English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

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Færd

1:00 AM

Joni Mitchell - Bad Dreams

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Heavy punchline.

Robusto

1:21 AM

@Færd I've seen a lot of fine, fine voices come down to ... smoke and ash.

Joni Mitchell - Help Me

►

Paraphrasing a line from that song ...

Færd

@Robusto Fine, indeed. But it's not her voice that mesmerizes me; it's the poetical value of her lyrics. Quite a rarity.

(Can't listen to the song right now)

(But read the lyrics)

Færd

1:45 AM

And Bad Dreams, in particular, is a heartfelt lamentation over the whole 'wild Eden Earth' coming down to smoke and ash.

Robusto

2:04 AM

@Færd Yep. Joni Mitchell is one of the most moving and intelligent songwriters ever.

@tchrist: This just in: NSA chief admits Trump colluded with Russia.

Game over, man. Not sure which way the chips are going to fall, but it looks like it's either going to be impeachment or the anointing of a dictator (Dorito Mussolini) by the Republican Congress.

tchrist

2:23 AM

@Robusto I've read that. I don't believe there's anything that will push the Republicans to eject him, not unless he starts shooting them with his own hands in public.

Robusto

@tchrist Even then ...

tchrist

He can't be indicted while sitting, and they won't unseat him. Kleptocracy wins again.

Robusto

Sounds like the alternative is dictatorship.

tchrist

I don't even know what to call whatever this is now.

Robusto

It ain't America.

tchrist

2:25 AM

That we had to find out about the Kushner's request for a secret channel via spying back at Moscow when the meeting was here is sad.

Robusto

I'd say I can't believe this is happening, but I don't feel a sense of unreality has any functional application at this point.

tchrist

It will be hard to convict Kushner or any of the Trump aids. He'll just pardon them.

But especially Kushner.

Robusto

Yeah.

They should all be behind bars.

tchrist

That would be a start.

I'm pretty sure the investigation alone will outlive Trump.

Robusto

The only question remaining is whether democracy will.

tchrist

2:33 AM

The shell games with all the dubious financial scams are too complicated for quick charges.

Mueller can charge anybody but him with obstruction of justice; those are clear charges. Trump might let the hangman take Prince Rebus, but not his son in law.

Declaring war on the intelligence community was a really bad idea.

Robusto

The only saving factor here may be the man's utter incompetence.

tchrist

He's 100% transparent, and has given us much of the confirmation needed.

Just by blurting things outs.

Robusto

Yeah, but I wouldn't want to hang from a rope until the Republican Congress grows a spine, or a sense of duty, or honor, or humanity ...

tchrist

There are only two moderate Republicans left in the Senate, and perhaps in the party. It's been taken over by screaming teabagger loonies.

Robusto

That's an overly kind characterization of what I view as fascist, white-supremacist, alt-right fanatics.

tchrist

2:46 AM

They don't want to govern, and they don't know how to. They want to destroy things and steal a lot of money for their cronies.

Robusto

Pretty much.

Robusto

3:34 AM

La traición nunca prospera, porque si prospera nadie se atreve a llamarla traición.

Tonepoet

4:25 AM

@tchrist Politician, N: A person who does not know how to govern and wants to steal, destroy and/or oppress in the name of their constitu... I mean cronies.

englishstudent

5:07 AM

@Tonepoet From which dictionary?

Tonepoet

@englishstudent The Lexicon of Woeful Truths by Tonepoet. Buy your copy today! =P

englishstudent

haha

@Tonepoet It sounds funny, so I starred it.

3 hours later…

SmokeDetector

8:25 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Blacklisted website in body, pattern-matching website in body, repeated URL at end of long post: the limited digestive use of combining by wewe ghty on english.SE

SBM

8:45 AM

Hello everyone

7 hours later…

tchrist

3:17 PM

@RegDwigнt Every time an American newscaster pronounces the Slavic name Sergei/Sergey with the judge consonant instead of with the gag consonant, I find myself wanting to do both.

Might as well just call ’em Sarje, private.

I know some parliamentary countries have a shadow cabinet mirroring the appointed/elected one, but does anywhere but America have not just one shadow president but two?

Choiring minds what to know.

tchrist

3:46 PM

I’m also bothered when newscasters mangle the Italian name Gianni, not realizing it’s a homophone for Johnny.

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