Open Thread – 6/2/2018

Posted by TomCat at 12:48 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jun 022018

We’re having a one day heat wave, so the CatBox is buttoned up with A/C blasting. Yesterday’s trip was interesting. The unit even had a private bath, although a small door and a pipe left too small an opening to get my chair into it. I could have put my hospital bed in the unit, but to do so, I would haveto give up computing, internet, tv, and eating. Anne (my program Manager) was very encouraging and understands my needs better than before. I hope the next is larger. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so I hope to get the poll switched and the Monthly Report done early next week.

I just exchanged texts with Nameless. His brother’s condition is still very bleak, but they aren’t giving up. Please keep the prayers coming.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:26 (average 5:47). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (NY Times Channel): Watch: U.S. Allies Denounce President Trump’s Tariffs Decision

With friends like US Republicans, our allies have no need for enemies. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From NY Times: Senator Heidi Heitkamp, the centrist Democrat from North Dakota who is fighting a pitched battle to save her seat, has gotten a lift from an unlikely source: the conservative billionaire Koch brothers.

Americans for Prosperity, the political advocacy group backed by Charles G. and David H. Koch, unveiled a digital ad campaign on Friday thanking Ms. Heitkamp for her support of recently passed legislation that loosened regulations on small and medium-size banks that were swept up in the 2010 Dodd-Frank law passed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.

The ad is the latest evidence that the brothers, often at odds with President Trump, may be moving away from strictly partisan work on behalf of Republicans in favor of initiatives that will advance their libertarian-leaning legislative priorities, including free trade, immigration legislation and access to medicines, regardless of party affiliation.

I would support even this horrid, Koch sucking DINO over a Republican, but we really need to challenge her in the primary. There is apparently nobody running and the primary is 6/12. ARGH!! RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

From Alternet: To hear the Religious Right tell it, men like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were 18th-century versions of Jerry Falwell in powdered wigs and stockings. Nothing could be further from the truth…

…Here are five founding fathers whose views on religion would most likely doom them to defeat today:

1. George Washington. The father of our country was nominally an Anglican but seemed more at home with Deism. The language of the Deists sounds odd to today’s ears because it’s a theological system of thought that has fallen out of favor. Deists believed in God but didn’t necessarily see him as active in human affairs. The god of the Deists was a god of first cause. He set things in motion and then stepped back.

Washington often employed Deistic terms. His god was a “supreme architect” of the universe. Washington saw religion as necessary for good moral behavior but didn’t necessarily accept all Christian dogma. He seemed to have a special gripe against communion and would usually leave services before it was offered.

Washington was widely tolerant of other beliefs. He is the author of one of the great classics of religious liberty – the letter to Touro Synagogue (1790). In this letter, Washington assured America’s Jews that they would enjoy complete religious liberty in America; not mere toleration in an officially “Christian” nation. He outlines a vision of a multi-faith society where all are free.

“The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation,” wrote Washington. “All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens.”

Stories of Washington’s deep religiosity, such as tales of him praying in the snow at Valley Forge, can be ignored. They are pious legends invented after his death.

Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians, the exact opposite of real authentic Christians, would befoul their pants and accuse Washington of being a damn librul. I shared one of five. Click through for the other four. RESIST!! VOTE BLUE!!

Cartoon:

This Week’s Most Outrageous Republican Moments

Posted by TomCat at 1:07 pm Politics, Religion

May 262018

I have not seen an article like this in over a year, and I hope they are starting up again. Almost every week, Republicans join a competition to see who can say the most outlandish things, and in the process, they push the envelope on just how outrageous the Republican Reich can become. I trust that you will believe it, when I tell you that last week was no exception.

Evangelical Author Believes Trump Is Under Attack by “Luciferian” Beings

During an interview last week on Jim Bakker’s show, Evangelical author and radio host Paul McGuire made remarks that highlight the extent of extremism we’re seeing on the Christian far-right.

In a clip now gaining steam on the internet, McGuire goes all-in to defend Trump by claiming his opposition is literally demonic.

“The unprecedented attacks against President Trump and his administration are something that we’ve never seen before in all of human history,” McGuire said. “These unprecedented attacks on Donald Trump are part of the greatest spiritual battle in the history of mankind.”

If that doesn’t raise eyebrows, the outright conspiracy he peddles next will do the trick.

“There are people very high up in what is called the globalist occult or globalist Luciferian rulership system, and this rulership system consists of what used to be called the Pharaoh-God Kings,” he said. “[I]t’s what Aldous Huxley called ‘The Scientific Dictatorship,’ and these are advanced beings who know how to tap into supernatural multidimensional power and integrate it with science, technology, and economics.”…

Inserted from <Alternet>

Whatever Luciferian beings may be at work here, originate from 666 Park Ave.

This is only the first of five Republican outrages. Click through for the other four.

RESIST THE REPUBLICAN REICH!!

VOTE BLUE!!

A Pseudo-Christian Circus

Posted by TomCat at 1:25 pm Politics, Religion

May 142018

This morning, while researching this article, I listened to the dedication ceremony of the new, misbegotten US Embassy in Jerusalem. Playing a key role in that ceremony were two evil Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian Dominionist hypocrites. They could not be more opposed to authentic Christianity. They claim to be supporting the peace of Jerusalem, but they pray and prey for bloody war. 0514HageeJeffress

Monday’s ceremony marking the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem will break with tradition in more ways than one.

Besides the political concerns over the move itself, a pair of Christian evangelical leaders will be on hand whose words have caused their own share of controversy.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder of Christians United for Israel, will deliver the benediction at the ceremony, a spokesman for his organization confirmed to CNN. A major proponent of the embassy move, Hagee said in a recent interview with conservative news site Breitbart [Breitfart delinked] that he told President Donald Trump he would win "political immortality" for moving the embassy from Tel Aviv.

"I told him that the moment that you do that, I believe that you will step into political immortality," the news site quoted Hagee as saying. "Because you are having the courage to do what other presidents did not have the courage to do."

Meanwhile, another controversial evangelical pastor, Robert Jeffress, will say a prayer at the embassy opening, a US official confirmed to CNN. Jeffress, a Southern Baptist, vigorously supported Trump during the final months of the 2016 presidential campaign and was a member of his evangelical advisory board. He even preached at a private service for the President-elect and his family on Inauguration Day in 2017, shortly before Trump took the oath of office…

Inserted from <CNN>

CNN seems most concerned with the Church/State issues involved here, but that does not begin to cover the reasons why these two are so inappropriate.

Part of their Dominionist eschatology is that Jews must control Jerusalem, so they can rebuild the Jewish Temple. Once that happens, the "tribulation" starts. Republican Supply-side Jesus, the exact opposite of the real Jesus, poofs pseudo-Christians into heaven. During the tribulation, 2/3 of the Jews are slaughtered and go to hell. The remaining third are spared, because they convert to pseudo-Christianity. Then everyone else gets tossed into the lake of fire and suffers in flames for eternity. This is what Hagee and Jeffress want for Jews. Here’s Hagee telling part of it.

BARF BAG ALERT!!

Jeffress has said that Jews are going to hell, and Hagee has called Hitler a "hunter sent by God."

These two represented the Republican Party this morning.

RESIST THE REPUBLICAN REICH!!

God 1 – Ryan 0

Posted by TomCat at 12:52 pm Politics, Religion

May 042018

Paul Lyin’ Ryan, currently Speaker of the House, soon to be unemployed, had an opportunity to finish what he started the other day. Instead, fortunately, he put his tail between his legs and, sniveling in Republican fear, backed down. That makes the score: God 1 – Ryan 0.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has accepted the un-resignation of House Chaplain Patrick Conroy, who issued the speaker a scathing letter withdrawing his previously tendered resignation.

Conroy says that he never spoke to Ryan about his resignation or termination but that his chief of staff Jonathan Burks requested that the chaplain step down. Asked why, Burks reportedly responded, "Maybe it’s time we had a chaplain that wasn’t a Catholic." Burks also reportedly mentioned a prayer Conroy led in November 2017 ahead of the tax reform vote.

The chaplain had prayed for "balanced" tax reform that helps ameliorate income inequality. The tax bill that Republicans eventually passed added more than an estimated $1 trillion to the deficit while delivering the largest gains to wealthy people and corporations…

Inserted from <Alternet>

Here is the complete transcript of Conroy’s letter.

May 3, 2018

The Honorable Paul Ryan,

Speaker, House of Representatives

H-232 The Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

RE: Immediate retraction of resignation as Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dear Speaker Ryan:

As you know, by letter of April 15, 2018, I tendered my resignation of the position of Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives (hereinafter "House Chaplain") to you, effective May 24, 2018. At this time, and upon advice of counsel, I hereby retract and rescind said resignation for the reasons that follow.

I was elected as House Chaplain on May 25, 2011, and I have honorably served in that role since that time. I was re-elected House Chaplain in every succeeding Congress. I have never been disciplined, nor reprimanded, nor have I ever heard a complaint about my ministry during my time as House Chaplain. It is my desire to continue to serve as House Chaplain in this 115th United States Congress to the end of my current two-year term, and beyond,· unless my services are officially terminated (however that is properly done) or I am not re-elected to the position by the membership of the House.

While you never spoke with me in person, nor did you send me any correspondence, on Friday, April 13th, 2018, your Chief of Staff, Jonathan Burks, came to me and informed me that you were asking for my letter of resignation. I inquired as to whether or not it was "for cause," and Mr. Burks mentioned dismissively something like "maybe it’s time that we had a Chaplain that wasn’t a Catholic." He also mentioned my November prayer and an interview with the National Journal Daily.

At that point, I thought that I had little choice but to resign, as my assumption was that you had the absolute prerogative and authority to end my term as House Chaplain.

Recently, on April 27, you publicly indicated that my "pastoral services" to some Members were lacking and that I did not offer adequate "spiritual counseling" to others. This is not the reason that Mr. Burks gave me when asking for my "resignation." In fact, no such criticism has ever been leveled against me during my tenure as House Chaplain. At the very least, if it were, I could have attempted to correct such "faults." In retracting my resignation I wish to do just that.

I also write this letter because I do not wish to have my "resignation" be construed as a "constructive termination." You may wish to outright "fire" me, if you have the authority to do so, but should you wish to terminate my services, it will be without my offer of resignation, as you requested.

Since soon after I submitted my letter of April 15 I chose to remain silent about this matter despite numerous requests from the media. There has been much said in conjecture about my leaving the Chaplain’s Office, much of it damaging to the reputation of the House and the integrity of the Office of the Chaplain.

Had I known of any failure in providing my ministry to the House, I would have attempted to make the appropriate adjustments, but in no case would I have agreed to submit a letter of resignation without being given that opportunity. Therefore, I wish to serve the remainder of my term as House Chaplain, unless terminated "for cause." Please be guided accordingly and kindly provide confirmation of your recognition of this letter and my retraction of resignation no later than May 12, 2018. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Patrick J. Conroy, S.J.

Chaplain

CC: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader

The Honorable Karen Haas, Clerk of the House Daniel G.P. Marchese, Esq.

Perhaps, if Ryan were a Christian, he would have the conviction to stand by his actions, but he’s not. He’s a Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian, so he lacked the integrity to tell Conroy to his face that he had fired him for being too Christian.

RESIST THE REPUBLICAN REICH!!

Open Thread – 5/1/2018

Posted by TomCat at 1:46 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

May 012018

Happy May day from the CatBox. It’s been a very busy day here. I installed a new poll. I made the graphics and collected all the data I’ll need for tomorrow’s report. I prepared my grocery order and ordered groceries from store to door. I spent a half hour in chat with my HSP. Animae’s ISP is blocking my email replies to her. Animae, if you read this tell them I’m not a damn spammer. They are ignoring email from me asking to be taken off their abuse list. ARGH!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:08 (average 5:01). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): NY Times Publishes Robert Mueller’s Questions For President Donald Trump

I strongly suspect that Mueller already knows the answers to virtually all the questions. He has almost finished with everyone else and is now zeroing in on his main target. For the list of questions, click here. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): Michelle Malkin on politics and comedy, then and now

Barf Bag Alert!!

In the first segment, Malkin was reacting to displeasure on the left at GW Bush, the second worst Resident in history, pretending to look for Osama bin Laden under the furniture, treating his own failure, as if it was no big deal. In the second segment Malkin demonstrated Republican hypocrisy. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: Many may not know this (most people don’t), but Patrick Conroy, the Chaplain of the House recently forced out by Representative and Ayn Rand devotee Paul Ryan for being insufficiently grateful for the Republican tax cuts, was a Catholic, and as such, unmarried and without children.

Some of the conservatives who now steer the Republican Party’s policies are going to make damned sure that never happens again:

Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), one of the leaders of the committee searching for a replacement for the ousted House chaplain, said the next spiritual leader of the House should be someone with a family who can better relate to and counsel lawmakers with spouses and children.

Walker is Chairman of something called the “Republican Study Committee” and co-chair of something called the “Prayer Caucus” in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.

A Rabbi can have a family, but I bet a dollar they wouldn’t accept a chaplain that says, "Oy gevalt", either. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: The National Rifle Association’s decision to ban guns during Mike Pence’s speech at its annual meeting in Dallas this week “leaves him totally vulnerable to a bear attack,” the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, warned on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at the Education Department, DeVos said that she was “deeply concerned” that the N.R.A. was underestimating the danger posed to Pence by “the savagery of one rogue bear.”

“All it would take is one angry bear to ruin what otherwise promises to be a really nice gun event,” she said.

Dang Andy! Does the best three word response to the Pence speech begin with, "Ready… Aim…" Winking smile RESIST!!

Cartoon:

The Republican elephant rides the rest of us. Other elephants are blameless.

Open Thread – 4/27/2018

Posted by TomCat at 12:21 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Apr 272018

This is today’s only article. Late yesterday afternoon a drainage plug on my AC vibrated loose, and I got up for supper to find my floor flooded. It’s easy enough to fix, except that I cannot get access to it in my chair. I had to turn off the AC. I tried to get help from staff here, but they answered neither the desk phone or the cell phone for over an hour. So I called WWWendy. It took her around an hour to get here. In the interim, my superheated wall had radiated the inside temperature rose to over 100°. She mopped up the water and put the plug back in. She’s such a sweetheart that I had to fight her to accept $20 extra for her extra work. It took the AC until later last night before the room was comfortable again, so I’m just too wrung out for more that this article. I expect to be back in the saddle tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): President Trump Stomps On Own Legal Strategy With Blurting Rant On Fox News

Even Faux Noise was trying to escape the implosion! RESIST!!

From Huffington Post: House Chaplain Patrick Conroy was suddenly forced out of his job last week by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), and while it’s not clear why, Democratic lawmakers and Hill sources say it was driven by Ryan’s distaste for one of Conroy’s prayers about the GOP’s tax bill.

As first reported by The Hill, Conroy was clear in his resignation announcement that it wasn’t his choice to go. It was Ryan’s.

Click through to read the prayer. It appears that the problem Lyin’ Ryan had with the Chaplain is that he is a Christian, not a Republican. The two are opposites. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Thousands of teachers in Arizona and Colorado walked out of their classrooms on Thursday to demand more funding for public schools, the latest surge of a teacher protest movement that has already swept through three states and is spreading quickly to others.

Hundreds of public schools were shut down in Arizona because of the walkouts, which turned the streets of Downtown Phoenix into seas of crimson as educators and their supporters marched to the State Capitol wearing red T-shirts and chanting “Red for Ed,” as the movement is known here.

Widespread teacher protests have in recent months upended daily routines in the conservative-leaning states West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky. But the sight of public workers protesting en masse in the Arizona capital, one of the largest Republican strongholds in the country, and demanding tax increases for more school funding, spoke to the enduring strength of the movement and signaled shifts in political winds ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Kudos to the teachers. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Bad as he was, he would be better than what we have!

Open Thread – 3/21/2018

Posted by TomCat at 12:56 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Mar 212018

It’s another busy day here at the CatBox. Store to Door delivered my groceries, and I have put them away. It was warm and not raining last night, so the homeless in the street below partied noisily until after 3:00 AM. WWWendy is coming this evening to de-stink the TomCat, so I really need a nap this afternoon.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:44 (average 5:21). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (RWW Channel): Lance Wallnau Says Students Protesting For Gun Control Are As Dangerous As The Hitler Youth

Barf Bag Alert!!

Like most Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians, the opposite of authentic (Real) Christians, Wallnau wants Ammosexual Republican deplorables to grab an AR-15 and kill a Black, Latino, LGBT, Muslim or librul to earn the favor of Republican Supply-side Jesus. RESIST!!

From NPR: A man whom police had identified as their top suspect in a string of deadly bombings in the Austin, Texas, area this month killed himself early Wednesday by triggering an explosion in his car as officers approached the vehicle to make an arrest, police said Wednesday.

The dead suspect is Mark Anthony Conditt, a federal law enforcement source has confirmed to member station KUT.

There are only two things I know about this horrid bombing spree. The bomber was Caucasian. He won’t be making any more bombs. RESIST!!

From CNN: Rep. Dan Lipinski, a centrist [reactionary right], anti-abortion rights Democrat, survived a progressive primary challenge from Marie Newman on Tuesday for his Chicago-area House seat, CNN projects.

Lipinski was ahead of Newman 51% to 49% with 98% of precincts’ tallies reported, according to Edison Research. That puts his lead at about 2,124 votes.

His win comes despite an intense effort by pro-abortion rights and women’s groups — including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY’s List — to purge the party of the anti-abortion lawmaker in a reliably Democratic district.

Sad news. As much as I hate everything Lipinski stands for, I would hate it even more if Republicans hold their majority in the House because Lipinski loses. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Open Thread – 9/23/2017

Posted by TomCat at 11:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 232017

I’m rushing to get two articles written, before I have to leave for my appointment.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (RWW Channel): RWW News: Jim Bakker Urges Rich People To Buy A Million Dollars Worth Of Survival Food Buckets

Barf Bag Alert!!

If those $millions are about to become worthless, than why is Jim Bakker scamming so hard to get that money? It’s because the most spiritual activity that Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians perform, with the exception of lynching, is fleecing the sheeple. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Americans who feared that Barack Obama would come for their guns are happy that Donald Trump is coming for their health care, a new report finds.

In interviews conducted across the country, people expressed satisfaction that, by taking away their ability to see a doctor rather than their ability to shoot people, the federal government “finally has its priorities straight.”

“I couldn’t get a night’s sleep, worrying about Obama taking away my guns,” Carol Foyler, a gun owner from Kentucky, said. “Now that we have a President who’s just taking away my family’s health care, I can breathe easier.”

Harland Dorrinson, a gun fancier from Wyoming, concurred. “In Europe, everyone has health care and no one has guns,” he said. “You couldn’t pay me to live there.” Noting that thousands of people die in hospitals every year, he added, “Health care has killed more people than guns have.”

Wow, Andy. You have captured the mentality of deplorable Republican sheeple. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, is a longtime proponent of slashing entitlements. He might consider starting with his own.

Since May, American taxpayers have spent upward of $300,000 to treat his apparent allergy to commercial air travel. Mr. Price has taken more than 24 flights on private jets to cities including Nashville and San Diego, according to Politico. When we last checked, those towns still had major international airports.

In one instance, Mr. Price chartered a jet to travel about 150 miles from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia. It cost $25,000. An Amtrak ticket could have been had for less than $100. Or he could have used the two-and-a-half-hour drive to listen to an audiobook — perhaps a thoughtful examination of wealth and political power, like “Dark Money” by Jane Mayer or “Republic, Lost” by Lawrence Lessig.

Mr. Price is hardly the only Trump cabinet member to have racked up a big tab while the administration has supposedly been draining the swamp. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (estimated personal net worth: $300 million or more) requested a government plane to ferry him and his new wife, Louise Linton, on their European honeymoon this summer. The jet would have cost taxpayers $25,000. An hour.

Republicans promised to drain the swamp. But when alligators slither to the edge to promise swamp draining, only fools believe them. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0923Cartoon

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