Yesterday we set another heat record for the date, 88° with extreme humidity. Now we have two days in the mid 70°s, before the next heat wave including mid 90°s this weekend. The building’s hallways and bathrooms are still so hot, that after my last trip to Republicate, my hair was sweat soaked and I had to dry it. Except for the heat, I’m feeling pretty well. Having gone from extreme Republicitis to extreme Republicosis, I returned to mild Republicitis. Now I have mild Republicosis. I guess this is what it takes to return to normal. I just put in tomorrow’s grocery order, and Thursday is my first outing. I have the preliminary appointment before my cataract surgery. Have a Republican-free day.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:17 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (GQ Channel): Trump Appears to Be Self-Destructing | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann
The Republican Party is desperate to hold the Fuhrer together, until they finish their task of giving the rest of YOUR money to billionaires, destroying YOUR freedom, and establishing their permanent, totalitarian Republican Reich. RESIST!!
From The Last Word: Jon Ossoff responds to Trump’s attacks
On the eve of the Georgia 6th District special election, Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff joins Lawrence O’Donnell to react to President Donald Trump’s attacks on him and explains why he is trying to talk about health care as much as possible during the campaign.
Jon is an example of a Democrat, who has tailored a progressive agenda to the needs of his own constituents. RESIST!!
From NY Times: If liberals voted at the same rate as conservatives, Hillary Clinton would be president. Even with Donald Trump’s working-class appeal, Clinton could have swept Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
If liberals voted at the same rate as conservatives, Democrats would control the Senate. Clinton or Barack Obama could then have filled the recent Supreme Court vacancy, and that justice would hold the tiebreaking vote on campaign finance, labor unions and other issues.
If liberals voted at the same rate as conservatives, the country would be doing more to address the two defining issues of our time — climate change and stagnant middle-class living standards. Instead, Trump is making both worse.
RESIST!! And…
VOTE BLUE!!
Cartoon:
17 Responses to “Open Thread – 6/20/2017”
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4:49 Possibly fish in the water, I suppose. But maybe not.
It’s roughly 89F here and may get hotter – but even if it doesn’t, the heat will hold into the evening and not cool off till well after midnight. Sigh. It is at least dry.
Keith #87 – “If indisputable reality disagrees with his delusions, indisputible reality must be wrong in some way.” Yes, that describes Trump. Sadly, it also describes his followers, and even Republicans who do not support him (a few of whom are starting to come out of the woodwork.) “A madman who occasionally successfully pretends to be sane.” “To assume that your only motive in life – money – is also everybody else’s primary motive in life.” Well, that last one describes a lot of people. I believe these days it’s called “cynicism,” though that is not quite what Diogenes meant by the term. In the end, “Better him than the country” is right on the money.
Lawrence – It appears to have come down to turnout – as it so often does. I have actually given a little money – now all I can do is pray. (After the Lawrence clip, Rachel and Chris Hayes also addressed the Georgia 6th race. I let it run a while.)
NYT – And isn’t this the truth. Sigh.
Cartoon – And I just signed a petition the AFL-CIO is sponsoring on health care. Long may the AFL-CO go strong!
I remember Colorado Dry. Humidity makes heat hotter and cold colder.
So true. What that doesn’t take into consideration, however, are individual differences in the way wet and dry are perceived. I was in Okinawa for almost two years in the seventies (now that is SERIOUSLY wet!) and went almost directly to Alamosa, CO, one of the driest of the dry. Colorado Springs is dry, but not as dry as Alamosa, and I often feel wetter here than the hygrometer suggests. This despite the fact that humidity at sea level is always wetter then the same humidity at 6400 feet, because our air has fewer molecules in it. Right now the hygrometer is saying 26%, which is supposed to be right on the cusp of “too dry” and “comfort zone.” It isn’t.
Got back from my trip up to Illinois to restock Mom’s med dispensers (she’s good for another two months now), and do her postponed annual physical. We usually do it around her B-Day on Veterans’ Day – but too much going on celebrating her 100th, so we postponed it.
She had told me a few weeks ago that one of the major things she wanted to discuss was Hospice Care. There’s mostly good news in that regard (from my perspective) in that her Internist said he couldn’t do that because part of the form requires them to say that [1] It’s his medical opinion she’ll die in the next six months, and [2] What disease process (heart failure, cancer, respiratory, etc.) he believes will cause it.
He said he can’t in good conscience fill that out because he doesn’t agree with #1 and she has no major illnesses ongoing.
Mom did share w/ me afterwards that she’s “ready to go” – so that’s good news, but I think it will play a role. But on the mandated Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Questionnaire, she “scored” better than I did when I had mine in May!
We had pretty nice weather and got to sit out in the mornings on her deck – but too warm for that in the afternoon. And my aunt (her sister-in-law) came down one afternoon for a nice long visit. And I got to enjoy their “Libation Thursdays” – they serve drinks, snacks and have a program on Thursday afternoons.
So it was a very productive visit.
Sounds very productive indeed. Hopefully it will help eliminate any nagging worries. If it’s any consolation, my Mom was telling me she was “ready to go” for many years before she in fact did. I didn’t take it as “life is hard” so much as “don’t grieve for me when it happens.” From everything you have said, she sounds like a person who would score high on wellness!
Welcome home, Nameless. I’m glad both that you had a productive visit, and that you were spared the sadness of setting up hospice. May she be “ready to go” for many happy years.
KO: Yes, we’ll have to let him ‘jump’ for the good of this country. He doesn’t have wings, either.
LW: Go, Jon, GO!! I wish him the Best!
NYT: Yes! Can I get an AMEN?
Cartoon: Happy Birthday! Continuously working hard to and for the American workers.
Hope that you get over your Republicosis quickly. Enjoy your evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.
*Nameless, glad that your mom is well, and that you had a good visit!
Keith: Keith’s comment that Rumpy sees everybody else focused on nothing but money, because he is, is right on the money. People who cheat, lie, steal, abuse others, are of the belief that that is how EVERYBODY is. And most of them are not as sick as this puppy is. Meanwhile, because of the Empty Orange’s choice for running mate, we will still be stuck with an untenable situation when the emptiness implodes!
Last word: Video will not run.
NYT: While we can not change the past, we must work to keep as many progressives as possible energized! Instead of the old saw that “If you did not vote you have no fight to complain,” it now ought to be “If you did not vote you fucked yourself, stupid!”
Hey Mitch, I did not have a problem with the Last Word video, and if anyone would, it is likely to be me because I’m in a different country. Try again.
Mitch, I’m afraid the MSNBC problem is on your end. Sorry.
Puzzle — 3:31 That lake is fished out so don’t get your knickers in a twist Puddy Tat when you don’t find any fish to eat.
YouTube — Perhaps Drumpf will demonstrate his flying abilities by jumping from the top of the WH, or perhaps the Capitol building. That is a very biblical image and I believe he would do it if there were hordes of money and power involved, unlike the biblical figure that did not. I am sure that Drumpf would refer to Jesus as a loser.
The Last Word — Unfortunately Ossoff lost to Handel today. I hope this does not deter him from trying again in two years, although Drumpf will likely still be around, unfortunately. As usual though, Drumpf totally misrepresented Ossoff’s positions and outright lied. Nothing new there.
NY Times — Why is it that younger progressive voters don’t turn out to vote in the numbers that could make a difference? To me, that is the real question. Is it because they feel their vote does not matter? Is it a case of “same old, same old”? Is their day to day situation such that they don’t feel they have the time? Are they not sufficiently engaged in the politics that matter, seeing politics as one big Twitter war, and a dirty war at that?
I am 65 and have been voting since I was first eligible. Did the candidate I wanted and the party I wanted always win? No! And I admit I asked myself “Why bother?” on occasion. But if I did not vote, I would wonder “what if” and I would have no right to complain about policies etc. People have to recognise that, even if they did vote, they will not get everything they want. It is “give a little, take a little”. That is democracy.
Cartoon — I think Republicans would like to write the obituary for the AFL-CIO.
Resist and Persist!!!!!
The last two days have been very pleasant, not hot, not humid, and a gentle breeze, not at all like your weather. I hope it stays like this, but I know it won’t. The heat will be on the way.
Those who could, but do not vote, betray us all.
Keith Olbermann:
A perfectly phrased, admirable astute observation that says it all.
Meanwhile we can only hope for the best and let him jump.
TLW: It doesn’t really matter Ossoff had the last word, because Drumpf’s was what really mattered in that district and 51.9% of the votes went to Handel.
I’m really starting to believe America is beyond help.
NYT: To be honest, we’ve heard of liberals not going to the polls (or defranchised from going perhaps) at the same rate as conservatives in 2014 at the midterms, and then before the 2016 elections, but no stimulation seems to have worked, perhaps because people couldn’t see how bad it would get under Republican rule and a despot for a president.
But now they do, and Democrats still aren’t winning in the special elections, perhaps because liberals still don’t vote at the same rate. So perhaps now is the time to clean house and throw all of the old establishment Democrats out on their ear, something that still hasn’t happened, and go all Bernie. You better hurry, liberals, before the Kochs have the majority of states to change the Constitution and Democracy becomes a word from the past.
You’ll have to adjust to living without a gall bladder, TomCat and learn which foods need extra secretion of gall and which don’t. And which foods are a stimulant of secretion. As there isn’t a retainer to store the gall until your digestive system is in need of it, your liver can’t give it an extra dose when needed or likewise withhold it and that may lead to fluctuations in Republicitis and Republicosis too. But first your body is still in the healing stages, and that may be the main cause of the some mild “swings”. Glad you’re feeling better, though. When not hot and sticky, that is.
Thanks Lona.
Thanks all. Pooped hugs!