Every time I see Rafael “Ted” Cruz, I’m irresistibly reminded of Men in Black.
Grouchy old fart, enjoys books, birds, baroque music, alliteration and, of course, spiders (but then, who doesn’t?). Semi-skilled at a number of unimportant things like game-playing, computer surgery and natural history story-telling. Lazy.
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Every time I see Rafael “Ted” Cruz, I’m irresistibly reminded of Men in Black.
I would actually expect that. The US regime regards immigrants as criminals, but drug smugglers as colleagues and customers.
The legal rationale is the same that Donald Trump has always used: “because I want to and you can’t stop me, so there.”
The weak delight in killing anyone weaker. It makes them feel strong.
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews, #Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
So you’re saying Darth Jar Jar was correct.
“The legal authority is we can do anything we want to because we’re in complete charge and you can’t stop us. We run this country, not you.”
The excuses are, of course, bullshit. She knows they’re bullshit. The entire GOP knows they’re bullshit, and so does the entire Liberal Media and Democratic Party. Every excuse is just to fit one particular moment, and if it conflicts with the previous excuse, so much the better. No one protests.
Loyalty to Der Fuehrer is loyalty to Der Vaterland [voice rises to a spittle-flying shriek]
Nice one! You're older than you look!
Cant eat the onions, but those fries wouldn't last long.
Never ascribe to incompetence what can be put down to malice. - new rule for dealing with Republicans.
Look - he could be both, you know!
I used one of those in Grad school!
He had Navalny killed. He had a lot of Russians and Ukrainians killed. He got the UK to leave Europe, and got the US to self-destruct - those have to count for something!
"Only Republicans can do this! It's unfair when you fight back! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
At this point, I think it's highly unlikely that mini-Goebbels is going to back down, and Mr. Demento is too far gone to change course, even if he wanted to. Like their master, Putin, they think they are on the edge of final victory, and they just have to push a little harder. Nuremberg time?
The GOP had gained pretty much full control over the Liberal Media by Cheney's admin. By Clinton's admin., the Liberal Media were GOP dominated, if not controlled. Why would a thinking adult expect to see anything the GOP doesn't want on TV or the news?
He's confident that he's on the edge of victory. With the US behind him, and China (and India?) on his side, he's ready to roll over Europe. Hungary and the UK are at least ready to step aside and let him have what he wants, he has to figure.
No, he's right! Energy is what you get from cocaine - electricity just makes you dead! Everybody knows that.
ABC is mainstream Fox. Been that way for a while; who's the owner again?
As usual with these guys, It’s Always Projection.
See, there really is someone for everyone.
Well, I feel appropriately ashamed. I’m not ashamed at all. I am, however, thoroughly disappointed, but my disappointment is tempered with the certain knowledge that death is inevitable, and catching up fast.
Yup. Personalizing it onto one person is what has let the GOP steadily march forward, since Reagan, on their road to absolute power. Every time they “go too far”, they just load it all onto their scapegoat and lie that they’ve learned their lesson.
Hey, I resent this! I’m lazy as hell, but I barely post at … oh. Never mind.
“If we keep insisting that the lie is true, it must become true!”
So, the odds are high that it was (a) a naval vessel of a country on the Enemies List, (b) a private yacht of a wealthy individual who had pissed off Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk or Vladimir Putin, or (c) a freighter from Brazil, which is prosecuting King Donald’s close personal friend, Jair Bolsonaro.
The GOP has been a death cult for years, and now that they’re our rulers, they can industrialize it. It’s hard to hide death camps, but easy to hide dispersed dead children.
We used to make our own. It’s less inedible, but probably still too high salt. Make your own colors too.
Hey, those AEDs need a little cleaning up time.
How hard can it be to make all your rulings “denied. Next!”
Naps. Naps always work.
Foreplay
Mocking laughter counts, right?
“Historic” First fascist occupation of an American city is historic, alright.
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews, #Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Also, the photos can’t be bad if the bird can be IDd (Chestnut-sided is the only choice there)
“Connecticut, not Mourning..” Autocorrect hit a new high!
Aha! I would never have thought of Magnolia! I was thinking of Connecticut, not Magnolia; couldn’t remember which had the ring and which didn’t.
Oh, yeah - the right one is Chestnut-sided; that’s what i was referring to. I’ll have to get out my book for the left one..
Yup. Best show on TV. I love every episode (so far). Makes me pine for Australia.
Yellow wingbars gives it away, but I’ve forgotten which of the three “hooded” ones has that combination. I’ll say Mourning, but that’s a total guess.
Susan Collins has performed this schtick since I was a mere boy. How have Mainers not figured it out before now?
Yup. It’s all about technique. Speed is good, but accuracy is critical. Pre label everything, put reagents away as you use them, never dip a tip twice, aliquot everything; basically do whatever you need to do to avoid stupid mistakes. And when you still make one, rewrite the protocol!
He was a mainstay of the Red Green Show. The rest is details.
A Misumena or Misumenoides would have been able to handle it. Those Xysticus types aren’t prepared for the big boys.
“Probably”?
Good old Nate. Desperately scrambling for relevance. The curse of outliving your fifteen minutes.
Yeah, just straight up invention now. Completely divorced from reality.
Nice morning for a walk with friends!
So a quid pro quo. Twice.
We hate thinking; we historically prefer the ways we can avoid thinking - prejudice, groupisms, stereotypes, snap judgements, etc.
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews, #Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
He is. He’s also demented. He’s also clearly depraved and nakedly corrupt, and the closest thing we’ll ever see to an embodiment of all the Mortal Sins. Why focus on one aspect? The people trying to use him for their own benefit don’t care, and it’s of little use to us what he is other than evil.
Yup, just as in 2016. And we saw how that worked out. Let’s hope any future elections work out better.
And 2016 and 2024 are behind us, serving as examples of that kind of thinking. We can hope that, by some miracle, there will be elections where we might change our fate, but I fear that the purists will yet again choose the greater evil.
Exactly. I suspect at this point, after the disasters of 2016 and 2024, it might not make any difference, but we can only try. Those who turned their backs on Clinton and Harris because they were “the lesser, and therefore evil” are as much to blame for where we are as any MAGAt. Hope they do better
False choice. Demand better candidates all you want, but when faced with two choices, refusing to vote for the less objectionable generally means the more objectionable wins. You’re just attempting to rationalize your part in the victory of the greater evil.
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews, #Books #Nature #Naturewriting #naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
The flowers are hosting predators as well as prey:
A nice evening walk; not so many birds, but pleasant weather and surroundings.
Mmmm - secret doors. Labyrinth!
I’m sorry about your dad. It’s a hard thing to get through, and there’s not much I could say to make it easier. I still find myself reaching for the phone to tell mine about something that would amuse him, and it’s been a few years. I understand why people still talk to those who are gone.
Of all the various ways to spend too much money, this has to be one of the few which are at least not actively harmful. But living alone in it must get rather sad.
A higher “yuppie” density, as well. “I’m ok, fuck you” We may be, like DC, a city of northern charm and southern efficiency, but most of us still share a certain “collegial” attitude. To some extent, anyway.
Now this one made me laugh, because it’s true!!! #StephenMillerisaNazi
When the president thinks of himself as The Godfather, and everyone around him pretends to be in a Mafia Family (except for mini-Goebbels, who thinks he’s in 1936 Germany), this is what happens.
Ironweed is also, in my experience, a popular butterfly flower.
The originals all have that thousand-yard stare. They’ve seen some shit.
At what point do people simply stop taking them seriously?
Looks like Canton (not surprising), and Homewood or Roland Park (also not surprising). That big block upper left (bottom of Owings Mills?) is interesting. South Balto I don’t know at all, but maybe Brooklyn?
You have to love that degree of optimism.
Ah, that explains it. I’m left-handed!
Oh, please! Let it not be boring!
“I am friend, not food!”
If they “might”, they have.
Why would anyone listen to a bad-faith liar, and trust his claims?
Returning to the glorious days of the 18th century. Down with Federalism!
They’d lie about Obama anyway.
We all have our little quirks.
I’m hearing from unimpeachable sources (Republican judges) that he went in for a brain transplant, but testing shows that he would reject any possible donor organ.
No: the GOP sacrifices our children on that altar. Enthusiastically.
Since they mostly work for the GOP now, I wouldn’t be looking for any exposés from that side. Podcasters, retirees and random Bluesky posters are more likely sources for that sort of information.
Oh, come now. Don’t be ridiculous, or I’m going to start assuming you’re one of Putin’s boys in Liberal Drag.
I think they all hate Vance the most. I hope they fear mini-Goebbels enough to take him out first, though.
Both did Mr Conductor. Ringo was perfect. George did the best post-Beatles music, but that alone cemented Ringo as having the best post-Beatles career! Carlin did a fine job, too, of course..
It’s Always Projection
No. Never.
I like that! I think I’ll use “beltless” from now on; who says autocorrect has nothing to give literature?
But see, he knows from experience that heroin is safe and effective.
Maria Bamford is enough to rescue your reputation.
Mine didn’t even need that. Just jumping, or slipping on the ice was enough. Boys are just inherently dangerous.
Wealth is insulation against accusations, let alone indictments.
The :Origins banter was extra special. I keep wanting to do it again just for that, even though I spent years making every possible grouping to hear their interactions.
I decided years ago that being loudly stupid on a regular basis was necessary: it kept me appropriately humble, and it vastly lowered the expectations of everyone around me. That might possibly be rationalization, of course.
It’s the Russian way.
Would have made a great Hammer star. Lon Chaney’s other son..
Donald Trump’s PR corps is not as skillful as [pick a random Democratic Governor]’s, but then again his bunch are all furious, resentful teenagers. They’ll show us all - we’ll see! And then we’ll be sorry that we were mean to them!