It’s a muggy, hectic day here in the CatBox. Moving day is tentatively set for next Monday. I will probably be offline for at least two days, but I’ll give you all a heads up. OGIM!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:54 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. how did you do?
Short Takes:
From USA Today: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at Buckingham Palace Monday just after noon, local time, to meet Queen Elizabeth II and be treated to the kind of royal pomp-and-ceremony the president loves receiving and the British love staging.
During Monday’s visit, the queen greeted President Trump as he ascended the palace stairs with Prince Charles, as Melania walked behind with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The queen wore a big smile as she greeted the president with a handshake, wearing a mint suit and matching hat. She then acknowledged Melania, and the three royals walked inside with the president and first lady.\
The POOR Queen! If I were her, I would have abdicated first! RESIST!!
From NY Times: A move by House Democratic leaders to thwart party members from mounting primary challenges to incumbents, even in safe Democratic districts, could have the unintended consequence of arresting the party’s shift toward a more female and racially diverse caucus, one of its most striking achievements of the last election.
Last week, a Democratic political consultant with longstanding ties to the party’s campaign committees quit a senior-partner position at the firm Deliver Strategies after it, like most dominant campaign outfits, agreed to comply with a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee policy barring it from conducting business with a primary opponent of a sitting Democrat.
Her reason: She feared the policy’s impact on female challengers.
“It is hard enough for challengers, for a lot of reasons,” said the consultant, Amy Pritchard, who worked last year for Representative Ayanna Pressley, Democrat of Massachusetts, in her successful campaign to defeat a 10-term Democratic incumbent. “And this policy is a bridge too far. I’d like to see a majority of women in Congress, and it’s not going to happen with this policy.”
When my party does something wrong, I don’t avoid it. I speak out that we need to fix it. The DCCC is so far off base that they are acting like Republicans. All Democrats must oppose this policy. RESIST!!
From Alternet: Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter, currently under indictment over his misappropriation of roughly a quarter million dollars in campaign funds, continues to go out on a limb in his party’s new defense of American war criminals. First Hunter argued for a pardon of former Navy SEAL team leader Edward Gallagher, accused by his fellow soldiers of repeatedly targeting innocent civilians in Iraq, by dismissively telling a town hall that that he, too, was guilty of “taking a picture of [a] body and saying something stupid.”
This admission of a plain breach of military rules by ex-Marine Hunter did not do much to discredit the more damning accusations against Gallagher, that he so consistently targeted innocent civilians with his sniper rifle that his fellow SEALs tampered with his weapon in order to throw off his aim. So Hunter is now back with a more on-point defense of the intentional targeting of civilians, arguing that why of course he did that too.
“I was an artillery officer, and we fired hundreds of rounds into Fallujah, killed probably hundreds of civilians, if not scores, if not hundreds of civilians,” Hunter said. “Probably killed women and children, if there were any left in the city when we invaded. So do I get judged, too?”
The answer to Hunter’s question is “Yes”. I believe his statement that he is also a war criminal and he should be imprisoned as such. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
6 Responses to “Open Thread – 6/3/2019”
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5:32 But what if I don’t want to make green tea?
USA Today – And apparently he complained bitterly in a tweetstorm that he couldn’t watch “Fox and Fiends [spelling mine]” because Fox doesn’t broadcast in England any more – they say because of low ratings. I wouldn’t want to meet him in her place, certainly (and unless there’s more to the story, Prince Philip wouldn’t either.) But Elizabeth II is a professional’s professional. Always has been, from a princess.
NYT – We all have a natural tendency to mistake our opinions for reality, and/or to assume that everyone shares them. But the DNC is simply wrong on this. I haven’t gotten to the actual article yet, but there is one out today that claims proof (or at least hard evidence) that a “centrist Democrat” CANNOT win in 2020, which I must say does not surprise me. I saw the headline in the sidebar at Raw Story, and will go back to it some time today. Update: I tracked it to its original appearance.)
AlterNet – Yeah. My response to this elsewhere was “Hey, I already judged you a long time ago. This just confirms it.” I do grasp that Artillery automatically has greater chances of killing/injuring civilians without intending to than infantry. But that is regrettable, not something to brag about. (And how functional, really is artillery in modern warfare? We are not storming castles any more, that I know of.)
Cartoon – I suppose there is such a thing as “degenerate art” (my candidate would be snuff porn), but using the word to mean “any art I don’t agree with” is itself a degenerate viewpoint – more degenerate than just about any actual art could ever be.
BTW, if you have a few minutes (around ten, to be exact), google “John Oliver Tennessee Vulgar,” read the summary watch the (6+ minute) video, and ROFL.
Today: I’m rooting/standing with the protesters who stand vs. this id. I read somewhere, that Kellyanne, Sarah, Mnuchin, Miller and his kids/spouses are there too? The taxpayers are paying for this, good gawd, I cringe at the cost of this debacle.
NYT: Yes, we need to step up and change this policy, and quickly!
AN: Absolutely! Dereliction of duty is one thing, which is a deliberate or accidental failure to do what you should do, as required of your job. Desecration of a corpse violates the law of war. Service members, no matter their rate or rank, have been, or can be, charged and punished for mistreating the dead under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as these cases show. The CO, and the chain of command (JAG), takes it from there.
Cartoon: Oh, but of course….ugh!
I’m excited for you with your move! Take good care, rest and relax, and Thanks, Tom.
*This just in: “What Nancy Pelosi said, “He’s self impeaching.” (dt)
2. “The Trump crime syndicate has nothing to hide, that’s why they’re trying to hide everything. Amirite?”~ Michael B. ~
Well – I happen to like my art “degenerate”!
USA Today: I give the queen a lot of credit for the way she reacts while greeting tRump. She does is with such grace. I take it that the next couple of days when he meets with others. That’s when I worry about him making more enemies.
NYT: Agree with Joanne
AN: Republican Rep. Dumbcan hUnter, really has me boiling for what he has done getting this criminal released for all of his crimes he committed. tRump had no right sticking his two cents in. I have a feeling dumbcan’s dad had a few words too.
So it’s next Monday, TC. Time sure flies. Pray it’s going to be everything you ever wanted .
We’re having June gloom here. It’s been drizzling most of the day.
USA Today: Now, that is a lady with strong stomach!
NYT: Not the first time the DNC ha shown poor judgement!
Alternet: Agreed, Hunter is a war criminal, as well.
‘Toon: Ironically, those declaring the art as degenerate, were the most degenerate of all. And, I’m glad that they, presumably, missed ut on all that great old jazz, etc.
Thanks and pooped hugs to all.