Today's Pix

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The Scary Part

Trump could shoot somebody on camera in the Senate and they'd acquit him 53-47.

Unless he shoots a Republican, then they'd acquit him 52-47.

Senate Republicans looking for evidence 
while complaining about the dark

Today's Tweet

Make sure your eyewash is ready.

oh god OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OHGODOHGOD https://t.co/853qSa2SYL

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) January 24, 2020

Today's Brian

Just short of a full blown meltdown.

Todays' Tweet

Nature always tells us straight up: Adapt or die.

THE WEATHER IS CHANGING. WE MUST CHANGE TOO.pic.twitter.com/qQ1vsoHCwS

— Tomthunkit™ (@TomthunkitsMind) January 23, 2020

In The Age Of Poe

Kinda in reverse, maybe? Reality can get so perverse that sometimes when something real happens, it sounds like it came straight outa The Onion's evil twin.

Detroit Free Press:

Sauntore Thomas is reeling from a one-two punch.

First, the Detroiter sued his employer alleging racial discrimination in a lawsuit that settled confidentially. Then he went to the bank this week to cash his settlement check, but the Livonia bank refused to cash or deposit his check. Instead, they called the cops and initiated a fraud investigation — actions that dumbfounded Thomas and his lawyer, triggering another lawsuit.

On Wednesday, Thomas sued TCF Bank for alleged race discrimination, saying the Livonia branch mistreated and humiliated him by calling four police officers when all he was trying to do was deposit legitimate checks. According to police, the bank's computer system read the checks as fraudulent.

TCF Bank spokesman Tom Wennerberg said Thursday that TCF abhors racism and it was not a factor in how the bank handled Thomas' requests. He said the checks Thomas presented displayed a watermark that read VOID when they were scanned in a web viewer.

Thomas isn't buying it, noting the check cleared 12 hours later. He's upset that two officers questioned him inside the bank, while two others stood guard outside, he said, adding he was an account holder for nearly two years at that TCF branch.

It's not quite completely cut-n-dried - the folks at TCF kinda have a point, partly because of mere circumstance - Sauntore had a whopping 52¢ in his account at the time. And partly because he "made some unusual requests".

ie: he asked to cash one of the checks ($13K- while depositing 2 others totaling $86K), and he asked for a new debit card.

Granted, some of this is a bit red-flaggy, but c'mon, all you have to do is make a coupla phone calls. But that doesn't even factor in when you're going to put a hold on the money til the checks clear anyway.

Normal protocols apply. You tell him you can't cash him out for thirteen large, but you tell him he can go to the bank that issued the check.

And that's the kicker. Not more than a few hours later, Sauntore took his checks to a Chase branch (which didn't issue the checks), and sailed the whole thing right on through.

And BTW - you're not the fuckin' cops. Turn in your little decoder ring and stop playing Junior Treasury Agent. 

Instead of a good customer, now you've got an expensive lawsuit on your hands.

Today's Tweet

Our erratic behavior

"If America got pulled over right now, it would never pass a sobriety test"

--- The World ---

— 🌊 Death Row Tull 🌊🆘🗽🐕 (@dukewindsor388) January 22, 2020

Continuing A Theme

The impeachment trial is looking like a simple continuation of what we've seen from the GOP for at least 25 years - adapted for this malignant wart they still insist on calling "president".

And watching (a little) yesterday, it was very clear from the beginning that we were going to see the same ol' same ol'.

• Dems stating facts and trying to engage on the evidence.
• Repubs making campaign speeches (ie: lying their asses off).

Here's a pretty fair characterization of what little actual "defense" the Repubs are putting up:

Women: 

Feminazis

Liars 

FBI & Intel Professionals: 

Deep-Staters

Never-Trumpers

Liars 

Civil Servants: 

Never-Trumpers

Deep-Staters

Liars 

Documents: 

You're reading it wrong

Totally false

Written by liars 

Established Indisputable Facts: 

Yeah but Hillary

What about Obama

And not to be too repetitive, but notice how they never defend 45* on the basis of his being an honorable standup guy who just wouldn't do such things. They never mention that shit at all. Ever.

Today's Quote

Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.

(The Brothers Karamazov)

― Fyodor Dostoevsky

Today's Tweet

The horror

Cleaning up the weekend mess 🐕‍🦺🧹 pic.twitter.com/4PYs3riWdN

— 🦗🍂🍃The Smokin Grasshopper🍃🍂🦗 (@Grasshopper2049) January 21, 2020

Today's Pix

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Today's Today

This is the day a lot of people go outa their way pretending they're totally down with MLK and that they've always believed in everything he advocated - as long as they can also pretend he never said things like this:

Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources.  With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That's the way the system works. And since we know the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system.

-- Martin Luther King

He was engaged in a campaign to support the concept of a Guaranteed Basic Income when he was murdered in Memphis, April 1968

Deep Pedantics

Actually, it's only Existential Dread if it comes from the Existentialism region in France - otherwise it's just Sparkling Anxiety.

hat tip = @apsullivan

Today's Tweet

The kids

Let us not forget the children they bring into it.

"You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.

You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you."

On Children
Kahlil Gibran pic.twitter.com/y4pyp8DcCZ

— Naked Zebra (@ZebraNaked) January 20, 2020