I’m rushing to finish in time for my appointment. This is my only article today.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s Took me 6:45 (average 7:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From The Hill: U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon said he would boycott a visit to the White House.
Rippon — the first openly gay athlete selected to a U.S. Winter Olympic team — told the Daily Mail that he would not go to the White House in an effort "to support my community."
"No, I have no desire to go to the White House," he told the Daily Mail.
"But I would like to do something to help my community."
Rippon added he would want to do "something positive and not just stay at home" during the White House visit, such as planning his own event in support of gay rights.
The US would not have won a team figure skating medal, were it not for Rippon’s stellar performance. Hey GOP! Shove that up your Pence! RESIST!!
From The Daily Beast: Julian Assange Offered Hannity Impersonator ‘News’ About Top Democrat
The head of Wikileaks told @SeanHannity__ to seek ‘other channels’ for information on Sen. Mark Warner of the Trump-Russia investigation. ‘@SeanHannity__’ was a woman in Texas.
Anyone care to speculate what "other channels" Assange (R-RU) had for Hannity? RESIST!!
From Think Progress: \Industry-friendly lawmakers are waging a coordinated campaign with the Trump administration to strip Americans of their legal rights to use the courts to hold polluting companies and the government itself accountable for violations of bedrock environmental laws and other important public protections.
Members of Congress have introduced more than 50 bills over the past year that would make it extremely difficult or impossible for people to seek justice in a court of law, according to an in-depth analysis by the Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization. The proposed bills are targeting laws related to environmental protection, public health, consumer rights, and civil liberties.
The number of bills introduced in the current 115th Congress that would strip individuals of their legal rights to seek justice in a court of law have doubled from the previous Congress and quadrupled since the 112th Congress that ended in 2013. Similar to how credit card companies and other retailers block consumers from the use of a court of law to resolve disputes, these bills would have a similar effect by preventing aggrieved members of the public from filing lawsuits to ensure laws are enforced.
Even when polluters harm people directly and intentionally, the Republican Reich protects them from justice. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
13 Responses to “Open Thread – 2/12/2017”
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8:17 Don’t break a tooth.
This is probably unfair when you are having such an ordeal with your eyes today – but this is when they were unveiled, so this is the day to show them (and they’ll still be there when your eyes are better).
Hill: I wish Adam Rippon the best, for all of his future endeavors, but particularly now, for coming up with and executing a great event that completely steals the show from the Orange House. I expect there are a lot of people willing to help.
DB – People with intelligence who were taken in by Assange at first (and there were some) are starting to be embarrassed that they were taken in. I find that encouraging.
TP – And, of course, these bills are not “sexy,” so they fly under most people’s radar. Unfortunately, we cannot take breathing for granted.
Cartoon – Oh, Abe, don’t do that. Tell them you want THEM to resign!
I bet the Reich is constipated form those portraits!
Oh, it is. Except that part of it which is diarrheic (if that’s a word.) That portion mostly went to AlterNet to spew in the comments there. I suppose an even bigger number went to places like Breitbart, but I don’t go there. I tend to high blood pressure.
The Psychiatrist General has determined that Breitfart is hazardous to your brain!
thanks, and hope the eyes are great
TH: Kudos to this fine young man, for being proud and strong in his convictions. Believe me, I sure wouldn’t go to the WH either. (Adam should hook up with Randy Rainbow…what a team they would be. just a thought) 😉
DB: Assange got duped! He has been at the Ecuadorian embassy since 2012. Seems he still has connections though, and lots of lee-way too. ugh!
TP: Well, count your blessings now, because we’re screwed for sure with this passing!!
The 22 agencies and programs Trump’s budget would eliminate = Horrible & Terrible!!! http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373441-the-federal-programs-trump-proposes-cutting-in-2019-budget
Cartoon: What Joanne said. Lovely pictures of the Obamas!! Gawd, how I MISS them every.single.day too!!
Good thoughts your way at your appointment. Relax, and have a good evening, Thanks, Tom.
The Hill: Bravo Rippon, speaking out for the non-binary community!
ThinkProgress: Scary AF. This is why we need to stay in constant contact with our legislators. RESIST, PERSIST, and above all, VOTE!
Cartoon: If Lincoln was around today, he would be a Democrat.
TH: I don’t blame Adam Rippon for not wanting to go through such an ordeal of vile hypocrisy and Kudos for him for wanting to do something at the set time that would help the LGBT community in a positive way. But I think that the White House is giving a sigh of relief, except for Drumpf who misses his photo opportunity to show of how good he is with “the gay”.
TDB: If this was the real Assange,and that is by no means certain, then it’s interesting to see if he communicated with Hannity before and made some similar offers. But I’m sure the FBI would already be well aware of that.
TP: This is the evil Republicans are doing in Congress while nobody is looking, distracted by all the Drumpf brouhaha. And this is the evil these sock puppets are payed to do by the 1%; they are there to represent the industry, not their constituents.
Cartoon: As Drumpf said: “Not many people know that Lincoln was a Republican”, but what he doesn’t understand is that’s because it’s just too hard to believe. The GOP has become its own diametrical opposite since then.
Hope you got through your eye ordeal today, TomCat and that the results are everything you hope and expect them to be.
TH: More power to Adam! Pence’s event at the games showed him to be totally inept, spreading not an ounce of “Great” in relation to America. He was a has been before tDump picked him out of the garbage bin, and needs to go back there.
DB: Is there a real Assange, or is what we think is him just a hologram?
TP: Restrictive laws in the land of the “Free to be screwed!”
Puzzle — 6:00 At least you don’t have to eat stones and worry about your dental bill!
The Hill — Kudos to Adam Rippon! It is people like Rippon that make America great, not bigots and racists like Pence and Drumpf and many Republicans who ride on their coattails.
The Daily Beast — IMO, Hannity should be investigated for seditious activity since he seems to be so closely linked to Assange and so many conspiracy theories. To me, much of this goes beyond freedom of speech, straight to undermining the US. But then, Drumpf and Pence and all Republicans do a great job at undermining the US, bringing it to its knees internationally!
Think Progress — There will be another American revolution, or I guess, more correctly, another civil war and it will be caused by Republicans and their efforts to destroy The People and the rule of equitable law. A budget and other policies that do great harm to the fabric of American society can do nothing else but create civil unrest — think French Revolution, English Revolution, Russian Revolutions and the 1st American Revolution.
Cartoon — In today’s world, I think Lincoln would be a Democrat. For his birthday, I think he would tell Republicans to shove any Present “up their asses”!
OK, I’m back, sort of. I’m still very sore (muscles) in the neck and back which I think is the result of the fall. The nose swelling is pretty much gone although my glasses still bother me some so I am lifting them about every 10-15 minutes. The scabs have come off and new ones have formed. The Polysporin is doing its job and appears to have kept infection at bay. I hope your visit yesterday to the oncologist went well TC.
Keep getting better!
I’m sure it feels like a snail’s pace, but this is good progress. Keep it up!
Thanks all. Hugs! ?