Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Yes we did.

Mission Accomplished!

Deploy the moving finger of emphasisity!

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

‘Forty-two’ said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.

It’s not even safe to go out and pick up 2 days worth of poop anymore.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

I swear, each month of 2020 will have its own history degree.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

Women: they get shit done

Gastritis broke my calculator.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Fuck if i know. i just get yelled at when i try it.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Just a few bad apples.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn – Nancy Pelosi

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

I did not have this on my fuck 2020 bingo card.

The math demands it!

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“Outside Agitators”: It Was Right-Wing Boogaloo Bois That Burned That Minneapolis Police Station

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The Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

… A sworn affidavit by the FBI underlying the complaint reveals new details about a far-right anti-government group’s coordinated role in the violence that roiled through civil unrest over Floyd’s death while in police custody.

Ivan Harrison Hunter, a 26-year-old from Boerne, Texas, is charged with one count of interstate travel to incite a riot for his alleged role in ramping up violence during the protests in Minneapolis on May 27 and 28. According to charges, Hunter, wearing a skull mask and tactical gear, shot 13 rounds at the south Minneapolis police headquarters while people were inside. He also looted and helped set the building ablaze, according to the complaint, which was filed Monday under seal.

Unrest flared throughout Minneapolis following Floyd’s death, which was captured on a bystander’s cellphone video, causing Gov. Tim Walz to activate the Minnesota National Guard. As police clashed with protesters, Hunter and other members of the Boogaloo Bois discussed in private Facebook messages their plans to travel to Minneapolis and rally at the Cub Foods across from the third precinct, according to federal court documents. One of the people Hunter coordinated with posted publicly to social media: “Lock and load boys. Boog flags are in the air, and the national network is going off,” the complaint states.

Two hours after the police precinct was set on fire, Hunter texted with another Boogaloo member in California, a man named Steven Carrillo.

“Go for police buildings,” Hunter told Carrillo, according to charging documents.

“I did better lol,” he replied. A few hours earlier, Carrillo had killed a Federal Protective Services Officer in Oakland, Calif., according to criminal charges filed against him in California…

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Late Night Horrorshow: “Mayhem Tourists”

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A term I never wanted to need…

Silver-plate (tinfoil?) lining, for once the mantra BOTH SIDES seems to be true: The milky-pale anarcho-kiddies and wannabe-antifa are working in concert dissonance with the bent cops, Threepers, and grab-bag white supremacists to destroy minority communities in the name of FREEEDUMB!!!

Speaking of which:

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Far-Right Terrorist Murders Ten People in Germany

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Maybe it was just bad timing — too much domestic news here. Suspect committed suicide, after killing his mother:

Authorities Thursday confirmed the suspect behind two shootings in the central German city of Hanau, which left nine people dead and six more injured, showed signs of a “deeply racist mentality.”

Germany’s attorney general, Peter Frank, said a video and manifesto posted on the suspect’s website expressed “not only crazy thoughts and convoluted conspiracy theories, but also a deeply racist mentality.” He cited this as the reason for the attorney general’s office to take over the investigation.

Prosecutors must now “find out, if there were any other supporters or accomplices in the Hanau attacks.” Frank said prosecutors would look into the suspect’s environment and known connections, both in Germany and in other countries.

A 43-year-old German man is the prime suspect in the attacks, which took place Wednesday night at two hookah bars. His body and that of his mother were found by police in his home, bringing the total death toll to 11. A weapon was found beside the two. Police encoutered the suspect’s father uninjured, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

Federal prosecutors soon took over the investigation due to the severity of the case, as this prosecutorial level primarily handles cases of crimes against the state…

In talking with eyewitnesses on the ground in Hanau, DW’s Rebecca Staudenmaier said the hookah bar where the first shooting took place was focal points for a local tight-knit Kurdish community, as well as a popular hangout for young people of all backgrounds.

Police have revealed few details about the victims. However, Yanki Pürsün, a lawmaker in the Hesse state parliament, told DW’s Turkish service that three of the victims were of Turkish descent and five had a North African background…

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Decline & Fall Open Thread: If A Nazi Screams on the National Mall…

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… and can’t get the attention they so desperately demand…

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WhitePeoplePalooza 2020 Has Ended

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WhitePeoplePalooza 2020 Has Ended

WhitePeoplePalooza, doing business as The Virginia Citizen’s Defense League’s (VCDL) annual day of lobbying in Richmond, Virginia, has come to an end. Without, apparently any acts of extremist domestic terrorism.

Robert Evans (above), as well as Eve Ettinger and JJ McNabb have all the details in their twitter feeds.

The most depressing part is the result of discretion being the better part of valor. The counterprotestors, from legitimate civil rights groups to antifa stayed home because they couldn’t be sure they’d be safe. Some of that is they were unsure just who was going to show up and what kind of agro they’d encounter. The proud boys and patriot prayer and III%ers and OathKeepers and a bunch of other “patriot” and “militia” groups with a history of street violence did turn out. Including leadership, despite them being either wanted for arrest in other jurisdictions for violent behavior at previous events or being on bail awaiting trial for the same thing. And these groups, especially the OathKeepers, blew enough smoke on social media, that no one could be sure if they had law enforcement support for what they might do. As a result those who would oppose them stayed home or out of the way. While this meant that WhitePeoplePalooza ended with no violence, at least that I’ve seen reported, it also meant that if you can turn out enough white Christians in support of extreme positions who are heavily armed and make a lot of noise that they have law enforcement support, that you can prevent others from dissenting for fear of violence – both from the white Christian demonstrators and, possibly, from police allied with them. And that’s a problem.

And then there were these dipshits!

I’m pretty sure this guy isn’t Jewish, despite his outfit.

And this guy is definitely not an ancient Israelite. Also, why is Joe Stalin laying hands on the President in prayer?

Anyone know why Ice T is doing security for the InfoWars schmucks?

Here’s a better picture of this genius:

WhitePeoplePalooza 2020 Has Ended 1

As for the doofus with the Barrett .50 cal, I don’t think the guy did much marching, just stood around posing for pictures. Those things aren’t light, they’re not ergonomic, and they’re not designed to be humped around all day. They’re a long range sniper rifle, though there are now better and lighter alternatives thanks to improvements in ballistics. Barretts weigh about 30 lbs depending on how they’re configured and customized. Comparatively, most AR pattern rifles weigh between 6 and 10 lbs depending on caliber and configuration. My guess is if he had to walk farther than a block carrying that thing he’d stroke out.

Obligatory:

WhitePeoplePalooza 2020 Has Ended 2

Open thread!

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Domestic Terrorism Open Thread: Good for Governor Northam

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… A sense of crisis enveloped the capital of Virginia on Thursday, with the police on heightened alert and Richmond bracing for possible violence ahead of a gun rally next week that is expected to draw white supremacists and other anti-government extremists.

Members of numerous armed militias and white power proponents vowed to converge on the city despite the state of emergency declared by Gov. Ralph Northam, who temporarily banned weapons from the grounds of the State Capitol. The potential for an armed confrontation prompted fears of a rerun of the 2017 far-right rally that left one person dead and some two dozen injured in Charlottesville, about an hour’s drive from Monday’s rally.

The unease increased after the F.B.I. announced the arrest on Thursday of three armed men suspected of being members of a neo-Nazi hate group, including a former Canadian Army reservist, who had obtained weapons and discussed participating in the Richmond rally. The men were linked to The Base, a group that aims to create a white ethnostate, according to the F.B.I.

For weeks, discussions about the rally have lit up Facebook pages and chat rooms frequented by militia members and white supremacists. Various extremist organizations or their adherents are calling Monday’s rally the “boogaloo.” In the lexicon of white supremacists, that is an event that will accelerate the race war they have anticipated for decades…

The rally on Monday, the holiday marking the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was initially organized to protest the Virginia Legislature’s proposed restrictions on gun purchases.

The organizer, the Virginia Citizens Defense League, is prominent in the state’s Second Amendment rights movement, donating tens of thousands of dollars to lawmakers over the years. Its president, Philip Van Cleave, refers to himself as an extremist but issued a statement saying the rally was meant to be a peaceful protest about gun rights.

In the past, its lobbying efforts were focused on loosening the state’s gun laws.

But with a new Democratic majority in the Legislature, the group has made it clear that Monday’s event will be focused on opposing sweeping gun control measures that could be enacted next week....

On Thursday, the House of Delegates and the Senate held their regularly scheduled sessions under tighter-than-normal security by the Capitol Police. The Senate approved several gun control measures, including a bill that limits people to buying only one gun each month.

Also Thursday, a circuit court judge upheld the governor’s temporary ban on weapons in the area around the Capitol from Friday until Tuesday…

The F.B.I. has grown increasingly concerned about The Base as it has worked to recruit more people. The group encourages the onset of anarchy, according to the Counter Extremism Project, an organization that tracks far-right extremists. Experts say that its founder, an American, appears to be living in Russia…

Of course not every ‘gun rights activist’ is a racist, nor is every racist an ammosexual — but is it surprising how much the two groups overlap?

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Repub Venality Open Thread: Bill Barr on His Balcony Barricade

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Attorney General William P. Barr on Friday vigorously defended President Trump’s use of executive authority and suggested that House Democrats were subverting the will of voters by exploring whether to remove the president from office for abusing his power.

Mr. Trump campaigned on a vow to upend Washington, and voters were aware of his agenda when they elected him president, Mr. Barr said.

“While the president has certainly thrown out the traditional Beltway playbook and punctilio, he was up front about what he wanted to do and the people decided they wanted him to serve as president,” Mr. Barr said in a speech at a conference hosted by the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group influential in Republican politics.

[Evergreen question: Who funds the Federalist Society?]

Mr. Trump’s opponents “essentially see themselves as engaged in a war to cripple by any means necessary a duly elected government,” Mr. Barr added…

Speaking for an hour at the upscale Mayflower Hotel a few blocks from the White House, Mr. Barr hit back at the president’s critics on an array of fronts as he argued that Mr. Trump, in his capacity as president, has not overstepped his authority.

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