It’s a tired hectic day here in the CatBox. Yesterday’s Safeway delivery was almost a disaster. When the driver arrived, he had just a couple bags in his arms. He said there had been a lot of cancelations. We brought them upstairs. He was in a hurry, but I insisted that we compare the cancellations with what he had. It was soon obvious that the vast majority of my order was not accounted for. We went back downstairs. He went out to check his truck and came back with the rest of my order that “had been hiding”. He needed a hand truck to carry it. We brought upstairs. It took me over an hour to put everything away. There were a few legitimate cancellations that were out of stock in the store. They included all my sweets. Nevertheless, it could have been far worse and would have been a disaster had I not been such a hard ass about it. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day. I’ll be back in the saddle on Christmas Eve. Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day. Take extra care. The closer it becomes to the end the harder they are trying to get away.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:06 (average 5:09). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Russian hackers attempting to disrupt the U.S. government were disappointed to discover that it had already been thoroughly disabled, the hackers have confirmed.
Expecting to find a well-oiled machine that they could impair, the hackers instead came upon a barely operational mess that had already suffered what appeared to be four years of degradation.
Dmitri X (not his real name), was assigned to hack the Environmental Protection Agency’s computer systems and was “shocked” by the agency’s weakened condition.
“My job was to access the E.P.A.’s database and delete all of the environmental regulations,” he said. “There was nothing there left to delete.”
That’s straight news, Andy! With Republicans working so hard, Russians need no help to destroy America! RESIST!!
From Crooks and Liars: Everyone wants to show the happy videos of people getting vaccine shots.
The Governors in the 12 states that haven’t passed mask mandates especially want to get in on this hopeful news. They will crow about how Their President got them the vaccine. Not said, but implied, is that their refusal to pass a state-wide mask mandate was justified before and is not necessary now.
Image from: CNN
The experts say we will still need masks for months and we should NOT relax the mask protocols…
…Here are some ways to use the vaccination press conferences to pressure 12 Governors to pass mask mandates.
Method 1
Have the top medical experts tell the Governors behind the scenes, “You don’t get to be part of the vaccination press conference unless you pass a mask mandate.”
People in the public health medical community still want to believe that Governors will respond to facts and science. They won’t.
Withholding good PR at a press conference isn’t withholding their vaccine, just the reflected success of a vaccine.
But since most public health experts don’t want to be this direct, and the window for these first press conferences is closing, I suggest:
Method 2
PREPARE THE MEDIA for asking Governors why there is no mask mandate now and why they still won’t pass one.
This is especially important now that Trump botched the vaccine roll out!
First prep the experts to point out the EXCESS DEATHS that will happen because there is no MASK MANDATE. When the Governor still doesn’t respond with a mandate, post photos of DEAD NURSES to call out the GOVERNOR for NOT pushing a mandate before.
Click through for much more info. I fully support both methods. RESIST!!
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Maddow: U.S. Mired In ‘3-Way Split Screen’ Of Trump Crises
I agree with Rachel. The one thing that should have been included is that, Republicans wanted mass deaths, because such a high proportion of the deaths are Blacks. I also worry about Trump inciting violence., and agree that he is desperate to escape prosecution that must follow to prevent a Republican Recurrance. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Beta Radio – Angels We Have Heard on High (Official Audio)
A beautiful arrangement of a classic carol! HUGS!!
28 Days (4 Weeks) Until the Big FLUSH!!
21 Responses to “Open Thread – 12/22/2020”
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Cartoon: They love this!
NYer: Andy writes well, and throws in some ‘serious’ humor to his posts.
C&L: I agree with both methods too. We’re talking about people’s lives here.
MSNBC: Trump is the ring leader of this debacle. Good Lord, what a fine mess he’s gotten into, and the fear he is spouting and spreading that is being done. By this traitor.
BoC: Beautifully sung.
Wow! Good for you being the hard As-, and glad that you got most of your order and the ones that had been ‘hiding’…hmmm….bummer about your sweets, I like them too! Hope that you have a good day, take good, good care, and Thanks, Tom.
*This just in: “Trump better be careful – he is way too narcissistic to realize he’s messing with Mitch McConnell who is just as evil, but way more intelligent as he is.” ~ Lily D. ~
2. “What kind of county lets superspreading anti-mask senators jump to the front of the vaccine line?”~James S.~
3. “With Trump, all roads lead to Russia.” ~ Nancy Pelosi ~
4. “Professor Alexander ‘Sasha’ Kagansky, a prominent Russian scientist who was working on the Covid 19 vaccine, fell to his death from his 14th floor apartment a couple days ago.” ~ Jorge G. ~
5. Re: Trump -“Like most bullies, when seriously challenged, he runs and hides, or goes to play golf.”
~Joan K. ~
6. “Once Trump is gone, the political landscape will shift. It will happen in about 700 hours.” ~ Nancy Pelosi ~
JI #2 – A dysfunctional one?
TJI #6 – I’ll bet she knows right down to the minute and the second. I’m doing well just to keep track of the Scaramuccis.
re: #2. Yep…that would be Iowa senator Joni Ernst —
The other two, Rubio and Graham also downplayed Covid19, and got the vaccine, ahead of others.
TJI#2 really rankles. The bastards ought to have been pushed to the very end of the line. But, hypocrisy on the right impart of their DNA. For each of them, it is “All about me!”
TJI#4 is another Russian nest of vipers, rather than dolls, sort of thing, IMHO.
TJI #2 – That made my blood boil! My sentiments exactly:
And what did little Marco worry about? Being a wimp and his vanity!
Regarding TJI #2: I agree with you 100% Nameless.
These as*holes should of never gotten the vaccine ahead of the important essential workers.
I’m so sorry the delivery happened the way it did. And I certainly feel you about the sweets. I certainly hope today goes better. Love to WWWendy tomorrow.
Here’s news that’ll raise an eyebrow or two – Pat Robertson, of all people, has conceded that Joe Biden won and that Trump needs to accept that. I wonder what changed his (by courtesy) mind.
Cartoon – No words needed.
Andy – So Russia also has people who do not follow the news. Do tell. IFBIT (It’s funny because it’s true.)
CnL – If more progressive pols and activists – and media – would grasp that our job of fighting for the soul of America does not begin and end with campaigns, we actually might be able to make America great. The principles of these suggestions can be applied to every issue.
Rachel – They thought a lot more of the deaths would be minorities and progressives, because it went over their head that is was primarily their own people who would refuse to wear masks (or take any other precautions.) I’m not actually sure that any of them ever grasped that – it might just have become too ingrained in their supporters for them to be able to undo it. Who I agree with (besides Rachel) is Col. Wilkerson, who pointed out on Chris Hates show that Flynn may be “retired” from the military, but the law provides for the DoD to recall ant retired officer to active duty at any time, and the Secretary should recall Flynn to active duty and immediately court-martial him
Blast – this was my first favorite Christmas Carol … because of the counterpoint.
Oh, Joanne, I just LOVE that piece about Flynn, once Biden is in office!
Me too.
re: Flynn
Personally, I agree w/your statement, Joanne. (& Rachel’s & Col. Wilkerson’s).
I believe that Flynn should be reinstated back into the military, summarily court-martialed, lose his stars & bars, his pension, and serve time in USDB Leavenworth Prison. I resent the fact that dt pardoned him, and his motley crew. I hope the DOD comes through.
He’s a traitor, and like trump, he is a Russian asset. imho.
Yup. I didn’t dot the i’s and cross the t’s the way you did, but I did mentally think it through. Ironic, isn’t it, that “stars and bars” is also a nickname for the Confederate flag?
Yep.
Perhaps Flynn shrouds himself in THAT flag in private too, plus losing all that he cherishes. Imho.
Thanks, Joanne for your comment.
Ouch, but at least you got the delivery sorted out.
‘toon: That’s who they are.
New Yorker: It’s a hollowed out government, and what’s not been “disappeared” has been rotted.
C&L: in my one of the 12 states, Desantis is working hard to emulate his predecessor, and lie his way into the future. The infection rate here is quite high, and the woman whose hose the state police raided is suing his ass. I’d love to see it in a sling!
MSNBC: Not really a surprise, except for the Rudy/Powell Axis of Insanity. Silly me, I thought that Trump was by far the craziest in the admin. Nah, he’s only a little bit ahead of the Axis powers. That h’e get freaked out as his time in office approached is no surprise at all. Those who think that he will quietly sneak out of the WH, and find a big rock under which to hide is not his MO. He needs the spotlight, and revenge. There was an article about how Covid has “Hollowed Out a Generation of Young Black Men,” which talks to your comment about Blacks being particularly targeted by the disease.
Yes, I also saw the article on a hollowed-out generation, and God knows that’s tragic enough, but they didn’t want it hollowed out – they wanted it disappeared – so I stand by my statement.
Unless you yelled or swore at the Safeway guy, I don’t think you were a hard-ass at all. As the adage goes, the customer is always right.
I fear the last days of Donnie will NOT go well. It concerns me greatly that he’s going to take Dylan Thomas’ words to heart and will “not go gentle into that good night.”
(Trump’s a cunning idiot. He realizes his only hope of staying out of jail is to remain president and become a dictator. I know – outlandish. But what has Trump done that is NOT outlandish?)
I doubt, however, that Trump knows Dylan Thomas from The Three Thomases of PP (counting Wendy’s boyfriend.)
Cartoon: Awful…wish they’d do away with such violence.
TNY: Russians keep up their evil acts, yet tRump just ignores the whole thing….blaming China?
C&L: Method 1 or 2. I just wish they’d follow one. It hasn’t been going well here in San Diego. We continue having lots of new cases here. We’re like NY was earlier this year.
BoC: Beautiful.
Sorry to hear that your delivery was such a pain yesterday. Glad that you stood up to him, otherwise he would of never came across the rest of your order till when he finished his route and found it. Who know what he would of done with it then??
Hope you had a nice rest of your day.
Take care. Thanks TomCat
The cartoon is spot on – er, make that splat on.
Sometimes it pays off to be a hard ass, TomCat. Good on ya.
4:27 I definitely need more practice, this one was easy.
Cartoon: Let’s hope they won’t be dripping with blue Democratic blood by February.
TNY: Straight news indeed. The Russians must know in what shambles America’s cybersecurity is; they were largely responsible for the state it is in now. Further disruption probably wasn’t the reason for the attack but further penetration, deep into the capillaries of cyberspace, to make restoration by a Biden administration almost impossible, is a more likely option.
C&L: The hypocrisy of it all. Rubio and Graham, both mockers of mask-wearing, were getting their shots while wearing a mask. Both methods, and any other they can think of, should be used. No mask, no jab. Remember, the vaccines don’t prevent infection with COVID-19 but prevent one from getting very sick from it. Wearing masks, washing hands and keeping safe social distance are the only things that will keep the spread down.
MSNBC: I’m afraid America, and the world, have an ‘interesting’ festive season to look forward to. With COVID-19 peaking in Europe and America and on the curve of a new wave in Asia, this is not the time to deal with Trump antics.
BOXmas: A very sweet version of an oldie.
Hi, all! I really can’t top or add much to all the above comments. Wow, rushing to the front of the vaccine line——–for a HOAX, LOL! Yes, shows who they are (of course, we already knew). TC, nuthin’ wrong w/speaking up 4 urself. And hey, u don’t get called the “B-word like some of us! We’ll see what the latest drama w/clown puppet demanding relief checks be upped to $2K. Pelosi sez, “Do it!” ——–Belated solstice, blessings from the Cat Goddesses.
Thanks – Fry all the Republicans discussed above – Hump Day Hugs!