Month: January 2017

Athenae, Law/Justice, Stupid Blue Dog Tricks, Stupid Everything Tricks, Supreme Court8 Comments

Let Me Make This Easy for You, Democrats

Allison Hantschel

No. On CNN, Sen. Richard Blumenthal says Democrats should “do the right thing” and confirm Gorsuch. #SCOTUS — Tom McKay (@thetomzone) February 1, 2017 Really? Still? We’re still doing this? It’s 2017. We’re fully more than a decade past the time when Democrats, eager to take the high road and do the right thing and be patriotic and put country before party, sucked George W. Bush’s strap-on and were rewarded for their decency by having the war hero they nominated for president derided as a commie faggot peace-freak appeaser. We jus spent eight years in which a Democratic president gave … Continue reading Let Me Make This Easy for You, Democrats

Athenae, Bigotry, Immigration, Immoral Values, Propaganda, Race, Stupid Republican Tricks, Terrorism, The Darnold, War in Afghanistan, War in Iraq2 Comments

Save One

Allison Hantschel

We are arguing about how much of the house is on fire, with the refugee/immigrant ban. We are arguing closet versus attic versus living room, instead of picking up a damn bucket and putting the fire out: President Trump and his aides love to cite a small number and a big number in order to minimize the impact of the president’s executive order suspending the visas of citizens of seven countries. But these figures are incredibly misleading, so let’s go through the math. Let’s not, because it doesn’t fucking matter. I don’t care if this executive order affected one person.  I don’t … Continue reading Save One

Free Republic, Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – best laid plans edition

Tommy T

Good Monday morning, sane people!

The insane people are going full speed ahead – right into the rocks.

First of all, from my home State –  “Sheriffs are elected??  Who knew???”

Sheriff Sally Hernandez responds to Gov. Abbott’s threats

kvue.com ^ | Jan. 26, 2017 | kvue

Posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎48‎:‎48‎ ‎AM by bgill

Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott informed Hernandez in a three-page letter that her ICE policy would betray her oath to residents of Travis County. He also added that failing to remove the policy before it is enacted on Feb. 1 would run the county the risk of losing grant money from the Criminal Justice Division.

Abbott upped the ante Wednesday by telling Fox News Wednesday that he is working with lawmakers to create legislation that would include civil and criminal penalties for public officials wanting to create sanctuary cities.

Hernandez responded Thursday that she would continue on with her policy because it does not go against the state or federal laws.

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

Sheriff Sally Hernandez responds to Gov. Abbott’s threats

This is the county where uber lib Austin, TX is. There’s 1.8 million in state funds on the table. It’s only 1% of the sheriff’s budget but it’s still a chunk of money.Hope Abbott find s a way to place her inside a cell in her own county jail.

1 posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎48‎:‎48‎ ‎AM by bgill
And then rape her, I suppose?
To: bgill 

Deport the b*tch.

That’s you simpletons’ answer to everything, isn’t it? Besides, isn’t her childhood home in Llano county right next door? Unless you mean to Czechoslovakia…..

sallyhernandez

This is America. We have laws. Providing sanctuary to criminals is not one of them.

9 posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎53‎:‎59‎ ‎AM by FlingWingFlyer (As long as tyranny exists, the Constitution and Bill of Right will never be “outdated” or “obsolete”)

One Freeper has caught the “I can do anything I want even if it’s not constitutionally in my power” bug:
To: bgill

Gov can fire her for insubordination.

3 posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎50‎:‎36‎ ‎AM by Col Frank Slade

Another Freeper has to point out that that’s not how it works:
To: Col Frank Slade

Sherrifs(sic) are elected.

15 posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎10‎:‎55‎:‎48‎ ‎AM by fruser1

Who knew???
And, in the Unintentional Irony department:
To: Puppage

you can SEE the stupid on some people…

26 posted on ‎1‎/‎27‎/‎2017‎ ‎11‎:‎12‎:‎07‎ ‎AM by Mr. K ( Trump kicked her ass 2-to-1 if you remove all the voter fraud.)

…which is why I have this gig.
.
More stupid below the fold….
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Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – best laid plans edition”

Athenae, Congress1 Comment

Let the Word Ring Forth

Allison Hantschel

Now senators, congressman, please heed the call: Remember that Congressional Republicans could stop all of this at any time. They choose, every day, not to. They own this. — Waldo Jaquith (@waldojaquith) January 28, 2017 Week one.     There are all these things it’s important to remember, like how standing up is always better than sitting still and speaking is always better than staying quiet, like how there are more of us than there are of them, like how no despot or tyrant has ever held a whole people by force of arms against their will forever, like how … Continue reading Let the Word Ring Forth

Athenae, Diary2 Comments

Three or, A List of Things, In No Particular Order, My Daughter Says Now

Allison Hantschel

“Up. Up. Up. UP. UP. UUUUUUUUUUP.” This is her morning greeting and my daily alarm clock. With the exception of an 18-month sleep regression that almost killed us all, Kick has always been a championship sleeper. She has never once, however, climbed out of her crib. She stays in there, yelling in increasing volume, until she’s fetched from it, and as much as sometimes I would love for her to just get up and get dressed and make her own damn breakfast for once, most days I get out of bed smiling at the steady increase in volume and exasperation. “That … Continue reading Three or, A List of Things, In No Particular Order, My Daughter Says Now

Adrastos, Art, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Malakatude, Music, Odds & Sods, Web/Tech

Saturday Odds & Sods: End Of The Line

Peter Adrastos Athas
Rivera
Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera.

The image you see above began life as a joke at a rich man’s expense. Nelson Rockefeller commissioned the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera to do a fresco at Rockefeller Center. Big mistake: Rivera was not only a lefty, he was a Communist. If you take a closer look at the image you can see Lenin, Trotsky, and Karl Marx among the figures. The future Governor of New York was not amused and had the mural destroyed. Mercifully for art lovers, Rivera had a friend take pictures of the Rocky mocking work. He later did a second version in Mexico City. Take that, Rocky. There’s a lesson in this story for our times even if Rocky’s politics weren’t as odious as those of the Insult Comedian.

This January is a time for sad songs. End Of The Line is a rock torch song. It was written by Bryan Ferry for Roxy Music’s brilliant 1975 album Siren. I listened to Siren obsessively during the bleakest time of my life and it helped me get through it. Thanks, Roxy.

We begin with the studio version; sung by Ferry as if his heart was ripped out of his chest. It’s followed by a swell but less overtly emotional 1993 cover by Concrete Blonde:

I’ve also been known to sing End Of The Line under my breath when taking the bus or streetcar downtown to Canal Street, which is the you know what. I don’t think I’ve been caught in the act but ya never know. I suppose this is as good time as any to insert the break thingamabob. See you on the other side.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: End Of The Line”

Current Affairs, Doc, Political Crack, Propaganda, Uncategorized2 Comments

“Fuck You Nation” – National Edition

docphd

A year or two back, I coined the term “Fuck You Nation” to capture the general sense of how people in this country were tending to treat one another. The argument at the time was that when it came to the rise of Donald Trump, the mistrust of the media and the general sense of political discord, people were less “pro” something and more “fuck you” toward people they saw as “the opposition.” At the core of the argument was a general sense of self-righteousness, absolute certainty and an overwhelming sense of anger and bile. If President Trump’s first week … Continue reading “Fuck You Nation” – National Edition

Michael F

“The Twilight Zone”

mmferry1965

That was Dan Rather’s observation on the Rachel Maddow show last night (video link… last week Charles Pierce –I think — also referenced the show); and yeah, in some ways it seems like were at the beginning of an episode, where the premise is set — in this case, alternative facts, the steady stream of reactionary executive orders, the bizarro speech at Langley last week, the tweets (hmm…no one who screamed loud and long about HRC’s emails seems to care about Trump using an unsecured phone…), etc. To be fair, we’re only a week in — and, to also be fair, thank heavens … Continue reading “The Twilight Zone”

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media

Newspapers Will Pay For Anything Besides Journalism

Allison Hantschel

ANY. THING.  Even as the Chicago Sun-Times clings to life as a metro daily news organ, the publication says it has launched a new digital marketing agency called Digital 312, with the shop’s name incorporating the primary Chicago telephone area code. Launched with a staff of around 11 people, the plan is to harness the experience the newspaper itself has gained in transitioning to a digital first news organization and apply that to clients of the agency that are looking for marketing expertise in the digital arena. When I look at the money that’s gotten pissed away by newspaper companies … Continue reading Newspapers Will Pay For Anything Besides Journalism

Athenae, Propaganda, So Called Liberal Media1 Comment

Don’t Change a Thing? Um. Change EVERYTHING

Allison Hantschel

Jack Shafer hypothesizes that Trump, Spicer et al are not something new, which is … interesting:  I don’t recall anybody calling for a boycott of Barack Obama or his myrmidons for his media scheming and for tipping the “balance of power between the White House and press … unmistakably toward the government,” as the Politico past-masters put it. The press mostly carried on, threading the thicket of treacheries as best it could. Governments always have and will always impede the press from doing their job, and they will use any means necessary. “All governments lie,” as journalist I.F. Stone once … Continue reading Don’t Change a Thing? Um. Change EVERYTHING

Stupid Republican Tricks, Teabaggery, The Darnold, Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – one toe back in the water edition

Tommy T

OK, folks – time to quit posting my musings from the Book Of Faces, and get back to some wingnut mockery.

But slowly….Let’s start with just one – Fake Flag Arms Alert!!

Donald Trump’s Bodyguard Has Fake Arms For This Reason
Frag Hero ^

Posted on 1/22/2017, 1:57:10 AM by TigerClaws

After yesterday’s presidential inauguration, many members of the military and law enforcement community noticed something very unusual about one of Trump’s bodyguards. The secret service agent, who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Hitman Agent 47, seemed to have very stiff arms that were in an unusual resting position. donald trump bodyguard fake arms Upon further review of video and images, they noticed his hands stayed in that exact same position for hours.  The conclusion they reached, was that he did indeed have tactical fake arms. Take a look at the video and you can even see how they remain unusually still while he’s walking:

1 posted on 1/22/2017, 1:57:10 AM by TigerClaws
Wow.  “tactical fake arms”.  As opposed to “strategic fake arms”,  I suppose.
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(Honestly, when I saw the thread title, I thought it might be referring to The Darnold’s Schutstaffel not being allowed to carry weapons, so maybe the SS fixed them up with look-alike water pistols or something so their collective manhood wouldn’t be impugned)
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Freeperati?  How say ye?
To: TigerClaws

A few movie scenes come to mind…

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Gangs of New York

Spies Like Us.

3 posted on 1/22/2017, 2:03:15 AM by Organic Panic (Rich White Man Evicts Poor Black Family From Public Housing – MSNBCPBSCNNNYTABC)

….A Fistful Of Yen….
klahn

To: TigerClaws

Old news, i saw a stripper with an M16 for a leg……

Did you have a premature discharge?

But….i would love to get a fake arm and turn it into a flamethrower.

2 posted on 1/22/2017, 2:01:26 AM by Daniel Ramsey (MAGA)

yodareallife

To: TigerClaws

If this were true, what would be the point? Everyone would know this. Why use the distracting fake arms, after the second time. Why not just hold the gun under the coat?

Because they’re not fucking allowed to carry guns.

It’s like the fake lone pine tree in the city next to the freeway. Clearly it is a cell tower. Why bother with the tree facade?

5 posted on 1/22/2017, 2:09:26 AM by Yaelle

To: Yaelle

Cuz the neighbors like it. Or the birds like it.

It’s to avoid “visual pollution”- the same reason we oughta ban any more wymmyn’s marches.

8 posted on 1/22/2017, 2:16:44 AM by Pelham (the refusal to Deport is defacto Amnesty

Ban in one hand and shit in the other, and see which one fills up first.
Oh – and if this is “visual pollution”, sign me up :
womensmarchmessing
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To: Yaelle

I flipped the bird to them for a full quarter mile including right in front of the police station. Some say a perfect Christian wouldn’t do that. Correct, I’m not perfect  a Christian.

12 posted on 1/22/2017, 2:44:51 AM by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O’Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))

FIFY.
More after the fake jump..
.

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – one toe back in the water edition”

Athenae, Big Damn Heroes1 Comment

Thank You, Mr. Secretary, Senator, and in a better world Mr. President, too

Allison Hantschel

I will never forget what the GOP did to this man. Never.  Kerry stared hard at the man in the white ball cap standing before him, the river’s water reflecting off his sunglasses as he peppered Tam with questions and eagerly gobbled up details about a defining incident in his life. Tam told Kerry the Viet Cong could hear the Swift boats coming from 3,000 feet away, and he gently suggested the lumbering Americans never stood a chance. “We were guerrillas,” he said. “We were never where you were shooting.” “I’m glad we’re both alive,” Kerry told him as they … Continue reading Thank You, Mr. Secretary, Senator, and in a better world Mr. President, too

Athenae, Votes for Women

‘we’ll marry our fortunes together’

Allison Hantschel

We rounded the corner and looked down the street and the end of the block was lit up, shining through the canyon of the tall dark skyscrapers, an entrance to the world, the end of a long dark tunnel. The trains rumbled overhead, like a huge barrel rolling down a flight of metal stairs, over and over, around and around. “Hold up your sign,” I told Kick, and she lifted the sign she had colored the day before, her almost-three-year-old finger-stubs making blue marker strokes and polka dots on a poster board that said, “Future President.” People honked. People cheered. Mr. A … Continue reading ‘we’ll marry our fortunes together’