TomCat

Personal Update – 1/2/2021

Posted by TomCat at 7:23 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 022021

It’s a worn out day here in the CatBox. Dinner with WWWendy last night (see below) was delicious. In fact, it was so delicious that I ate way too much, way too fast, and was up all night with an upset stomach and got almost no sleep. I need to spend the day in bed. Furthermore, it’s a dead news say. Have a fine weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:11 (average 4:36). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

New Years Dinner:

0102NYD

Pot Roast, potatoes, gravy, Brussels sprouts.

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Bob Dylan- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door “Original”

Ah… the memories. Furthermore, it has some personal relevance. RESIST!!

17 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 1/1/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:15 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 012021

It’s a New Years Day, here in the CatBox. When the midnight hour came, I said, “ZZZZZZ”. I did not expect to see this day, as my Oncologist initially projected my departure for last May. I’m glad to be here, and I shall stay as long as God permits me to share my love with you all and to Resist the Republican Reich. WWWendy is coming this afternoon, and I’m running late, because I overslept on my morning nap. Thank you for being you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:14 (average 5:39). To di it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: As 2020 comes to an end, America has a lot of work to do. To date, more than 19.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the novel coronavirus and over 340,00 have died as a result, according to The New York Times database. Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitals reaching capacity nationwide, some officials are still reluctant to follow health recommendations.

This inability to follow safety precautions in place to stop the spread of the pandemic has resulted in not only an increase in infections across the country but an increase in deaths as well. Most recently, Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow died Tuesday from COVID-19 complications after being hospitalized for 11 days. LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor G.E. Ghali confirmed that Letlow did not have any underlying conditions and was only 41 years old, The News-Star reported. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

Sadly over 20 million Americans have now caught the Republican virus ,and Republicans have murdered over 354 thoudand Americans with it. I certainly regret the grief Letlow’s family is suffering as a result of his loss. However, I have to say that this is one of those few instances in which karma actually worked. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from Portland): July 17, 2020: Portland Protests – Fenced in Feds & “Naked Athena”

Do you remember when the Republican Nazi Gestapo and Portland Police attacked Portland protestors and a naked woman chased them away? Oregon leads the way! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth 1967

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

18 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/31/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:19 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 312020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I managed another post today. Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day. After the destinking the TomCat, we plan to have a special dinner. I will still be in the saddle tomorrow, as she’s coming in mid-afternoon. But I’m not big on year in review articles, so I don’t know what I’ll have to work with. Tonight we can celebrate New Years Eve together: ZZZZZZ with me!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:13 (average 5:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The House of Representatives had a busy Monday, returning early from the Christmas break to easily override a Trump veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and pass a boost to the stimulus bill survival checks from $600 to $2,000. So Trump got a rebuke and a gift at the same time. Trump was walloped on the NDAA, with 322 voting to override to 87 sticking with him.

The Senate will convene at noon on Tuesday, when Sen. Mitch McConnell will indicate how the Senate is going to proceed with what the House is presenting to him this morning. The veto override won’t be an issue, even though it requires the same two-thirds majority as in the House. The Senate passed the NDAA with a 84-13 margin under Trump’s veto threat. The override vote could happen as soon as Wednesday, or Democrats could force a delay as they demand a vote on the $2,000 survival checks.

Loeffler and Perdue are now on board, saying “yes” to the checks. After saying “no,” of course.

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey have vowed to block the defense bill until they get a vote on the $2,000 survival checks. “That relief passed in the House today with 44 Republicans voting for it,” Markey tweeted Monday. “Senate Republicans must do the same and get the American people the help they need.” Sanders said in a statement Monday, “Let me be clear: If Sen. McConnell doesn’t agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year’s Eve.”

Major Kudos to Bernie. A New Years Eve filibuster has the added benefit of slowing the spread of Trump* virus by keeping GOP Senators from sponsoring super-spreader events at home. Nevertheless, it won’t work, because Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch will not give-in. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: You would think being “anti-wife beating” would be a bipartisan thing.

But what about “that guy I went out with once is stalking me and he has a gun”?

This week Senate Republicans again showed us who they are.

Senate Republicans are blocking re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) over the so-called “Boyfriend Loophole.” USA Today:

…the most recent version of the bill passed by the House last year intended to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which proved to be a large point of contention for many Republicans.

Previous versions of the act barred those convicted of domestic violence or abuse from purchasing and owning a gun if they were married to, lived with or had a child with the victim. But the 2019 amendment hoped to extend that provision to include dating partners and stalkers.

Though it had support from all Democrats who voted but one, only 33 Republicans voted to move the legislation forward, and the GOP has been accused of giving into the National Rifle Association, which has opposed the change.

Blocking VAWA to protect the gun rights of stalkers with a history of domestic violence is so evil it’s… Republican. Thank God for Joe. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Josh Hawley became the first senator on Wednesday to take up President Trump’s demand that lawmakers challenge the results of the 2020 election, saying he would object to Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results on Jan. 6.

The move by Mr. Hawley, Republican of Missouri, is unlikely to alter the outcome of the election, but it will force Republicans to publicly affirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in a politically fraught test of loyalty to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Hawley, an ambitious freshman senator, framed the objection as “an effort to highlight the failure” of states “to follow their own election laws as well as the unprecedented interference of Big Tech monopolies in the election.” He did not repeat the president’s false claim of widespread voter fraud.

“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Mr. Hawley said in a statement. “I will object on Jan. 6 on their behalf.”

The decision ensures that the certification process, typically a formality, will instead become a debate on the House and Senate floors, elevating Mr. Trump’s repeated false assertions. The Constitution requires that challenges to the certification process be endorsed by lawmakers in both the House and Senate. While Mr. Trump’s most strident allies in the House had announced that they would object to Congress’s effort to certify the Electoral College results, they had so far been unable to persuade a member of the Senate to publicly back their effort.

What an asshole! And what an embarrassment to residents of that state. While no citizen of that state is to blame, except those that voted in that Nazi, Hawley makes Missouri such embarrassing misery that the Kansas City Chiefs should relocate out of shame… preferably to Portland or Denver. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild

Steppenwolf wanted to create rock music as it might have developed here, had there been no British influence. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

19 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/30/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:12 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 302020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. It appears that the progression of my disease demands that I spend more time getting bed rest. Nevertheless I managed to put together a full article today and hope to do so into 2021 as well. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:14 (average 5:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Although the pandemic rescue package finally signed by a pouting Donald Trump last night extends the federal moratorium on evicting renters who cannot make their payments, it’s only a temporary reprieve. The House and Senate-passed bill extends the eviction moratorium by only one month. We’re right back here in February, albeit with a new president not permanently sidelined by his own narcissistic delusions.

And the underlying problem is not going away. After the bungling incompetence of government responses from March onward, we are in a new pandemic surge. One in every thousand Americans has died from the virus. Without more lockdowns, the death toll will double in coming months; vaccines simply cannot be manufactured and distributed fast enough to prevent it. And all that means that those who have lost their jobs in a shattered pandemic economy cannot pay rent, and haven’t been able to pay rent, and will not be able to pay months of backlogged rent with a new $600 check, or a $2,000 one. $600 will go to food first, medicine second, rent third.

Here in OR, the legislature had already passed a three month extension on Oregon’s moratorium on evictions. In addition, they passed a financial aid package for landlords who need help staying afloat, because so many tenants have to live rent free. I have no doubt that we will continue to help those in need, because Oregon leads the way. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: Why weren’t we told about this sooner? Details at justscream.baby.

I have a better idea. If you need to scream, call (202) 456-1111, the White house phone number, but only before 1/20. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Defeating McConnell: The Real Stakes of the Georgia Runoffs

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. In this case I know, because I’ve been saying the same things ever since I learned that Senate control depends on the outcomes of those elections. Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch personifies the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich. If they retain the Senate majority, BBMMM will do to Biden what he did to Obama. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

20 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Personal Update – 12/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:42 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 292020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is here doing chores, and I am de-stunk. It’s the first sub-freezing morning of the year. Tuesday is Flush Your Republicans Day. There are a couple in desperate need of flushing in Georgia!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:10 (average 6:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast from the past): –

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

21 Days (3 Weeks) Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:27 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 282020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and my back is is a lot of pain, so please pardon my brevity. Tomorrow please expect no more than Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day, as she’s coming in the morning. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Religious Agony:

1227Broncos16-Chargers19

Stinking, useless, good for nothing Orb!

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Another dose of relief is finally on the way for the millions of Americans facing financial distress because of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump on Sunday night signed an economic relief package that will provide a round of $600 stimulus payments to most Americans and partly restore the enhanced federal unemployment benefit, offering $300 for at least 10 weeks. The agreement also contains provisions related to student loans, rental assistance and medical bills.

The legislation, which is 5,600 pages long, would provide welcome, albeit temporary, assistance to many. How quickly the money reaches your pocket will depend on several factors, though.

Here’s a closer look at what the legislative package will mean for you. This article will be updated as more details from the measure become available. For more details on how to get assistance, check out our Hub for Help.

I’m glad he signed it. Nevertheless, it’s too little too late. Click through for a detailed analysis. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Stacey Abrams: GOP Senators Have Not Stood Up To Sen. McConnell

It’s not bad enough that both Perdue and Loffler are up to their ears in graft. They are as incompetent as they are crooked. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dion – The Wanderer

Ah… the memories! However, it sure does illustrate the misogyny prevalent in our formative years. RESIST!!

22 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/27/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 272020

It’d a tired day here in the CatBox. It’s also slow day for news to report. It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos Play the Chargers, but it’s not televised here. I’m ready for a nap. Have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:35 (average 5:48). To do it, click here.

Cartoon:

Christmas Dinner:

1227xmasdinner

Short Takes:

From NY Times: On the campaign trail, Joe Biden argued for higher taxes on Americans who make more than $400,000 a year. Those tax increases, he said, would help fund his broader agenda and reduce inequality.

But depending on the outcome of Georgia runoff elections next month, as president he will face either a Republican Senate majority that is dead set against tax increases, or a very narrow Democratic majority that will need to choose its battles carefully.

That will present him with a political conundrum: How do you raise more money from the wealthy if you can’t raise tax rates?

One potential answer: do better on enforcing the existing tax laws.

Tax experts have long identified a large “tax gap” between the amount Americans owe and what is actually collected. This is disproportionately a result of underpayment of taxes by high earners, especially in certain types of closely held partnerships and midsize businesses that face little scrutiny from either the Internal Revenue Service or outside investors.

That is exactly the type of structure — including dubious deductions — that allowed President Trump to minimize his tax bill for years, according to reporting on the president’s taxes by The New York Times.

One problem is that Republicans have been gutting the IRS’ budget for years, so they wont have the money to investigate and prosecute the rich. I’m all for this , but to do it Biden needs to get IRS the funds to do it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence (from The Concert in Central Park)

Ah… The memories! RESIST!!

23 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Personal Update – 12/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:19 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 262020

It’s a celebration cay, here in the CatBox. I slept well last night, and I don’t know why I feel completely exhausted, so I’ll finish writing this pit-stop and go to bed until WWWendy gets here. Happy Boxing Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:13 (average 5:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast of boxes): Courtney Barnett – Boxing Day Blues (Revisited)

Have a Beautiful Boxing Day! HUGS!!

24 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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