When I say “can’t,” I don’t mean “he won’t try” or even “he won’t be allowed to do it.” I mean it in the same sense as “you can’t run a red light when no police officers are watching.” This is a rule we’ve agreed upon and even set down as law for everyone’s protection. Sure, you’ll make it through, and no one will stop you; but if you’re driving a big enough truck you’re going to hurt and kill a lot of people in the process. And the guy coming up behind you might well do the same thing and hit you with the next truck.

Interesting. I knew about “bear” but I did not know about “medved” as another minced-taboo. Thanks for that.

Sorry for being unclear–proto-Celtic calls wolves “wailos” for the same reason as they call gulls “weilanna,” because of the noise, yes. The coincidence is that the modern word “wolf” sounds like the proto-Celtic word “wailos.”

Nope. Nope nope nopenopenope.

Yes, Elon needs to be not in America anymore. Or, at least, behind bars for election interference and tax evasion. But he is a naturalized citizen; you can’t deport citizens, and if he does this to Elon he can do it for everyone.

Not to mention, it’s just the wrong thing to do. You don’t deport people who are here legally. I’d be fine with Trump putting Elon in jail for an actual crime he’s committed (which he can’t do, because he’s committed all of the same crimes) or taxing Elon into the poorhouse (which he can’t do, because he would be hurt by the same tax burden) or seizing the corporations Elon used to break the law (which he can’t do, because he would lose Truth Social). But he can’t deport Elon Musk–terrible human being, serial criminal, American citizen.

You have to go pretty far back (to proto-Celtic, it looks like) to find a linguistic ancestor for the word “gull” that doesn’t just mean “that specific bird.”

But in proto-Celtic, it looks like “weilanna” probably meant “wailer.” As in, “one who wails,” though we don’t know exactly what the suffix “-anna” means. A similar word in that language would’ve been “wailos,” which even though it sounds similar seems to have been unrelated to our modern term “wolf,” as it comes from a different proto-indo-european root.

Anyway, the word “gull” does refer to the sounds that it makes more than anything else. So in figuring out what a landgull, airgull, and firegull might be, we need to find something noisy. Or just something annoying, given the derisive connotation of “wail.”

Edit: This is, of course, assuming that we’re looking for different existing types of animals to be these creatures, rather than just (for instance) creating new, elemental forms of gulls; or “reskinning” seagulls with different elements; or inventing all-new animals to fill those roles.

Unless you’re planning on taking up arms, we have to assume there will be one until there isn’t.

Harris and Clinton both had major structural issues that went beyond their gender. I’m not ignoring the reality that women face a greater uphill battle–they need to be downright perfect in order to even get fair consideration–but I don’t think that the fact that they are women was the only factor. I’m not even positive that it would be a deciding factor against someone who isn’t Trump. His particular brand of politics really only works for him, somehow.

Probably. “We’ve investigated! No issues here!”

I mean, yeah, that’s the problem that a lot of political commentary has right now, but Mamdani is explicitly a member of the DSA.

Eh, probably true. But you know him: he’ll say that the nerdy kid in his class was somehow the cruelest ten year old who ever walked the earth, specifically to him only.

Today me, tomorrow you. Take care of yourself, friend.

High five, dude. Hope is an act of defiance. Take care of yourself today.

The angrier he gets the more unrelated imagined slights and enemies he pulls into his rants. One of these days he’s going to be raving against Kamala Harris and toss in a reference to the very mean boys who bullied him during elementary school.

nothing will or can change.

Despair asserts omniscience, and eventually fulfills itself. Don’t fall victim to it; that’s what the fascist playbook requires.

The Rent Is Too Damn High guy would’ve made a comparatively great president, in hindsight.

Yeah, good point.

Ooh, good point. Well, they’re both going to ship from the factory in nonworking condition, so that’ll be tough to tell.

Absolutely gonna be “made in America” in that the application of the cheap Chinese gold decal to the cheap Chinese handset will be done in America.

It’s definitely going to be the Escobar Phone all over again. Anyone who accidentally receives one will get a foil-wrapped $150 Huawei handset with a preinstalled background image.

Easier than spotting the Cybertrucks?