Month: June 2018

Adrastos, Comedy, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Music, New Orleans, Odds & Sods, Television, The Darnold3 Comments

Saturday Odds & Sods: Lonely Holiday

Peter Adrastos Athas
Rye Beach by William Glackens.

Summer in New Orleans is typically one long heat advisory but this week has been one of the hottest I can remember. It’s August hot. It’s so hot that new kitty Paul Drake isn’t trying to bolt out the front door whenever it opens. It’s so hot that the air smacks you in the face like a wet barber shop towel. I’m almost tempted to try frying eggs on the sidewalk but I don’t believe in wasting food. In short, it’s fucking hot.

I haven’t been as prolific as usual blogging-wise the last few weeks. I’ve made the mistake of taking the news too personally. It’s bad for both the psyche and satire. It’s been hard not to: the news has been so unrelentingly bleak of late. It makes it hard to be a glass half full person. It’s looking bone dry. That’s why I’m going to keep this post on the snappy side. In addition to my proverbial glass being bone dry, my funny bone is banged up. The good news is that it’s bruised, not broken. And writing Odds & Sods is always therapeutic.

This week’s theme song was written and recorded by Old 97’s for their 1999 album, Fight Songs. That was when this Dallas based alt-country power pop combo came on my radar screen. Lonely Holiday is a very sad song, which is appropriate given the events of the last few weeks. Only a sad song will do.

Get ready to rock with the original studio track as well as a lively live version:

Now that Rhett Miller has serenaded us with a sad song, it’s time to jump to the break.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: Lonely Holiday”

Adrastos, Law/Justice, Political Crack, Supreme Court, The Darnold

A Few More Thoughts About The Kennedy Retirement

Peter Adrastos Athas

I missed some important points when I wrote yesterday about Justice Kennedy’s exit, stage right. First, we’ve gotten so used to phony libertarians like Senator Aqua Buddha and the Koch brothers that we don’t recognize the real deal. Anthony Kennedy is opposed to excessive government regulation in ALL AREAS. On the plus side, he’s championed gay rights and opposed the overruling of Roe v. Wade. On the minus side, he applies his libertarianism to economic and free speech questions and we end up with the Kennedy who supported this term’s awful rulings and Citizens United. He’s simply being consistent in … Continue reading A Few More Thoughts About The Kennedy Retirement

Adrastos, Congress, Elections, Gret Stet Politics, Law/Justice, Political Crack, Supreme Court1 Comment

On Our Own Now: Justice Kennedy Exits, Stage Right

Peter Adrastos Athas

I planned to write about the McConnell Court after the appalling decision in the Muslim ban case, which featured an off-hand reversal of the infamous Korematsu ruling. I hadn’t planned to write about Anthony Kennedy but then the news cycle went berserk and my plans changed. Liberal twitter was on suicide watch after Kennedy’s announcement. There was fear in the virtual air. Kennedy *was* a swing vote on some issues that matter to liberals: abortion, guns, and gay rights. BUT he was also a conservative Reagan appointee who voted with right-wing justices in 13 out of 13 5-4 decisions this … Continue reading On Our Own Now: Justice Kennedy Exits, Stage Right

Michael F

Which Side Are You On?

mmferry1965

It’s a cliche, but I think the upcoming midterm offers a pretty clear choice. And…no, I hadn’t heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at all until she won Tuesday’s primary, but she’s a fantastic candidate…and there are more who offer hope in an otherwise troubled time. Five months to go until the midterms…which is just a first step. But a necessary first step. Because the alternative is…not something I really want to think about. Continue reading Which Side Are You On?

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media, Stupid Everything Tricks, Supreme Court1 Comment

Job’s The Same Today

Allison Hantschel

Fuck Gorsuch and just less than half of SCOTUS and McConnell and Ryan and everybody writing about “civility” and the millions of people who voted for Trump because he made them feel good about themselves and fuck the people screaming at the press at Trump rallies and goddamn, blast, confound and fuck every single person in this administration today. Kick and I spent last night writing postcards to lawmakers over family detention and making plans with friends for another march this weekend, after marching last weekend, because there are fascists in power and we have weekends off work. I told … Continue reading Job’s The Same Today

Athenae, Education, Guns

All This … Or The Guns

Allison Hantschel

We’ll take away every civil right you have, in the name of safety, before we pass some fucking gun laws that make sense in this country:  Under the Salem method, threats are evaluated at a Level One stage by a school-based team that may include school police. If it is determined that parents would be constructive, they can be brought in during the process, the handbook says. The handbook outlining the Salem method that Parkrose uses advises that aggression exists on a continuum, from a low end of “scratch, bite, hit” up to “rape, strangle, stab, shoot, bomb, kill.” If … Continue reading All This … Or The Guns

Free Republic, The Darnold, Tommy T1 Comment

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Punk Floyd edition

Tommy T

All I can say is – oops!

Trump plans executive action to prevent family separations at border
Fox News ^ | 06/20/2018 | By John Roberts, Andrew O’Reilly

Posted on 6/20/2018, 12:10:44 PM by SeekAndFind

President Trump is planning to sign an executive order to allow children to stay with parents caught crossing the border illegally — a step that could avoid the family separations that have triggered a national outcry and political crisis for Republicans.

The action under consideration would allow children to stay in detention with parents for an extended period of time, Fox News has learned. This comes as congressional Republicans scramble to draft legislation to address the same issue, but face challenges mustering the votes.

Trump previewed the new measure, while holding out hope for legislation, during remarks to reporters during a meeting Wednesday with lawmakers.

“I’ll be signing something in a little while [to keep families together],” he said, calling the move “somewhat preemptive” and stressing it would “be matched by legislation.” He also said he’s canceling the upcoming congressional picnic, adding: “It didn’t feel exactly right to me.”

1 posted on 6/20/2018, 12:10:44 PM by SeekAndFind
(composite thread)
To: yesthatjallen

President Trump:

DON’T CAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 posted on 6/20/2018, 2:04:25 PM by freedumb2003 (“We were designed as gardeners, not cubicle rats.” (/robroys woman))

Followed immediately by:
To: yesthatjallen

cave

3 posted on 6/20/2018, 2:04:53 PM by SpaceBar

To: SeekAndFind

Well, Trump lost this one. If ryan is not removed, expect a lot more of this kind of caving. These short timers are going to do as much damage as they can before they go. There is no tomorrow for them if they do not deliver for their future employers. I believe it is going to hurt us come midterms, very badly.

3 posted on 6/20/2018, 12:14:20 PM by JoSixChip (He is Batman!)

To: sickoflibs

I’m a new never Trumper,never republican never conservative and really
Just gonna stop caring. Have fun y’all

12 posted on 6/20/2018, 12:20:58 PM by shawnlaw

TYA meaning - what does TYA stand for?
 .
And just in case you might mistakenly get the impression that Freepers are horrible people :
To: madison10

“It would be funny if keeping them together meant sending them BACK together…” to Gitmo…

14 posted on 6/20/2018, 2:08:01 PM by Roobarb321

I’ve always wondered what would happen if you waterboarded a four-year-old….
To: heights

Allowing the democrat media to use this to take control of Congress would mean impeachment and the end of MAGA. So take your weakness and shove it.

10 posted on 6/20/2018, 12:19:55 PM by bigbob (Trust Sessions. Trust the Plan.)

Response?
To: bigbob

“So take your weakness and shove it.”

Take your Fanboy love for anything Trump does, and Shove it back.

12 posted on 6/20/2018, 12:24:50 PM by heights

YoureBothPrettyGirls
 .
More from “The Wall” below….

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Punk Floyd edition”

Athenae, Immigration, Immoral Values, Stupid Republican Tricks2 Comments

On Hypocrisy and Where You Are

Allison Hantschel

Where were you when OTHER kids were being separated, huh? HUH? They get three meals a day, plus snacks. Allowed to play outside. Have TV. Game rooms. They are very well taken care of. Oh yes, they get medical care and schooling. A whole lot more then our vets, homeless, and our own children get. – Libtards did not care about the illegals separated and put in detention centers in 2014 and they don’t care now. Its nothing but faux outrage and opportunistic propaganda. A variation on this line was posted to a group sponsoring a march Kick and I … Continue reading On Hypocrisy and Where You Are

Adrastos, Comedy, Diary, Film, Fog Of History, Food and Drink, Gret Stet Politics, Law/Justice, Music, Odds & Sods, Television, Twitter4 Comments

Saturday Odds & Sods: The Day I Get Home

Peter Adrastos Athas
Fantastic Landscape (Volcano Erupting) by David Alfaro Siquerios.

Our visit to Virginia was a quickie. One of the highlights came on the return trip when we met longtime First Draft readers Lex and Carroll Alexander for lunch. We rendezvoused at Stamey’s in Greensboro, NC and ate the food of their people: barbecue. The meal included perhaps the best peach cobbler I’ve ever had. A good time was had by all but I’m afraid Carroll and I did most of the talking. She has family roots in the Gret Stet of Louisiana and I was eager to untangle them. Nosy might be a better word, but it’s always fun to learn someone has Momus/Comus/Proteus old line krewe types in the family. You never know what happens when you give someone’s family tree a shake. All sorts of oddities are likely to fall out.

On a weird note, I got into a twitter slagging match last week with a Gret Stet legislator’s wife. My crime was criticizing her hubby’s voting record. She was not amused and he contacted me by DM. “Perfection” is a terrible burden and they don’t carry it well. #sarcasm. I wound up inviting them to a “block party” so the fight would end. I’m not sure why they think fighting with citizens is a good move but they do.  I’m not the first person to have this experience and won’t be the last. Weird, weird, weird.

This week’s theme song wedged itself in my head on our trip home. The title is a minor misnomer  as we got home last Sunday. The very Beatlesque The Day I Get Home was written by Difford and Tilbrook for 1991’s Play album. We have two versions for your listening pleasure: the original studio recording and a swell live performance.

Now that we’ve trekked home, it’s time to jump to the break without crash landing. Knock on wood or some such superstitious shit.

Continue reading “Saturday Odds & Sods: The Day I Get Home”

Adrastos, Bigotry, Fog Of History, Fog Of Scandal, Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Immigration, Immoral Values, Political Crack, Race, The Darnold1 Comment

Kirstjen’s Katrina Connection

Peter Adrastos Athas

It had to happen. Some pundits are calling the caged children scandal “Trump’s Katrina.” First, former Failing NYT editor Jill Abramson in the former Manchester Guardian followed by New Yorker editor David Remnick. To be fair, Remnick acknowledges a crucial difference: Some … Continue reading Kirstjen’s Katrina Connection

Athenae, Do Something3 Comments

Cages

Allison Hantschel

They’re trying to make us fight about the place we keep the children we steal from their parents, the children we lock up: This just in from @davidbegnaud: Border Patrol has reached out to @cbsthismorning and said they are “very uncomfortable” with the use of the word cages. They say it’s not inaccurate and added that they may be cages but people are not being treated like animals. pic.twitter.com/0zSDqJszgK — CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 18, 2018 And it’s too easy to reach for the Ursula K. LeGuin, today: In a basement under one of the beautiful public buildings of … Continue reading Cages

Free Republic, The Darnold, Tommy T

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – short takes edition

Tommy T

OK – suits ON –

ISO suit

Here we go!

Trump gives Democrats a big health care opening for the midterms
Axios ^ | 6/11/18 | Drew Altman

Posted on 6/11/2018, 5:55:03 AM by DoodleDawg

Most of the discussion of the Trump administration’s decision not to defend the Affordable Care Act — and to urge the courts to throw out its protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions — has focused on what happens to the individual insurance market. But the political impact may be even greater.

Why it matters: Protections for people with pre-existing conditions are hugely popular, and the administration may have handed Democrats their strongest health care weapon yet — because now they can make the case that the administration has gone to court to take away protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

The case is also likely to drag on, so it could be the political gift that keeps on giving through 2020, even if it is eventually thrown out.

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

Attacking what is just about the only really liked feature of Obamacare could come back to bite the GOP.
1 posted on 6/11/2018, 5:55:03 AM by DoodleDawg
To: relictele
Have the Dems shown they are ready to attack any actual issue? 

This just happened Friday I believe. The Democrats haven’t finished their happy dance yet.

8 posted on 6/11/2018, 6:13:32 AM by DoodleDawg
To: DoodleDawg

 

Insurance for those with pre-existing conditions is not insurance.

It’s like buying home owners insurance AFTER your house burns down.

5 posted on 6/11/2018, 6:09:48 AM by Flavious(sic)_Maximus

No, Dumbfuckious Maximus, it’s like buying home owner’s after your house burned down in a forest fire, and you rebuilt.

To: Flavious_Maximus
Insurance for those with pre-existing conditions is not insurance. 

Argue semantics if you want but that doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the few popular features of Obamacare and the GOP is working to eliminate it without any alternative. Optics on this won’t be good.

10 posted on 6/11/2018, 6:15:29 AM by DoodleDawg
I’m sorry – you misspelled “Retards who voted for The Darnold are suddenly going to realize that they’re going to go bankrupt because of this.”
To: ConservativeMind
It is technically called a “benefit” when people are given preexisting condition coverage.  

Oh so now they want to take away a “benefit” that people really like? Just gets better and better.

13 posted on 6/11/2018, 6:16:27 AM by DoodleDawg
OtherwiseOK
One of DoodleDawg’s detractors takes a swipe at him:
To: ConservativeMind
You keep sounding like someone who is happy transgender reassignment surgery being force-covered. After all, tons of people are very, very happy with it.  

And you sound like someone who doesn’t care if the Democrats take the House and/or the Senate in November.

65 posted on 6/11/2018, 9:32:49 AM by DoodleDawg
More (and shorter) short takes after the you-know-what…

Continue reading “Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – short takes edition”

Athenae, Big Damn Heroes, Do Something2 Comments

WHAT ARE THE DEMOCRATS DOING?!!?

Allison Hantschel

I’ve been seeing variations on this theme all week, like the party that isn’t in power right now should somehow magically gain power and stop family separation. Well, they’re sitting in. They’re marching. They’re giving speeches. They’re fighting with the only fight they have. If you want them to be able to mount real opposition, we need more of them.  Could one of them filibuster? Sure. Stand on the floor all night telling refugee stories. Could one of them start a hunger strike, mount civil disobedience over and above what’s going on already, could they find a creative way to … Continue reading WHAT ARE THE DEMOCRATS DOING?!!?