Successful Fundraising Ferretblogging: Claire Kisses Edition!

KICKSTARTER GOAL ACHIEVED!  With 5 days yet to go! Not only will this get our book produced, it’s also the most we’ve ever raised for our annual fundraiser. We’re not a huge blog. We depend on your support, and we appreciate every bit of it. You’re going to help keep this party going through the 2016 madness, and we  couldn’t do it without you! Claire would like to say thank you in her own special way, by kissing you to death: A. Continue reading Successful Fundraising Ferretblogging: Claire Kisses Edition!

Kids are Brave and Smart and Will Figure This All Out

What it comes down to, I’m starting to understand, is trust:  Hand-wringing over what has become known as hookup culture is nothing new, of course — the panicky-sounding term has been around for decades now. But a hookup is not always the blithe and meaningless sex with strangers that the term conjures. Even among college students, it’s defined differently from person to person and situation to situation. It could mean anything from kissing to intercourse, with a crush, with a friend, or, yes, sometimes with a relative stranger. The script, according to this ritual, is: First you fuck, then (perhaps) … Continue reading Kids are Brave and Smart and Will Figure This All Out

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “That was Zen, this is Meow” edition

Morning, everyone!

If haven’t yet gotten on the First Draft anthology/fundraiser  kickstarter train yet, please consider getting a ticket.

A decade of Ms. A, Adrastos, Jude, Michael F, Doc, Holden, Scout, and some jerk with a low sense of humour and love of memes – such a DEAL!

OK – the shill is gone – on to the iso room for a little housekeeping!

AirlockDoor

.

Then :

Pelosi Intrudes Into Wayne’s World

by Wayne Simmons

As I reflect back over the 27 years I spent hunting terrorists and those supporting them on virtually every continent in the world, I can’t help but wonder how my case officer would react today if he was alive to watch the Speaker of the House of the Congress of the United States attack and attempt to dismantle the CIA, the single most important intelligence agency in the world.

In 1975, I watched the Church Committee decimate the CIA’s human intelligence — “humint” — capabilities. As a result, for over 25 years the U.S. was subjected to brutal, deadly attacks by Islamic terrorists at our bases and embassies around the world and on the high seas.  This did not seem to alarm anyone other than those of us with the CIA and FBI until the Islamic terrorists drove jets into the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. Only then did Congress want to know why the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies did not or could not foresee the attack that killed almost 3,000 people.

Nancy Pelosi, who I suggested was a “pathological liar” on the Fox News Channel 4 months ago, told reporters in May that she had not been informed that waterboarding was used against terrorism suspects (though she finally acknowledged she had been briefed in at least 2003).

That was, of course, despite the fact that the CIA compiled, the DNI released, and HUMAN EVENTS broke the story of the memo that showed Pelosi had been briefed on September 4, 2002 which “enhanced interrogation techniques” — which we know included waterboarding — had been used on Abu Zubaydeh.

It is exhausting just trying to keep up with Pelosi’s stories

…and NOW :

Wayne Simmons, recurring Fox News guest, charged with lying about CIA ties
WYFF4, CNN ^ | Oct 15, 2015 | Dylan Byers

Posted on ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎47‎:‎26‎ ‎PM by familyop

Simmons is accused of falsely claiming that he worked as an “outside paramilitary special operations officer” for the CIA from 1973 to 2000. On Fox, this was often shortened to “former CIA operative.” He was also indicted for using that false claim to gain government security clearances and an assignment as a defense contractor, where he advised senior military personnel overseas…If convicted, he could face up to 35 years in prison…Fox’s web site lists dozens of appearances and quotes, usually labeling him a former CIA “operative,” “analyst” or “officer.”…The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that along with the CIA-related fraud, “the indictment also alleges that Simmons defrauded an individual victim out of approximately $125,000 in connection with a bogus real estate investment.”

Oops.

****************

He also falsely equated Russia with the U.S.A. in his rants about the War on Terror. How many more “analysts” will they scrape up? Stay tuned!
1 posted on ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎47‎:‎27‎ ‎PM by familyop
If by “they”, you mean FOX news, the end is listless.
To: familyop
They also kept Mansoor Ijaz around long after it became clear he was simply making his reports up.And don’t even get me started about Geraldo Rivera.

2 posted on 10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎51‎:‎05‎ ‎PM by SeeSharp
The obvious answer? Cut your own throat with Occam’s Razor!
To: familyop

Accusations coming from Obama’s DOJ bear scrutiny for motive, going against a Fox News analysis(sic).

3 posted on 10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎51‎:‎37‎ ‎PM by AU72

Comment #6 Removed by Moderator
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
To: familyop

As always, should you or any of your IM force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Jim (Wayne).

25 posted on 10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎5‎:‎44‎:‎33‎ ‎PM by No One Special

TinfoilConspiracy
.
Freepers – how can you possibly turn this embarrassment around??
To: SeeSharp
OMG!! Mansoor Ijaz was a FAke??? I always kind of liked him and wondered what became of him!Lesson….NEVER trust a Muslim.

30 posted on ‎10‎/‎15‎/‎2015‎ ‎5‎:‎59‎:‎02‎ ‎PM by Ann Archy (ABORTION……. The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
Dang – that was a close one!
More after the covert op.

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – “That was Zen, this is Meow” edition”

A Tale of Two Stories: Helicopter Parenting and Poverty

The Washington Post:  And how can parents help their children become self-sufficient? Teach them the skills they’ll need in real life, and give them enough leash to practice those skills on their own, Lythcott-Haims said. And have them do chores. “Chores build a sense of accountability. They build life skills and a work ethic.” Lythcott-Haims said many parents ask how they can unilaterally deescalate in what feels like a college-admissions arms race. How can they relax about getting their child into Harvard if every other parent is going full speed ahead? The Washington Post:  The 86 members of Ruleville Central’s senior … Continue reading A Tale of Two Stories: Helicopter Parenting and Poverty

We Don’t Believe Women Get Sick, Not Really

There’s pretty much nothing that can’t be solved by the hysterical bitches just calming down a little and maybe admitting it’s all in their heads:  “That to me felt like this deeply personal and deeply upsetting embodiment of what was at stake,” she said. “Not just on the side of the medical establishment—where female pain might be perceived as constructed or exaggerated—but on the side of the woman herself: My friend has been reckoning in a sustained way about her own fears about coming across as melodramatic.” “Female pain might be perceived as constructed or exaggerated”: We saw this from … Continue reading We Don’t Believe Women Get Sick, Not Really

Saturday Odds & Sods: Time The Avenger

Dali Persistence of memory
The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali.

Fall has fallen as have the acorns. It’s my fall allergy season with the yellow stickiness of oak pollen augmenting the construction dust that is our lot in life in Uptown New Orleans. Getting around town is not unlike running a gauntlet. We not only have pop-up restaurants, we have pop-up construction. Advance planning is not a big deal here in the Big Easy.

In local sports, it’s the best of times and the worst of times. The Saints have been so bad that all the bandwagon hoppers and newbies are disoriented. They’re used to a winning team but these Saints have conjured up images of by-gone ineptitude, UNTIL upsetting the hated Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. We call them the Dirty Birds and they got roasted. I’m skeptical that it’s a turning point in the season, but ya never know. That’s why they play the games.

My LSU Tigers continue to surprise. Most years Tiger fans have greater expectations than Pip but that was not the case in 2015. Holy pleasant surprise, Batman. It’s been a weird season thus far. We’ve had a home game cancelled because of lightning and a road game moved to Red Stick because of the great Palmetto State flood of 2015. We’re undefeated, largely because of my main man Leonard Fournette. A personage I respect so much that I have thus far declined to pun on his surname. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or depressed by my nearly unprecedented restraint.

This week’s theme song comes from the Pretenders album Learning To Crawl. I thought it was high time that I used one of Chrissie Hynde’s tunes. It’s also high time that I commented on the flap she got into with the social media outrage machine. She wasn’t making universal comments about rape, instead she was blaming herself for something that happened to her when she was young and dumb. Do I agree that women are to blame for getting raped? Hell to the no, but Chrissie has the right to discuss her own life in her own terms even if her views are unfashionable or even retrograde. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar or a pipe is just a pipe. Unless, that is, you’re Rene Magritte:

La Trahison des images (Ceci n'est pas une pipe). 1929. Oil on canvas, Overall: 25 3/8 x 37 in. (64.45 x 93.98 cm). Unframed canvas: 23 11/16 x 31 7/7 inches, 1 1/2 inches deep, 39 5/8 inches diagonal. Purchased with funds provided by the Mr. and Mrs. William Preston Harrison Collection (78.7).
The Treachery of Images by Rene Magritte.

To quote this week’s theme song, “Nobody’s perfect, not even a perfect stranger.”

Since time may or may not be on my side, it’s time for another musical interlude followed by the break:

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Time The Avenger”

Pulp Fiction Thursday: Dashiell Hammett

There is a terrific piece by David Lehman at the American Scholar that I originally planned to post on a Saturday but there’s no time like the pulpy present. The Radical Pessimism Of Dashiell Hammett is an incisive look at one of the founders of hardboiled crime fiction, which made me decide to Hammett up this Thursday. I hope that pun doesn’t make you want to Dashiell to the nearest exit.

5a152119610aaeb4fe78978c2f7c74e63942971148_783e939483_o

More after the break. I always did like a nice  hammett and cheese omelet for breakfast.

Continue reading “Pulp Fiction Thursday: Dashiell Hammett”

The Paul Ryan Search Party

I’d wondered where he went, the bright spot for conservatives among the Mitt Romney implosion:  Yes, Ryan has already said he doesn’t want the job, but he’s also signaled to his colleagues that he’d think about it. And so, the political world is forced to simply wait for a definitive, no-wiggle-room, final decision. If the Wisconsin congressman succumbs to the pressure, he’ll enjoy quite a bit of intra-party support; if Ryan balks and stays where he is, the free-for-all will begin in earnest. I can see why, having gone through the crazy shitnuts fight that was the 2012 Republican primary, … Continue reading The Paul Ryan Search Party

More Guns More Guns More Guns

I have never understood concealed carry. I grew up around hunters, guys who used guns like the instruments they are, instruments by which food can be gotten and eaten and a poor winter thus survived. Some of those guys went shooting for fun, respected their weapons, and modeled that respect for others. I do not have a gun phobia. But I don’t get concealed carry. The argument from the gun nuts goes something like this: If everybody can carry, then bad guys will be too scared of good guys to bring their guns to schools and movie theaters and stuff. … Continue reading More Guns More Guns More Guns

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – monster mash-up edition

OK, folks – I’m still overwhelmed with aging barrels of Freepitude to dispose of, but we’ll start with a new one, then jump to the back of the Gohmert pile.

First up – long-lasting Boehner!

Breaking: John Boehner has agreed to stay on as Speaker
Fox News ^ | 10/8/2015 | Bret Baier

Posted on ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎25‎:‎48‎ ‎PM by VictoryGal

Having Talked to several senior aides on Capitol Hill (along with Chris Stirewalt and his sources on the Hill tied to the leadership) here is the picture that is beginning to form.

Speaker John Boehner has agreed to stay on as Speaker–not just until the Caucus nominates someone –but, until that person can confirm 218 votes on the House floor (needed to take the Speaker’s gavel). Short of that – Boehner will stay on for the rest of this Congress and steer legislation that is pending.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you – a Free Republic FIRST!

Comment #1 Removed by Moderator

That’s right, folks – this is the comment made by the OP, not in response to the OP.

Usually they get a comment or two in before mods have to start yanking shit.

ModeratorKitteh

And now for the exploding head parade!

To: VictoryGal

So he quit. But, when he can’t get his chosen successor, he un-quit?

4 posted on 10‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎27‎:‎49‎ ‎PM by Jet Jaguar

To: VictoryGal

@#$%^&*!

But, seriously, WHO didn’t see this one coming?

Down Fifth Avenue. Naked. Leading a Clown Parade.

We’re So Screwed.

8 posted on 10‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎29‎:‎04‎ ‎PM by Diana in Wisconsin (I don’t have ‘Hobbies.’ I’m developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set…)

To: 100American

A slut by any other name.

11 posted on 10‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎31‎:‎21‎ ‎PM by stocksthatgoup (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/business/dealbook/imf-economies-lima-china-turkey-brazil.html)

To: VictoryGal

Great. More days in hell for all of us.

12 posted on 10‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎8‎:‎32‎:‎25‎ ‎PM by dragonblustar (Philippians 2:10

To: proust

I’m so excited I could just sh*t!!

114 posted on 10‎/‎9‎/‎2015‎ ‎5‎:‎54‎:‎45‎ ‎PM by dearolddad (/i>)

.

To: proust

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME

JEEBUS H. CHRISTMAS, WHERE IS CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER WHEN YOU NEED IT

118 posted on 10‎/‎10‎/‎2015‎ ‎1‎:‎00‎:‎19‎ ‎PM by Lazamataz (Ok. We won’t call them ‘Anchor Babies’. From now on, we shall call them ‘Fetal Grappling Hooks’.)
 

Older stuff after the C4 nasal spray…

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – monster mash-up edition”

Some News on the First Draft Book … More than Halfway There!

Couple things. This is our annual fundraiser, so if you haven’t hit it up yet, please do!  Also? Too? This project includes a foreword/intro by the blogfather of this very site, Atrios! And, since we’re more than halfway there with 15 days to go, I offer you an incentive. If we get to our goal, I will publish the best of the OBAMA ELECTION NIGHT CRACK VAN TRANSCRIPT. I’ve been re-reading it for the book and it is hilarious. And video of Claire giving you all kisses. So close, guys. Let’s really kill journalism this time. A. Continue reading Some News on the First Draft Book … More than Halfway There!

‘you had enough money to do four website redesigns that you didn’t want’

Guys? This is why I yell so much. THIS BULLSHIT RIGHT HERE. The Sun-Times’ website has undergone four redesigns in the last two years (and one very talked-up political redesign), each less popular with the newsroom than the last. “[When theSun-Times site] changed over from the newest of the redesigns to what it is now, to match the Network site, there was a lot of displeasure in the newsroom about that,” a former longtime Sun-Times staffer said. “I think a lot of employees were confused as to why so much time, and I assume money, to do three or four … Continue reading ‘you had enough money to do four website redesigns that you didn’t want’

You can’t have it both ways: Statehouse Edition

I have seen this interaction take place quite a bit over the years and it usually involves a child, a parent and a purchase. Child: “I want this and that.” Parent: “That’s $10. You only have five. You have to choose.” Child: “But I want them both!” Parent: “But you don’t have enough money.” Child: “Can’t you just give me $5 more?” Parent: “No, but if you promise to (insert semi-painful, menial home task, like cutting the lawn or resurfacing the driveway) when we get home, I’ll give you the $5 then and you can come back and buy it.” … Continue reading You can’t have it both ways: Statehouse Edition