Open Thread for June 8, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 082021

My mechanic and I (I say “my mechanic,” but it’s actually a team) are in consensus that a new battery was needed, so I am calling and emailing around to find one that can be delivered. I’m ot committed as yet, but it’s still a relief to feel that I know what I need to do and have started doing it.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Borowitz Report – Putin Says He Has No Intention of Reinstating Trump
MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Calling recent speculation “absurd,” Vladimir Putin said that he has “no intention whatsoever” of reinstating Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.
Speaking to reporters, the Russian President bristled at the suggestion that he would reinstall Trump in the White House “this August or any other month, for that matter.”
Click through for details. I certainly hope this is straight news!

MSNBC – The GOP’s base is preparing for a holy war — and Democrats need to pay attention
Yes, another opinion piece – one which it’s hard to disagree with if one is paying attention and is honest. Quote:
The sentiments that these Republicans share differ at times in the particulars — not all believe, for example, that the Democratic Party is a front for blood-drinking, Satanic pedophilia, but many do…. If one believes a priori that one’s opponents are thieves, would-be totalitarians, drinkers of children’s blood, wresting back power becomes in and of itself a moral imperative, regardless of the means.
Click through for the full piece.

The New Yorker – How Nasty Was Nero, Really?
Fake news is not news. It’s been around forever. I’ve been defending Nero for a while now – along with Marie Antoinette, Richard III, and Hillary Clinton. Not one of them was guilty of the arson, murder, incest, or miscellaneous crimes he or she was accused of. Can we hope that Hillary’s reputation will fare any better than that of the other three? Here’s a quote:
Opper told me, “They had a term for it—vituperatio, or ‘vituperation,’ which meant that you could say anything about your opponent. You can really invent all manner of things just to malign that character. And that is exactly the kind of language and stereotypes we find in the source accounts.”
Click through for details. Why is it relevant now? Well, look what Qpublicans are saying about us.

Food for Thought:

Open Thread – 3/3/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:23 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 032021

It’s a difficult day here in the CatBox. I slept well last night, but I’m ready to sleep all day too. I’m still balancing the methadone and oxycodone. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update as it’d both a grocery delivery day and a WWWendy day. Happy Hump Day!!

Update: I planned to post this about 90 minutes ago, but I dozed off and just woke up.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:24 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Shortly after the sentencing of Nicolas Sarkozy, Donald J. Trump issued a statement claiming that prison time for the ex-President of France sets a “horrible precedent.”

In the statement, Trump called the corruption case against Sarkozy a “rigged hoax” and claimed that the former French leader was being treated “very unfairly.”

“This should never be allowed to happen in that country,” he said.

Dang Andy! I just can’t imagine why Trump** would feel that way! Can anyone guess? RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Daily Kos: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a critical challenge to what’s left of the Voting Rights Act after the Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority decision in 2013 carved out the core of the law. At issue Tuesday are two Arizona laws, one requiring election officials to toss ballots that are cast in the wrong precincts and another that would restrict the delivery of mail-in ballots, allowing for just the voter, a family member, or caregiver could collect and deliver a voted ballot. That would prevent campaign workers, community activists, or members like church groups from delivering group ballots. With 43 states considering more than 250 voter suppression bills in the past month, the case has even greater import for the future of voting rights.

It puts into jeopardy Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which “prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups” identified as protected by the law. It bans any voting procedure that “results in a denial or abridgment of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race,” a denial or abridgment that occurs when “based on the totality of circumstances,” racial minorities “have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”

This is one we need to watch, but since the Supreme Court is comprised of three SCOTUS vs six SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional VD) my hopes are not high. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Senator Warren: Filibuster Gives McConnell A Veto Over Democratic Majority

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times are more. NUKE the FILIBASTARDS! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Nights Are Forever Without You – England Dan & John Ford Coley

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

Open Thread – 2/28/2021

Posted by TomCat at 8:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 282021

It’s a painful and exhausted day, here in the CatBox. The intake meeting with Providence Home Hospice was excellent, but it was long. I was sitting up and putting pressure on my spine from around 10:30 AM when Wendy arrived until about 5:30 PM when the intake nurse left. My meds will be delivered today. They are putting me on 5 mg methadone pills every eight hours plus up to 10 – 15 mg Oxycodone every 3 – 6 hours as needed for pain. No more patches. They will give me a shower a week and I’ll get 1 – 2 from WWWendy. I’ll receive a pants load of other services. I really like the way they are handling it, but recovering from that appointment will take a few days. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump will use his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend to announce that he has won the 2024 Presidential election.

According to leaked text from his cpac speech, Trump will claim that he won the 2024 election in a landslide and “everybody knows it.”

Trump will further state that any attempt to allege that the year 2024 has not arrived yet and is, in fact, not scheduled to occur until three years from now is “a rigged hoax.”

Dang, Andy! We all knew Trump** would say that. Furthermore, we knew that every damn one of those idiotic CPUKE Sheeple would believe it. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Alternet: Though House Democrats in the end had the votes to assure final passage of a sweeping Covid-19 relief package overnight—securing approval with a final 219-212 tally—it was the Republican Party membership in total lockstep, joined by two lonely members of the majority party, that voted to deny struggling American families, frontline workers, state governments, local communities, small businesses, and the nation’s schools and public health system nearly $2 trillion in urgent assistance to stabilize the economy, beat back the pandemic, and ensure solid footing for a robust recovery.

The two Democrats who sided with the GOP were Rep. Jared Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd District, and Rep. Kurt Shrader, who represents Oregon’s 5th District.

That one of these is an Oregon Congressional makes me want to scream. In 2020, I donated money to Shrader’s campaign in the general. He was running against Amy Ryan Courser, the epitome of everything about the Republican Reich that makes it evil. Amy is a Koch sucker. So I would support him again in the same circumstances, but before it comes to that, we need to primary his DINO ass out of there! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could) (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

Open Thread – 2/23/2021

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

Feb 232021

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I did not sleep well last night, so please pardon my brevity. Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day. I may have some to flush in a bit, but I may have flushed them all yesterday. Have a fine day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:08 (average 4:58). To do it, click here. How did you do? I blew Technicolor kitty-farts!

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump said on Monday that his “greatest regret” as President was his failure to name his three adult children to the United States Supreme Court.

Appearing on Fox News, Trump said that Ivanka, Eric, and Don, Jr., would be “way better judges” than “those three clowns” whom he did name.

“Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett are the worst people who have ever worked for me,” he said. “And that includes Scaramucci.”

When the Supreme Court was deciding whether New York prosecutors could obtain his tax returns, Trump said, “none of those three boneheads even called to ask me what they should do. No gratitude whatsoever.”

Well, Andy, he hasn’t gotten the mileage he had expected from Whoresuch, Nazi Kavanookie, and Amy Coney Bullshit. But he was stupid to expect gratitude. What gratitude?!!? After all…, they ARE Republicans! On the other hand, wouldn’t it be funny as hell if he had gotten his rancid spawn confirmed to SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional VD), and they had given prosecutors his tax records? RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (NBC News Channel): Merrick Garland Testifies At Attorney General Confirmation Hearing

This video is 6:41:55 in length, so I encourage you to move around to places you want to hear. He will be such a magnificent AG that my only regret is that Biden can’t clone him to nominate to the Supreme Court too! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Arlo Guthrie – City of New Orleans

Ah… the memories!! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

Open Thread – 2/10/2021

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

Feb 102021

It’s a better day here in the CatBox. I need to get as much rest as possible, because Friday is my infusion day at the hospital, so I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. I will definitely have just a short Personal Update on Friday. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 5:20). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump’s defense lawyers stunned the United States Senate on Tuesday by acknowledging that their client had incited the Capitol riot, but only because his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made him do it.

The Senate listened in astonished silence as Trump’s lawyers coldly and methodically hurled Kushner under the bus.

Bruce Castor, one of Trump’s lead attorneys, claimed that the ex-President had been reluctant to speak to the angry mob of supporters on January 6th, and did so only after Kushner assured him, “What could possibly go wrong?”

Dang, Andy! Maybe Jared really did make him do it. That’s credible if you believe that Bears never, ever shit in the woods. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (NBC News Channel): Watch: Day 1 of Donald Trump’s Impeachment Trial In Senate

This video is 7.5 hours long, and I put it here so you can move around within it and see parts you want. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (Daily Kos Channel): Democrats present damning video to begin Trump’s impeachment trial for Jan. 6, 2021

I understand that most Senate Republicans evaded watching the video. The American people need to see this again, and again, and again, and again! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Wild Horses – Rolling Stones

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

Open Thread – 2/9/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 092021

It’s another painful day here in the CatBox. I spent two hours on the throne fighting Republcitis. Tuesday if Flush Your Republicans Day. ARGH!! I hope I flushed my last for a bit.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:46 (average 5:43). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

0209Cartoon

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an early-morning victory statement that took many in the N.F.L. by surprise, the Cincinnati Bengals have declared themselves the winners of next February’s Super Bowl.

The declaration of victory seemed designed to stir controversy, in no small part because sixty minutes of the sixty-minute-long contest have yet to be played.

But the Bengals remained defiant, arguing that no touchdowns, extra points, field goals, or safeties scored after their announcement should count.

Dang Andy, if the officials that make this call are the same ones that we watched on Sunday, then the Bengals just might get the trophy. They deserve it at least as much as Trump** lover Brady! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Crooks and Liars: New video has emerged of the so-called “QAnon Shaman” just moments after they stormed the Capitol on January 6th, providing further proof that these insurrectionists were taking their cues directly from Trump.

Could it be more clear? RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Arizona Republicans Still Waging Trump’s War On Democracy

What she is absolutely no different than what Trump** did. Both and all other Republicans who follow their lead belong in prison. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water (from The Concert in Central Park)

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

Open Thread – 2/5/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:35 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 052021

It’s a painful day here in the CatBox. Stowing the groceries yesterday was difficult. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update. WWWendy is coming in the morning. Have a great day, and TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:20 (average 6:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Calling it “the best news I’ve had in months,” Donald J. Trump has excitedly accepted congressional Democrats’ offer to star in a new, nationally broadcast television show.

Trump boasted to reporters about his new TV opportunity, which was presented to him, on Thursday, by Representative Jamie Raskin.

“It’s going to be similar to ‘The Apprentice,’ because I’ll be sitting behind a table, but it will also be a little different,” Trump explained. “Instead of me asking a lot of questions, people will be asking me the questions. That should spice things up.”

The former President said that the “most amazing” aspect of his new show would be the number of networks broadcasting it.

Dang, Andy!! Hopefully the follow up will a show about the Orange Pervert** broadcast from prison cell. It will be called: Orange** is the New Red! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Daily Kos: On Tuesday, the body of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed by pro-Trump insurrectionists during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, was laid in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived that evening to pay their respects. Americans were able to watch the ceremony on multiple news channels—but not on Fox News. On Fox News, Sicknick’s ceremony was barely mentioned.

Instead, Fox News’ ever-frothing opinion hosts did what they do best: stoke audience panic over all number of bizarre side issues, from a barrage of far-right conspiracy theories promoted by the fascist Laura Ingraham to Sean Hannity’s important report that somebody got ejected from a Lakers game “FOR HECKLING LEBRON.”

Fox’s attempt to mostly pretend Sicknick’s ceremony was not happening did not go without notice. In fact, it seems pretty much everybody noticed it, to the point that both blasting and mocking Fox for their silence became the evening’s hot Twitter pastime.

Most of the criticism noted that Fox News had long pretended that “Blue Lives Matter,” only to have it not matter at all when it came to an officer murdered by a Trump-devoted mob. The Washington Post even put some numbers to it with an analysis of how often the network even bothered to mention Sicknick compared to competing networks, even after the network ran “thousands” of segments about other police deaths during the previous four years.

Accusing Fox News of hypocrisy over the death of police officers, however, is giving them far too much credit. Fox News is not minimizing the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick because they wish to downplay the violence of Trump supporters toward police. Fox News is minimizing Sicknick’s death because they are accessories to his death. [emphasis added]

Click through! This author (Hunter) could not be more spot on! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): No Apology From Greene As House Removes Her From Committees

Thanks to the 11 Republican Representatives that voted for America and against the Nazi Republican Reich. But the sad fact that there were so few of them is ample evidence to show which side the Republican Party is on. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dust in the Wind

For me, this seems particularly appropriate at the moment. Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

Open Thread – 2/4/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:40 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 042021

It’s a gruesome day here in the CatBox. Last night I slept poorly, and when I finally did sleep, I missed doses of Oxycodone. I am in enough pain, that I would lay down and tell you guys I’ll be here tomorrow if I could, but I can’t. It’s a grocery delivery day from Store to Door and I have to be up to receive, unpack, and store my order. on a scale of one to ten my day rating is ARGH!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:32 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In her most explosive claim to date, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene accused former President Barack Obama of converting to Judaism in order to obtain lasers.

According to Greene, Obama’s obsession with lasers was a result of working in the entertainment business, “where he is constantly surrounded by laser-owning Jews.”

“Obama would go to Netflix meetings and be seething with envy of all these Jewish TV executives who had lasers,” she said. “That’s why he converted to Judaism and, according to something I read on the Internet, got bar-mitzvahed.”

Dang, Andy! Obama??? Space Lasers, even?!!? How could he DO such a thing?!!? Oy Gevalt!! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Big Oil’s Grip On Power Weakens; Democrats Focus On Climate Change With New Majority

I don’t see climate change legislation fitting into a reconciliation package. In order to save our planet, we may need to Nuke the Filibastards! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Rolling Stones – She’s A Rainbow

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

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