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I will also allow "America's Goering".

Remember: republic, not democracy.

That's the rub: these people think they are the most American, and you're not. I wonder whether they think of their patriotism in the same way they think of their born-again Christianity. Born-agains believe that only the blood of Jesus can save you and and it's the only way you can go to heaven. Good works don't matter. In fact, born-agains deride the idea of people thinking that good works make a difference. Instead, they just profess that they are "saved", and once you profess this, you've punched your ticket to heaven, and only explicitly rejecting Christ, and nothing else, will forfeit that ticket. That's why Catholics fret about going to heaven and evangelicals don't: Catholics are constantly worried they'll end up in h-e-double toothpicks on some technicality they aren't aware of. Born-agains have no such fear. Because of this, there is no incentive for born-agains to act morally or perform good acts because, as it relates to their salvation, doing so doesn't matter. They are already saved and going to heaven no matter what. I'm not saying that all born-agains see accepting Jesus as a welcome license to sin, although probably some do. And I would bet many try to become better people once they have been saved because they truly believe that is what Jesus expects of them now. But whether you continue to sin freely or try to avoid doing so, once you are sanctified in the blood of Jesus, your actions mean literally nothing to your afterlife status. This is how an entire town of born-agains could participate in or enjoy watching a hideous lynching on Saturday night, then comfortably go to church and praise Jesus the next morning, and not feel even the slightest pang of guilt. The way they act on a day-to-day basis doesn't factor into their salvation, so they can neatly compartmentalize those parts of their lives away from each other. So I wonder whether they think of their patriotism in this same way, where all they have to do is profess their love of Trump, pledge allegiance to a flag, and sing Lee Greenwood songs, and that makes them a pristine patriot who cannot be besmirched. Then anything they say or do that appears to undermine the principles upon which America was founded and which has been shaped across more than two centuries doesn't matter. U.S. leaves NATO? Yes, please. Pull all support from Ukraine and let Russia have it? Of course, it's not our problem, and Russia is a better ally than those commie NATO nations anyway. Help Israel destroy Gaza and everything and everyone in it? We must, the Bible has foretold it. Suspend the Constitution? OK if Mr. Trump needs to. Eliminate future elections? Mr. Trump is in control so what do we even need elections for anymore? None of this ignites even the slightest pang of guilt in them, because they are patriots, and anything they do, say, or profess to believe doe snot factor into their level of patriotism. They have been saved. And that's all the counts. I wonder whether this hypothesis holds any water? I'm guessing a few people here will be glad to tell me why it doesn't, or at least to pick something to whatabout me on.

Bad time to run our of likes, but like.

I'm iffy about dealing with Tampa at all. What I favor is asking them to name some players they want back in trade, then keeping those players and focusing developmental efforts on them. 😉

Back on the horse.

If opposition to abortion is not about the sanctity of life, then what is it about?

So it’s not about sanctity of life after all. Good to know.

When this topic started coming up yesterday, on a lark, I put together a decision tree in PowerPoint—first one I've ever done anywhere—and now this gives me the opportunity to bust it out.

I am doubtful that drag queen outrage is what’s going to bring the fascists back into power this November. I feel as though anyone who would vote on that basis is already in the fold, and that anyone who didn’t care about it before would be motivated by the tweet above to vote Trump.

Is that the deal with the Bear?

They did have D-Meat, though …

You are right in that they've been one of the best hitting teams in baseball for the whole season, it's just lately they're flailing.

I was going just going to ask for Baumeister, but looks like you just sent him to Tampa, which means he would have been a good ask for me. I will send you Skubal only in exchange for Holliday, Young, Fabian, Luis De Leon, and Michael Forret. Say yes and I will have my guy draw up the papers.

No shĭt ... that's because DD never sticks around for the long run, so he's not the one looking foolish.

If that's what Puk is getting, imagine what we can get for Chafin.

Scott Harris failing again

Indians have been one of the worst hitting teams in baseball for a whole month, and especially in the last two weeks. With all the injuries the Tigers have, we have nothing to buy for.

Welp, that puts the nail in the standing pat coffin. We are definitively selling even if we win the next four.

This happens to far too many series that have promising beginnings: they start to believe their press clippings, so they start producing self-indulgent nonsense.

I remember watching the movie, being bored out of my mind, and asking myself who the hell directed this mess, Ron Howard or Clint Howard?

I was just coming in to post that I will bet a dollar that over the weekend Trump kicks JD to the curb for the humiliation he is bringing to the campaign. Not because of the Diet Mountain Dew racism crack, or the cat lady crack, or the people with children should get more say crack, but strictly because of the couch-****ing meme. Trump doesn't care if people are enraged at him, but he definitely cares if people are laughing at him. Once he does boot Jorkin off the ticket, Mrs. Emhoff should hammer Agent Orange for his inability to figure out who the "Best People" are.

Do you really not get the "many people are saying" joke that's clearly about what Trump routinely says?

I agree, but there's a fine line between balancing the two properly and overplaying one's hand too much to the innocuous side. Couch-****ing sounds so ludicrous that it's easy to dismiss anyone engaging in it as a nothingburger. JD Vance would not be a nothingburger if he came into power, not even as vice president.

Man, I hate running out of likes.