Let’s begin with showmanship:
Cobain would’ve hated this but I love it https://t.co/taXd8DgfWo
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) January 14, 2022
- Well, let’s see. NPR reports that Chief Justice John Roberts was concerned that fellow Justice Sonia Sotomayor had health problems and so was especially vulnerable to the newest variants of COVID.
So, says NPR, the Chief Justice, in some form, suggested that all the other Justices maybe, perhaps, ought to take the minimal precaution of masking up to make her safer during their sessions.
Sure enough, the other Justices agree. All those usually on the liberal side of issues agree. Conservatives do as well: Clarence Thomas wears a mask. Samuel Alito does too. Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett mask up. It’s just simple courtesy, right?
Except Justice Neil Gorsuch refuses! Hell no, he won’t go wearing a mask. The Chief Justice can suggest all he wants. Sonia can participate by video if she’s so damn concerned.
NPR reports, it all goes public, and everyone goes onto lets-all-get-along mode.
Did John Roberts, in some way, suggest everyone mask up? Gorsuch says Sotomayor did not ask him to wear a mask.
Uh-huh.
But did John Roberts suggest everyone mask up? Sotomayor, all in the spirit of comity, confirms she did not ask Gorsuch to wear a mask.
HEY, Come ON! Did or did not John Roberts suggest everyone mask up?
The Chief Justice himself says he did not ASK everyone to wear masks, then he says he will not comment further.
Max’s Dad reviews the conduct of Gorsuch, considers the context, and finally concludes Justice Gorsuch is one hell of a real jerk.
- Tommy Christopher has the sad report. Folk singer Hana Horka of Czechoslovakia hears news that natural immunity will protect her, so she deliberately catches COVID, celebrates, and dies a horrible death.
Her son has a few terrible details of gasping and choking, as well as some harsh words for those whose disinformation tricked her into her fatal actions.
This seems to apply:
One possibility:
You are concerned for his health and that of his family, friends, fellow worshipers, casual contacts in checkout lines.
You hope he changes his mind.
COVID is an exceptionally brutal way to die.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) December 27, 2021
- Novak Djokovic has been expelled from Australia and prevented from participating in this year’s Australian Open tournament after misrepresenting his vaccination status. MadMikesAmerica suggests the tennis star’s doubles partner is not who you might think.
- M. Bouffant at Web of Evil has a question about anti-vaxxers who file suit demanding the right to infect other people’s children.
- Reductress carries the sad tale of a family of six who receive only four COVID rapid-tests and are compelled to fight to the death. Yeah, it’s satire.
- Satirist Andy Borowitz speculates that if enough Republicans begin seeing Trump as Fauci-lite, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis may be betting that voters want a stupider version of Trump.
- In Letters from an American, historian Heather Cox Richardson observes an unprecedented aspect of the Biden administration: a denial of the election result by the losing former president. A growing body of evidence documents an active attempt to overthrow American democracy.
- tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors reports that 59 Republicans boasting about signing forged election documents in 2020 may be surprised to face criminal charges and prison.
- Joe Gandelman, at The Moderate Voice, reviews a draft executive order prepared for Trump that would have seized voting machines after the 2020 election, and concludes that it does sound like a coup attempt.
- Julian Sanchez of Cato Institute seems skeptical about one line of Trump defense in the attempt to overturn democracy, too many eyes on me:
Amusingly telling line from TFG’s bleat about the GA grand jury: “I knew there were large numbers of people on the line, including numerous lawyers for both sides…”
Implying: “Surely I wouldn’t commit a serious crime in front of all these lawyers!” https://t.co/wHhEhTpmzK
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 21, 2022
You have to imagine the attorneys on his end all wincing simultaneously when he barrels into “I just want to find 11,780 votes…” Dammit Don, you were supposed to pretend this was about “investigating” “fraud”.
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 21, 2022
Then demolishes the too damn dumb to try a coup defense:I mean, once we’re at the “armed troops seizing voting machines” stage, I’m inclined to fear we’re also at the “it doesn’t matter what the courts say” stage. https://t.co/RGx1JcDBso
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) January 22, 2022
- Green Eagle goes to the history books to figure out one reason Republican public figures are afraid of Mr. Trump.
- Hackwhackers makes the case that Ivanka, who seems to perpetually portray herself as less malignant than the most malignant Trumps, has had a terrible week.
- Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged takes a look at a Trump week of investigations in New York, in Georgia, in Congress, and in civil court and concludes that, even though, for Donald and offspring and associates, it looks really, really bad, it is actually really, really bad.
- The Palmer Report says Sidney Powell yeah that Sidney Powell is now reportedly cooperating with the DOJ.
- News Corpse covers the Biden press conference, then conservative criticism that even overlaps into mainstream reaction. It takes Jimmy Kimmel and company to put together a contrast with four years of Mr. Trump.
- Trump is pretty old. Biden is older. Nan’s Notebook takes a look at federal elective office and considers how old is too old.
- Conservative reaction to any civil rights movement has been consistent during my fairly long lifetime. The premise is that discrimination does not really exist in our great country, except in rare instances, at least since slavery ended ever so long ago. Racism is rather analogous to vanishing puddles of water well after a great deluge has ended. Just wait and they will all dry out.
To suggest otherwise is kind of unpatriotic, a slur on a just nation and its virtuous people.
From that premise, we can conclude that those who point to racism are consciously dishonest. In fact, since they allege racism that does not exist, playing a fraudulent race card, they are themselves the real racists.
Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara says that, in his words, Nowhere in the United States are voting rights an issue. No one is advocating for violating anyone’s right to vote..
So President Biden is the real protégé of Jefferson Davis.
- In Scotties Playtime Scottie has a few tweets and even more memes. Seems he doesn’t much care for those blocking voting rights, Republicans on the issue in general, Democrats Manchin and Sinema specifically.
- Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger suggests the real reason Senators Manchin and Sinema killed an important voting rights bill.
- Ant Farmer’s Almanac gives a try at explaining what Mitchel McConnell meant when he accidentally compared African-Americans with actual Americans.
- Iron Knee at Political Irony finds a parody that turns out to be entirely true, as an industry sponsored group goes all civil rights about discrimination against fossil fuels while fighting against actual civil rights for -you know- people.
- John Scalzi at Whatever looks at data put out by, well-l-l-l, a car company, and concludes that the electric car as an answer to climate involves some complexity, but the future looks brighter.
- Imani Gandy interviews a primary reproductive justice advocate in Mississippi and suggests that, in a post-Roe world, white rights organizations may need to step back and and trust Black women to carry forward.
- Are conservatives now getting hot and bothered about whether an M&M with an orange colored candy shell has a well defined gender in TV commercials? Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson asks a pertinent question about Tucker Carlson:
When you don't want to know if Tucker Carlson is wearing pants on air. https://t.co/riwZpetl0Q
— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) January 22, 2022
- Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit reacts to a suggestion that some other ethnic group become the world’s scapegoat, giving Jews a rest, like maybe the Welsh? There is an formidable obstacle to that plan, though.
- So the truth always lies between two extremes, right? Well… driftglass has been saying for about forever that it ain’t so.
For myself, I don’t mind that proposition, truth being in the middle, as a specific conclusion. I do object to it as a lazy, unexamined, premise.
- So Congressional Representative Madison Cawthorn was too busy cleaning his gun during a committee meeting to pay attention. PZ Myers reports the testimony Cawthorne couldn’t be bothered about concerned serious health problems among military people caused by official environmental carelessness.
Nice, Madison.
- Frances Langum tells us that Dan Crenshaw got flattened by a ten-year old because he just isn’t good with children.
He should follow my own good example:
60?
I'm in my 8th decade and tomorrow I'll be hollering at youngsters your age to get off my lawn.Damn kids!
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) May 14, 2021
- CalicoJack in The Psy of Life remembers Betty White, with an emphasis on social stands that were important at the time.
- We do miss Betty White. At The Onion, People editors are sweating bullets after dedicating their next issue to Alan Alda’s 86th birthday.
- North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz seems skeptical about those who see religion as a reason for hatred:
May we never applaud someone's suffering, never weaponize our religion to do harm, never grow comfortable with hearts that are only capable of hatred.
May we never become as miserable as those who support our former President.https://t.co/2jJ7hoGuAm
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) January 22, 2022
- In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, my brother-in-Christ Russ Wald maintains that atheist Bruce is a confused, bitter, blind, deluded fool.
Bruce is surprisingly gentle in allowing the accusation to pretty much answer itself, instead using the tirade as an illustration of the attitude that afflicts the more isolated of those of us who are in the faith.
Fair enough.
- @momwino98 has a simple request for 2022:
@momwino98 Yep..I said what i said…#YerAWizard #FritoLayRickRoll #tiktokmom #fyp #foryourpage ♬ original sound – @Momwino98 - Yellowdog Granny, the Queen of creative memes, celebrates the weekend! Zipideedudah!
- SilverAppleQueen has cats.
- Nojo has a favorite road sign. I looked it up. It’s real.
- Infidel753 brings back a periodic set of new improved defintions.
My possible favorite:
Patronage: The period of life when you stroke people named Ronald.
Tweets I thought worthy:
I’m seeing a disturbing trend of antivaxxers telling each other to “avoid the hospitals” if they get severely ill.
Their logic being that most people who die of COVID die in hospitals 🤦🏻♂️
— LeGate (@williamlegate) January 18, 2022
I’m a lesbian, so basically the penis.
— NativeBronxite 🇮🇪🏳️🌈🐝 (@NBronxite) January 19, 2022
Just to show how Stefanik is blatantly lying, here is Biden’s answer. pic.twitter.com/HrxtJaOr3Y
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 20, 2022
I missed most of it. Were there any difficult questions like: Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. ?
— carolstarr (@carolstarr017) January 19, 2022
By my count, we no longer have to comply with subpoenas, provide information or attend depositions, follow public health safety measures, teach American History, expect fair elections, expect Congress to legislate, expect news to be factual, expect insurrections to be punished.
— Ann Milernowski (@TeddyP57550387) January 19, 2022
— Myinfinitesadness (@Myinfinitesadn1) December 21, 2021
If a passenger on a flight refuses to comply with mask rules forcing a flight to turn around, the other passengers should be able to sue them.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) January 20, 2022
New/scooplet: The day after Jan. 6, phone calls came into Nancy Pelosi's office from rioters who left items behind and were inquiring whether the speaker had a "lost and found," Rep. Raskin tells me.
Police were more than happy to jot down their info.https://t.co/063yRDnVR3
— Jake Lahut (@JakeLahut) January 14, 2022
And I’m allowed several of my own as well:
New variation of an old cliché:
Lips that touch urine will never touch mine.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 15, 2022
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 18, 2022
Nice, although I would mop up whatever is on the floor.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 19, 2022
Leaving out the most important group.
Voting rights should be less about parties and more about voters.
I'd just like to make it easy for legal voters to vote, make sure their votes are counted, and make sure their votes count.
Let voters win.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 19, 2022
Did Supreme Court deny employers the right to adopt safety measures on their own?
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 19, 2022
Oh, I dunno.
Seems like anti-vax and anti-mask folks who demand to know why Biden hasn't ended the pandemic might better look into a mirror.
Biden seems to be on the side of our better angels and against a deadly disease.
Which side are you on, Doctor?
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Glad you're okay.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Maybe you should send that person a thank you card.
Or bake them a cake.
Or buy them an expensive present!
Hey! That's a great idea! Send a card!— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
And so, it came to pass!
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
What do I say to Ken Paxton?
I hope you recover okay.
And if you're not already, I hope you get vaccinated.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Wow! That's really telling!
My neighbor, who boasted about getting the brakes fixed on her car, was involved in an auto accident!
Proves something, right?
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
True.
Imagine being surprised Republicans are not the patriots they claim to be.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Yup.
To be fair, I am in a high risk group.So I try to stay away from those who just can't be bothered to avoid endangering me and those like me.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
You do get a clue when they rally around redistricting, polling place closings, and vote restrictions, chanting, "Votes will NOT replace us!"
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Paint is a common visual medium. That does not mean Michelangelo is comparable to the fellow who helped paint our house.
We have lost three members of our extended family – cousins – but no deaths because of colds.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 20, 2022
Intended compliment from a very sweet neighbor:
"I just hope I'm as healthy and look as good one day when I'm as old as you."Unintended compliment from an angry much younger church friend:
"When you get to be my age…"
(Me thinking: I'm in love —
Been teasing her ever since)— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
When we were teens, my sister worked at a candy counter. She told me about an elderly guy who walked up.
He: What winks and screws?
She: I dunno, what?
He: *winks at her*
She: *Giggles a little*
She: What laughs and calls the police?— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.— Shakespeare's Portia on the Quality of Mercy
The Merchant of Venice— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
We have a 50/50 relationship.
It's entirely democratic.We both get one vote.
In case of a tie, she wins.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
Moral:
Never get a vaccination right after falling out of a third story window onto a cactus.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
Prosthetic feet, just in case.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
Not any more.
.
.
Not after last time.
What a disappointment!— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
I understand it to be a meaningless question, since time is supposed to have begun with the big bang.
Akin to asking what is north of the North Pole.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
I'm pretty much okay with it.
If it's a young lady who wants to meet (only happened once), I explain that I'm elderly, somewhat unattractive, and I would need to get a note from my wife.
— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
My parents?
Herbert Hoover— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 21, 2022
I once got an opening to use a line from some movie.
I asked my friend how she wanted the coffee I was about to get for her.She: I like my coffee the way I like my men.
Me: Ah! Bitter and murky!— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 22, 2022
People think I'm elderly, possibly because of age.
I'll vote blue, but no sexy pictures.
For one thing, I'm afraid people will get too emotional.People do think I'm sexy, though.
When those who know me see me go past, I often overhear them mutter to themselves:
"What an ass!"— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 22, 2022
No.
Not really.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 22, 2022
Well, we did lose three within extended family. Cousins and a spouse of a cousin. Vaccines were hard to get at the time.
Several more recovered from COVID.
To those who refuse vaccination, I hope you change your mind.
COVID is an extraordinarily brutal way to die.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) January 22, 2022
I'm concerned for your health and that of your family, friends, and those you meet at checkout counters and bank lines.
I hope you change your mind.
COVID is an exceptionally brutal way to die.— Burr Deming (@BurrLand01) November 24, 2021
– Podcasts –
A periodic reminder: Dr. OZ is an alleged physician, who should be well educated in the conept of ‘communicable diseases’
Hope you are feeling awesome ! Man you are the hippest dude around if you are sporting 8 decades.