In the immortal words of our beloved friend buhdydharma when he posts his tip jars...
"Here I am!"
I didn't feel comfortable asking him if I could borrow his famous flaming pony. I wouldn't ask to borrow his toothbrush either. Besides, I have fauna of my own I'm fonder of:
kestrel9000 (not to be confused with Kestrel, UID 893, Kestrel228, UID 48001, or KestrelBrighteyes, UID 54063) is catching thermals this morning. Small furry aminals, seek cover.
Cheers and Jeers for a Friday jumps off (swooop! Screech!)
below the fold. Right NOW.
O boy o boy o boy. When I was in Vermont up until about a year ago (and that's a problem that I GOTTA fix.
I have kids I'm raising, for God's sake,to paraphrase a sigline
somebody or other used to have around here), I was the program director of an itty bitty radio station. And I did the morning show.
That was enough of a kick in the ass as it was. I hadn't held down a morning show since I was 23 years old.
But today, I find myself doing the morning show not on an itty bitty radio station, but on a big ass bad ass blog. Believe me, David Brooks never wrote a hit piece on WZEC or KSTN. My listeners on those two stations were never referred to as a flock of rabid lambs. Russ Feingold, John Kerry, Jimmy Carter, John Conyers, Barbara Boxer, Louise Slaughter....none of them ever called my show.
My radio show didn't do anything for James Webb or Jon Tester, either. I never helped anybody win a primary.
But my considerable ego allows me to entertain the notion that I may, in some small way, have helped somebody lose one:
VDB: I said on some of these websites you're described in different ways. The one that struck me the most is from an extremely popular site called Daily Kos, and on it somebody posting as "Kestrel" -- which if I remember right is some sort of bird of prey -- this person said, and I'll quote, "Mark Shepard is an anti-gay, fundamentalist Christian. When Shepard came out of the gate with that asinine Defense of Marriage Initiative [A reference to a controversial amendment Shepard sponsored during the Civil Union debates in the Legislature] I blasted him on the air" -- which leads me to believe that this person has a radio station of some sort --
Shepard: Could be.
VDB: [Continues quote] "The following Monday, Shepard shows up at the radio station. I about had a heart-attack."
Shepard: Oh, I know who this is.
VDB: [Still quoting from Daily Kos comment string] "Shepard proceeded to tell me that his amendment on the Defense of Marriage Initiative would in no way affect the Civil Union law, but read the initiative if you can find it, read Baker v. State of Vermont, and note the use of language."
And Kestrel goes on to say that he thinks you lied to him about what the Defense of Marriage Act was meant to do.
(Speaking of Vermont blogs, there is a competition now underway for the award given by Seven Days magazine for Best Vermont Blog. I would like to ask you to show your support for Green Mountain Daily, the "baby" of kossack odum. You can cast your vote by following a link you'll find here.)
Yee-haw. I remember the last election I voted in in Vermont. On Election Day, Mrs. Kestrel, our two fledglings, and I went to the firehouse so the grownups could cast their vote for Senator Kerry. In the primary, we had the privilege of voting for the man who carried the state, Governor Howard Dean.
At any rate, after greeting the group of Democratic and VTProgressive activists who stood on the firehouse's left side of the walk, (a handshake for a prominent local attorney who should run and be elected as the next Vermont State Senator from his district - can you hear me now, David? - another handshake for a well- known local Progressive activist, a hug and kiss on the cheek for kossack vtpeace) I continued on my way inside, and there on the other side of the walk, all by himself, looking kind of forlorn, was a state Senator of my acquaintance. "Senator, " I said amicably. He gave me a sullen nod, and we went on our way.
When I was in Vermont, I had a sense of community that I haven't been able to replace since I arrived in Virginia. Had I known the area better, I might have taken up residence in Staunton(rhymes with Canton, where I lived in Ohio for three years; where one of my sons was born) rather than Harrisonburg.
Going to Virginia made me feel, once again, that my social and political views made me an outsider. When we first got here, for the first three weeks, I took two and sometimes three showers a day.
Then I found Daily Kos.
Sometimes it scares me how much of my waking consciousness this goddamn website consumes per day. And that's just WAKING consciousness. We won't talk about the dream I had one night where Mrs. Kestrel was redecorating the dining room in a house I'd never seen before but knew was mine, and I walked through the swinging door into the kitchen only to find someone sitting at the table eating MY bowl of soup and MY sandwich.
This place has either saved my sanity or compromised it since the winds of fate blew me out of the best place I ever lived and dumped me in the reddest part of a red state. Sometimes I'm not sure which. But, along with my patient, loving, and understanding hottie wife,
Daily Kos has kept me from feeling alone.
This place....is a PLACE. It's a community in every sense of the word. And to me, it's a home. It is Sanctuary.
It is a community worth defending. When people attack or demean Daily Kos, I get real, real defensive and angry. Especially if I'm wearing my T-shirt.
And when the attacks come from within, we all rush to the defense of our turf.
Let's not get into the nuts and bolts of the recent crap where the defensive system was weakened because people misused it, factionalized, and started using it to give their pissing contests a tangible effect. We are now in a situation with an election approaching, and the TUs have all but been disarmed, because of the irresponsibility of a few. Think about that the next time you think about REAL guns.
And the trolls are redoubling their efforts. I'm obviously soapboxing for a reexamination of the recent changes to the system, but I want to go somewhere else for a second.
Ever go into the hidden comments and see a bunch of responses to a troll that are just priceless, and feel a sense of regret that the troll can't see just how hard they got smacked down? All these wonderful ripostes - well, not gone completely to waste, because we TUs get to see them, but somehow, the joy, the schadenfreude, is diminished by the fact that they can't be seen by their intended recipient.
The poor trolls don't even get to enjoy the yummy recipes - or the not so yummy ones -
http://www.vegan-food.net/...
Elvis' Army Days: Shit on a Shingle
Meat - Cow -
INGREDIENTS
o 2 lb / 900 g margarine
o 1 lb / 450 g flour
o 4 cups soy cream or soy milk
o 4 gallons / 18 L vegetable stock
o 7 lb / 3.2 kg seitan, chopped
o 2 bunches parsley, chipped fine
o 1/2 oz / 15 g black pepper
o 130 slices of bread, toasted
METHOD
Melt the margarine in a large pot and add the flour. Cook for a few minutes to brown the flour. Add the soy cream/ soymilk and the stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumping. Add the seitan and cook 5 minutes. Add the parsley and the pepper and serve on hot toast.
NOTES
During the last week of Elvis' stint in the US Army, he served at Fort Dix in New Jersey where he had the most notorious dish of US military life - Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast - which is more commonly known as: Shit on a Shingle.
Serves 100.
their antics engender. shermanesq put up a recipe for, I think it was mushroom and spinach enchiladas, here a ways back. I haven't had the time to get to it, even though it looks to die for. There are just so many, it makes you want to start a dKos cooking show on public access cable.
But the recipes aren't always the best part. Sometimes it's the gut-shots that get fired in response. The repartee is occasionally quite entertaining - it's just a shame that the recipients of the best shots often don't get to see them, instead whining back to the freepistans they came from about how the commies on Daily Kos delete their comments and won't allow free speech.
Here's a few instances of quality trollslapping from the hidden comments:
I'll take 'Unintentional Puns' for $500, Alex. (11+ / 0-)
9-11 Windows
Dude, you're a candidate for defenestration.
Live the questions. - Rainer Maria Rilke
by Kimberly Stone on Tue Jun 27, 2006 at 11:37:57 AM EDT
WOW! (3+ / 0-)
Somebody else had Latin in school, too!!!
You know what I have to say about this asshole?
Quamdiu, CheChe, tua furor nos eludet?
Ever wish there were One Big Wiki-Style Clearinghouse for all the GOP Scandals? Well now there is.
by thereisnospoon on Tue Jun 27, 2006 at 03:29:49 AM EDT
Ye vile substance, ye pox on the human (0 / 0)
genome, but that I only have two troll ratings per day to give the likes of you, and having already used them, am left to watch my fellow Kossacks give you that which you so richly deserve.
Now back to the bowels of hell with you, demon scum, while I await the reloading of my "troll quiver", that I may assign you that which you truly deserve another day!
As an aside, it is people like this that made me a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. It is from them, that we and our families will need protection, and should waste no time in obtaining it.
-7.00/-4.77 "Public campaign financing, media reform, and ballot integrity, are all necessary ingredients for a healthy democracy!"
by Hornito on Fri Jun 23, 2006 at 10:53:53 AM EDT
These are the sort of responses to one certain kind of troll. Now Hunter, a ways back, did a bunch of definitions of the various species of troll, but I can't remmeber how it went, so I'm gonna do my own here. The responses above are to what this kestrel calls a "monkey-flinging-shit" troll.
The concept of the "monkey-flinging-shit" troll should need no explanation. Here is a specimen of that particular genus, and a few of the reactions generated by its presence.
Lt. Kerry is a liar and a fraud, and (0+ / 35-)
He stands in the United States Senate today a full
traitor to America. He left U. S. Army Sgt. Jerry Michael Shriver, and special forces man, and team member of S.O.G. behind, and he knows he did.
----snip------
Soon History will come to judge you all for what you have done.. He will come on a huge black horse this demon of "truth" and he will have eyes of fire, and he will be looking with his eyes of fire for the guilty who have LIED about his true HISTORY, for
truth does not like to be lied about, as you post this vile crap on he comes the hooves of Histoy come
to judge you,, many of you will try to slip away when the judgement comes , but as you look back the
Demon called History will only be ever near, if you take a moment you can hear the hooves now, they come close to you all,,,clop, clop, clop,, CLOP, CLOP,CLOP
----snip snip yada yada yada-----
by tall talker on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 12:03:10 PM EDT
Why did my family (21+ / 0-)
waste their tax dollars trying to educate a fool like you?
-4.63, -4.41
by dpinzow on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 12:05:09 PM EDT
I think... (9+ / 0-)
...he/she is one of those kids that slipped through the cracks.
Arrogant lips are unsuited to a fool-- how much worse lying lips to a ruler - Proverbs 17:7
He's proof (16+ / 0-)
that some children really should be left behind.
-dms
ooo a live one! (16+ / 0-)
Time to put the head boiling kettle on.
Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change. - Tennyson
by bumblebums on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 12:05:47 PM EDT
Wow (18+ / 0-)
You really have to take the medication every day. No more skipping.
Lying can never save us from another lie - Vaclav Havel
Let this be a lesson to all. (19+ / 0-)
Stay away from the brown acid.
And oh yea....stay in school.
Zero to the (9+ / 0-)
hate-child of Ann Coulter and Jerry Falwell
by anotherCt Dem on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 12:41:20 PM EDT
Shouldn't you be in the basement counting your (11+ / 0-)
cans of beans and evaporated milk? Armageddon's coming, and you can't be too prepared.
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
by darthstar on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 12:52:28 PM EDT
Although I did like being called a lowlife slim. Well, lowlife not so much, but slim would be nice.
by Ahianne on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 07:35:02 PM EDT
Phthththbbtt! (2+ / 0-)
There's not enough oxygen at your altitude.
by Ahianne on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 07:42:46 PM EDT
The comebacks in this subthread (6+ / 0-)
are precious. I'm posting here to mark these lines. I might need them someday when I write my Best of Trolls diary.
And I'd have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids.(-8.50-7.13)
by kestrel9000 on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 01:49:28 PM EDT
* [new] Absolutely! (5+ / 0-)
I'm reading through this laughing my ass off. Hilarious.
"But your flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore"--Prine Pay attention Georgie - 2520+ dead Americans. Jesus Christ, make it stop already.
by Miss Blue on Thu Jun 22, 2006 at 02:18:23 PM EDT
Trolls aside, you never know who's gonna show up here:
18) This diary makes me weep. n/t [none / 1] Replies: 0
posted by MetaJesus on 11/10/2005 06:10:02 EDT
attached to I AM EVIL
No problem with Fitzmas... (none / 0)
...especially since the Supreme Court has ruled that my birthday is a secular holiday.
And the meat thingie, I never really understood. It's certainly not one of my inventions. You'll have to ask the long line of metapopes about that one.
by MetaJesus on Sun Oct 30, 2005 at 02:20:46 PM EDT
I don't care what Hunter says... (18+ / 0-)
I'm just fine. Really. The defibrillator, oxygen tent, and dialysis machine are just for show.
Besides, if I die, I just get meta-resurrected.
by MetaJesus on Fri May 05, 2006 at 06:35:45 PM EDT
Umm... (1+ / 0-)
should I be genuflecting? I'm Catholic by birth and when we do not know what else to do we tend to genuflect.
Hell, ANYBODY could show up:
In my view (28+ / 0-)
it is illogical to attach the name of a divisive metaphysical figure to an effort that is designed to unite this community. The avatar from whose name this figure is derived engenders sufficient disagreement as to his message to your civilization that one would presume it would be obvious that this concept would be fatally flawed as a unifying concept.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Wed May 31, 2006 at 08:03:34 PM EDT
Why, you green-blooded, inhuman......n/t (10+ / 0-)
And I'd have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids.(-8.50-7.13)
by kestrel9000 on Wed May 31, 2006 at 08:05:06 PM EDT
Inhuman? (14+ / 0-)
How is that relevant? You bring to mind a physician of my acquaintance. Your apparent penchant for emotionalism is quite distasteful.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Wed May 31, 2006 at 09:14:40 PM EDT
I suppose I asked for that. (5+ / 0-)
And I'd have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids.(-8.50-7.13)
by kestrel9000 on Wed May 31, 2006 at 09:37:38 PM EDT
Dear God...I've seen it all now. (16+ / 0-)
First Metajesus shows up in the flesh...
Now Mr. Spock has decided to grace us with his presence. It is going to be really hilarious if Spock sticks around and attacks the illogic of dKos on a consistent basis. Of course, it could also wreck the place...
Four hundred years ago, we were all illegal aliens according to the Comanche.
by DC Pol Sci on Wed May 31, 2006 at 08:06:47 PM EDT
A recommend for the excellent grammar!! (11+ / 0-)
Plus being funny.
The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. - Thomas Paine
by javelina on Wed May 31, 2006 at 08:54:33 PM EDT
I did not (11+ / 0-)
intend humor.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Wed May 31, 2006 at 09:15:13 PM EDT
Interesting. (16+ / 1-)
Trollrated by:
d3n4l1
The communicative subset known to this community as "meta", discussion of the nature and dynamics of the community, is both understandable and to be expected. Unfortunately, it has undesirable side effects arising from the essential, but imperfect, "rating system." For example, there seems to be no accepted definition of the term "troll" despite the best efforts of senior members of this community. It is my hope that a logical, reasoned discussion of how this system can be refined and the influence of human emotion minimized to the extent possible, without inhibiting the flow of discourse.
I will be unable to attend the Daily Kos convention due to commitments elsewhere, however, I wish all who attend a productive and constructive interaction.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Wed May 31, 2006 at 07:30:39 PM EDT
er, wrong convention. (9+ / 0-)
Sorry dude, your shindig is in August
by DemocracyLover in NYC on Wed May 31, 2006 at 11:12:20 PM EDT
Damn. (11+ / 0-)
That's really creepy.
I could actually hear Spock's voice when I was reading this.
GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!
"We lucky few! We band of bloggers!"--Malacandra
by Sharoney on Wed May 31, 2006 at 08:53:09 PM EDT
Haha (0 / 0)
I did the same thing, seeing him read out of the blue scope with the whistle beep beep beep.
Most people are idiots... But don't tell them. It'll spoil all the fun for those of us who aren't.
by d3n4l1 on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 02:12:09 AM EDT
I fail to understand (2+ / 0-)
how, in your view, I have conducted myself in any manner definable as a "troll." My appearance has, in the past, been compared to certain figures found in your mythology, such as an "elf", or the "Satan" figure found in one of your planet's dominant religions, but it is my understanding that the appellation "troll" is applied to an individual, not based upon their appearance, but their conduct.
Please explain how my conduct has been inappropriate.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 10:05:32 AM EDT
I was only wondering (0 / 0)
how Spock would handle trolls and being troll rated. Logic can't explain how a perfectly logical post could be troll rated. Congratulation on your emotional control.
Most people are idiots... But don't tell them. It'll spoil all the fun for those of us who aren't.
by d3n4l1 on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 03:07:07 PM EDT
i want his autograph (5+ / 0-)
now that's creepy
My Very Own Nation
by cookiebear on Wed May 31, 2006 at 09:13:48 PM EDT
I just found out tonight (2+ / 0-)
That Vulcans only have sex every 7 years.
So is that why he's a little off-color?
by bobbobgirl on Thu Jun 01, 2006 at 12:20:03 AM EDT
Fascinating. (8+ / 0-)
I have visited the city of San Francisco. It is ironic to me that an altered mental state is often associated with experiences in this city, as my own mental state was certainly not at its norm during my time there; although the reasons for this alteration in consciousness were vastly different than one might expect.
That having been said, it occurs to me that any "counterculture" that this community could be said to represent is fundamentally different from that in the past which community members involved in this discussion seem to draw parallels with.
That fundamental distinction, obviously, is this "counterculture's" basis in information technology.
There are numerous examples in this civilization of the sociological anomalies arising from the fact that the current level of information technology is beyond that which might be commonly observed in a civilization at this level of technological development. For example, point-to-point communication between any two points on the planet's surface is not only possible but commonplace, and readily available to any member of the industrialized portion of society; yet the primary source of energy is fossil fuels, and the logical progression to sustainable energy sources is inhibited by political and economic considerations. Technology providing instant access to nearly the entire sum total of human knowledge is ubiquitous, yet there is debate over the effects of industrial byproducts on the planet's atmosphere, and therefore its climate. The acceleration in the development of information technology has been nothing less than remarkable. Significant strides have been made, beyond what would normally be expected, in, for example, the period of time elapsed since the period referred to as the Great Depression, in which period such technology was at a level not much advanced beyond stone knives and bearskins.
The phenomenon known as the "blog" is certainly one of them, as it facilitates a level of communication about societal issues that a government such as that of this particular region of the planet endures would historically be expected to suppress.
This community is of particular interest to me among those extant in the global information network, because it seems to an example of a desire to advance beyond the regressive tendencies exhibited by the governing entity controlling this region of the planet. I will, at a future time, submit a series of observations about the nature and dynamics of this community.
Peace and long life.
I have been and always shall be your friend.
by Spock on Sat Jun 03, 2006 at 08:33:30 PM EDT
So WHERE IS IT, ya pointy eared FREAK?
Sheeit. Every day I check for Spock's diary and he never comes through.
My one major complaint about Daily Kos.
In other words, I'm just glad to have a safe place to go - somewhere that feels like the 'hood.
snif I love you guys....I think I'm gonna cry......
Okay, what's goin' on today? Let's check in with Joe Hickman:
Boxer Mike Tyson was born on this day in 1966. At the party, as usual, they'll play Pin the Ear on Evander Holyfield.
Today is Leap Second Day, when the official world clocks are pushed ahead one second. I hate it when they do that. It screws up my sleeping pattern for minutes.
It rained frogs in Birmingham, England, on this date in 1892. Honest. Nobody can explain it, but thousands of frogs actually rained from the sky. It was such a shock many folks didn't have sense enough to come in out of the frogs.
I don't think it would have been much fun playing in the puddles.
A U.S. Air Force B-29 dropped an atomic bomb on Bikini Lagoon on this day in 1946. On the side of the bomb was glued a pinup photo of actress Rita Hayworth. It was the only time in her career that Rita really bombed.
On this day in 1984 Pierre Trudeau retired as Canada's prime minister, and became a normal citizen again. Well, as normal as possible when you have Mounties doing your yard work.
On this date in 1971 the city of Memphis renamed the street that passes Graceland "Elvis Presley Boulevard." Souvenir hunters immediately stole all the street signs. They thought about painting the name on the pavement, but they were afraid somebody might steal the street.
Aztec Emperor Montezuma Jr. was killed in Mexico City on this day in 1520. His daddy was Montezuma Sr. Nobody liked either Montezuma, and the Aztecs got their revenge by naming a strain of diarrhea after them.
Today is the anniversary of the most mysterious explosion in modern history -- the Great Siberian Explosion. It occurred without warning on this date in 1908 over central Siberia. The flash and so-called "storm of fire" could be seen for hundreds of miles, and then black rain fell in the area for several hours. Seismologists say it was the most powerful explosion in history, even more powerful than the explosion in 1969 -- when practical jokers dumped 200 pounds of fungus spores into the Astrodome's air conditioning system, and 45,000 Weight Watchers simultaneously sneezed.
On this day in 1859 French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Unfortunately, he forgot his passport, and customs officials made him go back and get it.
Today is NOW Day, marking the founding of the National Organization for Women on this date in 1966.
* Today is National Ice Cream Soda Day.
* Today is Go For a Stroll Downtown Day.
* Today is Independence Day in The Congo.
* Today is Armed Forces Day in Guatemala.
* Today is Revolution Day in Sudan.
Birthdays:
boxer Mike Tyson is 40;
Dire Straits' Hal Lindes 53;
singer Fantasia ("American Idol") 22;
actor Brian Bloom 33;
actor Rupert Graves 43;
actress Monica Potter 35;
baseball's Tony Fernandez 44;
basketball's Mitch Richmond 41.
And, finally, it wouldn't be C&J without a poll. Today is payday, and I get to drink some decent beer for a change, instead of Miller and vegetable juice. Name your poison....
.......and cheer and jeer away.