Open Thread–3/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 202020

It’s a tired day, here in the CatBox. Store to Door came late yesterday, and Andy was not allowed to enter the CatBox, due to Trump* virus precautions, so I had to take the order to my bed from the hallway a bag at a time. Then I unloaded the bags and stowed the items. I loved the Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Maple and Brown Sugar I had for breakfast. I spiked it with Maple Syrup. For lunch I’m having cashew butter and crackers. My computer crashed, when I was in the middle of research this morning, so I’m running late. It’s my fault. I overloaded it. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:40 (average 5:21). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0320TrumpVirus

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Trump* virus Updates, Corporate Bailouts and the Stimulus Package

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich is right. The Families First Bill, mostly from Democrats, does good things. It’s a good first step, but it’s just a drop in the bucket. The Reich on the Right. The deplorable Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, wants to feign beneficence by giving citizens $1,200 each, but $1,200 won’t cover a month’s expenses in a multi-month crisis. Worse yet, the Republican plan gives only $600 to poor families. Republicans also want to give a $multi-billion bailout in corporate welfare. But greedy corporations just got one in the Republican Tax Scam of 2017. Not one penny more! The best thing we can do for the Republican Reich is to flush them all! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Determined to address the “No. 1 concern of the American people during the coronavirus crisis,” Fox News Channel announced on Thursday that it would air a three-part prime-time series on Hunter Biden.

The series, to be he co-hosted by Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Rudy Giuliani, will attempt to soothe the anxieties of Fox viewers who have suddenly been plunged into uncertainty about the activities of Joe Biden’s son.

“People are trapped inside their homes, they’re worried, they’re scared, and they don’t know where to turn for accurate information about Hunter Biden,” Hannity said. “We’re here to fill that need.”

Giuliani said that the three-part series was necessary because “the deep state” had limited Americans’ access to essential Hunter Biden facts during the pandemic crisis.

“If you go on the C.D.C. Web site, you won’t find a single mention of Hunter Biden, Burisma, or CrowdStrike,” Giuliani said. “It’s a disgrace.”

Dang, Andy! Isn’t that exactly what we should expect from the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Traces of love

Ah… The Memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:28 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 182020

It’s a hectic day here in the CatBox, as I try to get my head around the notion that my cancer is stage IV and metastatic, and that I’m very likely to die, before a year is up. I see Evelyn (my Oncologist) again next Tuesday. If my cancer tests amenable to immunotherapy, I’ll go that route. Evelyn wonders whether I can handle chemo. It causes severe Republicosis, and if it hits after I’m in bed, the time it takes to get my leg on and get to the throne is likely to be too long to hold it. I’ll need to do a pain/problem/benefit analysis and decide if the time is worth the decreased quality of life. I will be getting radiation for my spine. She also gave me liquid Oxycodone. Tonight is a WWWendy night. She was very upset to learn of this. Happy Hump Day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0318TrumpVirus

0318TrumpVirusTesting

Short Takes:

From Alternet: As nations around the world buckle down amid coronavirus outbreaks, approaches to isolation and social distancing are inconsistent, at best, in the United States. While some cities and states are implementing bans on restaurants and bars staying open and capping the number of people in a space, some groups are moving forward with, ahem, business as usual. One example from last Sunday morning? Pastor Guillermo Maldonado, of King Jesus International Ministry, a megachurch in Kendall, Florida, encouraged his congregation to keep coming to service, downplaying concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by the Miami Herald.

“Do you believe God would bring his people to his house to be contagious with the virus? Of course not,” Maldonado, a Trump supporter, said to his congregation, as reported by the outlet.

“This service is usually packed. So now they’re home in a cave afraid of the virus, that you want to transmit the virus,” Maldonado continued. The Herald noted the venue “appeared half empty…

…“If we die, we die for Christ,” Maldonado told parishioners. “If we live, we live for Christ, so what do you lose?”

The Jesus that I worship does not call us to be this stupid. I hate to say it, but this is an appropriate strategy for Republicans only! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump has tested negative for empathy, the White House doctor confirmed on Monday.

In an official statement, Dr. Sean Conley said that Trump submitted to the empathy test even though, in the physician’s opinion, “it was not really necessary.”

“I expected him to test negative,” Conley said. “Empathy-wise, he has been entirely asymptomatic.”

The White House doctor attributed Trump’s empathy-free status to his established practice of social distancing from anyone showing even the faintest sign of compassion, kindness, or humanity.

Dang, Andy! I have zero trouble believing that! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Association – Windy (1967 Ravinia Festival – Highland Park IL )

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 102020

It’s a difficult day here in the CatBox. I get topo impatient to spend 90 – 120 minutes eating a meal, and I eat too much too fast. As a result, it took me 210 minutes to eat breakfast, half of it ended up in the sink, and I have severe heartburn. On the plus side, I enjoyed my time with my friend yesterday. For news on my cancer, see yesterday’s Open thread, if you missed it.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:24 (average 4:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Irate passengers who have been stranded onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship are demanding to be housed at Mar-a-Lago, the passengers confirmed on Monday.

Frustrated by the Trump Administration’s delay in devising a plan to enable them to disembark, the nearly three thousand coronavirus-exposed passengers said that it was “only fair” that Trump welcome them to his Palm Beach home.

“Donald Trump keeps on saying that he’s not worried about coronavirus,” the passengers’ spokesman said. “Then he shouldn’t object to three thousand of us living with him.”

Andy, I’ll agree under two conditions. First, only people who have tested positive should go. Second, if Trump* is not there, they should be taken to wherever he is. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: Will Donald Trump Get Reelected?

Sadly, the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. There’s nothing too dishonest, despicable, or deplorable for the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, and their Russian allies, to do to keep their criminal Fuhrer Trump* in power. We must unite behind whoever wins the Democratic nomination and flush the Fascist Republican Reich to oblivion! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ode to Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry (BBC Live 1968)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/7/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 072020

It’s a hectic day here in the CatBox. I had trouble holding my supper down last night, but it was my fault. I became distracted by the news on TV and ate too much too fast. That will do me in every time. I received the results from my PET Scan last night, but I could not understand a damn thing about what they mean. Therefore I sent them to Dr. Nameless in email, and hopefully he can tell us more. Please expect short days from me on both Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, with all the attendant de-stinking and chores. On Monday, I’m going out for a drive with Sandi, a good friend for 35 years with whom I have made hundreds of trips to the prison for volunteer work. She is also a cancer survivor. I should be fully back in the saddle on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 4:56). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

They are building a National Socialist Reich to do that very thing!

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Praises Coronavirus Response As Cases Rack Up And Markets Spiral

Criminal Fuhrer* Trump and the Republican Reich don’t give a damn about the 3,500 Americans trapped on that ship. He only cares about keeping his “numbers” low. Earth to asshole… come in! Your numbers are going way up, anyway. But he told the truth about one thing: that he should have become a medical expert instead of running for President. AMEN! If only he had done ANYTHING, other than running for President! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Senator Susan Collins, of Maine, has not decided whether she will wash her hands in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Collins confirmed on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Collins said that she was “deeply troubled” by the behavior of the covid-19 virus.

“The behavior of the coronavirus is, to me, profoundly disturbing,” she said. “Whether it rises to the level of something I should respond to by washing my hands is a question I am devoting a great deal of thought to right now.”

Dang, Andy, I have an idea! Until she makes up her mind, she should go live on the cruise ship her criminal Fuhrer Trump* refuses to rescue. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Three Dog Night “One”

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/6/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:37 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 062020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. It has been so muggy that I have slept poorly. The powdered pills in apple sauce is working well, as long as I add a Splenda packet. Thank God it’s Friday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 4:54). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: As former Vice President Joe Biden won state after state on Tuesday night, the accusations flew: The Establishment stole the election from Sen. Bernie Sanders. Former rival and current campaign surrogate Marianne Williamson called it “a coup,” in a now-deleted tweet. Another prominent Sanders booster said the “party brass” “wants to foist Biden on the party.” This disrespect for voters needs to stop.

It’s pretty clear that large chunks of the Democratic establishment, however you define it, didn’t want to see Bernie win. But whatever those chunks of that establishment did to block him wasn’t done in some back room conspiracy. It was done out in the open by the most basic, routine of means: in the wake of a big win in South Carolina that suggested Biden was the strongest non-Bernie candidate, two of his competitors dropped out and endorsed him. Some other prominent people endorsed him. And then the voters in 14 states had their say, and it wasn’t good for Sanders—and the fact that that’s all it took to give Biden a surge of this magnitude is something that all of us who were supporting other candidates have to reckon with, seriously.

The real engine for Biden’s comeback was built from voters. That started with the overwhelmingly black voters of South Carolina—people too many Sanders supporters have been eager to dismiss and denigrate, now as in 2016, but certainly not billionaires buying an election or shadowy operatives rigging, well, anything—but it didn’t stop there. While Sanders had built admirable strength among Latino voters and younger voters, he didn’t expand his support enough.

I have to agree with this author with one caveat. What drove voters on Super Tuesday to what they considered a “safe” choice is fear of a Trump second term far too intense to take a chance the more beneficial, but more radical policies of Bernie and Liz. Furthermore, Bernie has done little to broaden his base beyond the coalition that he lost with in 2016, so even though I support him, now that Liz has withdrawn, I do not consider him the likely nominee. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: A resident of Washington, D.C., has been identified as the source of the community spread of coronavirus misinformation throughout the United States.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that the man had ignored the advice of public-health experts and spewed a toxic strain of ignorance, potentially infecting millions.

The man, believed to be a fact-resistant organism, travelled last week to South Carolina, where he came in contact with thousands of people who, as a result of community spread, now believe that coronavirus is a hoax.

The epidemic of cluelessness expanded last night, when the man called in to a Fox News television program to encourage people with coronavirus to go to work rather than stay at home, as scientists have urged.

Andy is reporting straight news again. Would anyone like to guess the identity of this idiot? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Shirelles Will you still love me tomorrow (Top Quality + Lyrics)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/5/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 052020

It’s a busy day, here at the CatBox. Eating is getting easier, since I discovered that pills getting stuck in the tumor were the big problem. I ground them with my mortar and pestle last night, and WWWendy mixed the powder with cottage cheese. YUCK! I’ve eaten better crunchies from my kitty box, but my ham and beans goop over rice went down without issue. This morning I ground them and mixed them with apple juice. They glopped up, but I got them down. Store to Door is delivering groceries this afternoon, so I’ll mix tonight’s grind with apple sauce. I scheduled an initial appointment with my new oncologist, Dr. Evelyn Brosnan on Thursday, March 17. I’ve requested that they release the PET Scan results to me this week, but they may not. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:42 (average 8:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: As an elementary school art teacher in the Dallas, Texas area, Stacy Bailey introduced herself to her students with a “get to know your teacher” classroom presentation. The presentation included photos of her friends, dog, family members, and fiancée (now spouse), as reported by The Advocate. After the presentation, a parent complained about the image of her fiancée. Bailey was suspended from her position, assigned to another school, and nearly three years later, has been awarded a $100,000 settlement from the school district, as reported by NBC News. Why the complaint and all of this fall-out? Bailey’s fiancée, now-wife, is a woman. The district denies any wrongdoings.

The district says it received complaints from parents because Bailey was talking about her sexual orientation with children. A parent complained Bailey was “promoting the homosexual agenda,” as reported by the Texas Tribune. If you’re curious about what the picture involved, it reportedly showed Bailey and her now-wife, Julie Vasquez, in Finding Nemo costumes, making funny faces. Bailey allegedly explained Vasquez as her “future wife.” In September 2017, Bailey was placed on administrative leave…

…In 2018, after eight months of suspension, Bailey was assigned to teach at a different school in the district. Working with attorney Jason Smith, she sued the school district in federal court, alleging the district violated her constitutionally protected rights. In October 2019, Judge Sam Lindsay ruled in her favor. The settlement of $100,000 was awarded on Monday.

Kudos to Stacy Baily for overcoming Republican hatred of LGBTQ people. There is nothing unusual about straight teachers talking about their families. For the Republican Reich to allow one and deny the other is a Republican level of hypocrisy. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: A harrowing scene unfolded at the White House on Tuesday night as Donald Trump screamed at Mike Pence for “not praying hard enough” to make Joe Biden lose the Super Tuesday primary contests, sources said.

Witnesses to the vituperative dressing-down of the Vice-President reported that the evening started badly after Trump saw the returns from Virginia, which Biden won handily.

“Mike, you were supposed to tell God to make Sleepy Joe lose,” Trump snapped. “A lot of good your ‘praying’ did.”

Trump’s tirade against Pence grew in ferocity after Biden romped to victory in state after state, a string of victories that Trump blamed squarely on Pence’s inadequate praying efforts.

Dang, Andy! As much as I hate to admit it, I was screaming at pseudo-Christion Vice Fuhrer Mike “The HIV Guy” Pence for the exact same reason! Were it not for Republican prayer incompetence, Bernie would have won! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Four Season & Frankie Valli hits live Sherry, Rag doll, Walk

Damn, ! was young then! Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

BREAKING From NY Times: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts plans to drop out of the presidential race on Thursday and will inform her staff of her plans later this morning, according to a person close to her, ending a run defined by an avalanche of policy plans that aimed to pull the Democratic Party to the left and appealed to enough voters to make her briefly a front-runner last fall, but that proved unable to translate excitement from elite progressives into backing from the party’s more working-class and diverse base.

Though her support had eroded by Super Tuesday, in her final weeks as a candidate she effectively drove the centrist billionaire, former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, out of the race with debate performances that flashed her evident skills and political potential.

While I recognize the necessity, I have a one word response: Shit! She has a great future. Liz 2024! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:22 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 032020

It’s a very busy day here in the CatBox. I had to prepare and send my grocery order. I spent over an hour on the phone trying to line up the oncologist for my cancer treatments. I think I have, but I still have no results from my PET Scan. I’m hoping for a call tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted. I still have to do the prep work for covering Super Tuesday. I am experimenting with mi diet and found that I’m not plugging the passageway as badly, when I eat a soft solid food and goop together. Yesterday for lunch I had a small portion of ground turkey sandwich. That was borderline. For supper, I had chili goop over rice. That worked great. For breakfast, I had New England clam chowder goop with a bite of saltine with each bite of goop. That worked well too. May Liz and Bernie kick ass today!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 5:10): To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: A former Justice Department attorney compared her service under President Donald Trump as somewhere in between Nazi Germany and “The Apprentice.”

Erica Newland went to work at the Department of Justice in the summer before the 2016 election, and stayed under Trump because she liked her colleagues and believed she could make a difference — but soon learned an uncomfortable truth about herself, reported The Atlantic.

“I guess I know what kind [of German bureaucrat] I would have been,” Newland said, imagining how she might have served in the 1930s. “I would have stayed in the Nazi administration initially and then fled.”

She lasted in Trump’s government until October 2018, when an anti-Semitic extremist killed 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, and that same week her colleagues at the Office of Legal Counsel were tasked with justifying Trump’s order to refuse all asylum claims at the southern border — mirroring language the gunman had used against foreign “invaders.”

Newland, who is Jewish, recalled an exchange she had with a supervisor who often reminded staffers they worked for the president by saying, “We’re just following orders.

The bureaucrats under Hitler were “just following orders” too. What’s the difference? Fuhrer Hitler’s Nazi Reich was the Third Reich. Criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* Republican Reich is the Fifth Reich. The similarities are undeniable. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is under intense pressure to drop out of the 2020 race for the Democratic Presidential nomination, her nine supporters announced on Monday.

The announcement from Gabbard’s nine followers surprised many Democrats, who had been unaware that the Hawaii congresswoman was still running.

In a conference call after the South Carolina primary, the nine members of Team Tulsi concluded that Gabbard’s path to the nomination had grown “dauntingly narrow.”

“We believe that Tulsi would be an amazing President of the United States,” Harland Dorrinson, a spokesman for the other eight Gabbard supporters, said. “But we have regretfully come to the conclusion that this is not her time.”

Andy, is that a good idea? The nine fools stupid enough to vote for Tulsi should still vote for her. That way, they won’t damage the nation by voting for Bloombarf or criminal Fuhrer Trump*. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): What Bernie Skeptics Need to Know Before Super Tuesday

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the Right, the evil Republican Reich, in addition to corporate Democrats, have their heads up their asses. 1. Amen! FDR was a democratic socialist. Amen! Trump promised reform and delivered National Socialism. 3. Amen! A Wall Street speculation tax to pay for public needs is far better for America than Republican welfare for billionaires. 4. Amen! Congress will pass progressive legislation, if we get off our asses, flush the Republican Reich, and replace DINOs in the primaries. 5. Amen! Bernie acts younger than Biden. 6. Amen! With criminal Fuhrer Trump* in power, the Democrats will unite behind any candidate, who wins the nomination, as long as they win it fairly! However, if DNC Superdelegates take the nomination from the voters’ choice and land it to another, they will destroy the party and the nation. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Monkees – Last Train To Clarksville 1966

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 262020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, but I did stomach the last three meals with minimal pain. Tonight is a WWWendy night. Happy Hump Day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:43 (average 5:25). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Yesterday was soup and crackers. This is the chili and rice.

0226Chili

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: At the last debate, Bernie Sanders defended his supporters while also condemning anyone who exhibited the culture of bullying that many who claim to support him display online. Earlier tonight, reporter Scott Bixby of The Daily Beast reported that one of Bernie Sanders staffers was using a private Twitter account to trash the other Democratic candidates.

Using the account @perma_ben, Ben Mora, a regional field director for Sanders’ campaign based in Michigan, has attacked other Democrats in the field—as well as their family members, surrogates, journalists, and politically active celebrities—in deeply personal terms, mocking their physical appearance, gender, and sexuality, among other things.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mora has tweeted, “looks like her name: pained, chunky, [and] confused origin/purpose.” Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg “is what happens when the therapist botches the conversion,” and his husband, Chasten, Mora predicts, will be “busted for running a meth racket” in 10 years. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a frequent subject of Mora’s private account, is called a “dumb Okie,” “an adult diaper fetishist” who “looks like shit” and who lied about having Native American ancestry “to get into Harvard.”

The thing is, this is a thing. This is exactly what other candidates were complaining about. It’s what many of us experienced online in 2016, and it’s an acknowledged problem by the Sanders campaign despite his disavowal of the attitudes and sentiments expressed by these guys.

So it was encouraging — very encouraging — to hear that Mora had been fired. Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. Since Mora was fired, the reporter has been doxed and is being harassed.

Kudos to Bernie for canning the SOB. I think Bernie supporters are great, but some Bernie Bros are just stinking Republicans! RESIST!!

From The Borowitz Report: Asserting that his personal interests put him in direct conflict with the interests of the United States of America, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has demanded that Donald Trump recuse himself from all decisions involving the future of the U.S.

Speaking from her office at the Supreme Court, Ginsburg said that Trump’s oft-stated allegiance to himself makes it impossible for him to render unbiased decisions on issues affecting people other than himself.

“Since the United States is populated by three hundred and thirty-one million people who are not him, any decision regarding their fates would, by definition, ensnare Trump in an insoluble conflict of interest,” she said.

Ginsburg enumerated a list of issues about which Trump should immediately recuse himself, including immigration, trade, taxes, the social safety net, women’s reproductive rights, health care, the economy, the military, the environment, “and any other issues related to domestic or foreign policy not listed above.”

Amen Andy! What else is there to say? RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): Liberal Redneck – Super Tuesday Smorgasboard [sic]

As usual, Trae is funny as hell, but realistically, only two choices are best for America: Liz or Bernie! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Turtles – Happy together (video/audio edited & remastered) HQ

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Older Entries Newer Entries