(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Cheers and Jeers: Thursday [1] ['Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags', 'Showtags Popular_Tags'] Date: 2023-02-16 Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, February 16, 2023 Note: Today's column contains nothing about balloons. You're welcome. - By the Numbers: 7 days!!! Days 'til Mardi Gras: 5 Days 'til the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo in Denver: 7 Number of schools by which New Jersey will expand Advanced Placement African American Studies courses next year, up from one now: 26 Percent chance that Senator Dianne Feinstein is running for reelection, according to Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office: 0% Value of the 220 planes Air India is buying from Boeing: $34 billion Total economic impact of the Boeing deal, which will support 1.47 million direct and indirect jobs: $70 billion Expected high in Portland, Maine today: 55 F - Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment: Bush, Cheney and Co. will continue to play the patriotic bully card just as long as you let them. I've said it before: War brings out the patriotic bullies. In World War I, they went around kicking dachshunds on the grounds that dachshunds were "German dogs." They did not, however, go around kicking German shepherds. The MINUTE someone impugns your patriotism for opposing this war, turn on them like a snarling dog and explain what loving your country really means. That, or you could just piss on them elegantly, as Rep. John Murtha did. Or eviscerate them with wit (look up Mark Twain on the war in the Philippines). Or point out the latest in the endless "string of bad news." Do not sit there cowering and pretending the only way to win is as Republican-lite. If the Washington-based party can't get up and fight, we'll find someone who can. —January, 2006 - Puppy Pic of the Day: C&J’s rescue lab-mix Haley, lovingly captured by kiddie pool splasher/lurker Patricia Cole. (See the photo its based on here.) Thanks, Pat! - CHEERS to listening to us dirty f*cking hippies. We'll file this under "elections have consequences," and then fall on our knees to thank The Voters for allowing Democrats to keep control of the Senate. Gold stars all around, especially to majority leader Chuck Schumer, who heeded the words of the rabble: Judges, Judges, Judges. The Democratic-led Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s 100th federal judge Tuesday, marking a milestone for the president and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. On pace for 200 confirmed judges by 2024. The two Democrats have made it a priority to reshape U.S. courts with judges who tend to be younger, liberal and more diverse — both in terms of race and ethnicity, as well as professional experience — than the current bench, a project aided by Democrats expanding their Senate majority in the 2022 midterm election. On Monday, the Senate confirmed Cindy Chung to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, making her the first Asian American to serve on that court. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 54-45 to make Gina Méndez-Miró a district court judge in Puerto Rico; the nomination passed a key test vote that indicates she has the necessary support to be confirmed and will become Biden’s 100th confirmed judge. 69 district court judges. 30 circuit court judges. And one helluva Supreme Court justice. The most diverse slate ever, and it'll be doubled over the next two years. History will judge Dark Brandon and Geppetto…kindly. CHEERS to America's top brass assessing the welts on Russia's ass. To coin a phrase popular over here: "mistakes were made." And according to our top general, Vladimir Putin really stepped in a puddle of day-old borscht when he decided that invading Ukraine for no valid reason whatsoever would be a swell walk in the park: A little less than a year since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has “lost strategically, operationally, and tactically,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said from Brussels on Tuesday. Gen. Milley uses The Force to pour a glass of water from the back of the room during a press briefing. “Putin thought he could defeat Ukraine quickly, fracture the NATO alliance, and act with impunity. He was wrong,” the top US general said. “Ukraine remains free, they remain independent. NATO and this coalition has never been stronger, and Russia is now a global pariah. And the world remains inspired by Ukrainian bravery and resilience. In short, Russia has lost — they’ve lost strategically, operationally, and tactically, and they are paying an enormous price on the battlefield.” Milley and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are in Brussels for the ninth meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, to discuss ongoing support for Ukraine as it fights against Russia. After hearing of Putin's reaction to Milley's comments, the few remaining oligarchs in Russia quietly stepped away from their windows. Like, waaaaaaay away. CHEERS to great discoveries. 93 years ago this week, astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovered a new "dwarf planet" out at the outer rim of our solar system, just south of Tatooine. Several summers ago the New Horizons probe flew by and took some Polaroids, and you can keep track of its further adventures here. Here's a wild image from the Griffith Observatory that shows what the sphere (and its adorbs heart-shaped region) would look like if it was just a wee bit closer to earth: By the way, Tombaugh called it “Pluto.” Republican ideas called it “Home.” - BRIEF SANITY BREAK - - END BRIEF SANITY BREAK - CHEERS to the last useful thing the Vatican ever did. On this date in 600, Pope Gregory the Great decreed that "God Bless You" would become the religiously correct response to a sneeze. Mostly because the old response—"Oh, hey, that sounds bubonic"—was scaring off the faithful. CHEERS to nerds at the controls. Did you hear about that huge blob that spouted a bunch of hot air last week? It was loud and noxious and it seemed like forever before it finally stopped. When it was all over, everyone was happy and breathed a big sigh of relief. And before you know it, it'll be back at it again. But enough about Elon Musk's twitter feed. Anyone hear how the SpaceX Super Heavy rocket booster test went? - Ten years ago in C&J: February 16, 2013 JEERS to the carpetbagger from hell. Over the weekend the Maine Sunday Telegram ran an AP puff piece on NRA ghoul Wayne LaPierre. He's really an aw-shucks kind of intellectual, see? He reads books! He bowls! He's an absent-minded professor! He buys yummy treats for the office staff! I guess I should thank AP for reminding me of what the proverbial "banality of evil" looks like. But one line made the hair on my neck stand up: [Former NRA spokesperson John] Aquilino says he once asked LaPierre what he wanted to do eventually and was told, "To tell the truth, I'd like to run an ice cream parlor in Maine." Okay, NOW I believe in building an electrified border fence and a moat stocked with alligators—not down by Mexico but around the state of Maine. I'm all for well-regulated gun owners' rights and all, but if there's one thing we don’t need in this state, it's a frozen concoction called Jack-Booted Thug Swirl. Do us a favor, Wayne—if you come up north, please: take a left at New Hampshire. - And just one more… CHEERS to making the lower chamber sound high. Praise the lord and pass the gavel, the kids at Bad Lip Reading have returned! This is longer than their usual fare. But then again, after the 15 votes it took Republicans to elect a Speaker-in-Name-Only, there was plenty of fodder their their latest video. Ladies and germs, I give you... - Trouble is, with the gibberish modern Republicans regularly spout, I can’t really be sure if this was re-dubbed or not. We’ll let you decide. Have a nice Thursday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today? - Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial "Bill in Portland Maine used to actually have some sanity and knew right from wrong and then he lost his mind and went into some kiddie pool, so don’t do that!” —Whoopie Goldberg - [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/16/2152995/-Cheers-and-Jeers-Thursday Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/