Portland is under an ice storm warning. Fortunately Wendy is an Iowa girl with a 4 WD truck, so things like that rarely stop her. She just texted that she’s on the way and should be here before I finish writing this article. On today’s schedule is emulsify the stinky TomCat, do the dreaded task, cook a casserole, and some light housekeeping. Fortunately, she’ll be done before this afternoon, when freezing rain and wind gusts to 50 MPH are forecast.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:54 (average 4:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos:
A little over a week ago, House Republicans began their attempts to turn our government into an old-timey Stalin-esque politburo by floating out a ban on video and camera use in Congress by lawmakers. They were trying to rid themselves of having the American people actually see how full of shit they are when they attempt to pass crap laws or sit on their manicured fingers while the nation waits for them to enact meaningful legislation. Wednesday, the House Republicans voted to adopt their new rules for the 115th Congress, first session—H. Res. 5 allows fines to be imposed on any “Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner for the use of an electronic device for still photography or for audio or visual recording or broadcasting.”
A fine imposed pursuant to this para- 11 graph shall be $500 for a first offense and 12 $2,500 for any subsequent offense.
Democrats are unified in their defiance of this terrible attempt to thwart democratic practices in our country.
“What other ways will they deprive us for communicating with the American people?” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked before Tuesday’s vote. The fines come as a response to a sit-in led by Democrats last year, in which dozens of legislators took control of the House floor to urge Congress to pass additional gun-control measures following a mass shooting at a Florida nightclub in June. After the sit-in began, Republicans cut camera feeds to the House floor, and in response, Democratic lawmakers used apps like Periscope to live-stream footage of the protests.
Here’s a visual example of elected officials actually doing what they were elected to do and attempting to get meaningful public safety legislation voted on.
It’s nice to see that all Democrats are not turning balls up, like Chuck "my ass is greased for Republicans" Schumer (DINO-NY), whose leadership I have opposed since the day that Leg Hound Harry announced his retirement. RESIST!!
From KP Daily Funnies: The Shocking Truth About Planned Parenthood
Support Planned Parenthood! RESIST!!
From CNN: Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees have still not been properly vetted less than one week before hearings begin on Capitol Hill, the Office of Government Ethics said in a letter to Democratic senators Friday.
"The announced hearing schedule for several nominees who have not completed the ethics review process is of great concern to me," OGE Director Walter M. Shaub wrote in a letter to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "This schedule has created undue pressure on OGE’s staff and agency ethics officials to rush through these important reviews."
Shaub — who said OGE hasn’t received initial drafts from some nominees — continued: "I am not aware of any occasion in the four decades since OGE was established when the Senate held a confirmation hearing before the nominee had completed the ethics review process."
Bought Bitch Mitch demanded full disclosures, including financial, on all Obama’s appointees eight years ago. There’s a reason Republicans don’t want the ethics reviews completed. Can you guess want it is? RESIST!!
Cartoon:
16 Responses to “Open Thread – 1/8/2017”
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That Planned Parenthood video is great! Of course, if you showed it to the freedom-hating anti-choice tramps, they would claim it was just propaganda.
4:09 Looks tasty, which is high praise from someone who doesn't really like fruit salad.
DKos – Yes. This is the kind of thing that actually makes me despair. Because, if it isn't on Faux News (and it won't be,) no one will ever find out about it, and the public will have no known reason not to believe the lies. In 71 years, I have seen it happen over and over and over.
KPDF – Well, that certainly is the way to get the attention of people who would not otherwise listen. Can we do something like that for the previous short take? Or the Ethics thing?
CNN – Effing ridiculous. And yet – predictable. And expected. How does one hold onto outrage, the kind that stimulatees resistance, as opposed to paralysing despair, in the face of this?
Cartoon – Well, no s***.
You keep upping the ante on your "RESIST!" artwork – very impressive!
Why, thank you! It's kind of fun to play with LOL.
DK: As a citizen, I am entitled to hearing and viewing what is going on in the House & Senate. What are the ReThugs saying/doing by passing a HR5 that doesn't allow video or cameras? Bogus bs, I say.
KPDF: PP is a great resource, for many folks.
CNN: I find this sentence most interesting…"Nominees who are appointed by the President to positions that require Senate confirmation have to obtain OGE's certification of their financial disclosure reports." Well…DT has not disclosed his financial reports either. Bad all the way around, imho.
Cartoon: Yep, says it all in one picture. Sad to say the least.
Oh my! You're getting some serious winter weather there. Come down here to Texas, we're at a balmy 46. Hope that you enjoy a relaxing day, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
*Joanne,
LOVE your 'Resist' picture!!
Thank you, Pat! Back in the day I was a calligrapher, so of course I am now a Font Collector and Border Collector, and it's fun to play with them.
Hope Wendy made it there (and back) safely.
Being a northern Illinois boy, nothing I dread more than ice/freezing rain. Treacherous!
(Say, whereabouts in Iowa is Wendy from?)
Ames?
My best wishes to Wendy, no matter what kind of vehicle she is driving!
DK: We knew that the GOPigs were assholes, but now they will also be closet assholes!
KPDF: Concise, and to the point!
CNN: BBMitch needs a taste of his very own medicine!!!!!!!!!!!!! And he needs to be told to grow up and take the damned stuff!
Sorry to hear about your ice storms, TomCat. I haven't talked about the weather here much, because the contrast may be a bit to much. Right now (nearly noon) I'm sitting on the porch and decided to lay low today because the temperature is already 33°C and will continue to rise at least until four o'clock. We didn't have enough rain yet (this is the rainy season), so it's not too balmy and we can manage without air-conditioner and stay outside. But let's not forget it is summer here 🙂
DK: While most democratic countries already have or are on the proces of (continuous) live streaming on national TV of whatever goes on in their parliaments and congresses, Republicans cut live streaming and put a fine for any one who wants to keep his voters informed on the Republican dealings in the House. If the Democrats have any balls left, they should make sure that as many Dems as possible attend any meeting of the House and that they all take pictures or videos, or even just voice recordings if need be. No Democrat should be exempt and if well planned there should be a rostering of who covers what part of the meeting so "confiscating" their phones or tablets doesn't work either. Make sure all footage is published on one site: this isn't the time to attract attention to their personal base, it's time to show unity. If any DINO isn't willing to put some of his "meager" salary towards the fines, get some funding organized. But above all, make sure all Democrats are involved and stick to the rules
CNN: Of course I'm seriously lacking in knowledge here, but I would have thought that the OCE and the hearing committees could simply refuse to talk to anyone who hasn't fully gone through the standard procedures. Haven't Republicans used the excuse their committee members weren't fully prepared in the past? Perhaps they never needed to, because they had all the information they needed, including the full disclosure McConnell demanded, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had delayed some of the hearings on some thin excuse anyway. If that is true, stop whining, start acting and
RESIST!
Cartoon: Without being vetted, Drumpf's nominees might just as well be hooded and cloaked.
Lona the reason that the Committees won't refuse to hear the nominees is that the majority party aloso controls everything that goes on in every standing committee and subcommittee. That's why winning a majority is so important, even if it means electing a small number of DINOs.
I hope your weather conditions improve!
Daily Kos: This is just the beginning of all the dirty deeds the Republicans will pull while they are a majority. I am glad some Democrats are resisting and hope they continue.
KP Funnies: Simple truth, too much for the Republicans to bear, women getting health care that they cannot control.
CNN: I still dont understand how they can have the hearings when the vetting has not been done. This will be business as usual for the next four years.
Cartoon: They fit the description.
Puzzle — 3:03 Love me some fresh fruit salad! Yum!
Daily Kos — Republicans should stop wasting time on bullshit stuff like this and get down to some positive governing instead. I seem to recall that Republicans criticised Obama for a lack of transparency. And now the bastards are at it themselves. With the current Republicans and Trump, the US is truly screwed if Dems can't hold the line.
PK Daily Funnies — Perhaps this could be beamed into Republican and pseudo Christian heads on a continuous loop until they get the picture that Planned Parenthood is not abortion central!
CNN — If the OGE has not completed the ethics review then no nomination hearing. It should be that simple but Republicans will screw around, make accusations. I hope Democrats have the balls to hold the line on the nominations. There should be no exceptions, not even Trump. This should not be negotiable ever, by either side!
Cartoon — Without doubt, especially a certain AG nominee.
Resist!!!
You have ice storm warnings and we have had rain all day. It is still raining. Temps are supposed to drop a bit tomorrow so we will likely have a lot of ice making driving etc a disaster.
Thanks all! Hugs!!