Sometimes it’s the classics that give us an insight into our shared humanity. Here’s an open thread.
Open Thread
by $8 blue check mistermix| 82 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
by $8 blue check mistermix| 82 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Sometimes it’s the classics that give us an insight into our shared humanity. Here’s an open thread.
Comments are closed.
flukebucket
Oh hell yeah! I love this place.
cleek
and here’s a good Rick Perry vid.
Mark S.
Is Michele Bachmann gunning for Secretary of State?
If any of that made sense, it would be terrifying.
JPL
@Mark S.: Bachmann is terrifying.
@flukebucket: Me too. I assume it’s another opportunity to trash Christie.
arguingwithsignposts
@Mark S.:
Is this like a missile co-op or something?
“You can use the missiles, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and every third Saturday.”
Mark S.
@arguingwithsignposts:
It sounds like they’re offering to let Iran put missiles on top of their guys. Hopefully, they’re not really heavy missiles.
This isn’t the congresswoman’s first foray into national security.
JPL
@Mark S.: omg…
beltane
@Mark S.: Is she saying that missile sites in Iran are now only 90 miles from Florida because Cuba is also 90 miles from Florida, and there might be Muslims in Cuba which would bring Iran and its missile sites there?
Also, can Michele Bachmann see Ahmadinijad from her bedroom window?
arguingwithsignposts
Related to recent discussions about voting machines and the protests on Wall Street, the NYT has what is actually a pretty good article about global disenchantment: As scorn for vote grows, protests surge around the globe. (I posted this below in the voting thread, but it’s worth trying to catch more eyeballs – beats anything the Mustache of Understanding has written in years)
Alex S.
I just want to pimp this guy’s music.
PurpleGirl
Geographical nit pick — Cuba is not 90 miles off mainland Florida. It’s 90 miles off Key West/the Florida Keys, an archipelago which lies south and west of the mainland.
arguingwithsignposts
@Alex S.: possibly related, but I really wish there was a way to see the artist/song of youtube video people were linking to. first, i don’t want to get rickrolled, but second, it would be nice to know what genre you’re about to be listening to, or if it’s going to be a speech by some politician, whatever.
That’s not a gripe, necessarily, but, well, i guess it is. :)
Alex S.
@arguingwithsignposts:
You’re right ;-)
It’s Jon Hassell and Brian Eno.
Svensker
Mistermix, look what you’ve done to that nice Finnish couple. They would NEVER listen to music like that. We Scandihoovians are yust insulted.
Punchy
This seems way fucked up. One step closer to Big Brother every day.
Punchy
Goddammit, I come here to swear and see what Sullivan thinks, not to learn stuff. But learn stuff I just did.
handsmile
Courtesy of the Guardian, the definitive NIMBY story, starring Rihanna and a farmer:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/27/rihanna-cover-farmer-bangor
Any thoughts as to the “greater God”?
cleek
@Punchy:
here, this will make you dumber: as if you never learned at all!
Amir Khalid
@Mark S.:
If the US had a Cabinet post for Secretary of Dog-catching, Michele Bachmann wouldn’t be qualified for that either.
Culture of Truth
I heard the mafia in planning on installing casinos in Cuba
Ash Can
Eric “No Disaster Aid Without Offsets” Cantor sez to FEMA: “Dude, where’s my disaster aid?”
peach flavored shampoo
But:
Senyordave
@Ash Can: Tonight is the start of Rosh Hashannah which leads into Yom Kippur. If anyone ever needed to forgiveness it would Eric Cantor. I’m Jewish, but if cantor represented jaudaism I would no longer be Jewish.
Ash Can
@Senyordave: I’m not Jewish, but based on what I know of the religion Eric Cantor wouldn’t know how to begin to represent it.
And Happy New Year!
Culture of Truth
why am I still in moderation? Was it the word “mafia”?
Culture of Truth
why am I still in moderation? Was it the word “mafia”?
Amir Khalid
Saw Johnny English Reborn today. Stars Rowan Atkinson as Johnny English. Most entertaining movie I’ve ever seen of its kind — think of a James Bond/Mr Bean mash-up. I never laughed this hard at any 007 movie. Oh yeah, it also has Gillian Anderson in it, and she’s very very British, so that’s a bonus.
JGabriel
When’s the next GOP Presidentin’ Debate?
I think we need a list of possible offensive audience reactions for placing bets. For instance, at the next debate will the audience applaud:
1) Police macing young women just for the hell of it?
2) Torture?
3) Taser abuse?
4) Shout out “Let the bitch die!” in response to a question about back-alley abortions?
5) Boo a black fireman who asks a question about unions?
6) Boo an eight year old girl who asks a youtube question in Spanish?
And so on …
.
Linda Featheringill
@Senyordave: #22
I understand that. I was raised a southern fundamentalist and I sure as hell don’t want some of those guys to represent me!
[I now classify myself as a spiritual agnostic: Something probably exists but I don’t know what it is.]
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@PurpleGirl:
Michele saw Cuba from the condo she and Marcus rented on Key West one year
scav
@Mark S.: Sigh. Who’s going to tell her someone peeked and it’s really Colonel Khadafi in the Library with a Lead Pipebomb?
FlipYrWhig
@JGabriel: It’ll get super M.C. Escher-level meta. At a future debate one of the moderators will ask about outbursts from the audience at previous debates, whereupon the audience will explode in a pandemonium of booing and threatened violence that puts Philadelphia football crowds to shame.
Genghis
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/09/why-liberals-are-lame-mccarthyite-identity-politics-as-cover-for-bankrupt-policies-2.html
Yves has a point. Best…H
singfoom
I’m convinced that Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan is brilliant marketing and that he will win more straw poll / crazy debates.
The plan will also destroy the economy, but I’m just a librul soshalist or something anyways.
Mnemosyne
Does anyone else have a feeling that Bachmann fell asleep halfway through Thirteen Days and mistook the resulting dream for reality?
I think that happens to Bachmann a lot, frankly.
harlana
@Ash Can: awww, that is precious
Ash Can
@FlipYrWhig: Booing, hell; that could start a chair-throwing, rush-the-stage riot. (Come to think of it, I’d pay some pretty decent coin to see that.)
Ash Can
@harlana: What slays me is that it’s aid requested for the earthquake. Not to belittle the pain-in-the-ass nature of having to fix a house that’s been declared structurally unsound, but at least the damned thing didn’t burn up or float the hell away.
singfoom
Protesters disrupting a foreclose auction in California. Naked Capitalism link
Good to see more people protesting the bankers out in public…can only hope more people get out there..
JGabriel
@FlipYrWhig:
I don’t think we could actually get the GOP debate audiences to boo Santa Claus and throw snowballs at him.
But we might be able to get them to applaud video of a snake eating a puppy, if we told them the snake belongs to David Koch and the puppy is Nancy Pelosi’s.
.
Sam Houston
Nouriel Roubini has called the double dip.
So the question occurs to me: how much stimulus will the US invasion of Mexico generate? Or are the red states on the border making too much money from arms trafficking for this to happen?
Linda Featheringill
@singfoom: #37
“They get bailed out and we get tossed out.”
Yeah!
That’s a movement that a lot of people could get behind.
sukabi
@cleek: the Obama “Trick the Bridesmaid” video made me laugh as well…
FlipYrWhig
@JGabriel: Santa Claus is a blatant social engineer. No free toys just because the kid is “good.” Stop picking winners and let the market decide!
hilts
@JGabriel:
October 11, 2011 Washington Post / Bloomberg Debate Hanover, NH
h/t http://race42012.com/gop-presidential-debate-calendar
joes527
@singfoom: OK. Ignore EVERYTHING else about 9-9-9. 9% federal sales tax? How does he see that working? Federal + State + local sales tax adds up to 20+% Or is he just assuming that the States and cities can just suck it?
I am not fundamentally opposed to a Federal sales tax, but without addressing what total sales taxes add up to, and what this does to states and cities … this is just a shell game.
JGabriel
Hey, wasn’t Sarah Palin supposed to announce whether she would join the presidential race by the end of September?
Guess that late September decisioning that was supposed to happen didn’t. What a shocker.
ETA: @hilts: Thank you.
.
PeakVT
@Sam Houston: Mexico is too close. Any invasion has to justify the Navy’s and AF’s toys.
singfoom
@joes527: Oh sure, I think it’s complete bullshit, and it makes no sense. All I’m saying is that it’s brilliant marketing, like BUY 1 GET 1 FREE.
peach flavored shampoo
I believe her husband Marcus would feel riiiiiiight at home in Key West, if ya know what I mean.
Mark S.
@JGabriel:
Has Sarah noticed that nobody cares about her anymore?
geg6
Had a very successful evening going door to door for America Works (the real name is America Wants To Work; had to change it from the original because there’s some corporation called “America Works,” but we still use it when talking because it’s easier to say and more succinct). We were in my own area in suburban Pittsburgh, a community that sees itself as “aspirational” and solidly middle to upper middle class (and not the GOP’s or media’s definition of those). Amazingly, these people were eager to sign our petition to Congress and a large percentage were willing to sit there and hand write a letter to our congresscritter while we (my college-age partner in the endeavor) waited. Spent 3 1/2 hours, went to 40 homes, got 36 signatures, and were asked into 22 to explain what we were doing with 20 of those writing letters.
All I can say is that I’ve canvassed and phone banked for candidates every election since 1976. This is one of the most favorable receptions I’ve ever received. I was amazed. I talked to some about the Wall Street protest and showed them some stuff about that on my iPhone. Can’t say that anyone was interested. Their take was similar to mine. It’s very nice and all that young people are getting involved, but doesn’t seem very effective. They, like me, think letters to congresscritters and voting in 2012 were much more effective and realistic ways to effect change that will actually make middle class and working class lives better. They all wished them well, though. Several, happily, did mention WI and OH, though. People are paying attention. Even the ones who are currently comfortable seem to be very aware that their situations could turn on a dime. And the American Jobs Act was VERY popular, as was the Buffet Rule. Very.
beltane
Speaking of crazy people, Al-Qaida issued a statement asking Ahmadinijad to stop spreading crazy 9/11 conspiracy theories. For reals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/28/al-qaida-ahmadinejad-911-conspiracy
Ben Cisco
Not that the GOP “Wanna Be Presidentin’ Express” needs any more clowns in the car, but they ought to take a look at this guy.
singfoom
@geg6:
Thank you for all your hard work on America Works.
One can simultaneously support the crowds out in NYC and also support letter writing to your Congress people. I’ve even done it myself before. It’s not an either/or proposition.
Amir Khalid
@Mark S.:
This may very well be why there is no announcement.
scav
And on other fronts, where are the nerds anxiously following the first shots in the < insert deep movie-voice-over voice >Great Tablet Wars that will outlast generations< /insert deep movie-voice-over voice >
beltane
@Mark S.: Sarah who?
Ben Cisco
Can somebody release my comment from moderationating? I included a link that had one of the naughty words in it.
burnspbesq
@singfoom:
Think for a second about how this is going to play out.
The auctions will be rescheduled. Next time, there will be a police presence. Some unknown number of demonstrators will get beaten up or arrested, or both. And the auctions will proceed after the demonstrators are dispersed.
Now tell me what has been gained.
geg6
@singfoom:
People like the unions around here. And this AFL-CIO effort is a good one. The letter writing was new wrinkle and just way better than just signing a petition. I’ve been surprised how many people are willing to do it if you ask them after explaining exactly why they should and how effective actual letters are with congresscritters. It was easy to get involved and they don’t ask a ton of my time (about once a month or so).
MikeJ
@burnspbesq: What they should be doing is what was done during the dust bowl days. The neighbors would show up, bid one dollar, and if need be make sure that no outsiders were able to get close enough to bid. That actually accomplished something, at least for a little while.
burnspbesq
It occurs to me that if I had enough money (raised, perhaps, through a MoveOn-style organization), I could show up at foreclosure auctions and bid, and if I were the successful bidder nothing would stop me from turning around and selling the house to the owner that was foreclosed for my cost, with me holding the loan.
It’s a fucking inefficient way to modify mortgages, but as political action it has certain attractions.
singfoom
@burnspbesq: People have spoken their mind in public about bullshit that is going on?
If they’re willing to put themselves on the line, then bully for them.
What’s the problem with it? What has been lost by them doing that? And why would you have a problem with them asserting their rights to assemble and speak their mind?
Villago Delenda Est
I was surprised to read that Mitt Romney, who has been running for some sort of office since 1994, does not have a political career.
Linda Featheringill
From TPM,
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/the-campaign-to-paint-rick-perry-as-a-liberal.php
The right wing is saying that Perry is a liberal? A closet liberal?
burnspbesq
@MikeJ:
The reason why my idea works and yours doesn’t is that mine doesn’t require people to be willing to go to jail in order to succeed.
joes527
@MikeJ: yeah I saw that in a movie too. I have no idea whether that ever actually happened, but I the flaw with this plan is the terms of auctions in real life usually include minimum bids. That and the whole “make sure that no outsiders were able to get close enough to bid” thing.
Good luck with that.
burnspbesq
@singfoom:
“why would you have a problem with them asserting their rights to assemble and speak their mind?”
I don’t, but you and I both know that this is going to end up as a line from a Don Henley song.
singfoom
@burnspbesq: Well, then let them do their thing. I don’t know how super effective it is, I’ll give you that, but I think doing anything at this point to say fuck you to the bankster class is a good thing.
I can only hope it keeps spreading. You have people doing shit like this AND people working within the system as it stands, and something might actually move….
Suffern ACE
@Mark S.: So Cuba is going to give over its sovereignty and risk having Hezbolla start a war with the US from Cuba. I’m imagining a meeting where Raul Castro says “This plan is crazy…but it just might work.”
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Linda Featheringill:
I gather that was the point of Dickie Cohen’s column yesterday. Perry’s blithe indifference to whether or not one or two of 256 executions he’s overseen might have included a wrongly convicted person didn’t seem to affect Dickie’s belief that Perry has a big warm fuzzy secret heart.
Ash Can
@Mark S.:
Is that like putting food on your family?
@Villago Delenda Est: @Linda Featheringill:
These two items made me LOL.
piratedan
differences between Republicans and Democrats: pithy saying No. 37…..
Democrats believe that being elected to public office means that they are there to serve the people
Republicans believe that being elected to public office means that the people are there to serve them.
Suffern ACE
@JPL: Jeebus. If the web is ever compromised, we ought to consider going nuclear… that’ll show em.
Villago Delenda Est
@Linda Featheringill:
Emphasis on “closet”. Teehee.
Linda Featheringill
@singfoom: #70
I agree. And I’m pleased that the “kids” seem to have figured out who the enemy is. That is a start.
And I suspect that this movement will point out to lots of young people the difference between the top 1% and the rest of us. Can’t hurt.
Svensker
@Ben Cisco:
He did the classic new non-apology though: “If anyone was offended by my remarks (of calling blacks “aborigines”) then I’m sorry.”
Calouste
@Mark S.:
I’m pretty sure someone on the Bachmann campaign just slightly rewrote an early 1960s speech about the Cuban Missile Crisis, slipped it into Crazy Eyes’ speech and is now ROFLMAO at the trick they pulled on her.
FlipYrWhig
@geg6: Very cool.
Anoniminous
I see another member of the Family Intellectually Negligible (sp. fundie christianae) has proven their depth of ignorance of Biology pretty much matches what they don’t know about mathematics.
Neddie Jingo
If I interpret the lyrical subtext correctly, I am
A) a motherfucker; and
B) I am to dance.