Because my vacation pictures are on my dead-as-a-parrot laptop and I'm on a borrowed machine until my new laptop arrives, I wasn't going to be able to bring you the much-delayed Vacation Pics II diary tonight. The past three days, though... grab a glass of whatever sounds good and follow me below the orange cloud of insanity after a word from our sponsor...
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So on Tuesday, I along with many people changed my Facebook profile pictures to support Planned Parenthood. Specifically, to this one by Anne Savage:
What happened as a result of posting that picture was ugly at best. A friend I've written about before as someone who disagrees with many of my views, and I his, but who has always been capable of rational discourse, went totally off the rails. We'd had a major mess in late summer when he took offense to comments I made about #BlackLivesMatter and went from disagreement to ad hominem attacks and a general spewing of talking points devoid of facts. I had made sure not to include him on my more controversial postings after the Ahmed Mohamed clusterfuck because I really felt his inability to control both his constant stalking of my postings there and his increasingly agitated replies were detrimental to his emotional health. However, when you change a cover picture, Facebook makes it a public post; ie, everyone sees it.
As is so often the case with (usually) right-wing fanatics, their inability to control their actions and reactions manifests in anger at US for "provoking them". And so he ranted on my wall about my 'putting my disgusting picture on his feed', and then did what in essence was a GBCW - he was ::gasp:: unfollowing me and wanted to make sure I was aware of it. His responses degenerated to insulting a number of my friends, including the somewhat ironic declaration that one friend was a "puppet" ... all because he countered Fox lies with pesky facts. In short, he became the angry scared white straight Christian middle-class male caricature
At this point I unfriended him, something I do extremely rarely because I really, really do believe in having a diversity of views present. And he sent a private message that... well. As my former friend is Catholic, let's just say he has a lot of confessing to do.
All this left me depressed at the state of things, where two people sever a friendship because one side is unable to understand the fundamentals of civil discussion. But I had K2's braces coming off today, so I was all set for a happy story, and maybe a set of music about teeth.
And then the news hit about the tragedy in Oregon, where too many lives were lost because part of the population values live ammunition over American lives and the myth of the Good Guy With A Gun trumps all evidence that it's not good guys and bad guys, it's the GUNS.
And I realized I just couldn't do it. Couldn't write a happy diary of tunes and teeth. Because the fact of the matter is there's not a lot to smile about these days. Fetuses are more important than families. Women's healthcare policy is dictated by arrogant misogynistic men who will somehow find ways to 'take care of' any child their Family Values lover on the side (or daughter) conceives. Pharisees go to church on Sunday then strip the poor of their dignity and safety net on Monday.
If you need me, I'll be in my pillow fort coloring, because Adulting is just too much to bear tonite. Albeit with a nice glass of red wine that we'll call grape juice because it's been that kind of week. Care to join me? My incredible colleague BeninSC is taking care of formatting tonight, so shower him with mojo and keep a place for him by the crayons.
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From ZenTrainer:
Another really great comment, from kip945, in a diary about birth certificates and 'religious freedom.' (Ed. note: Just a bit late for last night's diary, but well worth the read!0
From Mopshell:
In yet another wonderful diary from Laura Clawson, Republicans try to walk back comments that Benghazi Committee's aim is attacking Hillary Clinton, We Shall Overcome led off this excellent comment with: "It's Trump's party now -" Please read and recommend - it's well worth it!
From Yours Truly, brillig:
Ranglinlover asks a powerful question in Shaun King's Five Miami jail officers fired for bribing incarcerated teens to brutally assault each other.
labtekjen states the obvious in Laura Clawson's Mass shooting reported at Oregon's Umpqua Community College
Top Mojo for Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you
mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary
FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Yes, disappointing. by TomP +173
2) If only a "good guy" with a gun by wader +145
3) Contempt for the separation of Church and State. by polecat +132
4) Shooting at people fleeing , by indycam +120
5) Go Bernie! by One Pissed Off Liberal +118
6) Sounds like a great example of that old saying by ThePhlebob +117
7) Exhibit A by JekyllnHyde +115
8) it will be SO wonderful by Laurence Lewis +99
9) Looks like a modern police training course. by here4tehbeer +95
10) If only there was a good guy with a gun by indycam +93
11) I can tell you what the local conservatives think by Agasgani +92
12) I saw the announcement on Twitter by Bugsby +90
13) Well, I am a Catholic by Rosalie907 +83
14) Will this be called "Spite Book"? by LaFeminista +79
15) Thanks for updating on this story Shaun by pajoly +75
15) And it is all CLEAN MONEY! by occupystephanie +75
17) i helped! nt by VL Baker +74
18) Yes, you did! Me too! Donating to Sanders is an by Bugsby +71
18) I don't live too far from that gas station. But... by TDDVandy +71
20) NY Observer by LoneStarMike +70
20) Orlando Sentinel LTE by LoneStarMike +70
22) prisons are a form of racial gerrymandering by wu ming +69
23) Maybe "HateBook." eom by d3clark +67
24) I have a deal w NPR, get rid of Mara and by PHScott +66
24) Not good on environmental issues at all. by internationaljock +66
26) "picked up shell casings and left the scene" by CwV +64
26) Get that man a badge post haste! by Slamfu +64
28) this may help by Laurence Lewis +61
29) Vengeance App by LaFeminista +59
30) There is no criminal investigation. by masslib +57
30) This kind of bold action is exactly what we... by Major Tom +57
2015-10-01 Top Comments with Pictures, courtesy of
jotter!