Open Thread – 12/31/2020

 Posted by 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!!

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Open Thread – 11/7/2020

 Posted by at 11:14 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 072020
 

It’s a day to celebrate, here in the CatBox.  I had just gotten up from resting my back and was in the throne room.  Just aster I flushed, I heard the TV in the next room announce that Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania and is now the President elect of the United States.  In short, I was the one to flush the foulest turd in US history.  Tomorrow is is a Holy Day the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  My Broncos are playing the Atlanta Falcons, but it won’t be televised here.  But I’ll even let their turd birds beat my Broncos if they promise to elect Ossoff and Warnock in January.  Tomorrow is also a WWWendy day, but I will still be writing.  Wendy won’t be here until mid-afternoon.  Thank God for blessing America today!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:15 (average 5:42).  To do it, click here.  How did you do!

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Moscow Mitch McConnell is twisting his pretend mustache and rubbing his hands together in preparation for how he’s going to block everything presumed President Joe Biden wants to accomplish. And reportedly, Biden is considering “limiting its prospective Cabinet nominees to those who Mitch McConnell can live with, according to people familiar with the matter.” That’s Axios reporting, so all the grains of salt.

They have a source “close to McConnell” who tells them that “a Republican Senate would work with Biden on centrist nominees but no ‘radical progressives’ or ones who are controversial with conservatives.” The source adds: “It’s going to be armed camps.” It’s not just Axios. CNBC reporter Eamon Javers confirms from a source in touch with Biden’s transition team says “the transition will have to re-evaluate the names it has in mind for Senate confirmed positions. May have to send more moderate figures who can get through. Wall Street will like that.” So Biden is definitely hearing that message. That doesn’t mean he has to heed it. If he wants to save the nation, he will ignore it and bulldoze through with the progressive team he promised the millions of people who’ve worked and voted for him.

In other words, Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch will accept nothing to the left of Joe Liebermann. I like the Idea I heard from JD, I think. Nominate a strong liberal, and when BBMMM says NO, make an interim appointment to the left of AOC.  RESIST!!

From NY Times: Control of the Senate hung in the balance on Friday in Georgia after Senator David Perdue, a Republican, fell just short of the majority of votes he needed to win re-election, setting the stage for a second January runoff in the rapidly changing state.

With the Senate narrowly divided between Republicans and Democrats, the twin rematches scheduled for just two weeks before Inauguration Day will almost certainly determine which party comes away with the power to shape the fate of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s agenda if he prevails to win the White House, as expected.

Facing such extraordinarily high stakes, both parties were quickly positioning themselves for a nine-week, year-end sprint that could cost another $100 million and amount to a referendum on the outcome of the presidential election. The runoffs promised to thrust a quickly evolving Georgia into the center of the nation’s political fray and test the extent of Democrats’ emerging strength in what was once a Republican stronghold in the Deep South.

Georgia’s special Senate election has been destined for a runoff since Tuesday, when the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and Senator Kelly Loeffler, a Republican, emerged as the top two vote getters in a crowded field vying to replace the retired senator Johnny Isakson.

I plan to donate to the campaigns of both Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. It’s a long shot, but if we win either, we take the Senate.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Bernie Sanders Channel): After Biden’s Victory, Our Struggle Continues

 

I fully agree with Bernie on all significant issues with the following caveat. We tend to want big change and want it NOW!  However, most American voters are too timid and cowardly for radical change. As frustrating as it can be for us, the only way for us to get the change that we want and that America needs is through an incremental approach. Fortunately, Joe Biden is an incrementalist. Were he not, Trump would have won. We’ll need to hold Joe’s feet to the fire to make sure he doesn’t buy so-called Republican compromises they will never intend to keep, but we also need to give him our support when the good things he tries to accomplish are not as extensive, as fast, or as perfect as we want.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): WHEN YOU GO AWAY – A Parody for the Election

 

Amen Don! In other words, when we perform that last flush, we need to be sure that every last turd goes down the drain! RESIST!!

73 Days Until FLUSH!

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Open Thread – 9/7/2020

 Posted by at 11:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 072020
 

It’s a relatively lazy holiday  here in the CatBox.  My esophageal tumor is making eating more painful and difficult.  I’ll talk to Evelyn about that, when I go in Wednesday.  My AC is acting up intermittently.  When I woke up, this morning, it was pumping out heat and the inside temp was 89°.  It wouldn’t power down, so I flipped the circuit breaker.  Then I coaxed it into working again, for now.  I’m babying it until Maintenance Dept. gets here.  Of course this has to happen on a 3 day weekend.  If you’re driving, please stay safe.  Thank God it’s Monday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:48 (average 4:24).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0907TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive map

US Cases: 6,462,189
US Deaths: 193,259
Plus thousands of GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Warning of the very real chance of a “nightmare scenario” in which President Donald Trump misleads the American people over the results of the November election—or refuses to leave office voluntarily if voted out—Sen. Bernie Sanders is raising the alarm and mobilizing his army of supporters to be aware of just how dangerous a game the president is now playing.

In an interview with Politico and an email sent to his massive email list Friday, Sanders suggested that too many news organizations, social media companies, and lawmakers—in addition to the broader public—remain unaware of the manner in which Trump is laying the groundwork for a potentially devastating series of events.

“Trump is now using his lies and misinformation to sow confusion and chaos in the election process and undermine American democracy,” stated in the email, sent to millions of his supporters on Friday. “In other words, he does not intend to accept the results of the election if he loses and leave office voluntarily. This is not just a ‘constitutional crisis.’ This is a threat to everything this country stands for.”

Speaking with Politico earlier in the day, Sanders said one crucial thing to be done immediately is to educate people. “What we have got to do in the next two months is to alert the American people about what that nightmarish scenario might look like in order to prepare them for that possibility and talk about what we do if that happens,” he said… [emphasis added]

I fully agree with Bernie. The people of the US need to be fully informed about Trump’s* likely intent to overthrow the government of the US and how he is setting up an attempt to do so.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Schiff: Barr flat-out misled with a ‘blatantly false statement’

Barrf Bag Alert!!

 

If Russia, Trump* and the Republican Reich were not working together, their propaganda lies would not be identical. As for Barrf, he’ll never catch up to Trump*, his Fuhrer, in number of lies told, but he sure as hell is trying!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of past protest): Phil Ochs Draft Dodger Rag

 

Ah… the memories! Protest like the 60s!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Open Thread – 8/18/2020

 Posted by at 11:22 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 182020
 

It’s a hot day (high 80°s), here at the CatBox.  Yesterday my visit with Diana was routine.  She’s a very nice lady, who pulls no punches and tells it like it is, but does so with compassion.  Tomorrow is my first Pembrolizumab infusion at the hospital.  I’ll leave after lunch on a TriMet Lift van, and WWWendy will pick me up between 4:30 and 5:00 PM.  When we get home, it will be a regular WWWendy day with TomCat destinking, patch changing, food gooping, and chores.  So I’ll be taking a morning nap to rest as much as I can first.  Therefore, please expect no more than a Personal Update from me.  Assuming that I have no adverse reactions, I’ll be back in the saddle on Thursday.  Tuesday is flush Republicans day.  Lower the lid so none get away.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 5:05).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0818TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,613,357
US Deaths: 173,778
Plus the many GOP murder victims Republicans are hiding from us

Short Takes:

From Willamette Week: A right-wing “flag wave” event in downtown Portland on Saturday ended with a far-right protester firing two gunshots into a crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

Seaside, Ore., resident and conservative activist Haley Adams advertised her Aug. 15 “Rally Against Domestic Terrorism” as a “flag wave” and stressed the group’s intent to remain peaceful. About 25 people attended the rally in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center.

This reporter saw several members of the protest arrive with weaponry—they open-carried a Scorpion 9 mm carbine and an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Others held Mace, paintball guns and a 9 mm handgun.

The flag wave rally exchanged chants and taunts for approximately an hour with a group of Black Lives Matter protesters before Adams’ group embarked on a march through downtown Portland. Counterprotesters [sic] followed closely, and there was a small exchange of violence between the two groups: Flag wave protesters were seen Macing BLM protesters and shooting them with paintball rounds and hard plastic pellets. Counterprotesters [sic] returned fire with Mace and Silly String.

At approximately 1:35 pm, about 15 conservative protesters retreated into the SmartPark garage at Southwest 4th Avenue and Yamhill Street. Ten minutes later, three cars sped out of the garage and down 4th Avenue. The driver of one car—a blue Dodge Dart—fired two shots at a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters as he left but didn’t hit anyone. Some of the BLM protesters recovered a 9 mm casing at the scene of the shooting.

When Republican Ammosexuals say “peaceful”, this is what they mean. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Bernie Sanders on How Democrats Can Win the Working Class

 

The Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right! Combined with Bernie, he’s twice as right. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, are wrong and need permanent vacations behind bars!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Vote Him Away (The Liar Tweets Tonight)

 

Amen! Amen!! Amen!!! Kudos to left-wing protestors!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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If Trump* Gets His Way, He Might Kill Me

 Posted by at 11:37 am  Politics
Aug 142020
 

I am an amputee in a wheel chair.  I have stage four metastatic esophageal cancer, spinal cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer.  Virtually everything I need to survive, except my chemotherapy treatments at the hospital, I have to buy online.  Most of those things, including several of my meds, come by mail.  I need USPS to survive, but criminal Fuhrer Trump and the Republican Reich are sabotaging USPS to interfere with the voting rights if people who need to and have the right to vote by mail.

0814USPSFunding

If Americans think that “rigged elections” are something that only happens in far-off countries like Belarus, Trevor Noah had a rude awakening for them. “It already, it’s already starting to rear its ugly head right here,” he said.

The Daily Show host was of course talking about President Donald Trump’s stunning admission in a Fox News interview on Thursday morning that he is actively blocking funding for the U.S. Postal Service to prevent them from being able to accommodate universal mail-in voting. 

“They need that money in order to have the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo of two provisions he opposes in the Democrat’s coronavirus relief bill. “But if they don’t get those two items that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting, because they’re not equipped to have it.”

“Goddamn,” Noah replied after playing the clip. “I’ve never seen a villain give away a plan like that without seeing James Bond tied to a chair in front of him.”…

Inserted From <The Daily Beast>

Here’s the included video.

Trump Plainly Admits Plan to Limit Mail-In Voting

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

In short, Trump* and the Republican Reich are trying to steal the votes of millions of Americans.  That’s bad enough.  Republicans don’t care that they are sabotaging a Constitutionally guaranteed service that millions need to survive.  I’m one of them.  If Trump* gets his way, he might kill me.

RESIST!!

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Open Thread – 8/3/2020

 Posted by at 11:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 032020
 

It’s a routine day here in the CatBox.  The rest of the week will be busier.  Friday is a WWWendy day and a Hospital Oncology team day.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread.  Wednesday my palliative care nurse is coming.  Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:24 (average 7:34).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0803TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,815,776
US Deaths: 158,376

Short Takes:

From NPR: It’s hard to believe that the hole President Trump dug for himself could get deeper, but it has.

A record and widening majority of Americans disapprove of the job he’s doing when it comes to handling the coronavirus pandemic; he gets poor scores on race relations; he’s seen a suburban erosion despite efforts to win over suburban voters with fear; and all that has led to a worsened outlook for Trump against Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election.

As a result, in the past month and a half, the latest NPR analysis of the Electoral College has several states shifting in Biden’s favor, and he now has a 297-170 advantage over Trump with exactly three months to go until Election Day.

0803NPRMap

As long as we don’t get complacent or think we can afford to “vote our conscience”, the only way criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich can stay in power is through a Nazi coup.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Bernie Sanders: ‘The Next Three Months Are The Most Important In Modern U.S. History’

 

For months, all we heard from the Republican Reich was “Bernie is a socialist”. I’d rather have a socialist (social democrat) in any political office than a Republican Fascist. Kudos to Bernie for the degree to which he supports Joe Biden. Progressives, please do what Bernie says!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth 1967

 

The Republican Reich Nazi Gestapo are even more likely to kill us now than they were then. Kudos to left-wing protestors!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Open Thread–4/4/2020

 Posted by at 11:11 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 042020
 

It’s very busy day here at the CatBox, but I am feeling better than yesterday.  Tomorrow and Monday please expect no more than Personal Updates or Open Threads.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, with all the normal chores plus it’s Infernal Revenue Day.  Monday, I go to the hospital to have an infusion port surgically installed in my chest.  WWWendy will bring me home.  Tuesday will depend on how I feel after that surgery.  Love to you all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:34 (average 6:40).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0404TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 277,613
Deaths: 7,406
Recovered: 12,294

0404TrumpVirusData

Short Takes:

From Twitter:

Does that say it all, or what?  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Real Time Channel): Sen. Bernie Sanders

Click through using the channel link for the rest of Bill’s show. I don’t have time to submit an article on it this week, but it’s there for you. As for Bernie, he could not be more spot on in his outlook for dealing with the effects of Trump* virus. Looking to the future, Trump and the Republican Reich have trashed the economy so completely that tying health care to employment is no longer feasible.  On Bill’s ‘Manhattan Project’, we need health care that bases profit on wellness. We have healthcare that bases profit on sickness.  That’s bass-ackward!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Maddow to Trump: You Had One Job. Virus Response Needs Competent Leadership

This is one of Rachel’s best ever!  Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon, just lent respirators to New York. Oregon leads the way! Kate is as competent and caring as criminal Fuhrer Trump* and all his Republican lackeys are incompetent and uncaring. Incompetence is a hallmark of the Republican Reich, such as Katrina and the Republican Recession of 2008. What do we say of the Trump* virus pandemic and the Republican Depression of 2020? It’s Trump’s* job, so we say “Heck of a job, Donnie*!”  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Nancy Sinatra – Friday’s Child


Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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A Big Day for Biden

 Posted by at 10:29 am  Politics
Mar 182020
 

As a Bernie supporter, I hate to say it, but barring some completely unexpected miracle, Bernie has virtually no chance to win.

0318BigDayBiden

Joseph R. Biden Jr. easily defeated Senator Bernie Sanders in three major primaries on Tuesday, all but extinguishing Mr. Sanders’s chances for a comeback, as anxious Americans turned out to vote amid a series of cascading disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr. Biden, the former vice president, won by wide margins in Florida and Illinois and also carried Arizona, sweeping the night and achieving a nearly insurmountable delegate lead. The emphatic outcome could greatly intensify pressure on Mr. Sanders to end his campaign and allow Democrats to unify behind Mr. Biden as their presumptive nominee.

The routs in Florida and Illinois, two of the biggest prizes on the national map, represented both a vote of confidence in Mr. Biden from most Democrats, and a blunt rejection of Mr. Sanders’s candidacy by the kind of large, diverse states he would have needed to capture to broaden his appeal beyond the ideological left…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Biden Sweeps Sanders In 3 States On One Of The Strangest Primary Days In Recent History


At this point, two things are self-evident. First, all primaries (and the general, if need be) must be vote by mail, like Oregon. Second, Bernie’s hope is virtually a pipe dream. Progressives like me need to commit to vote Blue, no matter who, top to bottom!

RESIST!!

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