Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[not guilty]

Mike Huckabee's boneheaded comments on Israel's entitlement to lands from the Nile to the Euphrates Rivers are continuing to draw negative feedback. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/22/us-says-ambassadors-comments-on-israel-and-the-middle-east-were-taken-out-of-context-00792618

The book of Genesis is a poor foreign policy manual.

[Sam Bankman-Fried]

Sharon withdrew from Gaza and it wasn’t enough. Hamas is a death cult that will never be satisfied until they get their wish—sweet nothingness.

[Frank Drackman]

No Homo, but Sammy, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful Friendship.
Hmm, that did sound a little Homo-y.
With peoples like LexusAqafina's Boy Crush Mayor Man-Damn-He in power I'll take my friends where I find them.

Frank

[Moderation4ever]

But Huckabee's comments did not limit themselves to Gaza or West Bank and that is the big problem.

[Dr. Ed 2]

Huckabee’s comment is the appropriate response to this “from the river to the sea” bullshyte.

And what is wrong with the use of the Christian Bible in a world that is increasingly insisting on the use of the Koran? Fuck Islam, Fuck Allah, this is a Christian nation, it has always been a Christian nation, and those who don’t like it a free to enjoy their civil rights in the Islamic world.

[Frank Drackman]

Wow, is this really Dr. Ed 2??, maybe you guys should get Blizzards more often, you're not threatening Thermonuclear Destruction upon somebody.
Only one Bone to pick with you,
It's "Judeo-Christian" as your Saviour Rabbi Jesus H. Christ will tell you when you arrive at the Pearly Gates and find out you picked the wrong door.
I win the Eldorado, you get the Steak Knives, and Man-Damn-He and his Ilk get fired.

Frank "And for the Buddhists, you get our Home Version of Judaism...."

[Moderation4ever]

In a region as sensitive as the Mideast you need smart people who know when and what to say, Huckabee not one of them. This is a unforced error and did not need to happen. Sec. Rubio should be reminding Huckabee to watch his words.

[Commenter_XY]

VC Conspirators in Philly/NYC/Boston Metro....be careful today. Snowfall accumulations are substantial.

[Dr. Ed 2]

No. Global Warming and the accumulations are already starting to be significant, the plows are already starting to get stuck.

YES! Let’s see the incompetent blue state governors dig their way out of this one. And as to FEMA, it’s part of Homeland Security and does shut down by the Democrats — a point I hope that President Trump makes when these Democrat Governors start asking for FEMA money.

It’s a wet snow, the wind starting to build, this is gonna bring down power lines, and that is going to suck.

[Frank Drackman]

You guys are Pussies, at Minot AFB ND in 1974 we got worse than that, and not only still had Screw-el, we WALKED the 20 Miles.
OK, it was more like 1/2 a mile, still sucked.
Besides the 6 feet of Snow, it was cold as Fuck, the HIGH was below Zero, that's when you know it's cold.
Boston is 30F as I type this, we played Baseball in worse conditions.

Frank "What happened to my Ears???? Everyone in North Dakota's Ears look like that"

[Mr. Bumble]

The comments above were provided by C...XY for those of you without a radio (even a Newsmax emergency radio), television,
or even a window.

[Stephen Lathrop]

On the Northeast weather situation I feel the kind of letdown you get when you win a previously promising poker hand against weak opposition. Based on attention invested in the forecasts, I thought I had pot odds on a 27-inch snowpocalypse. At one point I was promised 4-inches-per-hour for several hours, which would be a spectacle I would gladly pay with shoveling to see. No such luck. Looks like I am in line for a measly 13-inch payout, if that. And I remain at risk for a big loss from an extended power outage which my flickering lights seem to threaten.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I can’t even see out my windows, the snow is sticking to them.
I can hear the wind howling.

[Mr. Bumble]

Poor you.
Who cares?

[Frank Drackman]

I rise to Second Mr. Bumble's remarks.

[Brett Bellmore]

I suggest you take a vacation in Copper Harbor, MI, if you like heavy snowfalls that much. Approaching 300" of snowfall a year, but the year I first went to college up there they had a record 355".

[Frank Drackman]

And you probably still have hordes of Mosquitos, that's my one memory of (Upper) Michigan.
And looks like Copper Harbor is the Uppity-est part of Upper Michigan.
My Dad's Squadron would occasionally send B-52's to some Air Force Base in Upper Michigan, was supposed to fool the Roosh-uns, they'd take off from Minot at night, fly to Michigan and stay for a week, then fly back.
They loved the Balmy conditions compared to North Dakota.

Frank

[Brett Bellmore]

I can confirm the mosquitos. You'd think the cold would kill them off, but no such luck.

K. I. Sawyer. It was converted into an airport back in '95.

My alumni group would get their cracked magnesium wheels, and every 4th of July have the only midnight beach bonfire with mandatory SPF 60 sunscreen and welding goggles. Could be seen by ships 40 miles off shore.

You'd be amazed how far away from that fire you could roast marshmallows.

[Malika la Maize]

Feb. 22, 2026
Updated 1:44 p.m. ET

Russia pounded Ukraine’s power grid on Sunday with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least one man in Kyiv, the capital, even as negotiators for both countries prepared for another round of peace negotiations in the coming days.

Explosions in the western city of Lviv killed a police officer, although it was not clear if Russia was behind those attacks.

Ukraine will mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Tuesday, days after the latest round of U.S.-mediated negotiations in Geneva concluded with little concrete progress.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/world/europe/ukraine-russia-attacks-lviv.html

June 24, 2023. Speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, DC.
“Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled. I’ll have it done in 24 hours. I say that, and I would do that. That’s easy compared to some of the things – I’d get that done in 24 hours.

[Mr. Bumble]

You sound like one of those infomercials that repeat the phone number a dozen times.

[Malika la Maize]

Trump repeated this recklessly stupid promise over 50 times. He’s 400 days past due on it.

[Dr. Ed 2]

If there are a few less people such as yourself in the fifth column, if people said it yourself had remembered that Pat’s ship needs to end the waters edge, he would’ve been able to do it.

[Malika la Maize]

lol, Trump can never fail in his mad boasts, he can only be failed!

[Dr. Ed 2]

Whatever.

[Frank Drackman]

It's like when somebody drops a gallon jar of Mayonnaise at Kroger, the Manager says "we'll take care of it in a minute" but you smell that Shit for days.
Sleepy Joe's Foreign Policy is the shattered gallon jar of Mayonnaise, and "45/47/(48?)" is the Pimply Faced Kid cleaning it up.
Might take a while.
and as the Late/Great Otter told Flounder,
"You Fucked Up! You Trusted Him!!!"

Frank

[Malika la Maize]

Trump would be the manager here, ya goof. And I never believed him, only MAGA toadies did.

[Frank Drackman]

Good catch Queenie, I got caught up in the Archimedes-esque Genius of my Anal-ology and submitted my comment before it vanished into the Luminiferous Ether. (I lose more things in the Luminiferous Ether)
Little embarrassing explaining to the Desk Clerk at the Hampton Inn why I'm running around naked, yelling "Eureka".

Frank "Officer, you see, it's all the Luminiferous Ether's fault"

[Malika la Maize]

Her testimony put her at the center of an extraordinary legal experiment unfolding in Oklahoma, where a new state law, the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, passed in 2024, offers prisoners like her a chance at freedom. Under the law, a domestic-violence victim who is serving time can petition for a reduced sentence, which the law mandates if a judge decides that the abuse she endured was a “substantial contributing factor” to her crime….

Not everyone in Oklahoma supported the proposed law for domestic-abuse survivors. Prosecutors warned that the statute encouraged exaggerated or bad-faith claims that would be difficult to disprove years after the fact. The law, they argued, opened a Pandora’s box — one in which potentially anyone who had suffered violence could seek a lesser punishment.

Pushback from elected district attorneys led to changes in the bill; cases involving death sentences were excluded. It would take two legislative sessions and a sustained effort by a bipartisan coalition to pass a version lawmakers could agree on. The Oklahoma Survivors’ Act was signed into law in May 2024…

But its passage did not quiet criticism from the state’s district attorneys. They would play a central role in how the law was applied, because they had the authority to oppose any applications they believed were unfounded. Prosecutors could challenge a survivor’s account of abuse or argue that it played no meaningful role in the crime. A judge would make the final determination, but the law’s promise of sentence reduction would depend, in part, on the discretion of prosecutors.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/magazine/oklahoma-domestic-violence-survivors-act.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

[Mr. Bumble]

The devil made her do it.

[Mr. Bumble]

I forgot the H/T to the late, great Flip Wilson.

[Frank Drackman]

Wonder if Flip got any residuals when Pontiac named one of their GTO Models "The Judge"???

[Dr. Ed 2]

What’s gonna be interesting? Will be Trump‘s attack on Rhino Roberts and ACB, in terms of them (a) being terrified of the radical left, and (b) being in bed with Globalists who do not have America’s best interest at heart.

It’ll be really interesting to see what he says at tomorrow’s state of the union address. And one of it more than just being chummy with foreign interest? I know that sitting congressman can be arrested because they have been, it’s DOJ policy dating back to Nixon. The president can’t be. Can a SCOTUS just just be arrested for taking bribes?

[LexAquilia]

lol it's all over everywhere that Gov Newsom was claiming he was just like his black audience with his "480 credit score". lol wow I'm surprised he didn't say "76 IQ score"

[Frank Drackman]

You'd accept both if the 14" Penis came with it.

[Dr. Ed 2]

And the prostate cancer?

[Frank Drackman]

You can have the Cancer, I'll take the 14" Penis (wow, that came out wrong)
I mean, I wouldn't mind having a 14" Penis, the 24" one I have now causes so many awkward moments.

Frank

[Michael P]

And a 960 SAT score, apparently. Did he also claim to be the victim of systemic racism and constantly targeted by police on the basis of his skin color? How far do the similarities extend?

[Malika la Maize]

Editors sampled the syrups side by side, scoring them on taste, texture, and overall experience using a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. After everyone ranked their picks, we tallied the results to find the winner.

The Contenders
* Log Cabin Original Syrup
* Millville Original Pancake Syrup (ALDI)
* Favorite Day Original Pancake Syrup (Target)
* Dolly Parton's Original Syrup
* Hungry Jack Original Syrup
* Publix Syrup, Original
* Mrs. Butterworth's Original Pancake Syrup
* Pearl Milling Company Country Rich Homestyle Syrup
* Great Value Original Syrup (Walmart)

Mrs. Butterworth's is the winner of our pancake syrup taste test. Our editors liked how well-rounded this one was in both flavor and consistency. It had a classic maple taste with a good thickness, perfect for coating a stack of pancakes.

https://www.southernliving.com/pancake-syrup-taste-test-11907119

[Frank Drackman]

C'mon Queenie,
You know you loved Aunt Jemima (Who didn't?? yeah right, nobody in this "Conspiracy" ever had Aunt Jemima Syrup on their Pancakes or Waffles)
Of course Aunt Jemima got 86'd (HT J. Comey) replaced by "Pearl Milling "Country Rich Homestyle".
I used to put Aunt Jemima on my Waffles (with Land of Lakes Butter of course) Uncle Ben's Rice, then have some Eskimo Pies for Desert.

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

All losers in my book. I get real maple syrup from a family farm located in the Adirondacks.

[Frank Drackman]

You know it's just Walmart's "Great Value" Brand in a different bottle.

[Mr. Bumble]

"CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CELLULOSE GUM, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE), SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVE), SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE."
Mmmmmm.
I'll stick with mine from the Parker Family.
They also have great maple sugar candy.

[John F. Carr]

The EU is concerned about the future of last year's tariff agreement with America, which doesn't work unless Trump has authority to set tariffs in his discretion. Other trade deals are also affected.

https://www.reuters.com/business/eu-says-it-will-accept-no-increase-us-tariffs-after-supreme-court-ruling-a-deal-2026-02-22/

[John F. Carr]

A single judge of the Third Circuit stayed most of the injunction to restore slavery exhibits in Philadelphia. A motions panel will decide whether to promote the administrative stay to a regular stay. The briefing schedule allows a decision as early as May.

In my opinion the District Court injunction was both premature and overly broad, except to the extent it required removed exhibits to be preserved pending a final resolution. The parties had previously agreed to pursue mediation before heading to court. The harm is not irreparable. The preemptive order to clear snow from the President's House Site is outside the scope of the complaint.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/presidents-house-injunction-stay-slavery-exhibits-20260220.html

[Michael P]

A funny thing happened on the way to the ("jungle primary" governor race) polls in California: two Republicans are in the lead.

https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/governor/general/2026/california/open_primary

[Moderation4ever]

I read a couple of disturbing newspaper articles recently about prenatal care dropping in the US. For a country that that offers cutting edge medical care our material mortality rate and infant death rate are closer to third world countries. Drops in prenatal care are likely to make this worse. With HSS's drop in support for vaccinations and lower prenatal care I see a country that is dropping the ball on the young. All this talk of having more babies doesn't mean much if you don't take care of those children from the start.

[Moderation4ever]

Another disturbing article in my morning newspaper, The Wisconsin State Journal, is about the drop in criminal prosecutions. The Trump administration's prioritization of immigrants is causing prosecutors to resign. Those that chose to stay find their attention diverted from important cases. It is again the lack of prioritization to focus on real criminals and instead just making immigration a quota system. The Trump administration is prioritizing removing the undocumented preschool teacher over the home grown drug dealer.