Remember, crashing your cardboard drone into the police drone is bad, so make sure you do it over and over and over until the cop drone burns up.

gosh!
Piddles
looks just
like the trumpfster!
(aren't they the Same person?)

who (fittingly) replaced his
flea-infested Marmot
with a Crown!

plus he can SING?
whoa! he's now
got MY Vote.*

they're like Pinatas, @Will

or maybe moving Targets
who (so Far) Never
shoot back!

*Unless:

smokin' Joe
can belt one out
like the decrepit derelict
who stumbled into the Dive
Bar in Suquamish on karaoke nite
& proceeded to Belt Out a 'My Way' that

Brought The House DOWN.

till then he's just gonna
Hafta Earn My Vote.

just jokin' haters

(& the "d"nc
Knows it).

the praying mantis
cum footsball coach
kneels before the patriarchy
with GOD on His Side so what
Hope do opposing teams even Have?

Jesus weeps
whilst Our Future
bashes their young
heads against each other

if ONLY
we'd teach
them Civics!

but then they're
not nearly so
Malleable.

Florida mom seeking hitman to kill her 3 yr old son, is only 18. And presumably not super bright, if she chose a parody hitman website. There's a whole lot of tragedy there, and I don't think all the blame lies with the young woman.

@5: the former bank robber i know did the same. he definitely didn't feel like a slave - it gave him a sense of purpose. he kept doing it when he was released.

I'm trying to be upset about the Fentanyl ODs but 2 per day seems about right considering how many shambling addicts I see daily.

Nathalie, you do realize that wildland firefighting is popular among inmates, and more wish they could do it also. But as with most misguided progressive ideas, I'm sure the practice will be banned eventually, making inmates' lives even more miserable rather than less. Oh, and it will contribute to worse wildfires, too.

Seems as though fighting wildfires would be the first time some of the inmates made a positive contribution to society and could be the thing that helps them decide to make better choices.
As for the fentanyl deaths, the users can’t be arrested and they can’t be forced into treatment.
What did people expect would happen?

Hey wait, I thought one of the stated reasons we can't arrest junkies and tweakers stealing shit to feed their habits is that we don't have prison space. Except we apparently do. Which we should just close. Because we aren't arresting people.

Be-de, be-de, be-de...Thaaaaat's all folks! (Queue's "Looney Tunes" theme).

What is it with these Jesus-freak, self-promoting attention whore football coaches? What if — hypothetically— an opposing coach prayed with his players before the same game? Do these Christian bizarros think their Jesus sits up in heaven just waiting for their football prayers (Oh Lord please grant us the strength tonight to mash our opponents like the little bugs they are...Oh & how about a thousand-fold financial blessing for ME, their brilliant coach?). Does Jesus interrupt His poker game with the Angels just in time to grant the freaky football coach’s wishes?

Anyone with half a brain knows that Christianity is the biggest fraud in history — and that the Church of the SubGenius™ is the only true religion. I invite this weirdo coach to join us as we Praise J.R. “Bob” Dobbs™, the Only True Deity. And for a short time, we are offering a special bonus: Eternal Life Or Triple Your Money Back™. Can Christianity do that? Didn’t think so. But hurry Coach, this offer ends at midnight tonight! PRAISE BOB HALLELUJAH!!!

How much are the imprisoned firefighters being paid? If it's not at least minimum wage, then it is indeed a form of slavery.

hopefully
el trumpfster'll
choose the Wildfire
Fighting as an Option

Lock Him UP!
but let him
fight the
fires he
prolly
Caus-
ed.

if he'd put in
one whole Season
(year-round these days)

he'd go a long ways in
earning any Respect.

hell
that might
even be Enough
for a gott-damm Pardon.

Nat, Dear, you might want to read The Stranger. https://www.thestranger.com/features/2020/02/26/42971323/hilary-franz-does-epic-shit

@12 - Being in prison means you don't get to enjoy the same benefits as law-abiding citizens outside prison; that's why it's prison. The fact that they're paid anything is more of a consideration for them than the vast majority of criminals held in prisons throughout the rest of the world.

But despite being "slaves" (A few black Americans pre-1865 would like a word with you about that characterization), it's still one of the most popular...if not THE most popular...programs in prison. But yeah, progressives know best what's good for them (rather than they themselves), so let's ban it.

"Readers, every day the Stranger's crack team of reporters scours the Twitter feeds of reputable news organizations to bring you the stories you need to confirm your priors! Please enjoy today's selection, wherein we identify the town of Coffee City, Texas (population 250) as a compelling case study of a municipality where "de-fund the police" might actually make sense."

To follow on the discussion about prison inmates helping to fight wildfires, I generally have a favorable impression of the practice. I view it as a way for the inmates to get themselves on the right track and make a positive contribution to society.

But that might just be shaped by my having watched "Fire Country" on CBS. Inmates fighting wildfires is the whole premise of that show. I'm not into scripted drama, and prime-time network TV has passed me by, but boy, that's a great show. Compelling character development; beautiful settings; and some edgy, ambitious soundtrack choices.

I think I'm digressing now.

let's not stop at
conscripting wildfire
fighters -- let's go Whole
Hawg & REQUIRE Two Years
of Service to the USofA @18 years

with ZERO Exemptions
even if you're Filthy
fucking Rich or
Dirt fucking
poor

if you've a Working
Brain then you're Already
Signed Up! mingle with the
Very Folks you're so very Terrified!
of -- when you Solve Problems together

you'll soon Realize
they're dividing US for
a Very Good Reason -- they'll
NOT have you Looking Up where
you'll see the Puppet Masters behind
their proverbial Gilded Curtain. Remember:

we out-Number by about
95 to ONE. those
are some Pretty
damn Good
odds.

@19 Yep, which is why the Seattle hard lefties continue to demand policies that don't impact the 5%.

Upzone everywhere!!!! (But don't point out that private HoA contracts are excluded)
No Sweeps!!! (But don't point out that gated communities and private HoA security and contracts are excluded)
Equity in School, kill gifted programs!!! (Willfully ignore expensive private schools are not impacted)

I could continue. As long as you lefties de facto target the middle class, no amount of shouting Billionaires or 5% is going to go very far. Nor should it. Try ACTUALLY targeting them for a refreshing change.

Two Years Service!

with ZERO Exemptions
even if you're Filthy
fucking Rich or
Dirt fucking
poor.

what am I missing
@19, aramis?

@6
A well-positioned gator would do it for free! It’s Florida, after all!

I'm a little confused by the firefighting piece, above: Using incarcerated people to fight fires is an interesting issue to discuss, but it doesn't really relate to the proximity to wildfires of where they are incarcerated, does it? Franz is objecting to closing the current prison and moving prisoners to a larger facility, when the smaller facility has some benefit, as I read it. I would like to know more, however, about how and why prisoners are chosen to join firefighting teams. That seems to me to be a separate issue.

Another POS relocates to Florida. Good riddance.

@23 for inmates who volunteer, the programs offers sentence reductions and more comfortable prison accommodations. Inmates who have been convicted of crimes like sexual offenses and arson are not eligible to volunteer. Also note, they don’t actually fight fires - they provide support (think clearing brush, mop up work, etc.).

And although they’re not paid the same rates as the general public, they do get the same training which can qualify them for future employment (granted not with traditional fire department - the criminal records are a disqualification).

But please progressives, keep referring to this as slave labor and watch the programs get shutdown (that should really help the inmates).

Precious Lord,
I take a knee,
Just for you, not for me
I love show,
I love food,
I love cash.

Kick this ball,
Throw a pass,
Score a goal,
I’m full o’ gas,

Take my ball,
Precious Lord,
Make us win.

Now where is Dane, my chauffeur? I told him emphatically to pick me up here at the Supreme Court right after the prayer breakfast with Clarence, Sam, John, and Amy. I need to get back to my room at the Trump International in time to watch Joel Osteen (changed from Ostein). Plus, I have a 3 o’clock meeting with Mike Curb and Pat Boone. We’re talking about a national campaign to get prayer back in the classroom before it’s too late!

Always, always, always be leery of people who make theater out of their religion and/or patriotism.

Coach Jesus left for Florida? Good. Now I'd love to see him break the club record, theoretically.
The first eight will be unbelievable hole-in-one shots, as the sky opens up to dramatic thunderclaps, lightning flashes, wind gusts, and buckets of rain. The club administrator approaches, suggesting that they come back later, and wait until this cools off. Comically inept groundskeeper-turned-caddy Carl Spackler urges Coach Jesus to finish the game, with just the 9th hole left:
"I'd keep on playing. I don't think the heavy stuff is going to come down for quite a while."
Spackler removes the 9th hole flag and backs away for Coach Jesus's final putt, which of course, misses.
"OH, RAMPARTS!!!" yells Coach Jesus, before getting struck by lightning.
Prays Jesus!

@18 SwampThing, @25 Jexpat, and @27 Bauhaus I: I share your thoughts and feelings.

Shit. Now Griz has to watch Caddyshack.

moving along

here's thee most Progressive Leftist
I know -- and I believe right Here
he's Correct as Hell

Our Collective Trauma is
the Road to Tyranny

American society spawns trauma and this trauma expresses itself in a variety of self-destructive pathologies, including the erosion of democracy and rise of neo-fascism.

Corporate capitalism, defined by the cult of the self and the ruthless exploitation of the natural world and all forms of life for profit, thrives on the fostering of chronic psychological and physical disorders.

The diseases and pathologies of despair — alienation, high blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, depression, morbid obesity, mass shootings (now almost two per day on average), domestic and sexual violence, drug overdoses (over 100,000 per year) and suicide (49,000 deaths in 2022) — are the consequences of a deeply traumatized society.

The core traits of psychopaths — superficial charm, grandiosity and self-importance, a need for constant stimulation, a penchant for lying, deception, manipulation and the inability to feel remorse or guilt — are celebrated.

The virtues of empathy, compassion and self-sacrifice, are belittled, neglected and crushed. The professions that sustain community, such as teaching, manual labor, the arts, journalism and nursing, are underpaid and overworked.

The professions that exploit, such as those in high finance, Big Pharma, Big Oil and information technology, are lavished with prestige, money and power.

“The fact that millions of people share the same vices does not make these vices virtues, the fact that they share so many errors does not make the errors to be truths, and the fact that millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane,” Eric Fromm writes in The Sane Society.

The classic works on trauma by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. Judith Herman state bluntly that what is accepted as normal behavior in a corporate society is at war with basic human needs and our psychological and physical health.

Huge segments of the American public, especially the tens of millions of people who have been discarded and marginalized, endure chronic trauma. Barbara Ehrenreich in “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America” describes the life of the working poor as one long “emergency.”

This trauma is as destructive to us personally as it is socially and politically. It leaves us in a state of dysphoria where confusion, agitation, emptiness and loneliness define our lives. Whole segments of American society, especially the poor, have been rendered superfluous and invisible. As Dr. van der Kolk writes, “trauma is when we are not seen and known.”

“Our culture teaches us to focus on our personal uniqueness, but at a deeper level we barely exist as individual organisms,” Dr. van der Kolk notes.

Trauma numbs our capacity to feel. It fractures our self. It disconnects us from our bodies. It keeps us in a state of hyperarousal. It makes us confuse our desires, often artificially implanted by the consumer society, with our needs.

Traumatized people view the world around them as hostile and dangerous. They lack a positive image of themselves and lose the capacity to trust.

Many replace intimacy and love with sexual sadism, which is how we became a pornified culture. Trauma creates what the psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton calls a “counterfeit” world defined by phantom enemies, lies and dark conspiracies. It negates a sense of purpose and a life of meaning.

--Chris Hedges

tonnes more
Brilliantly:
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/our-collective-trauma-is-the-road

does Chris bat 1.000?
does ANYOne?

*GO EMS!
[baseaball)
[being bery
bery GOOD! to
Seattle Right Now!]

@30 - 'Drop, although I find the Sisters somewhat scary, they are no way scarier than a mean nun or indeed, theocracy.

And I never associated them with hawking religious beliefs. They are parodic. The Catholic hierarchy and its supporters get their panties in a bunch over the Sisters because they offer a critique of Catholic tradition and authority - the authority clerics espouse in hopes of making people believe priests and nuns are holier - closer to god - than everyone else.

They are? Maybe that's why they get to sit down to a standing rib roast dinner every night while enjoying several glasses of the finest scotch or bourbon money can buy. Oh, and for the record? They don't fuck. Perpetual indugence begins at home.

I hope you did some stretches before attempting that leap, Raindrop dear. At your age, you could injure yourself.

@31 kristofarian and @33 Catalina Vel-DuRay for the WIN!!!!

Sounds like that coach needs to understand the words of this guy:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”

Problem solved!

@31 through @35 thank you!
And happy Labor Day to all!

@37
The Catholic Church can put up with critique, just as the rest of us do, as people have the right to express their views (with the obvious exception of advocating violence).
In the case of the Roman Catholic Church it was called the Reformation.

It was a pre-game awarding of the Dodgers' Community Hero award at Dodger Stadium on Pride Night just to be clear. If you go to any Pride event or Pride Day or Night, you probably should, unless you're a moron, expect it to be gay to the max. That's how we roll.

Let's cut a deal. We won't protest when you go to mass, and you won't protest when we go to our festivities (which is our church).

be kinda fucking Fun
to have The Pope
show up at Gay
Festivities*

Celebrating
Diversity of Thought
Lifestyles Acceptance
of those previously an
Anathma to The Church

and to 'our' current
formerly-Supreme
religulous Ct.

*with
Lipstick?

It's encouraging to see a dusting of snow on Mount Rainier---even if only at the 10,000 foot level.
If only heavy snowfall could stay in the mountain ranges where skiers and snowboarders are so happily willing to flock to, and spare the populated areas the seasonal headaches of winter traffic pileups, landslides, and floods.

@22 pat L: I agree with @6 originalcinner about the 18 year old Florida mom's hiring a hit man to murder her 3 year old son as tragic. We have more guns than U.S. citizens. I blame RepubliKKKans and the NRA for this insanity.
Meanwhile, I've been wondering about ol' Wally Gator and his kin lately.
True justice would have the golf-playing Orange Turd eaten and crapped out by an alligator as Babyface Donnie's pigpen hideout, Mal-a-Tardo* (* thank you, kristofarian, for a more apt description!) crumbles into the Atlantic.