Today's Tweet

Fun with Photo Shop

I wanted to see what would happen if I took the natural skin color from around his eyes and applied it to the rest of his face and took away the comb over and hair dye. So I guess this is what donald would look like if he was a normal man. pic.twitter.com/nnMTC1fNJc

— Stone Cold (@stonecold2050) February 9, 2019

It All Ends Up In The Shitter

Virginia has great history - and unfortunately, way too much of that history is all about how fucked up America can be.

We've been working pretty hard to move ourselves away from the shittier parts of our past.

Then things like this come up and we have to deal with the reality of having not properly confronted those shittier parts - how we still just try to sweep them aside and hope the wounds won't fester too badly.

This continues to be a real embarrassment, but at least SNL can find some funny. And that helps a bit.

Are You Sorry?

When your daughter gets rubella as she's expecting your grandchild, how do you explain your decision to leave them at risk?

What will you say when she calls to tell you about her diagnosis of cervical cancer, that could've been prevented, but you were afraid to get her the HPV vaccination as a teenager?

How will you justify your decision to skip the vaccination that would've kept your son from becoming infertile now that he's contracted mumps as a young adult?

And how do you break the news that their grandma won't be coming home from the hospital because you refused to get your kids vaccinated for the flu?

Will you still insist that those "childhood diseases" aren't all that serious; that your gluten-free home-cooked organic cuisine should've been enough to protect them - and it's all Monsanto's fault anyway?

How sorry are you?

Podcast

The Professional Left with Driftglass and Blue Gal

Episode 479

• Governing Magazine
• Story-telling
• Celebrity Blogger Feud

Do the merch

And BTW - looks like even Bill Maher is catching up with Driftglass and Blue Gal:

Today's Tweet

Also Today's Grammar Nazi Award (and a bit of a stealthy burn too).

I realize this is a minor point in the grand scheme of things, but dear grammar gods people, it's "dick pics" not "dick picks." We're talking PICtures, not a smorgasbord. #BezosBlackmail

— Shelly King (@shelbelle94) February 8, 2019

Take Me Back

...to the good ol' days when we had to think a little in order to make shit up - the good shit anyway. I would trade it all for the chance to send Cult45 back to the comic books.

Cuz speaking of shit we can just make up -

When Lex Luthor became president, he announced a policy of moving the government away from the use of fossil fuels, and then severed all ties between the government and his own companies.

Donald Trump lacks the foresight and the integrity of a fucking comic book villain.

Oh Those Crazy Rich Guys

Let's just agree that sometimes, the whole Reign Of Terror thing seems like a pretty good idea.

But at least I can say Jeff Bezos seems to be taking his stewardship responsibilities seriously.

That doesn't make him the good guy in the overall drama of How These Rich Pricks Ate My Democracy, but it scores him a few points. I'm just not going to praise him for being less than a complete asshole. The guy works hard, and he's done some good things, but when just a few people win dominance over too much of our economy, it always ends up up being very bad for everybody.

Here's the take on Jeff Bezos vs David Pecker via The Medium:

Something unusual happened to me yesterday. Actually, for me it wasn’t just unusual — it was a first. I was made an offer I couldn’t refuse. Or at least that’s what the top people at the National Enquirer thought. I’m glad they thought that, because it emboldened them to put it all in writing. Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I’ve decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten.

AMI, the owner of the National Enquirer, led by David Pecker, recently entered into an immunity deal with the Department of Justice related to their role in the so-called “Catch and Kill” process on behalf of President Trump and his election campaign. Mr. Pecker and his company have also been investigated for various actions they’ve taken on behalf of the Saudi Government.

- and -

Here’s a piece of context: My ownership of the Washington Post is a complexifier for me. It’s unavoidable that certain powerful people who experience Washington Post news coverage will wrongly conclude I am their enemy.

President Trump is one of those people, obvious by his many tweets. Also, The Post’s essential and unrelenting coverage of the murder of its columnist Jamal Khashoggi is undoubtedly unpopular in certain circles.

(Even though The Post is a complexifier for me, I do not at all regret my investment. The Post is a critical institution with a critical mission. My stewardship of The Post and my support of its mission, which will remain unswerving, is something I will be most proud of when I’m 90 and reviewing my life, if I’m lucky enough to live that long, regardless of any complexities it creates for me.)

I think the main point that comes of this is that we'll be able to concentrate a lot of fire on the truly shitty practice of Politically Weaponizing The Press. 

We need to get back to understanding how damaging Yellow Journalism is, and I find it hard to believe I'm the only one who seems to remember learning about this shit back in high school.

Lost Another One

Frank Robinson, baseballer, badass, decent human being. 

Thomas Boswell, WaPo:

For several days, the death of Frank Robinson had been expected. Editors called reporters to prepare appreciations. But Frank, no respecter of deadlines or demise, didn’t depart on schedule. Some of us who covered him for years enjoyed the thought of Death trying to cope with Frank.

Robinson was the proudest, orneriest, most competitive man in baseball from his arrival in 1956 — as a rookie who hit 38 homers at age 20 — until 2006, when, in his 16th year as a manager, his old fierce eyes still made his Nats players seem tame.

“You know you can’t beat me,” the Grim Reaper says. Frank, silent, just glares and digs in. Robinson didn’t just crowd the plate; he crowded life.

On Thursday, Robinson died at 83. Many will recall his Triple Crown season leading the Baltimore Orioles to a World Series title in 1966. Others will find the most lasting value in his dignified barrier-breaking work as the first African American manager in 1975 with Cleveland and then as manager of the year back with the Orioles in 1989.

- and -

“I’ve always enjoyed working with young people, reaching them and talking baseball. It’s a pleasure to watch someone get better and better until he’s a bona fide big leaguer,” he said. “All a teacher wants is for them to listen and try.”

- and -

For me, (Bill) Russell and Frank Robinson were the next step after Jackie Robinson. Because he had laid the groundwork, they didn’t have to turn the other cheek. They could be their entire selves — or close to it. Remembering what social progress looked like then is a reminder of why it’s worth battling to keep and extend now.

Frank Robinson always had the severe comportment, the hard eye for enemies, the basic sense of right and wrong of a pioneer. He walked into a room, and others stood up straighter, heads higher. Now, we bow our heads in respect.

Wikipedia:

Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams from 1956 to 1976, and became the only player to be named the Most Valuable Player of both the National League and American League. He was named the NL MVP with the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 after leading the team to the pennant with a .323 batting average, and won the AL MVP in 1966 in his first season with the Baltimore Orioles after winning the Triple Crown. Robinson helped lead the Orioles to World Series titles in 1966 and 1970. A 14-time All-Star, Robinson's 586 career home runs ranked fourth in major league history at the time of his retirement, and he ranked sixth in total bases (5,373) and tenth in runs scored (1,829). Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1982.

In 1975, Robinson became the first black manager in major league history. He managed the Cleveland Indians during the last two years of his playing career, compiling a 186–189 record. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals. For most of the last two decades of his life, Robinson served in various executive positions for Major League Baseball, concluding as honorary President of the American League.

Today's Pix

click

Today's Tweet

Whose turn was it to watch these fuckin' idiots?

This is what GOPers are passing around FB this morning. Someday imagery like this will end up in a Museum of Cults, alongside Jim Jones' Flavor-Aid, Scientology's e-meter, and shirtless Mussolini. pic.twitter.com/UunaRfbUmy

— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) February 6, 2019