Open Thread – 3/8/2021

Posted by TomCat at 10:12 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 082021

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. The methadone has ruined the way food tastes for me. I still haven’t caught up with my sleep. WWWendy is coming this evening. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:16 (average 7:10). Ti do it, click here. How did you sdo?

Cartoons:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Disgusting and hateful Senator Tommy Tuberville tried to get an Amendment passed that would have prevented schools from getting funding if they allow transgender students to compete in sports. Sen. Joe Manchin — a Democrat — voted in SUPPORT of the Amendment, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski — a Republican — voted AGAINST it.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) blasted Tuberville for the measure that would have blocked funding for schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. Murray came out and called a spade a spade, saying that this stunt by Tuberville was “simply an attempt to discriminate against transgender students.”

She added, “For the love of god, can’t we just have a little bit of heart and compassion in this world for someone who doesn’t look or live exactly like you? All students, including transgender students, benefit from participating in sports to challenge themselves, to improve fitness, to be part of a team.”

That ANY Democrat could vote for such a vile amendment makes me want to puke. Unfortunately we can’t challenge DINO Joe in the primaries until the elections of 2024. Even more unfortunately, we need to be damn glad we have him until them, because he alone stands between us and Majority Leader Bought Bitch Mitch! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Alternet:

A Florida hospital diverted vaccines from the general public to an ultra-wealthy community where its CEO and Republican donors lived.

Gov. Ron DeSantis insists “the state was not involved” in helping to vaccinate 1,200 residents of the wealthy Ocean Reef community in January, but a spokeswoman for Baptist Health Systems, which administered the doses, told Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald that state officials did intervene.

“It is our understanding that the Medical Center at Ocean Reef asked the State of Florida for vaccine doses, and the State of Florida asked Baptist Health to take delivery of the doses to our ultra-cold freezer storage for delivery to the Medical Center at Ocean Reef,” said Baptist Health spokeswoman Dori Alvarez in a statement.

Some of the beneficiaries had donated to the governor’s political action committee, which has garnered almost $4 million, and Baptist Health Systems president and CEO Brian Keeley and his wife own a home in Ocean Reef.

The spokeswoman would not say whether the couple was involved in getting the vaccine doses delivered to their community.

If you believe that that DeSantis had nothing to do with this absurd lie, you should also believe the Pope is not Catholic, Trump** is not an asshole, and bears never ever shit in the woods! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

Open Thread – 2/28/2021

Posted by TomCat at 8:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 282021

It’s a painful and exhausted day, here in the CatBox. The intake meeting with Providence Home Hospice was excellent, but it was long. I was sitting up and putting pressure on my spine from around 10:30 AM when Wendy arrived until about 5:30 PM when the intake nurse left. My meds will be delivered today. They are putting me on 5 mg methadone pills every eight hours plus up to 10 – 15 mg Oxycodone every 3 – 6 hours as needed for pain. No more patches. They will give me a shower a week and I’ll get 1 – 2 from WWWendy. I’ll receive a pants load of other services. I really like the way they are handling it, but recovering from that appointment will take a few days. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump will use his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend to announce that he has won the 2024 Presidential election.

According to leaked text from his cpac speech, Trump will claim that he won the 2024 election in a landslide and “everybody knows it.”

Trump will further state that any attempt to allege that the year 2024 has not arrived yet and is, in fact, not scheduled to occur until three years from now is “a rigged hoax.”

Dang, Andy! We all knew Trump** would say that. Furthermore, we knew that every damn one of those idiotic CPUKE Sheeple would believe it. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Alternet: Though House Democrats in the end had the votes to assure final passage of a sweeping Covid-19 relief package overnight—securing approval with a final 219-212 tally—it was the Republican Party membership in total lockstep, joined by two lonely members of the majority party, that voted to deny struggling American families, frontline workers, state governments, local communities, small businesses, and the nation’s schools and public health system nearly $2 trillion in urgent assistance to stabilize the economy, beat back the pandemic, and ensure solid footing for a robust recovery.

The two Democrats who sided with the GOP were Rep. Jared Golden, who represents Maine’s 2nd District, and Rep. Kurt Shrader, who represents Oregon’s 5th District.

That one of these is an Oregon Congressional makes me want to scream. In 2020, I donated money to Shrader’s campaign in the general. He was running against Amy Ryan Courser, the epitome of everything about the Republican Reich that makes it evil. Amy is a Koch sucker. So I would support him again in the same circumstances, but before it comes to that, we need to primary his DINO ass out of there! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could) (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

Open Thread – 1/22/2021

Posted by TomCat at 10:38 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 222021

It’s a tired painful day here in the CatBox. I have a severe case of Republicitis, and that may be adding to the back pain. I’m gradually increasing meds, trying not to overdo it. WWWendy is coming this evening. I should be in the saddle tomorrow. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:22 (average 6:16). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is entering his new, less powerful role the same way he managed the Senate when he was Majority Leader, with one purpose in mind: block everything Democrats want.

Democratic Senators on Thursday blasted McConnell publicly after he threatened to filibuster the organizing agreement, which specifies how many Senators from each party sit on committees and who chairs them.

CNN’s Manu Raju notes if there is no power-sharing agreement, “the Senate will operate under the rules of the last Congress when the GOP controlled Senate majority and held committee chairs.”

At the center of McConnell’s obstruction: he’s demanding Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) commit to keeping the filibuster – which would allow Republicans to block and jettison everything Democrats want. That means Republicans could block all of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, and all legislation Democrats want to pass. [emphasis added]

I don’t understand the particulars of how Bought Bitch Mitch can filibastard the organizing agreement. I think we could try to invoke the Nuclear Option, but that is likely to fail because Dino Joe Manchin would vote with the Republicans. However we do it, we cannot allow Republican minority rule. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): US Unfinished Business With Trump Leaves Bifurcated Vision As Biden Begins

Rachel is right to elucidate the horrid state of affairs Biden inherited from the RNP (Republican Nazi Party). RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven (Official Audio)

Ah… the memories. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!

Open Thread – 1/12/2021

Posted by TomCat at 10:52 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 122021

It’s a tired/busy day here in the CatBox. First, although I feel queasy, I have not Republicated in over 24 hours. Yesterday, Deborah confirmed what I had suspected is the reason for my Republicosis. When the Oncologist increased my pain medication that made me more prone to Republicitis. I found a stool softener that I can take with my stent. That made me more prone to Republicosis. I kept taking it and a laxative at max dose, so when the shit hit the fan, the shit really hit the fan. It took four days of Imodium to finally have a better day. Now it’s a matter of getting my condition stabilized on the right balance of medications. It will stake some time. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, but she won’t come until the evening, so I should be in the saddle tomorrow. Tuesday is a flush your Republicans day. I sure hope I have no more to flush.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:22 (average 6:36). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Driven over the edge by his expulsion from Twitter, a deranged Donald J. Trump ordered his two adult sons to hand out flyers with his tweets on them.

The incident occurred at three o’clock Sunday morning, when Trump, wide awake and in a state of extreme agitation, had an idea for a tweet but no platform on which to broadcast it.

Wearing his bathrobe, he summoned his adult sons to the Oval Office and scrawled his tweet on a piece of paper with one of the Sharpies that had served him well in the past.

Reportedly, Trump then commanded Eric and Don, Jr., to go to the nearest copy shop and order ten thousand flyers containing his tweet to hand out on street corners.

According to Trump’s plan, supporters desiring to retweet his tweet would also go to copy shops and hand out flyers, a system he claimed was “better than Twitter.”

Dang Andy! I suspect that the twit* will get writers’ cramp so fast that he’ll stop abusing tweets and go back to abusing twats! RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!

From Crooks and Liars: If only Rep. Devin Nunes had somewhere like a television station to run to so he could communicate with other conservatives. After the news that Amazon is booting the far right social media site Parler off of its web hosting service, Nunes ran to Fox “news” to gripe to host Maria Bartiromo about how terrible it is that they will no longer have the platform to spread their lies and hatred unabated.

Barf Bag Alert!!

Let’s call this what it is. Treason is not included as a right included in the First Amendment. Can you count Nunes’ lies? RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!

From OPB (Hat-Tip Daily Kos Elections Digest): U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, considered the most moderate Democrat in Oregon’s Congressional delegation, reportedly told House Democratic colleagues on Friday that he was against impeaching President Donald Trump for inciting the mob that broke into the U.S. Capitol.

Then Schrader likened the attempt to remove Trump to a “lynching,” according to reports from ABC News.

The comment on a caucus call drew immediate criticism from some of Schrader’s allies.

Mark Wiener, a powerful Portland political consultant who has worked for Schrader for years dating back to when the congressman served in the Oregon Legislature, quickly tweeted out that his company, Winning Mark, would be severing ties with the legislator.

“Comparing the impeachment of a treasonous President who encouraged white supremacists to violently storm the Capitol to a “lynching” is shameful and indefensible,” Wiener tweeted.

I supported Schrader, even though he’s a “moderate democrat”, but this goes way too far. He needs to be primary challenged in 2022. RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Without Accountability, the Next Coup Will Succeed

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, is guilty. All must be punished. As long as the Republican Reich exists, America will not be safe! RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): JOAN BAEZ ~ Joe Hill ~

Ah… the memories! Wherever people are trying to defend human rights, Republicans will be trying to murder them! RESIST and REMOVE the Republican Reich!!

7 Days (1 Week) Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 11/24/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:32 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 242020

It’s a very tired day here in the CatBox. Yesterday’s trip it the Oncologist was a disaster. When we got there, they pulled us back into an examining room. The nurse told us my chart had been flagged that I might have been exposed to Trump* virus and needed to be isolated. They said someone would be “right in” to explain. The assistant I was scheduled to see that is pregnant, and they would not send her into the room with me. Not knowing that, I sat in ever-increasing pain for well over an two hours. Nurses asked occasional questions through the door. They finally determined that the flag must have been in error, and the pregnant assistant came in. She said she didn’t understand what had happened, because they had never seen a chart with that flag before. WWWendy would have been unable to wait the additional three hours, and I was in too much pain to stay, so we rescheduled for next month. The assistant sent me a “my chart” message explaining the mistake. The hospital decided to routinely flag the charts of app patients who have been tested for Trump* virus, but they neglected to inform the Oncology office of that policy. Because my chart was their first time to see the flag, they didn’t know how to handle it. They apologized. I bet Nameless has a collection of similar hospital horror stories. In any event, the pizza is magnificent. Tuesday is Flush Your Republicans Day. Hold that lid tight!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 5:29). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to name Janet L. Yellen as Treasury secretary, a nomination that would put a woman in charge of the Treasury for the first time in its 231-year history.

The expected appointment came as Mr. Biden moved to fill other top cabinet roles, selecting Alejandro Mayorkas as the first Latino to lead the Department of Homeland Security and Avril Haines as the first woman to be the director of national intelligence.

Mr. Biden is also expected to create a new post of international climate envoy and tap John Kerry, a former secretary of state who was a chief negotiator for the United States on the Paris climate change accord.

In choosing Ms. Yellen, who was also the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, Mr. Biden is turning to a renowned labor economist at a moment of high unemployment, when millions of Americans remain out of work and the economy continues to struggle from the coronavirus.

Overall, these are good picks, although there are some I would have preferred that are more progressive. I like Yellen, and Kerry is a solid environmentalist. I need to learn more about the others. RESIST!!

From Alternet: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is expected to step down in the next Congressional session following stark criticism from progressive lawmakers due to her handling of U.S Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings.

Multiple people close to the situation confirmed Feinstein’s plans to Politico, and she later released a statement confirming her intent. Although she will be stepping away from the judiciary committee, she did note that she will be working with the Biden administration and will continue to serve on other committees.

“After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” the California Democrat said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to serve as a senior Democrat on the Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations and Rules committees as we work with the Biden administration.”

That’s good news for the Judiciary Committee. I’d like to see DINO DiFi head the Senate Washroom committee. RESIST!!

Frio YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Administration Officially Authorizes Biden Transition

This is the best news we’ve heard since Biden passed 270. I think Trump* has actually given up. He is playing at fighting the results at this point, because he’s realized that fight is a far more profitable method of Sheeple-fleecing than Trump U or Trump Steaks ever were. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Bad Moon Rising

They were most prescient to understand so many years ago the climate tragedy we face today. Pray that Kerry’s leadership will help bring Good Moon times. RESIST!!

56 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 10/17/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:20 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 172020

It’s a groggy day here in the CatBox. I slept poorly last night, but I took a nap this morning and just woke up. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a morning WWWendy day and we lave lots of semi-gooping and chores to do. Have a great weekend!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:39 (average 5:05). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

1017TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive maps and charts

US Cases: 8,296,249
US Deaths: 223,730
Plus all the Trump*/GOP murders Republicans are covering up

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, continues to be a tremendous waste of Senate space and one of the reasons why America Is Going To Hell Right Now…

…Yeah. Yeah, that’s the takeaway from the Amy Coney Barrett hearings, which should not have been held due to multiple members of the Senate committee testing positive for a deadly disease. The hearings that were scheduled on such a rush basis, in order to beat the upcoming election, that the nominee for the Supreme Court appeared to have done absolutely no preparation for whatsoever, whether it was in the disclosure of past political advocacy, the review of her past legal opinions, or skimming through the Constitution of the United States a few times so that she could answer basic questions about what is in it. The hearings that did not require the nominee to take “notes” because there were no questions asked by the United States Senate that the nominee felt compelled to further contemplate or return with fuller answers on.

It was the best. Why can’t we handle all impossibly consequential, history-altering nominations to the nation’s highest court with no preparation and knock through them in two days? Maskless hugs all around!

As much as I hate to say anything bad about a Democrat, even a barely nominal DINO, on the eve of an election, I could not be more frustrated with DiFi’s lick-spittle approach to Amy Coney Bullshit and Lindsey Poo when neither warrants more than condemnation in the strongest possible terms. She is up for reelection in 2024. Remember this then! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): QAnon and Trump: Hear what his supporters think

Barf Bag Alert!!

Why should criminal Fuhrer Trump* denounce QAnon? Anyone stupid enough to believe their garbage are stupid enough to vote for Trump*? The problem is that these idiotic GOP Sheeple are far more likely to vote than the majority of Americans. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence (from The Concert in Central Park)

Ah… the memories! Protest like the 60s! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/21/2020

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

Mar 212020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. I had trouble keeping breakfast down. I had to wait a couple hours to finish it. Tomorrow please expect no more that an Open Thread or a Personal Update, as WWWendy will be here to de-stink the vile TomCat, help with chores and parade in her Wonder Woman Wendy romper! Have a great weekend!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:32 (average 7:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0321TrumpVirus

19,823 cases

276 deaths

147 recovered

0321TrumpVirusTests

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Virus Scandal: Senators Accused Of Profiting Off Coronavirus Info

MSNBC was wrong not to include Diane Feinstein [DINO – CA]. It opens the network to charges of bias. More important, as a Democrat, I want to know when one of ours acts like a Republican. Di-Fi is a stinking DINO piece of shit and deserves the same treatment that Republicans get. If anything, we should be harder on her. Democrats to not applaud and encourage corruption, greed and hypocrisy from our representatives the way Republicans do. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Amid speculation that United States senators might soon be working remotely, Senator Richard Burr on Friday demanded guarantees that senators working from home will still have access to insider-trading tips.

Speaking from the well of the Senate, an impassioned Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said that a “system needs to be put in place—not tomorrow, not next week, but today—to insure that senators receive the insider-trading information that is both our lifeblood and our birthright.”

Burr blasted the Obama Administration for not establishing contingency plans to safeguard the steady flow of stock tips to U.S. senators in the event of a pandemic, nuclear war, or asteroid strike.

Why am I not surprised, Andy? This is straight news, isn’t it? RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump rants at reporter asking about scared Americans

Of course it’s normal for people to be scared. A real President would offer comfort and support. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* is NOT a real President! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Righteous Brothers – Soul and Inspiration

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Republicans on Parade–3/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:31 am Politics

Mar 202020

Here is the one hundred seventy-third article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winner is Republican Senator Richard Burr [R-NC]. He is so honored for cashing out of the stock market and warning rich Republicans to do likewise, explaining to them just how dangerous Trump* virus really is, while lying to the American people, telling us that we were completely safe.

On Feb. 27, the United States had just 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Donald Trump was telling Americans the coronavirus was “going to disappear” one day, “like a miracle.” But Republican Sen. Richard Burr, in a private meeting with members of an exclusive group, was issuing dire warnings about the emerging pandemic.

“There’s one thing that I can tell you about this: It is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything that we have seen in recent history,” Burr, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told members of Tar Heel Circle in a secret recording obtained by NPR reporter Tim Mak. “It is probably more akin to the 1918 pandemic,” Burr added.

The luncheon, held at the Capitol Hill Club, included a nonpartisan group of dozens of Burr’s constituents who pay between $500 and $10,000 to be part of the elite Tar Heel group, which promises them access to powerful leaders in Congress, the executive branch, and the private sector. NPR reports that the companies represented at the luncheon and their political committees “donated more than $100,000 to Burr’s election campaign in 2015 and 2016.”…

…Burr’s stark assessment of major disruptions also predated school closures in his state by 16 days. “There will be, I’m sure, times that communities, probably some in North Carolina, have a transmission rate where they say, let’s close schools for two weeks, everybody stay home,” he said. Burr also mentioned the potential need to mobilize the U.S. military in order to resource the effort to battle the coronavirus… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

Here are the excerpts from that meeting that have been released. Not only did he tell the truth to this select group, but also, he used that insider information to bail out of the stock market and escape the effects of the Republican Recession of 2020, while thousands of Americans lost their IRAs and 401(k)s, because Republicans hid the truth from them.

Recording: NC Sen. Burr warned crowd about coronavirus during late-February event

I sure the rich Republicans at that meeting bailed out too. Burr was not the only Senator to save their own investments, while screwing their constituents. There were two more Republicans and, unfortunately, one good for nothing, mother stinking piece of DINO shit.

Four senators reportedly sold stock before markets’ coronavirus spiral

The other three are Kelly Loeffler [R-GA], Diane Feinstein [DINO-CA], and Jim Imhoff [R-OK]

In my opinion, Di-Fi is the most culpable of the four. Greedy, illegal behavior is SOP for members of the Republican Reich, but when Democrats start acting like Republicans, as Feinstein did (and so often does), how are voters to tell the difference? All four should resign. Those who don’t (all of them), should be brought up on ethics charges. Unfortunately, Senate ethics will matter only if Democrats win the chamber.

In the meantime, all four deserve a parade. If DINO Feinstein insists on acting like a Republican, let her be paraded liked a Republican.

RESIST!!

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