I have this friend who in the last five years spent three of them living in France. The relationship he moved there for fell apart, and he moved back. He bought a house out of tax foreclosure in a working-class suburb, and is living there now. He said one of the biggest shocks, readjusting to Michigan life, is going to one of the many big-box grocery/everything stores here — Walmart, Meijer, etc. — and seeing a certain sort of man.
“They’re big guys, overweight by 60 pounds or more. They wear these long shorts year-round. They have mullets, or their hair is shaved close on the side but long on the top and back. And they all have the same beard.”
Oh, like…maybe these guys?
Or these guys?
Or maybe these guys?
Directly above me, men with rifles yelling at us. Some of my colleagues who own bullet proof vests are wearing them. I have never appreciated our Sergeants-at-Arms more than today. #mileg pic.twitter.com/voOZpPYWOs
— Senator Dayna Polehanki (@SenPolehanki) April 30, 2020
Of the four guys in that pic, Nos. 1 and 3 from left to right were among the crowd of 13 arrested in the plot to kidnap the governor and/or the plot to storm the Capitol and start a civil war. As well as all the others whose photos are above.
Someone asked me to explain what’s happening in Michigan. The best I can come up with is a timeline of sorts. Contraction of manufacturing economy > loss of well-paying jobs > population exodus > social safety net gets holes > state falls from top-10 median income in U.S. to something like 37 > more population loss. Etc. etc. One day you look up and all that’s left are these guys. They work, sure — those guns and “tactical gear” they all hoard aren’t cheap. But something went wrong in their heads, or in the social contract, or somewhere. Mike Pence would say they’ve lost touch with God. Someone else would say it’s video games. I think maybe it has something to do with the cheese powder and artificial coloring that makes Cheetos flamin’ hot and Mountain Dew Red Zone. Some of them must have wives and girlfriends; do they not get enough sex? Or is the culture they found such a comfortable home in simply irretrievably broken?
After the incident described in the senator’s tweet above, the Michigan Capitol Commission took up the matter of weapons in the state’s Capitol building. (They set the building rules.) After months of wrangling, they punted to the legislature. Which has done nothing, as it’s dominated and led by rural Republicans for whom the right to take an enormous rifle capable of killing an elephant up into the visitors’ gallery of a legislative chamber is sacrosanct, and Sen. Polehanki ought to put on her big-girl panties.
The fact is, Michigan is two states. There are the urban areas, where there’s work and culture and the things that draw people. And there are the rural areas, where it’s beautiful and wild and the jobs continue to trickle away. Although these guys weren’t country boys, necessarily. Fox, the ringleader of sorts, was from Grand Rapids. He’s the one who had everyone meet in the basement of his (unnamed) business, “which was accessed through a trap door hidden under a rug on the main floor.” This lunatic was really champing at the bit, too: “On June 25, 2020, Fox live-streamed a video to a private Facebook group that included (an informant), in which he complained about the judicial system and the State of Michigan controlling the opening of gyms. Fox referred to Governor Whitmer as ‘this tyrant bitch,’ and stated, ‘I don’t know, boys, we gotta do something. You guys link with me on our other location system, give me some ideas of what we can do.'”
As for the rest of it, well, you can read the news. So many details. As my editor said today, it’s like these guys thought the governor answers her own door at her second home. Like they can watch her open that door, grab her, somehow make their escape via water (they were looking into getting a boat, somehow). They thought 200 good men could help them storm the Capitol, take it, and start a civil war. And they thought they could get a Realtor to show them around the gov’s summer-home neighborhood, for reconnaissance purposes. Anyone who has even looked for a $200,000 house knows you don’t get a Realtor’s time without pre-approval for financing, and now imagine in the gov’s summer-home district, in Elk Rapids, where summer homes cost half a mil or more. Looking like one of those idiots.
In other words, they’d had too many Red Bulls and flamin’ hot snacks and reverted to type.
What a crazy goddamn day. So what’s happening in Michigan? Simple: We’ve gone mad with the rest of the country. Your state’s day will come, too. This one was ours.
jcburns said on October 8, 2020 at 9:40 pm
So glad you wrote about this Nancy, it was (not surprising) topic at our socially distanced potluck in a big garage in the Upper Peninsula.
I am so tired of these guys in some ways because I am these guys. My mugshot would fit right in. I have none of their urges or wishes or desires for Mtn Dew, but, whoa, there but for the grace of something go I. (I guess I’m also at least 20 years older, but, well.)
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Mark P said on October 8, 2020 at 9:58 pm
I see these guys all over. When I see them at Walmart I check for a sidearm. It’s not unusual. I can’t figure out what makes them think they’re the master race. Do they ever look in a mirror? Has it occurred to them to wonder why they don’t have a high school diploma? Do they think it’s normal to live in the basement of a vacuum cleaner shop?
Stop and think about this: the governor of a state in the United States just said that the president of the United States was complicit in a terrorist plot.
Back to the grand plan. They were going to escape by water? That’s the sign of a criminal who is unusually stupid. There’s an attorney, Kevin Underhill, who has a legal humor blog ( https://loweringthebar.net ). He occasionally recounts the attempts at water escapes undertaken by various stupid criminals. They never make it.
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Sherri said on October 9, 2020 at 12:59 am
We had an extended discussion about the Angry Man Boy here a few years back, around the time Dylan Roof decided to shoot up a church, I think, and these are just the older version of the Angry Man Boy. Being free, white, and 21 doesn’t give you the automatic respect it once did, and they never learned how to earn it.
Most states are two states, if they’re big enough to have both urban and rural areas.
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Dexter Friend said on October 9, 2020 at 3:50 am
I can easily make the Michigan state line in 20 minutes and I am going to Britton, MI for apples in a few hours. I hired a plumber who worked locally for a job and he told me he lived in Michigan and he felt uneasy when in Ohio as his employer did not allow him to carry a weapon in the work van. He said he’d never be caught un-strapped off-duty. I told him it’s rare to see a person open-carrying here in Bryan and he said “not in Michigan, at the Walmarts there you will always see them, and I wear mine in there as well.” The first I heard of the Michigan militias was about 12 years ago when a militia band was doing some newsworthy stuff up around tiny Pittsford, not far from the state line.
Ok…it was 10 years ago…plans to kill cops. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30militia.html
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Deborah said on October 9, 2020 at 6:27 am
What do these dudes think is going to happen that they have to carry their guns around everywhere? what are they so afraid of?
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beb said on October 9, 2020 at 6:29 am
When I saw the mug shots of the the six conspirators I was struck by their resemblance to each other. Squarish face, kind of beefy, slitted eyes. They looked like the homo sapiens versin of pitbulls. They looked very much like the sort of people the Feds accused them of being.
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alex said on October 9, 2020 at 7:21 am
When anyone dared to suggest that Newt Gingrich’s irresponsible anti-federal rhetoric helped ignite that human powder keg known as Timothy McVeigh, it was met with incredulity. Here we have a situation where the president has singled out a specific governor as an enemy of the people and whaddaya know, vigilantes think they have carte blanche to take her out. It’s too bad Trump will likely be tried only for his financial misdeeds because he’s responsible for inciting violence and harm and he needs to be held accountable for it so that no elected official ever attempts to pull this kind of shit again.
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Julie Robinson said on October 9, 2020 at 9:13 am
Speaking of man-children, attorneys for Kyle Rittenhouse are now arguing that extraditing him from Illinois to stand trial in Wisconsin would be handing him over to the mob. He was part of mob violence when he killed two men, but he’s just a little boy who didn’t realize his actions had consequences. Funny how Blacks don’t get that same kind of slack.
My sister lived in Flint in the late 70’s, and even then it was looking hardscrabble. I see these men around here too, and even know a few, though I have as little to do with them as possible. A typical pattern is to lose their factory job, not be able to find another job paying as well, have an injury at the new, low paying job, and finally go on disability. They kind of hurt all the time and they’re relying on other family members to help pay the bills, often an unmarried daughter with a couple of kids of her own.
So, they’ve got time on their hands, an internet connection, and somehow they’ve got guns. Everything is a conspiracy against them and the government is keeping them down, despite the fact they’re living off its teat. Women aren’t interested–can you imagine why? On and on and on.
Okay, one rant over and another beginning: has anyone bought a ceiling light fixture recently? The new trend is called integrated lighting, as in a sealed fixture with LEDs of some kind or another that can’t be replaced like light bulbs can. When they burn out you have to replace THE ENTIRE FIXTURE. This offends every bit of my frugal and environmental soul.
We noticed this when a ceiling fan/light died last year and we went shopping for a new one. Now we’re looking at fixtures for our little addition and the trend seems to be growing. If you weren’t aggravated enough by the proliferation of light bulb sizes and shapes, this should finish you off.
Anyway, we signed a contract yesterday and sent the man some money, so it all commences.
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Mark P said on October 9, 2020 at 9:29 am
As if we needed any more evidence that we have gone through the looking glass, absolutely no one thinks it was remarkable that the Michigan governor essentially called the president a terrorist. We here on this blog think it’s normal, the news media think it’s normal, everyone on Earth thinks it’s normal. This country has been so thoroughly fucked.
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Heather said on October 9, 2020 at 10:12 am
There was also a report these geniuses were discussing the plot on Faceboook. It goes both ways: if you’re dumb enough to believe everything the GOP/Fox News tell you, you’re not smart enough to carry out the complexities of a “revolution.”
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Suzanne said on October 9, 2020 at 11:00 am
Julie, that is a good description of these gun toting nut jobs. I know plenty. I live in rural Indiana where many people don’t even bother to lock their doors at night, but by god, they have guns because Protection! Crime here is incredibly low, but they carry to church, to Walmart, to the family gathering, because, I am told, you just never know.
It’s interesting to me that these Michigan terrorists were also going after law enforcement. I had a conversation a number of years ago with my gun loving brother about why in the world police officers were so pro-gun since lax gun laws increased the likelihood that the guy they pull over for speeding will kill them. I got an ear full about the need to be armed in case the government overstepped their place, blah, blah, blah.
The terrorists in MI going after law enforcement proves my point.
Honestly though, most of these gun toting militia types that I have met aren’t the brightest and best. I recall conversations with my brother & others about Hamilton in which they claimed he could never have become president because he was not born in this country. The blank stares I have gotten when I point out that there was no USA to be born in at that point and that a number of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were born elsewhere highlights their lack of understanding of US history.
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Bitter Scribe said on October 9, 2020 at 11:21 am
So the Republicans think it’s a great idea to let anyone wander around the capitol armed to the teeth whenever they want to?
Fine. Have BLM send over some Black protestors with the biggest guns they can carry. I bet that tune would change real fast.
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David C said on October 9, 2020 at 11:52 am
They’d be mowed down, Bitter Scribe. Open carry of big ass guns is for whitey only. That’s their tune and it’s not changing.
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Deborah said on October 9, 2020 at 12:16 pm
Julie, I had the same experience when looking for ceiling spotlights for the kitchen in Santa Fe. After many hours of looking I finally found some that didn’t exactly look the way I wanted them to, but they don’t have the built in LED that makes you have to replace the whole fixture. We also replaced a light fixture over the sink in that kitchen and ended up going with a unit that does have the built in LED, but since it was very inexpensive and easy to get to replace the whole thing we went with it.
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Jakash said on October 9, 2020 at 12:41 pm
I’m a none-too-courageous, liberal weenie living in what these clueless traitors consider the most dangerous hell-hole in the nation, yet I somehow manage to go about my business unarmed and without trembling in fear all day. The fact that these cult members are too stupid to realize that the biggest danger they face in rural Michigan is from the other doofuses at WalMart who are just like them would be funny, if — you know — they weren’t hoping to start a civil war.
I received a call today from the Young Republicans in Ohio, for some reason. (I’m not young, not in Ohio, and have never been a Republican.) She started off by saying “Since you’re a Republican…” I didn’t have time to chat, alas, but I would have asked her “Now that your cult leader has inspired actual people to plot civil war, would you like to reconsider your cult membership, by any chance?” But it occurs to me that a significant percentage of them probably think civil war would be a fine development, at this point, and surely would consider it part of “God’s plan” if Trump assumed the role of their Jefferson Davis, seamlessly melding that component into his current Mussolini / Hitler mash-up.
And as long as I have to return to that motley assemblage of photos that Nancy has assembled for 3 days anyway, “They look like the homo sapiens version of pitbulls” works for me, Beb!
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Jakash said on October 9, 2020 at 1:03 pm
This certainly hasn’t gotten any less relevant, or cute, since it was originally posted a year ago. “live video of me trying to keep up with the news cycle”
https://twitter.com/goldengateblond/status/1182009150131167232
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Sherri said on October 9, 2020 at 1:28 pm
Elected sheriffs are a danger to the country.
Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf, who shared a stage at a rally protesting the governor with two of the men arrested in the plot against the governor:
“It’s just a charge, and they say a ‘plot to kidnap’ and you got to remember that. Are they trying to kidnap? Because a lot of people are angry with the governor, and they want her arrested. So are they trying to arrest or was it a kidnap attempt? Because you can still in Michigan if it’s a felony, make a felony arrest,” Leaf said.
“I think it’s MCL 764.4, 764.5 somewhere on there [MCL 764.16]and it doesn’t say if you are an elected office that you’re exempt from that arrest. I have to look at it from that angle and I’m hoping that’s more what it is, in fact, these guys are innocent till proven guilty so I’m not even sure if they had any part of it,” Leaf added.
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/michigan/man-charged-in-plot-to-kidnap-whitmer-shared-stage-with-west-michigan-sheriff-at-rally
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Jenine said on October 9, 2020 at 2:44 pm
‘The human equivalent of pitbulls’ except they lack the big smiles most pitties have.
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Peter said on October 9, 2020 at 3:26 pm
Julie, the logic behind those complete light fixtures is that with lamp life going beyond 100,000 hours of use (as opposed to 2,000 for the old 1-1/2″ T12 fluorescent lamps), they figure by the time the fixture burns out (+/- 38 years) you’ll be long gone, and the fixtures on the market then will be even more long lasting and more energy efficient than the ones out now, so why not switch it all out.
The problem is when one burns out early, either due to a bad part, bad construction, or bad adjacent conditions, chances are the exact fixture isn’t made any longer, and even if it was, chances are the lamp temperature is a shade off of the ones you’ve installed elsewhere, so now it looks like a sore thumb.
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Jeff Borden said on October 9, 2020 at 3:30 pm
Sherri is correct. Most states have two sides. Like Jakash, I live in Chicago, which is held in the same kind of contempt by downstaters as by the preznit. Without Chicago and environs, Illinois would be Nebraska, but every year, without fail, the goobers cry and moan about how all their precious tax dollars are being spent on an urban hellscape.
Charles P. Pierce is theorizing today at esquire.com that Nancy Pelosi’s discussion of invoking the 25th Amendment today is all about cooling the jets of the GOP between election day and inauguration day, not an attempt to remove coo-coo bananas man from the Oval Office at the moment. Pierce has more faith than me. I fully expect McConnell and his goons to fuck this nation up as much as possible in an attempt to make Biden a one-term president.
And yet these assholes call themselves patriots.
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Julie Robinson said on October 9, 2020 at 4:28 pm
Sherri, our elected sheriff just settled a lawsuit over him drunkenly shoving a teenage volunteer, resulting in injuries. Etc.
Peter, we only use LEDs but have had quite a few fail; new or old, expensive or not. So we’re going to take the extra time and effort to find fixtures with replaceable bulbs. If anyone wants to chime in with mid-century modern suggestions, they’d be welcomed.
Apparently Mitch McConnell sized up operations at the White House and has stayed away since August 6, not even coming for the Amy Coney Barrett super spreader event. Beb, I think you suggested he was ditching 45? Could well be.
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Deborah said on October 9, 2020 at 4:49 pm
Julie, what kind of lights are you looking for? Spotlights, can lights, pendant lights, under counter lights?
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Julie Robinson said on October 9, 2020 at 5:16 pm
Spots and pendants, for entry, kitchenette, hallway, bathroom over vanity and sink, and two for outdoors. We’re supplying them because the contractor will put cheapest can lights everywhere.
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Sherri said on October 9, 2020 at 5:19 pm
No Republican ever gets to talk about civility ever again. Sorry, that’s the rule, once the head of your party says fuck in public, intentionally, you’re done tone policing.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1314627983471239168
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mouse said on October 9, 2020 at 5:23 pm
The rats will be leaving the sinking ship of the Republican Party Julie!
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Sherri said on October 9, 2020 at 5:34 pm
Why was 9 selected as the magic number of SCOTUS justices in 1869? Because there were 9 Federal Circuit Courts. Today, there are 13.
https://twitter.com/BillMurphyJr/status/1314404366053498880
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LAMary said on October 9, 2020 at 9:15 pm
Once the Amy Coney Barrett fans realize that the wonder drug from Regeneron that Trump is so excited about is made from fetal tissue there might be a change of opinion from the orange blob.
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Suzanne said on October 9, 2020 at 9:32 pm
No, LAMary, saving Trump with fetal tissue won’t phase them a bit. Barrett on the Supreme Court, in their minds, will save more babies so he must be saved, even at the cost of a few babies. It is a cult. Logic doesn’t enter into the mix. They will sacrifice lives to be pro-life and that will make perfectly good sense to them.
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Dexter Friend said on October 10, 2020 at 12:20 am
Trump warns Iran not to fuck around with us. This is about the lamest thing I ever posted, but I guess saying “fuck” isn’t really all that presidential either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZIhbE4Pqts
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susan said on October 10, 2020 at 12:20 am
St. Bitch— Here’s another good sign.
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David C said on October 10, 2020 at 6:22 am
Sheriff Daaar looks like he could be the dad of most of the Michigan terrorists.
https://crooksandliars.com/2020/10/michigan-sheriff-kidnap-plot-may-have-just
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alex said on October 10, 2020 at 6:43 am
Julie, we’ve been pretty happy with LED mini canisters. These give off a nice incandescent glow and have replaceable bulbs that can be tilted/aimed. In fact, they’re the same kind of fixtures that used to house halogen bulbs. We had the halogen version in our exterior eaves and decided to replace the bulbs with LEDs because the halogens were causing scorch marks to their surroundings.
As for mid mod, we have retro bullet lights outfitted with LED bulbs. You might see if you can scare up some of those fixtures, have them rewired if need be. It would probably cost less than buying new and they’re much sturdier than anything new.
And we have one pendant, a ’30s art deco one that I found in Chicago and have taken with me ever since.
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Dorothy said on October 10, 2020 at 7:24 am
A couple weeks ago we picked up just two solar deck lights to try them out and make sure they worked okay. Now that the new deck has had two coats of stain on it, we’re ready to go back and buy the rest of the lights we need. I didn’t realize that they had some kind of motion sensor on them because when I was outside a few nights ago sweeping leaves and fallen stems off for the morning application of stain, I noticed they got brighter when I moved near them. Bonus! I’m bummed we have to wait until spring to get the railings. It looks really good so far and the railings will be the completion of a 2.5 year project. Hubby did 90% of the work, son helped when he could. We’ve spent about $5,000 or so on materials, and Mike’s boss is spending five times that to pay a contractor to make a deck of similar square footage.
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Julie Robinson said on October 10, 2020 at 10:22 am
Dorothy, we have those solar lights outdoors in Orlando, and we love them. When you pull into the driveway they come on and you can see getting out of the car. Alex, we’re definitely looking for a wider area of light, but now I may reconsider cans–thanks!
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Mark P said on October 10, 2020 at 10:44 am
LED lights are electronic devices. That kind of device typically fails fairly early in its life if it’s going to fail, and if it doesn’t fail early, it can last for a long time. We had nine LED bulbs in vanity lights and over the kitchen sink. Three failed in the first year. We also have six can lights in the kitchen. Two failed in the first three years. We bought several spares for the can lights, because that’s the type of light that really won’t be available in a few years. The entire fixture is replaced except for the can itself. Fortunately, the can has been a standard for years, so some type of fixture will work in it even years from now.
I think the rated life for LED lights (a billion years, I think) means, if it doesn’t fail, it will last a long time.
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David C said on October 10, 2020 at 11:13 am
From my observation, the problem with LED lights is they aren’t very vibration resistant. We use them and have had good results except in our basement near the lift and sump pumps. They always went out within a year or two. Now we use CFLs in that fixture. I’ve heard that people have problems when they’re installed in a first floor ceiling fixture below a second floor. I have no first hand knowledge of that though.
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basset said on October 10, 2020 at 12:12 pm
We replaced our kitchen fluorescent tubes with LED fixtures which look the same but have a row of tiny LEDs down the inside of the tube. Didn’t have to replace the whole fixture but it was only slightly more than swapping out the ballast. Next step is a dimmer, lights look good but you could do surgery in there.
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Sherri said on October 10, 2020 at 12:20 pm
Meanwhile, in news about that other favorite hoax of conservatives, there have been 10 named tropical storms or hurricanes make landfall in the continental US this year, the most ever.
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Julie Robinson said on October 10, 2020 at 1:27 pm
Interesting theory about vibrations, David. Fortunately we don’t have a second story or a sump pump. Early in our addition plans we contemplated adding a floor, but learned the foundation wouldn’t support it and adding piers would have run too much. We also have the fluorescent style LEDs in the laundry room and garage; the garage is also motion detected, which is great when you’re going through the door with full hands.
We have soooo many fancy LEDs, thanks to our gadget loving son. In the living room you turn the lights on/off/dim by talking to google. The light over the dining table can also change color and hue by talking to google again. Honestly, it’s a little much for me, and everything in the addition will be on a switch, because Mom is mystified by it all.
The Washington Post has a story today about Merrick Garland, who should be sitting on the Supreme Court now. Apparently his name was bandied about as a replacement for James Comey, “because he would be confirmed so easily”. Wow, just wow.
I’ve got ’til the end of the month to read WaPo because they raised their subscription rate too high for a household living off savings. NYT also raised theirs, but when I tried to cancel they asked why, and gave me another year at the lower rate. The Post wasn’t having that, so I’ll be missing them.
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Dave said on October 10, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Julie, I have a friend who lives in Virginia and we share a Washington Post subscription. So far, we’ve managed to both subscribe on alternate years as new subscribers and they let you share it with one other person. I don’t know how long we can continue to get away with this and it might be shortchanging the newspaper but my goodness, I subscribe to four now. Also, Jeff Bezos, enough said.
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Sherri said on October 10, 2020 at 3:19 pm
It occurs to me that with the lack of any federal response to the pandemic, we’re basically experiencing a what a libertarian response to the pandemic would look like. Everyone is supposed to make their own choice, each organization has to choose, the free market decides who gets supplies and care. Everybody resents everybody else’s decision!
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Tajalli said on October 10, 2020 at 3:24 pm
Julie@39: Public libraries often have WaPo and NYTimes available online at no charge to patrons/card holders.
Otherwise, I’m simply in waiting mode, having dropped off my ballot this past Wednesday.
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Deborah said on October 10, 2020 at 5:15 pm
I know some of you have already voted by mail or by early in-person (me too). I’m curious if any of you plan on waiting for Election Day and if so why?
I have some peace of mind knowing that I voted in-person, and turned in my mail-in ballot unused which they marked void. I listened to Preet Brahara’s podcast this morning, he had a guest on, sorry don’t remember his name but he’s a lawyer who has been involved in many election cases, it was very interesting. Sorry I don’t have a link.
Also Heather Cox Richardson has a terrific video on Facebook that she recorded on Oct 8 about Democracy. Again I have no link, you have to have FB to watch it. It’s about an hour long, but will keep you interested throughout. I’m going to watch it again with my husband.
We’re going for cocktail hour at our neighbor’s place across the hall. He had asymptomatic Covid weeks ago, maybe a month ago and I’m a little nervous about going inside his place I have to admit. Also I won’t be drinking any cocktails, I’m having some health issues and decided to cut off the sauce. I’m not missing it at all.
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Julie Robinson said on October 10, 2020 at 7:04 pm
No doubt I’ll subscribe again when they send me a good offer, but for now I’ll make do with our local paper and the NYT. Our library doesn’t offer a digital subscription.
Indiana has arcane absentee vote laws but a lengthy early voting period, which has already started. There were huge lines the first day, which kind of negated the idea of avoiding crowds. We’re going to wait until after we come back from our trip.
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David C said on October 10, 2020 at 7:55 pm
Here’s a question for you. I was in the grocery store and a couple, not wearing masks, at at the meat counter being served. The state is under a mask order, the store has a big sign saying masks are required, yet they were being served. Would it be male Karen of me to send an e-mail to the store manager complaining?
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Deborah said on October 10, 2020 at 9:48 pm
David C, do it. Call the store and complain. It’s not a Karen move.
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beb said on October 10, 2020 at 10:12 pm
David C — Since LED are electronic devices they are probably sensitive to moisture more than vibration. You seem to have the most trouble around damp places.
I am amused / appalled that Trump was thinking of pulling a stunt while leaving Walter Reed. He would come hobbling out of the hosital then after a time would straighten up, rip open his shirt to reveal a Superman vest. The man has gone from annoyingly eccentric to batshit crazy. The thing to remember is that barring some unusual event Trump will be President until Jan. 20th noon, 2021. It seems too close to the election to consider a 25th amendment action but, really, he’ll still be president for three more months.
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Sherri said on October 11, 2020 at 12:04 am
Ballots will be mailed here next week, so I’ll vote then, dropping it off at the drop box at city hall.
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Dexter Friend said on October 11, 2020 at 3:12 am
Not worrying yet since the state of Ohio reported “ballots will START to be mailed out on October 6…”
It’s now been 5 mail delivery days and no fucking ballots in my mailbox. But I am cool. Just not that damn cool, as I wanna vote, goddammitt!
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David C said on October 11, 2020 at 6:28 am
Another thing happened yesterday an the way to the grocery store. The Fox River, between Lake Butte des morts and Lake Winnebago bisects Oshkosh. There are three draw bridges to get across the river. So I roll up to one as it was opening and this big assed cruiser was going under the bridge with a big assed tRump flag flying. The assholes took ten minutes to clear the bridge. I know time seems unreal when you’re pissed but I know the two songs that played (The War on Drugs – “Pain” and “Holding On”) are a little over ten minutes. Anyway, assholes were out in force.
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Dorothy said on October 11, 2020 at 7:02 am
Dexter from one Ohioan to another – we finally got our ballots yesterday. I danced up the driveway bringing them in the house!
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ROGirl said on October 11, 2020 at 8:20 am
Mitch Albom must have had his article about a small town in Michigan that won a Reader’s Digest contest all teed up before this past week’s news about the kidnapping plot against the governor. While he acknowledged the explosive revelations and dangerous situation in his first paragraph, he abruptly shifted to his real story. It unfolded with much treacly sap about “the nicest place in America.”
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/mitch-albom/2020/10/11/mitch-albom-nasty-nation-oasis-nice-city-buchanan-michigan/5954537002/
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Beobachter said on October 11, 2020 at 10:38 am
Deborah@43
* I think the podcast you mentioned can be found here:
https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/can-trump-steal-the-election-with-marc-elias
that page has links for Listen, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and an RSS feed. Also/probably Spotify?
* Dr Heather Cox Richardson has a YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbKOlm6H9njgmN-Yil90Rg/videos
I am not sure if it faithfully mirrors the Facebook content, but I believe the one you viewed is ‘Freewheeling Birthday Chat.’
YouTube lets one listen at up to 2x speed with auto generated subtitles. It also may be easier to get YouTube content on a TV (smart or ‘not so smart’).
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Deborah said on October 11, 2020 at 12:01 pm
Beobachter, yep those are correct links. Thanks!
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Beobachter said on October 11, 2020 at 12:22 pm
DavidC@50
Your mentions of the Fox River and drawbridges ‘triggered’ a recollection from many years ago, almost meeting my demise inside a drawbridge on the Fox River..
As a teenager a friend and I would hunt pigeons under bridges. One Sunday we went down deep into the bridge bowels, aka bascule pit (thanks, Wikipedia!), where the counterweight lowers when the bridge deck is raised for boats. Fortunately one of us heard the ding ding of the bridge warning guards, and we escaped before the counterweight of doom lowered the boom/squish.
We never returned to see if there was a built in squeeze area or margin.
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James Moehrke said on October 11, 2020 at 12:46 pm
I’m just thrilled that Nancy wrote “champing at the bit”, that little distinction has always rankled then when people write “chomping”.
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beb said on October 11, 2020 at 4:05 pm
James Moehrke — since I’ve always heard “chomping” at the bit I’m curious what “champing” means.
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David C said on October 11, 2020 at 4:24 pm
Beobatcher @ 55, last year at Oktoberfest in Appleton, a drunk woman rode her bicycle into the bascule pit (thanks Beobatcher). Luckily there were cars on the bridge so two people pulled her out and another warned the bridge keeper. If they weren’t there she probably would have been crushed. Those things are dangerous.
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Beobachter said on October 11, 2020 at 4:36 pm
David C@58
Yep, once was more than enough for me, never again!
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Deborah said on October 11, 2020 at 4:49 pm
I’m at uncle J’s place where he is not expected to survive the night. My husband has been here since Thursday, he went back to Chicago briefly yesterday afternoon so he could be with me there today (full disclosure, it’s my 70th birthday) but We got the word that the end is nearer than they thought so here we are. He is peaceful with family and caretakers surrounding him in shifts. He’s had a good life up until about a few months ago and it’s a blessing that he won’t have to linger uncomfortably. But of course it’s sad.
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susan said on October 11, 2020 at 6:29 pm
beb @57— A discussion of the phrase “champing at the bit” vs “chomping at the bit.” It’s a thin difference, and one could probably use them interchangeably. Although…”champing is ‘To work the jaws and teeth vigorously.’” Also: “though chomped things are often eaten, […] champed things are not.”
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