Christmas Is Coming
Posted on: December 21, 2021
Hi Widdershins!
For some odd reason WordPress closed the comments on the previous thread. And it won’t let me reopen them. I don’t know why!
We are fast approaching Christmas and then New Year. 2022 – lord help us. What craziness will 2022 bring. Besides the midterms…. That will be bananas. Oh Trump intends to hold some kind of event on 1/6. Because, obviously. And Putin – it is looking increasingly likely – is going to attack Ukraine again. I have a bad feeling 2022 will be a hot mess. The only good news today is that coal baron Manchin is again talking to Democrats and Biden about BBB. Let us hope at least that passes….
This is an open thread!
110 Responses to "Christmas Is Coming"
December 22, 2021 at 12:12 am
Everybody boosted? Please do get boosted if you haven’t already. We’re seeing evolution in action as the coronavirus mutates to evade prior antibody treatments.
Hospitals scramble as 2 out of 3 antibody treatments fail against omicron
The one such treatment that is still likely to work against omicron is now so scarce that many doctors and hospitals have already run through their supplies. … But even as infections surge and omicron becomes the dominant form of new cases in the United States, some hospitals have begun scaling back the treatments, fearing they have become suddenly useless.
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Rather than look in the blood of COVID survivors, researchers examined the blood of people who had survived the 2003 SARS epidemic, caused by a related coronavirus. They identified an antibody from a SARS survivor that also protected against the coronavirus that caused COVID. That double action suggested that the sotrovimab antibody attached itself to a part of the virus that has changed very little over the course of its evolution. And it would be unlikely to change in new variants, the researchers reasoned.
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Demand for the treatment already outstrips supply. He expects front-line staff to encounter angry patients. “They are going to be dealing with a fearful population of patients who are not able to get what they feel they should get,” he said.
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Vaccinated patients should still do well, he said. But those most likely to be upset will be patients who “didn’t want to get vaccinated but thought, ‘I can trust the monoclonals. If I need them, they’ll be there for me.’”
December 22, 2021 at 1:31 am
White House kitty in January!
The Bidens also had indicated early on that they had plans to adopt a cat, with Jill Biden going so far as to say that one — an apparent female — was “waiting in the wings.” However, no White House cat has yet materialized, much to the chagrin of the president’s feline-loving constituency.
LaRosa [a spokesman for Jill Biden] confirmed Monday that the new cat is a female and said she will join the Bidens in the White House in January.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/12/20/bidens-bring-new-puppy-white-house/
December 22, 2021 at 7:28 am
The Coal Miner’s Union disagreeing with Manchin is hilarious! He hides behind them all the time. They also said they support passing of voting rights legislation!
December 22, 2021 at 7:55 am
Supposedly, Manchin wants to be governor of West Virginia again. If that’s true, having the United Mine Workers of America against you doesn’t seem like a very good political strategy going forward, does it?
May the ghosts of coal miners past visit Joe over the holiday.
December 22, 2021 at 11:09 am
Coal miners union saying the quiet part out loud: “BBB will protect labor and give coal miners a *better* shot at getting jobs in a renewable energy future.”
Shhh! That’s exactly what Maserati Manchin (plus his donors) Do Not Want!
(Seriously: it’s nice he’s got one less straw man to hide behind, but, jeeeeebus, somebody, puh-leeeeze!, make this toad shut up and sit down and disappear.)
December 22, 2021 at 7:13 pm
Man-chin is a moderate Rethug.
He just pretends to be a Dem but doesn’t mind derailing the Dem and Biden’s agenda and making sure that the Rethugs have the best chance of taking over the House.
December 23, 2021 at 3:11 am
Good one, Luna. Now how about my fave Xmas song this year- maybe it will get stuck in your head like it’s stuck in mine.
December 23, 2021 at 8:37 am
Good news: My cat’s health continues to improve. She has been eating baby food chicken (often through a syringe) but today she ate some big girl food (Fancy Feast Chicken Pâté) all by herself! She has lost quite a bit of weight so I need to get her fattened up.
December 23, 2021 at 8:41 am
@12: Thank you for posting that song! I hadn’t heard it before. I’ve been an Elton John fan since I was in elementary school.
December 23, 2021 at 11:24 am
Beata, that’s wonderful about your cat! Thanks for keeping us updated.
December 23, 2021 at 12:05 pm
Most of us expected more from 2021. The year started with new vaccines that promised to remove the coronavirus cloud hanging over us. And the defeat of former president Donald Trump suggested the threat to our democracy was behind us.
That optimism was premature. The pandemic raged with new variants as an anti-vaccine cult impeded lifesaving measures. The former president instigated a violent insurrection and continues to lead the effort to gaslight the country about the election. The attempted coup set off a nationwide Republican onslaught of state laws to suppress votes and subvert elections. Unhinged House Republicans have winked at political violence and normalized full-throated racism.
…
All that said, the constant doomsday headlines and the public’s bleak outlook disregard bright spots throughout the economic and political landscape. It takes time to turn a country around and squelch a pandemic.
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Unemployment has plummeted to 4.2 percent. The United States leads the world in growth, and wages and corporate profits have soared. The child tax credit cut child poverty in half (hence, ending the credit would amount to policy malpractice).Meanwhile, the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow produced meaningful progress on climate change. America’s alliances are on the mend, the war in Afghanistan is over and we are leading the international response to the pandemic. The U.S.-Australian-British security alliance provides a new and substantial check on China’s regional ambitions (and the spat with France over the United States poaching a submarine deal with Australia is in the rearview mirror). And let’s not forget, President Biden helped broker a quick truce in another Israeli-Palestinian conflict, avoiding a prolonged war.
December 23, 2021 at 2:20 pm
I didn’t even know about Biden putting out yet another Israeli-Palestinian brushfire.
I find the lack of marketing circus in this administration downright refreshing. (Even if it does mean that the media is cross about having to figure out what’s happening.)
December 23, 2021 at 2:37 pm
Beata, happy to hear in the time of year that brings you emotional pain, that hark, your kitty is doing her best to make this a happier time for you.
I hope she continues to improve and brings you more happy days.
December 23, 2021 at 5:56 pm
I had to read 15 paragraphs down from the headline before finding out that a company making tests actually destroyed millions of them. Doesn’t sound like it was Biden’s fault, WaPo.
Inside the administration’s failure to avert a covid testing shortfall
Abbott Laboratories, which makes rapid coronavirus tests, said the company will increase production to 70 million tests in January and can continue to add capacity. …The company drew the ire of the Biden administration over the summer when it destroyed millions of rapid tests and laid off workers amid a lull in demand. Biden officials said they were not aware that Abbott planned to take that step.
December 23, 2021 at 9:03 pm
What cute children Meghan and Harry have.
Little Archie has red hair like his dad and baby Lilibet is really cute too.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/23/uk/harry-meghan-christmas-card-lilibet-intl-scli/index.html
December 23, 2021 at 9:22 pm
@23, They said they donated to various causes, including “organizations supporting paid parental leave in the US.” Lol, was this a subtle slap at US policies compared to the rest of the developed world?
December 24, 2021 at 1:18 am
Luna, I knew several people in WA that told me they got the SAD, but I also met a few people that seemed to revel in the constant winter drizzle. I think I lived there a total of 5 years, and while I don’t remember being really depressed, I was always happy to see Spring and the longer, warmer days. Great news about the Coal Miners telling Manchin what they want. Gorgeous owls.
DYB, amazing about the mormon. I hope other rich religious people follow suit.
Beata, that’s great about your cat, I hope she continues to get better.
December 24, 2021 at 1:31 am
quixote @17, well said! The Biden’s are a breath of fresh air after 4 miserable years of Jabba the Hutt & his nasty cohort.
McMass, very cute video, I’ve never seen it. Thanks for sharing it.
Shadow, you’re right, darling kids and they look so happy. I think they’re better off in Montecito than England.
December 24, 2021 at 1:43 am
We aren’t going anywhere this weekend. Staying safe at home and I’m making my family’s favorite dinner, Makaranada, a Greek spaghetti dish made with chicken instead of meatballs and cloves, allspice & cinnamon instead of oregano and basil. It sounds weird, but tastes amazing. It takes all day to simmer, so I will start it on Sat morning. The dudes are thrilled. I made it in the summer, so they didn’t expect it again so soon! It’s a ton of work, but my leg is doing better, so I thought why not.
December 24, 2021 at 3:00 am
Annie, that sounds delicious!
I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
December 24, 2021 at 3:08 am
We don’t celebrate Christmas so on Saturday we are planning to watch a bunch of 1930’s screwball comedies on DVDs. “The Awful Truth” starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant is my favorite. We want to make it a fun day with lots of laughter.
December 24, 2021 at 12:01 pm
The sudden transformation of the Dump into Mr. Vaccine Advocate has me wondering. Totally out of character if he’s doing it for normal human reasons.
So anybody else here convinced someone told him enough of “his” voters could die before November and jeopardize Repub congress takeover? (Given the lopsided red county mortality we’re seeing.) Because then the investigations of him couldn’t be squelched and he wouldn’t like that.
December 24, 2021 at 3:34 pm
Quixote, I think Dump is running for POTUS!
Got my booster shot this morning. Am starting to feel a bit off right now. I’m afraid I’m going to have side-effects.
December 24, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I don’t celebrate Christmas either. There is a Christmas bird watch and count we might go to at a local park that has forest, open areas, and shoreline so we should have a good variety of birds.
SAD is fairly common here. Around September I start asking patients how they feel when we get into the dark months. They often don’t have a sharp increase in depression but rather what I call the “seasonal hibernation mood” — sleep more, stay indoors, maybe eat more. The organization I work for will cover SAD lights for patients, so I’ll prescribe one for those who need them. Speaking of … I should start using mine again.
Being outdoors helps a lot. Even on a cloudy day, there’s more light outdoors than there is in a brightly-lit indoor room. I like to go hiking, snowshoeing, x-c skiing — though the joke here is there are only 3 sunny weekends per winter.
December 24, 2021 at 3:41 pm
D, take it easy!
Here’s hoping your side effects will be mild and over quickly.
December 24, 2021 at 3:54 pm
Luna, the bird watch sounds like a perfect way to spend Christmas.
It is so dark and gloomy here, the sun seems to be in hiding. I have been extremely tired lately. I spent the whole afternoon taking a nap but I am still tired. My vertigo is really bad. It’s spinning, spinning, spinning even when I am lying down.
December 24, 2021 at 4:14 pm
Vertigo is horrible. And if it doesn’t stop when you’re lying down … augggh!
Wouldn’t it be nice to have Star Trek medicine where they beam a protoplaser at you and at least the symptoms go away. 🙄 We were born 400? (more like 5000!) years too early.
December 24, 2021 at 4:17 pm
@27 Annie, so I did all that. (Not with a phone >( , an actual computer).
Amazed that there can be no hint of what you’re going to see when you look at it normally. 😯 Even when you know what to look for. Clever! 😆
December 24, 2021 at 4:34 pm
I had an interesting morning. The priest from the church in which I was raised came to visit me and gave me the anointing of the sick. He knows that I have converted to Judaism but he still checks up on me from time to time. That’s okay with me. Being a convert is sometimes difficult because it’s like being part of two worlds. You don’t just stop being the person you once were. Anyway, I enjoyed his visit and found the anointing to be comforting. The ritual is familiar to me and that can be important when you are sick.
December 24, 2021 at 5:05 pm
DYB, I sympathize. I felt bad for 2-3 days after my booster and my 2nd vax. Maybe even 4 days. The body gets a threat it has to prepare for, so puts the immune system through boot camp! Rest up.
December 24, 2021 at 5:58 pm
Yes, Beata. When you go to new worlds, the older ones always travel with you.
December 24, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Urgh, vertigo. Awful. Hope you feel better soon.
Ritual has something needed or at least welcomed by us, I think. It’s a way to symbolize what can’t be put in concrete terms, or to acknowledge that.
December 24, 2021 at 9:05 pm
quixote, wadester & I looked at it on my laptop also. It is a pretty cool stunt! I’ve never done twitter on my phone. I tried to do Widdershins on my phone a couple of times but it was really squirrelly.
D, I’m sorry you’re feeling bad. When I got my Pfizer booster, I felt fine the 1st 24 hours, and then awful, like the flu on the second nite. The next morning I felt a bit better, like I was at the end of the flu & let the dudes baby me, and the next day I was fine. I hope you’re much better tomorrow!
December 24, 2021 at 9:18 pm
Beata, hope you also have a great cozy weekend. I have a bunch of Cary Grant DVDs and have the one you mentioned. I’ll pull that out this weekend. We’re planning to watch a lot of movies, and play backgammon.
Luna @44, omigosh, that was amazing. I hope you get to see some interesting birds. I still hope that someday we can all go up to Vancouver BC and see the bird sanctuary.
December 24, 2021 at 9:22 pm
Shadow, hope you and your son have a very pleasant weekend and holiday if you celebrate it.
MB, haven’t seen you on this thread, but sending Wellness Wishes & Happy vibes to you and your family!
And McMass, you also!
Happy Long Winter’s Weekend Off to all Widdershins! ❤
December 24, 2021 at 10:42 pm
Thank you Annie, I hope you and your family have a good time and enjoy your wonderful Makaranada dinner.
I do celebrate Christmas but it’s another upside down pandemic holiday this year. I am invited over our friends house tomorrow but I am planning to drop off a little gift and probably make some Italian cookies for the group and leave. I know they will try to make me stay but several of them have have and have had a ‘cold’ over the past couple of weeks and I am taking no chances of getting any kind of sick. It will be more of a Christmas drive by.
December 24, 2021 at 10:49 pm
DYB I am sorry you are getting kicked in the buns by your booster.
I was somekind of sick by both Moderna shots, and my booster was great for the first 9 hours, then within a half an hour I had a high fever, chills and felt like all my muscles and joints were thrashed. Exactly 48 hours later it was like someone flipped the switch and within 15 minutes all the symptoms were over.
Hang in there, you will feel better soon.
December 24, 2021 at 11:13 pm
48 Oops, some of my friends *have had, and still have* a ‘cold’ for over a week.
Could these all be ‘colds’ or Covid mild symptoms? Since we don’t have much availability to test in a short period of time, I am not taking any chances.
December 24, 2021 at 11:14 pm
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy love your family, friends and pets.
December 25, 2021 at 6:09 am
MERRY CHRISTMAS YA’LL!!!!
On the booster – I am miserable. I’m actually having a worse reaction than I did to the original (all Pfizer.) Didn’t sleep all night, was both extremely cold and stiflingly hot. And everything hurts and I am dying! I’m told for the booster most people are only having symptoms for 1 day. So I’m crossing my fingers!
December 25, 2021 at 6:10 am
Beata, on your vertigo, is it that “inner ear” thing? My mother and sister have had it, everything spins.
December 25, 2021 at 6:58 am
D, no.
My vertigo is caused by an inoperable brain tumor that is pressing against my brainstem and lower cranial nerves. One of the lower cranial nerves in the brain, the 8th cranial nerve (vestibular nerve), controls balance. My 8th cranial nerve has been permanently damaged by my brain tumor (which is located deep inside the brain and is untreatable) so I have constant vertigo.
I am often asked by people who have problems with dizziness or vertigo if they might have a brain tumor? The answer is very likely no. There are many different causes for dizziness or vertigo. Inner ear problems are one common cause. The VAST majority of people who experience vertigo DO NOT have brain tumors! It is rare.
For most people who have dizziness or vertigo, the problem will go away in time or can be treated. Mine cannot.
December 25, 2021 at 7:16 am
Best wishes for your Christmas ! May cheer, goodwill, and peace find a way to your door. Stay safe and drive carefully-some lovely freezing rain here this morning.
And give a big thank you to all frontline workers! We can’t do this without them.
December 25, 2021 at 10:33 am
@57 Beata, thanks for the explanation. I’m sorry it can’t be helped. *hugs*
December 25, 2021 at 10:34 am
@58 MsMass, all the best wishes to you as well!! And indeed, all the frontline workers are our heroes and deserved to be Time’s “Person of the Year” far more than Elon Musk. I mean, sheesh.
I am naturally going to have Chinese food today. Just ordered delivery because I’m feeling too crappy to go to the restaurant.
December 25, 2021 at 11:09 am
Poor DYB! I hope you can sleep this off, and have pleasant dreams.
Agree with you all about Elon Musk! What a ridiculous choice.
December 25, 2021 at 11:42 am
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable day! It’s unusually warm here. Feels more like May than late December. No white Christmas for us.
D, if you have an appetite, that’s a good sign. Hugs to you.
December 25, 2021 at 2:26 pm
I’m told for the booster most people are only having symptoms for 1 day.
Nope. No. Nyet. At any rate you and I, DYB, are not “most people.” My first 2 were Pfizer and booster was Moderna. The fatigue wasn’t as bad with my booster as with the 2nd vax — but the other symptoms were worse. I got my booster on a Mon afternoon, and Thurs I was still feeling bad so texted my boss that that I’d be out one more day, and she said “Do you realize it’s Thanksgiving? Don’t worry; go back to bed.” That’s how bad I still was. Makes one realize how awful it would be to get a medium-level or worse case of Covid.
December 25, 2021 at 3:09 pm
54 |@ DYB
You have the same symptoms I had from my Moderna booster. High fever, chills and hurt everywhere. Sounds like you have a fever too.
Drink lots of fluids, eat something if you can, (I took an Advil), and sleep it off as much as you can.
My symptoms lasted exactly 48 hours and then I felt great.
Hope your symptoms end soon.
December 25, 2021 at 3:42 pm
It doesn’t sound like DYB is experiencing any highly unusual reaction to the vaccine. He should be okay within a few days.
December 25, 2021 at 5:53 pm
Yes, even for us unlucky people who have several days instead of 1 of reaction to the vaccine — it’s temporary.
December 25, 2021 at 5:56 pm
@50, Shadowfax, could be either. This is the traditional cold and flu season, though population-wise there are fewer cases because of masking. A mild case of covid could present similar to the common cold. But anyone with cold or flu symptoms should be at home and not encourage visitors anyway.
December 25, 2021 at 8:37 pm
Thanks everyone! I’ve just been vegetating all day, binge-watching “Bosch” on Amazon. It’s an ok show. Yet I’m still watching. LOL
I am feeling a bit better though. Not as feverish and not as achy, although there is still some of that. But definitely improved!
It is also ridiculously warm in NY. There has been no snow up in the mountains. Or if it snows, it’s also 60 degrees the following week and everything melts. Crazy.
December 25, 2021 at 9:54 pm
Glad you’re feeling better, DYB!
Here we’ve had a few episodes of snow — tiny flakes, melting as they hit the ground, in an otherwise mostly cloudy day. Was predicted to be a record-breaking cold spell coming tomorrow, dropping to -1F. Yikes! Now it’s changed to only 14F. Still verrrrrry cold, especially for here. All next week will be high pressure so continuing very cold with little precip. Maybe I should go ice climbing again, on the baby frozen waterfalls. Haven’t done that for a decade or so and I’ve gotten too lazy in the interim during winters.
This afternoon we went for a walk through woods and down to the shore. A few tide pools above the tide level so we stopped to watch little sculpins and hermit crabs move about. Saw lots of waterbirds and also a sea lion just offshore, floating on its back, then diving, and over again. Signs on the beach warn “Do Not Harass Sea Lions.” Only an idiot would — nearly all sea lions here in winter are males, weighing 500-700 lbs, and they can move very fast if they want to. Now back home, lazing by the wood stove with the cats.
Happy Boxing Day Eve!
December 26, 2021 at 9:16 am
Luna @ 67
You’re right on all counts.
I did end up going inside for a couple of hours when I found out the young woman that was sick actually was able to get tested for Covid and was negative with a cold. I was grateful she was so responsible in easing everyone’s mind.
December 26, 2021 at 9:23 am
Glad to hear you are on the other side of the booster symptoms and recovering quickly. Good time to veg out, under a warm blanket and binge watch a decent tv show with lots of episodes.
Don’t forget your favorite bowl of soup…with chicken broth? 😉
December 26, 2021 at 9:45 am
Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid leader and voice of justice, dead at 90
December 26, 2021 at 12:16 pm
Snow! Woke up to 4″ this morning. Refilled the bird feeder with more seed and defrosted the hummingbird feeder. Amazing that the hummingbirds do OK in this weather.
December 26, 2021 at 3:12 pm
Happy Boxing Day y’all! D, thanks for covering for me. I was out of town on vacation, but am back now and glad to see everyone online!
Beata, sending you hugs and hopes that your vertigo will improve. I’m very happy to hear that your kitty is doing better! Get her some of that fattening kitty food so she can be plump and happy again!
D, sorry you had a bad reaction to the booster. My husband had a similar reaction- was really feeling awful for several days. Then he suddenly felt fine. My booster was fine except that my arm felt like someone hit it with a hammer. I worked through Day 2 (typing on a computer all day) and that proved to be a rather poor idea. 😅
December 26, 2021 at 6:57 pm
MB, good to have you back! I hope your vacation was fabulous. 🙂
DYB, I hope you are continuing to feel better. That sucks.
December 26, 2021 at 8:08 pm
Thanks, PJ! It was very special. Hubby and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. 💖
December 27, 2021 at 5:11 am
Happy anniversary, MB!
I’m glad you were able to have a lovely vacation to celebrate it.
December 27, 2021 at 8:02 am
I think I’m fully better. The symptoms mostly stopped about 48 hrs after the shots and 36 hrs after first appearing. Only a headache remained and that’s now gone too. Well at least that’s done until the next booster! I’m off to visit my parents in Brooklyn today. At least I’ll have some good food.
BTW, do you know if the booster takes 2 weeks to fully take effect like the second dose did?
December 27, 2021 at 9:12 am
I saw somewhere just yesterday (I mean somewhere reputable, but don’t remember where) that after one week you’re almost up to max protection. It does keep increasing some for the next week, but the biggest jump is in the first week.
December 27, 2021 at 9:19 am
@DYB 81 From what I’ve read, the booster’s immunity level goes up in 7 days and peak immunity is reached in 2 weeks.
Enjoy your visit with your parents — and the good food!
Roz in NJ/NYC
December 27, 2021 at 11:46 am
Thanks all! D, enjoy your visit with your parents. I will be seeing my Dad for New Year’s Eve, so I’ll look forward to that. 💖
December 27, 2021 at 3:14 pm
I was reading over at SD about Dump Jr saying the quiet part out loud about how they shouldn’t be following the teachings of Jesus (Little Dump is just now catching on to how Christianity works – maybe it was those family Christmas pictures with assault rifles). Good for you Junior, but you don’t say it out loud! I *laughed* out loud. It’s like when Daddy Dump said the quiet part out loud about abortion. “there has to be some form of punishment” for a woman who has an abortion. Nailed it! Of course it’s all about punishing women, but shhhh about that! And what about the impregnators? The ones responsible for pregnation. Perhaps some punishment for them too? No… Dump thought not.
I find Jesus believers infinitely amusing (when I’m not horrified). Like a long time ago I worked with a lady who was a heavy smoker and also a heavy Christian. Another lady we worked with happened to go to the same Church as smoker lady. So she says… “Why do you smoke? The Church teaches us that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” Smoker lady bristles and then she pulls out the tried and true excuse for everything – Well, she says. We’re all sinners.
I shouldn’t make fun of Junior for being slow on the uptake. Until Trump, I thought holy rollers actually believed (at least in a self-delusional kind of way) what they preached. I thought these uptight hyper social conservatives (you need to be married before you have sex type people) would never go for someone like Trump. Ha! He’s their savior (in addition to Jesus). Hypocrisy is a feature not a bug.
December 27, 2021 at 3:46 pm
I’ve been thinking this month about “political correctness” and “cancel culture”. Around here, it is politically incorrect to be pro-choice, pro-gay, pro teaching CRT (gasp), pro Hillary Clinton (gasp, then choke, trying to catch breath), or godforbid non-Christian. If you live in a red state and you hold such views (openly), you risk being shunned, shamed, shut-out. Red states are ALL ABOUT political correctness and cancel culture.
December 27, 2021 at 11:24 pm
@86, PJ, yep, the ostensibly Christian people (mainly fundamentalists) are fond of praising Jesus the liberal street preacher but not following his actual teachings. “You without sin, cast the first stone.” “Sooner will a camel go through the eye of a needle than a rich man enter heaven.” “Do under others as you would have them do unto you.” I went to a Christian Sunday School as a kid, then realized in my teens I couldn’t believe in a supernatural being. But I can quote scripture, and the RWNJ Xians sure don’t live according to the teachings of Jesus the Christ. Who was Jewish, as far as we can tell from what little evidence there is never intended to start a new religion,
December 28, 2021 at 8:53 am
PJ, I think Junior’s comment was something like: Jesus’ teachings have brought us nothing.
@89 Luna, I suggested that the billionaire who wants to build windowless college corms should start building windowless apartments in Russia.
December 28, 2021 at 9:49 am
Junior is wrong that Jesus has brought them nothing. RWNJ Christians have a lot of power over the Republican Party and over a lot of people’s lives. Jesus brought them power and control.
In a way, Junior is just asking them to be more honest. Ditch Jesus/Christianity in favor of Trumpism. Trump would never say the crap Jesus (supposedly) said. Geezus! In the gospel according to Trump, you hit them back 10 times harder. Greed is GOOD. Money is GOD. Fuck them before they fuck you, etc.
But in practice (the way RWNJs practice Christianity) the two go hand in hand quite nicely. Obviously. Dump had like an 80 to 90 percent approval rating from white evangelicals. They likey likey what they saw. Junior is wasting his time worrying that RWNJ Christians actually care about what Jesus said.
December 28, 2021 at 11:13 am
The epitome of Christianity is Christmas. The difference between a good Christmas and a terrible Christmas (especially for kids) is money. Full stop. We all know it doesn’t make shit difference whether or not you’ve been a good little boy or girl (my younger brother was very naughty and he got presents just like everyone else). My parents had money so we had really good Christmases. I can promise you if those presents were stolen and my Mom tried to cheer us up by singing Christmas carols (like in The Grinch) or talking about the true meaning of Christmas, there would have been ANARCHY.
December 28, 2021 at 12:46 pm
@90, DYB, LOL! My cat makes it a few more paws out the door before turning back. The other one doesn’t even stir to come to the door when it’s cold or snowy out.
We’re in unusually cold conditions here after Christmas, with a few inches of snow. Temperatures in the teens at night, which is breaking records. The main roads are cleared, but Seattle has a lot of hills and side streets are icy. So glad I can work remotely and see patients by telehealth!
December 28, 2021 at 8:25 pm
@87 – absolutely! They are masters of projection. It was Dubya who said, “you’re either with us, or against us.” It was his mantra for the War on Feelings. He told those rubes that he could fight terror and win. He wasn’t outwardly slimy enough for all of them to fall under his spell, though. That took a colossal grifter like Drumpf, plus the brainwashing powers of Facebook.
December 28, 2021 at 8:28 pm
What a tough couple of days. Desmond Tutu. Harry Reid. Anne Rice. John Madden. 2021 is going out with a bang.
December 29, 2021 at 7:03 am
I was flipping through channels last night and it looks like my cable company has added another news channel called NewsNation (I’m not sure when it was actually added). I googled it and supposedly, it is centrist and unbiased… Sure.
So anyway, I paused on it because they were talking about Bette Midler and I’m a big fan. Bette had sent out a tweet about Joe Manchin and WVians that was not very kind. I could tell she was just extremely frustrated with Manchin and she did apologize. Anyway, they were raking Bette over the coals for this tweet.
I don’t know how to post tweets, but here’s what she said:
What Joe Manchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out.
You know my own opinion of WV… The talking heads were saying you can’t reach people by calling them stupid. True. But you can’t reach them by calling them smart either. They already see themselves as smarter than everyone else.
Here’s the thing… white people in WV and KS and other red states dismiss such outside assessments of them. They are perpetual victims and rageaholics so sure they will drink tweets like this right up to get a fix. But it doesn’t *really* bother them. They have a shield that protects them from everything and that shield is White Supremacy. It allows them to feel great about themselves even when things are crumbling around them. And they will continue to rot behind that shield (if not their body, then their soul – or both) until that Big Lie is destroyed for good.
December 29, 2021 at 10:06 am
Bette Midler is the best. And spot on, too, in this case.
By the way, have I mentioned how much I’m in awe of that tragopan? What a bird! I wonder whether it would be happy living on my balcony?
December 29, 2021 at 1:01 pm
Have to agree with Bette Middler.
The US system of 2 senators per state, regardless of population, is undemocratic. The vote of one person in West Virginia counts for more than (just guessing here) 50 people in California or 40 in New York. Yes, I know the historical reason for the system, but it’s not right.
December 29, 2021 at 1:33 pm
I’ll be going offline on New Year’s and not returning. I wanted to let you know rather than just disappear.
I wish you all a healthy and safe 2022. I have enjoyed your company these past years. Take care.
December 29, 2021 at 1:42 pm
Oh Beata! *hugs*
We will miss you so much!!! Wish you nothing but the best!
December 29, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Beata, I’m so sad to hear that. Like DYB said, we will miss you!!!
December 29, 2021 at 4:35 pm
Beata! I will miss you so terribly. I’ve only met you online, but know you have a compassionate heart and a mind of insight. Sending you love. May all be easeful.
Your memory will be as a blessing.
December 29, 2021 at 5:08 pm
Beata, of the True Name, may the wind be at your back after this hard time. God speed! I’ll be thinking of you and missing you, like everyone else here.
December 29, 2021 at 5:18 pm
Beata, I will miss you so much. Sending you, your SO and your kitty so many hugs. Take care of yourself!!
December 30, 2021 at 7:27 am
I’m so glad Maxwell was found guilty. Based on her reaction, she probably felt she was home free.
The courage of the women who come forward in these trials is truly monumental. I am so thankful for their strength and perseverance.
Comments are closed.
The Widdershins 
December 21, 2021 at 8:18 pm
I saw the “comments closed” on the last thread and kept waiting to see the new thread thread get posted. Technology!
Tonight is the longest night of the year, and tomorrow the days begin growing longer. I feel if I’ve made it this far, I can last until spring. Seasonal Affective Disorder is very common up here in the Northwest, where it’s grey and lightly raining from late October until … oh, about late April.
Blessed Solstice, and may the growing days bring renewal of common good sense, and confusion to Trump and Putin.
Here’s an eerie and beautiful midwinter canticle, composed by Jan Garbarek with bass legend Eberhard Weber.