Open Thread–6/11/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 112020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. Store to Door should be delivering groceries within the next two hours. Sometime tomorrow morning, I have a visit here from a Providence Home Health Nurse to determine what additional care I may need. My participation here depends on when it is and how long it takes. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0611TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 2,067,355
Deaths: 115,163
Recovered: 808,556

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Announcing that he was putting the nation on a “double-red threat level,” Donald J. Trump warned the American people on Tuesday to be on the lookout for terrorists posing as peaceful seventy-five-year-olds.

“One of these terrorists was already identified by the police in Buffalo,” Trump said. “They may be coming to your town next.”

Trump listed some “telltale signs of Antifa,” in order to help Americans identify septuagenarian terrorists in their midst.

“If the person appears to be seventy-five or older, with white hair and a peaceful demeanor, call the authorities immediately,” Trump said.

Dang, Andy! That’s straight news again! RESIST!!

From Alternet: More than 1,250 former Department of Justice employees on Wednesday called on the department’s inspector general to open an investigation into reports that Attorney General William Barr personally ordered the tear-gassing of protesters in Washington, D.C. on June 1.

The former employees wrote that Inspector General Michael Horowitz must get to the bottom of Barr’s involvement in the dispersing of the crowd, which was part of the nationwide uprising against racial injustice following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor…

…The Washington Post reported last week that Barr directed law enforcement officers on the ground to deploy tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades at protesters just before President Donald Trump walked through the park to get to a nearby church for a photo-op.

Barrf needs more than investigation. He needs a long prison term! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Buffalo Springfield – For what it’s worth , Vietnam war

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 102020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. Yesterday I had my PET Scan, and the test went well. This time they bundled me very well with blankets, but I remembered the other thing I hate. I’m a very itchy person and to have to lay still for over a half hour, itching in a dozen places I could not scratch was pure torture. When we returned home, I ate lunch, took my shower, and got to bed for my nap quite late. So I had supper late too, and by the time I crawled into bed for the night, it was completely dark. I had a severe gas attack. Lo and behold, it was so radioactive that it glowed in the dark. The green cloud found a crack in the window frame, moved outside, and streamed off to the north. That Sasquatch had better turn on her Geiger counter! Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:18 (average 4:58). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0610TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 2,053,738
Deaths: 114,414
Recovered: 789,558

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Furious at Mitt Romney for participating in a Black Lives Matter march, Donald J. Trump declared on Monday that the Utah senator is “not welcome in my bunker.”

“Mitt Romney thinks he’s cute, first voting to impeach me and now marching,” Trump told reporters. “Well, I’ve got news for Mitt: his invitation to my bunker is hereby revoked.”

Trump said that, because of his disloyalty, Romney “will never experience all that the best bunker in the world has to offer.”

“There are luxury recliners, televisions as far as the eye can see, and a bottomless pit of snacks,” Trump boasted. “If Mitt could see what he’s missing, I’ll bet he’d rethink some of the cute things he’s done.”

Dang, Andy! If Little Lord Willard keeps this up, he may even get a blessing from Seamus in dawg heaven! RESIST!!

From Politico: But in a sign of how Trump’s reelection prospects have weakened across the country, even the heartland may be having second thoughts.

Since the start of the year, Democrats in Iowa have added about twice as many active voters to their rolls as Republicans, nudging ahead in total registration for the first time in years. The farm economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. And though Trump still holds a small lead in the state, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, he’s now airing TV advertisements there — a tacit acknowledgment that the campaign anticipates a contest.

When the Republican Reich has to spend money in places they considered a sure win, that has to help open other doors for Democrats! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Beatles – A Day In The Life

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/8/2020

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

Jun 082020

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox. After research, I lay dawn for 90 minutes to minimize pain. When I arose, I visited the throne and flushed Republicans. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update from me. WWWendy is taking me to the hospital for my PET scan. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:53 (average 5:46). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 2,008,791
Deaths: 112,506
Recovered: 761,729

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Vladimir Putin has rejected Donald J. Trump’s request for ten thousand active-duty Russian Army troops to guard the perimeter around the White House, Administration and Kremlin sources have confirmed.

After Trump’s call for U.S. troops was rebuffed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper and General Mark Milley, Trump reportedly snapped, “I’ll call Vlad,” and stormed out of the meeting with the two men.

Much to Trump’s disappointment, however, his request for Russian troops met with a chilly response.

“The optics would be terrible,” Putin reportedly told him. “Worse than that crazy thing you did with the Bible. Really, you need to get a grip.”

Dang, Andy! Poor* widdle criminal Fuhrer Trump! It really hurt his feelings, when his perv-daddy Putin [R-RU] pulled out of Trump’s* pooter and zipped up his fly! RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: The New York Times’ Editorial Page Editor James Bennet has resigned after the publication of an editorial by Sen. Tom Cotton advocating that the military be deployed to end racial injustice protests throughout the United States. Bennet had been the head of the Times’ editorial pages since 2016.

The Times faced immediate and furious backlash for publishing the op-ed, including from within the Times itself. After repeatedly defending the decision to run Cotton’s anti-American screed, it came out that the Times’ editors had themselves solicited for Cotton to make his case—and that Bennet had not even read the piece before publishing it.

It appears to me that the Times has made James Bennet a scapegoat for following the Times editors’ policy, against his own wishes. They should all be fired. However, Bennet should be fired too, for publishing it without reading it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Animals – The House Of The Rising Sun 1964 (High Quality)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 022020

It’s a very busy day, here in the CatBox, so this is my only article today today. JD, you might want to cover the new John Pavlovitz video. WWWendy got back to town late last night and is coming to de-stink me this afternoon. I could not need it more. I received a reply from my palliative care team. They upped Oxycodone my dosage to 5 – 10 mg every 4 – 6 hours as needed, so when I’m in my chair, I’m gradually increasing my dosage to find the minimum that works. This morning I had a video visit with Megan, my PCP. She took me off of insulin, simvastatin, and lisinopril. After that, I ensconced my butt on the throne for about an hour. I unloaded virtually everything that had collected since leaving the hospital and before. It was done in a healthy fashion, but I swear that some of the Republicans that came out of me met Abe Lincoln personally! Tuesday is flush Republicans day! I did!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:50 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0602TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,862,343
Deaths: 107,066
Recovered: 615,654

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: A controversial new study suggests that the United States of America could benefit from having a President.

The study has raised eyebrows by claiming that a President could be helpful in unifying a country and, in a best-case scenario, providing moral leadership.

“At a time of crisis, a President could be a galvanizing figure who leads a country to a better future,” the study theorizes. “He or she could bring a nation together rather than tear it apart.”

In one of the study’s most radical proposals, it argues that a so-called Justice Department could include an Attorney General appointed by the President to uphold the rule of law.

But Andy, if the US had a President instead of Resident Trump*, then Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch and Barrf could not run the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Lincoln Project Channel): Flag of Treason

The Republican Reich, led by criminal Fuhrer Trump*, is the party of hate, the party of racism, and the party of treason! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Rolling Stones – Paint It, Black (Official Lyric Video)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 292020

It’s a tired day, here in the CatBox. It reached 92° here yesterday. While the A/C kept it bearable, it was too muggy to facilitate sleeping well. WWWendy, who thanks you all for your good wishes, left town this morning. When I texted her, she had just passed Pendleton, so she probably is in Idaho by now. Updating you on my medical mayhem, on Tuesday I have a video conference with Megan, my PCP. My PET Scan is on Tuesday 6/9, and my follow up with Evelyn, my Oncologist, is Tuesday 6/16. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:30 (average 5:41). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0529TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,771,614
Deaths: 103,417
Recovered: 499,109

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Servers belonging to the social-media platform Twitter burst into flames on Thursday, after the company attempted to fact-check all of Donald Trump’s tweets.

“We knew that fact-checking Trump’s tweets was going to put a strain on our system,” Jack Dorsey, the C.E.O. of Twitter, said. “We had no idea that it would result in columns of fire shooting forty feet into the air.”

Reportedly, an explosion in the server fact-checking Trump’s tweets about Joe Scarborough ignited a blaze that quickly spread to a server furiously vetting his tweets about Barack Obama.

Dang Andy! Aren’t the folks that run the Twitter shitter bright enough to store all Trump’s* tweets on asbestos servers, only? RESIST!!

From NY Times: The Trump administration is preparing an executive order intended to curtail the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for what gets posted on their platforms, two senior administration officials said early Thursday.

Such an order, which officials said was still being drafted and was subject to change, would make it easier for federal regulators to argue that companies like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter are suppressing free speech when they move to suspend users or delete posts, among other examples.

The move is almost certain to face a court challenge and is the latest salvo by President Trump in his repeated threats to crack down on online platforms. Twitter this week attached fact-checking notices to two of the president’s tweets after he made false claims about voter fraud, and Mr. Trump and his supporters have long accused social media companies of silencing conservative voices.

The concept of free speech to the Republican Reich means Republicans are free to muzzle Democrats and stifle everything we say . Also, Republicans are free to lie continually with impunity and without oversight. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): It’s Time to Send Trump and McConnell Packing

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich in the right, the Republican Reich needs to be obliterated. From top to bottom, every Republican in power is one Republican too many! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing

I love the guitar playing! Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 282020

It’s a hot busy day, here in the CatBox, with 89° forecast. WWWendy is coming, and we have lots to do to get me ready for her five day trip. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 5:10): To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 1,747,781
Deaths: 102,197
Recovered: 490,256

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an escalation of his spat with Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, Donald Trump is demanding that the 2020 Republican National Convention relocate from Charlotte to Moscow.

“North Carolina has been difficult every step of the way, and meanwhile Moscow has always been very helpful to me,” Trump wrote, in one of a series of early-morning tweets.

Additionally, Trump argued, moving the R.N.C. to Moscow would save the Republicans millions in airfare. “The most important people working on our 2020 campaign will already be there,” he tweeted.

Well, Andy, I see you’re doing straight news again. Is Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch dancing for glee? RESIST!!

From Alternet: Trump and Republicans don’t want mail-in voting this November because it blows up a couple of their most effective voter suppression schemes.

In presidential elections dating back to 2000, there’s been noticeable media coverage of long lines in majority-black precincts; commentators sometimes wonder out loud why people would have to wait in line 8 hours to vote in, for example, inner city Ohio in 2004 or Milwaukee in the 2020 primaries.

Leading up to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s contest with Stacey Abrams in 2018, the Atlanta Constitution-Journal documented how 8 percent of the state’s polling places had been recently closed, hitting rural black areas particularly hard. The Washington Post chronicled how broken voting machines—and the long lines they create—were largely confined to downtown Atlanta and black suburbs and rural areas.

The effect, of course, is to discourage voters from showing up or staying in line, particularly those people who are paid by the hour and have to take time off work to vote.

“The strongest tool Americans have to prevent Republican attempts at voter suppression is mail-in voting.”

In a Republican Reich, voting while Black or Latino is a felony. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): People Are Strange – The Doors [The Very Best Of The Doors]

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 252020

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a very brief Personal Update, because I have to leave home at 7:30. WWWendy is taking me to the hospital for my next infusion and to discuss what we need to change to extend my life without killing me. I’ll try to let you know when I’m home safe.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 5:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Yes I know the chimp is an ape, not a monkey.

Trump* Virus Update:

0525TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,688,709
Deaths: 99,348
Recovered: 451,745

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Almost certain to be an enduring meme, that Trump decided that going golfing was appropriate and more important than honouring Americans that have died due to COVID-19. That he did so doing Memorial Day weekend makes it even worse.

Source: Rolling Stone

President Trump, who has faced mounting criticism for his administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis and his lack of empathy throughout, decided to leave the White House on Saturday to play golf.

According to several reports, today’s trip to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, is likely his first outing to one of his private golf courses since early March. However, during the two “working weekends” the president spent at Camp David in May, it is unknown whether or not he played golf.

Trump going golfing is consistent with his reopen theme that he’s been pushing of late, but it still shows a tone-deafness and a lack of empathy. The U.S. pandemic death toll is approaching 100,000, and on top of that it’s Memorial Day weekend, a solemn occasion meant for tributes to Americans lost at war.

What Trump did today is much worse. He insulted fallen heroes by taking his ersatz bone spurs to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Sharply disagreeing with critics of Donald J. Trump’s weekend visit to the Trump National Golf Club, Dr. Anthony Fauci has urged Trump to remain on the golf course until the pandemic is over.

“The people who are giving you a hard time about your golf trip are just haters,” Fauci told Trump on Sunday. “It’s in the best interest of everyone in the country that you keep golfing, Mr. President.”

“Please,” he added.

Andy, I have to admit that Fauci’s point could not be more valid. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the Past): 500 miles – Peter, Paul and Mary [Original Audio]

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/13/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 132020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. It’s a WWWendy day. I’m ready to go back to bed. Happy Hump Day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:23 (average 5:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

05113TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,411,018
Deaths: 83,558
Recovered: 298,641

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Former President Barack Obama said on Monday that he is unconcerned about Donald Trump accusing him of “the greatest crime in American history” because Attorney General Bill Barr does not prosecute criminals.

“At first, when I heard that he was accusing me of being the worst criminal ever, I have to admit I was a little rattled,” Obama said. “But then I remembered Barr’s don’t-prosecute-crimes policy, and I was pretty chill about it.”

Obama said that he was unsure what crime Trump was accusing him of committing, “but I’m pretty sure I never lied to the F.B.I. or anything as serious as that—so I’m good.”

Andy, I fear Obama may be screwing the pooch on this one. When Barrf refuses to prosecute criminals, if applies only to the Republican Reich. Barrf prosecutes innocent Democrats with glee! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Democrats’ Focus On Essential Workers In Draft Of New Relief Bill

Even though it doesn’t matter, I had the privilege to vote for Liz in Oregon’s primary last week. I hope Biden utilizes her plans. and policies! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): CSN&Y – Carry on 1969

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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