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Great Canadian: I-892 puts “slot machines” into “local community casinos”

by Goldy — Sunday, 10/17/04, 11:12 pm

[WARNING: CANADIAN CITIZENS ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM READING THIS BLOG. YOU DON’T LIKE IT? GO GET A REAL CONSTITUTION!]

Yesterday I told you the story the mainstream media is too chicken-shit to cover: the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation and allegations of loansharking, racketeering, prostitution, profit skimming, rape, drugs, and nuclear terrorism. (Just kidding about the nuclear part.) If you haven’t yet read the sordid tale, scroll on down or click here.

I plan to follow up with some more details, including Great Canadian’s cowardly and dangerously undemocratic use of Canadian libel laws to squash public debate about Initiative 892. But first I want to explain why it is so important that Washington voters learn the truth about the company that plans to dominate the state’s gambling industry.

So let’s cut to the chase and take a gander at the following clip:


(Can’t view the clip? Try here.)

That was Great Canadian CFO Anthony Martin talking about their strategy of “community based gaming” in Washington state. According to Tony, people tend to game “in close proximity to where they live,” and so they have placed their casinos in the “bedroom communities” surrounding Seattle. As Tony explains, I-892 will introduce “slot machines” into these “local community casinos.” Indeed, all of Great Canadian’s Washington casinos have been “purpose built” to include slots.

You see, I-892 isn’t an “Eyman” initiative. It’s Great Canadian’s.

Great Canadian owns six properties in Washington state, including four of the Seattle area’s largest mini-casinos. It is also the largest financial backer of I-892 — for the $210,000 they have put into the campaign (that we know of) they stand to earn over $20 million a year.

In fact, Great Canadian has really been the driving force behind I-892 all along. As one of the main backers of the Recreational Gaming Association, Great Canadian has been instrumental in pushing virtually identical legislation during the past three sessions.

Eyman tries to sell I-892 as property tax relief for homeowners, and equal treatment for non-tribal businesses. But Tony tells a different story… about an initiative that legalizes slot machines and puts them into our neighborhoods. I-892 is about gambling, and the enormous profits it will bring its Canadian sponsor.

A Canadian company has used Canadian dollars to put a self-serving initiative on the Washington ballot. And now they are using Canadian libel law to abrogate our Constitutional rights to free press and free speech. Voters have a right to know what kind of company is sponsoring the most massive expansion of gambling in state history.

And if the mainstream media won’t tell you, I will.

[Don’t trust my excerpt? View the full B-TV infomercial.]

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Keep loansharks, prostitutes, drug dealers, mobsters, and Canadians out of our neighborhoods: Vote No on I-892!

by Goldy — Saturday, 10/16/04, 1:00 pm

If Tim Eyman were to be judged by the company he keeps, he could be looking at significant jail time.

As reported today by Neil Modie in the Seattle P-I, the Richmond, B.C. based Great Canadian Gaming Corporation — the biggest contributor ($210,000) to Initiative 892’s campaign to legalize slot machines — is facing allegations of loansharking, prostitution, profit skimming and other criminal activities at their casinos in B.C. and abroad. [I-892 backer fights loan-sharking allegations]

The allegations come in sworn depositions from two long-time employees Proka Avramovic, a former Surveillance and Security Manager, and Boki Sikimic, the former Supervisor of Surveillance and Security for all of Great Canadian’s casinos… including those in WA state.

The allegations leveled at Great Canadian are shocking. But perhaps more shocking is the cowardly and un-American way they have been using Canada’s ass-backwards libel law to keep this information away from WA voters. Local media have been sitting on this story for months… indeed, I first blogged on it back on June 26 (“Sign this petition or I’ll break your leg! I-892’s biggest backer accused of loansharking“). As the P-I reports, Great Canadian has already filed a number of libel suits, including one against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This is what is known in the media as a “libel chill” strategy, and it has been quite effective.

While The P-I deserves credit for being the first WA media outlet (other than me) to cover this story, libel chill has clearly influenced their coverage. It took months to get this story in print, and in my opinion, the editors chickened out by burying the story on Saturday, when it would have the least impact. And while I appreciate all the hard work Neil Modie put into this story, Hearst attorneys obviously must have limited him to following the letter of Canadian law, which only permits news organizations to publish those allegations repeated by Great Canadian as part of the libel proceedings.

Great Canadian’s attorneys are counting on WA’s media to make the rational decision to keep quiet, so as not to risk the huge expense of defending even a frivolous libel suit. Unfortunately for Great Canadian… I’m not rational.

And so I choose to exercise my First Amendment rights, by excerpting some of the juicier sections of the depositions… which at times read like a bad dime-store crime novel.

Be aware that I have edited the excerpts for the sake of clarity, removing objections, redundancies and extraneous comments. But as a service to readers and my friends in the media, I am making the full text of the depositions available for download.

  • Avramovic deposition
  • Sikimic deposition
  • The depositions are from a lawsuit filed by Texas based Allegiance Capital over a failed investment in a Hong Kong floating casino, the China Sea Discovery. The lawsuit accuses Great Canadian of fraud, conspiracy and racketeering.

    But first, let’s start with the girls.

    Proka Avramovic took over surveillance and security for the China Sea Discovery while the regular manager went on vacation. The many “irregularities” onboard became apparent at his first briefing:

    A. The very first thing that he mentioned to me was that couple of days before my arrival they had a problem with girls that were working on the ship, and he call them prostitutes.
    Q. Okay. And what was the problem?
    A. Somehow those girls were working on the ship and they had the room. He showed me the room. And one of the girls weren’t part of the crew, she was trying to work on her own, so that’s why he kick her out.
    Q. “Wasn’t part of the crew”, what do you mean by that?
    A. Well, my understanding was somebody arranged those girls to be on the ship and work. I also been told by him that one of the staff employed by Great Canadian has been having a service and paying for the service.
    Q. What service?
    A. Well, I guess those girls are prostitutes. I mean, we can just imagine what kind of service.
    Q. Oh, well, okay. You mean service from the prostitutes.
    A. Yeah.

    Certainly a public company like Great Canadian would never arrange to have prostitutes onboard their ship, would they? Or knowingly tolerate an employee frequenting the prostitutes? Surely these are the accusations of a disgruntled former employee.

    As a matter of fact, Great Canadian has filed a libel suit against Mr. Avramovic, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and Allegiance Capital for repeating these and other allegations. They haven’t, however, filed a libel suit against Boki Sikimic, Mr. Avramovic’s former supervisor, so we can assume Great Canadian has no dispute with what he says in his testimony on the incident:

    Q. Did you receive any other reports concerning prostitutes?
    A. No. Other ones are okay — they didn’t make any problem.
    Q. You received no actual reports other than that one concerning prostitution?
    A. That was the only one that we — they have a problem.
    Q. Okay. Have a problem — Oh, you mean the only one that was acting up?
    A. Yeah.
    Q. All right. Were these other women permitted to remain on the ship?
    A. Yes.
    Q. Were they permitted to continue their operations as prostitutes?
    A. Yes.
    Q. Did you report these communications made to you concerning prostitutes to anyone?
    A. I report to Adrian and Brian, but they knew that they was on the ship before, so they probably knew that there was —
    Q. Did they tell you they knew it?
    A. No, no, but they told me that it’s normal. It’s like massage.

    It’s like massage, right… like massaging your penis.

    Anyway, “Adrian and Brian” are Great Canadian President & COO Adrian Thomas, and Executive Vice-President Brian Egli. All the Surveillance and Security Managers reported directly to Mr. Sikimic, and Mr. Sikimic reported directly to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Egli. So it is clear that top executives were at least aware of reports of illegal or improper activities, if not complicit.

    Indeed, later in the deposition Great Canadian’s attorney seems unconcerned with refuting the prostitution allegation, instead focusing on whether it negatively impacted profitability.

    The Allegiance attorney is also focused on profitability, and takes a particular interest in a Hong Kong company called Mexteam, who they claim Great Canadian contracted to supply and operate the ship. Under questioning, Mr. Avramovic reveals a potential conflict of interest:

    A. I saw couple of business cards of Howard Blank and Tom Bell. They had the business cards with their name on it and the company name was —
    Q. Mexteam?
    A. Yeah, Mexteam.
    Q. Are you telling me that Howard Blank had a business card with Mexteam on it?
    A. Yeah.
    Q. Is there anything else you can tell me about Mexteam?
    A. To my impression, all purchase for the ship went through that company.
    Q. Mexteam?
    A. Yeah.

    Howard Blank is Great Canadian’s Director of Media & Public Relations, and the company spokesman most often quoted in news coverage of their expansion into the WA market. Tom Bell is their Executive Director of Corporate Development. So what are two Great Canadian directors doing with Mexteam business cards? Well, according to Mr. Sikimic (again, not accused of libel,) they’re not the only Great Canadian principals involved:

    Q. Okay. What do you know about Mexteam, if anything?
    A. They’re in Hong Kong. Those guys, the one there, I think they had an office there, Walter and other people. They’re in some connection, but for the record I don’t know what exactly.
    Q. Okay. Some connection, you mean connection with the ship or what? What do you mean by that?
    A. I think with the ship and Great Canadian. Probably it’s Charles’ company. I don’t know. I think it’s his company.

    “Walter” is Walter Soo, Great Canadian’s VP of Gaming Development, who developed the whole China Sea Discovery project, and ran the operations in Hong Kong. “Charles” is Charles Ming, a Great Canadian Director and major shareholder who, according to Washington State Gambling Commission documents has twice been charged with bribing public officials. (Although his conviction was overturned on a technicality. Presumably by a public official.)

    So you can see what Allegiance is getting at. The China Sea Discovery lost money throughout its operations, yet the “independent” contractor operating and supplying the ship — presumably at a profit — is controlled by Great Canadian directors and shareholders. No conflict of interest there, huh?

    But still, business ventures sometimes fail. It’s not like people were just walking into the casino and grabbing wads of cash.

    A. Specifically that there is a tape and report that we see the person unknown to me comes and grab the money from the pile of the money in the cash cage. You see the guy grabs the money and walk. That’s on the tape.

    Oh. According to the non-libelous Mr. Sikimic, they were just grabbing wads of cash. And it’s on tape. But surely that’s an isolated incident of theft, right? Not according to Mr. Avramovic:

    A. Surveillance just receive a phone call and we’ve been telling by Dennis Kwan or someone from the cage that they’re going to be giving them some sum, like some money to them. We didn’t know who those people are. We didn’t know if they return the money later on or not.
    Q. Well, where was the money given to them?
    A. Well, that was the funny part because we were there not to ask questions. We had a problem because we didn’t know exactly names who —
    Q. You didn’t recognize these individuals? Is that what you’re saying?
    A. Well, most of the times the money was given to the individuals that we didn’t know.
    Q. Okay. Where did they go to get it, though?
    A. They went to the cash cage and they’ve been paid by cashier person, and sometimes they go and play and sometimes they just go and disappear.

    See why Allegiance is a tad suspicious? Mr. Sikimic’s testimony corroborates that this practice was the rule, not the exception, and both depositions make it clear that contrary to normal casino operations, no receipts or markers where ever signed, nor proper records of these transactions kept. So was this just sloppy bookkeeping, or as Allegiance contends, deliberate profit skimming sanctioned by Great Canadian executives?

    Well remember Dennis Kwan, mentioned above? He was the ship’s Casino Manager (not to be confused with Director of Operational Systems & Controls, Grace Chow, who was apparently having an affair with project director Walter Soo.) Mr. Sikimic (libel-free) recounts the following incident involving Mr. Kwan:

    A. I received phone call that money was stolen, that manager stole the money.
    Q. The manager stole the money.
    A. Yeah. I said send me something in writing, you know. He send me in writing that Dennis Kwan took — amount I’m not sure, so I can’t tell you is it 30 or 40,000. And I went with that to Brian Egli, report that. I says, what are we going to do? We’ve got a guy stole the money, you know. So we called Adrian. Adrian told me that he didn’t steal the money, that he told him to take the money. That’s explanation and no question ask.

    Okay, so the Casino Manager is walking out of the cage with wads of cash stuffed down his pants, unaccounted for, and Great Canadian President & COO Adrian Thomas says, that’s okay, I told him to take it. Hmmm. One can see how Allegiance might misinterpret this as “profit skimming.”

    So, as Allegiance Capital is losing its entire investment in the China Sea Discovery, Great Canadian is apparently staffing the ship with its own employees, and sub-contracting management of day-to-day operations to Mexteam, a company which, coincidentally, is owned and operated by Great Canadian shareholders, directors, and executives. (It’s very possible that Walter Soo quite literally sold himself a bill of goods.) Meanwhile, cash is constantly walking out of the casino in the pockets of Great Canadian managers… or even total strangers.

    And all these questionable (in my opinion, clearly illegal) activities are happening with the knowledge and consent of Great Canadian executives: the improper business relationship with Mexteam, the undocumented cash disbursements, the apparent profit skimming. Not to mention the prostitutes and Chinese mobsters.

    Oh. Did I forget to mention the Chinese mobsters?

    The depositions occasionally mention the mysterious Mr. Y, whose posse was known to carry guns onboard the ship during his frequent visits. At some point the business relationship went sour, as evidenced by Mr. Avramovic’s amusing testimony of the ship’s ignominious escape from China:

    Q. Wait a minute. You ran away from China, what do you mean by that?
    A. Well, we had an unpleasant experience in China like I mention before. We had real trouble with Mr. Y, that mob guy. He’s been threatening some of the Great Canadian employees there, to be more specific, Walter Soo, Grace Chow, Tyrone White and Dennis Kwan. They, I mean, literally ran off the ship.
    Q. They literally did what? I’m sorry.
    A. Like ran off the ship.
    Q. They ran off the ship?
    A. Yeah.
    Q. Because of Mr. Y?
    A. Mr. Y was making some demands about the money that he invest and Walter Soo tried to resolve the issues, then Walter Soo’s being threatened by him. Mr. Y wanted money back in order to free the ship from China. Right after that meeting, the whole GCC crew just disappear, like ran off. The only guys who’s staying on the ship were myself and my assistant.

    Apparently, Allegiance wasn’t the only unhappy investor, but Mr. Y wasn’t about to hide behind lawyers like those girly boys from Texas. He made great Canadian an offer they couldn’t refuse, and eventually the China Sea Discovery limped towards safe harbor in Taiwan. Where according to Mr. Avramovic it sat idle, because the floating casino no longer had its “float.”

    Q. When you say you didn’t have a float, would you tell me what that means for the record?
    A. Well, float means casino float. It’s operating funds that casino would operate. To open a casino for business, you have to have some certain amount of money to back up the chips that you have on the floor. So that’s what we call a float.
    Q. Okay. When did the float disappear?
    A. The float disappear together with — when GCC staff took off.

    The China Sea Discovery didn’t just lose money… it literally lost the money. The casino’s float disappeared entirely!

    Damning allegations I admit, but let’s not jump to any conclusions. Perhaps Great Canadian’s attorney is correct when he suggests that these questionable activities — the fraudulent relationship with Mexteam, the undocumented cash disbursements, the profit skimming, the prostitution and the mob connections — are all just normal business practices for a Hong Kong casino.

    And why should we care anyway? What happens in China stays in China. None of this translates to illegal activities in Great Canadian’s B.C. and WA state casinos, right?

    Well, that’s where the loansharking at B.C. casinos comes in, which Mr. Avramovic explains was his main reason for leaving his job.

    A. The main purpose of me leaving Great Canadian Casino was I didn’t want to get involved in some stuff that they were illegal.
    Q. Okay. What are you talking about specifically?
    A. Loan sharks activities, selected barring of loan sharks.
    Q. Okay. What was your problem with these activities?
    A. Well, I notice that the company and some people at the head office, including my director, were very selective who they’re going to bar. So some loan sharks were allowed to stay and some small-timer loan sharks were asked to leave. We also collect evidence that one of the casino lead managers was involved in this transaction and he was borrowing money of them. We also report that one of the loan sharks rape one of the dealers which never been report to authorities, never been investigate. I’ve been reporting that illegal cigarettes have been selling at the Holiday Inn concession casino.

    Oh that’s right, I forgot to mention the unreported rape and the illegal cigarette sales.

    But apart from the fraudulent Mexteam relationship, the undocumented cash disbursements, the profit skimming, the mob connections, and the loansharking, rape and illegal cigarette sales at B.C. casinos… Great Canadian is an upstanding corporate citizen, right?

    A. The guy who supposed to take Boki’s position, Patrick Ennis, he was the guy who offered me drugs.

    Yeah… well… it turns out that Patrick Ennis, the current Supervisor of Surveillance and Security for all of Great Canadian’s casinos, allegedly offered Mr. Avramovic cocaine on several occasions. A fact that was dutifully reported to management, before they promoted Mr. Ennis.

    That doesn’t look so good.

    But perhaps this is all due to a couple of bad apples. Surely, if top management knew about illegal activities in their B.C. casinos, somebody would have put a stop it. Mr. Avramovic continues:

    A. One of the security/surveillance managers meeting, I’ve been advised by my director, who was Boki Sikimic, that I supposed to direct my people to turn their heads the other way when they see those big loan sharks around because that’s good for business. I also been advised by — someone else was present on that meeting. It was Carl Bolton, who’s sitting right there.
    Q. You mean Carl Bolton in this room?
    A. Yeah. He’s been explaining how to avoid to report everything to the authorities.
    Q. To what authority, for instance?
    A. For instance, British Columbia Lottery Corporation and GPEB.

    And who is this Carl Bolton who explained how to avoid reporting everything to authorities? None other than Great Canadian’s Director of Compliance. So top management not only knows about the illegal activities, but they ask security and surveillance to look the other way, because loansharks are “good for business.”

    Perhaps it’s the language barrier, but I can’t help but infer that the job of the “Director of Compliance” is to assure that the company actually complies with all British Columbia Lottery Corporation and Gaming Policy Enforcement Branch (GPEB) regulations and reporting requirements.

    Not that it apparently would have mattered. Mr. Avramovic claims that he made numerous formal and informal reports of illegal activities directly to B.C. authorities, to little avail.

    A. I’ve been told by both agencies that that information is going to be processed. All those discrepancy that I mention, not on the ship, that I mention about the drugs, rape, selling the illegal cigarettes, loan sharks problem, they’ve been telling me that they were going to look into it but that right now it’s not good time because it’s expansion of the gaming industry there, so definitely somebody will look after that and somebody will contact me.

    No, you wouldn’t want allegations of drugs, rape, illegal cigarette sales and loansharking at B.C. casinos to be made public at a time you are massively expanding the gaming industry there.

    That would be irresponsible.

    However here in America we believe voters have the right to know what kind of company is sponsoring the most massive expansion of gambling in state history. So here’s all you really need to know about Richmond B.C. based Great Canadian:

  • It has given at least $210,000 to I-892, more than any other contributor.
  • It stands to earn $20 million a year from slot machines at its 4 WA casinos.
  • It intends to expand its presence in WA, dominating the market like it does back home.
  • It can be expected to bring the same ethical standards to its WA casinos that it brought to its loanshark-infested B.C. casinos, and its Hong Kong based floating brothel.
  • Personally, I’m not willing to roll the dice on Great Canadian or I-892.

    (Note: tomorrow I will post a video clip of Great Canadian boasting about its plans to put slot machines into WA’s “bedroom communities”.)

    2 Stoopid Comments

    Own limits, not term limits, to end Nethercutt’s political career

    by Goldy — Friday, 10/8/04, 10:15 am

    Despite canceling $1 million worth of television ad space here, the National Republican Senatorial Committee says it has not lost faith in George Nethercutt’s campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Patty Murray.

    The committee, which is the main source of soft money for Senate GOP candidates, canceled more than $1 million of reserved network advertising space in the Seattle market earlier this week.

    Yeah… nothing shows faith in a candidate like pulling a million dollars worth of ads.

    The GOP made two mistakes in WA’s senatorial race. First, they once again underestimated the physically diminutive Patty Murray. Second, they overestimated the politically diminutive George Nethercutt. Now that it’s become apparent that the grumpy, duplicitous Nethercutt will go down in a landslide on Nov. 2, the GOP has wisely decided to shift their money to a race they might actually have a chance of winning.

    “That’s ridiculous,” Nethercutt spokesman Alex Conant is quoted as saying in today’s Seattle P-I.

    Stop it Al… you’re making me dizzy.

    Of course, spinning the story around the national GOP pulling the financial plug on your campaign, is still preferable to talking about the $10,000 the Federal Election Commission just fined you for failing to file finance reports on time. But it is hard to believe anything coming from the campaign of candidate who built his career on a record of lies, distortions, and broken promises.

    Nethercutt made a grave miscalculation when he gave up his safe congressional seat to go after a senator he thought would be easy pickings… for he has been overmatched by Patty Murray in everything but height.

    It is thus fitting that a man who won high office running on an insincere pledge to limit his service to three terms, finds himself removed from public life — five terms later — due to the inherent limitations of his own character and intellect.

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    More bad news for charter schools

    by Goldy — Tuesday, 8/17/04, 6:13 pm

    From the LA Times:

    California’s largest charter school operator has shut down at least 60 campuses amid new state restrictions and an investigation into financial and academic practices — leaving nearly 10,000 students to find new schools just a few weeks before the new semester begins.

    I guess that’s the free market at work.

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    Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

    by Darryl — Friday, 10/3/25, 10:38 pm

    Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week

    Reign of The Felon Von Shitzenpantz:

    • The Resistance: ♫ This song is not allowed! ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Breathtaking Inanity, Impressive Insanity ♬
    • John D. Cundle: ♫ Don’t Stop Mocking Him ♬
    • Jimmy Kimmel (in Brooklyn): Трамп’s crucial release of Amelia Earhart files & JD Vance’s bullshit
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ Lordy Lordy Lordy ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Kimmel May Have Saved Democracy ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard reacts to new Taylor Swift album
    • Caitlin Speaks: Трамп insults his own supporters…and they cheer
    • LegalEagle: Трамп’s corrupt case against Comey is a trainwreck
    • John D. Cundle: ♫ Trash Can of Freedom (Executive Privilege Blues) ♬
    • The Late Show: A lifeline for easily-confused senior citizens
    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ Portland ♬:

    • Ronny Chieng: Hegseth lectures “fat Generals” and Трамп threatens war against U.S. cities
    • Jon Stewart: Трамп sends troops to Portland & shootings trigger left-right blame game
    • Stephen: Трамп declares war pn Portland & Medbeds for all! & the weak case against James Comey
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: We are clearly seeing madness pouring from the darkness of Трамп’s mind
    • John Di Domenico: World leaders baffled by Трамп’s angry word salad at UN
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ I’ll Indict You! ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard declares war on Americans
    • Tommy Campbell: Gavin Newsom trolls Felon Von Shitzenpantz AGAIN—Escalator outburst & new docs drop
    • Jen Psaki: Трамп’s policies are devastating U.S. farmers
    • Glenn Kirschner: Трамп’s speech to military leaders PROVES he’s dangerously unfit as Commander in Chief
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп posts AI “med bed” conspiracy video & threatens to send troops to Portland
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Fake Accomplishments, Real Corruption ♬
    • Punchline Presents: Трамп’s Jimmy Kimmel plan backfires
    • Ari Melber: Трамп’s unlawful call for ‘war’ on citizens met with stony silence from generals
    • Piedmont Raging Grannies: ♫ Fake Emergencies ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard reacts to bad bunny Super Bowl news
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ It’s Project 2025 ♬
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: How many flashes of insanity from a president should we tolerate?
    • Stephen: Shutdown eve & Hegseth to America’s enemies, “FAFO” & Трамп to military brass, “fight the enemy within”
    • John D. Cundle: ♫ The Great Offender ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Horrible or Just Nuts? ♬
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ He Could Drive the Public Crazy ♬
    • The Daily Show: Thaddeus Crowley digs up old laws to serve Трамп’s lawless whims
    • Jen Psaki: Apparent degradation of Трамп’s mental state raises alarms
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Consistently Awful ♬
    • The Late Show: How do we know if Трамп Rx drugs are safe?
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard reacts to Barron Трамп with ladies

    Vox: Why Nevada has so many ghost towns

    Total Shutshow:

    • Stephen: Трамп uses the shutdown to punish Dems & Vance claims he is having a good time & catching the A.I. bug
    • Ronny Chieng: Трамп posts bizarre AI videos as government shuts down
    • Hitler Rants Parodies: Hitler plans a government shutdown
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ The Trump Shutdown ♬
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп contradicts himself on shutdown blame, declares “war” on U.S. cities
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard crushes NYC over shutdown
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп posts racist A.I. video, government officially shuts down & Ted Cruz calls for unity
    • Ronny Chieng: Shutdown sparks cringey meme war & Трамп punishes blue cities
    • Stephen: ICE deportations continue amid government shutdown & Bernie says, “We won’t back down” & humiliating J.D. Vance
    • J-L Cauvin: Mitch McConnell begs The Dotard to stop the government shutdown

    The Late Show: The hottest military in the world

    Late Night Host Commingle:

    • Jimmy Kimmel: Stephen Colbert on finding out his show was canceled & Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп & Hegseth lecture generals about being fat and a visit from Gov Gavin Newsom & Seth Meyers!
    • Stephen: Jimmy Kimmel shares the minute-by-minute details of finding out ABC was taking him off the air
    • Stephen: Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Guillermo toast “To good friends, great jobs and late night TV”
    • Stephen: Jimmy Kimmel, “I never imagined that we’d ever have a President like this”
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп sending ICE to the Super Bowl, MAGA melts down over bad bunny & Jon Stewart surprises Jimmy
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Josh Johnson on having identity stolen while on a date, hosting The Daily Show & living in Brooklyn

    John D. Cundle: ♫ Punch a Higher Floor ♬

    Dipshits, Dullards, and Deplorables:

    • ScaredKetchup: Трамп Show 70—Pete Hegseth ‘fat troops’ Mike Johnson on Grindr & MORE
    • Caitlin Speaks: Pete Hegseth EXPOSED—Drinking scandals, affairs & the power of his 3rd wife
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп & Hegseth—Single-File Warrior and Hair Gel Hero ♬
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ Your MAGA Flag Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore ♬
    • Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian: An abuse cover-up to protect tax breaks more precious than children
    • Christopher Titus: Pete Hegseth—Secretary of MANSCAPING!:

    • Dark Brandon: Howard Lutnick calls Jeffery Epstein the greatest blackmailer of all time
    • Stella Magz: Karo-lyin’ Leavitt is a liar and a fashion victim…pick a struggle!
    • LegalEagle: The border czar definitely did not take a $50,000 bribe
    • Chris Hayes: GOP “desperate” to stop Dem swearing-in to BURY Epstein vote
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Blood-Lust Pete ♬
    • Jesse Welles: ♫ Tylenol ♬
    • The Late Show: Sen. Ted Cruz—Stop attacking pedophiles!
    • Francesca Fiorentini: The Creeps Of The Pronatalist Movement:

    • Stella Magz: Pete Hegseth, the ultimate cornball….
    • Lisandra Vazquez: 10/03/25 press briefing recap
    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ Pete Hegseth’s War Pigs ♬
    • Liberal Redneck: Pete Hegseth pointlessly peacocks for American military leaders
    • Seth Meyers: Mike Johnson confronted by dems over “unwell” Трамп; Трамп lied about Project 2025
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: The Pete Hegseth army knife
    • Steve Shives: RFK Jr.—Autism detective in “The Acetaminophen Jungle”

    Lauren Mayer: ♫ Marching Through Portland ♬

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

    103 Stoopid Comments

    Monday Open Thread

    by Carl Ballard — Monday, 6/9/25, 7:58 am

    – If you can make it to the free David Huerta rally at 11:00 on a weekday, there is one in Seattle. Today at 222 Columbia Street.

    – Gig Harbor’s waterfront connector is now open.

    – Proposal to make graffiti extra illegal.

    153 Stoopid Comments

    Wednesday Open Thread

    by Carl Ballard — Wednesday, 4/9/25, 8:18 am

    – Feels like randomly, or at least arbitrarily, revoking visas is bad.

    – Hannah Krieg has a new reporting venture. Go check it out. While you’re there, go read this story; Republicans are so afraid of homeless people and such violent asssholes. Um, allegedly.

    – Good turnout at the anti-ICE rally.

    – *Sports Chant* E-Bike Rebate 👏👏👏👏 👏👏

    185 Stoopid Comments

    Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

    by Darryl — Friday, 3/7/25, 9:38 pm

    Vox: Why the US has birthright citizenship

    Reign of The Felon Von Shitzenpantz:

    • Putin’s Puppet: Трамп rants about “fake news” Book, but accidentally confirms it’s real
    • Tommy Campbell: Трамп and JD Vance RIDICULED by Canada and Australia
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ Do You Wanna Have a Trade War? ♬
    • Lauren Mayer: ♫ Hero or Zero ♬
    • Ari Melber: Трамп cuts and runs in self-inflicted “trade war” as markets call the shots
    • Jimmy Kimmel reacts to The Dotard’s Address to Congress
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Marco Rubio’s Paralysis Renders Him Useless ♬
    • Jon Stewart on Трамп’s heel turn on Zelenskyy in favor of Putin’s New World Order
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ You Don’t Own Us ♬
    • Stephen: Rep. Al Green tossed out for interrupting Трамп & useful lies and useless idiots
    • Hitler Rants Parodies: Hitler reacts to the Трамп—Zelenskyy argument
    • Chris Hayes: Трамп is coming for Social Security. And he has a new “Big Lie” to justify it.
    • Seth Meyer: Трамп’s disastrous meeting with Zelenskyy and Graham’s brazen Ukraine flip flop
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ I Won’t Enable Трамп ♬
    • Randy Rainbow: ♫ Defy Democracy ♬:

    • LegalEagle: DOGE is the real fraud
    • SNL Weekend Update: Трамп scolds Ukraine President Zelensky & kisses lEon Musk’s feet in AI video
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Republicans slobber over Трамп address, he lies about transgender mice & we hire a fired Fed worker
    • Michael Kosta: Трамп pauses tariffs, crashes the stock market & threatens China
    • Steve Shives: Welcome to the wrong side of history
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard saves two mice from transgender surgery!
    • Stephen: Трамп’s tariff whiplash psychodrama & DOGE’s lame apology & Musk faces GOP’s “gentle” fury
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Our Dear Donald’s Ass (A MAGA Song of Devotion) ♬
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ Stage a Coup ♬
    • Parody Project: ♫ Ghost in the Oval ♬
    • JoJoFromJerz: This is not what winning looks like
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп confronted by Al Green over Medicaid cuts, lies about Social Security
    • Christopher Titus: Is this the worst speech in American History ever?
    • Dark Brandon: Support the troops? Not if it costs Republicans money!
    • Jabari Jones: President Musk—E-Mails
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: Letter to Putin
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Putin’s FAVORITE song about Трамп ♬
    • Marsh Family: ♫ “Puppets on a Kremlin String?♬:

    • ScaredKetchup: Трамп Zelensky Oval Office smackdown
    • Christopher Titus: Трамп—Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting
    • Taylor Tomlinson: Трамп’s speech to Congress
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Mind Control for the Mindless ♬
    • Stephen: Dumbest trade war in history & effects of The Dotard’s tariffs already being felt & chicken rental deals
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп berates Zelenskyy & Vance wants a thank you
    • The Late Show: You should be wearing a chicken hat
    • Putin’s Puppet: Project 2025 bringing back Old Testament justice
    • NowThis: Breaking down Трамп’s speech—What’s true & what’s not
    • Stella Magz: State of the Union or State of Emergency
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard’s honest address to Congress
    • The Late Show: ♫ MAGA Maniacs ♬
    • Parody Project: ♫ Make America Grow Afraid ♬
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Canada’s Trudeau humiliates cowardly Трамп who backs down on tariffs. Again.
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп’s Anti-American Antics Don’t Fly with Me ♬
    • LegalEagle: A judge just reversed Трамп’s purge
    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ It’s Not Unusual To Get Measles Anymore ♬
    • Michael Kosta: Трамп’s Canada & Mexico tariffs hike up prices, while GOP blames Biden for economy
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп and Vance perform “Dance of the Horse’s Patoot” for Putin ♬:

    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ Beneath the Seams ♬
    • The Late Show: Russian TV plays Трамп-Zelensky fight
    • David Corn (Mother Jones): Musk’s reckless ebola cuts could lead to deadly pandemics
    • Ari Melber: Musk demoted! Go inside Трамп’s EXPLOSIVE, angry Cabinet meeting reported by NY Times
    • Jabari Jones: Flunky Трамп—Oval Office meeting
    • Putin’s Puppet: Трамп on Ukraine “No cards, all cards, tremendous psychological warfare”
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп walks back tariffs & wants to dismantle Dept of Education & plans to deport 200,000 Ukrainians
    • Liberal Redneck: So Canada’s bad and Russia’s good now apparently?
    • SNL: lEon Musk
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ While I Play Piano, Putin Plays Трамп ♬
    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ It’s Not Easy Bein’ Al Green ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard tells Wall Street to stop complaining!
    • LegalEagle: Why the “five things” Email failed
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп caves on tariffs as markets drop, faces backlash for firing veterans
    • Parody Project: ♫ Before We Turn to Dust ♬
    • Michael Kosta: Трамп lies, attacks Biden in Joint Address & Rep. Al Green leaves early
    • Tommy Campbell: JD Vance has ski trip ruined by HILARIOUS protestors
    • Stephen: Oval office shouting match & not playing cards & great television? Moscow celebrates

    Jimmy Kimmel: The week in unnecessary censorship

    Roll Call: Congressional hits and misses of the week

    Even More Deplorables:

    • Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian: Tax the Churches
    • Stella Magz: So much hypocrisy, so little time….
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: ♫ I Finally Own The Libs Tonight…. ♬
    • Putin’s Puppet: Economic self sabotage—MAGA celebrates harmful tariffs
    • Winlar: ♫ Better Than ♬:

    • Dark Brandon: MAGA digs into Epstein files…and accidentally find Трамп
    • Bruce W. Nelson: Advice to Трамп and lEon & Kanye supporters dealing with buyer’s remorse
    • Stephen: Melania Трамп 2.0—A new look, a meme coin, and a $40M documentary
    • Just a Canadian: ♫ MAGA Man ♬:

    • Stella Magz: Putin hits the jackpot with MAGA…
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ To Трампers—I Understand Your Anger ♬
    • Chris Norlund: Tesla rebels CRUSH lEon Musk empire
    • Desi Lydic Fauxsplains Трамп & Zelenskyy’s Oval Office meeting

    Robert Reich: Debunking minimum wage myths since 1995

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

    142 Stoopid Comments

    Friday!

    by Carl Ballard — Friday, 2/7/25, 7:57 am

    – I could read every story about where your poops go (second segment). Figuring out how to deal with waste is such a vital function of government.

    – I would like no parking requirements, but lower is better.

    – Opponents are giving you the runaround, vote yes on 1A. Get your ballot postmarked or dropped off by Tuesday February 11.

    – And, hey. Write your legislators and Members of Congress. Do it today.

    27 Stoopid Comments

    Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

    by Darryl — Friday, 10/25/24, 10:44 pm

    Electile Dysfunction 2024:

    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard reacts to Arnold Palmer’s golf club
    • ScaredKetchup: AI Mike Johnson on Трамп Arnold Palmer penis gaffe
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ It’s not safe to send Трамп back into the White House ♬
    • Liberal Redneck: ♫ How much weirder can Трамп’s campaign get? ♬
    • Stephen: Obama star struck by Eminem and Gen. Kelly reveals Трамп admires Hitler
    • Robert Reich: The high cost of Трамп’s mass deportation plan
    • Stella Magz: The Dotard has Arnold Palmer on the “brain”
    • Ari Melber: Dictator warning
    • Seth Meyers: Republicans flail over Трамп’s Hitler praise and Трамп forgets how french fries are made
    • Michael Kosta: Трамп’s Hitler love revealed & Obama raps Eminem at rally
    • Tommy Campbell: The Felon Von Shitzenpantz’s McDonald’s stunt blasted
    • Steve Shives: No, Трамп did not just work at McDonalds
    • Jon Stewart: Tim Walz on 2024 election and Harris campaign’s “big tent”
    • Parody Project: ♫ Not Going Back ♬:

    • SNL: FAUX News Kamala Harris interview
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Harris confirms in town hall that she believes Трамп is a fascist
    • ScaredKetchup: Трамп’s McDonald’s fail EXPOSED!
    • Jabari Jones: Exhausted!
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Dance Little Dotard, Dance! ♬
    • ScaredKetchup: Трамп’s Arnold Palmer obsession exposed
    • Miss Laurie Lehner: ♫ Come Together (2024 Election) ♬
    • Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies: The Whining
    • Tim Walz: Tim Walz addresses Трамп’s McDonald’s cosplay—He thought it was Halloween already
    • The Late Show: The Dotard Трамп’s Football Freudian slip trading cards
    • Stephen: Трамп to play MSG & Tucker Carlson’s weird daddy issues & Beyoncé to rally for Harris
    • Michael Kosta: Exploring the case for ditching the Electoral College
    • Robert Reich: Трамп is bad at business
    • Stella Magz: Трамп’s October surprise
    • Christopher Titus: Were you better off 4 years ago?:

    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Reporters must ask Трамп “What good things did Hitler do?”
    • Alex Wagner: Трамп gets an early start on failed election lawsuits
    • SNL Weekend Update: Emil Wakim on voting in the 2024 election
    • ONN: Трамп vows to outlaw electricity to secure powerful Amish vote
    • LegalEagle: Musk’s $1,000,000 voting lottery illegal?
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп’s weird story about Arnold Palmer’s penis size, McDonald’s stunt
    • Parody Project: ♫ Save the Rich ♬
    • Founders Sing: ♫ November ♬
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ Let’s Do It For Our Country… 2024 Edition ♬
    • Stephen: Women are voting early & Harris courts Трамп-weary Republicans
    • Tommy Campbell: Трамп confronted by voters and mocked for town hall fails
    • Michael Kosta: Giuliani goes broke while Elon Musk gifts millions in Трамп voter sweepstakes
    • Jabari Jones: AI Трамп—Old and tired
    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ Try To Remember ♬:

    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп dreams of Arnold’s “putter” ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard confesses he won’t pay for Mexican funerals
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Obama hits “loonier” Трамп as his WH chief of staff calls him a “fascist”
    • Robert Reich: Fascism backed by Big Money is a deadly combo. It happened in 1930a Germany, and it’s happening now
    • Steve Shives: Трамп can’t be trusted with the military
    • The Late Show: Трамп praises Hitler
    • Jon Stewart: Трамп’s McDonald’s shift & his “enemy within” threat
    • Bill Hoover: ♫ Don’t Dissuade a Runaway Cruz ♬
    • ScaredKetchup: Trump humiliated by David Bautista & Stormy Daniels
    • Tim Walz: The playbook
    • Stephen: Harris leads in early voting, deftly handles MAGA heckler & Трамп fixates on Arnold Palmer’s “putter”
    • Bruce W. Nelson and Lars Nelson: ♫ Donnie Chicken ♬
    • Robert Reich: Everything depends on the Senate
    • Rocky Mountain Mike: ♫ Arnold Paalmer’s Dick ♬:

    • The Daily Show: Trump vs. Hitler—Spot the difference
    • Hitler Rants Parodies: Hitler phones Kamala Harris
    • Ari Melber: Трамп campaign haunted by outrageous tapes and October surprise
    • Chris Hayes: Growing fears of Трамп fascism as election nears
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп is a fascist who praised Hitler and Hitler’s generals, John Kelly says
    • Jabari Jones: Step by step
    • Parody Project: ♫ Vote! Vote! Vote! ♬
    • Ross Childs: J.D. Vance works at McDonalds
    • StrangeTunes: ♫ The Трамп Makeover—A Rebranding Revolution ♬
    • The Late Show: Trump offers TMI about Arnold Palmer
    • Ronny Chieng: The gathering gamers unpack JD Vance’s dorkiness & 2024 election
    • Bill Hoover: ♫ MAGA-Putin Sheeple People ♬
    • Steve Shives: Are right-wing pollsters trying to manufacture a red wave?
    • Jabari Jones: AI Трамп—Arnold Palmer’s dick
    • LegalEagle: The most important election of our lifetimes
    • Lauren Mayer: ♫ Come In From The Ledge ♬:

    • StrangeTunes: ♫ Project 2025 Трамп’s FINAL Tour ♬
    • Robert Reich: Kamala Harris in 90 seconds
    • Michael Kosta: Tucker calls Трамп “daddy” and Kamala gets Beyoncé & election overload is killing Us
    • Sandy and Richard Riccardi: ♫ A, You’re Abom’nible ♬
    • The Onion: The one percent—American voter
    • Alex Wagner: Democrats see hopeful signs in early voting patterns
    • Taylor Tomlinson: Трамп’s french fry photo-op
    • Jordan Klepper: Do Трампers support his proposed purge?
    • Knotheadusc: ♫ Трамп is not our father figure ♬
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard on The Joe Rogan Experience
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Harris & Obama denounce “dangerous” Трамп who condemns John Kelly, not Hitler
    • Robert Reich: How we can expose xecret donors
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Kamala will NEVER be Able to Match Трамп’s Record ♬
    • SNL Weekend Update: Трамп dances for 40 minutes straight at campaign rally

    Parody Project: This Land is Your Land

    Cult of The Felon Von Shitzenpantz:

    • Steve Shives: The phone plan for shunned Трамп voters
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ The Worst that America Has to Offer—Трамп ♬
    • ScaredKetchup: Rudy Giuliani’s SHOCKING Трамп lawsuit revelation
    • Dark Brandon: ♫ Tina Peters What Have You Done ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Republicans are the Party of REAL Manly Men and More ♬
    • StrangeTunes: ♫ Georgia’s Trailer Park Karen—The MAGA Queen Marjorie Taylor Greene ♬
    • Steve Shives: So, deplatforming is good when Republicans do it?!
    • Darrin Bell: Timelapse video-political cartoon—Elon Musk in contact with Russia
    • Parody Project: ♫ Kavanaugh ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Rhetorically Nervy, Basically Pervy ♬

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

    149 Stoopid Comments

    Friday Open Thread

    by Carl Ballard — Friday, 10/11/24, 8:11 am

    – J Line J Line J Line. I was fairly skeptical about Rapid Ride when it was first proposed, and now I get super excited about every announcement.

    – We’re going to keep raiding Jumpstart.

    – But don’t worry, there’s always money for cops.

    – Anyway, please wash your hands right now and get vaccinated or boosted if you’re eligible.

    71 Stoopid Comments

    Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza!

    by Darryl — Friday, 10/4/24, 11:12 pm

    Michael Kosta: Jelani Cobb on the history of the Electoral College & a healthy journalism diet

    The New Yorker: Zooey Zephyr’s defense of trans lives in a deep-red state

    Electile Dysfunction 2024:

    • Jimmy Kimmel: Jimmy Kimmel breaks down the Vice Presidential debate between JD Vance & Tim Walz
    • Stephen: A debate pep talk for Tim Walz & Трамп proposes a purge
    • MSNBC: One was smooth, the other won—Reaction to the vice presidential debate
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard reacts to Melania’s pro choice video
    • Chris Hayes: Трампworld lies get more outrageous with a month to election
    • ScaredKetchup: JD Vance destroyed—VP debate recap
    • Lawrence O’Donnell and friends: Weissmann on Jack Smith’s damning Трамп Jan. 6 case filing
    • Seth Meyers: Back in My Day—Presidential candidate accusations, unsending texts
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ “I am Voting for the Convicted Felon”, from the MAGA Glee Club songbook ♬
    • SNL: Harris and Трамп rallies
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп’s weekend of CRAZY outbursts, Трамп calls Kamala mentally impaired & Tim Walz vs MyPillow Mike
    • Stephen with Chris Hayes: J.D. Vance is not ready to be President of the United States
    • Mrs. Betty Bowers, America’s Best Christian: Who is REALLY trying to steal this election?:

    • Seth Meyers: Vance lies about Obamacare, Jan. 6, abortion; Трамп backs out of 60 Minutes interview
    • Rachel Maddow: JD Vance wants to destroy anything conservatives can’t control
    • Rachel Maddow: Why you should care about JD Vance’s real agenda
    • Stephen: Hillbilly energy vs. Minnesota nice; Fact checks & mic drops
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ $100,000 Watches? The Trump Grift Continues ♬
    • Right Plight: ♫ They’re Eating The Cats ♬
    • Michael Kosta: VP debate—Tim Walz and JD Vance’s biggest moments and misses
    • Ross Childs: JD Vance tries Malört
    • J-L Cauvin: The Dotard claims Black Panther endorsed him
    • Parody Project: ♫ Трамп’s Rationale ♬
    • Darrin Bell: Timelapse video-political cartoon—JD Vance lies through the Walz debate
    • The Late Show: ♫ Un By Myself ♬
    • Bill Hoover: ♫ Griftin the Schmoes ♬
    • Steve Shives: A right-wing “news channel” struggles to sanewash Трамп
    • Randy Rainbow: ♫ Blank Space (The Dotard’s Version) ♬:

    • John Waldron: Трамп PANICS after JD Vance’s SHOCKING past DESTROYS CAMPAIGN!
    • Stella Magz: The Dotard literally wants to turn back time
    • Jon Stewart: Трамп is the opposite of who his supporters claim he is
    • Robert Reich: JD Vance’s biggest lie of the night
    • Liberal Redneck: Takeaways from the VP debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz
    • Jabari Jones: AI Трамп HATES Bruce Springsteen!
    • SNL Weekend Update: Трамп calls Kamala Harris “Mentally disabled person”
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: While Трамп lies about hurricane relief, Harris picks up important endorsements
    • The Late Show: The Dotard Трамп joins “60 Minutes”
    • Steve Shives: Someone tell J.D. Vance—The Vice President can’t do that!
    • Lauren Mayer: ♫ You Don’t Mess Around With Tim ♬:

    • Stella Magz: VP debate recap
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ The Awful Embarrassment of Having Backed Трамп ♬
    • Desi Lydic: The Трамп currency
    • Steve Shives: The phoney and the nice guy
    • Ross Childs: JD Vance at North Carolina rally!!
    • Joy Reid: Трамп’s MAGA faithful ready to derail election exposed
    • Michael Kosta: Pundits spin the Walz-Vance debate while Трамп talks baseball
    • Christopher Titus: VP debate—Who lied the whole time? Take a wild guess!
    • Ari Melber: MAGA civil war? Meet the Republicans backing Harris who could beat Трамп
    • The New York Time: How Трамп tried to prosecute his rivals
    • Carla Ulbrich with Gathering Time: ♫ We Won’t Go Back ♬:

    • Stephen: Vance-Walz debate was “normal” and worn out Von Shitzenpantz says “there’s no hope”
    • Chris Hayes: Трамп refused disaster relief until he learned it helped GOP voters, ex-aides say
    • The Late Show: Worried about being called a childless cat man?
    • Steve Shives: Defeating Трамп is the ultimate disaster relief
    • Charlamagne Tha God: Will Трамп try to steal the election again?
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп’s bizarre McDonald’s sex fantasy explained ♬
    • mazlinithegreat: ♫ Heads Up, America ♬
    • Ross Childs: JD Vance debates!!
    • Stephen: Chris Hayes on J.D. Vance’s most audacious debate lie, that “Трамп saved Obamacare”
    • Remix Bros: ♫ 2024 VP Debate REMIX ♬
    • Seth Meyers: Трамп proposes The Purge, rambles incoherently about migrants at meandering rally

    John Oliver: Federal courts

    LegalEagle: Eric Adams’s ridiculous corruption

    Cult of The Felon Von Shitzenpantz:

    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Трамп—Third-Grade Intellect with a Thirteen-year-old’s Attitude ♬
    • Tommy Campbell: Трамп watches DESTROYED in hilarious commercial dub
    • Seth Meyers: Jack Smith reveals damning new coup evidence against Трамп in bombshell filing
    • Bill Hoover: ♫ Unravelin Man ♬
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп exposed in damning 2020 election report, pressured Pence relentlessly & JD Vance’s untruths
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ The Alpha Male Song ♬
    • MSNBC: Jack Smith coup bombshell reveals damning evidence against Трамп
    • ScaredKetchup: ♫ AI Taylor Swift Drops Трамп Diss Track ♬:

    • Stephen: Jack Smith drops massive list of Трамп’s election crimes & Dotard to Ivanka, “Fight like hell”
    • Lawrence O’Donnell: Mike Pence took notes about Трамп’s conspiracy. And Jack Smith has them.
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ How Stupid Would You Have to Be? (A Question regarding Трампers) ♬
    • Stella Magz: A refresher course—The fallen evangelicals & Трамп
    • Oisín O Malley: A watch expert looks at $100K Трамп watch
    • Jabari Jones: Little Dotard Трамп—Fish sticks
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Commenting on Трамп’s creepy, caustic cult ♬
    • Robert Reich: Why is MAGA so weird?:

    • Patrick Fitzgerald: ♫ Gotta Do Some Launderin’ ♬
    • Jabari Jones: AI Трамп—Трамп turds!
    • Parody Project: ♫ SAD WORLD (Parody of) Mad World ♬
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ MAGA Dunce Caps and Whistling Past the Graveyard ♬
    • Robert Reich: Трамп’s tax scam—Why nothing trickled down
    • Jimmy Kimmel: Трамп’s MELTDOWN over new election fraud evidence, Melania’s abortion stance & GOP hypocrisy is REAL
    • MSNBC: Reactions to new Jack Smith evidence against criminal defendant Трамп
    • Joy Reid: Special counsel corners Трамп with bombshell Jan. 6 proof
    • Bruce W. Nelson: ♫ Better to be a Man (Than Lindsey Graham) ♬

    Vox: Can clean energy handle the AI boom?

    Stephen: Chris Wallace on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling

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

    157 Stoopid Comments

    An Open Letter to Journalism from the U.S. Fucking Constitution

    by An Angry Old Scrap of Parchment — Monday, 9/23/24, 7:55 pm

    The US Fucking ConstitutionDear Journalism,

    You have one job: defend democracy. And you fucking suck at it.

    Now, I know you like to think your job is simply to report the facts and that you have some sort of sacred obligation to remain “neutral” and “objective” and “fair and balanced,” and if this unbiased brand of nonpartisan journalism unfortunately results in the election of “America’s Hitler” (Trump’s running mate’s words, not mine), well, first draft of history and all that.

    Oh, grow the fuck up.

    The facts are, you made this rapey orange monster, and now it’s your job to unmake him, and if that means putting your calloused thumbs on the scale in opposition to, let’s be honest, a literal fucking fascist, then fuck your journalistic ethics and lean into it. Ours is a two-party system currently consisting of a democratic party and an undemocratic party, and if you’re not wielding all your power and privilege toward preserving our democratic institutions and norms, then you aren’t doing your fucking job.

    I mean, why the fuck do you think the Founders put freedom of the press right up top in my First Amendment? Because they enjoyed the whimsical musings of Silence Fucking Dogood? Fuck no. It was because when you spend four sweltering months at a yellow fever lockdown party like the Constitutional Convention, endlessly debating Enlightenment ideals like how many fifths human a black person is, you really get to know your fellow “patriots.” And so the slave-owning hypocritical assholes who wrote me sure as fuck knew that the fragile democracy they just crafted had zero chance of surviving their own elitist ambitions let alone those of the slave-owning hypocritical assholes across the aisle, without a free fucking press to keep everybody the fuck in line.

    And by “free press” I mean free to write whatever the fuck it likes no matter how viciously partisan or slanderous. As Alexander Hamilton famously rapped about Thomas Jefferson, “I’ll use the press, I’ll write under a pseudonym, you’ll see what I can do to him,” and holy fuck did he ever. Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison—hiding underneath those stately powdered wigs were motherfucking gangsters who’d sooner fuck you up the ass with a rolled up broadsheet then give you the time of day. (Fun fact: also hiding underneath those powdered wigs were unsightly patches of syphilitic alopecia, because nearly everybody had syphilis back then as if you couldn’t tell from their absolutely deranged implementation of an Electoral Fucking College. But I digress.)

    The point is: the Founders couldn’t have imagined a democracy guided by objective and nonpartisan journalism any more than they could have imagined one in which the 585,000 residents of fucking Wyoming would each have 67 times more representation in the U.S. Senate than 39 million Californians. (Thanks again, syphilis!) No, the Founders’ intent was the journalism they practiced: an unapologetically partisan press beating the crap out of each other in the court of public opinion. In the American system, the only way you get “fair and balanced” is by balancing the other fuckers out! That’s how our democracy was designed to work. But when one side unilaterally disarms—when, for example, the New York Times curls up all Vichy France-like while Fox News gleefully goes full Goebbels—democracy doesn’t stand a goddamn chance.

    And BTW, neither does journalism.

    What? You think once orange Putin seizes the dictatorial powers the Supreme Court just promised him that somehow I’m coming to your defense? Sam Alito already wipes his bony white ass with me, so put one or two more Federalist Society Elders on the bench and New York Times v. Sullivan? Dead! New York Times v. United States? Dead! Hustler Magazine v. Falwell? Dead! I mean, wake the fuck up. Without a functional democracy to back me up, my First Amendment isn’t worth the brittle old parchment it’s scribbled on, so best of luck clinging to your precious journalistic ethics while stripped naked at Gitmo as Elon sues into bankruptcy one news outlet after another for every imagined slight.

    Look, I’m not asking you to lie or anything. (Though to be clear, I’m not asking you not to.) I’m just saying that if all that stands between the survival of the world’s oldest democracy and the imposition of white nationalist authoritarian rule is a little good old fashioned partisan muckraking, then, like it or not, journalism, it’s your fucking job to rake some muck in defense of the candidate who doesn’t promise to dismantle the Constitution. Then, if we still have a democracy come January 6 (normally I’d say November 5, but, you know), by all means feel free to morally cleanse yourself in a paroxysm of this pretentious both-sidesism you call “journalistic ethics.”

    And if democracy doesn’t survive this election? Well… given Trump’s open admiration of Putin and his tactics, I’d be awfully careful when standing near any open windows.

    So get to it, journalism, before it’s too late. As Aaron Burr ominously asked of Hamilton, “Why do you write like you’re running out of time? Write day and night like you’re running out of time?” Why? Because he was running the fuck out of time!

    And so are you, journalism. So are you.

    Sincerely,

    The U.S. Fucking Constitution

    39 Stoopid Comments

    Monday Open Thread

    by Carl Ballard — Monday, 9/9/24, 7:57 am

    – Oh geez. SPD may kill people in Seattle, but it also costs taxpayers quite a bit, potentially.

    – I don’t know any more than what I read, but I think the new Boeing contract is good?

    – Grow better, Seattle. Honestly, more density more places, please.

    – Anyway, now is a great time to wash your hands. And hey, if you’re eligible, get vaccinated or boosted.

    122 Stoopid Comments

    Happy 20th Blogoversary to Me! (And to You!)

    by Goldy — Friday, 5/10/24, 9:31 am

    It was 20 years ago today that I published the first post here on HA, and mygod did it change my life (and hopefully a few elections and public policy debates along the way).

    For a few glorious years HA was one of the most widely read, influential (and feared) state and local blogs in the nation. We were the official WA state blog at the 2008 Democratic Convention. HA helped get me my own radio show at 710 KIRO back when it was still a 50,000 watt news/talk powerhouse, and eventually a gig at The Stranger where I helped advance the nation’s first $15 minimum wage. And ultimately this weird adventure led me to my current job, which is hard to explain, but is gratifying and difference-making in so many ways.

    I don’t blog here at HA anymore. Darryl and Carl keep it going on a daily basis, and so happy blogoversary (and a big THANK YOU) to them too. But of course, the biggest thanks goes to HA’s readers, past and present, because none of this would’ve been possible without you. HA’s comment threads may have been a cesspool of trolling since nearly the very beginning, but I was very, very, fortunate to find an audience large and loud enough to make my writing relevant.

    By the way, if you miss me, I host a weekly podcast with my billionaire boss, Nick Hanauer, called Pitchfork Economics. It’s wonky and subversive and we interview amazing guests—Nobel laureates, best-selling authors, administration officials, and other leading or should-be-leading thinkers in economics, philosophy, science, politics, and public policy—so if you’re not already a subscriber, now would be a great time to start.

    And finally, a much earned thank you and congratulations to my daughter Katie. She was just seven years old when this blog first started consuming my life and she patiently put up with more than her fair share of “just a minute, baby, I need to finish this post.” Today, coincidentally, she graduates from USC with an MFA in film and television production and I couldn’t be prouder. Here’s hoping our democracy, our economy, and our civil society survive another 20 years (at least) so that she and all our children have the opportunity, the security, and the means to pursue their dreams.

    45 Stoopid Comments

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