Probably not first, since I read the whole thing and haven’t refreshed yet.

I like this one

Now, every Johnny Two-by-four

Is it original? Or is it one of the many things I’m ignorant of? At any rate, I can, without hardly straining myself at all, come up with a couple of interpretations:
1) He’s thick as a board / has a wooden head; aka he’s pretty stupid.
2) it tajes a 2×4 to get his attention, rather like that mule.

At any rate, thanks for the read.

there is no feminist stereotype I won’t embrace like a starving man on a discarded sandwich

EMBRACE THE SANDWICH.

there is no feminist stereotype I won’t embrace like a starving man on a discarded sandwich

“Mmmmmmm……………..sandwich” – H.Simpson

Crossposted from old thread: Paul Krugman selfies.

http://gawker.com/here-are-paul-krugman-s-selfies-1579241114

I wish I could drop a bomb on the nation that instead of death, would just release knowledge instead.
John Brunner once wrote a book for you.

“a small handful of Americans attacked on what was technically American soil”

Sadly, No!

I know that global warming means the end of the world unless we act now, but don’t you think that there’s a little bit too much money going to Democratic Party contributors and rather too many birds getting killed by wind turbines?

Sigh. This is what depresses me. Sane human beings won’t be able to do a thing about global climate change until all the rich lunatics finally give up their ostrich like opposition.

I’m in my sixties now, so the climate changes will only affect me for the next 10 to 25 years of my life, but I fear for the future… just for one example, if the Gulf Stream ever disappears, the UK is screwed, big time… it’s way up north of Labrador.

I know that global warming means the end of the world unless we act now, but don’t you think that there’s a little bit too much money going to Democratic Party contributors and rather too many birds getting killed by wind turbines?

This is a rather egregious piece of bullshit. Buildings kill more bird than wind turbines ever will. I’m not sure you want to open the ‘too much money going to Democratic Party contributors’ can of worms. Ask Raytheon what we got for the billions we’ve spent on ballistic missile defense. Ask Halliburton to account for what they’ve done with the billions shoveled in their direction in the decade plus of wars we’ve been putting on the national credit card. Ask every sitting congressperson why they are allowed to engage in what would be insider trading for anyone else.

I’ve got a thought experiment. How about for every dollar the US hands out to defense contractors, to oil companies, in direct subsidies and in tax cuts, we make the same amount of money available to split evenly between infrastructure, and green energy projects. That way we keep the gravy train rolling for the established players, and we finally get some movement on the issues that will change the world for the worse. We could fund it by aggressively enforcing existing tax law. Not even any new taxes, just a little money for the IRS and the SEC to do their freaking jobs. Clearly since everyone here is a law abiding citizen, and has nothing good to say about tax cheats and stock market swindlers freeloading on the rest of us, that would be the most equitable way to fund my little project. Whaddaya say?

Lady Marjorie and I went to lunch on Mothers Day with an older liberal couple. You don’t want to have a political dogfight on Mother’s Day,

Why the fuck were you out antagonizing some other couple on Mother’s Day? Don’t you have like… your own mother

Perhaps the older liberal couple were his parents. Or maybe his in-laws.

That sure is a lot of questions.
I think my favorite it this one:

What do you think about Benghazi? Suppose a Republican president had been prepping for a presidential debate the night that terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound and then lied about it? What sort of investigation would you recommend then?

Suppose a Republican president had already been elected and ignored intelligence warnings about an imminent, large scale attack on American soil, then it HAPPENED, and then the same president attacked a nation that he knew had nothing to do with it, while setting up an illegal detention center off our shores, institutionalized torture as an accepted method of interrogation, lied about every single bit of all of this…

What would your “liberal friends” do? How about NOT FUCKING MUCH.

So I guess that means I get to junkpunch you, Cantrill, since everything your precious neocon profiteers do is all YOUR fault?

Is it bad that there were at least three questions that I would have stared blankly over. I have only the haziest ideas of who Lois Lerner is and I can recall one brief article I read on Pickett only (at least I assume it was Pickett, it could have been George Herbert for all I know). As far as the documentaries, wah? And the rest of the questions, mostly it would be like a pitching machine on super slow. Here’s one, whap. Here’s another, whap.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/03/31/time-for-real-leadership-on-climate-change-energy-national-security/?intcmp=trending

The parallels between the political decisions regarding climate change we have made and the decisions that led Europe to World War One are striking – and sobering. The decisions made in 1914 reflected political policies pursued for short-term gains and benefits, coupled with institutional hubris, and a failure to imagine and understand the risks or to learn from recent history. The result was a disaster in many ways; its reverberations continue to shape Europe and indeed the entire world today.

“Dishonest!” says the troll who habitually uses my nym.

You can’t make this shit up.

And the rest of the questions, mostly it would be like a pitching machine on super slow. Here’s one, whap. Here’s another, whap.

That is a nice list of footbullets–though it would be easier to respond to them if those right wingers were capable of being self aware and accepting ethereal concepts like, say, reality and stuff.

http://thevane.gawker.com/pat-sajak-global-warming-alarmists-are-unpatriotic-ra-1579080083

Pat Sajak— crazier than a snark-blog troll!

Thanks for lampshading the gish gallop Cerb. I was reading through the source article and I kept saying to myself, why does this guy remind me of a creationist?

God what a horrible dinner guest that little man must be. Asking people about specific source material in a fashion that implies the should have already reviewed makes you sound like an testy TA trying to silence a contrary undergrad by pointing out they haven’t done the reading.

Just one question. What does any of this have to do with Mother’s Day?

I was expecting a long rant about aren’t you grateful your mother didn’t abort you and think of all the poor children of gay couples who will never have a mother. That at least would’ve been on target, sort of. What the fuck is… this?

The parallels between the political decisions regarding climate change we have made and the decisions that led Europe to World War One are striking –

As everyone who has read The Wind Turbines of August already knows.

As everyone who has read The Wind Turbines of August already knows.

Relevent:

xkcd – alternative energy revolution

Ok, Dennis, you can go ahead and keep my old nym, especially since you’ve given it the redolent aroma of stale beer farts.

If I could have a beer with anyone on the internet, it would probably be Randall Monroe of xkcd.

“Mmmmmmm……………..sandwich” – H.Simpson

Mr. Burns: For god sakes, man. Use an open-faced club. The sand wedge.
Homer: Mmmmm… open-faced club sandwich.

If I could have a beer with anyone on the internet, it would probably be Randall Monroe of xkcd.

Harumph.

Canadian scientist and broadcaster David Suzuki interviewed by Bill Moyers— “The war on climate scientists”

http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-the-war-on-climate-scientists/

Oh, OBS. It goes without saying! Besides, I’ve already had beers with present company the last three nights a row. Hoping for many happy returns.

Ahem… Reading comprehension skills much?

Of course no conservative would think of asking such rude questions of a faithful liberal on Mother’s Day of all days.

Well, yeah, because you’d be an ignorant asshole and an embarrassment to your romantic partner (if you actually have a romantic partner). It’s not because they are rude or genuinely hard questions, but because they reveal you to be a dumbass mass of crazy and stupid that might make those few fleeting remnants of friends wonder just why they waste their short lives hanging around the likes of you.

Some Dennis asks:

Why do liberal commenters always give a pass to liberal bloggers for having deceived them?

For the same reason liberal commenters give a pass to President Obama for his frequent public announcements of his intention to blow up the moon and destroy the farm belt with a rain of green cheese meteors, as long as we’re asking the reasons why liberal bloggers give people a pass on completely imaginary things that aren’t actually happening. You bag of asses.

Here’s a cunning plan for you liberals. Vote by secret ballot for the Republican in 2016, but don’t tell your liberal friends what you did.

“Dear Penthouse,”

What would you suggest we do about those racist Tea Partiers?

The Republican establishment is doing its damnedest to weed them out. As far as the rank-and-file goes, we all saw how formidable the still are last Friday. They are now spending most of their time infighting.

An eloquent reply, Mr. Loomis.

However,, given the troll’s reading comprehension skills, we can expect him to start posting about those Obama green cheese meteors in five… four… three… two…

As everyone who has read “The Wind Turbines of August” already knows. — Pup

Laughter in New Mexico.

Use an open-faced club. The sand wedge.
Homer: Mmmmm… open-faced club sandwich.

OBS: You should be ashamed of yourself for such a wicked pun. That was just awful. 🙂

Steel cage match— the Koch brothers vs. the Pope!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/21/1300969/-Pope-Francis-Causing-Climate-Change-Is-a-Sin

Go figure! New study shows GOPers LIE way more than Dems.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2014/05/19/new-study-proves-republicans-are-significantly-more-likely-to-lie-than-democrats/?utm_source=crowdignite.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crowdignite.com

Cerb omitted the end of Chantrill’s sentence. She stopped after the comma, obviously on purpose based on her response.

Read it again, Some Dennis, and you’ll find that after some editorializing, she goes on to quote the very sentence you accuse her of omitting.

The only thing blatantly dishonest and shameful is you and your GOP-style bullshit.

OBS: You should be ashamed of yourself for such a wicked pun. That was just awful. 🙂

I wish I could take credit, but you’ll need to blame “The Simpsons” writers — that is a quote from one of the episodes where Homer and Mr. Burns play golf.

Maureen Dowd is truly the queen of smarm; this stunning example was in today’s grey lady. Pretty much hits every mark. (Any excuse to link that Scocca piece.)

Shorter: “I would like to delicately, politely kick the Overton window in the direction of considering actual government censorship.”

Remember Seb, and Brad, and Gavin, and Retardo Montalban, and Tintin, and Jillian, and Mr Leonard Pierce, and Demogenes Aristophanes, and Travis, and your mother?

I’m sitting here reading through the list of scholarships for graduate programs. I’m on “B.” 2/26ths of the way there…

Bozo,
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.

Okay, I opened a Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. Feeling better now. Made it to “D.” OBS, any thoughts on my beverage choice?

Some Pennis spurted the following:

She omitted the restof the sentence because adding it there would make no sense with what she was going to say.

And then she quoted the sentence, so what’s your point? Besides the reason your mama always told you to wear a hat.

You can’t admit you were stupid enough to fall for it.

It’s always projection.

Steel cage match— the Koch brothers vs. the Pope!

Are the Kochs the kind of Christians who think Catholics aren’t Christian?

Some of these scholarship applicant descriptions sound like they belong on Craigslist:

QUALIFICATIONS: Applicant must be lesbian, aspiring to be a theater director and graduate with the MFA degree.
DEADLINE: February 12.
FUNDS AVAILABLE: No specific amount.

OBS, any thoughts on my beverage choice?

I like many of Lagunitas’ offerings, but Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is a bit too sweet for me (or it was last time I had it). I’m not a huge wheat beer fan in general, so that may have something to do with it as well. That beer may have improved, it’s been a while. Seems like a couple years back all their beers were a bit under-attenuated and had an overly-sweet finish, but that seems to have improved. I recently had their new “Nightlife” dark ale and it was quite nice. I also drink their IPA and Maximus quite often. Cool brewery to visit too, neat outdoor seating area.

Also, too: this is a collection of “Fuck You Autocorrect!” screenshots. Very amusing and may be considered a happy antidote to any lingering troll spoor.

I hear the brewery is a blast. I have also noticed that their beers seem to all feature a very sweet taste, but I think in most cases it doesn’t detract — never syrupy or cloying. My favorite is their Undercover Shutdown from this year. Never seen the Nightlife. There’s a very good little beer store around the way, I might ask if they can get it.

I recently had this back-bencher from a favorite team on tap at a bar and it was just totally divine. Perfect for the start of summer weather.

“Applicant must demonstrate a desire to develop pastry art skills.”

“Applicants must be judo students who are high school seniors or graduate students pursuing a college degree in Education.”

I recently had this back-bencher from a favorite team on tap at a bar and it was just totally divine. Perfect for the start of summer weather.

Sounds delish! I haven’t had that one, but I’ve had others from that brewery — I’ll keep an eye out. I’m a major Belgian beer fan.

The way I ordered the beer is I looked at the tap list and asked the beer guy, “It’s almost summer. What beer do you have that I would be an idiot not to order?”

James Randi better not know I posted an incredibly inflammatory blog article about his foundation’s response to sexual harassment claims, because I am about to apply to take his money and use it for school.

Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.*

*Offer not valid in red states.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/wtf–15

I’m not sure why this isn’t a bigger deal. I hadn’t heard about it other than in this brief passage tucked away in a Politico article about the House GOP agriculture bill. But it takes a small program intended provide meals to children in the school lunch program during the summer months and says it can now only be used to benefit kids in “rural areas”.
[…]

Democrats were surprised to see urban children were excluded. And the GOP had some trouble explaining the history itself. But a spokeswoman confirmed that the intent of the bill is a pilot project in “rural areas” only.

There seems to be a degree of understatement going on here, particularly in the final paragraph. What gives?

I can answer that in one word: Animus. To expand, animus of the racist sort.

Tempora mutanturs in Red States; if you don’t mutamur yourself you might be eligible for an extremely dodgy scholarship of $1500 or less for one year only.

“Applicants must be upper division and graduate-level students at California Universities, who are majoring in Viticulture, Enology or Wine Marketing; California State College students pursuing two-year certification or A.S. Degrees in Winemaking. Previous recipients may apply.”

Heyo! Anyone wanna go back to school?

From the evidence of his writing and his thought processes, I thnk it’s clear that this Christopher Chantrill character actually IS Dennis.

That sure is a lot of questions.
I think my favorite it this one:

What do you think about Benghazi? Suppose a Republican president had been prepping for a presidential debate the night that terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound and then lied about it? What sort of investigation would you recommend then?

Suppose a Republican president had already been elected and ignored intelligence warnings about an imminent, large scale attack on American soil, then it HAPPENED, and then the same president attacked a nation that he knew had nothing to do with it, while setting up an illegal detention center off our shores, institutionalized torture as an accepted method of interrogation, lied about every single bit of all of this…

Here’s another one:
The US Marine barracks in Beirut were bombed in … 1983, I believe (241 US – the only ones that count – deaths), some 6 months after another bombing in Beirut, at the US Embassy (17 US – the only ones that count – deaths). Lots of warnings, no (helpful) actions from the Reagan administration. There were ignored warnings then. too.

And what about the Ayatollah Khomeni? Remember him? A theocratic (Muslim!!11!!) ruler of a foreign power holding US citizens hostage, who so preferred Reagan as US President that he pointedly waited until Reagan was sworn in to release them. Talk about furriners having an interest in US Presidential campaigns!

It appears that Ed Grimley was tragically wrong all these years about Pat Sajak being a pretty decent guy, I must say.

Doesn’t it look like the guy has no liberal “friend” to talk to ? Is like he has spent months ruminating those zingers to throw at anyone who will listen.

I’d be very surprised if any liberal in his vicinity / family circle / work environment can tolerate to talk to him for more than 2 seconds because he clearly is a terribly unpleasant fellow. And a moron

I don’t get the Piketty line. I haven’t read their work but it sounds like a good point and I approve of raising taxes on the rich like all liberals do. I guess we’re supposed to be horrified because NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDS!

Also, Cerb, I wouldn’t mind a post or two on trans issues. I read many posts about the subject on tumblr but it would be nice to hear from someone who isn’t a teenager. (I feel so old there at 28)

I feel so old there at 28

Get off my lawn kid!

(shakes cane)

I feel so old there at 28

It gets better.

HAHA no it doesn’t.

Actually, FA, we’re supposed to be horrified because raising taxes for any reason whatever, like a national health care system, “equals Communism and dope. Uh, little lady, I’ll have one of your sixteen-ounce T-bones, medium rare.” (I can’t be the only one here who’s read that book.)

Well, since you have officially assumed my former nym, Dennis, I guess the “Some guy rhymes with dumb guy” must be– you!

You know, what’s funny with right wing idiots like you?

As soon as one of your bogus assertions is resoundingly disproven, then you immediately forget about it and move right on to the next bogus assertion.

Tiresome, to say the least.

Also Benghazi. The troll’s copypasta didn’t mention Benghazi in the list of Obama’s failures and incompetency. So Benghazi and Benghazi will make the 2014 elections Benghazi. Which shows that Benghazi libs are Benghazi hyprocrites and also Benghazi. So there, libs. Check and checkmate and Benghazi.

Seize: The Gawker essay was worth reading, despite its lenght.. (But there was a LOTof inside baseball. Also in the interest of helping you find scholarships, perja[s I might invent a few myself. Also, I’ve enjoyed you engagement as a common tater. I’m glad you stepped out of the shadows.

But for now I’m off to baseball.

Fenwick, that was much more coherent and persuasive than any “thought” of which Pennis has shown himself capable. (I can’t speak to what he actually is capable of, only to what he’s shown himself capable of, which is willful stupidity, willful mendacity, and willful tertiary recto-basal ambiguity.)

Please, somebody just wish it into the cornfield.

It was a GOOD thing that you turned him into a jack-In-the-box!

Speaking of a lack of self awareness, this asshat says no conservative would “think” of asking these questions and then writes an entire article about him thinking about doing the exact thing

Well, this guy is a special conservative, see? He goes where angels fear to tread.

Yes, I believe “special” is the term they use these days.

Failure Artist (and anyone else with similar desires for some more inside-basebally trans* posts)-

Send me some emails to cerberussadlyno at gmail dot com about what in particular you’d like me to wax philosophic about and I’ll write up some posts answering those questions to the best of my abilities on my personal blog and link to it here.

Or if there is greater interest for a one-off or every-once-in-a-while uber trans* thread here, I can also do that.

Conservatives turning their noses up at free energy (ie. wind turbines) because they’re worried about the fate of a few miserable little birdies?

Now you’re just making shit up.

Conservatives turning their noses up at free energy (ie. wind turbines) because they’re worried about the fate of a few miserable little birdies?

Meanwhile, they have no qualms about riding ATVs through piping plover nesting sites.

Conservatives turning their noses up at free energy (ie. wind turbines) because they’re worried about the fate of a few miserable little birdies?

Birdies love oil rigs, mountaintop mining and smokestacks apparently.

Birdies love oil rigs, mountaintop mining and smokestacks apparently.

Canaries love coal mines.

Pennis quoted something called the Fiscal Times, which is presumably like the Financial Times only not so far to the left:

What does it take to get fired from a job in the Barack Obama administration?

A question we asked a lot during the Cheney adsinistration, and it usually turned out the answer was “Failing Darth Cheney” or some other form of “Being a public embarrassment to Republicans”. For a not-a-Republican-I-swear to be asking that about the Obama administration calls to my mind driftglass’ question (run through the Something Awful word filter to bring it to pre-watershed standards):

if [Insert any issue in the loving Universe here] is so singularly loving important, where the gently caress were you during the eight, long years during which Bush was making [Insert any issue in the loving Universe here] infinitely worse[?]

Pennis, I started to read your comment before replying to it, but then I asked myself why I should afford you a courtesy you obviously didn’t afford me.

Or, to put it another way, mashing up Fred Clark, driftglass, and Blank and Lebling:

“But why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the cedar of Lebanon that is shoved in so mightily at thy fundament that the head of it proceedeth out of thy mouth and saith unto each, ‘Hello, sailor’?”

if Hillary gets ejected.

Careful, Pennis. Premature impeach-ulation is a serious problem, one I’d have thought the GOP would’ve learned from in 1998. (I mean, learned something other than “we need to have more media saturation, and do a better job of browbeating what’s left of the ‘liberal’ media into a submissive crouch, before we make another attempt at avenging what the International Communist Conspiracy did to the blameless and holy St. Richard of Yorba Linda.”)

“Do you have your own opinion on the VA scandal?”

I think the VA wouldn’t have so much burden on it if Republican Presidents didn’t regularly use The Troops as human shields to deflect criticism of their anti-freedom policies, and if Democratic Presidents didn’t fall into the trap of thinking that being Tough On Smaller Nations will make Republicans stop calling them wimpy shrimpy objectively-pro-Communist whatchama-things. Beyond that, since I’ve seen no sign that you’re actually going to listen to anything I say, I see no reason to go into detail.

While we’re supposing things whose relationship to objective reality is tenuous at best, “[l]et us suspose [sic] that Joan of Arc escaped the fires of judgment against her, and the Pope and the King crucified a light image of her. What does this thought say for the 9 Jehovah Kingdoms of Heaven. 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 that concentrate in the 51 Temple on Earth.” (Rob Cypher, “Joan of Arc: Sword Swinger for a Higher Heaven”, 1999)

As much fun as it’s been re-enacting the West Wing episode where CJ goes on Not Fox News, Honest, and the interviewer has a TelePrompTer positioned over CJ’s shoulder to feed him the talking points with which he can Gish Gallop roughshod over her attempts to say literally anything at all, my gams aren’t nearly as nice as Allison Janney’s (though they may be longer), and we’re both getting dirty and the pig is enjoying it. If the Cleanup Crew decides that my comments, same as your extrusions, need to be cut off and distributed amongst the poor, I’ll be all right.

we’re both getting dirty and the pig is enjoying it.

Indeed.

However, what harm can there be in merriment at the inadvertent comedy provided by a pig who insists on attempting to walk and talk like a human being?

The VA has been a mess for decades, the Republicans only notice though when a Democrat is in the White House. So if Dennis is truly concerned about the state of the VA then he should vote for the Democrat in the next presidential election. Of course, that won’t actually fix anything because the Republicans aren’t interested in fixing the VA, they are only interested in blaming a Democrat for the mess. If Dennis was really, really concerned about it then he and the rest of his “support the troops” real ‘Mericans would get behind Bernie Sanders who has been pushing to fix the VA for decades and has an actual plan to do so. After all, the VA is a socialist program, who better to know how to make it work than an actual socialist.

I’ll give you credit though in that you’re the first commenter here to bring up Bernue Sanders without apologizing first to all the pragmatists here for suggesting someone other than Hillary as your next leader.

Either I’m not doing my job, or you aren’t reading the threads closely. I am an insurgent against the Democrats. I’ve mentioned it any number of times and caught the flak thrown up by the ‘pragmatists’ here. I’ve made it clear that I voted for Sanders in the last two Presidential elections … and I will vote for him again in 2016. And I’ve never apologized to the ‘pragmatists’.

So Thread Bear is NOT the first commenter here to ‘suggest someone other than Hillary’. And many commentators here have expressed a preference for Senator Warren. So once again, you’re shitting out shit.

On a more serious note, I have a food project to deal with. I’m cooking up some ribs this weekend and I’m sorry to say that it’s been decades since I have done so. My plan is to pick up the ribs this evening and give them a nice dry rub then wrap them in foil and put them in the fridge till Saturday morning. Then I plan to slow cook them in the oven with a little Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce. Then back in the fridge till Sunday afternoon and then onto the grill with a slathering of sauce and then serve. Does this sound reasonable, or is there a better plan? Also how long and at what temp would you suggest for cooking in the oven?

I get my health care from the VA. I’ve had no problems, either with the VA Med Center in Baltimore, or the Center in Albuquerque. They are patient-centered and professional. While in Baltimore, I had three surgeries–and all of my mental health care–at Johns Hopkins and found the VA to be at the SAME high standards. I’ve mentioned here any number of times that I KNOW single-payer works because of the care I’ve gotten through the VA.

It will be evident to the readership which comments are mine, and which are the creature’s nymjacking.

Sweet sweet schadenfreude.

By obtaining internal strategic documents and board memoranda (the same documents that in 2012 revealed NOM’s strategy to “drive a wedge between gays and blacks”), the commission uncovered for the first time smoking gun evidence that “NOM intentionally set up its fundraising strategy to avoid donor disclosure laws.” In fact, NOM explicitly told its donors that by giving to NOM instead of state campaigns the donors’ identities would not be disclosed.

The commission describes how during 2009 four NOM officials developed relationships with 14 major donors through phone calls, personal visits, or events at the donor’s home or hotel. These 14 donors were responsible for 75 percent of NOM’s revenue.

[…]

An even more striking revelation is that Maine wasn’t the only state where NOM violated the law by refusing to disclose donors. In Iowa, the Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board warned NOM in August 2009 that “if people are going to donate to your organization for express advocacy activities in Iowa … your organization will be required to form a PAC and disclose those contributors. The independent expenditure process in Iowa is not a vehicle to shield political contributors.” NOM’s lawyers responded that the complaints that precipitated the warning were “unfounded and scurrilous” and that “no funds have been solicited by NOM for Iowa independent expenditures.”

According to documents obtained as part of the Maine investigation, this assertion was a lie. Just one month before, Brown allegedly sent to a NOM board member an email containing a draft of a proposed budget to be provided to NOM’s largest donor asking for a $2 million gift, including $300,000 for influencing legislative elections in Iowa. Likewise, NOM asked the donor to contribute $300,000 to an effort to defeat Gov. John Lynch in New Hampshire. NOM failed to disclose its activities in New Hampshire as well.

http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/05/22/op-ed-maine-report-lifts-veil-nom%E2%80%99s-illegal-fundraising-scheme

FYWP

“Fenwick” said,
May 22, 2014 at 17:50

I forgot to take my OCD meds last night and feel like shit today. Any suggestions?

HfFuckinglarious nymjack fail. Odds Pennis doesn’t know why it’s so funny?

Should be fine, TB. I always dry rub and cook in the oven. 325 for a couple hours will do it. I don’t much like sweet sauces so I either make my own slightly sweet sauce or forego saucing altogether until the grilling phase. I do like a basting sauce of peanut oil, honey, soy soss, thyme, hot soss, for grilling.

If you don’t like the way people treat you here, you might think about what goal or purpose you think your posting here serves in the first place.

But for Brown’s and NOM’s future, the bad news out of Oregon and Pennsylvania may pale next to the uncovering of its multiyear illegal fundraising scheme, which beyond raising concerns among other state regulators could give pause to the few secret donors who, in the absence of even modest grassroots support, have kept NOM open for business.

It’s fair to think that Brown’s already difficult days at the office are about to get a whole lot worse.

Some serious jail time might smarten up a lot of these rightwing scofflaws and encourage more of that much-vaunted conservative “personal responsibility”.

But these schemers will probably get the same kind of slap on the wrist as fellow fraudster D’Souza.

What does it take to get fired from a job in the Barack Obama administration?

If what happened to Shirley Sherrod didn’t get Vilsak’s bitch ass fired, I don’t know what the fuck it takes. Shinseki should be out on his ass too, which disappoints me because I liked him–to the extent that I can like a career military officer…

NOM–your very existence offends me. It is my mission to put you down.

I don’t make threats I can’t back up. EVER.

Internet tough guy–AT YOUR SERVICE. Holla bitchez

It gets better.

HAHA no it doesn’t.
You just get older. Some would say, “if you’re lucky;” that may be going too far.

But for now I’m off to baseball.
The Isotopes?

“Do you have your own opinion on the VA scandal?”

Yes. The reactionary & Republican attitude toward “the troops” is the same as their position on abortion. Hooray for the troops when they are killing for Jesus/Yay for the “unborn,” but once they’re out, servicemember or baby, they’re on their own & they oughta suck it up, ’cause there’s no free lunch!!

Say, wasn’t there something that happened 10 years or so ago that greatly increased the number of wounded and disabled veterans?

My memory is a bit fuzzy.

It’s a amazing what ten years of wars will do to overload the system. NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED!

Some would say, “if you’re lucky;” that may be going too far.

There are things I really like about being older

I’m much more calm in a crisis than when I was younger
I’m much more focused on doing the right thing than winning an argument.
Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

Everything else about it SUCKS BALLS.

There are things I really like about being older
Me too. I have nothing, have no expectations & no real reason to keep living, so after 60 yrs. surrounded by cretins in this miserable world (58 of them remembered, & forced to take shit from assholes all that time) now I am free to stop taking shit from anybody & to express my harshest opinions of everybody & everything, damn their reactions & any consequences.

Free or not, I still won’t react to the troll.

A not-exactly bleeding-heart liberal on the VA:

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But it’s rather odd to cast blame on President Obama for making it easier for men who have been suffering from the effects of Agent Orange for four or five decades to finally get their due. Similarly, easing the rules for treatment for PTSD claims is the right thing to do. The Bush 43 administration rightly deserves more blame. It launched two major wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and did too little to expand the infrastructure to support the needs of the wounded veterans that were being created.

Still, while presidents are ultimately responsible for decision-making, they inherit bureaucracies with longstanding organizational cultures. And the VA’s* is broken.

Conservatives turning their noses up at free energy…

When I read this phrase upthread (from Lykurgus), my eyes read the correct words, but my brain read the phrase as:

‘Conservatives turning their noses up at free agency…’

I have baseball in my head.

Still, while presidents are ultimately responsible for decision-making, they inherit bureaucracies with longstanding organizational cultures. And the VA’s* is broken.

I don’t disagree with any of this. But they’ve had decades to fix and modernize it. The IRS got modernized, the NSA, the CIA, the FBI all seem to be modernized and relatively efficient. But the VA just doesn’t get the priority other agencies get. It’s bullshit and it’s unfuckingacceptable.

I have baseball in my head.

GET IT OUT OF THERE. THAT’S NOT GOOD FOR YOU

Fenwick, I like that you make me sound like Batman. Or a movie trailer. “From out of the shadows…a tater arises”

Ta-Nehisi Coates is probably my favorite living writer. This is a long fucking read for reals, and very worth it: The Case For Reparations at the Atlantic. It’s a slightly bait-y title; it’s more The Case For The Case For Reparations, but don’t think that means Coates pulls any punches. Note that if you’re having a bad day, you might wanna bookmark it and go watch an old episodes of MST3K instead.

Finally, a question about what’s under the hood. Has anyone else noticed that Sadly, No! posts are individually flagged as “Adult Material” with net nanny software? My corporate overlords use this garbage called Websense because apparently they think they employ schoolchildren. When a post here first goes up I click to open it fast; within a few hours if I try to click a link I will go straight to the “nuh-uh-uh no porno for you” screen. I’ve seen this happen on other leftie blogs of various stripes, though only small ones, and only on new posts. Has anyone else dealt with this?

HfFuckinglarious nymjack fail. Odds Pennis doesn’t know why it’s so funny?

I’m sure it has no clue, Pup. But that’s not at all strange. After all, the troll has no clue about so many, many things.

HfFuckinglarious nymjack fail

I don’t think the nymjacker was you-know-who.

Where was the conservative outcry during the Walter Reed hospital horror show? That made this VA scandal pale in comparison. It’s just like Benghazi- blown out of proportion by haters of the Kenyan Usurper.

Shinseki should be out on his ass too, which disappoints me because I liked him–to the extent that I can like a career military officer…

I would begin the sentence ‘Shinseki might….” I don’t think he deserves firing. A bunch of mid-level and/or regional managers–and cooperating staff on the admin side of the VA–should get the boot.

I want to clarify about what I wrote upthread. My praise is for the VA’s health care professionals on the front line…the docs, nurses, technicians, orderlies. The fuck-ups are on the admin side, mainly the schedulers (as I understand it).

I, too, like Shinseki, tsam. Remember, he was the guy who gave a REAL manpower estimate for the occupation of Iraq….at a time when Rumsfeld said it would be quick and easy and Wolfowitz testified the war would pay for itself. Shinseki was treated very shabbily in his Congressional testimony, and mocked by the media and press. War Fever gripped the country (*), and given visual reinforcement by teevee graphics.

Also, in the Clinton presidency, Shinseki had a major role in overhauling the Army’s force structure and doctrine, based on what was learned in the Gulf War. I believe there was PBS documentary on this. (Teh Ho would know.)

Also, out of curiosity, do you get health care from the VA? Or through a group plan?

(*) How crazy was the fever? At the beginning of the oh-so-pyrotechnic Shock and Awe got underway, only 27% of the people were opposed to the war, myself among them. Just something to bear in mind when laying into the Batshit Crazy 27%.

Fenwick, there were enough demonstrators in NYC to snarl up midtown Manhattan for an entire day, but none of the news outlets covered it.

The Isotopes?

MB: Nope. I’ve seen them play several times, but they’re on the road. I was leaving Sadlyville to monitor the games via the web. Mainly, I’m a longtime Orioles fan. Although I root for Isotopes as a civic responsibility, I rather dislike their parent club, the LA Dodgers. I know you are in LA; do you like the Dodgers or the Angels or are you indifferent to all of it?

BBBB: The failure to cover that NYC march in particular steamed me. The lamestream media had footage of it from a distance, but always a voiceover from the anchor that undercut or diminished the size and significance of the demonstration.

I was given to understand that Shinseki is somewhat restrained in what he can do. Can’t summarily fire people for cause. Can’t even discipline the top managers hardly. Congref is allegedly working on a bill to expand the powers of the office but we’ll see.

Oh FYWP

Doyers rule!!

How can you possibly “dislike” the former Bums of Brooklyn?

Congreff needs to quit fucking around and get it done. People have died because of their negligence and incompetence and I DON’T LIKE IT.

Easy, quick fix: Go get your health care wherever you want, bring your military ID or DD214 and hospital bills the GUV in full. But no–we can’t have that because…um…just because, k?

This winter in Florida I was with partner’s grandparents and we were eating at Souplantation, because of course. There was a 10% discount for veterans. Grandpa sits down with us at the table and I realize he’s just tucking his discharge papers from 1946 back into his wallet all nonchalant-like. Flashes ’em at the gal at the register every week for his discount.

If you were in a damned foreign war for this country it should be about that hard to get your heath care paid for.

(Hell, in my opinion, if you’re born in this stupid country that should be enough to get your health care needs paid for, and I even got ideas about how to do it. But the VA is a good place to start.)

I found the collective propaganda campaign and war fever leading up to the Iraq invasion to be very disturbing.

I was Operations Officer for the deployed KC-135s of Operation Northern Watch in the fall of 2002.

This supposed military threat to the United States and the region had, on any given day, 10 flyable aircraft in their Air Force.

On a typical day, they might fly 3 to 4 training sorties because they were so short on spare parts.

If they were feeling really frisky they might send a single MiG-25 up towards the no-fly zone to see if we were still paying attention. It would inevitably be chased away.

When we invaded, they didn’t bother to put a single plane in the air. Let me repeat that. US troops were on their way to Baghdad, the very existence of the regime was threatened, and they didn’t sortie so much as one aircraft.

* I don’t normally eat at places with “Plantation” in the name and I am appropriately guilty.

Major, I don’t know why, but that kind of just turns my stomach. I was a minor at the time which makes me remember the propaganda particularly well. It just seemed so plausible, if you didn’t have time to scrutinize it.

It just seemed so plausible,

To children and brain-dead adults, perhaps.

I honestly have no clue why my parents exhibited such little interest in current events back then; they sure seem to give a fuck about it now. And what about my teachers? It’s so easy for me to remember what I was told at that age, but so hard to reconstruct what the people around me were thinking or feeling. That circuitry wasn’t online yet, for me at least.

It just seemed so plausible, if you didn’t have time to scrutinize it.

You’re young enough that you don’t remember the 90s, when we routinely shot down Iraqi MiGs, bombed every SCUD battery out of existence (Those were a thing in Gulf War 1, not a single one launched in ’03), bombed every single thing on the ground that even remotely looked like a facility that might be able to store the chemical weapons given to Saddam in the 80s to fight the Iran-Iraq war…

Also, it wasn’t a secret that Hans Blix (well respected UN weapons inspector) outright said that Iraq almost certainly had no WMD.

Also, “Our boys will be home by Christmas-this will be quick, easy and bloodless and they will greet us as liberators” sounds like another war we started to help people who didn’t want our fucking help back in ’65.

Also, any adult with a high school education knows that military dictators HATE religious fanatics because they’re a threat to their power. (Al-Qaeda/Iraq connections)

Also: Watching Powell sitting at the UN with a little vial of white powder and pictures of choo choo trains (he called mobile weapon labs) had exactly zero credibility in terms of evidence of WMD–no degree required to see right through all that bullshit.

Also: Oil–2nd largest oil production capacity at the time–hardly functioning at all because of the sanctions.

Also, 12 years of crippling sanctions that left the country in shambles and in no mood to fight.

I could go on, but you get the picture. The only adults who ever thought this was a good idea were profiteers and absolute morons. (Note that support for the invasion peaked at about 70% approval holy fuck people here are dumb and forgetful and angry and stupid and dumb also)

Here is a veteran that may need some medical care.

Also:
John Bolton
Paul Wolfowitz
Dick Cheney
Bush II
Donald Rumsfeld

(Nixon’s old cronies, mostly. NOT trustworthy people, to say the least)

Here is a veteran that may need some medical care.

You know how I knew I made a huge mistake joining the military? Witnessing this in person a couple of times a week.

You know how I knew I made a huge mistake joining the military? Witnessing this in person a couple of times a week.

I almost titled that link “rare footage of t’sam in the army” 😉

Thankfully the closest I got to the Iraq invasion was deploying to Spain for two weeks as part of the air-bridge. We refueled the C-5s going across the Med. Technically I have OIF listed in my service records but I wasn’t really “there”.

In early 2003 I started volunteering for anything, no matter how crappy, that looked like it might keep me away from the desert. I flew a lot of airlift and sat a lot of alert for homeland defense. Anything that didn’t involve a tent in Bahrain.

Since they didn’t activate my entire unit, but just sent people piecemeal to various places, my plan worked.

Floor polisher rodeo club is surprisingly hardcore.

I almost titled that link “rare footage of t’sam in the army” 😉

Heh
It was tempting, but barracks are made of concrete block walls, solid core wood doors or steel doors, steel bunks and wood wall lockers. The floors are concrete under that VCT these dudes are supposed to be buffing. You DO NOT want to fly anywhere inside a place like that.

That’s not to say I didn’t do some incredibly dumb things, which shall remain under secrecy at this time.

Floor polisher rodeo club is surprisingly hardcore.

Hold mah beer and watch this!

Yeah, I’ve taken my exposure to folks who lived through those conflicts as pretty clear evidence that there’s no amount of money that would cause me to join any branch of the military. I couldn’t do what y’all did.

See, where dude made his mistake was not putting one of the pads under the buffer to give him a bit of clutch action. He was shocked at how fast it went and squeezed the go-handle to hang on, making his inevitable doom all the more inevitable. Rookie.

I never saw a single bit of combat, so I’m not among those who have seen the darkest side of humanity. So you could easily have done what I did, Seize.

You may criticize his methods but his form as he head-butts that minifridge is simply pristine.

The first rule of floor polisher rodeo club is you don’t film floor polisher rodeo club.

The second rule is hold mah beer.

t’sam, I’m going to med school in the fall, so I’d fear what they’d have me doing would hurt me rather worse, even if I never left a major medical center.

They sure to seem keen to pay for my schooling though! Getting lots of emails about that. No thanks, fellas.

(To clarify, I’m not some conspiracy nut or something — I just couldn’t live with putting folks back together who’d been hurt only because our bosses put them in harm’s way.)

Does he always show up when people are talking about cleaning up the floor or was that serendipitous?

If this U.S. govt. took virtually all of the money it pumps into military and intelligence tech R&D, and put those resources into needful, peaceful applications, we’d still get plenty of ideas relevant to defense. That’s how we could strengthen the economy while hopefully transitioning to a more sustainable model. I don’t think the national defense would suffer in the least. In fact the strategy would make for a less-dystopian hellscape, on which we’d have less need for martial might … but pardon me for stating the obvious.

Speaking of conspiracy theories, I am highly amused by the antics of this meteorologist regarding CHEMTRAILS!!! Mostly for Major as I know he can tell me what a sticker like that is really for.

https://www.facebook.com/4cast4you

Link no working.

What was that about OCD meds again?

You know I’m generally against the long-acting forms of psych meds because I think they present the potential for abuse by authorities but…there are also some really, really convincing clinical applications.

Quick Henry, the Flit!

(Sometimes I wish we could post image macros here, and then I remember the vast paragraphs of pointless copypasta and know better.)

The propaganda blitz in favor of the war was out and out terrifying. Not in the ‘OMG the Iraqis are going to kill us’ terrifying, in the “where the fuck are any dissenting opinions in the national press” terrifying. It was like all of the news outlets that I previously trusted turned into Pravda overnight. Pundits that were usually sensible turned into war cheerleaders. Phil Donohue was the highest rated host on his network when they fired him for questioning the rationale. The only dissenting voice getting national play was the Black Eyed Peas song “Where is the Love” I felt like my country was taking crazy pills. I don’t mind that some people were pro-war, I get the impulse to kick ass, and Saddam Hussein was a world class ass. But it was a pro war echo chamber. I could tell that it didn’t matter one goddamn bit what Hans Blix and the UN weapon inspectors found, the fix was in. President Bush wanted to be a war president. Cheney wanted blood and blood and blood and cash. The entire rotten neocon establishment were salivating at the prospect of re-drawing the map in the middle east.

Nym sent me down an excellent Google hole. Did you know that the illustrator for those ads was none other than Dr. Seuss?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2nXZsU4KLhY/TN2Iz7TMXKI/AAAAAAAAILw/DciSd2ZTYG8/s1600/flit2.jpg

Seize: yeah, that’s why I wish I could inline post one from time to time.

Republicans talking about the VA scandal? Please proceed…

The nation, which has no race, would pay reparations, obviously.

You’ve been running with a ball of shit. *golf clap*

I could go on, but you get the picture. The only adults who ever thought this was a good idea were profiteers and absolute morons. (Note that support for the invasion peaked at about 70% approval holy fuck people here are dumb and forgetful and angry and stupid and dumb also)

I remember a Tennessee Titans game where I was tailgating with some contemporaneous friends, and they were all completely gung ho about attacking Saddam. I drank quietly by myself that day after a few attempts to appeal to reason.

That was the last game to which I was invited.
.

the t’sam comments from 19:21, 19:46 and 19:53 are still up. Does that mean they’re actually by t’sam, and not Pennis nymjacking off again?

the t’sam comments from 19:21, 19:46 and 19:53 are still up. Does that mean they’re actually by t’sam, 

Yep.

tsam (and t’sam) can get … surly.

I have shiny new blog post up and I encourage all of you to read it. Today’s target of opportunity: Rod Dreher.

Those are mine. Going for funny. Maybe fell just a little short.

How can you possibly “dislike” the former Bums of Brooklyn?

(1) I loathe Walter O’Malley setting a pernicious precedent: An owner could move ‘his’ team to another city following the Big Bucks with no consideration for the fans. The Dodgers were Brooklyn’s team, not just a financial asset of Walter O’Malley. And he did it in such a callous, high-handed manner. (See Ken Burns’ Baseball). I suppose the word ‘former’ in your question highlights my feelings.

(2) I loathe the “1%” teams in baseball with the same passion that I loathe the 1% greedheads. Teams like the Yankmees, Dodgers, Boston, Atlanta, Texas, Angels have huge media markets and make a TON of money, allowing them to buy the best players…and their bidding wars distort free-agent contracts. They have payrolls significantly higher than other teams. And the have-not teams like Minnesota, Seattle, San Diego, KC, Baltimore, Houston, etc. are at a disadvantage.

(3) One of my baseball friends was an NL guy–he rooted for the Phillies. I was an AL guy; I’ve been a fan of KC then…after moving to Baltimore, the Orioles. He loathed the Dodgers; he explained to me that the fans of other NL clubs regarded the Dodgers as the National League’s version of the Yankmees. So I picked that up by osmosis from my friend.

(4) I’ve really had quite enough of ‘bleeding Dodger blue’ … and the Red Sox Nation … and the Yankmees’ Empire. I dislike seeing the same teams in the post-season play year-after-year-after year.

Okay, enough of my rant. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled thread.

(((MB: I’m NOT scowling at you, of course. If you’ve gt Dodger blue in your veins, then root for them with the passion of any good fan.)))

(he called mobile weapon labs)

I called them ‘Winnebagos of Death’.

Clearly what baseball needs is a third league to save us all from the corruption of the existing two-league system.

Clearly what baseball needs is a third league to save us all from the corruption of the existing two-league system.

**SNERK**

OBS: Have you read Philip Roth’s The Great American Novel? It purports to be the history of the ‘Patriot League’, as told by geriatric sportswriter ‘Word’ Smith. It is the best ‘unreliable narrator’ fiction I’ve ever read. (Well, along with Nabokov’s Pale Fire.)

I got your dig, of course. What I hope to see is NOT the growth of any existing ‘minor party’; rather the breakaway of incumbent progressive Democrats running as Independents. With an Independent Caucus in the House and Senate. I’m sure I’ll have an opportunity to enlarge on my Breakaway Model.

It is the best ‘unreliable narrator’ fiction I’ve ever read.

You should check out Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Man, that book messes with your head, in a good way. Even more dense, though much shorter is his Fifth Head of Cerberus.

O.K., but blame the Boston Braves for the pernicious precedent.

1953: More than 50 years after Milwaukee’s first Major League team moved after just one season the Major Leagues return, as the Boston Braves begin a new era of franchise relocation.

The Dodgers had a tough period recently when the Parking Lot Attendant from Beantown (That place again!) had finagled his way into ownership & was sucking all the money out to pay the debt & his lavish lifestyle. They’re just making up for lost time now.

Nor can it be helped that (for reasons beyond me) people insist on coming here & staying & we have a large population base. I agree there are problems w/ bigger media markets, but I dunno what else can be done.

I’ll grant I’m no fan of LaSorda, & “Bleeding Dodger Blue” is sad sentimental crap. Plus blue is boring: Too many people’s favorite color.

Jeeze, the Red Sox have only been winning the last 10 yrs. or so. And of course I’m a Yank hater.

Now, A.L. guy, defend the designated hitter! (Just kidding, we’ll have to agree to whatever.)

P.S.: Also a Raiders fan, so it’s not like I’m a 1%er. (Well, kinda like a biker 1%er. W/o the cycle.)

there are problems w/ bigger media markets, but I dunno what else can be done.

Howsabout a salary cap?

Perhaps I’m overly sensitive because the AL-East is such a bitch. The division is aberrantly weak this year, but normally it is hideously strong. Imagine where your opponents include TWO big-market clubs. 40 of the Orioles’s 162 games are against the Yankmees and Red Sox. (And its not like Toronto and Tampa Bay are push-overs.) I know the NL-West is no bed of roses, with the Giants and–every now and again–the Rockies or (more rarely) D-backs. But man, the Dodgers get 40 games against Arizona and San Diego. Similar situation in NL-Central: Three competetive teams get to pad their numbers by pounding Pittsburgh and the Cubs year after year.

Gee, we probably shouldn’t divert the thread into Inside Baseball. It’s great to encounter another baseball fan. It would be such a blast to hang out, drink brewskis and talk baseball!

tsam (and t’sam) can get … surly.

I only get surly when I’m drinking…

http://www.surlybrewing.com/

When we invaded, they didn’t bother to put a single plane in the air. Let me repeat that. US troops were on their way to Baghdad, the very existence of the regime was threatened, and they didn’t sortie so much as one aircraft.

The fact that when the very existence of the regime was threatened, they didn’t use any WMDs, should also put to rest the still-popular claim on the right that he totally had WMDs, we just can’t find them/he sent them to Syria/wev.

Jeeze, the Red Sox have only been winning the last 10 yrs. or so. And of course I’m a Yank hater.

Now, A.L. guy, defend the designated hitter! (Just kidding, we’ll have to agree to whatever.)

Red Sox fans have become every bit as tiresome as Yankees and Lakers and Dallas Cowboys fans. Plus this beard thing lately is about as cool as the bacon craze.

AL/DH: Have you WATCHED a pitcher hit since Babe Ruth? I’ll take an aging power hitter in the 4 or 5 spot over a dickwad head case pitcher at 9 that’s scratched as an out before he gets to the plate. What makes me crazy is that they hit like shit but play baseball for a living. But then they hit once a week, which probably isn’t enough. I feel like we should see better numbers out of them, however.

The fact that when the very existence of the regime was threatened, they didn’t use any WMDs, should also put to rest the still-popular claim on the right that he totally had WMDs, we just can’t find them/he sent them to Syria/wev.

Yeah–those arguments are about smart as the “WE DID FIND WMD” arguments. If Iraq had them, they would have used them. Saddam was never afraid to use them before.

The fact that when the very existence of the regime was threatened, they didn’t use any WMDs, should also put to rest the still-popular claim on the right that he totally had WMDs, we just can’t find them/he sent them to Syria/wev.

One of the “tells” for me at the time was the OMG!!! WMDs!!!11! hype at the same time that North Korea was going through a period of “We are so a dangerous superpower! Lookit our tests (ignore that splash)!” Granted, it was an outside bet they could do any damage to anyone but themselves, but they were trying! At the time, I figured the big difference was oil. Still do.

Also, what struck me at the time was the reasons given kept changing, which made them excuses.

there are problems w/ bigger media markets, but I dunno what else can be done.

Howsabout a salary cap?

Works pretty well for football. It would be nice to far less of things like A-FROD’s contract when Texas bought him from my Mariners. (I know, shut up).

$252,000,000. That eventually costed Texas Palmiero and Pudge, and put them in the cellar for about 10 years. Not that I care if any team from Texas wins anything ever, but still–that makes the whole league look fucking ridiculous. AROD was indisputably the best player in baseball at the time, but COME FUCKING ON, PEOPLE.

One of the “tells” for me at the time was the OMG!!! WMDs!!!11! hype at the same time that North Korea was going through a period of “We are so a dangerous superpower! Lookit our tests (ignore that splash)!” Granted, it was an outside bet they could do any damage to anyone but themselves, but they were trying! At the time, I figured the big difference was oil. Still do.

Our freakouts over third world dictators with WMDs always remind me of that scene in Iron Man 2 when he’s standing in front of Congress with videos of everyone who’s tried to duplicate his battle armor failing miserably.

i just remember being very, very sad while listening to colin powell address congress claiming he was also convinced there were wmds…i kept thinking ‘oh, no…not you too!’

What gets me is the hypocrisy and stupidity of our foreign policy and just how fucking clueless people are. The media does a SHIT job of reporting and providing context.

Case study:

Iran enriching uranium.

Know who else has nukes? India, Pakistan, Isreal, some of the former USSR states. All “rogue” states, all locked in continuous battles of brinksmanship and saber rattling with their neighbors. No nuclear power is more dangerous than India and Pakistan. The idea that Iran is any more dangerous than any of these countries with a nuke is laughable. The idea that proliferation is good idea is laughable, but you can’t pick and choose who gets them and who doesn’t. That makes certain countries feel incredibly vulnerable and some with a false bravado that is way too dangerous to leave unchecked.

I just remember the British saying that their intelligence on Iraq was based on what they were getting from the Americans, and the Americans were saying that they were getting their intelligence from the British and the Italians and the Italians simply had no comment. It all was so obviously hokey right from the start, then they leaked the statement that the head of British intelligence made in a cabinet meeting over there telling the prime minister that the Americans were “fixing the intelligence” and were going to war no matter what. I don’t think they really fooled that many people, I think the majority of war supporters knew they were being lied to but wanted to blow up somebody anyway. It was kind of a national “stand your ground” situation.

Know who else has nukes? India, Pakistan, Isreal, some of the former USSR states. All “rogue” states, all locked in continuous battles of brinksmanship and saber rattling with their neighbors. No nuclear power is more dangerous than India and Pakistan. The idea that Iran is any more dangerous than any of these countries with a nuke is laughable. The idea that proliferation is good idea is laughable, but you can’t pick and choose who gets them and who doesn’t. That makes certain countries feel incredibly vulnerable and some with a false bravado that is way too dangerous to leave unchecked.

this.

If Iraq had them, they would have used them. Saddam was never afraid to use them before.

Our not publicized policy in the Gulf War was that if Iraq used chemical or biological weapons, we would respond with nuclear weapons.

I believe we let them know this through back channels.

Our not publicized policy in the Gulf War was that if Iraq used chemical or biological weapons, we would respond with nuclear weapons.

STUPID policy. You have an invasion force on the ground and you’re going to invite WW3 by using a tactical nuke when you’re own troops are in country?

(Not questioning the validity of it–just pointing out the sheer insanity of Rumsfeld & Co.)

When Saddam started lobbing SCUDs at Tel Aviv we were very much afraid that the Israelis were going to retaliate and possibly with a nuke.

I was in Jeddah at the time and we had plans to evacuate Saudi and burn the buildings behind us (to destroy the classified materials) if our Arab allies turned against us.

About the only good thing James Baker did in his miserable existence was to talk the Israelis out of it.

The idea that Iran is any more dangerous than any of these countries with a nuke is laughable.

It’s usually backed up by a combination of “they’re crazy Muslims! They’re not rational!” and “they want to destroy Israel! They say so!” Neither of which has a lot of substance behind it, but hey, it plays to the public’s prejudices.

When Saddam started lobbing SCUDs at Tel Aviv we were very much afraid that the Israelis were going to retaliate and possibly with a nuke.

But he wasn’t afraid that Israel might nuke back? Crazy bastard.

Major, you see this?

The B-52 bomber, one of the great stalwarts of America’s military arsenal, is getting its first major communications system upgrade since the Kennedy administration.

Yes, the high-flying, long-distance bomber is finally ditching its old-school cathode ray tube, green-on-black screens for full-color LCDs, and it’s getting a suite of upgrades that will make it an even more formidable weapon in the skies.

Salary caps???

WHY DO YOU HATE AMERICA, SOCIALIST SCUM?

“they’re crazy Muslims! They’re not rational!” and “they want to destroy Israel! They say so!” Neither of which has a lot of substance behind it, but hey, it plays to the public’s prejudices.

Pakistan and India aren’t loaded with religious zealots and crazy assholes who are willing to nuke each other over a relatively small disputed territory, right?. (There are water concerns, but still…fucking psychos).

But he wasn’t afraid that Israel might nuke back? Crazy bastard.

Not sure he should credibly believe that the US, GBR, GDR and France would have allowed that. Besides, Isreal has plenty of conventional arms with which to return fire. He was not nearly as crazy as the media would have everyone believe. He held on to power in a nation that is almost in a 3 front war with itself for a LONG time. That’s no small feat in that part of the world.

the British and the Italians and the Italians simply had no comme

That “seeking uranium in Niger” bullshit that came out of Italy. Several people said the memo was “an obvious forgery” but that didn’t bother the neocons – it didn’t matter if shit was true or not, they were going to have their war.

Also:
John Bolton
Paul Wolfowitz
Dick Cheney
Bush II
Donald Rumsfeld

Don’t forget Douglas “stupidest guy on the planet” Feith who was manufacturing “intel” at the Pentagon.

The B-52 bomber, one of the great stalwarts of America’s military arsenal, is getting its first major communications system upgrade since the Kennedy administration.

Yes, the high-flying, long-distance bomber is finally ditching its old-school cathode ray tube, green-on-black screens for full-color LCDs, and it’s getting a suite of upgrades that will make it an even more formidable weapon in the skies.

Does that include the CRM 114 discriminator?

But he wasn’t afraid that Israel might nuke back? Crazy bastard.

Remember this was in 1991 and our allies included Saudia Arabia, the other Gulf States, Egypt and Syria (yes really).

He was hoping that the Israelis would retaliate, causing the other Arab countries to change sides in order to fight Israel.

It was one of those “So crazy it just might work” strategies.

In order to placate the Israelis we shifted our efforts towards (very ineffectively) going after the SCUD launchers.

Which is how I came to be SCUD-hunting in a B-52. It worked about as well as you think it would.

Major, you see this?

That’s why we keep the old buffasaurus around. It’s such a generic airplane they can keep upgrading it.

What? Cats make good pillows.

Douglas “stupidest guy on the planet” Feith

I didn’t know he was that involved. I hope he stubs his toe FUCKING HARD every morning.

We are having one of our allocated three entirely gorgeous days per year here in the capital. Honeysuckle and irises are all in bloom; not hard to imagine why so many cultures imagine heaven is a garden.

I’m trundling southbound on Amtrak right now enjoying the sunshine and the view. Partner and I are going to go wander around in Richmond for the weekend because, hey, might be moving soon and we’ve never been.

***

Major: I can’t believe what you say about a nuclear strategy in Iraq, but I simultaneously know you aren’t lying. That is truly parody-level insanity.

***

What’s everybody got planned as far as eats this weekend? I know y’all have some good answers for me.

What’s everybody got planned as far as eats this weekend? I know y’all have some good answers for me.

Cinnamon Life cereal. The 8th wonder of the world, my brother.

I’ve been reading my old This Modern World books from the Gulf War II period, and they’re so depressing, even when they’re funny. I actually was working at Walter Reed when the outpatient scandal broke, and all everyone kept saying was that there was no money to get anything done. WRAMC had been BRAC’d a couple of years before, which meant that even though the hospital was no longer up to code, they couldn’t fix anything.
When GWII broke out, and it became very very obvious to all of us that we were going to be seeing a megaton of amputees needing rehab, WRAMC managed to throw up a state-of-the-art (for the government) rehab center on base. I think they blackmailed someone to get the money, because there was no way anyone was getting anything from the Republican Government. A friend of mine was so angry at all the magnetic ribbons being sold, while no money went to the soldiers *desperately* needing care, and no-one in the Bush administration seemed to care. They actually cut benefits to families during the war, all while accusing anyone who didn’t agree with Bush as unpatriotic.

Am I angry at the VA? Oh, yes. Do I think it all magically appeared under Obama’s administration? Blow me.

I don’t understand how Cinnamon is an adjective for Life but I’m willing to remain open-minded.

Partner and I are going to go wander around in Richmond for the weekend

The Museum of the Confederacy Southern Treason is actually worth a look.

It’s amazing how much smaller people were on average back then. I could have fit into Jeb Stuart’s uniform when I was about 12.

It’s not an adjective, it’s a REQUIREMENT.

So, every day here I walk my backup tapes to our secure offsite location to our other building 200 yards away. Today there was a Madison police car parked along my route, while the police officer was talking to someone in the adjacent parking lot. Hanging from the gun rack, in plain sight was an assault rifle, I’d guess an M-16, although it could have been any rifle with a similar silhouette. I understand, that SWAT teams probably have a use for an assault rifle, but why does a standard patrol car need a freaking machine gun? Madison, WI is not Belfast, or Mogadishu or any city in eastern Ukraine. Who the hell are they afraid of? The drunks that they shoot a few of every year when they don’t cooperate? Why do they need to shoot 15 or 20 rifle bullets at a time?

Who the hell are they afraid of?

college kids can be very scary during spring time…

Who the hell are they afraid of?

Wellllll…

I knew the Cheney cabal were crazy, but I never thought they were crazy enough to contemplate using nukes! That would make us REAL popular.

Not sure he should credibly believe that the US, GBR, GDR and France would have allowed that. Besides, Isreal has plenty of conventional arms with which to return fire. He was not nearly as crazy as the media would have everyone believe. He held on to power in a nation that is almost in a 3 front war with itself for a LONG time. That’s no small feat in that part of the world.

I would credit a ton of brutality and paranoia (both well justified in context), same as Assad in Syria and others. Arab dictators got better at clinging onto power as time went by. The Saddam, Assad, Mubarak, Qaddafi governments had all been in power for decades by the time their troubles came.

I don’t think “crazy” is too strong for Saddam because he insisted on biting off more than he could chew. First Iran, then staring at that whole long buildup of first-world armies right on his border and going “nope, I can do this.” Maybe not “crazy,” but definitely not grasping the limits of his power. And then, of course,

Remember this was in 1991 and our allies included Saudia Arabia, the other Gulf States, Egypt and Syria (yes really).

It was one of those “So crazy it just might work” strategies.

I get what he was thinking. The “crazy” part involves the fact that the Israelis retaliating might’ve meant nuking Baghdad (a WMD for a WMD). Sure, that would’ve made the other Arab countries change sides pretty quickly, but he wouldn’t have been there to see it.

What’s everybody got planned as far as eats this weekend? I know y’all have some good answers for me.

Junk food, mostly, plus about as much red meat as I’ll eat in the entire rest of the year. I’m hanging out with about 500 other fen at MediaWest*Con 34.

I don’t think “crazy” is too strong for Saddam because he insisted on biting off more than he could chew.

I don’t think he was crazy, although his level of paranoia sometimes approached that of Joseph Stalin.

I think there was a lot of miscalculation that led up to the Gulf War. Saddam had legitimate complaints against Kuwait and the other Gulf States. Iraq had lost a lot of blood and treasure fighting Iran for 8 years. He felt that the wealthy Gulf States owed Iraq for keeping Iran at bay.

Likewise Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq by slant-drilling across the border.

I suspect that we thought he would just cross the border and grab a few Kuwaiti oil fields. Had he done that, he might still be in power.

Saddam most likely expected us to respond to the invasion by sending light forces that he had a good chance of repelling. I don’t think he expected the amount of force we were prepared to use.

college kids can be very scary during spring time…

I get that, which is why the Madison PD isn’t shy about tear gassing them, zapping them with a taser or shooting them (to be fair, many of the people they shoot are college aged, I couldn’t say whether they are enrolled). But why in the hell is it necessary to arm them with fully automatic weapons? The bad guys here in Madison are muggers, rapists and spouse abusers, the same as in any smallish prosperous city in the US. They are human beings not rhinos or cape buffalo or elephants, which is to say they will die if shot with even a small handgun. If they can’t hold off a bad guy with a pistol until backup shows up, are they in the right line of work?

Irking Fenwick:
Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A’s Under Federal Investigation For Wage Theft
Not (really) singling anyone out. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if every team pulls this crap.

Mad. P.D.:
1) Overkill. If the U.S. or Russia can destroy the world 10x or 20x over, the M.P.D. needs full-auto weapons, minimum.
2) Penis extenders.
3) Ann Althouse & her husband.

Wellllll…

That’s one of the saddest pictures on the internet. 🙁

That’s one of the saddest pictures on the internet. 🙁

What’s most sad about it is that those fucking assholes are those creepy military wannabe pukes. In the military, you never took a weapon into a mess hall, and you NEVER insert a magazine outside of a range or in actual combat. These two fuckheads summarize what is wrong with everything, like all in one picture. Nothing but unorganized, grabasstic pieces of amphibian shit.

If they can’t hold off a bad guy with a pistol until backup shows up, are they in the right line of work?

right? the son is moving forward in his quest to become a metro police officer…here’s a text exchange from the other night:

son: i just got done running. i hate running. i hope when i’m a cop i don’t have to chase anybody.

me: don’t…just use your gun…

son: i hope i don’t have to do that either!

Nothing but unorganized, grabasstic pieces of amphibian shit.

*spittake* Bravo.

If they can’t hold off a bad guy with a pistol until backup shows up, are they in the right line of work?

Well, this prompted the over arming of cops. I know it seems stupid, but a Glock or Beretta vs an assault rifle has you at pitiful odds for survival. Pistols are pretty inaccurate, especially at any distance whatsoever.

But you’re right, a regular patrol officer doesn’t need to be carrying those goddamn things around.

@ Seize:

I stoleded that from a movie

FMJ

Sadly, the guy who played that drill sergeant (who was a real Marine DI at one point) turned out to be a full metal jackoff. Stupid right wing shithead.

What’s everybody got planned as far as eats this weekend? I know y’all have some good answers for me.

It’s my first Memorial Day off in years (yeah, liberal moocher and all that)- I may go to the Bohemian Hall beer garden in Queens for Czech fest. Beer and polka music, what’s not to like? They also do a good, inexpensive pork schnitzel.

Still impressed with your recall.

Childish jerks (like me, “196 Hugh Jasshol May 23, 2014”) might want to give their “support” to an idiot in Virginia who wants to impeach the A.G. for not defending the state’s anti-marriage law.

Other great Americans supporting it:

182 Fred Phelps May 23, 2014
181 Bob Marshall suffers from Homosexual Obsessive Disorder May 23, 2014
180 You Suck Bob May 23, 2014
179 Munchma Quchi May 23, 2014
178 Impeach BobMarshal May 23, 2014
177 Bob Marshall Thinks About Gay Sex an Awful Lot May 23, 2014
176 Why So Obsessed With Gay Folks Sex Lives, Bob? May 23, 2014

What’s everybody got planned as far as eats this weekend?

Mrs. Kong is taking me out to dinner tomorrow.

The Winds Cafe

Tsam,
That incident was only one note in the symphony of police militarization. The armed services have a long history of handing off weapons and vehicles to police departments and foreign militaries that they should either keep to themselves or destroy. If it still works, they should use it, if it’s really obsolete or worn out they should destroy it.

I’m not saying the police shouldn’t have access to something heavier than a pistol, but an assault rifle isn’t something every police officer should have within reach all the time. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that NYPD officers shot nine people people at the Empire state building, 8 of whom were innocent bystanders? if they had been using assault rifles, they might have shot more people, because A) more muzzle energy means bullets go through multiple people and B) fully automatic, so more bullets are fired.

Helmut;

I know. Sometimes I imagine myself against a couple of pricks with AR-15s or AK variants and 100 round drum magazines, and I’m the first one or six guys on the scene and about to die.

But then I imagine a Spokane cop (we’ve had a nasty run of OISs here in the last few years, in addition to a couple of innocent guys being beaten to death) and think–yeah, let’s just leave those fucking things IN the military and nowhere else, thanks.

Beer and polka music, what’s not to like?

hubbkf is at this very moment taping a polka festival for work…they do it every few years…sadly, no pork schnitzel there for him…luckily, he makes an excellent pork schnitzel himself…

re: good eats this weekend, i’m looking forward to grilled asparagus with olive oil, sea salt and fresh parm…

bbkf, this is the season for it! Just had some out of control delicious roasted asparagus from the farmer’s market. Just olive oil, salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I’m just extra on edge because of whoever started shooting outside my building a week or three ago. And cause the Madison police department shot and killed someone within the last week. In their defense, this time the person they shot had a gun, but that is nowhere near always the case.

Why Veterans Still Love the VA

…the VA serves as “a model health-care provider that has led the way in various areas of medical research, specialized services, and health-care technology.” It provides “quality and expertise on veterans’ health care” that “cannot be adequately duplicated in the private sector” and has become “the most efficient and cost-effective health-care system in the nation,” the document notes. A 2005 survey from the RAND Corporation similarly found that “VA patients were more likely to receive recommended care” and “received consistently better care across the board, including screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow up.” The VA also outperforms the nation’s health care system in delivering chronic and preventive care, treating diabetes.

A 2013 survey released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that 93 percent of veterans who use the VA health care system have a favorable impression of it.

Single payer WORKS. As the article points out, “Ultimately, the problem is one of access, not care — and it’s been plaguing the agency for decades.”

Damn, Helmut, how many shooting incidents have there been?

The weather is going to suck so instead of grilling imma make Teh Ho take me to Fogo de Chao for some barbecued goodies.

The fact is, the VA does not work because of Obama and socioalism.

I’m a socialist an my boat does not yet run. I blame Karl “ChucksterM” Marx and Walt Disney. And Bella Abzug. And Carl Yastremski.

Actually after a few days of learning the intricacies if DC wiring, I refuse to declare premature ejaculamarination but Imma win tomorrow morning. PERCH, FEAR ME.

The weather is going to suck so instead of grilling imma make Teh Ho take me to Fogo de Chao for some barbecued goodies.

I see that they have a location in midtown Manhattan. My one, uh, beef with the chain churrascarias (chainascarias) is that they don’t feature some of the more outré specialties that the independent churrascarias serve, specifically grilled chicken hearts. Chicken hearts, dusted with spices and grilled on skewers are a personal favorite of mine.

Actually after a few days of learning the intricacies if DC wiring, I refuse to declare premature ejaculamarination but Imma win tomorrow morning. PERCH, FEAR ME.

How long have you been an electrician, old chum?

No need to answer that!

The weather is going to suck so instead of grilling imma make Teh Ho take me to Fogo de Chao for some barbecued goodies.

We took some interns from Brazil out to lunch at a pub in Waukegan IL today, they were very polite about that.

The skies are overcast, no meteor shower for me at this time.

“Jane Austen and Balzac”
An Adrian Mole-level educational achievement award winner!

“the rich are one Black Swan away from indigence”
I can see Adrian Mole joining a society for the prevention of the extinction of elderly rich people.

The skies are overcast, no meteor shower for me at this time.

Same here, not that the bright lights would have let me see much, but I was going to make the effort.

I’m a socialist an my boat does not yet run.

I had a boat once. I never have to do that again.

If I get the urge to buy another one I just use the “boat simulator” –

Take a cold shower and tear up $100 bills until I’m cold, wet and broke.

I’m a bit late to the party as we are visiting NYC this weekend. Last night we saw the excellent “After Midnight”, a tribute to Duke Ellington’s early 30’s Cotton Club jungle music period— an absolute must-see IMHO. This morning my wife’s cousin from the UK wants to visit the 9/11 memorial…

Several posters up thread were reminiscing about the Iraq invasion. You know what really pissed me off?

All this shit about WMDs was revealed to be totally fabricated when you watched the US troops on TV and thought—- hmmm, exactly how many of these frontliners are wearing hazmat suits to protect them from bio warfare?

The answer, of course? Zero!

That told you everything you needed to know about the topic….

How long have you been an electrician, old chum?
Mr. Bastard sir, I have been an electrician for many long years. And I’m really good. You give me a reasonable set of prints and I can build you your own 20 story Balditorium (won’t be really fast mind you, I’m largely a broken electrician these days).

Add one, ONE, 9V battery, and I will look for someone to hold me as I sob.

I had a boat once. I never have to do that again.

Mr. Major sir, a wise old man once learned me a lesson. (Of course, he was younger then, and I was 12 and impatient.)

A boat is a tool, a conveyance, upon which young mighty He-Who-4″-Perch-Fear is, ummm, tooled, to the location of teh fish. It is neither accursed nor ablessed, nor even necessarily a necessary evil. It just is. You put up with it for the greater good – tartar sauce.

Q. What’s the best kind of boat?
A. Somebody else’

Those are mine. Going for funny. Maybe fell just a little short.

Only cost me about 10 minutes to confirm that fact…And decide to leave them in place.

You are welcome.
…

Imagine the IRS in a Republican administration ragging on MoveOn.org and the Center for American Progress. I wish you would help get me straight on that, because I have this crazy vision of a national run on fainting couches as the entire NYTWPCBSNBCPRABC apparat runs non-stop #StopTheFascists tweets until MoveOn.org gets out of jail free.

*recalls all the non-cuddly CSIS/FBI/RCMP/VPD heat while at Peace Camp in Van in 1991*

♬ Imagine how hard this particular semiotic backwash makes me fail to laugh …
It’s easy if you try … ♪

I haven’t been to a chain churrascaria, really. I’ve only been to Fogo dr Chao. The ones in Sao Paolo, both of them. That was before they came to teh YOO ESS AYY. Don’t recall grilled chicken hearts, possibly due to the great number of caipirhinas consumed.

Hey Pup,

I got one of these for my early birthday present today:

Sansaire Sous Vide

Do you have a good source for sous vide recipes?

Sweet! Seriouseats.com has some great introductory articles. Reddit.com/r/sousvide has some good stuff.
The PolyScience (long time maker of restaurant sous vide gear) site is another good place to start. https://www.cuisinetechnology.com/blog/introduction-to-sous-vide-cooking/

You’re going to really really really enjoy your present. PROTIP: I’ve found that a blazing hot cast iron pan is better for most post-cooking searing than a torch. And don’t even think about trying to use one of those twee “kitchen torches.” Grab your big bernzomatic from the garage when you need a torch.

While I’m at it, a torch is also great for charring eggplant for a great baba ghanouj with a faint smokiness. Also for roasting peppers.

New post.

Re: the long weekend, I have a great camp spot next to a beautiful river, the sun is shining and I have lots of good beer. Internet connection is shit, so this is the last you’ll hear from me for a while.