At least we dodged this bullet. For now.
The entire continuing resolution impasse has been mostly intense and gloomy, so we have to appreciate anything that provides a moment of levity. Two hours before the government shutdown at midnight on October 1st, this cryptic warning appeared on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MyWhiteNinja/status/384855480419745792
Josh Barro from Business Insider warned about possible unintended consequences.
https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/384859709552852992
We learned about the new disaster management plan:
Pants? Check. Lighter? Check. Shutdown in motion? Check. Let's get this party started: http://t.co/3m2qlQZPU6 #nobudgetnopants
— Aaron Cynic (@aaroncynic) October 1, 2013
At midnight, the group Anonymous made #NoBudgetNoPants official (and also made it trend on Twitter):
Your government has just shut down. It's time to show them how you feel – and us what you've got! #NoBudgetNoPants
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) October 1, 2013
Hang your pants outside your car and house windows. #NoBudgetNoPants
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) October 1, 2013
More unintended consequences:
“@YourAnonNews: #NoBudgetNoPants is once again arousing Anthony Weiner's political hopes.” >>that's HARDly news
— Arif Baradia (@_sawbones_) October 1, 2013
This guy has a point.
“@YourAnonNews: #NoBudgetNoPants is once again arousing Anthony Weiner's political hopes.” 😂
— Jess (@AcostaJessicaa) October 1, 2013
Despite the hype, it was just a normal evening at home for many followers of Anonymous and Occupy:
https://twitter.com/TheRealestWaldo/status/384908380352966657
#NoBudgetNoPants — but then, I dont know how thats different from any other day for me.
— 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🅼🅰🅲🅷🅸🅽🅴Ⓠⓤⓔⓔⓝ🛡🇲🇽 (@JoannaBlackhart) October 1, 2013
Helpful hygiene tip:
https://twitter.com/Anon_Z3r0/status/384909348868075521
This guy makes a good point:
https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/384909722899341312
The Occupy Wall Street Twitter feed urged protesters to show up pantsless at political fundraisers this week:
Ready to #NoBudgetNoPants? Go pantless to their fundraisers (HINT: They need to be shutdown) http://t.co/Jstair3SL9
— #OccupyWallStreet & #CLOSErikers with #NoNewJails (@OccupyWallStNYC) October 1, 2013
OWS also asked for pictures of people sans pants (no, that’s not smarmy at all):
Tweet us your photos of "Hard Times!" RT@CassandraRules: #NoBudgetNoPants pic.twitter.com/okoJnbM4UO
— #OccupyWallStreet & #CLOSErikers with #NoNewJails (@OccupyWallStNYC) October 1, 2013
Of course, many of their followers complied, tweeting dozens of pantsless selfies (I’ll spare you).
Some tweeters took the hashtag a little too seriously:
#NoBudgetNoPants How does this make any sense being pants-less doesn't help anything
— Thomas Salvatore (@Tviskoc) October 1, 2013
And some poor dears just didn’t understand:
Wait, so why are we taking off our pants? #NoBudgetNoPants
— Chris (@Night_Shadow955) October 1, 2013
My heart goes out to the poor congressional staffers who had to be on the receiving end of this:
“@YourAnonNews: Fax a picture of yourself with No pants to Capitol hill with the hashtags #NoBudgetNoPants #NoPantsShutDown ”
— michaelguille (@michaelguille) October 1, 2013
Of course, now I’m wondering if all those faxes are piling up in an office somewhere because of the shutdown. Will members of Congress have to collect all those pantsless selfies without the help of staffers?
Fortunately, #NoBudgetNoPants didn’t quite materialize. It appears that America has been spared this indignity:
https://twitter.com/er0tikka/status/385047887425458176
Of course, if the shutdown continues…
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