Physics is very cool pic.twitter.com/wxIg0oQd40
— Physics-astronomy (@Physicsastronmy) February 11, 2022
- Various right-wing media are accusing mainstream reporters of hypocrisy -> replaying Joe Rogan using racial epithets – like the “N” word – while ignoring Joe Biden’s use of the same word in 1986. Tommy Christopher is a target.
Tommy carefully explains, as he did decades ago, that the use of that offensive word, is qualitatively different, when it is used in a quote from a racist in order to criticize that racist for casually using that word.
That was what Joe Biden was doing in 1986. Tommy provides comparative videos.
- Never-Trump types seem bent on explaining how they, the conservative adults, will show leftist hippie Democrats how real opposition is done. Hold my beer, Sonny.
It is all a bit too arrogant for driftglass, who responds that
The enemy of my enemy is my friend
is not the same as
The enemy of my enemy is my Supervisor.
He suggests those folks stop bossing or get off the boat.
- The Financial Times editorializes. Seems the real problem in America, one that should be President Biden’s priority, is cultural overreach by the left. M. Bouffant at Web of Evil, looks at book banning by the right, armed intimidation by rightists, a various continuations of January 6, voter & voting suppression, and Republican state legislatures picking and choosing whose votes are to be counted. For some strange reason, M Bouffant regards the Financial Times observation as an absurdity.
- Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit remembers what most of us have at least half forgotten: How our once-upon-a-President went beyond mere democracy and endangered the world in a nuclear way. And that the danger continues.
- Andy Borowitz reports that former President Trump is using a written excuse from a Podiatrist during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to avoid being drafted into Putin’s armed forces.
- Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson hates to be a broken record, so Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson explains just who broke the record (note FY 2021 was passed in 2020 and signed into law by then President Trump):
"Out of control deficit spending."
Who is going to tell him.https://t.co/2Fzqjzym1U
Added to debt:
FY 2021: $1.5 trillion
FY 2020: $4.2 trillion
FY 2019: $1.2 trillion
FY 2018: $1.3 trillion https://t.co/cCfvtbQilX— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) February 10, 2022
and elaborates:"When Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, the national debt stood at about $19.9 trillion. As he leaves office this month, the national debt has grown to about $27.7 trillion. That's an increase of 39.2 percent."https://t.co/TDiLNPxH7L
— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) February 10, 2022
- So what if, right after the election, the Trump campaign called law officials in Michigan with orders to seize voting machines and turn them over to the campaign?
Well… the Palmer Report says a story pretty much drowned out this week might turn out to be very ugly news for Rudy Giuliani.
- Part of that gawdawful conservative activity happened when an election official illegally turned over voter private data to a conservative activist.
It is always a joy to see a do-you-know-who-I-am type encounter honest law enforcement. Watching Republican Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters handcuffed, kicking and screaming her how-dare-you’s, can bring tranquility to a troubled soul.UPDATE: Republican Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters appeared to attempt to kick a law enforcement officer while struggling with police during her arrest. This is video from a witness. pic.twitter.com/TILJ1198BV
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) February 8, 2022
- In Letters from an American, noted historian Heather Cox Richardson contrasts the overwhelming treatment of the relatively minor story in 2016 of mishandled but unimportant Clinton emails with underwhelming coverage of massive Trump document destruction as well as unmistakable theft.
One accurate and telling comment from Aaron Rupar:
If two prominent reporters broke news that Joe Biden was flushing documents down White House toilets, [Fox News Channel personality Sean] Hannity would anchor special Fox News coverage that would last through 2024. Trump flushing documents down WH toilets has been mentioned twice on Fox News today, once in passing.
- tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors detects a pattern during the waning days of the Trump administration; in addition to the illegal shredding of records, flushing of records, dining on records, stealing of records; there seem to have been phone records that illegally disappeared from official logs.
- We’ve all heard about legitimate political discourse, words used by the Republican National Committee to describe the January 6 MAGA riot. But are the words as reported really reported in context? Is that how national Republicans really view the attempt to pull down our democracy, the attempt to find and assassinate Senators, kill Members of Congress, murder the Vice President of the United States?
Nojo helps us out publishing the entire context in the form of the entire resolution condemning 2 Republicans for investigating the crime as if it was …well… a crime.
- Of course, denizens of the internet have been having fun with it:
Good one
— cyn (@Clc143) February 10, 2022
- Republican officials have begun responding to criticism. The RNC resolution only endorses non-violent legal protest. Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara, always skeptical of liberal press reporting, wonders about all that legitimate political discourse talk. Are national Republicans really, truly, endorsing the violence at the Capitol? He decides to look at the RNC resolution itself.
He reads, and analyzes, and considers, and decides that they, sure as hell, are doing exactly that!
- Ant Farmer’s Almanac takes the RNC lessons to the next level, providing great moments in legitimate political discourse throughout recorded history.
- PZ Myers looks at the January 6 riots and points to a single unifying force, not often considered.
- Julian Sanchez of CATO Institute examines a constitutionally based strategy:
Yes @CharlesPPierce, it is real. @FSFP https://t.co/E7ZgtOmjvB
— John Bonifaz (@JohnBonifaz) February 11, 2022
and finds it wanting:Much as I’d love to see the loathsome Cawthorne out of public office… no, it is not. This stuff is progressive porn, not a realistic legal prospect. https://t.co/I63RhImI4i
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) February 11, 2022
- My friend of many years, Darrell Michaels at Unabashedly American, reviews a book based on what Darrell sees as a novel insight: that ideologies overruling rational thought were behind the downfall of German Nazism and Soviet Communism.
From this, he decides that the US is similarly threatened by anything with which he disagrees. Among what he sees as irrational are the prospective nomination of a black woman to the Supreme Court and the disproportionate reaction to January 6 insurrectionists.
If only we would experience an epiphany of wisdom and abandon all except Darrell’s extraordinarily rational conservative thought, America would become safe again. How blessed are we to have him guiding us toward the light.
- CalicoJack in The Psy of Life goes beyond Marjorie Taylor Greene, Gazpacho, and the hilarity that ensued, and looks at the rest of what she said in that same paragraph, including her explicit call to end the United States government.
- In Hackwhackers the right wing trucking blockade thuggery in Canada, largely funded and organized by fringe groups to the south of Canada’s US border, is not just a Canadian problem. The havoc is imposing serious costs on US consumers.
- Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged points out that the trucking protest does not represent the overwhelming majority of truckers and is funded by sketchy US groups. It is not grassroots, but Astroturf.
- News Corpse detects a startling level of anti-Americanism as Fox personalities go further than expressing support for anti-vaxxers trucking into Canada. They are on-screen, explicitly hoping for damage for the United States.
- Frances Langum watches the Fox Network and learns that homeless people prefer to be homeless.
- At jobsanger, Elizabeth Warren has something to say about members of Congress owning and trading stocks.
- Green Eagle steals a graph on, then speculates about, applying conspiracies to, COVID attacks on vaxxed vs unvaxxed.
- In Nan’s Notebook, we find an obvious connection, well expressed, between the virus and abortion.
- North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz suggests anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers carry tragedy in their recklessness, their denial of reality, and their sneering disdain for those who take precautions. But the greatest tragedy, says Pastor Pavlovitz, is their inability to feel any empathy for those who have died in the pandemic.
- I like this version of faith:
Lord, one day let me be as articulate about my faith as this man
pic.twitter.com/urP9CW5uoK— Don Richard (@DonaldRichard) February 4, 2022
- Imani Gandy and Jessica Mason Pieklo of Rewire News Group go to podcast suggesting that, when students can’t be taught about the Holocaust, we’re not talking about avoiding offense to religious belief. We are talking about white Christian supremacy.
- Infidel753 doesn’t like religion, does like science, celebrates education, and finds entertaining and enlightening ways to express just that.
- In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, Bruce addresses the frequent proposition philosophers know as Pascal’s Wager, that we should believe in God rather than risk an eternity in Hell. Bruce accuses my brethren of a bit of hypocrisy. Why should Christians not believe in other religions for the same reason: just in case those others might be true.
- Multi-gazillionaire Jeff Bezos flexes his monetary muscle with a bright new superyacht so maximally maximal, so bigly, that getting through the waterways of the Netherlands requires partly dismantling a bridge. But it’s a very old bridge, so no problem, right?
At The Moderate Voice, Dorian de Wind explores the Dutch Hefbrug bridge in WWII history. So we are to dismantle history to massage a privileged ego.
- SilverAppleQueen has an understandable reaction to social media rules administered by algorithm alone. She has been suspended from Twitter for promoting suicide. What she actually did was complain about roads in disrepair around Niagara Falls.
- Sarah Cooper knows the generational divide.
The true difference between Millennials and Gen X: Harry Potter. Millennials are obsessed with Harry Potter. Gen X saw like 2 or 3 of the movies, fell asleep in the last one and never thought about that boy again
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) February 1, 2022
- @momwino98 has a wonderful way of saying goodbye.
@momwino98 Saying goodbye to the husband and kids….#target #homegoods #marshalls #samsclub #errands #coffee #TeamofTomorrow #fyp #foryourpage #tiktokmom ♬ original sound – Kayla Freitas - The Journal of Improbable Research discovers a study showing that convicted criminals face reduced charges and lighter sentences when court judgment comes on the defendant’s birthday.
- Scotties Playtime has more on a Florida scam to illegally change the registration of elderly voters from Democrat to Republican without their knowledge.
- YellerDawg Granny at her new location provides a brief hysterical historical account of her numerous and varied marriages.
- At The Onion, a teacher in Tennessee has been fired for breaking the new ban on Critical Race theory after telling students that, yes, she is Black.
- We all know that a wild party can produce unexpected results. Reductress provides helpful hints on how to call an ambulance without ruining the vibe.
- It’s almost unfair to give a MaxDad review. The 60 years old play is about a poor farmer in 1900 Russia. The theatre is uncomfortable and the seats are cramped, so what can we expect? Max’s Dad watches the sparse setting and falls in love with Fiddler on the Roof. Urges us to see it in any theatre we can find.
Tweets I thought worthy:
Never Forget. #BlackHistory is History #ResianceUnited pic.twitter.com/eoKHjMV3g2
— This Black Man🌞 (@markghost45) February 5, 2022
If women could just explain themselves properly
— Azazel the Fallen (@i8flyingspaghe1) February 7, 2022
If only everyone understood this & other teachings of Jesus…..
— Kathy Mulhall (@kmsmulhall) February 10, 2022
— Old Man Lefty (@OldManLefty1) February 11, 2022
My cousin posted this on Facebook.
This should be part of everyone's daily meditations. pic.twitter.com/I7apfgk1vl— Brendan Buschi (@bfbuschi) February 10, 2022
MAGA ain’t “We The People”. They the “Me The Person”.
— 🇵🇱Reality Dose🇺🇸 (@LRPow79) February 12, 2022
My pregnant wife (nearly full term) was w/ our 3 year old at the park, enjoying a lovely day.
A lady walks by & says "You're having another one? Lord help us. Go back to your country."
She's never experienced this hatred. And for our son to see it so early in life is upsetting.
— Salaam Bhatti (@salaam) February 11, 2022
A trucker on @CTVNews asked what's the #1 goal of this blockade in Windsor responds "the removal of the Prime Minister".
This wasn't about mandates or freedom or livelihood or the charter…
Its about usurping democracy.
Period.— The Tao of Steve 🇺🇦 (@ou812_Kess) February 10, 2022
The "If black men would just comply with the police, there won't be any problem" crowd is pretty amped up tonight. https://t.co/LB7bG8VWPR
— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) February 12, 2022
The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday indefinitely suspended the law licenses of two St. Louis attorneys who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020 https://t.co/wyqcQeHEut
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) February 9, 2022
the TRUTH about SEATBELTS pic.twitter.com/1WvWwKZjFD
— Will Sebag-Montefiore (@wsebag) February 7, 2022
And I’m allowed a few of my own:
Not easy being elderly.
What were those chants again?
Something about emails?
Something about locking someone up?https://t.co/EPOK9E5sEx— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 6, 2022
With respect for NYT, of course, is it really "unpopular" to make those making more than 147,000 a year pay the same percent into Soc Sec as the rest of us?
Joe Manchin supports increasing income taxed to fund Social Security: from $147,000 to $400,000.https://t.co/eN03aRl16j
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 10, 2022
BLM is our call for an equal high standard of respect for life and rights.
This horrific story is one example of why that call is not in conflict with our thanks for service that is often dangerous. https://t.co/3FogpFLTMt
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) February 11, 2022
— Jokerswild (@JokersWildUK) February 12, 2022
– Podcasts –
I am so glad you’re back, Butr. Stay cool.
Thank you.
I hope you don’t mind me pointing out a classic example of right wing lying. James Widgerson talks about the Federal budget deficit, but the graph shown to illustrate his point is not of the deficit, but of total Federal debt. In fact, during his eight years in office, Barack Obama decreased the annual deficit by two thirds, despite Republican obstruction to everything he tried to do. And the previous Democratic President, Bill Clinton, reduced the Federal deficit to zero, for the first time in decades. The graph implies that Democrats are just as responsible for deficits (and the resultant government debt) as Republicans. The truth is that, with the exception of deficits resulting from World War II, the national debt is almost one hundred percent a result of Republican economic sabotage.