The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Orion's picture

    Fun Times With Canadian Border Patrol

    By Orion on Sun, 10/25/2015 - 5:48pm |

    By Michael Powell - Deschamps

    So, earlier this month I had an adventure. I decided, after feeling increasingly freaked out about the direction of this country, to take the train up to Vancouver to visit friends for a couple weeks.

    As I started my journey, it became clear that I was not the only individual on edge. At King Street Station in Seattle, they showed a video on how to respond to a mass shooter, with a pretty detailed video showing a shooter running in to the train station and then an older man taking him out with a briefcase.

    Look

    By LisB on Wed, 10/21/2015 - 12:39am |

    I'll follow my party, dammit.  I'll vote like a good little Dem.  But anyone who keeps commenting on this site about how we need to be herded like good little Dem cats has to hear a lot from us who never liked the Clintons and who want something more.

    Let the debates occur, and let Bernie - and the others - be heard. 

    We who wanted Obama had the PUMA's and everything else before we had to make our votes - and even after! - so shut up and let us do our research.

    Let us look at other candidates, let us consider other options. 

    Let us LOOK!

     

    Don't Rain On My Bernade!

    By LisB on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 11:20pm |

    (Sung to the tune of “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, minus a verse or two)

    Don’t tell me
    who to vote for
    Sit and mutter
    Bernie’s one candidate
    and Hill’s another
    Don’t bring about an end
    to Bernie’s great campaign!

    Don’t try to change
    my mind
    While I discover
    Just how much
    Bernie Sanders has to offer
    Don’t bring about an end
    to Bernie’s great campaign!

    A Pragmatic Approach To Elections

    By ocean-kat on Fri, 10/16/2015 - 4:59pm |

    When forming opinions about the flow of campaign events and deciding how to cast my vote there are three standards I look at.

    A democrat must win.

    I want liberal values and ideas to be debated and I want the party to move to the left.

    I want the candidate to hold as many liberal views on the issues as is possible to win.

    Clock Boy's Dad Fulfills Dream

    By NCD on Fri, 10/16/2015 - 12:17pm |

    Did Dad set up his 14 year old to game 'Islamophobia' and the media system about racial profiling of innocent Muslims using his son to create an incident?

    Richard Day's picture

    KING ARTHUR WAS DISTRAUGHT

    By Richard Day on Thu, 10/15/2015 - 6:38pm |

    The barons were receiving most of the fruits from the King's war and the battles against the heathen Saxons.

    His Majesty's serfs were not doing so well.

    Merlin informed Arthur that true progress could not be witnessed in the foreseeable future unless the entire population shared in this new profit. The profit was realized per the battles against he barbarian Saxons

    African Diaspora series?

    By PeraclesPlease on Thu, 10/15/2015 - 3:47am |

    A group is doing a Kickstarter for a crime series on the African Diaspora. I'm curious how folks think, whether an exploitive piece on Africans, a voyeuristic fearmongering piece on violence, refugee porn that takes off where Syrian & Libyan refugees stop, or a needed sociology study/angle on an interesting demographic. Benghazi moves to Ferguson or your weekly "The Good Lie"  movie spinoff?

    Anyone have thoughts on this?

    My Feelings

    By LisB on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 8:40pm |

    Howdy.  It has been a while since I last blogged here, but I have been watching from afar.  I am glad to be back.

    As most of you did, I watched last night's debate, and as most of you did, I spent the better part of my late evening, and today, reading all the various pundits write about it.

    I think I am finally committed to one candidate but I must say that part of me had been wishing Joe Biden had stepped up several weeks ago.  Alas, I think we can all agree that's a non-story now.

    barefooted's picture

    Democratic Debate - Afterthoughts

    By barefooted on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 12:45am |

    Webb and Chafee are gone; one too complaining and strident, the other just oddly weird.

    O'Malley helped himself by being present and forceful, a friendly lefty who turned Baltimore mayoral issues into neighborhood crime control success.

    Sanders held his own and then some - he stuck to his platform without being defensive, didn't buy into the moderator's desire for conflict and came across as genuine and compelling.

    Richard Day's picture

    DAWN OF THE LIVING DEAD

    By Richard Day on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 3:57pm |

    The sun was just rising east of my turret as I wandered down from my second floor condo.

    October is wondrous up in these parts; colors abound.

    I found a seat on a bench in the appropriate area, lighting up a home-made cig when the castle door began opening and closing spewing out other hobbling goblins.

    Danny Cardwell's picture

    Welcome To #Amurdica

    By Danny Cardwell on Mon, 10/05/2015 - 10:06pm |

    When it comes mass shootings, the gun is the tool of the coward. Their individual weaknesses are over compensated for by hatred and semiautomatic weapons. A profound lack of courage is at the center of these attacks. For some, it's easier to shoot innocent people than it is to address the unfulfilled areas of their lives. They often leave manifestos behind detailing their desire for cultural relevance. These perpetrators are often the products of a culture obsessed with fame and instant gratification. The socioeconomic factors facing our country must be addressed, but we have to accept the fact that some people don't value life. There's not an economic metric we could improve that can make another person's life valuable to someone who's decided it's worthless. 

    trkingmomoe's picture

    Watching the Outhouse Implode

    By trkingmomoe on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 3:30am |

    Since D Day is on a sabbatical, It is time for some of his type of political wisdom. I will try to fill in for him.

    Trump came along and has exposed the GOP base for what it is.  It is not Benghazi, or anything else like "no taxes" holds the GOP voter base together.  It is hate wrapped up in a pretty package called social issues. He throws nothing but hateful sound bites at the voter base and they lap it up. Lacking real ideas he say "Everything is going to be just great or Yuuge." He has not one policy in his campaign.

    trkingmomoe's picture

    Launch of Atlas V Rocket From Cape Canaveral

    By trkingmomoe on Fri, 10/02/2015 - 8:02am |

     

    This morning at 6:28 AM the United Launch Alliance  shot off a Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. It was carrying a Mexican communication satellite.

    Planned Parenthood

    By arc400 on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 8:18pm |

    Okay, here's what I want to know.

    In all the kerfuffle over Planned Parenthood, the grilling of Cecile Richards, the shout your abortion hashtag, why doesn't anyone EVER talk about the guys ffs?

    Speaking as a white, middle-class, professional female, I would like to address the innocence/experience divide. Innocence is when you believe the guy when he tells you he'll pull out before orgasm, experience is when you know he's lying.

    trkingmomoe's picture

    Hurricane Joaquin - Open Thread

    By trkingmomoe on Thu, 10/01/2015 - 11:09am |

    I hope all of you are getting ready on the East Coast for this storm.  Right now it is a Cat 3 and that makes it very dangerous.  It will be pushing a high storm surge like Sandy.  Also the satellite and radar images are showing a lot of moisture.  That means inland flooding also. There has already been heavy rain in the target area so the ground is very saturated.

    MrSmith1's picture

    Two opportunities ... Where are Progressive voices?

    By MrSmith1 on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 9:29am |

    I've been waiting patiently for the postings, but maybe we've become so mesmerized by Trump and other distractions that we can no longer see Progressive triumphs as something to crow about.  

    This is the difference between Progressives and the Right Wing Scream Machine, the Right would have jumped all over these two stories and hammered away at them until their message sunk in on a subconscious level.  The Left on the other hand, seems content to just sit around and luxuriate in rare victories.

    barefooted's picture

    Danger In Donald's Name

    By barefooted on Sun, 09/20/2015 - 2:05am |

    Donald Trump is becoming a dangerous leader of an ignorant, angry base of people who don't give a damn about politics. They aren't looking for ways to improve our economy, policies to help the middle class or the wealthy, taxes up or down, nor do they care about wars in general - their focus is clearly on nationalism with a very white bent. "Immigration" means keeping non-whites out, "unemployment" means a Mexican took your job. "Poor" equals black and dangerous, "religion" means Christian.

    The good enough President

    By Flavius on Thu, 09/17/2015 - 10:45pm |

    Our first child was autistic or to use the preferred characterization " a person with autism". The help available to us was considerably worse than useless. It was advice from Freudians-most of whom probably meant well-but whose underlying theory was so wrong that their suggestions could only be- not just of no use -but bound to make matters worse.

    In the 60s that begin to change and in the forefront of those with changed views was a Brit psychologist  named Winnicott  who coined the useful phrase "The good enough mother".

    A Shameful Attack

    By HSG on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 9:25pm |

    BrockReaders have pushed back against my varied criticisms of Hillary Rodham Clinton over the past few months. Some accuse me of cherry-picking her worst moments, e.g., her vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq. Others claim that I have misconstrued various statements and votes over the past twenty years or that I arrogantly believe that I know better than her supporters what's best for them.

    Richard Day's picture

    LIVE: SEND IN THE CLOWNS! A DEBATE ENSUES...

    By Richard Day on Wed, 09/16/2015 - 1:38pm |

    The election is only one year and  six weeks away for heaven sakes.

    A man named Trump leads the GOP polls and just under this guy a man Named Carson appears.

    Neither man has ever run for anything, except the first ran from his debts on several occasions whilst the other guy ran away from neurosurgery.

    This reality show is way ahead of schedule and so are the cable stations attempting to cover this debate tonight because twenty two million folks viewed the last debate.

    And Trump has not paid a dime in advertising. hahahhahah

    So we shall send in the clowns.

    Richard Day's picture

    A RANT ON DESPAIR

    By Richard Day on Tue, 09/15/2015 - 5:36am |

    222

    There are residents in my semi-resthome who can become happy with the help of their small dogs and parakeets; not all the time of course.

    Just sometimes.

    And an hour of happiness appears to trump 15 hours or more (assuming an ability to sleep) of depression.

    There are no absolutes, except for death and grandchildren (if we are lucky).

    trkingmomoe's picture

    Tampa and Sarasota Birthday bash for Bernie Sanders

    By trkingmomoe on Thu, 09/10/2015 - 12:25am |

    There was many who got together this past Labor Day Weekend to plan and help with Bernie Sanders campaign in the South West Coastal area of Florida.  Like the rest of South Florida this area is trending blue.  There will most definitely be a big turnout for a Sanders rally in this area.

     

    What was the matter with Raul?

    By Flavius on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 1:16am |

    One Monday morning he looked exhausted. He had been an economist in Havana now he was starting over as an accountant in San Juan. Avery good one. But today he looked as if he should just go home.

    It was I was told, like this. On Friday afternoon he'd  left the office, for Eastern Airlines to Miami. Where his brother, a local gambler , met him and drove them to Key West.

    Richard Day's picture

    PROGNOSTICATION

    By Richard Day on Tue, 09/08/2015 - 12:58pm |

    I awoke at 3AM and began playing on my PC.

    Rather than closing a tab, I clicked the weather channel on my TV.

    Weather approximations are given for each hour of the day.

    Temp and wind and chances of rain....

    6 AM seemed ominous.

    Danny Cardwell's picture

    America's Longest Conversation

    By Danny Cardwell on Sun, 09/06/2015 - 9:27pm |

    Anyone who has spent time on crutches knows how good it feels to walk unaided. If, however, you were bedridden or in a wheel chair those crutches would be a major achievement. That's how civil rights function in America. The life of racial and ethnic minorities is leaps and bounds better than their ancestor's, but that can't be the only metric we use to judge progress. It's easy for someone in 2015 to question the motives of those who highlight racial disparities in our economic, educational, and legal systems, but how many of those critical of the shared struggle for equality can honestly say race and ethnicity don't factor into the lives of minorities? 

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