HorsesAss.Org

I was listening to a podcast set in medieval France, and it quoted one of the sources saying that donkeys would fly before a siege was lifted. I don’t remember having heard of any land animals other than pigs flying. I took French in high school, and I don’t remember that coming up. Is there a zoo of flying animals in other languages?

Is Lisa Brown running for Congress again? I only see her on Twitter. So maybe I am missing something. Still, her Tweets are very much against McMorris Rodgers. I don’t know the district well enough to know if there’s someone else who might run next time, but I like Lisa.

The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets tonight for an evening of political conversation over drinks and dinner.

We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 260 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or you might consider starting your own chapter!

Right now Twitter is all atwitter about a typo in a tweet of President Trump’s. I think it’s definitely one I could make, so I have refrained from joining the pile up.

I mean it has only been a few days since the whole Individual-1 thing. So much crime. So, so much.

Trevor chats with his Grandma about apartheid and tours her home.

Stephen remembers George H.W. Bush.

Vox: The problems with rebuilding beaches.

Chris Hayes: Every vote counts.

Trevor with Al Gore: The Climate Reality Project and “24 Hours of Reality”

Late Show: Planet Earth’s climate change episode.

The Dotard Трамп and His band of Co-Collusioners and Embezzlers:

• Rachel Maddow: Another FBI official overseeing the Трамп–Russia investigation exits
• Seth Meyers: Трамп’s negotiations with China
• Late Show: Robert Mueller’s Holiday Greeting Cards
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Prosecutors say Cohen committed crimes at the direction of “Individual-1” (Aka Трамп)
• Chris Hayes: Rudy Giuliani, cybersecurity expert
• Samantha Bee: White collar crime
• Stephen: Michael Cohen doesn’t want to go to jail
• Ari Melber: Sean Hannity thinks snitching is good, except for Трамп witnesses
• Randy Rainbow: Трамп’s favorite things:

• Mark Fiore: Tarriff Man!
• Samantha Bee: Mueller? Mueller?
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Fmr. Prosecutor—Mueller could ensnare Трамп and family in conspiracy case
• Ari Melber: Cohen gave Mueller crucial “Russia-related” info
• Stephen: A “smoking saw” in the Khashoggi murder
• Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп worried about mean comments at Bush funeral
• The Atlantic: Трамп’s emergency powers are “ripe for abuse”
• Stephen: The Трампs, Obamas & Clintons all in one row
• Maddow: Flynn oddly immune from Трамп’s wrath, even after Mueller memo
• Late Show: The Adventures of Tariff Man
• Stephen: Are we proud of him for not ruining a funeral?
• Seth Meyers: Russia probe clouds Трамп’s G20 summit
• Jimmy Kimmel: Trump, Mueller & Daniels OH MY!
• Stephen: Flynn’s sentencing memo was wo [redacted]
• Maddow: Movement in Butina case eyed for potential Трамп-Russia news
• WaPo: What you need to know about George Conway’s criticism of Трамп
• Stephen: Mike Pence isn’t a lock for the 2020 ticket
• Трамп’s people try to defend him and fail hilariously
• Trevor: The V.A. is screwing over veterans
• Chris Hayes: Robert Mueller releases Michael Flynn sentencing memo
• Late Show: Rudolph and friends respond to Donald Trump Jr.

• Jimmy Kimmel: Mueller’s highly redacted Flynn memo
• Lawrence: Трамп will “have a lot to lie about” in 2020
• Rachel Maddow: Mueller’s Cohen filing points to Трамп’s role in criminal scheme
• Seth Meyers: Michael Flynn is cooperating with Robert Mueller
• Stephen: Tariff Man may have spoken too soon

Daily Show: Meet District Attorney Mark Gonzalez, criminal justice reformer.

Adam ruins mattresses.

Stephen: PETA forgot to correct these anti-animal phrases

Full Frontal: GLUE—Gorgeous ladies unionizing everywhere!

Minute Earth: These names can kill animals.

Jimmy Kimmel: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders or Beto O’Rourke for President?

WaPo: What you need to know about the possible government shutdown

Daily Show: Bill Gates wants to reinvent the toilet

The G.O.P. and Related Election Crime Organizations:

• Jonathan Mann: Lame Wisconsin Ducks
• Chris Hayes: NC GOP Chair—It is clear…that there has been a systematic failure in the state
• Daily Show: Lame duck Republicans try to strip power from newly elected Democratic officials
• Vice News: Wisconsin Republicans are trying to strip power from newly elected Democrats
• Seth Meyers: Wisconsin GOP’s power grab and Трамп witness tampering
• Chris Hayes: Attorney General-elect on possible lawsuits to stop Republican power grab in Wisconsin
• Stephen: Door-to-door election fraud in North Carolina.
• WaPo: North Carolina’s election-fraud investigation sets its sights on GOP operative

Mental Floss: Everything you need to know about space.

Roll Call: What is a continuing resolution? Decoding this jargon as Congress averts a shutdown.

Trevor hosts the Global Citizen Festival to Honor Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday:

The Atlantic: The last chess shop in New York City.

Stephen with Michelle Obama: It is hard to hate up-close.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

I had to be at work early, and I didn’t prepare anything yesterday. Sorry.

It’s cold y’all. I am regretting not wearing a hat this morning. I also am disappointed with the Internet that fedoras have become not just unfashionable, but looked down on. They’re more useful than a cap, but less silly than like a ski hat.

Please join us this evening as the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally gathers for an evening of free speech, with no obstruction but plenty of collusion in using the words “resistance” and “impeachment” in prose, song, chants, and slam poetry.

We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 260 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or you might consider starting your own chapter!

I am looking forward to a Seattle hockey team. We will know tomorrow if we get one. I am not excited enough to be a season ticket holder.

The Atlantic: China is surveilling and threatening Uighurs in the U.S..

Ilhan Omar: Diversity in Congress leads to better policy

Wendover: The deadly logistics of climbing Everest.

Stephen looks back at America’s epic fall.

The Dotard Трамп and Other Disarticulating Collusioners:

• Trevor: Трамп’s side hustle vs. Obama’s side hustle
• WaPo: Matthew Whitaker’s past criticisms of Dotard Трамп
• Rachel Maddow: Unlike Richard Nixon, Dotard Трамп misconduct is piling up in full public view
• Ari Melber: Cohen bombshell confession—I reached out to Kremlin and Трамп knew
• Stephen: Cohen exposes Трамп’s business ties with Russia
• Trevor: Трампy news
• WaPo: Why Трамп has become ‘Individual 1’ in Mueller’s investigation
• Watch people’s faces as they react to Трамп:

• Late Show: Pompeo exonerates a crown prince and a Lion King
• Chris Hayes: The President was compromised…full stop!
• Rachel Maddow: Michael Cohen plea shocker exposes Трамп camp lies about Russia dealings
• Mark Fiore: Трамп News Network
• Ari Melber: Retired Lieutenant Colonel—“Infantile” Трамп is no patriot
• Trevor: Migrants get pepper-sprayed at the U.S. border
• Stephen: The Dotard describes earth’s climate as “record clean”
• WaPo: Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Moscow project
• HeadsOfState: Trump brags about gassing women and children at the border
• Stephen: The Russia probe’s newest character
• Rachel Maddow: Michael Cohen knowledge a “very dangerous threat” to The Dotard Трамп
• Late Show: Is tear gas a nacho topping?
• Trevor: Michael Cohen pleads guilty and Truth Трамп makes an appearance
• Ari Melber: Трамп planned to give Putin Moscow penthouse
• Mother Jones: Secret Service visits Tom Arnold after Трамп tweets
• Stephen: Paul Manafort auditions for a pardon:

• Robert Reich: What’s a subpoena, and should Трамп fear it?
• WaPo: Трамп keeps exaggerating his official White House numbers
• Trevor: Трамп’s broken promise to General Motors
• Stephen: The Dotard Трамп stole Stephen’s bit

The Atlantic: The chaos of the universe is contained in a watch.

Veronica Escobar sees unity between left and right.

Jim Jefferies throws a party for fellow soon-to-be U.S. citizens.

Kurzgesagt: End of space—Creating a prison for humanity.

The Atlantic: Your brain perceives reality by hallucinating.

Jon Stewart does Stephen Colbert:

• Jon Stewart’s interview with Stephen Colbert
• Even more of Jon Stewart’s interview with Stephen Colbert

Antonio Delgado is for a public option, renewable energy and restoring people’s faith in democracy.

Nova: Fireproofing our future through better design.

The Atlantic: Sex and the 1960s college girl.

Adam ruins guns:

Vox: FAUX News keeps breaking its own rules.

Real Engineering: Vinyl versus digital.

Trevor: Al Gore weighs in on ManBearPig.

Rashida Tlaib can’t stand bullies and is keenly aware her district is third-poorest in nation

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Darryl already did a Tim Eyman piece. So rather than some informed addition to that, here’s a hastily written limerick:

There once was a fellow, Tim Eyman.

This time can we say, goodbye man?

He’s super corrupt,

Tim went bankrupt.

No money from the “my biggest lie” man.

Over the years, this blog has not been immune to legal controversy. Ignoring the toothless comment thread threats, we occasionally receive take-down demands, cease and desist letters and the like. Indeed, this blog was born out of a lawsuit. It began with Goldy’s Horse’s Ass initiative catalyzing a lawsuit brought against him by Washington’s then state Attorney General, Christine Gregoire. Goldy fought the AG and the AG won:

Siding with the state attorney general, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor ruled yesterday that a proposed statewide initiative declaring Eyman to be a horse’s ass isn’t a proper subject for an initiative. It isn’t legislative in nature, he said, and therefore is “outside the power given to the people.”

An initiative, the judge added, must be “for a purpose other than expressing a sentiment.”

Besides providing the seed for this blog, the only other positive outcome of the whole fiasco was giving the Seattle PI’s Neil Modie the type of multi-layered pun that a lesser journalist would kill for in the headline “A Bum Rap?”

Of course, for Goldy, the start of this blog launched him into a decade of impoverished muckrakery, living off of small donations, double digit blog advertisement revenue, and an occasional ghost-writing gig. Those were hard, if fun, years; Goldy took some scalps along the way.

Times have changed. We all have troubles, it seems. Just today we learned that farm bankrupcies are way up in the midwest.

And legal problems have finally brought down Horsesass. Fines, legal fees, court orders, high voltage! (done dirt cheap).

When I say “Horsesass”, perhaps I should say, the Horse’s Ass. Yes…the anti-government agitator, the perpetual purveyor of defective initiatives, Mr. self-identified lying liar, this blog’s namesake himself, Tim “Biggest-Lie-Of-My-Life” Eyman has filed for bankruptcy:

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has accused Eyman of secretly moving funds between two initiative campaigns in 2012 and receiving $308,000 in kickbacks from the firm that collected signatures for both measures.
….
Ferguson filed a lawsuit in March 2017 seeking $1.8 million in penalties, plus reimbursement of the funds Eyman received from the firm.
….
In documents filed Wednesday, Eyman reported assets of more than $2 million and liabilities of $3.2 million. He owes $77,000 in legal fees and a disputed $3.1 million to the Office of the Attorney General, according to the reports.

It’s an “own goal.” Eyman blatantly violated campaign finance laws, and thwarted court orders. And, apparently, he’s fresh out of sugar daddies.

Eyman claims the legal actions against him have caused his wife to divorce him. Yeah…I’m guessing it’s the lies! (Or maybe the embarrassing costumes?)

No word yet on whether his dog has run away.

Buses honking at cars in the stop is my favorite thing. I don’t know, yesterday coming home honk honk honk. Sure it’s like 10:30 in a fairly residential neighborhood. So great from the bus, probably less so if you’re in an apartment trying to sleep. I assume it’s rideshare drivers, but maybe it’s delivery people. I know that it’s tough to find a place to idle your car for a few minutes while you wait for the next customer, but stay out of the bus stop. Honk honk honk.

The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets this evening for some politics and conversation over a pint. Please stop by.

We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.

Can’t make it to Seattle? Check out one of the 260 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, eight in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or you might consider starting your own chapter!

Can whoever is killing sea lions please stop? It seems like not fucking killing sea lions would be the default. Come to think of it, I have lived my whole damn life not killing sea lions.

If you see a sea lion today, just let it be. Same tomorrow and the next day. Pretty soon you’ve gone a week without killing any sea lions. Then a month of no killing sea lions. Because you know it, not killing sea lions becomes a habit.