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!!

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Aug 192020
 

It’s a busy chemo day, here at the CatBox.  Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today/s took me 3:04 (average 5:03).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Long Take:

Democratic National Convention: Day 2

 

Elect our Presidential nominee!

RESIST!!

 

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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DNC Report: Day One

 Posted by at 11:23 am  Politics
Aug 182020
 

I have to admit, I was worried about how Democrats would handle the new format for the Democratic National Convention.  It was necessitated by the Republican plague, Trump* virus.  They did quite well, and I was particularly impressed with Bernie’s speech.  Nevertheless, I felt sorry for Bernie.  He spoke before Michelle Obama, and Michelle not only rocked the house, she rocked the nation!

0818DNC

Democrats kicked off their virtual nominating convention Monday with a focused denunciation of President Trump, showcasing dozens of testimonials that culminated in lancing criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama, who cast Trump as incapable of meeting America’s needs and said Joe Biden would usher in racial justice and ease the coronavirus pandemic.

In the centerpiece speech of the night, a searing indictment of her husband Barack Obama’s successor, Obama declared that Trump has mishandled the pandemic and failed to respond to outcries over the deaths of Black Americans. She warned that the nation would suffer more if he is elected to a second term.

“Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can: Donald Trump is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment. He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us,” she said, before quoting a line Trump used about covid-19 [sic] deaths in a recent interview: “It is what it is.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Click through for much more.

Here is the complete video (2 hrs.) for night one.

Democratic National Convention 2020 – Night 1

 

If you haven’t seen it, I strongly recommend watching it.

RESIST!!

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Aug 172020
 

I’ve been watching political conventions on TV every year, since I was a child.  The one exception was the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  I was busy demonstrating and trying to defend myself against a police riot.  This year, there will be a completely unique convention.

0817MonDNC

On Monday, CNN gave an overview of the major speakers to expect on the kickoff night of the Democratic National Convention, as the party holds its nominating ceremony virtually for the first time in history.

It will be a convention unlike any other: The coronavirus pandemic forced Democrats to scrap their planned in-person Milwaukee convention,” said the report. “Instead, speakers will deliver speeches from locations across the country and without the large in-person crowds that are traditionally seen at these events. All eyes will be on how smoothly the transition to a virtual convention works.”

“Top speakers of the night include former first lady Michelle Obama, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and a Republican — former Ohio Gov. John Kasich,” continued the report. “Obama and Sanders are two of the most popular figures in Democratic politics. Kasich, a former presidential candidate, is emblematic of the kind of anti-Trump Republican who Biden is hoping to win over in November.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Raw Story>

Click through for much more info.

CNN talked about the whole convention, not just tonight.

The DNC will look a lot different this year

 

I hope it goes well.  I’ll try to include the full video from the night before every day.

RESIST!!

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Jul 312020
 

It’s another sweaty, stinky day here in the CatBox.  I had a rough night last night, because I ate supper too fast and plugged my esophageal tumor.  I spent most of the night imitating criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* AG.  The blockage didn’t clear until this morning.  Tomorrow please expect no more than an Open Thread or a Personal Update.  It’s a WWWendy day and the TomCat could not be more stinky.  I’ll try to swap the Politics Plus Poll, if I can, but it will probably have to wait until Sunday.  TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:43 (average 4:51).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0731TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,638,288
US Deaths: 155,371
World Cases: 17,553,155
World Deaths: 678,097
Trump’s* Share of World Deaths: 22.9%
US Share of World Population: 4.3%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Morgan Freeman Reads Rep. John Lewis’ Last Words

;

His own epitaph was a fitting memorial to a hero that will still be remembered as a hero one hundred years from now, if we can prevent the Republican attempt to convert the US from democratic republic to Nazi Reich.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Group prepares for chance Trump refuses to concede election

For more information about the war game they took part in click here. If this doesn’t scare the shit out of you, WAKE UPRESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): The Chicks – Not Ready To Make Nice (Official Video)

 

Many, myself included, think that this song was partially directed at the Fuhrer of the 4th Reich, GW ChickenHawk, aka Crawford Caligula. He demanded that they back down on their true statement that his war for oil and conquest was fraudulent. How much worse is the Fuhrer of the 5th Reich? Support left wing protestors!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Go, Joe! Go!

 Posted by at 10:29 am  Politics
Jul 272020
 

As of today, there are 99 days left until election day, and hopefully, not much longer before the US has a President for the first time since Obama left office.  It would be hard for things to look much better for Joe Biden.

0727ElectionMap

The polls say things are looking very good for former Vice President Joe Biden. Polling averages show the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee ahead in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. And some eye-popping surveys even have him leading President Donald Trump in Texas, which hasn’t gone for a Democrat since 1976. But is it all too good to be true? Many Democrats certainly seem to think so.

“I don’t trust polling,” Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell recently told the Atlantic. “I don’t believe that Biden is 16 points up in Michigan; that’s a bullshit poll, and it’s the same people who said Hillary [Clinton] had it in the bag.”

Dingell is among the Democrats traumatized by polling missteps last cycle, which led surveys to overlook the strength of Trump’s support in key battleground states including Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — three states Clinton was counting on to win the election. In a late-October survey of Wisconsin, for example, the Marquette Law School poll had Clinton up by 6 percentage points, while Trump ultimately won the state by 0.7 points.

After the election, pollsters conducted an autopsy of why there was such a disconnect between state polls and the final electoral outcomes (though perhaps less so than some Democrats believe).

The review, led by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), identified multiple factors: For one, some pollsters failed to weight for education — so more educated individuals who favored Hillary Clinton were overrepresented in samples and skewing the results. For another, many surveys missed the wave of undecided voters who may have broken for Trump at the last minute.

Importantly, as many pollsters frequently emphasize, the way polls are interpreted also matters: These surveys, after all, are intended to be a “snapshot” in time, and not necessarily predictive of the election’s final result. It’s worth noting, too, that there are variables that make every cycle different: According to a mid-July New York Times analysis, because of the polling lead he currently has, Biden would still win key battleground states if the polls had errors comparable to the ones they saw in 2016…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Vox>
Map credit: medium.com

Trump won these key states in 2016. Now, he’s losing them

Of course, the worst thing we can do is to become complacent and overconfident.  That could give Trump* at least four more years man maybe make him permanent Fuhrer of the Republican Fifth Reich.  Nevertheless, day after day of ever increasing horrors can tire us to the point of PTSD.  Therefore, it’s important that we recognize the light at the end of the tunnel to give us hope.  Go, Joe!  Go!

RESIST!!

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Jul 242020
 

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox.  My Providence home health doctor is coming this morning for her routine monthly visit.  Other than back pain, it’s a pretty good day.  TGIF!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:12 (average 5:14).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0724TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive map

US Cases: 4,171,378
US Deaths: 147,364
World Cases: 15,715,850
World Deaths: 637,615
Trump’s* share of World Deaths: 23.1%

Short Takes:

From Alternet: If November brings the type of major blue wave that Democratic strategists are hoping for, it would include not only former Vice President Joe Biden defeating President Donald Trump, but also, Democrats achieving a majority in the U.S. Senate, increasing their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and enjoying victories in an abundance of state races. And the Cook Political Report is saying that according to its analysis, Democrats are now favored to retake the U.S. Senate.

Cook’s Jessica Taylor reports, “With just over 100 days until Election Day, the political climate appears dire for Republicans across the board. President Trump is the decided underdog against former Vice President Joe Biden in our Electoral College ratings, and Democrats could end up expanding their House majority. That leaves the Senate as Republicans’ firewall — the final barrier to unified control for Democrats in 2021.”

But that “firewall,” Taylor reports, could disappear because “as of now, Democrats are a slight favorite to win the Senate majority.”

A Republican pollster, quoted anonymously, told Cook, “Something remarkable would have to happen for Republicans to still have control of the Senate after November. It’s grim. There’s just so many places where Democrats either have the upper hand or are competitive in states that six months ago, we wouldn’t have considered at risk.” And a GOP strategist was equally pessimistic, telling Cook, “If you’re an incumbent in a bad environment sitting at 44%, you should be pretty damn scared. The expanding map has made it really hard, and there’s just a lot of Democratic momentum right now.”

From Cook’s projections to November results!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Portland mayor is tear-gassed alongside protesters

Portland is my home. The rare crowd violence has nothing to do with the demonstrators. There are a few right wing anarchists using the peaceful demonstrations as an excuse to act-out. Both the federal Nazi Republican gestapo and the unmuzzled Portland Police Bureau are ignoring the violent anarchists and attacking peaceful demonstrators and our mayor.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from labor): Ryan Bingham “Direction of the Wind” (Madison, Wisconsin protests) (live performance music video)

Except for unmuzzled Republican Nazi police unions, support labor.  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Jun 302020
 

It’s a crazy day here in the CatBox.  I’ve been having trouble changing my Fentanyl patches.  They are tiny, transparent and sticky.  Because my previous surgery to knock out eye cancer damaged my eyes, everything I see  is blurry, and I have double vision.  Also, my hands shake when I try to do delicate work.  So far, I have destroyed two patches trying to change them, and with a copay of $10 per patch, that has to change.  To solve the problem WWWendy will come every three days, instead of twice per week, so she can change my patch, when she’s here.  Therefore, my WWWendy days will change every week, and my schedule here will be variable.  I may be a bit scarce for the next two days.  Store to Door is closed for the Fourth, so I ordered my groceries from Safeway.com.  They will be delivering a huge order between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, and it will take me a long time to unbag them and put them away.  Then WWWendy will be coming Thursday morning to destink the rancid TomCat, change my patch, goop, and help with chores.  Don’t forget to remind everyone to flush the Republican Reich!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:33 (average 5:25).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0630TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,683,301
Deaths: 128,819

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an act of retaliation against the Russians for sponsoring Taliban attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Donald J. Trump is sending Jared Kushner to the Kremlin to offer advice on its coronavirus response, the White House confirmed on Monday.

“To all those who thought that this President was not taking the Russians’ actions seriously, this response should speak for itself,” the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said. “The President had an array of responses to choose from, and the one he selected is by far the most punishing.”

According to White House insiders, Trump and his advisers debated the response to the Russians for hours before finally settling on the Kushner option late Sunday night.

“Jared Kushner is the most brutal weapon in our arsenal, and deploying him is a decision that no one should ever take lightly,” one adviser said.

Awww, come on, Andy. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* would never do such a horrible thing to his favorite butt plug, Vladimir Putin [R-RU]. Furthermore, that would be a clear casus belliRESIST!!

From Daily Kos: At least one House Democrat has had enough with Republicans ignoring mask requirements during House committee hearings. Rep. Jim Clyburn, head of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, has written a letter to ranking Republican Steve Scalise warning him that if committee Republicans continue to show up at hearings without masks, those Republicans will not be recognized to speak during subcommittee meetings. At all.

Clyburn was not particularly polite about it, either. In his letter, Clyburn reminds Scalise that it was Scalise who “repeatedly” has wanted in-person hearings and “you assured me that this could be done safely.” But when “every single Republican Member of the Subcommittee refused to comply” with congressional mask rules, Clyburn was fed up.

Kudos to Jim Clyburn. I hope that the other Democratic heads of committees and subcommittees, both women and men, grow a pair too!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Doors – Break On Through HQ (1967)

Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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