Open Thread – 12/22/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 222020

It’s a tired hectic day here in the CatBox. Yesterday’s Safeway delivery was almost a disaster. When the driver arrived, he had just a couple bags in his arms. He said there had been a lot of cancelations. We brought them upstairs. He was in a hurry, but I insisted that we compare the cancellations with what he had. It was soon obvious that the vast majority of my order was not accounted for. We went back downstairs. He went out to check his truck and came back with the rest of my order that “had been hiding”. He needed a hand truck to carry it. We brought upstairs. It took me over an hour to put everything away. There were a few legitimate cancellations that were out of stock in the store. They included all my sweets. Nevertheless, it could have been far worse and would have been a disaster had I not been such a hard ass about it. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day. I’ll be back in the saddle on Christmas Eve. Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day. Take extra care. The closer it becomes to the end the harder they are trying to get away.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:06 (average 5:09). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Russian hackers attempting to disrupt the U.S. government were disappointed to discover that it had already been thoroughly disabled, the hackers have confirmed.

Expecting to find a well-oiled machine that they could impair, the hackers instead came upon a barely operational mess that had already suffered what appeared to be four years of degradation.

Dmitri X (not his real name), was assigned to hack the Environmental Protection Agency’s computer systems and was “shocked” by the agency’s weakened condition.

“My job was to access the E.P.A.’s database and delete all of the environmental regulations,” he said. “There was nothing there left to delete.”

That’s straight news, Andy! With Republicans working so hard, Russians need no help to destroy America! RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: Everyone wants to show the happy videos of people getting vaccine shots.

The Governors in the 12 states that haven’t passed mask mandates especially want to get in on this hopeful news. They will crow about how Their President got them the vaccine. Not said, but implied, is that their refusal to pass a state-wide mask mandate was justified before and is not necessary now.

Image from: CNN

1222nomask_map

The experts say we will still need masks for months and we should NOT relax the mask protocols…

…Here are some ways to use the vaccination press conferences to pressure 12 Governors to pass mask mandates.

Method 1

Have the top medical experts tell the Governors behind the scenes, “You don’t get to be part of the vaccination press conference unless you pass a mask mandate.”

People in the public health medical community still want to believe that Governors will respond to facts and science. They won’t.

Withholding good PR at a press conference isn’t withholding their vaccine, just the reflected success of a vaccine.

But since most public health experts don’t want to be this direct, and the window for these first press conferences is closing, I suggest:

Method 2

PREPARE THE MEDIA for asking Governors why there is no mask mandate now and why they still won’t pass one.

This is especially important now that Trump botched the vaccine roll out!

First prep the experts to point out the EXCESS DEATHS that will happen because there is no MASK MANDATE. When the Governor still doesn’t respond with a mandate, post photos of DEAD NURSES to call out the GOVERNOR for NOT pushing a mandate before.

Click through for much more info. I fully support both methods. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Maddow: U.S. Mired In ‘3-Way Split Screen’ Of Trump Crises

I agree with Rachel. The one thing that should have been included is that, Republicans wanted mass deaths, because such a high proportion of the deaths are Blacks. I also worry about Trump inciting violence., and agree that he is desperate to escape prosecution that must follow to prevent a Republican Recurrance. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Beta Radio – Angels We Have Heard on High (Official Audio)

A beautiful arrangement of a classic carol! HUGS!!

28 Days (4 Weeks) Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/19/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:09 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 192020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, combined with a severe case of Republicitis. I’m late, because I just spent an hour on the throne. It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, and it will be tomorrow too. My Broncos are playing the Bills, and it will be televised here, because it’s a Saturday game, so I shall be meditating this afternoon. May the blessed Orb shine its holy light on your team, unless they dump Buffalo dung on the prairie. Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day, so please expect no more than a Personal Update.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:39 (average 5:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Calling the prospect a “nightmare scenario,” Betsy DeVos warned that President-elect Joe Biden will pick an Education Secretary with a background in education.

The outgoing Education Secretary warned that putting someone with a “pro-education bias” in her job would be like “naming a fox to be Secretary of Hens.”

“For the past four years, I have worked tirelessly to keep our schools free from education,” she said. “It deeply saddens me to think that all of my hard work will go to waste.”

Even more alarming, she said, Biden may name a “knowledgeable person” to replace her, a decision she called “disastrous.”

“In order to be impartial toward education, an Education Secretary must be as ignorant as possible,” she said. “I don’t mean to boast, but I am going to be a tough act to follow in that respect.”

Dang Andy! Is it true that Betsy Blackwater took this to Trump* with the recommendation that he appoint Colonel Sanders as his Secretary of Hens! RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: On Thursday, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel of outside experts voted to approve providing an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The agency is expected to complete the creation of the EUA on Friday, which would free up shipments of the vaccine to get on their way across the country this weekend. But they may have to get in line, because the first vaccine that was approved is already failing to reach states in the quantities expected.

Despite months of listening to Donald Trump brag about the incredible military operation he had put together to distribute a vaccine that did not then exist, states are suddenly discovering that the shipments they were expecting have been drastically reduced without explanation. Meanwhile Pfizer seems just as confused—it says there are millions of doses sitting in its warehouse ready to go, but Trump’s team is allowing them to gather dust.

As Bloomberg reports, some states were informed on Wednesday that their supply of Pfizer’s vaccine would be cut drastically. For Oregon, that means a 40% drop in the 74,000 doses they had been expecting. Gov. Kate Brown tweeted that this was a federal decision made through “Operation Warp Speed.” Oregon is not alone. As The Washington Post reports, officials in multiple states were alerted that their shipments of the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech would be “drastically cut” for next week.

Notices that they would not be getting what they were earlier told was on the way went out to at least six states. That list includes Illinois, Washington, and Maine, in addition to Oregon. Meanwhile, Florida officials seem to have lost their shipments of vaccine altogether, saying they disappeared from the online shipping system.

I trust that nobody is surprised that Oregon leads the shortage list, since the Republican Reich was unsuccessful attacking us with their Gestapo. I heard nurses in the hospital angrily speculating among themselves that it was intentional sabotage. As for Florida’s shipments, you will find the vaccine at Mar-A-Lago clinic. It may be obtained for $500,000 – $1,000,000 Bankster Bucks per dose. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Low – Some Hearts (at Christmas Time)

I have never heard this tune before, but I consider it particularly appropriate, since this Christmas is such a lonely time for those who have lost loved ones and those separated from loved ones due to Trump* virus. May God grant them peace and relief, and may those of us who can comfort them do so. HUGS!!

31 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/11/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 112020

It’s a painful day here in the CatBox. I overdid it yesterday when pitting groceries away. WWWendy is coming late this afternoon. I will be in the saddle tomorrow. To give you a heads up, next week will be gruesome. Happy Hanukkah! Thank God it’s Friday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 7:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: A furious Donald J. Trump attempted to fire the Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, sources report.

According to the sources, Trump was so irate about the Supreme Court’s dismissal of his election challenge on Tuesday that he phoned Barrett directly to inform her that she was “history.”

“I hired you to get a job done, and you didn’t get it done,” Trump angrily informed Barrett. “You’re out of here.”

Sources say that Barrett had the unenviable task of informing Trump that Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life and therefore cannot be fired, a revelation that left Trump “flabbergasted.”

Dang, Andy! I thought this was satire, until the part that Trump* didn’t know that it’s a lifetime appointment before Injustice Amy Coney Bullshit told him. Now I believe it. RESIST!!

From Alternet: Rep. David Byrd (R-TN) made a post on Facebook [Fakebook delinked] this Thursday saying that he may be soon placed on a ventilator due to coronavirus, and asked people to pray for him.

“I really need a miracle today!!” Byrd wrote Thursday. “My doctor said if my oxygen level doesn’t improve then he has no choice but to put me on a ventilator. So please pray that God will breathe His healing spirit into my lungs!!”

Byrd was flown by helicopter from Wayne County Hospital to St. Thomas in Nashville, where he still remains. According to the Tennessean, he was among the nearly 70 House Republicans who attended a caucus meeting held in the House chamber on November 24. A week and a half later, he was hospitalized with the virus. Reports say he was seen on the House floor without a mask. Just days before, he hosted a dinner for dozens of his fellow caucus members at a restaurant.

I’ll tell you what infuriates me. Because he’s a Republican pseudo-Christian Nazi who helped his Fuhrer spread Trump* virus to dozens (if not hundreds) of innocents, he will get special drugs and special treatment not available to those who deserve it. That is so sick! RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: After the Electoral College presumably votes Monday to affirm Joe Biden’s win, some Republican senators are reportedly preparing to acknowledge the de facto truth that never should have been in question: Donald Trump lost fair and square.

Many Senate Republicans have viewed the Dec. 14 vote both literally and figuratively speaking as the moment of truth, according to CNN. After electors in state capitals across the country finalize the certified results, those same Republicans are realizing they may have to actually part ways with their whiny, rage-y, delusional Dear Leader.

Now that’s a shit storm I can’t wait to see! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Bing Crosby – Silent Night

As a small child, this is the first carol I ever learned. Ah… the memories! HUGS!!

39 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/1/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 012020

It’s a new month here in the CatBox. Debora’s visit yesterday was routine. The problem with health visits is that I cannot lie down to rest my back in the morning, and that’s why I have excessive pain on those days. For a brace to give me relief was a long shot, and since it’s not likely to work, the insurance company won’t pay for it, so I won’t be getting it. Tomorrow will be another rough day, because WWWendy has to work. Therefore Dianna is coming to change my pain patch, and I’ll miss my morning nap again. Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day. You might consider sitting on the lid for an hour.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:24 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Gerardo Gutierrez, 70, died alone from COVID-19 in April. He contracted the virus at work in a Publix grocery story deli. Early in the pandemic, he asked his employer to allow him to wear a mask at work. According to Gutierrez’s family—who have filed a wrongful death suit—Publix refused his request. The chain eventually changed its stance to allow employees to wear masks, but it was too late for Gutierrez, whose adult children had to say goodbye to him on a video call. The lawsuit they brought last week includes numerous complaints made by Publix employees to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about the refusal of the grocer to allow them to use masks and gloves because they didn’t want to cause shoppers to panic.

“This is a case that needs to be prosecuted and that we need to push forward in our court system and shed light on what Publix was doing and why they were doing it,” the family’s attorney, Michael Levine, told the Tampa Bay Times. “The fact the they would chose profits over employees is shameful and disappointing.” It is shameful and disappointing and it’s how corporate America—with a big assist from Senate Republicans—operate. One of the primary poison pills for COVID-19 stimulus Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to budge from is blanket liability protections for employers like Publix to prevent suits like the Gutierrez’s. Or the suit from the family of the late Isidro Fernandez, who was killed by the virus after contracting it in a Tyson pork processing plant in Iowa—the plant where supervisors and managers were allegedly placing bets on how many workers were going to get sick. McConnell would let them all entirely off the hook, but even worse, he has been using it to hold essential relief for millions and millions of Americans hostage for months.

This is not a case of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch backing criminal Fuhrer Trump*. It’s a case of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch representing the Republican Reich. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In an attempt to demonstrate that he is in better physical condition than President-elect Joe Biden, Donald J. Trump spent part of Monday morning playing fetch with Mike Pence on the White House lawn.

The press corps was invited to the event, at which Trump, seated on a golf cart, hurled tennis ball after tennis ball at his Vice-President, who obediently retrieved them.

At one point in the demonstration, Pence paused to praise his boss’s “amazing stamina.”

Well, Andy, I have to admit it was fair. After all, both Biden and Trump* were playing with a dawg. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): After the Gold Rush

Indeed, mother nature is on the run from the Republican Reich. We must stand up on her side! RESIST!!

49 Days (7 weeks) Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 11/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:07 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 252020

It’s another tired/painful day here in the CatBox, as I recover from medical mayhem. Tomorrow I hope to post a brief Personal Update and a Holiday message. WWWendy is coming early to destink the TomCat and help as quickly as possible, so she can get home to spend the holiday with her family. She and I will celebrate on Sunday instead. I’ll spend most of the day with the Ellipsoid Orb, even though my Broncos aren’t playing. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:10 (average 5:30). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Lunch:

1125Lunch

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In a series of blistering tweets, Donald J. Trump ripped President-elect Joe Biden for choosing Cabinet members woefully lacking in reality-show experience.

Calling the Cabinet picks a “bunch of losers who have spent their lives working at desks,” Trump questioned the team’s preparedness to take on the challenges presented by today’s complex reality-show landscape.

“These people have never earned an immunity idol, presided over a rose ceremony, or danced with a star,” Trump said. “This is the best Sleepy Joe could do?”

He saved his most withering criticism for Janet Yellen, Biden’s pick for Treasury Secretary. “If Joe really wanted a woman for this position, why didn’t he choose one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?” Trump asked. “They know a lot more about money than this clown.”

Andy is back to reporting straight news again. RESIST!!

From Alternet: On Friday night, September 18, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell learned that liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died of cancer at the age of 87. And according to PBS’ “Frontline,” McConnell contacted President Donald Trump that very night and made it clear he wanted to see Judge Amy Coney Barrett nominated for the seat and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as quickly as possible.

Josh Holmes, McConnell’s former chief of staff, explained to “Frontline” that on September 18, “McConnell told (Trump) two things. McConnell said: First, I’m going to put out a statement that says we’re going to fill the vacancy. Second, he said, you’ve gotta nominate Amy Coney Barrett.”

That quote is from the PBS documentary, “Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Court,” which premieres this week.

I hate to say this, but the revelation that Amy Coney Bullshit was Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch’s pick scares me even more than the belief that she was criminal Fuhrer Trump’s pick. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Republican Media Stunt Falsely Cast as State Legislative Hearing

Isn’t it interesting to note that yesterday I suggested that Trump’s* post-defeat antics are a show for Sheeple-fleecing, and today, Rachel says the same thing by showing that this is just a fund-raiser. That’s a great mind with whom to fall in the same ditch. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the Planet): To the Last Whale: Critical Mass / Wind on the Water

Were these folks amazing or what? Every endangered species needs to be protected, except for one: Republicans! Save the whales! Harpoon Trump* instead! RESIST!!

55 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 11/13/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 132020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I did not sleep well last night. I texted with Nameless at suppertime and early this morning. He is feeling much better and is off the BIPAP machine. He hopes to be released on Sunday, and their current best guess is that he has atypical pneumonia. Please keep him in your thoughts, best wishes and prayers. Tomorrow please expect no more than a brief Personal Update from me. It’s a WWWendy day, and we have a notary service coming to finalize my will. TGIF!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:08 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoons:

It’s That Day Again:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Turnbull said the media giant had delayed global action to address climate change by turning scientific fact into an issue of “values or identity” and countries were “paying the price”.

Source: The Guardian

Malcolm Turnbull says News Corp has become an organisation for “pure propaganda” that has done enormous damage through its promotion of climate change denial.

In a heated exchange on Monday night’s Q+A, the former prime minister and the Australian’s editor-at-large, Paul Kelly, clashed over the media organisation’s treatment of climate science.

Turn about is Fair play. We’ll take Lona, and Oztralia can have Murdoch back! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: President-elect Joe Biden could obtain all the classified intelligence he needs simply by hanging out in the public dining room at Mar-a-Lago, members of the international espionage community recommend.

“Biden shouldn’t worry about getting official intelligence briefings,” a foreign spy, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. “He should just reserve a table at Mar-a-Lago, and he’ll hear everything he needs.”The spy offered his own methods for obtaining classified intelligence as a possible roadmap for the President-elect. “Get a table near Trump, order an omelette, and turn on your recorder,” he said.

Dang Andy! This isn’t satire. It’s true! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Late Show Channel): Michael Moore: Joe Biden’s Presidency Will Be The Polar Opposite Of The Last Four Years

Michael Moore is representative of the most progressive segment of the left. For him to recognize how much closer a centrist like Biden is to us than he is to Trump* sets an example we should all follow instead of whining that Biden isn’t progressive enough. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast at the Reich): When The President Talks To God

This is certainly appropriate for Crawford Caligula, Fuhrer of the Fourth Reich, for whom it was written. How much more does it apply to the Fuhrer of the Fifth Reich, Trump*? Neither of them talk to God. They talk to Republican Supply-side Jesus, the polar opposite of the real Jesus. RESIST!!

Open Thread – 11/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 032020

It’s a worry and pray day, here in the CatBox. The day for which we have waited for years has finally arrived, and I am witnessing the most important US election of my lifetime, if not of this nation’s history. Molly, a physical therapist from Providence is coming to evaluate me this morning. We want to see of there is a brace I can wear to reduce the pressure on my spine, when I’m sitting on my power chair in the hope that doing so will receive my pain level. This morning my Republicosis was under control for the first time in quite a while. I suspect this may be a prophetic message. If God has controlled my shit, perhaps she may be controlling America’s shit, the Republican Reich, too. What I do tomorrow may depend on what happens today. Tuesday is flush your Republicans day. Do it nationally!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:38 (average 6:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is an old one. To bring it up to date, we need to add the swastika and the Russian flag.

Trump* Virus Update:

I understand that Trump* Virus voted at multiple locations this morning to express their appreciation of criminal Fuhrer Trump* for supplying them with hundreds of thousands of victims to murder.

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump has ordered the Attorney General, Bill Barr, to investigate widespread reports that women are voting.

Trump said that he had evidence that women were casting ballots in the tens of millions, a scandal that he called “bigger than Watergate.”

“We’re not going to let this happen in our country,” he said. “We’re moving quite strongly and quite powerfully on the women.”

Dang, Andy! How ridiculous. According to Barrf, for women to vote is appropriate in a Republican Reich, as long as she is Republican, shoeless, expectant, and obedient to both her owner and to her Fuhrer*. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): A Last Word on the 2020 Election

Pray that the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, and that the American people put the Reich on the Right, the deplorable Republican Reich, out of business permanently! It that does not happen, and if you are US citizen and don’t vote, it’s YOUR fault! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from Pat): Cher – Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe

Amen to that! Thanks Pat! RESIST!!

And for the Last Time…

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 10/31/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 312020

It’s a spooky day here in the CatBox. The Republicosis still plagues me, but I have it under control. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day day. Then she is going to the coast until Thursday. She needs a vacation. Tomorrow is also a holy day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos play the Chargers, but it won’t be televised locally. In honor of the day, Boo2U2!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:21 (average 5:01). To do it, click here. How did you too?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

This map measures daily deaths per capita

US Cases: 9,324,833
US Deaths: 235,264
Plus all Trump*/GOP plague murders Republicans are hiding

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Democratic voters are anxiously awaiting Election Day in the hope that Democratic candidates and activists will finally stop texting them, a new poll shows.

In conversations with Democratic voters across the country, “No longer being texted by Democrats” has emerged as one of the most important issues to them in the 2020 campaign.

Dang, Andy! That isn’t satire; it’s gospel! If I had a nickel for every text, email, and/or phone call I’ve received from an organization dunning me that the future of our nation depends solely on my donation to that organization, I could damn near pay off the national debt! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Take Heart That Americans Still Believe In Democracy; Early Vote Numbers Prove It

I trust that you won’t mind if I pray like hell that Rachel is right. The early voting numbers are the best cause for hope I have seen! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Fleetwood Mac – The Chain (Official Audio)

Ah… the memories! We’ve been so long under a Republican Reich we nees some beauty in our lives. RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Older Entries Newer Entries