"On February 16, 2020, the Republican senator Tom Cotton appeared on Fox News to discuss the possibility that the virus had originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. “Now, we don’t have evidence that this disease originated there, but because of China’s duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says,” Cotton, of Arkansas, said."
"Trump’s head turn was a perfect example of an event that has no explanation outside the favor of the gods, or whatever modern equivalent involving wind factors and directional probabilities you might prefer to the word “God.” Trump was fated to win, just as Achilles was fated to overcome Hector, because the gods, or if you prefer the forces of cosmic randomness, were on his side, on that day, at that moment. That move not only saved his life by allowing him to escape an assassin’s bullet; it revitalized his chi and set in motion a series of subsequent events that generated a reordering of the entire world."
I think this is the correct take. There's a lot of Dem self-flagellation over a point and a half popular vote loss. DJT is such a bizarre phenomenon, and I'm not sure how any cogent analysis can be done for an election in which he's a participant.
The great Chicago columnist got this exactly right in 1972. Here's the piece in question:
"Patriotism" At The Stadium
3 January 1972, by Mike Royko, Chicago Daily News
Both teams were on the field. The crowd stood for the singing of the National Anthem.
Everybody except one man. He just sat and studied his program.
The band began playing. The singing was led by a TV star who had been up all night drinking gin. Ten jets swooped over the stadium. Fifty majorettes thrust out their chests.
The one man stayed in his seat and looked at his program.
Somebody gave him a nudge. He ignored it.
``Stand up,`` somebody else hissed.
``I`ll stand for the kickoff,`` the man said.
Another man glared at him. ``Why don`t you stand and sing?``
``I don`t believe in it,`` he said.
The other man gasped. ``You don`t believe in the National Anthem?``
``I don`t believe in singing it at commercial events. I wouldn`t sing it in a nightclub, or in a gambling casino, and I won`t sing it at a football game.``
A man behind him said: ``What are you, a damn radical?``
He shook his head. ``I`m not a stadium patriot.``
``I`ll make you stand up,`` a husky man said, seizing his fleece collar.
They scuffled and struck each other with their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask.
``What`s wrong?`` people shouted from a few rows away.
``A radical insulted the anthem,`` someone yelled.
``I did not,`` the man yelled. ``I will not be a stadium patriot.``
``He says he`s not a patriot,`` someone else roared, swinging a punch.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on here? Break it up.``
People yelled. ``He insulted the flag. . . . He refused to stand. . . . He`s radical. . . . Sit down, I can`t see the girls.``
The policeman said: ``Why wouldn`t you stand?``
``Not at a football game,`` the man said.
``Hear that?`` someone yelled, shaking a fist.
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away.
He was fined $25 for disorderly conduct, and the judge lectured him on his duties as a citizen.
The next week he had a better seat for the Stupendous Bowl game.
Both teams took the field and the crowd rose for the National Anthem. They were led in song by a country music star, who had been up all night playing dice. A dozen jet bombers flew over. Sixty majorettes thrust out their chests.
This time the man rose with everyone else, and he sang. He sang as loud as he could, in an ear-splitting voice that could be heard 20 rows in any direction.
A few people turned and looked at him as if he were odd.
When the song reached ``the land of the free`` his voice cracked, but he shrieked out the high note.
Then it was over, everyone applauded, yelled ``Kill `em`` and ``Murder `em`` and ``Belt `em,`` and sat down to await the opening kickoff.
Everyone but the one man. He remained on his feet and began slowly singing the second stanza in his loud voice.
People stared at him. But then they jumped up and cheered as the ball was kicked off and run back.
When they sat down, the man was still standing and singing.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and started the third stanza. ``Hey, that`s enough,`` someone yelled.
``Yeah, sit down, I can`t see through you,`` said somebody else.
He kept singing. People called out:
``Knock it off.``
``What`s wrong with him?``
``I can`t see.``
The game was underway. Three plays were run while he sang the third verse.
Everyone jumped up for the punt return. When they sat down, the man was still singing.
Everyone around him was becoming upset. People stood and shook their fists. Somebody threw a hot dog wrapper.
An usher asked him to take his seat. He shook his head and began the fourth stanza as a touchdown was scored.
The people behind him were outraged. ``I couldn`t see that because of you. . . . Make him sit down. . . . He must be crazy. . . . He`s a radical.`` He went on singing.
Somebody grabbed his shoulders and tried to push him into his seat. They scuffled and swung their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask. The man struggled to his feet, still howling the fourth stanza.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on? Break it up.``
``He won`t sit down,`` someone yelled. ``He won`t stop singing,`` someone else yelled. ``He`s trying to start a riot. He`s a radical.``
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away as he finished the final stanza, holding the note as long as he could.
The judge fined him $25 for disorderly conduct, and warned him about not shouting in a crowded theater.
The next week he went to the Amazing Bowl. The crowd was led in singing the National Anthem by a rock star, who had been up all night with three groupies. A squadron of dive bombers flew between the goal posts.
He stood with everyone else. As the music played, he moved his lips because he was chewing peanuts, and he stared at the chest of a majorette. Then he sat down with everyone else.
The man in the next seat offered him a sip from his flask.
My 401k balance has been going gangbusters since the election. I gotta think the market thinks all of the hoohah about tariffs is a bunch of BS since they'd surely tank the economy.
It's always seemed kind of comical to me that Americans can simultaneously be in love with a free market economy and a centrally planned monetary policy.
I've seen reports that the guidance came from the state, not the feds. Why are these sources never cited and why doesn't the press ask for a citation? I swear, social media and the death of the press have turned Americans, more than ever, into credulous morons.
I love these posts for making me aware of movies I never even knew about, especially as I sit here watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with my partner.
On “A Man on the Inside”
My partner's mom is paying north of $9K for memory care in Chicago (a really nice place). I'm guessing in SF, that just gets you in the door.
"
We watched this and completely loved it. Is there an actor who does a better deadpan than Marc Evan Jackson?
On “Two attacks on US soil and both involve a car rental app”
The wild thing to me is the first thought I had about the Vegas explosion was, “Yeah, sometimes those things just spontaneously combust.”
Who knew LVPD would turn out to be Tesla spokesmen?
On “Jimmy Carter Passes at Age 100”
I remember my dad telling me he voted for John Anderson so he'd qualify for the federal matching campaign funds.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/23/2024”
Maybe if people like Cotton had some actual evidence, people might have taken that theory a little more seriously.
"
"it probably came from a lab"
https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/the-sudden-rise-of-the-coronavirus-lab-leak-theory
"On February 16, 2020, the Republican senator Tom Cotton appeared on Fox News to discuss the possibility that the virus had originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. “Now, we don’t have evidence that this disease originated there, but because of China’s duplicity and dishonesty from the beginning, we need to at least ask the question to see what the evidence says,” Cotton, of Arkansas, said."
JAQing off.
On “From Tablet Mag: Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment”
ComeOnMan.gif
"Trump’s head turn was a perfect example of an event that has no explanation outside the favor of the gods, or whatever modern equivalent involving wind factors and directional probabilities you might prefer to the word “God.” Trump was fated to win, just as Achilles was fated to overcome Hector, because the gods, or if you prefer the forces of cosmic randomness, were on his side, on that day, at that moment. That move not only saved his life by allowing him to escape an assassin’s bullet; it revitalized his chi and set in motion a series of subsequent events that generated a reordering of the entire world."
On “Joe Biden Agrees that Some People *DO* Deserve the Death Penalty”
Look where that got us.
On “Weekend Plans Post: The Ghost Town”
LOL!
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024”
Until today.
"
At least she, or more likely one of her staff, read the damn thing.
"
Incoming administration sending signals to the boss.
https://www.rt.com/russia/609564-russian-general-trump-envoy/
On “From Semafor: Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’”
I think this is the correct take. There's a lot of Dem self-flagellation over a point and a half popular vote loss. DJT is such a bizarre phenomenon, and I'm not sure how any cogent analysis can be done for an election in which he's a participant.
"
The guy complaining about Olbermann is the guy listening to Clay Travis.
"
The great Chicago columnist got this exactly right in 1972. Here's the piece in question:
"Patriotism" At The Stadium
3 January 1972, by Mike Royko, Chicago Daily News
Both teams were on the field. The crowd stood for the singing of the National Anthem.
Everybody except one man. He just sat and studied his program.
The band began playing. The singing was led by a TV star who had been up all night drinking gin. Ten jets swooped over the stadium. Fifty majorettes thrust out their chests.
The one man stayed in his seat and looked at his program.
Somebody gave him a nudge. He ignored it.
``Stand up,`` somebody else hissed.
``I`ll stand for the kickoff,`` the man said.
Another man glared at him. ``Why don`t you stand and sing?``
``I don`t believe in it,`` he said.
The other man gasped. ``You don`t believe in the National Anthem?``
``I don`t believe in singing it at commercial events. I wouldn`t sing it in a nightclub, or in a gambling casino, and I won`t sing it at a football game.``
A man behind him said: ``What are you, a damn radical?``
He shook his head. ``I`m not a stadium patriot.``
``I`ll make you stand up,`` a husky man said, seizing his fleece collar.
They scuffled and struck each other with their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask.
``What`s wrong?`` people shouted from a few rows away.
``A radical insulted the anthem,`` someone yelled.
``I did not,`` the man yelled. ``I will not be a stadium patriot.``
``He says he`s not a patriot,`` someone else roared, swinging a punch.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on here? Break it up.``
People yelled. ``He insulted the flag. . . . He refused to stand. . . . He`s radical. . . . Sit down, I can`t see the girls.``
The policeman said: ``Why wouldn`t you stand?``
``Not at a football game,`` the man said.
``Hear that?`` someone yelled, shaking a fist.
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away.
He was fined $25 for disorderly conduct, and the judge lectured him on his duties as a citizen.
The next week he had a better seat for the Stupendous Bowl game.
Both teams took the field and the crowd rose for the National Anthem. They were led in song by a country music star, who had been up all night playing dice. A dozen jet bombers flew over. Sixty majorettes thrust out their chests.
This time the man rose with everyone else, and he sang. He sang as loud as he could, in an ear-splitting voice that could be heard 20 rows in any direction.
A few people turned and looked at him as if he were odd.
When the song reached ``the land of the free`` his voice cracked, but he shrieked out the high note.
Then it was over, everyone applauded, yelled ``Kill `em`` and ``Murder `em`` and ``Belt `em,`` and sat down to await the opening kickoff.
Everyone but the one man. He remained on his feet and began slowly singing the second stanza in his loud voice.
People stared at him. But then they jumped up and cheered as the ball was kicked off and run back.
When they sat down, the man was still standing and singing.
He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and started the third stanza. ``Hey, that`s enough,`` someone yelled.
``Yeah, sit down, I can`t see through you,`` said somebody else.
He kept singing. People called out:
``Knock it off.``
``What`s wrong with him?``
``I can`t see.``
The game was underway. Three plays were run while he sang the third verse.
Everyone jumped up for the punt return. When they sat down, the man was still singing.
Everyone around him was becoming upset. People stood and shook their fists. Somebody threw a hot dog wrapper.
An usher asked him to take his seat. He shook his head and began the fourth stanza as a touchdown was scored.
The people behind him were outraged. ``I couldn`t see that because of you. . . . Make him sit down. . . . He must be crazy. . . . He`s a radical.`` He went on singing.
Somebody grabbed his shoulders and tried to push him into his seat. They scuffled and swung their programs. Somebody dropped a hip flask. The man struggled to his feet, still howling the fourth stanza.
A policeman pushed through. ``What`s going on? Break it up.``
``He won`t sit down,`` someone yelled. ``He won`t stop singing,`` someone else yelled. ``He`s trying to start a riot. He`s a radical.``
``Let`s go, fella,`` the policeman said, leading him away as he finished the final stanza, holding the note as long as he could.
The judge fined him $25 for disorderly conduct, and warned him about not shouting in a crowded theater.
The next week he went to the Amazing Bowl. The crowd was led in singing the National Anthem by a rock star, who had been up all night with three groupies. A squadron of dive bombers flew between the goal posts.
He stood with everyone else. As the music played, he moved his lips because he was chewing peanuts, and he stared at the chest of a majorette. Then he sat down with everyone else.
The man in the next seat offered him a sip from his flask.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/16/2024”
My 401k balance has been going gangbusters since the election. I gotta think the market thinks all of the hoohah about tariffs is a bunch of BS since they'd surely tank the economy.
It's always seemed kind of comical to me that Americans can simultaneously be in love with a free market economy and a centrally planned monetary policy.
On “Panic! The Kind That Came From New Jersey”
"But I repeat myself."
"
I've seen reports that the guidance came from the state, not the feds. Why are these sources never cited and why doesn't the press ask for a citation? I swear, social media and the death of the press have turned Americans, more than ever, into credulous morons.
On “97th Oscars Projections: Post HCA Awards & Critics Choice/Golden Globes Outlook”
I love these posts for making me aware of movies I never even knew about, especially as I sit here watching Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with my partner.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/9/2024”
That's what she said.
"
I was an early nonadopter.
On “Asian Voters Abandoned Democrats in Droves and Might Not be Coming Back”
I would think it'd depend on the kind of politics and quality of life they find in their new homes.
On “Open Mic for the week of 12/9/2024”
This might the most old manish comment I've ever read on this site. ;-)
On “From the New York Post: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot outside Hilton hotel in Midtown in targeted attack: cops”
There's a blast from the past.
"
Lest we forget Richard Jewell.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.