Democrats – they (can finally) get the job done Parts I and II
Mrs. Clean
Pop the champagne
Daytime Edition
Jan 212021
Jan 202021
OK, so I’m a little giddy today. Aren’t you? Be honest!
This was last night, which is why it is so dark. I wanted something upbeat for today, and neither Biden not Harris is much of a grandstander, but they are both caring.
Robert Reich
Now This News – I missed it at the time, but now I wonder if it could help if seen by Trump** supporters.
“The Damage Report” I have no comment.
Beau on inauguration Security (which will basically be completed by the time this goes up – let’s hope he is right – he taped it Monday.)
Music – “Jubilee” by G. W. Chadwick – because it’s my personal favorite feel-good piece.
Jan 172021
It’s a groggy day here in the CatBox. I slept very well last night, but one good night after several bad is not enough for recovery. My pain level is gradually starting to improve. This afternoon, I’m going to watch my confiscated Portland Chiefs Play the Browns. I’ll be in the saddle for MLK Day tomorrow. Expect evil actions from the Republican Reich. To stay safe, avoid them.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:13 (average 4:37). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From NY Times: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., inheriting a collection of crises unlike any in generations, plans to open his administration with dozens of executive directives on top of expansive legislative proposals in a 10-day blitz meant to signal a turning point for a nation reeling from disease, economic turmoil, racial strife and now the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol.
Mr. Biden’s team has developed a raft of decrees that he can issue on his own authority after the inauguration on Wednesday to begin reversing some of President Trump’s most hotly disputed policies. Advisers hope the flurry of action, without waiting for Congress, will establish a sense of momentum for the new president even as the Senate puts his predecessor on trial.
On his first day in office alone, Mr. Biden intends a flurry of executive orders that will be partly substantive and partly symbolic. They include rescinding the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, extending pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border, according to a memo circulated on Saturday by Ron Klain, his incoming White House chief of staff, and obtained by The New York Times.
The blueprint of executive action comes after Mr. Biden announced that he will push Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion package of economic stimulus and pandemic relief, signaling a willingness to be aggressive on policy issues and confronting Republicans from the start to take their lead from him.
He also plans to send sweeping immigration legislation on his first day in office providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million people in the country illegally. Along with his promise to vaccinate 100 million Americans for the coronavirus in his first 100 days, it is an expansive set of priorities for a new president that could be a defining test of his deal-making abilities and command of the federal government.
Isn’t it wonderful to look forward to government actions we can support? RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!
From Daily Kos: A few weeks ago, it was still possible to compare the daily deaths from COVID-19 to some past events. 9/11. Or Pearl Harbor. Or D-Day. But all of that went by the wayside as the number of those falling to the virus each day passed 3,000. Then 4,000. 2020 likely saw an unprecedented use of “unprecedented,” and when it comes to the pandemic, that bit of justified awfulness is far from over.
Even in the middle of a pandemic that is killing Americans faster than any war in history, there are still some situations that stand out for the extra awfulness that people can show to each other. That’s certainly true of the Republicans in Congress who refused to wear a mask even as they were huddling together under threat of death from a rampaging mob. As a result, at least four members of Congress have since tested positive.
But there may be no better example of just how terrible people can be, than a tiny group called “Citizens Against Tyranny” in the mid-sized city of Roseburg, Oregon.
As the La Grande Observer reports, this group formed for a specific purpose — to punish anyone who complains about violations of safety regulations connected to COVID-19. That includes publishing the names of anyone who reports safety violations to Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on “The LIST.”
Two women, both senior citizens and Douglas County residents, were recently fingered by this organization. Their names were published on a website called citizensagainsttyranny.net as part of “The LIST,” and they were labeled “Filthy Traitors.” The words were spattered in red, as if to indicate blood.
This group, which labeled two elderly women “filthy traitors” for upholding a law that’s meant to save not just their lives, but also the lives of their fellow citizens, is supported by Republican state lawmaker Dallas Heard. Which might not be surprising, since in a December session of the Oregon legislature, Heard declared that attempts to halt the pandemic were “campaign against the people and the children of God.” At that point he ripped off his mask and stormed out of the senate. Heard doesn’t just support the Citizens Against Tyranny, he has encouraged it in a plan to ban all those who the organization has doxxed from being served by any local business. “Their faces and their names and what they did must be known,” said Heard.
I ashamed to admit that Oregon has a senator as evil as Missouri’s infamous Jerk-off Josh Hawley, but ours is just a state senator. The “Children of God” worship Republican-supply-side Jesus, the deity with horns, cloven hooves, a pointed tail, and a pitch fork. RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): THE YOUNGBLOODS Let´s get together 1967 Chet Powers´s song
Ah… the memories. I have understood for about twenty five years that fear, not hate, is the opposite of love. Hate is a symptom of fear. Understanding that makes it easier to understand the Republican Party. RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!
Wednesday, Dump Trump** Hump Day,
Is the Big FLUSH!!
Jan 012021
It’s a New Years Day, here in the CatBox. When the midnight hour came, I said, “ZZZZZZ”. I did not expect to see this day, as my Oncologist initially projected my departure for last May. I’m glad to be here, and I shall stay as long as God permits me to share my love with you all and to Resist the Republican Reich. WWWendy is coming this afternoon, and I’m running late, because I overslept on my morning nap. Thank you for being you.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:14 (average 5:39). To di it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: As 2020 comes to an end, America has a lot of work to do. To date, more than 19.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the novel coronavirus and over 340,00 have died as a result, according to The New York Times database. Despite the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitals reaching capacity nationwide, some officials are still reluctant to follow health recommendations.
This inability to follow safety precautions in place to stop the spread of the pandemic has resulted in not only an increase in infections across the country but an increase in deaths as well. Most recently, Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow died Tuesday from COVID-19 complications after being hospitalized for 11 days. LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor G.E. Ghali confirmed that Letlow did not have any underlying conditions and was only 41 years old, The News-Star reported. He is survived by his wife and two young children.
Sadly over 20 million Americans have now caught the Republican virus ,and Republicans have murdered over 354 thoudand Americans with it. I certainly regret the grief Letlow’s family is suffering as a result of his loss. However, I have to say that this is one of those few instances in which karma actually worked. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from Portland): July 17, 2020: Portland Protests – Fenced in Feds & “Naked Athena”
Do you remember when the Republican Nazi Gestapo and Portland Police attacked Portland protestors and a naked woman chased them away? Oregon leads the way! RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth 1967
Ah… the memories! RESIST!!
18 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!
Dec 312020
It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I managed another post today. Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day. After the destinking the TomCat, we plan to have a special dinner. I will still be in the saddle tomorrow, as she’s coming in mid-afternoon. But I’m not big on year in review articles, so I don’t know what I’ll have to work with. Tonight we can celebrate New Years Eve together: ZZZZZZ with me!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:13 (average 5:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: The House of Representatives had a busy Monday, returning early from the Christmas break to easily override a Trump veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and pass a boost to the stimulus bill survival checks from $600 to $2,000. So Trump got a rebuke and a gift at the same time. Trump was walloped on the NDAA, with 322 voting to override to 87 sticking with him.
The Senate will convene at noon on Tuesday, when Sen. Mitch McConnell will indicate how the Senate is going to proceed with what the House is presenting to him this morning. The veto override won’t be an issue, even though it requires the same two-thirds majority as in the House. The Senate passed the NDAA with a 84-13 margin under Trump’s veto threat. The override vote could happen as soon as Wednesday, or Democrats could force a delay as they demand a vote on the $2,000 survival checks.
Loeffler and Perdue are now on board, saying “yes” to the checks. After saying “no,” of course.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey have vowed to block the defense bill until they get a vote on the $2,000 survival checks. “That relief passed in the House today with 44 Republicans voting for it,” Markey tweeted Monday. “Senate Republicans must do the same and get the American people the help they need.” Sanders said in a statement Monday, “Let me be clear: If Sen. McConnell doesn’t agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year’s Eve.”
Major Kudos to Bernie. A New Years Eve filibuster has the added benefit of slowing the spread of Trump* virus by keeping GOP Senators from sponsoring super-spreader events at home. Nevertheless, it won’t work, because Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch will not give-in. RESIST!!
From Crooks and Liars: You would think being “anti-wife beating” would be a bipartisan thing.
But what about “that guy I went out with once is stalking me and he has a gun”?
This week Senate Republicans again showed us who they are.
Senate Republicans are blocking re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) over the so-called “Boyfriend Loophole.” USA Today:
…the most recent version of the bill passed by the House last year intended to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which proved to be a large point of contention for many Republicans.
Previous versions of the act barred those convicted of domestic violence or abuse from purchasing and owning a gun if they were married to, lived with or had a child with the victim. But the 2019 amendment hoped to extend that provision to include dating partners and stalkers.
Though it had support from all Democrats who voted but one, only 33 Republicans voted to move the legislation forward, and the GOP has been accused of giving into the National Rifle Association, which has opposed the change.
Blocking VAWA to protect the gun rights of stalkers with a history of domestic violence is so evil it’s… Republican. Thank God for Joe. RESIST!!
From NY Times: Josh Hawley became the first senator on Wednesday to take up President Trump’s demand that lawmakers challenge the results of the 2020 election, saying he would object to Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results on Jan. 6.
The move by Mr. Hawley, Republican of Missouri, is unlikely to alter the outcome of the election, but it will force Republicans to publicly affirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in a politically fraught test of loyalty to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Hawley, an ambitious freshman senator, framed the objection as “an effort to highlight the failure” of states “to follow their own election laws as well as the unprecedented interference of Big Tech monopolies in the election.” He did not repeat the president’s false claim of widespread voter fraud.
“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Mr. Hawley said in a statement. “I will object on Jan. 6 on their behalf.”
The decision ensures that the certification process, typically a formality, will instead become a debate on the House and Senate floors, elevating Mr. Trump’s repeated false assertions. The Constitution requires that challenges to the certification process be endorsed by lawmakers in both the House and Senate. While Mr. Trump’s most strident allies in the House had announced that they would object to Congress’s effort to certify the Electoral College results, they had so far been unable to persuade a member of the Senate to publicly back their effort.
What an asshole! And what an embarrassment to residents of that state. While no citizen of that state is to blame, except those that voted in that Nazi, Hawley makes Missouri such embarrassing misery that the Kansas City Chiefs should relocate out of shame… preferably to Portland or Denver. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
Steppenwolf wanted to create rock music as it might have developed here, had there been no British influence. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!
19 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!
Dec 302020
It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. It appears that the progression of my disease demands that I spend more time getting bed rest. Nevertheless I managed to put together a full article today and hope to do so into 2021 as well. Happy Hump Day!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:14 (average 5:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From Daily Kos: Although the pandemic rescue package finally signed by a pouting Donald Trump last night extends the federal moratorium on evicting renters who cannot make their payments, it’s only a temporary reprieve. The House and Senate-passed bill extends the eviction moratorium by only one month. We’re right back here in February, albeit with a new president not permanently sidelined by his own narcissistic delusions.
And the underlying problem is not going away. After the bungling incompetence of government responses from March onward, we are in a new pandemic surge. One in every thousand Americans has died from the virus. Without more lockdowns, the death toll will double in coming months; vaccines simply cannot be manufactured and distributed fast enough to prevent it. And all that means that those who have lost their jobs in a shattered pandemic economy cannot pay rent, and haven’t been able to pay rent, and will not be able to pay months of backlogged rent with a new $600 check, or a $2,000 one. $600 will go to food first, medicine second, rent third.
Here in OR, the legislature had already passed a three month extension on Oregon’s moratorium on evictions. In addition, they passed a financial aid package for landlords who need help staying afloat, because so many tenants have to live rent free. I have no doubt that we will continue to help those in need, because Oregon leads the way. RESIST!!
From Crooks and Liars: Why weren’t we told about this sooner? Details at justscream.baby.
I have a better idea. If you need to scream, call (202) 456-1111, the White house phone number, but only before 1/20. RESIST!!
From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Defeating McConnell: The Real Stakes of the Georgia Runoffs
Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. In this case I know, because I’ve been saying the same things ever since I learned that Senate control depends on the outcomes of those elections. Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch personifies the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich. If they retain the Senate majority, BBMMM will do to Biden what he did to Obama. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin
Ah… the memories! RESIST!!
20 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!
Dec 282020
It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and my back is is a lot of pain, so please pardon my brevity. Tomorrow please expect no more than Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day, as she’s coming in the morning. Oh God, it’s Monday!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Religious Agony:
Stinking, useless, good for nothing Orb!
Short Takes:
From NY Times: Another dose of relief is finally on the way for the millions of Americans facing financial distress because of the coronavirus pandemic.
President Trump on Sunday night signed an economic relief package that will provide a round of $600 stimulus payments to most Americans and partly restore the enhanced federal unemployment benefit, offering $300 for at least 10 weeks. The agreement also contains provisions related to student loans, rental assistance and medical bills.
The legislation, which is 5,600 pages long, would provide welcome, albeit temporary, assistance to many. How quickly the money reaches your pocket will depend on several factors, though.
Here’s a closer look at what the legislative package will mean for you. This article will be updated as more details from the measure become available. For more details on how to get assistance, check out our Hub for Help.
I’m glad he signed it. Nevertheless, it’s too little too late. Click through for a detailed analysis. RESIST!!
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Stacey Abrams: GOP Senators Have Not Stood Up To Sen. McConnell
It’s not bad enough that both Perdue and Loffler are up to their ears in graft. They are as incompetent as they are crooked. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dion – The Wanderer
Ah… the memories! However, it sure does illustrate the misogyny prevalent in our formative years. RESIST!!
22 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!
Dec 262020
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
I would like to be thinking about more pleasant things on the day after Christmas, but events don’t really give me a choice. This is far too important to ignore or even delay.
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Why it matters that the coronavirus is changing – and what this means for vaccine effectiveness
Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading rapidly in the United Kingdom, with over 1,400 cases since September. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, generally accumulates mutations slowly over time, but this new variant had accumulated many mutations quickly.
If this new version of the virus is here to stay, as it appears to be, what does that mean? Will this new version of the virus replace the old one? Will it be easier to catch? And, most important, will the current vaccines still be effective?
This interests me because I am an evolutionary microbiologist who studies the link between the transmission and evolution of infectious diseases. In particular, I spend a lot of time considering the effects of vaccines on pathogen evolution and the effects of pathogen evolution on the impact of vaccines.
What is the new SARS-CoV-2 mutant that has emerged?
Tharun15/iStock via Getty Images Plus
The new version of SARS-CoV-2 – named the B.1.1.7 lineage – is spreading in the U.K. and possibly beyond. The differences between the old and new virus include 23 mutations in the virus’s genetic code that have altered four viral proteins.
Eight of these 23 mutations affect the spike protein. This matters because the spike protein enables the virus to enter human cells, and it is a key target of our immune response, both in fighting off the virus during infection and in protecting us from disease following vaccination with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
If the changes to the spike protein help the virus enter human cells more easily, then the virus could be transmitted from person to person more readily.
These mutations may also alter how well the host’s immune system combats the virus, potentially reducing the efficacy of the current vaccines.
What is different about this new version of SARS-CoV-2?
Samples of the new virus isolated from patients suggest that this variant has been increasing in relative frequency over the past three months.
The increase in frequency is concerning, as it suggests – but does not prove – that the B.1.1.7 isolates of SARS-CoV-2 are more transmissible than the original virus. Some have estimated that the new virus may be up to 70% more transmissible than the old virus. While these estimates are consistent with the data, it is entirely too early to make a definitive conclusion.
If this increase in transmissibility is confirmed, it might be due to of the mutations in the spike protein allows it to bind more tightly to the ACE2 receptor, which provides a gateway for the virus to enter human cells.
But it might also be due to any of the other changes to the virus.
Is it more dangerous? If so, why?
If the new version, B.1.1.7, is indeed more transmissible than the old virus, it will be more dangerous in the sense that it will make more people sick.
However, I am not aware of good evidence that there is any difference in severity of disease caused by the new version of this virus compared with the older one. That said, with so few known cases, it may still be too early to say.
Will the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines still be effective against this new strain?
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by training our immune systems to recognize a specific version of the viral spike protein. The version of the spike protein used by the vaccines was designed to match that of the old virus, not that of the B.1.1.7 virus. This means that the vaccines might become less effective than expected should this new virus spread widely.
Vaccine-virus mismatch is an ongoing challenge for scientists charged with developing the seasonal flu vaccine. But even with a virus-vaccine mismatch, the flu vaccine reduces the likelihood, and the severity, of disease.
The question is therefore not whether the vaccines will be effective, but rather how effective they will be. The severity of the mismatch matters, but the only way to determine its impact in this case is through scientific study, and to my knowledge, no data on that has yet been collected. In other words, it’s too early to say whether and how this new variant will influence the overall effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Should people still get the new mRNA vaccine?
The appearance of this new B.1.1.7 makes it even more important that people get vaccinated as soon as possible.
If this new version is more transmissible, or if the vaccine is less effective because of a virus-vaccine mismatch, more people will need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity and get this disease under control.
Moreover, we now have proof that the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can change drastically in a short time, and so it is critical that we get the virus under control to prevent it from evolving further and completely undermining vaccination efforts.
David Kennedy, Assistant Professor of Biology, Penn State
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, for myself, I was already inclined to wait (even though I am somewhat high risk) for the vaccination until more is known. This news only strengthens that inclination. On the other hand, if the virus mutates as quickly as all this suggests, one might conceivably wait forever.
Everyone here is aware I have allergy concerns with this (or any) vaccine – I certainly make no secret of it, and have addressed it on other sites as well. During the week I actually got a response from someone (whose credentials I don’t know, but you’ll see that doesn’t matter) who provided links to the exact documents at the FDA which have that information. (I guess if a wheel squeaks for long enough, it will eventually get greased. Eventually.) In any case, here they are: Pfizer and Moderna. The actual component are on page two of each PDF, about the middle of the page. Furies and readers alike, feel free to share it widely.
The Furies and I will be back.