It’s a steamy day, here in the CatBox. Portland is under an Excessive Heat Warning today and tomorrow with temperatures of 100°+ both days. With my O2 concentrator acting like a space heater, and when the sun hits my big windows in the afternoon, the A/C unit is hard pressed to keep it in the 80°s inside. Tomorrow WWWendy is coming to destink the foul TomCat, change my pain patch, goop, and help with chores. Therefore please expect no more than a Personal Update from me tomorrow. Have a fine day!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:03 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
It’s Republican SOP!
Trump* Virus Update:
US Cases: 5,478,009
US Deaths: 171,568
Plus the many plague murder victims Republicans are hiding
Short Takes:
From ProPublica: Guards in an immigrant detention center in El Paso sexually assaulted and harassed inmates in a “pattern and practice” of abuse, according to a complaint filed by a Texas advocacy group urging the local district attorney and federal prosecutors to conduct a criminal investigation.
The allegations, detailed in a filing first obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, maintain that guards systematically assaulted at least three people in a facility overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement — often in areas of the detention center not visible to security cameras. The guards told victims that no one would believe them because footage did not exist and the harassment involved officers as high-ranking as a lieutenant.
According to the complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and shared with prosecutors, several guards “forcibly” kissed and touched the intimate parts of at least one woman. She faces deportation next week — meaning investigators could lose a key witness. Her attorneys have requested that immigration officials pause her deportation pending a review of the matter.
The best defense that those Republican perverts have is that they were following the example of their Fuhrer. RESIST!!
From NY Times: President Trump’s top two officials at the Department of Homeland Security are illegally serving in their positions, with appointments that violated the laws governing who can fill Senate-confirmed posts, according to a report released Friday by the Government Accountability Office.
Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, his deputy at the sprawling agency, are serving in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which specifies orders of succession when senior officials resign, according to the G.A.O., Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog.
The report said the improper appointments began after Kirstjen Nielsen was forced out of office as the department’s secretary in April 2019.
“Because the incorrect official assumed the title of acting secretary at that time, subsequent amendments to the order of succession made by that official were invalid,” the Government Accountability Office said on Friday. The agency said that Mr. Wolf and Mr. Cuccinelli “are serving under an invalid order of succession.”
Should anyone be surprised that Republicans are not following the rules? The Republican SOP that rules and laws are for others, not them, has been in force for decades. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast of protest): Bruce Springsteen & Joe Grushecky ☜❤☞ That´s What Makes Us Great (ANTI-TRUMP-SONG 2017 )
Amen! Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!
Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!
14 Responses to “Open Thread – 8/15/2020”
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Yes, that makes it very rough to stay cool. Good luck with that!
Really American
Lincoln Project
Meidas Touch
Pattern Integrity films is a group which specializes in YouTube videos on fires and fire prevention But they have put up two political videos on Twitter (one channeling George Carlin)
Here’s the Carlin one (NSFW):
TJI: To put it in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it? To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked. – David Sedaris
Cartoon – Clearly they really believe that. Tories.
Map – Can’t help wondering whether we’ll ever know the truth. Update: We are almost certainly alredt over 200,000 deaths from CoViD. The number of deaths which statistically would have been expected at this point in the year is 204,000 less than we have experienced. We may never know the whole truth, but there are ways to come closer to it than Republicans want us to.
ProPublica – Hell, they even sexually assault dead women now. Live ones don’t have a chance. I surely hope she doesn’t get deported.
NYT – Particularly unsurprising since the DHS as a Cabinet Department is unconstitutional IMO. So – what can be done? Probably nothing besides voting out Trump*
BOP – Indeed.
All great videos!
I miss George Carlin too, he spoke the truth
Thanks, Joanne.
I LOVE David Sedaris! I’ve read everyone one of his books – and he also periodically has an article in The New Yorker.
Cartoon: Ugh!
TVU: #’s in from yesterday: Confirmed positives: 1421, Active cases: 234 , Estimated Recoveries: 1152, Deaths: 17
PP: omg. This is sickening, horrible, and deplorable for these guards to do this. Do AWAY these cesspools, (IDC’s) and fire those who abuse these folks. Shameful !!
NYT: Gawd, that’s awful. But, dt doesn’t care, he just wants his cronies in there to set his tone that’s right for him. Screw everybody else. imho.
YT: Amen. Love the words.
It’s hot as Hades here, yesterday we had 3 fires in the county. Scary!! PTL for our Fire Fighters! and I think of 2011 all over again, with that kind of news. Tell WWWendy HI for me, and I sure hope you get all your chores done. Take good, good care, and Thanks for all you do, Tom.
*This just in: “Just look where dt and Pence got us: Millions of kids who cannot go back to school. More than 160,000 lives have been cut short by coronavirus, many with loved ones who never got a chance to say goodbye. This was preventable!” ~ Kamala Harris ~
2. “Kamala Harris will be campaigning inside dt’s head. No word on what social distancing is like in there.”
~ Dan Rather ~
3. “I will pray for Trump’s hair as I go to bed hungry, my neighbors become homeless, as their grandparents die. ~ John M. ~
4. “Donald Trump is more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing the virus.” ~ Barack Obama ~
5. “Why do we have a Space Force, but can’t fund the PO?” ~ Kaze P. ~
TJI #2 -I love Dan Rather.
Pres. Obama sure has a way of turning a phrase!
I can relate TC–most of CA shares your hot weather and for the two hours just before sundown I was without power, which proved to be part of rolling black outs but even PG&E folks didn’t know that when I got my first notice about it. Power shortage attributed to the considerable clouds that have passed through in recent days from the remnants of a tropical system being sufficient to substantially reduce solar power generation. Usual solution is to buy excess from another western state only, like OR, the others are also coping with weather conditions requiring extra electricity. Sure wish we’d done more than talk about a national grid for the past decade.
Am hoping the illegal succession in DHS will invalidate orders given, too, like about ignoring DACA SCOTUS decision. When coupled with ICE and all the other issues, including Portland, I celebrate voices with power calling to split up the agency back into ones where only related functions are together.Thanks Joanne for your additions. David Sedaris has written some wonderful books well worth reading.
CA’s data glitch is fixed and my county is over 800 cases now, had our second death and one of our less populated areas has moved up to the moderate case rate category (two ends are at the high rate-Tahoe residents are begging tourists to stay away, including the father of a child with the scary syndrome with Covid). Thankfully the one school district that had announced all in person classes at the beginning of June has changed plans in response to parents. Most of our schools ordinarily would have already started.
TVU: Still showing increases both with new cases and deaths.
ProPublica: Despicable bas*ards. Hope they are all prosecuted for their ugly evil actions.
NYT: Disgusting that we again seeing tRump get away with not going by the rules. When in the he*l are they ever going to stand up to him and stop this evilness???
BOP: Great song. One we must keep singing till tRump is out.
We’re up to 98 today. It’s not suppose to end for days. Like JL mentioned my city is being warned about out electricity being turned off by SDG&E. We’re being asked to conserve electricity from 3 PM -10 PM.
Hope you’re keeping cool there. That you had a nice afternoon.
Take care. Thanks TomCat
I was surprised at how much heat Mom’s O2 concentrator generated.
Fortunately, as with most old people, she liked it!
Hope you close your blinds before the afternoon sun hits your windows. It does help to put a barrier in front of a sun-drenched window.
I was thinking of you earlier, TC…since we’re sharing this abominal heat wave. It’s an even 100 at 5:20 here right now…and they’re threatening power cuts, to even out usage. Keep cool, Tom!
‘Toon: More Gopiggie BS.
TVU: Uncontrolled spread is spreading!
Propublica: But, the Evangelical are too busy genuflecting towards Dumpness to read of this, or to believe it. The Qanon fools are off with their favorite conspiracy theory about child molestation, and support the Orange Bastard!
NYT: Hey, did Hitler follow the rules? C’mo, man, give the guy some slack. NOT.
I’m sorry the planet wants to remind you it’s getting hotter despite pandemics and a little less CO2 output for a little while, TomCat.
3:23 Boring, nothing here to goop.
Cartoon: It’s their constitutional right!
Update: Half of the country is in “uncontrolled spread”, the rest is in not much better shape. Aren’t you glad you opened up?
ProPublica: I would be surprised if these were the only cases of sexual harassment given the way ICE employees are encouraged to view detained immigrants. But by the time any complaints come to light, the victims will have been deported as they’re trying to do in this case. The ICE agency is completely out of control and anyone working for it is let off the hook. The Office of Inspector General probably knows the woman in question will be gone by next week.
NYT: OK, so this report came out and Republicans/Trump once again broke the rules. Will anything other happen than the NYT reporting it? Or will this just be added to the gigantic stack of “things they got away with”?
BOP: Another great song.
Thanks and Stinky Hurry Hugs to all!
Friends don’t ever let friends vote repuglicon