Open Thread – 9/10/2017

Posted by TomCat at 1:03 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 102017

It’s a slow day for news, because Irma [R-FL] dominates media coverage. All under her assault, even Republicans, remain in my thoughts and prayers. Wendy is due here in about forty minutes. It’s a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos will not be worshiping until Monday Night, so today, may the Blessed Orb shine it’s holy light on your team.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In a finding that has wide-ranging implications for society, British researchers at the University of Leeds announced on Saturday that they have identified the gene for awfulness.

The study, which focussed on one adult male and three of his adult children, makes a persuasive argument that there is a “powerful dominant gene” that makes people heinous.

“When we began our research, we wanted to find an adult male with pronounced characteristics of horribleness,” Alistair Dorrinson, the scientist who led the study, said. “In studying three of his adult offspring, we found that they were all carriers of the gene that makes one smug, tone-deaf, and oblivious to the fate of others.”

Additionally, certain subtraits of awfulness, such as an inability to tell the truth, appear to be genetically mediated, Dorrinson said.

“If the father is unable to explain honestly why a meeting took place, for example, the son who carries the same gene will also tell crazy lies about that meeting,” he said.

But Andy, couldn’t you tell that Trump has defective genes just by looking at his face? RESIST!!

From NY Times: Almost from the moment Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act collapsed this summer and weary senators fled the capital, Senator Chuck Schumer began calculating how best to take advantage of the persistent Republican struggle to govern.

“Even when I was on vacation with my family in August, I started looking,” said Mr. Schumer, the New Yorker who leads Senate Democrats, as he recounted the buildup to the stunning debt limit deal that Democrats struck with President Trump this past week over the objections of gobsmacked Republicans.

In an interview with the New York Times podcast “The New Washington,” Mr. Schumer said he pursued an approach that would allow the Democrats to assert themselves as the minority party in coming showdowns over funding the government and increasing the debt limit, while denying Mr. Trump money for his border wall and seeking protection for the undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.

“What’s our leverage?” Mr. Schumer said he kept asking himself. “We only had one thing as leverage at that point, which was the debt ceiling.”

From past experience, Mr. Schumer, like other congressional veterans, knew Republicans would have a difficult, if not impossible, task rounding up votes among themselves to increase the government’s borrowing authority because many conservatives simply won’t vote to do so, even at the expense of the nation’s fiscal stability.

I agree in principle with what Schumer did, but I think, since he had Trump by the short hairs, he should have extracted more concessions, such as permanent residence for Dreamers. RESIST!!

From John Pavlovitz: …I can barely figure out how my microwave works, let alone interpret how a horrific weather event is being wielded by God to teach you or me or gay couples a lesson—and I’d feel like a reckless fraud pretending I know what’s happening. I guess guys like Kirk Cameron and Joel Osteen and Pat Robertson know better, though I’m doubtful.

It’s ironic that Cameron refers to the book of Job. When Job loses everything and is stricken with grief, at first his friends show wisdom by simply sitting with him in his grief. Only later do they fall into the temptation of placing blame and playing God.

Maybe we who claim faith should refrain from pretending we understand how this world works when it comes to faith and pain and suffering.

Maybe we should admit the mystery, discomfort, and the tension that spirituality yields in painful, terrifying times.

Maybe when people are being terrorized by nature or by the inhumanity around them, instead of shouting sermons at them—we should shut up and simply try to be a loving, compassionate presence.

Maybe we should stop trying to make God into something as petty, hateful, judgmental, and cruel as we are.

If the God you’re following and preaching to people in their times of pain is an a-hole—it’s probably not God at all.

It’s probably just you.

Amen! God is not an asshole. Authentic Christians are not assholes. Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians ARE assholes! RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0910Cartoon

Open Thread – 9/9/2017

Posted by TomCat at 12:44 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 092017

It’s a relatively lazy Saturday for a pooped Puddy. Thoughts and prayers for all in the path of Irma [R-FL].

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:19 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (RWW Channel): Carl Gallups Says The ‘Deeply Demonic’ Deep State Is Working To Destroy Trump

Barf Bag Alert!!

The extent to which Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians goose-step behind Trump is proof that they are NOT Christians. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: An estimated 8,000 people are battling a series of 24 raging fires in Oregon, most notably Chetco Bar Fire, which has engulfed nearly 180,000 acres, and the Eagle Creek wildfire which is threatening the eastern edge of Portland. The Eagle Creek fire has burned 33,000 acres and while Oregon firefighters are starting to make some headway, containing about 5 percent of the fire through burnouts conducted on Wednesday, more resources are needed throughout the state. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Governor Kate Brown previously asked the Trump administration for help and they flatly refused any assistance:

But if there is wildfire management to second-guess, Oregon’s Democratic governor would direct it at the Trump Administration and its response to a request she made last month.

“I talked with the federal authorities two weeks ago, asking for additional federal assistance, I was told point-blank ‘no’,” said Brown.

The U.S. Forest Service has been helping, and Oregon is expecting the arrival of 200 active duty military from Joint Base Lewis-McCord in Washington.

But Gov. Brown argued federal officials should be directing more resources to Oregon, because of the disproportionate degree of fire danger in the state. Brown’s numbers and those from the National Interagency Fire Center tell a similar story: that Oregon accounts for nearly one-third of the scorched acres in the country. Of 1.5 million acres or more burning across the country about a half million acres are in Oregon.

I can personally attest to how severe it is. Coming back from the motel on Tuesday, the sky was brown, and the smoke in downtown Portland was like fog. I have been unable to keep my window open, because the air burns my eyes. It has also been setting off my COPD. I wonder if the Republican Reich is withholding aid, because Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, is openly bisexual. RESIST!!

From Think Progress:

Rush Limbaugh will be evacuating South Florida, just days after the popular conservative radio host claimed that Hurricane Irma would not hit the United States and that scientists and the liberal media were hyping up the hurricane as proof of their global warming “lie.”

“So there is a desire to advance this climate change agenda, and hurricanes are one of the fastest and best ways to do it. You can accomplish a lot just by creating fear and panic. You don’t need a hurricane to hit anywhere,” Limbaugh said on his show Tuesday. “All you need is to create the fear and panic accompanied by talk that climate change is causing hurricanes to become more frequent and bigger and more dangerous, and you create the panic, and it’s mission accomplished, agenda advanced.”

But on the show Thursday, Limbaugh said he would be off the air for the next few days.

“May as well… announce this. I’m not going to get into details because of the security nature of things, but it turns out that we will not be able to do the program here tomorrow,” Limbaugh said Thursday. “We’ll be on the air next week, folks, from parts unknown.”

Scheesch! How do you spell hypocrite? R-e-p-u-b-l-i-c-a-n. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Their more popular alternative is sheets and hoods.

Open Thread – 9/6/2017

Posted by TomCat at 12:20 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Sep 062017

Another day, more heat and more electrical issues! Today’s forecast high is 89°, and although that’s far better than yesterday’s record smashing 101°, it’s still much too hot to allow the building to cool. The temperature early this morning was in the high 60°, and I opened the window, but had to shut it, because the smoke from all the wildfires burned my eyes. Thank goodness Thursday through Saturday will be high 70°s, and Thursday, we might even have a thunder shower. Last night, the other side of my room lost power. The clerk reset the circuit breaker three times, and I ended up having to eat cold casserole for supper. This morning my toaster, coffee pot, and lamp went out. It turns out there is a short circuit in the GFCI electrical outlet, so maintenance is coming today. Speaking of the devil, maintenance came right then. A brand new GFCI was defective, so he had to replace it twice. That solves that problem. Then Store to Door delivered groceries. I put them away and had lunch. I’m feeling very tired. I slept last night, but need more. I also have Republicosis. ARGH!! Thank goodness Wendy is coming tonight. I stink. This month has been so hectic, between eye care, the heat, and electrical issues, I’ve decided to cancel the Monthly Report for August. I’ve just had to put ten pounds of shit in a one pound bag lately.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:28 (average 5:41). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Fantasy Football Reminder:

Our fantasy football league, Lefty Blog Friends, starts tomorrow night. Players, please don’t forget to have your starting lineups set by then. May the Holy Ellipsoid Orb bless your team. whenever it isn’t playing mine. Cat face

Short Takes:

From YouTube (GQ Channel): Trump’s DACA Decision is a Grim Turning Point | The Resistance with Keith Olbermann

Blacks and Latinos that support this Republican Reich are traitors against your own people. Caucasians and others that support this Republican Reich are just traitors against the human race. RESIST!!

From YouTube (RWW Channel): Mark Taylor: ‘Satan’s Frequency’ Is Changing DNA To Make People Hate Trump

Barf Bag Alert!!

If this idiotic, hate-filled Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian were a little bird, we could throw a net over him, lock him in a clock, and let him pop out every hour on the hourto announce the time. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Barack Obama used the occasion of Donald Trump’s Inauguration to viciously taunt the incoming President by writing him a letter riddled with multisyllabic words, sources revealed on Sunday.

According to those familiar with the letter, Obama packed it with intentionally challenging words such as “reflections,” “adventure,” and “ladders,” in order to bewilder and infuriate Trump.

Sources said Trump attempted to read the first line of the letter but, realizing that he was the victim of Obama’s cruel prank, crumpled and discarded it in a rage.

Kellyanne Conway, the counselor to the President, said that the letter episode revealed a “very ugly side of Barack Obama.”

Dang, Andy! The poor widdle Piddle Puppet! RESIST!!

Also from The New Yorker: Eight hundred thousand people with dreams will be deported by one person with delusions, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

According to reports, U.S. residents who have obtained advanced degrees, served in the military, and saved people from Hurricane Harvey will be kicked out of the country by a man who believes that his microwave is spying on him.

“Under this new decision, if you have worked hard, gone to school, and contributed to the country, you face immediate deportation,” one legal expert said. “On the other hand, if you can prove that you have a glaring personality disorder and a flimsy grasp on reality, you can decide the fate of those other people.”

Amen, Andy. You’re back to straight news, I see. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Open Thread – 7/15/2017

Posted by TomCat at 1:01 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jul 152017

The last couple days have been extremely hectic. On Thursday I went to my Prosthetist, Amanda and got new shoes. They were a little loose, but I figured they were workable, as I broke them in. I lay down to rest for a couple hours after I returned home and published. I found out that, when my foot is up and not in a shoe, it gets smaller. When I put the shoe on to get up for supper, and transferred from my bed to my wheelchair, hopping with my walker, my foot came out of my shoe, and I almost fell. The new shoes have to go back. ARGH! My appointment with Megan was interrupted by a fire drill at Providence Professional Plaza, and they evacuated a large six floor medical building, myself included. Megan cleared me for surgery, and I returned home at around 4:30. I’m very, very tired, but surviving medical mahem.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (RWW Channel): RWW News: Trump Wants To Repeal Johnson Amendment So RR Pastors Can Praise Him

Barf Bag Alert!!

Any pastor has always been able to speak out and say that he or she supports a particular candidate. The Johnson Amendment never prevented that, nor was it intended to. What it did prevent is a pastor ordering his church to support a candidate or using the church’s tax exempt facilities for the benefit of a candidate. That should remain a violation of 501(c)(3). I don’t mind paying a little more in taxes so churches’ tax exemption helps pay for the charitable work some churches do. I do mind helping them fund political activities, especially ones I oppose. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: The House Republicans tried to exempt themselves from Trumpcare and the reaction was so angry and so bad that they had to abandon the effort. But that example wasn’t enough to deter Mitch McConnell.

Senate Republicans included a provision that exempts members of Congress and their staff from part of their latest health care plan.

This exemption could have the effect of ensuring that members of Congress have coverage for a wider array of benefits than other Americans who purchase their own coverage.

If RepubliCare becomes law, which I doubt, the Republicans that pass it should be the first to experience the RepubliCare Death Benefit: if you can’t pay, you get to die! RESIST!!

From Washington Post: The White House on Thursday made public a trove of emails it received from voters offering comment on its Election Integrity Commission. The commission drew widespread criticism when it emerged into public view by asking for personal information, including addresses, partial social security numbers and party affiliation, on every voter in the country.

It further outraged voters by planning to post that information publicly.

Voters directed that outrage toward the Trump White House and the voter commission, often using profanity-laced language in the 112 pages of emails released this week.

Just as Trump and his Republican Rectum Reich released these emails from voters, you can be sure that the Republican so-called Election Integrity Commission will either publish voters’ personal information, or forward it to Putin’s FSB (formerly KGB). RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0715Cartoon

Open Thread – 6/23/2017

Posted by TomCat at 1:08 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jun 232017

Yesterday my appointment was successful, but altogether grueling. They do make special replacement lenses that would give me vision at all distances, but Medicare does not cover them, and I can’t afford $2,700 to buy them myself. I selected a standard mid-range lens, suitable for most indoor activities. Then I can get a pair of sunglasses for long range outdoor use, seeing hazards to my chair at a distance, and a pair of reading glasses. TriMet Lift delivered me an hour early, I was seen right away, and it took far less time than anticipated. I was done at Noon. I called TriMet, but they were unable to move my ride up from the 2:00 to 2:30 window. They picked me up just after 2:30. On the way home, someone sideswiped another TriMet Lift Bus, and mine was diverted to rescue their passengers. I got to take an unwanted, but necessary, grand tour and finally returned home just after 5:00. Exhausted, I ate, went to bed, and slept well. We are now in the worst heat wave of the year so far, forecast at 92° today, 99° tomorrow, and 100° Sunday. I’m afraid that when Wendy comes Sunday to de-stink the TomCat, the TomCat may also have to de-stink Wendy!! Angel

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:06). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (RWW Channel): Sam Rohrer Says Opposition To Trump Is ‘Creating The Circumstances" For The Rise Of The Antichrist

Barf Bag Alert!!

Bull. The home of the Antichrist is 666 Park Avenue.

0623-666

RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump cleared up one of the capital’s least suspenseful mysteries on Thursday, acknowledging that he did not record conversations with James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired in anger over an investigation into his campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

Meeting a self-imposed deadline of this week to resolve questions he himself raised by implying that he had taped Mr. Comey, Mr. Trump said on Twitter [Traitor delinked] that he had not made tapes of what Mr. Comey has testified were attempts by the president to derail the Justice Department’s investigation.

But if few people believed that Mr. Trump actually possessed recordings, his motives in warning Mr. Comey that he might have taped him remain a mystery, particularly since it set off a chain of events that accelerated, rather than slowed, the investigation into Mr. Trump and Russia.

Mr. Comey testified that it was Mr. Trump’s veiled threat of tapes that led him to authorize the disclosure of memos of his conversations with the president — the details of which prompted the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to look into the case.

If Trump is now telling the truth, always a doubtful hypothesis, he committed Obstruction of Justice by using threats to temper with a witness. RESIST!!

From Raw Story: Life After Hate — a nonprofit group dedicated to de-radicalizing white nationalist and neo-Nazi extremists and combating the rise of right-wing extremism — is losing its funding under the Trump administration.

Politico’s Playbook Plus reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s $10 million grant program “Countering Violent Extremism” was stalled but is set to resume on Friday.

Life After Hate was supposed to receive a $400,000 grant in the last days of the Obama administration. That money was delayed as the program was reviewed and assessed.

“But,” Politico said, “the Trump administration dropped them from the new grant list that’s getting announced today.”

The group has had a “twenty-fold increase in calls for help” since Election Day from people trying to “disengage” from neo-Nazism and white supremacy as well as friends and family looking for help for someone they know.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all, if the Fuhrer and his Republican Reich gave the money to Stormfront instead. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

0623Cartoon

Open Thread – 6/19/2017

Posted by TomCat at 1:21 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jun 192017

It’s a crazy day. We have 87° and muggy forecast, which would tie the record for this date, so my AC is fighting to keep up with the sun on the wall. I’m afraid it has ruined the lovely shower Wendy gave me yesterday. My replacement credit card came this morning, and I updated my most critical vendors, but there are many more to update. I hope you had a fantastic weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:49 (average 4:45). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: A member of President Trump’s legal team said on Sunday that the president was not under investigation by the special counsel looking into Russia’s election-year meddling, contradicting Mr. Trump’s assertion in a Friday morning tweet that he is a subject of the widening inquiry.

The denial on Sunday by Jay Sekulow, one of several personal lawyers Mr. Trump has hired to represent him in the Russia case, is the latest of many examples in which the president’s aides and lawyers have scrambled to avert a public-relations mess created by Mr. Trump’s tweets, off-script remarks or leaked private conversations.

How can you tell if a lawyer is lying? Look for any sign of life. Trump is not under investigation, the Pope is not Catholic, and bears never, ever shit in the woods. RESIST!!

From Huffington Post: Christian and Jewish clergy members have been part of the movement for reproductive rights for decades. Religious denominations, such as the Anglican Communion, the United Church of Christ, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), have passed resolutions supporting birth control. And during the 1960s, religious leaders were actually a “driving force” in the movement to legalize abortion in the United States.

Today, this history of activism has largely been overshadowed by prominent voices on the “religious right,” who promote the idea that it is impossible to be both religious and pro-abortion rights.

There is no conflict between authentic Christianity and a progressive agenda. Conversely authentic Christianity and the Republican Reich are mutually exclusive. RESIST!!

From TPM: Authorities say a noose was found hanging from a lamp post outside a museum in the nation’s capital, the third such incident in recent weeks.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose said the noose was found Saturday afternoon outside the National Gallery of Art.

She said her agency is currently investigating how it got there.

Tourists found a noose last month on the floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A few days earlier another noose had been found on the grounds of the Hirshhorn Museum, which features contemporary art and culture.

Ever since the Dixiecrats became Republicans, the noose has been a Republican calling card. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

This is when Dixiecrats became Republicans.

Open Thread – 5/15/2017

Posted by TomCat at 1:24 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

May 152017

I rescheduled my Oncologist appointment for next Monday. It's to set up a series of annual exams to make sure there was no metastasis from the choroidal melanoma in my eye, now in remission. In addition I had to make a few other phone calls that burned most of my morning.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today's took me 4:15 (average 4:43). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos (Classic 5/2014): A threatening "Mother's Day" video aimed at women calling for gun. reforms

This clip is three years old, It demonstrates that Trump is just a symptom of the diseased Republican Party. They were hateful and violent long before Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten. RESIST!!

From Think Progress: President Donald Trump outlined a deeply religious vision of America while speaking to graduates of a conservative Christian college on Saturday, invoking his own version of Christian nationalism and touting policies friendly to right-wing faithful.

Trump received a warm welcome at Liberty University, the largest Christian college in America, where most students claim a conservative evangelical faith. The venue was an especially safe one for the president, as white evangelicals offered Trump resounding support on Election Day and still view his presidency favorably. What’s more, Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. has been a longtime backer of Trump — recently describing him as a “dream president for evangelicals” — and lauded the businessman during his introduction for taking action on issues dear to right-wing faithful such as appointing a conservative Supreme Court justice.

FYI, "Christian Nationalism" is just a sneaky way to refer to Anti-American Dominion Theology. RESIST!!

From Robert Reich: The question is no longer whether there are grounds to impeach Donald Trump. It is when enough Republicans will put their loyalty to America ahead of their loyalty to their party.

Trump’s statements last week about his firing of former FBI director James Comey provide ample evidence that Trump engaged in an obstruction of justice – a major charge in impeachment proceedings brought against Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton.

It’s worth recalling that the illegality underlying Nixon’s impeachment was a burglary at the Watergate complex, while the illegality underlying Clinton’s was lying to a grand jury about sex with an intern in the White House.

Trump’s obstruction is potentially far more serious. It involves an investigation about whether Trump or his aides colluded with Russia in rigging a presidential election – the most direct assault on American democracy in history.

I agree with Robert Reich, but believe that Republicans will never put country ahead of party. That's why every Republican in office is one Republican too many. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Have you heard from Patty?

Gutting the Establishment Clause

Posted by TomCat at 12:37 pm Politics, Religion

Apr 172017

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees the free practice of Religion, but forbids any government attempts to establish a state religion by giving it preferential treatment over others. In violation of the Constitution, Trump promised to make pseudo-Christians more powerful, if they ignored his ongoing perversions and helped install him as Fuhrer. Now Lyin’ Ryan is giving them their reward.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that congressional Republicans are including repeal of the Johnson Amendment in their draft “tax reform” bill.

The Johnson Amendment is a decades-old legal restriction that prevents churches, like other tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, from explicitly endorsing or opposing candidates for political office. As part of his bid for Religious Right support in the presidential campaign, Trump had promised to make conservative Christians more politically powerful by eliminating it.

The idea that this restriction has stifled the voice of conservative Christians in the public arena is, of course, ridiculous. Right-wing evangelicals and their conservative Catholic allies have vast access to the airways and the public through media empires and political organizations, and they were among Trump’s biggest boosters.

Churches already have the right to talk about issues, register voters, and even distribute voter guides produced by right-wing groups. Repealing the Johnson Amendment could turn some churches into political machines that launder donations from politically-minded donors as tax-exempt religious contributions.

That’s a terrible idea. As the Post notes, more than 4,500 nonprofits recently urged congressional leaders not to weaken or repeal the amendment. Earlier this month, nearly 100 religious and denominational groups, including PFAW’s African American Ministers in Action, sent their own letter telling congressional leaders not to make houses of worship “another cog in a political machine or another loophole in campaign finance laws.” People For the American Way is among dozens of nonprofit groups who signed a March letter saying the restriction has “helped maintain the integrity and autonomy of our religious and charitable sectors and preserve the boundary separating church and state.”…

From <Right Wing Watch>

Giving pseudo-Christian Dominionists more power over the state is only the first step they plan. The second is to use the state to force their piety codes onto YOU.

RESIST!!

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