Open Thread May 18, 2023

Yesterday, like most of the rest of the world, I learned about Martha Stewart being on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. Having cordially disliked Ms. Stewart for decaded for personal reason (she stiffed my cousin’s boyfriend), I can’t be impartial, so I’ll leave it at that. It’s not that important. But Jesse Watters saying the quiet part out loud – yes, he really said that the GQP needs to be able to blackmail the FBI – that’s noteworthy.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Daily Beast – GOP Oversight Chair Says He’s Lost Track of His Biden Corruption Informant
Quote – On Wednesday, Comer—the chairman of the House Oversight Committee—held a much-hyped press conference in which he promised to expose the preliminary findings of four months’ worth of scrutiny into the Biden family’s business dealings. Publicized as a “judgment day” for President Joe Biden, the conference ultimately proved anticlimactic, largely consisting of Comer throwing around vague, unsubstantiated accusations and failing to link the president to any of his relatives’ alleged “influence peddling.” But on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures, Comer offered up what appeared to be a partial excuse: The probe’s primary informant had flown the coop.
Click through and try to keep a straight face. IMO it’s not hard to see that this “informant” never existed.

Crooks & Liars – Ukraine Sending Messages On Their Bombs Too (hanky alert?)
Quote – This has been going on for a while now but seems to be getting a lot more organized…. As always, check out any organization first before sending your $50 or whatever…. Thousands of messages have been sent, ranging from the sardonic to the bitter, among them one from Valentyna Vikhorieva, whose 33-year-old son died in the war. “For Yura, from Mom,” Ms. Vikhorieva asked an artillery unit to write on a shell. “Burn in hell for our children.”
Click through for story. I don’t know whether ths will hit everyone the way it hit me, but I put up an alert just in case. The funds raised are going to support Uktaine and that’s a good thing. But the human suffering and the waste of life represented just got to me.

Food For Thought