Well yesterday was a busy day for me and although I did get an OT started, I could not finish it for you. We have had word from TC which you may have seen here on the site, but I will repeat just in case. Tom had a successful surgery to remove his gallbladder but in the process, the doctor found a spot on his liver which they biopsied. Those results will not be known for a few hours at least. The prancreatitis has improved marginally but TC will know more later. According to Wendy he has recovered enough to start bossing Wendy around rather than the nurses. TC says Wendy is the BOMB! So continued prayers or good healing thoughts or both are very much appreciated for TC. We need our Puddy Tat back to help get us through this reign of terror lead by Drumpfenfarten and the Republicans.
Update: TC posted at 1810 hours — the liver spots are benign!
Jigsaw Puzzle
Today’s took me 3:45 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do? That's no neigh-gative experience!
Short Takes
CBC — Russian hackers attacked at least one U.S. voting software supplier days before last year's presidential election, according to a government intelligence report leaked Monday that suggests election-related hacking penetrated further into U.S. voting systems than previously known.
The classified National Security Agency report, which was published online by The Intercept, does not say whether the hacking had any effect on election results. But it says Russian military intelligence attacked a U.S. voting software company and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials at the end of October or beginning of November.
There is no doubt that the infaltration of the US by Russia has been going on longer than believed. It did not just start with the DNC hack, and it would be myopic to think that there are no more hacks. I find myself wondering what the next revelation will be.
YouTube — Did Trump Himself Meet With the Russian Ambassador? | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann | GQ
With Drump's record of lying continuously, it is nearly impossible to think that he did not meet with the Russian ambassador and was not involved with the case of collusion. I listened to some of the Comey testimony today. Afterwards, Drumpf's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, said Mr Trump felt vindicated because Comey was seen as a liar. And The Telegraph reported "…Sarah Huckabee Sanders stating during an off-camera briefing at the White House: “I can definitively say the president is not a liar." I would certainly disagree with that.
The Guardian — Theresa May has declared she is prepared to rip up human rights laws to impose new restrictions on terror suspects, as she sought to gain control over the security agenda just 36 hours before the polls open.
The prime minister said she was looking at how to make it easier to deport foreign terror suspects and how to increase controls on extremists where it is thought they present a threat but there is not enough evidence to prosecute them. …
She said: “But I can tell you a few of the things I mean by that: I mean longer prison sentences for people convicted of terrorist offences. I mean making it easier for the authorities to deport foreign terror suspects to their own countries.
“And I mean doing more to restrict the freedom and the movements of terrorist suspects when we have enough evidence to know they present a threat, but not enough evidence to prosecute them in full in court.
“And if human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change those laws so we can do it.”
May is on a very slippery slope and now that it is likely that May has a minority government as a result of today's election, she may not get the chance to implement this. For those who are not familiar with the Westminster system of Parliament, the party that has the most votes but not enough for a clear majority, forms a minority government. This government can be struck down by a non confidence vote at which time the Parliament is dissolved and a new election called. As of writing, the UK Conservative Party is in a minority position. Here are the early results:
| Party | Leader | Seats | |
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Conservative Party | 310 | |
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Labour Party | 258 | |
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Scottish National Party | 34 | |
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Liberal Democrats | 12 | |
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Democratic Unionist Party | 10 | |
Get well quickly, TC!!!
No lying about!!!
11 Responses to “Squatch’s Open Thread 08 June 2017”
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Wed 4:02 (5:15) Probably no one feels like eating a horse today.
Thu 4:29 (5:14) He looks very serious.
Fri 5:12 (5:46) Symmetry strikes again.
CBC – Hey, if even the Republicans are smart enough (maybe devious enough would be the better word) to target state and local elections and therefore officials, OF COURSE Russia is. Those people are sharp as tacks (and devious)!
Keith #84 – The word from Radish! We heard it first here, thanks to Pat B. That was a scoop, if you like!
Guardian – Washington Post, 10:06 pm Pacific: "Nearly final results showed Conservatives had lost their narrow majority, and that Britain’s election will end in a hung Parliament. The result represents a disastrous outcome for the prime minister, who gambled in calling the vote, and has prompted demands that she resign." From email. Probably with similar breakdown. I didn't go to the link; I'm hurrying to get on the road.
Universe – Kitty doesn't look happy, and I don't blame him!
What an eager beaver you are . . . getting ahead of us on the puzzles! LOL!!!
Thanks for the good news about TomCat, Lynn. And for your new post of course.
CBC: You're right, Lynn, it would be myopic to think that there were no hacks other than the DNC hack and that there will be no others. Recent discovered hacks in Europe prove that. It would also be myopic to think that these infiltrations are now over. They'll probably use other means from now on, but the Russians had a taste of meddling in other countries' political affairs and this new type of warfare suits them to a T.
Keith Olbermann: Some new indications of Drumpf personally colluding with the Russians, i.e. Kislyak: just another dot to be connected to dozens and dozens of other dots. For me the question if Drumpf has personally colluded has long been answered, the only question that remains is when Republicans, and sadly some Democrats too, accept there is enough evidence to impeach Drumpf and then let the justice department throw him and all his cronies in jail. As long as people take deludes utterances by the WH Resident that he's vindicated because Comey is seen as a liar seriously, or take any notice of Huckabee Sanders' “I can definitively say the president is not a liar." other than ROTFLTAO, I can't see a Republican turn around happening soon and this melodrama is taken right through Congressional summer recess.
TG: At this point in time (1 PM GT), with 649 of 650 seats declared, the British have a hung parliament in which Conservatives have most seats (318, -12), but no majority and Labour ending up with an incredible 261 (+26) seats. The Brits obviously didn't think May was the "strong leadership" they wanted, nor do they like her hard "Brexit'" approach and she clearly lost her political gamble with calling out new elections so soon, but she isn't planning on budging and now is with the Queen to ask her to allow her to form a new coalition government, most likely with Northern-Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP, 10 seats). The DUP was the most Euro-sceptic party in the UK before the ascent of UKIP. It also opposes same-sex marriage, and is anti-abortion. So despite some all too obvious moves to the left to gain more votes, the Tories will now probably end up moving even more to the right in this coalition. What a mess. The UK is in for even more uncertain times than predicted, so its no wonder the pound fell on the stock markets the moment the exit polls were announced.
Our Universe:
Really cute cartoon – but very concerning that one pupil is bigger than the other.
Anisocoria is NOT a good sign … at all!
CBC: No doubt about it, (hacked), now where do we go from here?
KO: If I would have done something like this, colluding, conspiring, scheming, plotting, with a foreign government, tweeting, twitting, having fits, lying, making things up, AND treason!!, I'd be impeached, or as he likes to say, "Your'e fired!!". I'd be arrested, and thrown into jail. Get the ball rolling, and let the thunderstorm(s) begin, and quickly!! Yes, RESIST!!!
**h/t to Joanne.
MU: Awww…..sweet kitty.
Continued prayers and well wishes, to and for Tom, and hope that the biopsy will show good results.
Thanks, Lynn (and others) who are keeping the post up and running, y'all are amazing! Take care, and Thanks, Lynn.
Glad the hear the good news on the Tomcat front. It's great that he came through the surgery with flying colors and that the liver spots are benign.
What could be better. TC is on his way up, and Trump is on his way down!
Too bad Drumpf isn't already gone!
Wonderful article squatch!
Thanks all!
Thanks Puddy Tat!
CBC, and Keith: How deep can the pile of BS go, Donny boy? Well, no…don't answer that, it will only add one more layer.
Guardian: Is May playing Hatcher to Rumpy's attempt to play Reagan?
TC, all best wishes!!!!!!!!!
THANKS ALL!!