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229 comments
1
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 6:56:59pm

Elise Stefanik is a Republican.

2
Skip Intro  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:00:57pm

Surely they wouldn’t do this on purpose.

3
Barefoot Grin  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:07:28pm

re: #1 Backwoods_Sleuth

[Embedded content]

Elise Stefanik is a Republican.

I love Ted. I’m surprised he didn’t find a way to include “why does Jared Kushner still have security clearance?” somewhere.

4
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:09:28pm
5
Barefoot Grin  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:10:06pm

I know this has been linked to, but the comments are killing me (“Don, Jr. drank the water from the Christmas tree stand,” etc.)

6
Charles Johnson  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:11:06pm
7
Skip Intro  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:12:21pm

Sarah Palin’s oldest son charged with beating up his father.

They’ll be lucky if he doesn’t shoot the entire family.

8
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:12:50pm

Even Disney Robots hate Robot Trump!

9
VegasGolfer  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:12:57pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

Yes, but if it looks like trump will go down in late summer early fall, it almost guarantees a huge democratic wave in the mid terms.

10
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:14:29pm
11
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:15:50pm
12
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:17:59pm
13
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:18:58pm
14
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:20:44pm
15
dangerman  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:24:45pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

[Embedded content]
The news that Mueller’s team expects to be working throughout most of 2018 is highly disturbing.

Trump thinks it’s disturbing because the investigation isn’t over.

I think it’s disturbing because another year of this bad craziness may be the end of the US.

There’s a lot of crime behind this investigation already and seeing how they behave publicly, I’m sure the team keeps uncovering more

16
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:24:57pm

the rest of the thread is fun.

17
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:26:04pm

re: #16 Backwoods_Sleuth

[Embedded content]

the rest of the thread is fun.

18
Skip Intro  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:27:04pm

re: #16 Backwoods_Sleuth

19
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:27:09pm
20
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:27:31pm

This tiny blue dot contains all the climate change deniers in the known universe.

21
dangerman  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:28:00pm

re: #11 Backwoods_Sleuth

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A typical family of four earning $45,000 per year will get a tax cut of $1,379 next year under our plan. Democrats will vote against it anyway because they care more about big government than working families

Define “typical”
Then show the math

22
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:29:31pm

The Ultimate Pimp shaking down his stable!

23
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:45:57pm
24
BigPapa  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:47:48pm

re: #20 jaunte

It also contains all the bears.

25
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:48:46pm

re: #24 BigPapa

And BEES.

26
FormerDirtDart  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:51:35pm
27
MsJ  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:54:40pm

re: #4 Backwoods_Sleuth

What did I miss? How did Gorsuch screw over trump?

28
Skip Intro  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:55:51pm

re: #27 MsJ

What did I miss? How did Gorsuch screw over trump?

He failed to meet the Hannity standard of praise.

29
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:57:47pm
30
Blind Frog Belly White  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:58:44pm

re: #27 MsJ

What did I miss? How did Gorsuch screw over trump?

Insufficiently obsequious. Apparently he spoke ill of the President’s attacks on the Federal Judiciary in private meetings.

31
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 7:59:11pm
32
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:02:02pm
33
retired cynic  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:02:41pm

re: #31 jaunte

Good for Amy; connecting dots!

34
Shiplord Kirel, live from behind wingnut lines  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:04:25pm

Read it. It’s good. Promise.
As a Doctor, I’m Sick of All The Health Care Freeloaders

I work in a clinic where the vast majority of my patients are on government-funded health care and have never worked a day in their lives.

35
MsJ  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:06:51pm

re: #28 Skip Intro

He failed to meet the Hannity standard of praise.

So nothing about a vote he cast?

36
Charles Johnson  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:11:44pm

So Politico’s big scoop about the Obama administration “sabotaging” a DEA investigation into Hezbollah financing turns out to be complete bullshit.

37
retired cynic  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:13:27pm

re: #36 Charles Johnson

So Politico’s big scoop about the Obama administration “sabotaging” a DEA investigation into Hezbollah financing turns out to be complete bullshit.

What a shock. Not.

38
Skip Intro  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:16:51pm

re: #35 MsJ

So nothing about a vote he cast?

No. He failed to come to trump on his knees to kiss his hand and thank him for giving him the job and tell trump he’ll never disappoint him.

39
Jay C  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:18:42pm

re: #36 Charles Johnson

So Politico’s big scoop about the Obama administration “sabotaging” a DEA investigation into Hezbollah financing turns out to be complete bullshit.

Some details, Charles?

I mean, the story always reeked of feces from the start: just the usual overheated nonsense hinged on the Big Bad Iranian Boogeyman, which, presumably, somebody thought would be enough to give it legs: how did it fall apart?

40
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:25:55pm
41
austin_blue  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:26:06pm

Extrapolation beyond the data and innuendo.

The usual BS.

42
Belafon  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:27:26pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

No. Just no.

The end of the US occurs when too many people on the left panic and then give up.

Mueller has to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. While he does that, his reach gets deeper and deeper and draws in more people. You want to get to the real people - Trump, McConnell, Ryan - you have to give him time and supply him the energy.

Even then, it’s not his job to save the Republic. It’s ours. And we can’t do it if we’re being all fatalistic about it.

43
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:29:22pm
44
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:30:30pm
45
A hollow voice says, Covfefe.  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:30:44pm

re: #6 Charles Johnson

Or it ends with Democratic control of one or both houses… just in time to start putting together the Articles of Impeachment.

46
Charles Johnson  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:38:32pm

re: #42 Belafon

Look how bad things have gotten with less than a year of Trump in office. Congress is about to pass a bill that will basically wreck the American economy, to put huge amounts of money in the pockets of the super-rich. I don’t think it’s fatalistic to think another year of this degradation and plundering will be nearly impossible to reverse - it’s realistic.

And as the pressure increases on Trump, the chances that he’ll do something really terrible, like start a war or launch nuclear weapons at North Korea, get even greater.

Sorry, I just don’t see much to be optimistic about right now, and I don’t have much hope that our institutions are strong enough to hold up against this authoritarian onslaught, or Trump would never have been elected in the first place.

47
retired cynic  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:41:12pm

re: #46 Charles Johnson

It’s hard to argue with that. I hope that a combination of people standing up and the judiciary (before it gets entirely ruined) holding the line. Thinking good thoughts about lots of attorneys right now.

48
FormerDirtDart  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:42:31pm

re: #39 Jay C

Some details, Charles?

I mean, the story always reeked of feces from the start: just the usual overheated nonsense hinged on the Big Bad Iranian Boogeyman, which, presumably, somebody thought would be enough to give it legs: how did it fall apart?

Adam Khan’s thread does a nice rundown on it’s nonsense

49
Interesting Times  Dec 18, 2017 • 8:54:06pm
50
scottslemmons  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:02:22pm

re: #46 Charles Johnson

Look how bad things have gotten with less than a year of Trump in office. Congress is about to pass a bill that will basically wreck the American economy, to put huge amounts of money in the pockets of the super-rich. I don’t think it’s fatalistic to think another year of this degradation and plundering will be nearly impossible to reverse - it’s realistic.

And as the pressure increases on Trump, the chances that he’ll do something really terrible, like start a war or launch nuclear weapons at North Korea, get even greater.

Sorry, I just don’t see much to be optimistic about right now, and I don’t have much hope that our institutions are strong enough to hold up against this authoritarian onslaught, or Trump would never have been elected in the first place.

As I’ve said before, I think it’s already too late to save the country. It was too late on Election Day. We can’t turn the clock back to when things were normal, and at least a third of the country — the seriously crazy percentage of the population — got their taste of ultimate power, and they’ll never let it go. I don’t know what happens next, but there are absolutely no good outcomes ahead.

51
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:07:28pm

re: #49 Interesting Times

Now that I think about it…birthers might have been a bit restrained. At least they alleged he was from earth!

52
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:12:25pm
53
jaunte  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:12:39pm
54
Decatur Deb  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:35:43pm

re: #50 scottslemmons

As I’ve said before, I think it’s already too late to save the country. It was too late on Election Day. We can’t turn the clock back to when things were normal, and at least a third of the country — the seriously crazy percentage of the population — got their taste of ultimate power, and they’ll never let it go. I don’t know what happens next, but there are absolutely no good outcomes ahead.

Things were never normal.

55
Belafon  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:35:54pm

re: #50 scottslemmons

As I’ve said before, I think it’s already too late to save the country. It was too late on Election Day. We can’t turn the clock back to when things were normal, and at least a third of the country — the seriously crazy percentage of the population — got their taste of ultimate power, and they’ll never let it go. I don’t know what happens next, but there are absolutely no good outcomes ahead.

I personally don’t want to go back to the days when Democrats took elections for granted, men took women for granted, and we hoped the president would save us from ourselves. That’s not the same thing, though, as the country being destroyed.

I’m not that big of a history buff, but I wonder how many people in 1944 wanted to return to prewar Europe. Like Europe, we will be different than before. But I think it’s time we became something better.

No, Democrats aren’t in charge of much. But we are (finally) learning to fight. Well, at least some of us are. And they are running for office in great numbers. I’m seriously excited about elections here in Texas. And I think we are going to roll over Republicans like an avalanche (see what I did there?).

And I think things will be different. And I think some things we took for granted will need to be repaired. Maybe, then, we’ll properly fix them (Why does CHIP have to be renewed? Why can the president fire someone investigating him?). And, if we do it right, we can fix it for everyone.

There’s coming to terms with the idea that America can become a fascist state, and then there’s accepting that it is. I refuse to do the latter because so many others do as well.

56
Decatur Deb  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:38:14pm

The future is still what we make it. Offer expires in 2022.

57
Amory Blaine  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:39:48pm

I’m having a beer in memory of Mayor Rob Ford

58
retired cynic  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:46:23pm

re: #57 Amory Blaine

I’m having a beer in memory of Mayor Rob Ford

[Embedded content]

That certainly reminds me of another photo on here tonight. I assume that was your aim? Not saying they have the same reasons for hanging on with both pudgy hands, but GAH!

59
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:46:33pm

re: #46 Charles Johnson

I’m in agreement with Charles. I just do not see a way to undo the damage the RepubliKKKlans have done ever since Nixon. Each Republican since Nixon has pushed the Overton Window so far to the right that it won’t move back.

Trump has pissed off the rest of the world so much that they are going to retaliate. I’ve said all along that I fully expect the rest of the world to dump the dollar as the reserve currency, dump our treasury securities and then impose economic sanctions against us. The Republican Welfare for the Rich bill will effectively bankrupt us as the rest of the world refuses to finance the deficits.

Facing that I fully expect Trump to just default on the debt. That will implode the Federal government and lead to the collapse and breaking up of America. We’re going to wind up in pieces just like the USSR did. What pieces remain will be the Southern states totally mutating into a theocracy headed by Trump. There will be no difference between Trumpland and Russia. But other former states will be free from the shackles of the Red States…

60
austin_blue  Dec 18, 2017 • 9:58:43pm

re: #54 Decatur Deb

Things were never normal.

Agreed. Things have been out of whack for a while, now.

Rush was on babbling about how Kennedy decided to boost the Economy in the mid-sixties by lowering marginal tax rates on the rich, which totally lacked context.

Until 1963, top tax rates were 91%, paying off debt from WWII and Korea. By 1965, they were down to 70%. When Vietnam kicked in, they rose to 77% in ‘69, and stayed at or above 70% until 1981, when the dropped to 69.13%. Then the Reagan revolution started us on the path to creating oligarchs in this country when he dropped it to 50% in 1982 and to 28% in ‘88. Bush 1 raised it a little, and Clinton raised it to 39.6%, and ran surpluses, but was barely chewing on the acquired debt load. Disaster was predicted for the economy. Didn’t happen.

Then Bush 2 dropped it to 35% (during two wars!) and didn’t raise it to pay them off. Obama raised it back to 39.6% to pay for health care for the needy, but couldn’t get Congress to pay off war debt.

Simply put, we need to raise the highest rates to somewhere over 80% (like it was from 1940 to 1963) to pay down war debt and the accumulated costs of the Reagan revolution.

And if anybody bitches, just point out to them that the US became the most powerful country on the planet and vastly expanded its middle class when the richest of the rich paid the highest marginal tax rates in our history. Poor job creators…

61
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:01:40pm

re: #49 Interesting Times

Aliens intercepted our radio and TV signals. They made the decision to quarantine us from the rest of the universe because we’re too gullible to Pulpit Pimping Preachers!

62
goddamnedfrank  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:02:16pm

Just great, Cornel West whipped up a toxic Buster hate mob and with an assist by opportunistic neo nazis managed to drive Ta Nehesi Coates off Twitter.

63
Decatur Deb  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:03:14pm

It’s midnight Monday and the country is going to shit. Make a concrete plan to do something by Wednesday that will start to reverse that.

We’re looking to move pebbles, here, not boulders. Lots of pebbles.

64
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:03:46pm

re: #60 austin_blue

The 1% has had a party ever since Reagan came to power and they’ve refused to pay the bills. Which is why they will succeed in triggering the collapse of the Federal government.

65
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:06:21pm

re: #63 Decatur Deb

Oh sure, keep the bar all low for us. Just a pebble peeps.
Meanwhile, y’all just moved a nice sized chunk of sediment!
Sorry, still happy about that!

66
austin_blue  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:06:27pm

re: #64 Joe Bacon 🌹

The 1% has had a party ever since Reagan came to power and they’ve refused to pay the bills. Which is why they will succeed in triggering the collapse of the Federal government.

Maybe, maybe not. It’s OUR Government, not the Oligarchs and Kleptocrats.

67
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:06:52pm

re: #63 Decatur Deb

It’s midnight Monday and the country is going to shit. Make a concrete plan to do something by Wednesday that will start to reverse that.

We’re looking to move pebbles, here, not boulders. Lots of pebbles.

Meanwhile Bolshevik Bannon wants to blow up the boulders…

68
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:07:59pm

re: #66 austin_blue

Maybe, maybe not. It’s OUR Government, not the Oligarchs and Kleptocrats.

It’s not ours anymore since the RepubliKKKlan Party has sworn allegiance to Putin!

69
austin_blue  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:08:11pm

re: #67 Joe Bacon 🌹

Meanwhile Bolshevik Bannon wants to blow up the boulders…

He can try, but he will fail. Just another grifter.

70
austin_blue  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:12:14pm

re: #68 Joe Bacon 🌹

It’s not ours anymore since the RepubliKKKlan Party has sworn allegiance to Putin!

The Executive has, but we’ve checks and balances in place (if the Legislative grows a pair).

And I think the R’s are growing molto nervoso about their future. Nothing breeds a sense of civic responsibility in a Politician than the prospect of going back to Bugfuck, Texas, as a simple private citizen of the Republic.

71
teleskiguy  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:14:53pm
72
Belafon  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:19:39pm

re: #59 Joe Bacon 🌹

If the US was going to come apart like that, Jones would not have gotten elected in Alabama. The Soviet Union came apart because it had been held together by force. That’s not us.

73
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:38:55pm

re: #63 Decatur Deb

It’s midnight Monday and the country is going to shit. Make a concrete plan to do something by Wednesday that will start to reverse that.

We’re looking to move pebbles, here, not boulders. Lots of pebbles.

Hi, y’all.

I see it’s Monday at LGF: The weekly doom-and-gloom “there’s nothing that can be done” with the same people who have been around all my life… .

If we’re going to break up the country because everyone wants to hate on red states, you wanna airlift me out first?

In this state anyway, ranchers and farmers are lining up behind Democratic messaging about NAFTA, because that treaty allows them to make a great deal of money. Isolationism would destroy them and they know it.

A message in Los Angeles is not going to work for a rancher in Nebraska. Part of what makes a national party national is the ability to tailor messages to differing areas of the country. The Democrats are trying their hardest here, while so far I haven’t heard anything but the same grievance politics from Republicans.

It helps we’re running a huge pile of candidates here as well, with a whole bunch of women stepping up to the plate to run, and a couple GOP officials abandoning the party for the Libertarians.

74
FormerDirtDart  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:48:57pm
75
JordanRules  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:50:28pm

re: #74 FormerDirtDart

Mmhmm
How bout that Senator Collins!

76
Hecuba's daughter  Dec 18, 2017 • 10:54:47pm

re: #73 Anymouse 🌹

Hi, y’all.

I see it’s Monday at LGF: The weekly doom-and-gloom “there’s nothing that can be done” with the same people who have been around all my life… .

If we’re going to break up the country because everyone wants to hate on red states, you wanna airlift me out first?

In this state anyway, ranchers and farmers are lining up behind Democratic messaging about NAFTA, because that treaty allows them to make a great deal of money. Isolationism would destroy them and they know it.

A message in Los Angeles is not going to work for a rancher in Nebraska. Part of what makes a national party national is the ability to tailor messages to differing areas of the country. The Democrats are trying their hardest here, while so far I haven’t heard anything but the same grievance politics from Republicans.

It helps we’re running a huge pile of candidates here as well, with a whole bunch of women stepping up to the plate to run, and a couple GOP officials abandoning the party for the Libertarians.

I alternate between despair and hope— the tax plan produces despair, Virginia, Alabama, and certain other races lead to hope.

No matter how bad a tax policy is, it can be changed. The GOP tax cuts have damaged the country before but the good guys got back in office and repaired the damage. We lose if we surrender to despair instead of working to run candidates and persuade others to vote for us (or at least no longer vote for them). There may come a time when the damage is irreversible but we haven’t reached it yet.

77
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 11:13:40pm

re: #76 Hecuba’s daughter

Pretty much the whole history of the country has been the political pendulum swinging one way, then the other.

Some see the way clearly to the sort of government they want, others have to lose what they have first before they then work to change it.

Things are looking mighty crappy now, but it isn’t over yet. There are really loud wingnuts, but the loud wingnuts are actually small in number.

The trick is to appeal to those who have something to lose but have been sitting on the sidelines. The great mass of “I don’t see how government affects me so why should I bother voting” people are the ones that are actually the easiest to motivate. (Show them what they’ll lose, or already lost.)

If some on the right decide that they can’t vote for their candidates any more, great, but those aren’t where we should put our strongest efforts.

78
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 11:29:13pm

Expecting to get smacked through the Internet by Vicious Babushka:

While going through the grocery store today with my wife (she wanted to pick up a couple things in the so-called “ethnic” section), I noted the Virgin of Guadalupe candles on the shelf and wondered aloud to her what would happen if you made lit a menorah with those?

79
freetoken  Dec 18, 2017 • 11:31:54pm

One thing I believe we ought to reflect upon is that many of us grew up in a rather stable era of American society, even with all the social turmoil of the 1960s.

There has been since WWII a sense of stability in the world order that was something different than in many periods in our past.

The more I read about our past (often in conjunction to doing genealogy research) it seems there was always a great deal of turmoil, angst, and dramatic change.

Thus, what we are experiencing today in regards to Trumpism and Republican wealth-laundering doesn’t really strike me as that different from the abuses of leaders in the past. Some of whom were very much hip deep in dirt.

80
freetoken  Dec 18, 2017 • 11:43:17pm

re: #49 Interesting Times

Seriously WTF is going on?

A nation full of existential crises.

81
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 18, 2017 • 11:57:27pm

theguardian.com

Hunter Pauli, a Butte, Montana local crime story writer for the newspaper, explains why he quit.

He notes that local papers are very good at ruining lives for people, and the local crime pages are some of the worst.

He relates the story of a particular repeat offender who is not particularly dangerous, but had his life wiped out by local news reporting.

82
teleskiguy  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:04:18am
83
austin_blue  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:05:55am

re: #79 freetoken

One thing I believe we ought to reflect upon is that many of us grew up in a rather stable era of American society, even with all the social turmoil of the 1960s.

There has been since WWII a sense of stability in the world order that was something different than in many periods in our past.

The more I read about our past (often in conjunction to doing genealogy research) it seems there was always a great deal of turmoil, angst, and dramatic change.

Thus, what we are experiencing today in regards to Trumpism and Republican wealth-laundering doesn’t really strike me as that different from the abuses of leaders in the past. Some of whom were very much hip deep in dirt.

Maybe. What I see is a level of willful ignorance and an acceptance of getting kicked in the balls on a daily basis that is new and, really, kind of insane. Thirty two percent of the polity think the present Executive is doing a great job for them. And the Legislative branch is piling on and, somehow, think their seats are safe.

That’s no way to run an economy, or a country. That’s just grinning and saying that everything is OK when someone is fucking your ass and not even giving you the courtesy of a reach around.

I don’t know how this is going to end, but it must. I’m not as pessimistic as Charles (yet!), but this is simply not a sustainable way to run a society.

We obviously have a ton of work to do to stop this, but it’s 2:00 AM in the ‘04, our little blue pimple in Central Texas, and I’m for the rack.

Sleep well, watch how crazy Drumpf gets tomorrow, and prepare for a rapid response rally if he does what we all expect he will do.

Peace. Resist. Impeach.

84
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:08:59am

Bitcoin Bubble? The Warnings from History (The Guardian)

The housing bubble and dot-com bubble are nothing compared to Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s promoters are telling people to get in now while the gettin’s good. I’m not an economist nor investor, but looking at the chart I would say get out while the gettin’s good.

85
goddamnedfrank  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:11:22am
86
Ace-o-aces  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:29:11am
87
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 19, 2017 • 12:40:04am

Opening day (yesterday) for Bitcoin on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange futures market was sharply down from opening prices.

theguardian.com

I understand things like wheat or cattle futures, as they are tangible assets. You offer a certain sum for delivery of a bushel of wheat or head of cattle in the future, and depending on how the growing seasons go, you make or lose money as a farmer or rancher (but have a locked in payment).

But Bitcoin? Futures in something that doesn’t even exist? I have trouble wrapping my head around that.

88
freetoken  Dec 19, 2017 • 1:42:26am

Something special just for the night crowd.

Just because there is so much ugliness around, figured we need something beautiful.

So here is a song that is on my short list of the best Christmas songs:

MP3 Audio

89
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 2:59:56am

That train near Tacoma was highballin’ . Positive Train Control would have prevented this tragedy.

90
Anymouse 🌹  Dec 19, 2017 • 3:00:26am

re: #88 freetoken

In honour of the Hanukah season, the Klezmonauts with “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

My mother introduced me to these guys. The tune from “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” mixed in with the song, along with Mexican themed guitar wraps the whole thing up for me.

¿Yule? (God rest ye merry Gentlemen ~ The Klezmonauts)

91
darthstar  Dec 19, 2017 • 4:48:53am
92
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 4:53:21am

re: #78 Anymouse 🌹

Expecting to get smacked through the Internet by Vicious Babushka:

While going through the grocery store today with my wife (she wanted to pick up a couple things in the so-called “ethnic” section), I noted the Virgin of Guadalupe candles on the shelf and wondered aloud to her what would happen if you made lit a menorah with those?

LOL. When my mother passed away, all my kids came from all over for the funeral and stayed at various AirBnB’s. When my sons told the (Hispanic) host they were in LA for the funeral of their grandmother, he fixed them up a little shrine with Pope Francis candles.

93
darthstar  Dec 19, 2017 • 4:57:56am

re: #78 Anymouse 🌹

Expecting to get smacked through the Internet by Vicious Babushka:

While going through the grocery store today with my wife (she wanted to pick up a couple things in the so-called “ethnic” section), I noted the Virgin of Guadalupe candles on the shelf and wondered aloud to her what would happen if you made lit a menorah with those?

We have a brew pub in Half Moon Bay called Sacrilege. They sell Sacrilege Brewery Novena candles.

94
Dave In Austin  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:14:46am
95
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:20:52am

re: #89 wheat-dogg

That train near Tacoma was highballin’ . Positive Train Control would have prevented this tragedy.

[Embedded content]

But that would require the GOF to try to make AMTRAK better not try to destroy it. < spit >

I ask this seriously - why do Republicans hate trains so much? The only one I can remember who didn’t was Tommy Thompson who worked hard to lay the ground work for a Chicago to the Twin Cities via Milwaukee and Madison High Speed Rail system. But damn near the first thing Walker did was kill it and he’s been pissing on rail systems ever since.

96
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:22:14am

re: #92 The Vicious Babushka

LOL. When my mother passed away, all my kids came from all over for the funeral and stayed at various AirBnB’s. When my sons told the (Hispanic) host they were in LA for the funeral of their grandmother, he fixed them up a little shrine with Pope Francis candles.

[Embedded content]

Heh. Well, at least Pope Francis is a decent enough fellow to get that way for one of ours.

97
Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:22:42am

re: #46 Charles Johnson

things have to get a lot worse before they can even start to get a bit better, and we are far from hitting rock bottom. The trick is to still have enough resilience to bounce and roll with it and not shatter.

98
Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:26:25am

re: #78 Anymouse 🌹

Expecting to get smacked through the Internet by Vicious Babushka:

While going through the grocery store today with my wife (she wanted to pick up a couple things in the so-called “ethnic” section), I noted the Virgin of Guadalupe candles on the shelf and wondered aloud to her what would happen if you made lit a menorah with those?

I still have a Virgen de Guadalupe votive candle. Her miraculous intercession once repaired my AC. But that’s a rather long story involving a ranch in Sedona AZ owned by a millionaire land speculator and a previous caretaker who later went on to join the Bhagwan cult in the 80’s

99
HappyWarrior  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:31:21am

re: #86 Ace-o-aces

[Embedded content]

He’s such a fucking tool.

100
John Carter  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:32:41am

re: #46 Charles Johnson

Look how bad things have gotten with less than a year of Trump in office. Congress is about to pass a bill that will basically wreck the American economy, to put huge amounts of money in the pockets of the super-rich. I don’t think it’s fatalistic to think another year of this degradation and plundering will be nearly impossible to reverse - it’s realistic.

And as the pressure increases on Trump, the chances that he’ll do something really terrible, like start a war or launch nuclear weapons at North Korea, get even greater.

Sorry, I just don’t see much to be optimistic about right now, and I don’t have much hope that our institutions are strong enough to hold up against this authoritarian onslaught, or Trump would never have been elected in the first place.

Charles, I am sure you read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. For those who haven’t on this board I strongly recommend it. It is scarier than any Steven King novel - but you’ll like the ending ;)

Things were a lot bleaker for those folks. They had to crawl through some Andy Dufresne level of shit to get to the other side. (Another Steven King reference!)

Things will get bad and horrible things will happen but we have to stay the coarse.

101
darthstar  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:33:00am
102
Belafon  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:40:25am

One of the things that lets me believe we’re going to fight and that this is not a one time thing is the number of women running. I don’t see them letting this be a one-and-done deal.

103
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:48:45am

re: #86 Ace-o-aces

The brilliant @Luvvie has compiled a list of all the black women running for elected office in the United States right now. With links to ways you can SUPPORT THEM! awesomelyluvvie.com

Hah! The very first lady on the list is the candidate I pledged to support a year ago. We watched the first half of the Alabama special election returns together. She has less of a chance of winning than Doug Jones….

104
Barefoot Grin  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:48:57am

Fox and Friends was back on the case this morning with an interview with Jim Jordan—Mueller panel is hopelessly biased!!!!!

105
Dave In Austin  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:50:27am

This guy………

106
jeffreyw  Dec 19, 2017 • 5:59:01am

Imgur


Good morning!

107
ObserverArt  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:06:36am

re: #46 Charles Johnson

Look how bad things have gotten with less than a year of Trump in office. Congress is about to pass a bill that will basically wreck the American economy, to put huge amounts of money in the pockets of the super-rich. I don’t think it’s fatalistic to think another year of this degradation and plundering will be nearly impossible to reverse - it’s realistic.

And as the pressure increases on Trump, the chances that he’ll do something really terrible, like start a war or launch nuclear weapons at North Korea, get even greater.

Sorry, I just don’t see much to be optimistic about right now, and I don’t have much hope that our institutions are strong enough to hold up against this authoritarian onslaught, or Trump would never have been elected in the first place.

Well crap. This bums me out. No, in a way it pisses me off.

A bunch of people have already stopped posting much because of the no hope crowd.

With Charles posting this, no hope may become the theme around here.

Fuck that.

I guess I’m going to have to join them. I’m a hopeful person. This may no longer be the site for that…and for me.

Yeah, I’m crushed. Bigly.

108
Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:08:04am

re: #107 ObserverArt

I guess I’m going to have to join them. I’m a hopeful person. This may no longer be the site for that…and for me.

Yeah, I’m crushed. Bigly.

My most optimistic estimate is that it will take about one year to recover from each month of the Trump Presidency…

109
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:08:36am
110
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:10:30am

re: #107 ObserverArt

Nope. Keeping this site sane is what Charles does on Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and Fridays, and….

111
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:10:38am

re: #95 William Lewis

But that would require the GOF to try to make AMTRAK better not try to destroy it. < spit >

I ask this seriously - why do Republicans hate trains so much? The only one I can remember who didn’t was Tommy Thompson who worked hard to lay the ground work for a Chicago to the Twin Cities via Milwaukee and Madison High Speed Rail system. But damn near the first thing Walker did was kill it and he’s been pissing on rail systems ever since.

I read an interesting book over the summer, Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World-from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief by Tom Zoellner. He covers the history of rail in little snippets in between a kind of travelogue of his jouneys. It seems the aristocracy and high society of England did not much care for the railways, because it allowed too much mobility to the lower classes. No longer were cottagers tied to their manorial farms, but could up and leave whenever they liked to work in the cities. But the upper classes had to swallow their pride when Queen Victoria took to the railways like a duck to water.

In the USA, the railroads similarly allowed African-Americans to flee the South to work in northern cities and begin new lives away from Jim Crow and agricultural jobs.

It’s only my surmise, but I suspect the Right Wing’s hatred of passenger rail comes from a similar disdain for the common people. Train tickets are cheaper than airfares (for seats, anyway) and they allow someone without a car to move about relatively freely. Worse yet, the trains allow “those people” to visit places “our people” frequent, a thought that I think dwells in the back of the RW mind.

Plus, there is a strong association between city people and railroads, since the only active passenger lines serve the coastal elites. So, the RW Congressmen in the interior can justify gutting Amtrak, because their constituents have never been on a train - ever. So, they don’t know what they would be missing. The Right can dismiss Amtrak as a needless piece of “socialism.”

Zoellner also points out that railroads by and large boost local and national economies, and nations that invest in passenger rail are investing in their futures. But try telling the GOP that.

112
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:11:14am

re: #106 jeffreyw

[Embedded content]

Good morning!

Argh. I didn’t need to see that. I have to go get fasting blood work done this morning so all I’ve had is a cup of tea.

113
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:17:02am

re: #111 wheat-dogg

Thanks for the thoughts. I’ve requested the book from our library so if nothing else that will be fun :) I got used to real trains in Europe with the Army in the early 80’s so I’ve been missing them for decades.

114
A Mom Anon  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:23:09am

re: #111 wheat-dogg

Hell, I live in suburban Atlanta and we can’t even get buses to run out our way. The county has a connecting service to Atlanta’s public transportation, but it only runs in places where “those people” live. The nearest park and ride is about 5 miles away. Too many wealthy people live around here and if they don’t want it, then it ain’t happening.

I want to move out of Georgia, SO BAD. I hate it here.

115
A Mom Anon  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:24:51am

re: #112 William Lewis

nyywLPnEi9bqR3TJZfYWWYX6JJpx6DMtR7U224fAcElZIsJOk9EjdHHfNiU1aROLWkQBTcOo2ypxSEYQYNXhKHunoiqZ11lSrKuJ4kgaZJOdQgEuFKdFJg47m4vZ42igMzSli7RE/GY=

116
Barefoot Grin  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:24:53am

re: #111 wheat-dogg

I read an interesting book over the summer, Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World-from the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief by Tom Zoellner. He covers the history of rail in little snippets in between a kind of travelogue of his jouneys. It seems the aristocracy and high society of England did not much care for the railways, because it allowed too much mobility to the lower classes. No longer were cottagers tied to their manorial farms, but could up and leave whenever they liked to work in the cities. But the upper classes had to swallow their pride when Queen Victoria took to the railways like a duck to water.

In the USA, the railroads similarly allowed African-Americans to flee the South to work in northern cities and begin new lives away from Jim Crow and agricultural jobs.

It’s only my surmise, but I suspect the Right Wing’s hatred of passenger rail comes from a similar disdain for the common people. Train tickets are cheaper than airfares (for seats, anyway) and they allow someone without a car to move about relatively freely. Worse yet, the trains allow “those people” to visit places “our people” frequent, a thought that I think dwells in the back of the RW mind.

Plus, there is a strong association between city people and railroads, since the only active passenger lines serve the coastal elites. So, the RW Congressmen in the interior can justify gutting Amtrak, because their constituents have never been on a train - ever. So, they don’t know what they would be missing. The Right can dismiss Amtrak as a needless piece of “socialism.”

Zoellner also points out that railroads by and large boost local and national economies, and nations that invest in passenger rail are investing in their futures. But try telling the GOP that.

Thanks for the rec. Many years ago I was talking to my grandmother about getting around when she was a young woman. She said that Illinois was criss-crossed by trains and there were smaller electric systems (interurban). It was our past, but the car largely destroyed it.

117
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:26:03am
118
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:27:35am

re: #113 William Lewis

Thanks for the thoughts. I’ve requested the book from our library so if nothing else that will be fun :) I got used to real trains in Europe with the Army in the early 80’s so I’ve been missing them for decades.

It’s an easy read, but well documented. His coverage of China’s high speed rail is a little out of date, because the system has expanded so rapidly, and I’d quibble over some of his details. But, China has effectively built a rapid transit system for its military, should they ever need to commandeer the trains for troop movement.

119
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:30:21am

re: #116 Barefoot Grin

Thanks for the rec. Many years ago I was talking to my grandmother about getting around when she was a young woman. She said that Illinois was criss-crossed by trains and there were smaller electric systems (interurban). It was our past, but the car largely destroyed it.

The car manufacturers helped it along. They bought up those interurban lines, then quickly dismantled them to create roadways for cars and trucks.

120
Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:33:42am

re: #119 wheat-dogg

The car manufacturers helped it along. They bought up those interurban lines, then quickly dismantled them to create roadways for cars and trucks.

The same companies that bought up the companies making streetcars and closing them down?

121
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:37:21am

re: #120 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))

The same companies that bought up the companies making streetcars and closing them down?

Yup. Interurban lines were competing with cars in the early part of the 20th century, and occupied very useful rights of way. The easiest way to get rid of the competition was to buy it.

122
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:41:01am

re: #120 Wendell Zurkowitz ((slave to the waffle light))

The same companies that bought up the companies making streetcars and closing them down?

Pittsburgh Railways was the wonderful streetcar (light rail) company in the day. It had always run feeder bus service. Eventually the bus service dislocated the rail entirely. An NPR discussion explained that it was largely the relationship of economics and the increasing pace of settlement change. It takes many months and big dollars to alter a streetcar line, only a bit of planning and communication to shift a bus line to new user patterns.

123
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:41:46am

re: #115 A Mom Anon

[Embedded content]

Ap/c/ZrcUl4pBfTnlHDCk9fn3ffXHap8GaAP8MYaqGx5ur3n7LFCW/GHAQiQbzuU7cn1E5ffw5ijr/J8LX/fcTZ0GgSNWMCHKdoc1mPpfoVomqv4Ffc1oHHQcIVr+Ls+pIhBKr4XkcR3fgaOf5crifcH3G2UtMN/Oc3C9oZ3jfXqSfTuv8M6cbVpL0sUwA2GTEcU6cnd2VIlDn+ZE6ajHw==

124
Eventual Carrion  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:50:06am

re: #104 Barefoot Grin

Fox and Friends was back on the case this morning with an interview with Jim Jordan—Mueller panel is hopelessly biased!!!!!

[Embedded content]

And Trey Gowdy and his inquisition crew were all middle of the road independents. Sure thing.

125
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:52:33am
126
scottslemmons  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:54:05am

re: #121 wheat-dogg

Yup. Interurban lines were competing with cars in the early part of the 20th century, and occupied very useful rights of way. The easiest way to get rid of the competition was to buy it.

“You see, I bought the Red Car so I could dismantle it.”

127
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 6:57:49am
128
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:02:03am

re: #125 Backwoods_Sleuth

No matter how badly Kentucky pillages their university system, they will never lead the SEC.

129
BlueSpotinAL  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:03:51am

re: #118 wheat-dogg

It’s an easy read, but well documented. His coverage of China’s high speed rail is a little out of date, because the system has expanded so rapidly, and I’d quibble over some of his details. But, China has effectively built a rapid transit system for its military, should they ever need to commandeer the trains for troop movement.

So, kind of like the US interstate system in the Eisenhower administration.

130
wheat-dogg  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:08:24am

re: #129 BlueSpotinAL

So, kind of like the US interstate system in the Eisenhower administration.

Quite so. They’ve also expanded their expressway system, too. The transport system now allows factories to operate in the interior and ship products to the coastal cities within a day. The goal is to give largely agricultural provinces an economic boost.

131
Sir John Barron  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:08:32am

re: #127 The Vicious Babushka

This fear and loathing is well-deserved, earned.

132
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:09:36am
133
Sir John Barron  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:09:44am

re: #117 The Vicious Babushka

In which universe? In the parallel universe of Trumpworld it’s probably holding up quite well, where they will believe anything the dotard tells them.

134
dangerman  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:10:11am

re: #131 Sir John Barron

This fear and loathing is well-deserved, earned.

this is merely fact: “..look at his twitter feed and say ‘he’s a wild-eyed maniac.’”

135
HappyWarrior  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:10:21am

re: #127 The Vicious Babushka

[Embedded content]

I’ll remember this time you use NRO to claim Trump isn’t a “real conservative” Rich and it’s not just the Twitter account, it’s everything.

136
dangerman  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:10:39am

re: #132 Decatur Deb

[Embedded content]

Video

the hair!

137
Sir John Barron  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:15:22am

re: #134 dangerman

this is merely fact: “..look at his twitter feed and say ‘he’s a wild-eyed maniac.’”

Never mind the fact that for the past eight years Lowery and the wingnut universe have equally feared and loathed Obama who behaved, shall we say, with much greater awareness, sensitive, and presidential etiquette than the Yam.

138
HappyWarrior  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:17:01am

re: #137 Sir John Barron

Never mind the fact that for the past eight years Lowery and the wingnut universe have equally feared and loathed Obama who behaved, shall we say, with much greater awareness, sensitive, and presidential etiquette than the Yam.

Lowry is nothing but a well paid concern troll like the other dicks at National Retrogrades Online.

139
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:25:27am
140
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:46:18am

re: #132 Decatur Deb

And here I was expecting a cover by a band named confound the science…

Now that was funny but I need to go listen to the cover by The Disturbed just to get the right words in my mind…

Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence [Official Music Video]

141
Oblongatis  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:48:37am

re: #126 scottslemmons

Looking to get dipped?

142
scottslemmons  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:50:35am

re: #141 Oblongatis

Looking to get dipped?

Oh My God It’s Dip

143
dangerman  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:51:40am

re: #140 William Lewis

And here I was expecting a cover by a band named confound the science…

Now that was funny but I need to go listen to the cover by The Disturbed just to get the right words in my mind…

[Embedded content]

Video

if not for my early new year’s resolution i would have likely skipped this
and it would have been my loss
+1

144
Decatur Deb  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:52:49am

re: #143 dangerman

If that’s Metal, it’s the best Metal cut ever.

145
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 7:56:32am

re: #144 Decatur Deb

If that’s Metal, it’s the best Metal cut ever.

David Draiman is an amazing singer. His reach is far beyond that of mere metal.

146
Backwoods_Sleuth  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:02:09am

LOL

147
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:14:14am

Here’s a happy little tale about a skeezy grifter who’s gotten in way over his head.

148
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:21:22am

I never knew I’d enjoy old President side-eye so much.

149
Colère Tueur de Lapin  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:23:33am

re: #107 ObserverArt

Well crap. This bums me out. No, in a way it pisses me off.

A bunch of people have already stopped posting much because of the no hope crowd.

With Charles posting this, no hope may become the theme around here.

Fuck that.

I guess I’m going to have to join them. I’m a hopeful person. This may no longer be the site for that…and for me.

Yeah, I’m crushed. Bigly.

I have some hope and then my nihilism kicks in and then I try to reassert that nihilism is bad and I mustn’t go down that road.

But, regardless of hope or despair or desire for bad shit to happen, I find that the discourse here is much better than elsewhere, so leaving or limiting reading is not a great idea. The no reading anything is not an option due to political junkieness. So, this is the best place to political junkie at.

150
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:25:17am

re: #149 Colère Tueur de Lapin

I find that the discourse here is much better than elsewhere

Strong cosign!

151
Stanley Sea  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:27:48am

re: #147 makeitstop

Here’s a happy little tale about a skeezy grifter who’s gotten in way over his head.

[Embedded content]

LOL

Unfortunately, Jared is what is known in the real estate world as “terrible at buying real estate”.

152
William Lewis  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:28:16am

So I’m driving home from my VA appointment and an unmistakable riff comes on the radio. I crank it waiting for Warren Zevon’s vocal to start. Instead it’s someone else singing a bad pastiche of Night Moves crossed with being a junkie. I get home & Oh no fucking wonder…

It’s by Kid Rock.

Talentless hack steals the whole (not just the riff, not a sample - the WHOLE song) of Werewolves of London & then puts idiotic lyrics over top of it. On a scale of one to ten it’s a minus 4.

153
Skip Intro  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:31:59am

re: #100 John Carter

Charles, I am sure you read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. For those who haven’t on this board I strongly recommend it. It is scarier than any Steven King novel - but you’ll like the ending ;)

Things were a lot bleaker for those folks. They had to crawl through some Andy Dufresne level of shit to get to the other side. (Another Steven King reference!)

Things will get bad and horrible things will happen but we have to stay the coarse.

They “got through to the other side” only because the allies destroyed their country and killed a shitload of Nazis and millions of civilians.. The German people were powerless to do anything themselves, and like the US now, quite a few of them were perfectly happy with the way the Nazis ran things; at least until the bombs started dropping.

Getting through trump is not going to be easy or pleasant, if we get through it at all. Don’t kid yourselves about the magnitude of the disaster that was ushered into the country on November 8, 2016.

154
FormerDirtDart  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:32:39am

Isn’t it about time twitter banned Mikey Jr.?

155
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:34:56am

re: #152 William Lewis

So I’m driving home from my VA appointment and an unmistakable riff comes on the radio. I crank it waiting for Warren Zevon’s vocal to start. Instead it’s someone else singing a bad pastiche of Night Moves crossed with being a junkie. I get home & Oh no fucking wonder…

It’s by Kid Rock.

Talentless hack steals the whole (not just the riff, not a sample - the WHOLE song) of Werewolves of London & then puts idiotic lyrics over top of it. On a scale of one to ten it’s a minus 4.

One of the WORST. SONGS. I. EVER. HEARD. if not the WORST. SONG. EVER. is “Ah Puut Yore Pitchur Awaye” caterwauled alternately by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.

Pure ear poison.

156
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:44:17am

MOAR BREATHTAKING BULLSHIT FROM FUX NOISE

157
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:45:25am

All that proves is that the Trump campaign was engaged in a corrupt money scheme and the RNC was in on it.

158
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:45:55am

re: #149 Colère Tueur de Lapin

I have some hope and then my nihilism kicks in and then I try to reassert that nihilism is bad and I mustn’t go down that road.

But, regardless of hope or despair or desire for bad shit to happen, I find that the discourse here is much better than elsewhere, so leaving or limiting reading is not a great idea. The no reading anything is not an option due to political junkieness. So, this is the best place to political junkie at.

Job One is to hold each other up here, and try to stem what sometimes feels like an irreversible tide.

I remember living through Nixon. Reagan. Bushes I and II. All of these were the worst ever, all destined to end our world.

We survived, and now we have a new Worst Ever.

Someone’s got to clean up the mess for these clowns. It’s up to us, same as it ever was.

159
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:47:31am

re: #152 William Lewis

So I’m driving home from my VA appointment and an unmistakable riff comes on the radio. I crank it waiting for Warren Zevon’s vocal to start. Instead it’s someone else singing a bad pastiche of Night Moves crossed with being a junkie. I get home & Oh no fucking wonder…

It’s by Kid Rock.

Talentless hack steals the whole (not just the riff, not a sample - the WHOLE song) of Werewolves of London & then puts idiotic lyrics over top of it. On a scale of one to ten it’s a minus 4.

He bit a bit of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ for that one, too. The guy’s a hack.

160
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:49:13am
161
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:50:25am
162
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:51:54am

re: #161 JordanRules

[Embedded content]

Wow, he’s pretty good!

Side note: Tomorrow marks my 7 year Lizard-versary. Still good to be here.

163
Ace-o-aces  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:51:57am

re: #160 makeitstop

164
Skip Intro  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:52:37am

re: #160 makeitstop

Does it need two hands to hold a bottle of water? If they missed that it needs a rework.

165
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:53:38am

re: #164 Skip Intro

Does it need two hands to hold a bottle of water? If they missed that it needs a rework.

I personally think they made the hands way too big.

166
dangerman  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:56:57am

re: #42 Belafon

No. Just no.

The end of the US occurs when too many people on the left panic and then give up.

Mueller has to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. While he does that, his reach gets deeper and deeper and draws in more people. You want to get to the real people - Trump, McConnell, Ryan - you have to give him time and supply him the energy.

Even then, it’s not his job to save the Republic. It’s ours. And we can’t do it if we’re being all fatalistic about it.

i am firmly with this

mueller’s job is to do his job. wherever it takes him and however long it takes. it has not been that long.

that trump is president and how he got here (as well as the congress) is an entirely separate problem.
as is whether mueller’s work will nail the president

the entire mechanics of whether pence has to go first, or not (a la agnew/ford) is another dynamic altogether.

i am an optimist, not a pollyanna. the country, and the world, generally is moving in one direction. we are currently in a set back. an unsustainable one. how we get out of it / past it, the rebuilding, whether the dems have the smarts and vision to retake and regain control, — a lot of that is wait and see.

a couple of things i know for sure.
-change has a slow arc
- i’d rather have dems in charge than r’s. even so, in my experience i rarely get what “I” want out of them anyway. maybe things will be different going forward. maybe they’ve learned. maybe not.
- progress is slow and cant be undone. one example - you can deny climate change. you cant stop it. yes planning ahead would be better.
- many of the things i think are good and right, others dont, even those on “my” side. politics is a constant struggle whether you’re in power or not.
- i do not and have never expected anything to really affect me personally from political change. taxes ebb and flow. other people always get the advantages (the rich). social justice - vra, cra, healthcare, etc - move slowly forward.

hope is tough, especially in times of adversity (like mile 22 of a marathon).
yes they’re doing a lot of damage in a short time. - and there’s a lot of pushback
this is not a permanent republican majority. things will shift

i like it here. when i can take positive steps, i do. when i cant, i bitch, moan, carp and make fun of the opposition.

meanwhile, to stay sane
i smile when i can
i keep breathing
and i go slowly

do likewise. do not lose heart.

167
Barefoot Grin  Dec 19, 2017 • 8:58:17am

re: #159 makeitstop

He bit a bit of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ for that one, too. The guy’s a hack.

I’ll never understand that greasy motherfucker’s fame.

168
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:00:15am

re: #166 dangerman

i smile when i can
i keep breathing
and i go slowly

do likewise. do not lose heart.

This cannot be stressed enough.

169
makeitstop  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:01:20am

re: #167 Barefoot Grin

I’ll never understand that greasy motherfucker’s fame.

Right place, right time. At the time, he was a mediocre ‘nu-metal’ artist.

Turns out he’s actually a mediocre country singer.

170
dangerman  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:01:28am

re: #168 makeitstop

This cannot be stressed enough.

yup. Nixon, Reagan, Bushes I and II.

some of us have trained for this

171
Teukka  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:01:40am

re: #140 William Lewis

And here I was expecting a cover by a band named confound the science…

Now that was funny but I need to go listen to the cover by The Disturbed just to get the right words in my mind…

[Embedded content]

Nightcore - The Sound Of Silence DISTURBED - Lyrics + interpretation [4K]

This is a lyric video with an intepretation of the lyrics.

172
Ace-o-aces  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:03:02am

Fox News, confused by “facts”

173
A hollow voice says, Covfefe.  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:03:36am

re: #153 Skip Intro

WWII left them in ruins, physically and politically. In 20 years, they were back in (booming) business. We don’t need “help” from Allied military forces: we will throw them out ourselves. (Did you know that DT’s approval rating is 58% among Faux Noise viewers? It used to be in the nineties.)

And most of what’s been damaged was put in place during the Obama years, and practically all of the rest within our lifetimes. What one Congress can do with reconciliation, another can undo with the same tools.

Meanwhile, Confederate monuments and names are being removed everywhere, Nazis are noisy online because wherever they turn up in meatspace 50 times their numbers turn out and chase them away, women’s claims about harassment (and worse) are being heard, and Republicans are losing locally and nationally across the country.

The important thing is not to lose your nerve.

(I’m on my phone, out of town, and will be mostly unable to respond for the rest of the day, so I have to post and run. Sorry…)

174
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:04:11am

re: #152 William Lewis

So I’m driving home from my VA appointment and an unmistakable riff comes on the radio. I crank it waiting for Warren Zevon’s vocal to start. Instead it’s someone else singing a bad pastiche of Night Moves crossed with being a junkie. I get home & Oh no fucking wonder…

It’s by Kid Rock.

Talentless hack steals the whole (not just the riff, not a sample - the WHOLE song) of Werewolves of London & then puts idiotic lyrics over top of it. On a scale of one to ten it’s a minus 4.

On a side note, “Werewolves of London” was voted by BBC radio listeners as having ‘the greatest opening line in a song’ back in 2004.

Can’t say I have anything to disagree with about that.

175
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:04:24am

re: #169 makeitstop

Don’t forget all that was preceded by his hip hop DJ/rapper grift.

176
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:07:01am

She made sure to identify the twerp with the C.
Good on you Joy!

177
JordanRules  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:08:50am
178
BeachDem  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:12:00am

Short. Sweet. To the point.

179
Romantic Heretic  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:16:24am

re: #61 Joe Bacon 🌹

Objective Observer.

180
MsJ  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:16:30am

re: #156 The Vicious Babushka

MOAR BREATHTAKING BULLSHIT FROM FUX NOISE

[Embedded content]

The Committee to Defend the President, a political action committee, filed its complaint with the FEC on Monday with the allegations that the Hillary Victory Fund (HVF) solicited cash from big-name donors, including Calvin Klein and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane — money that was allegedly sent through state chapters and back to the DNC before ending up with the Clinton campaign.

Yawn.

181
Kilroy was here  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:17:08am

re: #163 Ace-o-aces

Disney will save a ton of money simply using stock store mannequin for Mike Pence (slightly less white than the real one)

182
Joe Bacon 🌹  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:18:43am

re: #152 William Lewis

Kid Crock…

183
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:20:21am

re: #182 Joe Bacon 🌹

Kid Crock…

I remember when that Kid Rock “song” came out. It was an abomination.

184
Eventual Carrion  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:24:00am

re: #177 JordanRules

[Embedded content]

Forget 11-dimensional chess, this is Kama Sutra chess.

185
garzooma  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:25:48am

re: #152 William Lewis

Talentless hack steals the whole (not just the riff, not a sample - the WHOLE song) of Werewolves of London & then puts idiotic lyrics over top of it. On a scale of one to ten it’s a minus 4.

Of course, some say that Zevon plagiarized Lynyrd Skynyrd.

186
Sir John Barron  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:32:05am

re: #176 JordanRules

She made sure to identify the twerp with the C.
Good on you Joy!

She misspelled “UpChuck” thought.

187
goddamnedfrank  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:38:02am

re: #176 JordanRules

She made sure to identify the twerp with the C.
Good on you Joy!

[Embedded content]

188
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:42:58am

re: #185 garzooma

Or did Lynard Skynard rip off Funkadelic?

Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop - 09 - Can’t Stand The Strain

189
retired cynic  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:48:15am

re: #127 The Vicious Babushka

Ant the point is?

190
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:49:14am

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!!!!

191
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:52:04am

re: #190 The Vicious Babushka

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!!!!

[Embedded content]

Yeah, pretty sure I’ve read this book before.

192
Colère Tueur de Lapin  Dec 19, 2017 • 9:59:12am

re: #190 The Vicious Babushka

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!!!!

[Embedded content]

A researcher who was working with smallpox virus ended up being the route of the last death due to smallpox; a British medical photographer The researcher:

The first person to die was Henry Bedson. While his wife was distracted, he went into his garden and cut his throat.

A virulent pathogen with high infectivity rate is a serious matter. Even working under BL4 safety, their is the possibility of Bad Things Happening. Note, the Brit episode was not BL4 safety level.

193
Skip Intro  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:00:09am

...

194
FormerDirtDart  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:01:15am

re: #190 The Vicious Babushka

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!!!!

“Project Blue” gets you “Captain Trips”

195
FormerDirtDart  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:13:39am
196
Barefoot Grin  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:14:12am

re: #185 garzooma

Of course, some say that Zevon plagiarized Lynyrd Skynyrd.

I remember when Skynyrd invented the 1-4-5./////

(or 5-4-1 or whatever)

197
Eventual Carrion  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:18:37am

re: #196 Barefoot Grin

I remember when Skynyrd invented the 1-4-5./////

So progressive

198
Stanley Sea  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:21:18am

re: #190 The Vicious Babushka

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG!!!!

[Embedded content]

Am I the only one who’s thought of The Stand?

199
Stanley Sea  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:21:32am

re: #191 Dr Lizardo

Yeah, pretty sure I’ve read this book before.

[Embedded content]

Embedded Image

HA, I didn’t read below!!!

200
Khal Wimpo (the extinguisher of tiki torches)  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:22:28am

From the “No duh, Sherlock” department: Twitter exec admits “Blue Check” system is, was, and has always been fucked in the head:

Twitter’s vice president for public policy and communications in Europe, the Middle East and Africa Sinead McSweeney said it was originally introduced to spread reliable information about a disease outbreak and was never designed as a status symbol.

“People had been verified who never should have been verified,” she said.

“The entire system of verification is now suspended and it’s being fully reviewed.”

Are they actually cleaning out the Nazis?

In England, they have a Parliament that at least *TRIES* to do its job
201
FormerDirtDart  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:22:53am
202
Skip Intro  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:24:50am

re: #201 FormerDirtDart

Republicans in Congress still overwhelmingly support every thing he does though.

203
Jay C  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:27:34am

re: #202 Skip Intro

Republicans in Congress still overwhelmingly support every thing he does though.

Right: “Republicans in Congress”: a group whose approval polling is probably way less positive even than Donald Trump’s.

204
jaunte  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:29:30am
205
Dave In Austin  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:36:31am
206
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:37:19am

re: #201 FormerDirtDart

And of course, Trump likely doesn’t know about that because the toadies, lickspittles and sycophants around him either won’t tell him the truth or they’ll just dismiss it as “fake news”.

207
allegro  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:41:21am

re: #206 Dr Lizardo

And of course, Trump likely doesn’t know about that because the toadies, lickspittles and sycophants around him either won’t tell him the truth or they’ll just dismiss it as “fake news”.

When they start with a moron and add demensia that isn’t a hard thing to do.

208
Unshaken Defiance  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:43:37am

Effing George Zimmerman….
Really outta just shut that mouth.
littlegreenfootballs.com

209
A Mom Anon  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:43:50am

OK, here’s a stupid question…how is it possible to get anything done in DC (and for that matter in state and local governments, because the stink is everywhere) without going through lobbyists? What if I got into office and simply refused to deal with them or let my staff so much as look sideways at them? Would I be ran out of town on a rail? I mean, we didn’t always have K Street, did we?

210
jaunte  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:44:37am
211
jaunte  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:46:44am
212
MsJ  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:47:36am

re: #201 FormerDirtDart

I seriously want to give Scarborough a big fuck you. (Disclosure, he blocked me months ago for saying this) All he did was pump up trump all day every day on his two or three hours every morning. They were buds!

Now…look at your party Joe. You bought and sold this. So, FUCK YOU.

213
Dave In Austin  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:47:58am

Ryans Spewing now

214
Eclectic Cyborg  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:48:40am

re: #208 Unshaken Defiance

Why can’t that horrible asshole just go away for good?

215
The Vicious Babushka  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:49:25am
216
MsJ  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:50:17am

re: #208 Unshaken Defiance

Effing George Zimmerman….
Really outta just shut that mouth.
littlegreenfootballs.com

Pretty sure Jay-Z can handle himself. It’s not like he was born with a silver spoon shoved up his butt.

Bring it, Zimmerman you freaking loser.

217
bratwurst  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:50:25am
218
jaunte  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:50:55am
219
Dr Lizardo  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:51:05am

Well, good night Lizards. Europe signing off for the day.

220
MsJ  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:51:06am

re: #214 Eclectic Cyborg

Why can’t that horrible asshole just go away for good?

One day he is going to mess with the wrong person. Then he will go away. In a box.

221
Eclectic Cyborg  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:51:19am

re: #209 A Mom Anon

Without lobbyists and special interests you have almost no chance of getting elected in the first place. Campaigns don’t pay for themselves, without at least a few major donors you’re dead in the water.

222
A Mom Anon  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:53:04am

re: #216 MsJ

As Jay Z giggles and points at his sorry ass from his giant ass mansion with every security device known to man installed. Plus security staff. I’d almost pay really good money to watch that shit happen.

223
Eclectic Cyborg  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:53:12am

re: #218 jaunte

Of course he’s been looking forward to it, he finally gets to stick it to the poor in grand fashion.

224
Jay C  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:53:20am

re: #208 Unshaken Defiance

re: #214 Eclectic Cyborg

Wow! Whatta tough guy!
I’m sure Jay-Z and his peeps are quaking with fear —- NOT!

225
FormerDirtDart  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:55:47am
226
Belafon  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:57:04am

re: #180 MsJ

Yawn.

“Citizens United was only supposed to apply to Democrats!”

227
Dave In Austin  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:57:33am

I gotta turn the sound off before I break it.

228
danarchy  Dec 19, 2017 • 10:58:12am

re: #209 A Mom Anon

OK, here’s a stupid question…how is it possible to get anything done in DC (and for that matter in state and local governments, because the stink is everywhere) without going through lobbyists? What if I got into office and simply refused to deal with them or let my staff so much as look sideways at them? Would I be ran out of town on a rail? I mean, we didn’t always have K Street, did we?

Not sure of the history of K street specifically, but lobbying and paid advocacy have been around pretty much since the founding.

229
jaunte  Dec 19, 2017 • 11:01:06am

“The people that matter.”


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