in their apartment complex were not safe. The Ankenys understood that children should not be in that environment, so they invited the family to rent out a part of their home in Longmont. Already, the Ankenys were beginning to spend more time in Arizona as they were getting ready to fully retire there.

“It is weird to rent your house when you didn’t intend to rent your house, but in this case, it was really a good thing,” Laura Ankeny said. “You know the house is filled with laughter.”

About six months after getting her job, Safeway changed Boiarska’s hours from 4 a.m. to noon.

“I don’t remember this time of my life,” Boiarska said. “I was asleep, I didn’t see my husband, I didn’t see my kids.”

But since the Ankenys still owned the bike shop, on 28th Street in Boulder, and were beginning to get ready to fully retire, Chuck Ankeny began expressing concerns to Boiarska and Potykun about what he was going to do with the shop, as he didn’t want to have to give up on the business.

Then, after a dinner that the family had with Chuck Ankeny, they mentioned the idea of possibly taking over the bike shop. As it turns out, Chuck Ankeny was thinking the same thing, but neither the couple nor Ankeny had wanted to bring it up, concerned about asking too much of the other.

In June of 2024, with only four months left on his Boulder lease, Chuck Ankeny hired Boiarska to work at the bike shop with the intention of getting her ready to take it over. Potykun soon followed.

Much more at the link!

Back to Ukraine.

🇺🇦 Today marks the beginning of a new school year. This day has been made possible thanks to our Ukrainian soldiers! We are grateful to them for their protection and remember the fallen heroes!

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 11:11 AM

🇺🇦 We want children to study under peaceful skies. We want their school memories to be about adventures, friends, and teachers, not bomb shelters and sirens.

— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 11:11 AM

Skynex shooting at Russian Shahed in the sky over Ukraine www.facebook.com/reel/1138187…

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 1:18 PM

Odesa and Mykolaiv Oblasts:

At a briefing held by Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the russian army, a map was behind him that showed the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions as part of russia.

Russia does not want peace. They are planning to continue their conquest.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 7:55 AM

Donetsk Oblast:

⚡️Ukraine liberates village of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast, General Staff says.

Ukrainian assault groups spent two weeks fighting to liberate the settlement, raising the national flag in the village center on Aug. 31, according to the General Staff.

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— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) September 1, 2025 at 2:14 PM

From The Kyiv Independent:

Ukraine’s 425th Regiment has liberated the village of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast and raised the national flag, the General Staff announced on Sept. 1.

Novoekonomichne, with a pre-war population of nearly 2,800 people, is located about 14 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of the embattled city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian assault groups spent two weeks fighting to liberate the settlement, raising the national flag in the village center on Aug. 31, according to the General Staff.

Since mid-July, the village has appeared in the “gray zone” on maps published by the DeepState monitoring group, indicating ongoing fighting. As of Aug. 31, despite the General Staff’s statement, Novoekonomichne remained in the “gray zone.”

Earlier, Ukrainian forces regained control of the village of Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 24.

Kharkiv:

In Kharkiv, children began the school year in underground classrooms. Windowless shelters built for survival. No child should ever have to attend such a school, but we have no choice.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 6:52 AM

Kharkiv right now ⚡️

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 1:21 PM

Lutsk, Volyn Oblast:

🖼🇺🇦 The painting does not scream — it hurts! Fear, loneliness, but at the same time — an incredible power of survival. This is an image of all children who are forced to grow up in the shadow of war, and a reminder that the most precious thing is the life we hold in our arms. 🧵

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:30 PM

🇺🇦 Mariana Krokhmalna is a young Ukrainian artist from Lutsk.
She graduated from the Shevchenko Kyiv State Art Lyceum and the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture.
In June 2025, her series of works entitled “Alarm” was presented at the Beaux-Arts de Paris gallery in Paris.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:30 PM

Kherson Oblast:

Air strike on Russian drone operators base in Kherson region.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 9:07 AM

Russian occupied Crimea:

The unit “Prymary” carried out another operation in occupied Crimea. Using drones, they struck the Russian military airbase in Hvardiiske near Simferopol, destroying two Mi-8 helicopters.

Additionally, a Russian tugboat, likely BUK-2190, was hit in Sevastopol Bay during an air attack.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 3:35 AM

Russian occupied Mariupol:

Water crisis. Mariupol.
Today, according to the schedule, there was supposed to be water in Mariupol. In the end, the water was supplied — but again not where people were waiting for it. And where it was expected — there was no water.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 2:37 PM

Pokrovsk:

HIMARS and FPVs struck an assault column in the Pokrovsk direction.

As a result, Russia’s 155th Brigade lost between 50 and 100 personnel and 7 pieces of heavy equipment.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Belgorod Oblast, Russia:

Somewhere in the Belgorod region of Russia on August 26, eight officers of the Russian FSB were killed at once as a result of a missile strike.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 5:18 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

There is tenderness and loyalty in his stillness, as if he were the guardian of this morning, a small beacon on four paws. There is light ahead, and it is for everyone. Seagulls cry out in the distance, but the silence is stronger—it gently covers thoughts like a blanket.
Odesa 💙💛

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 8:48 AM

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 1,285: You May Not Be Interested in World War III, but World War III May Be Interested in EUPost + Comments (19)

Open Thread: Happy Labor Day

by Anne Laurie| September 1, 20251:02 pm| 67 Comments

This post is in: Immigration, Music, Open Threads

Fuck any anti-American motherfucker who can read “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” and not feel proud.

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— Malaclypse the Middle (@malaclypse.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 7:45 AM

Lyrics:

… All those who made it and quickly jaded
To them we got nothing to say
Our immigrada, immigraniada
For them it’s Don Quixote’s kind of way
But if you give me the invitation
To hear the bells of freedom chime
To hell with your double standards
We’re coming rougher every time
We’re coming rougher
We’re coming rougher
We’re coming rougher every time
We’re coming rougher every time…

Frozen eyes, sweaty back
My family’s sleeping on a railroad track
All my life I pack/unpack
But man I got to earn this buck
I gotta pay representation
To be accepted in a nation
Where after efforts of a hero
Welcome start again from zero
It’s a book of our true stories
True stories that can’t be denied
It’s more than true it actually happened
It’s more than true it actually happened
It’s more than true it actually happened
We’re coming rougher every time…

I think of my own immigrant grandparents and great-great-grandparent: The child of a desperate widow with eight other children, conceived in Ireland but born, proudly, American. Two young people on opposite sides of a religious war, slipping away separately from Ireland to Montreal to New York City. A young man immigrating during our Civil war, as a stand-in for an American draft-dodger, according to family legend. They didn’t have it easy, but they were damned proud of their success.

When the Great Khan has power drop into his hand like an over-ripe fruit, we need to replace the terrible Pledge of Allegiance with a daily recitation of the “Give me your tired…” lines.

— Malaclypse the Middle (@malaclypse.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 7:55 AM

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And replace The Star Spangled Banner with the Battle Hymn of the Republic as the national anthem.

— Erich DeLang (@erichdelang.bsky.social) September 1, 2025 at 8:02 AM

Open Thread: Happy Labor DayPost + Comments (67)

I Used to Be Better Than This, but I Can’t Help Myself

by WaterGirl| September 1, 202512:33 pm| 91 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

h/t Citizen Dave

I know this makes me a terrible person, but I cannot stop laughing at this.

I Used to Be Better Than This, but I Can’t Help MyselfPost + Comments (91)

No Holiday from the News

by WaterGirl| September 1, 20258:41 am| 155 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Politics

A sampling of the news from my RSS reader this morning.

I’m not sure I can bear to read any of them, but I am loving the titles.

What’s everyone up to on Labor Day?

I have hours of work to do this morning, then some friends are coming over this afternoon to play cards and drink sour cherry mojitos.

Betty Cracker posted this image last week, and I love it so much. Perfection.

Open thread, obviously.

No Holiday from the NewsPost + Comments (155)

Celebrate the fucking wins.

In after Baud. Damn.

You cannot shame the shameless.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

He really is that stupid.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

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

People really shouldn’t expect the government to help after they watched the GOP drown it in a bathtub.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

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

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

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: Back to the Grind

Early Morning Treat: Dave Roth on Texas Politics

War for Ukraine Day 1,285: You May Not Be Interested in World War III, but World War III May Be Interested in EU

Open Thread: Happy Labor Day

I Used to Be Better Than This, but I Can’t Help Myself

No Holiday from the News