Jul 082018
 

It’s very muggy here in the CatBox.  WWWendy is cooking up a tray of super hot taco pasta, specially designed for northward travel.  Enjoy Your Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:33 (average 5:01).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Newsweek: Throughout the country, a record number of white nationalists and anti-Semites are running for election this year, many of whom have shown no signs of hiding their views. Among them is John Fitzgerald, who since winning enough votes in June to compete for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives this November has reportedly appeared on several neo-Nazi podcasts.

Last month, Fitzgerald came second in a top-two primary with nearly 25 percent of the vote, which was more than 20,000 votes, and will face off against incumbent Democrat Mark DeSaulnier in November’s midterms. After the primary, the California Republican Party said they do not support the Holocaust-denier who is running as a Republican.

“The California Republican Party’s Board of Directors took swift and decisive action to eliminate any support for John Fitzgerald.

Now that Republicans have the candidate they wanted, they are just pretending they don’t want him. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From Politifact: Most political scientists we spoke to said Democrats have no procedural tools at their disposal to delay a Supreme Court confirmation until the midterms.

However, there is an extreme and untested option Senate Democrats could use to try to block the vote, according to Gregory Koger, a political science professor at University of Miami.

At least 51 Senators must be present in the chamber to establish a quorum, the minimum number of members needed to debate and vote. Without a quorum, no business can be conducted. That includes confirmation votes on Supreme Court nominees.

While Republicans currently hold 51 seats, Arizona Sen. John McCain’s failing health has prevented him from voting since last December. If all 47 Democrats (and two Independents) agreed not to attend, Republicans would be unable to maintain a quorum, rendering them unable to confirm a nominee.

Bust the Quorum!! RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From The New Yorker: Former President George W. Bush is eagerly counting down the days until he is no longer the worst President in U.S. history, Bush confirmed on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at his home, Bush said that he “could hardly wait” until Friday, when he will be officially bounced from the worst-President slot.

“I have to admit, I never thought I’d see this day in my lifetime,” the former President said. “When you leave office with the nation in smoldering ruins, you sort of come to accept that you’re gonna be worst for a long, long time.”

“I guess you could say I set the bar kind of high, worst-wise,” he chuckled.

As the returns came in on Election Night, however, the former President suddenly realized that his days as the worst President in U.S. history might be coming to an abrupt end.

But Andy, Bush will still be the worst President in history, and Trump, the worst Resident. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

Cartoon:

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  21 Responses to “Open Thread – 7/8/2018”

  1. 5:44 Yup. “Parasol” = for sun. For rain = “Paragua.”

    Newsweek – This still may be good news. They won’t fool us into thinking they don’t want him … but if they manage to fool a few of their own … it’s all good.

    Politifact – Well, that’s a Hail Mary if I ever heard one. But anything, absolutely anything (well, short of murder) will be justified if it works against this horrid SCROTUS nomination.

    TNY – I was trying to figure out what Friday will be, besides Friday the Thirteenth. I finally went to the site and realized this is a repost from January 2017. Now it makes sense!

    Cartoon – Isn’t THAT the sad truth!

  2. NW: Coming out of the woodwork I see…..good Gawd.

    Politifact: Do it, bust it! do anything against this and block the vote!!

    NYer: So true. So true.

    Hi, WWWendy! How was your visit to the big city in TX? I hope you had a nice visit, so much to do there. Hope that you have a relaxing evening, take care, and Thanks, Tom.

  3. Newsweek: On one hand it is good that these asses are so calm about portraying themselves accurately, so that people can see what crap they are made of. On the other hand it is sad that these asses are so calm about portraying themselves accurately, because there are so many other asses who will vote for them!
    Politifact: what about the idea that a president who is under investigation can not appoint?  Is that not true?
    New Yorker: That is old news, very old, now.

  4. “If Christ were here, there is one thing he would not be – a Christian.” – Mark Twain

    • Mahatma Gandhi said:  ‘I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.’

      Much the same sentiment.

    • If Jesus were alive in physical form, he would have no problem being a Christian like like the Squatch, who is a good authentic Christian.  Unfortunately real Christians, keep being blamed for the behavior of pseudo-Christians, who aren’t really Christian. 06

      • Like everybody here is, not just me.  You do not have to be an authentic Christian to be Christ like.  Case in point, Mahatma Gandhi or Lona, who by her own admission is not Christian or from a Christian background.  My Iranian friends are Muslim but are also Christ like in their attitude.  It is about the attitude.  The pseudo Christians are not Christ like.  They talk like it but they do not walk the talk.  Talk about false prophets, eh!

        • Squatch, I did not want to imply that you’re the only authentic Christian here, and I agree that authentic believers of all kinds and non believers as well are equally worthy of praise.  Republican pseudo-Christians, ISIS pseudo-Muslims, and evangelical pseudo-atheists are not.  I picked you just because you are such an ideal example of what it is to be an authentic Christian. 35

  5. i’m with Freya!
    Thanx TC ?

  6. Man. If that’s all it takes to keep from having a vote on a SC newbie, then ALL should just stay home! Surely Collins and Murkowsky can do that to keep from voting in an IN-justice like that would surely be! I don’t know tho, Collins is kinda wishy-washy when it comes to keeping her word! Ugh! Bleach-Connell would never go by his past rule! He only played that card to keep Obama from getting another pick! He’s gonna wish he hadn’t done that!!
    Howdy, TC! How ya doin? I’m hanging in there for now. Just barely! Gettin kinda lonesome here in the boonies!! This hippie is getting ready for some football! And some medicinal marijuana!! We got about a month and 3/4 till we get our licenses. Should be weird to go buy it legally here!! I’ll keep ya updated as things go along! Gonna try me some edibles ASAP when they come out! Yeah!!!

  7. Puzzle — 4:30  Since I do not do well in heat and prefer AC over parasols, they are all yours!

    Newsweek — There is yet another article in Newsweek about Patrick Little, a Republican Senate candidate running against Diane Feinstein who among other things admires Hitler and denies the holocaust.  A California Republican party representative said,

    ““But in the strongest terms possible, we condemn anti-Semitism and any other form of religious bigotry, just as we do with racism, sexism or anything else that can be construed as a hateful point of view.””

    He either unashamedly lied, or he lives in an alternate reality.  I’ll go with the former.  Republicans really need to look at their values and their candidates.  They are nothing more than poisonous swamp rats!

    Politifact — Seems like a plan that could work!  I seem to recall a similar situation at the state level a few years ago — Minnesota, one of the Dakotas, or maybe Wisconsin — where 4 or 5 Democrats took off in order to prevent a vote.

    The New Yorker — Almost all Republican presidents are collectively the worst president in history!

    Cartoon — Baaa!!!  Baaa!!!  Baaa!!!

  8. Newsweek: Neo-Nazi John Fitzgerald got 25% of the votes in that primary running as a Republican in California, of all places. How disturbing is that. Democrats better make sure that Mark DeSaulnier wins that seat!

    Politifact: Forty-nine not showing up would prevent Republicans from making the quorum AND would send such a strong message to Democratic voters that Democratic and independent Senators really take this vote for a SCOTUS replacement very serious indeed. But will they have the guts?

    TNY: Old satire, but still very appropriate. Andy has done such a good job this season, I’m sure we’ll get to enjoy more golden oldies while he’s on holiday.

    This, however, is no satire but happened in the World Health Organization this spring but came out only yesterday:

    U.S. opposed breast-feeding accord
    • At a gathering of the decision-making body for the World Health Organization this spring, American officials tried to water down a resolution saying that mother’s milk is healthiest for children. The seemingly uncontroversial measure also said that countries should strive to limit inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
    Embracing the interests of infant-formula manufacturers, the U.S. delegation also threatened the measure’s planned sponsor, Ecuador, with trade sanctions and the withdrawal of military aid, according to diplomats and government officials. (emphasis mine)
    • In the end, the American efforts were mostly unsuccessful, but the confrontation adds to examples of Washington siding with corporate interests on public health and environmental issues.
    • Quotation of the day
    “What happened was tantamount to blackmail, with the U.S. holding the world hostage and trying to overturn nearly 40 years of consensus on the best way to protect infant and young-child health.”
    — Patti Rundall, the policy director of the British advocacy group Baby Milk Action, on U.S. efforts to derail a resolution to encourage breast-feeding.
    NYT Morning briefing July 9, 2018

    In fact it was the Russians who finally carried the motion, almost embarrassed for the role they had to play.

    This was in all the major newspapers here yesterday. I hope someone else will pick up on this monstrous behavior of the US in the WHO of all organisations; I just haven’t got the time for it and being last to comment, not many will read this.

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