It’s a pleasure to be back in the CatBox, after an absence of over two weeks. Our HSP shut us down for a TOS compliance violation for using a © image several years ago. One of our Administrators had purchased a membership from a photo sharing site that misrepresented that its members could use the images there for all noncommercial purposes. They did not tell members that the original photographers retained ownership of the images. This particular photographer has a long history of scamming site owners with bogus lawsuits. For our protection from such scams, I keep our domain anonymously held. He couldn’t find out who we are to sue us. All he could do is complain to our HSP, Bluehost. They apparently emailed me in late March, warning me to correct the problem by removing the image. I never noticed it. They send me SPAM every day, trying to sell me business services that we will never want or need. I suspect I trashed the warning with those. They shut us down on 4/6, when I did not comply with their warning. Normally, their CS is excellent, but an inadequate response to Trump* Virus has put their CS in the toilet. I deleted the image from the Bluehost site. Then, over the next two weeks, I spent over 48 hours in chat and wrote a dozen emails, while fighting with incompetent underlings. Finally one got the info to a competent tech. He reviewed it yesterday and restored our access to the site. It has been a Republican cluster f*ck! I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. Catching up will take a few days!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:25 (average 4:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Trump* Virus Update:
Damn! Talk about sticker shock! The last time I did a TVU Trump’s* Republican murder total was only 8,454 dead.
My New Sweater:
JD made me this beautiful sweater! Thank, you, JD! This may also be my last pic with hair, as I have chemo again Monday.
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Well we knew it was just a matter of time, per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Officials have identified seven people who appear to have contracted COVID-19 through activities related to the April 7 election, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Jeanette Kowalik said Monday.
Six of the cases are in voters and one is a poll worker, Kowalik said.
By the end of this week, officials hope to have additional information on the cases that were reported between April 7 and Monday, she said.
The Wisconsin GOP, the five SCOTUS Conservatives, Trump and all his enablers are responsible for this…
And all those Republican murderers, who voted, voted by mail. RESIST!!
From Salon.com: A Yale psychiatrist has warned that pro-Trump lockdown protesters, who exhibit similar psychology as “child soldiers,” could quickly turn into “armed troops in the streets” if the president loses his re-election bid.
Dr. Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist at the Yale School of Medicine who has mostly taught at Yale Law School, said the armed protests were a natural evolution of the loyalty President Trump demands from his supporters. Many of these protests have evidently been organized by deep-pocketed groups allied with the president.Lee, the author of the textbook “Violence,” has been sounding the alarm about the danger posed by the president for years. She edited “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” after his election, with a group of fellow mental health professionals. The book’s authors recently started a chat series entitled “Is America in an Abusive Relationship With Its President?”
Lee has also served as a project group leader for the World Health Organization Violence Prevention Alliance. She told Salon that Trump’s recent call to “liberate” Democratic-led states was a dog whistle to his core supporters.
I fully agree. Bill Maher and I have both suggested that criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich will resort to violence to stay in power after they lose the election, unless they are able to steal it again! RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Bob Dylan – Lay, Lady, Lay (Audio)
Ah… the memories! RESIST!!
Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!
16 Responses to “Open Thread–4/23/2020”
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Cartoon: Seems like yesterday! Has it been that long ago?
TVU: Numbers keep going up and up. We (my county) are confirmed today @52, Recovered – 11 Deaths 2.
Sweater: Look at that smile!! You look great, Tom!!! Kudos to JD for making this gorgeous/fabulous sweater for you! Looks very comfortable too.
DK: A true horror story starring the R’s and the loss of lives. Won’t delay an election, but will delay their state convention. Pretty cold, imho.
Salon: A nightmare if this happens. I can see it happening….which is very, very scary.
BFTP: Love this song!!
Glad that you and our other administrators are back online. YAY!!! Thank you for the explanation, and I am so delighted to see you ‘back in the saddle’ so to speak. I’ve missed you, and friends on PP, it’s so nice to be back w/friends on this site. You’ve been very busy, and I’m thankful that you got it corrected. Get your rest, take good, good care, and Thank YOU, Tom for all that you do. That goes for our other Administrators too.
‘This just in’: “Trump’s pandemic response – ‘Delay, Deny, Death’.” ~ Nancy Pelosi ~
2. “So…real Donald Trump calls himself a ‘wartime President.’ Well…every wartime president visited the front lines of a battlefield. Why can’t Trump visit a hospital, and thank nurses? Or…root on a shift change at a grocery story? Visit a grave site? Why not??? It’s always about him!” ~ Rep. Eric Swalwell ~
3. Condolences to Ms. Warren and her family, as her oldest brother has succumbed to coronavirus. Mr. Don Reed was 86, and an Air Force Veteran. *abc/cbs news
TJI3 – Oh, no! I hadn’t seen that yet – what a tragedy! That really hits close to home for all of us.
Amen!
And thank YOU for such a snappy picture! You’re a natural model.
Some quick videos –
Roy Zimmerman – This one may be his best ever, but I think he’s a lot better with fan participation regardless.
POGO – video explaining inspectors general and why they are so important.
Reich/Climate/Economy (I hope I’m not stepping on your toes, TC)
Cartoon – It seems like it’s been around forever.
DK – I’ve seen several tributes to Wisconsin voters who literally risked their lives to vote. Yes, we knew it was coming. It’s still to cry for.
Salon – She knows what she is talking about and is doing everything she can – and likely risking her life too. I agree with her, you and Bill that we need to be ready. But I also don’t think we should telegraph our plans. Those Republicans who are evil but not stupid – and there are many, especially in the regime – would be on our plans like you-know-what on you-know-what in order to undermine them before they got started. I know that makes it difficult. We know there are Trump supporters in the military, the Secret Service, the FBI, the CIA, and every police force, but we don’t know accurately who each individual is. We may need a task force … a secret task force.
Past – a fine song – even if it does push my grammar police button.
just glad you’re back had been looking for the site the past weeks and worried something bad had happened…
Oh, gee, Dave, so sorry somehow you got dropped from my email list. I hope it’s OK to put back on back on. I just send one a week featuring posts other than Tom’s, but I did send a couple to let people know in a general way what the problem was and that Tom was still alive and kicking.
Glad you’re finally back to posting your Politics Plus. We’ve certainly have missed them.
Cartoon: Wow…never knew when YouTube started.. Time flies.
TVU: We had over 152 new cases and hit 100 deaths total. People are getting so impatient and want places open, like parks, beaches, eateries, salons, etc. With the cases continuing to rise, they need to be safe and not rush to opening anything.
New Sweater: Love it. You look great. Joanne did an excellent job. Kudos to her.
DK: Crazy the way the R’s choose to decide how to place people’s health in jeopardy. Despicable.
Salon: Scary. I too can see it happening. Agree with Joanne regarding these people knowing what they are talking about.
Past: Always was a fan of Bob. Great tune.
Take care. Thanks TomCat
So glad to see you back again, TomCat, and looking so happy and comfortable in the great sweater JD knitted for you. Great job, Joanne! I hope that now your chemo has started and the radiation therapy is commencing soon you’ll be able to wear this sweater next winter too to celebrate the downfall of the Trump Reich.
3:06. Lovely sundown to enjoy. But not for long, as you’ll be beating me again soon, TomCat.
Update: The whole map has shockingly turned fiery red in two weeks time. What will the states that follow Trump’s orders to reopen look like in two weeks time? Black?
DK: Seven, possibly more, people contracted COVID-19 in the forced election in Milwaukee. They’re all heroes who put their lives on the line to make sure the Republicans could cower them into staying home.
Salon: Dr Lee is certainly reading the signs right. Protesting with automatic weapons in hand may be mere intimidation now; when angered even more after 6 months of further arousing by Trump, who now knows he can get away with it during his “press conferences on coronavirus”, this mob will turn their anger on innocent bystanders.
BFTP: I was too young for this early Bob Dylan, but I now appreciate his whole repertoire and love this song.
Hi Tom. You and the sweater look great together. Joanne did good! I love that smile.
TVU is just crazy! Louisiana, with a much smaller population than florida is looking like the other red states might, after opening too soon. Trump’s beloved “uneducated” are setting themselves up, pawns that they are, and have been, for the right-wing oligarchs!
DK: Sad, though predictable. Perhaps, in the long run, this will make the state bluer.
Salon: Dr. Lee has been like a light in the darkness. Her book, “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” was good reading; not fun, but important. The fools could get violent, I do not doubt it. Whatever else goes on around the election, we will be in for a hell of a nasty ride as he will not be capable, and I use the term “capable” purposely, of letting events go any way other than the way he wants them to go, peacefully. If/when, he looses, he will “KNOW” that the result was bogus. He might try to declare Martial Law before the election, he might try…what the hell ever.
GREAT sweater, TC (and Joanne!) Hoping it just flies right on by, Tom…and you’ll be better soon!
So you lose some hair! Is it the first time you’ve been bald since birth? You can use a sharpie to add funny comments onto your pate! Best wishes, TC! BIG HUGS….pam
Coronavirus update: Donald Trump asks if injecting disinfectant would ‘clean’ coronavirus in White House briefing
https://abcmedia.akamaized.net/news/video/202004/CNs_TrumpDisinfec_2404_1000k.mp4
https://twitter.com/i/status/1253482576699969537
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy stifles giggles while warning Australians not to follow advice from US President Donald Trump to inject disinfectant to protect against coronavirus.
You would think everyone in the world outside the US would know by now that Trump*’s utterances range from malevolent to cockamamie, and are always false. But I’m glad other countries’ governments are on to protecting their citizens – at least from him.
Daily Kos — I believe the count is up to 19 cases now. This is totally unconsionable! Charge the Wisconsin Republicans with assault to be upgraded to murder if anyone dies.
Trump Virus Update — The US has more deaths than Canada has infections at this point. Sad!
The Sweater — Absolutely fabulous JD! TC, you look great in it and I have to say that you look relaxed and rested.
Welcome back TomCat! I suspected it was a host problem given the message that appeared when I tried to access your site.
Thanks and crappy exhausted hugs to all! 💩
Hi Tom! Glad you are back and that your site is back up. I’ve missed your posts.