Open Thread – 12/4/2020

 Posted by at 11:13 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 042020
 

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox.  WWWendy and I got everything done yesterday, and I did get a morning nap this morning.  However, I’m already ready for another.  I had a cheeseburger and eggs for breakfast.  Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update from me.  It’s a WWWendy day to destink the TomCat, cook and do chores.  TGIF!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:59).  To do it, click here.  How dis you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: In his urgent demand on Monday that President Trump condemn his angry supporters who are threatening workers and officials overseeing the 2020 vote, a Georgia elections official focused on an animated image of a hanging noose that had been sent to a young voting-machine technician.

“It’s just wrong,” the official, Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, said at a news conference. “I can’t begin to explain the level of anger I have over this.”

But the technician in Georgia is not alone. Far from it.

Across the nation, election officials and their staff have been bombarded in recent weeks with emails, telephone calls and letters brimming with menace and threats of violence, the result of their service in a presidential election in which the defeated candidate’s most ardent followers have refused to accept the results.

There is a single word that best describes such heinous threats of violence to intimidate honest workers and keep them from doing their jobs: Republican!  RESIST!!

From NPR: President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said he has asked the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to become his chief medical adviser and said he plans to call on Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration.

In an interview with CNN, Biden said he’ll urge Americans to wear masks starting Jan. 20 to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Biden said he would use his authority to require masks in federal buildings and on interstate transportation.

“Just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” Biden said.

I think Fauci is an excellent choice. If super-spreader Trump* had followed his advice, America would be far better off. 100 days of masks is just the beginning of policies Biden should implement. Another is extensive contact tracing.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Canadian Premier Makes Emotional Holiday Plea

 

Kudos to Brian Pailister. The US needs a Grinch like him in charge of every state.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): These Trump supporters say big tech is biased. Here’s why they’re on Parler [Twitter for GOP Sheeple]

 

A commenter on YouTube Said it best. The universe is made of protons neutrons, electrons and morons. To that I add, on Parler the morons are Sheeple whose intelligence echoes BAAA-A-A-A-A-AAADLY!!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): The Yardbirds – Shapes Of Things

 

This will be the last in the BFTP series.  The Yardbirds knew the shape of things to come many years ago. Is it too late to change it?  RESIST!!

46 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Video Thread 12/3/2020

 Posted by at 2:43 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 032020
 

Crooks and Liars video

American Bridge – GEORGIA – Loeffler

American Bridge – GEORGIA – Perdue

The Lincoln Project – GEORGIA – “Pulpit”

The Trumpty Dumpty Cycle #3- Full Cast: Steve Buscemi, James Carville, Kristin Chenoweth, Margaret Cho, Laurie Garrett, Whoopi Goldberg, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Stephen Root

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Personal Update – 12/3/2020

 Posted by at 1:08 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 032020
 

It’d a busy day here in the CatBox.  WWWendy is finishing it up after giving me a haircut, my shower, putting groceries away and cooking.  I’m running way behind.  I’ll be in the saddle tomorrow.  Hugs to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:20 (average 5:17).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The top Democrats in Congress on Wednesday endorsed a bipartisan $908 billion stimulus compromise as a baseline for talks, offering a significant concession in an effort to pressure Republicans to revive stalled talks on providing additional relief before the end of the year.

After months of publicly insisting that another stimulus package must provide at least $2 trillion, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, to return to the negotiating table with a bill less than half that size as a starting point.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., whose advisers had pushed privately in recent weeks for lawmakers to make compromises to pass an economic aid agreement as quickly as possible, also offered a blessing of sorts for the effort. In a virtual event with laid-off workers and a small-business owner struggling amid the pandemic, Mr. Biden said the bipartisan package “wouldn’t be the answer, but it would be immediate help for a lot of things, quickly.”

The measure, spearheaded by Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, and Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, would restore lapsed federal jobless benefits, providing $300 a week for 18 weeks; would include $288 billion for struggling small businesses, restaurants and theaters and $160 billion for fiscally strapped cities and states; and would create a temporary liability shield for businesses operating amid the pandemic.

I would happily back it except for one thing. It gives criminal immunity to business owners and managers who knowingly commit crimes while following the directives of the Republican Reich. For example, Tyson foods maintain executive betting pools on how many employees will be infected and on how many will die because of their unsafe working conditions.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Climate change song “The Shadows” by Sandel

 

The writer/singer calls climate change the greatest threat of our age. This hi her response, and a fine one it is!  RESIST!!

47 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Video Thread 12/1/2020

 Posted by at 2:54 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 012020
 

GEORGIA – Jon Ossoff

Now This News – Another virus warning from anoher health professional.

The Lincoln Project

There is CC to this, but it only seems to hear the music, not the words, so it’s not helpful. This is not a full transcript, but – “I don’t need no other words to this song – Trump is gone.”

I actually think it’s a good sign that CoViD has replaced Trump as the main target of satire – and news too – (NSFW though)

H/T Our Mitch on this parody

Beau on Rosa Parks

And Keith

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Open Thread – 12/1/2020

 Posted by 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!!

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Open Thread – 11/28/2020

 Posted by at 11:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 282020
 

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I have enough gas in the tank for a full post today.  Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a WWWendy day, and we are having our Thanksgiving dinner.  It’s also a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb.  My Broncos are praying the Saints, but it won’t be televised here.  I hope you are having a fine holiday weekend, even if it isn’t a holiday for you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:26).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Now, as states across the country contemplate new lockdowns to slow down the rampant spread and record hospitalizations, the unprecedented demand for food aid is on the rise, according to the Guardian’s latest snapshot survey:

  • In Cleveland, 5,000 families showed up last Thursday for the pre-Thanksgiving drive-in distribution compared with 3,300 a week earlier and an average of 1,600 over the summer. Some 54% of the food distributed was for children and seniors. “We’re now seeing families who had an emergency fund but it’s gone and they’re at the end of their rope. We’re going to be doing this for a really long time, and that’s frankly terrifying given the impact hunger has on physical health, learning and development for children and parents’ stress,” said Kristin Warzocha, president of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
  • One woman in Cleveland, who didn’t want to be identified, discharged herself from the hospital against medical advice so that she didn’t miss the Thanksgiving food box delivery. “That’s the depth of need and desperation some families are feeling,” added Warzocha.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration is making a bad situation worse, The Guardian reports. Instead of boosting Snap benefits (food stamps), it cut eligibility. The USDA’s Farmers to Families program expires at the end of the year, as does a $450 million boost to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. “Without government assistance, ‘we’re headed toward a massive cliff come January,’ said Erin Pulling, CEO of the Food Bank for the Rockies which serves Colorado and Wyoming.”

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

This will not change when Trump* is gone. How many years have you seen me say, “Every penny Democrats spend to feed hungry families is a penny Republicans can’t give to a billionaire.”?  RESIST!!

From NY Times: Iran’s top nuclear scientist, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead, was shot and killed Friday in what the Iranian media called a roadside ambush as he and his bodyguards traveled outside Tehran.

For two decades, the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was the driving force behind what American and Israeli officials describe as Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. His work continued after Iran’s push to develop a bomb was formally disbanded in 2003, according to American intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel nearly three years ago.

One American official — along with two other intelligence officials — said that Israel was behind the attack on the scientist. It was unclear how much the United States may have known about the operation in advance, but the two nations are the closest of allies and have long shared intelligence regarding Iran, which Israel considers its most potent threat.

There are three possibilities. Butcher Bibi, criminal Fuhrer Trump* or both in unison. I pick door number three. RESIST!!

From Alternet: A new viral video released by “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.

According to the three-minute YouTube video’s description, it aims to highlight Trump’s “cozy relationship with supremacists.” The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump’s repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.

Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah’s show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been “famous for being quick with an insult,” reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.

When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.

 

This will not change when Trump* is gone. Trump* did not choose the Republican Reich. The Republican Reich chose Trump*, because he represents them.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Paradise

 

John Prine was a man who loved this planet. Sadly his fight is over. Seven months ago, Trump* and the Republican Reich murdered him with Trump* virus.  RESIST!!

52 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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Video Thread 11/25/2020

 Posted by at 3:25 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 252020
 

American Bridge (anti-Perdue = pro-Ossoff)

Now This News – It’s not just here that it’s crazy.

OK, over six minutes, but 6 minutes of what we’ve waited four – no, five and a half – years to hear from the MSM

Update from Betty Bowers

This is long (18+ minutes), but it is Joe’s official Thanksgiving message.

And Keith.

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