Good Dog, Mad Dog!

 Posted by at 12:20 pm  Politics
Jun 042020
 

Back on 12/2016, criminal Fuhrer Trump* appointed Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense.  Although the appointment was illegal, I questioned opposing it, in the hope that Mattis would speak truth to power and honor his military oath above loyalty to criminal Fuhrer Trump*.  I published an article, entitled “Is Mad Dog Such a Bad Dog?”.  It took a long time, but he is proving me right.

0604MadDog

James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.

“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis writes. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.” He goes on, “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”…

…“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”

He goes on to contrast the American ethos of unity with Nazi ideology. “Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was “Divide and Conquer.” Our American answer is “In Union there is Strength.”’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Atlantic>

Ex-Defense Secretary Mattis condemns Trump as threat to constitution

Remembering that Mattis is as far right as I am left, if not farther, integrity demands that I acknowledge it, when what he says is actually true. In his analysis of the behavior of criminal Fuhrer Trump*, he could not be more spot-on!

Good Dog, Mad Dog!

RESIST!!

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Jun 032020
 

A few days ago cowardly criminal Fuhrer Trump had a case of buk-buk-buk-buk-bone spurs and hid in the White House bunker for fear that they might hurt him.  He had expected to cover it up, but someone leaked it to the press, and before he knew it, people all over the country were laughing at him.  The last times he felt that humiliated is when the existence of the pee-pee tape, became public and when people learned that Stormy spanked him.  He needed to put on a show to appear heroic.

0603Photo-Op

After a weekend of protests that led all the way to his own front yard and forced him to briefly retreat to a bunker beneath the White House, President Trump arrived in the Oval Office on Monday agitated over the television images, annoyed that anyone would think he was hiding and eager for action.

He wanted to send the military into American cities, an idea that provoked a heated, voices-raised fight among his advisers. But by the end of the day, urged on by his daughter Ivanka Trump, he came up with a more personal way of demonstrating toughness — he would march across Lafayette Square to a church damaged by fire the night before.

The only problem: A plan developed earlier in the day to expand the security perimeter around the White House had not been carried out. When Attorney General William P. Barr strode out of the White House gates for a personal inspection early Monday evening, he discovered that protesters were still on the northern edge of the square. For the president to make it to St. John’s Church, they would have to be cleared out. Mr. Barr gave the order to disperse them.

What ensued was a burst of violence unlike any seen in the shadow of the White House in generations. As he prepared for his surprise march to the church, Mr. Trump first went before cameras in the Rose Garden to declare himself “your president of law and order” but also “an ally of all peaceful protesters,” even as peaceful protesters just a block away and clergy members on the church patio were routed by smoke and flash grenades and some form of chemical spray deployed by shield-bearing riot officers and mounted police…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Reverend describes being pushed out from church for Trump photo-op

Maiming peaceful protestors demonstrating legally?  Injuring clergy as they ministered to injured demonstrators?  Desecrating’s the church by instigation violence there?  There is only one word sufficiently vile to describe such anti-Christian behavior: Republican.  And guess who made it happen for his Fuhrer?

0603barrfAttorney General William Barr is facing demands to step down after the Washington Post reported Tuesday that the nation’s top law enforcement official personally ordered police to beat back peaceful protesters gathered near the White House Monday evening to clear the path for President Donald Trump’s walk to St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Two anonymous federal law enforcement officials told the Post that “the decision had been made late Sunday or early Monday to extend the perimeter around Lafayette Square by one block.” An unnamed Justice Department official said that Barr on Monday afternoon “went to survey the scene and found the perimeter had not been extended.”

“The attorney general conferred with law enforcement officials on the ground, which the official said is captured in a video of the incident,” the Post reported. “He conferred with them to check on the status and basically said: ‘This needs to be done. Get it done,’ the Justice Department official said.”…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Alternet>

That’s right!  It was Barrf!  To make matters worse, Trump never opened his Bible (as if he ever has).  He never prayed.  It was all just a photo-op!  How disgusting!  How vile!

RESIST!!

 

 

 

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Jun 012020
 

It’s a busy, stinky day here in the CatBox.  By now WWWendy is on her way home, and I’m looking forward to her return, BIG Time.  Her cell must be out of range of a tower.  I took Nameless’ advice and shot a portal message to my palliative care team, as I’m hurting pretty bad.  Oh, God!  It’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:46 (average 3:47).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0601TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,839,119
Deaths: 106,241
Recovered: 599,875

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Police Join Protesters In Demonstrations Across U.S.

I often get down on police at demonstrations, as I have witnessed far too many instances of harm, up to including death, inflicted on peaceful demonstrators by fascist Republican police, through their vicious use of violence. Kudos to those cops, who did the right thing by joining the demonstrators, including some here in Portland.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump briefly taken to underground bunker amid protests


I don’t doubt for a second that criminal Fuhrer Trump* demanded that secret service take him to the bunker, because he suffered a severe attack of bone spurs.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Beatles – Don’t Let Me Down

Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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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!!

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May 272020
 

It’s a hot time, here in the CatBox, with the next three days forecast in the 80°s.  That’s not too bad in itself, but it’s a little strange for May.  Yesterday my Oncologist and I agreed that since my treatment had almost killed me from septic shock, we needed a new plan, and she had one ready.  First, I’m going to have another PET Scan to verify the progress of my disease, and see if there is a tumor in my liver that they can biopsy.  If there is, Evelyn will get me into a clinical trial, sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  They analyze the DNA of my cancer and design an individual drug that specifically targets my cancer, without targeting me.  I’ll keep you posted.  Tomorrow, I’ll probably have no more than an Open Thread or a Personal Update.  WWWendy will be gone this weekend.  She’s driving to Wyoming for a family reunion first thing Friday morning.  She will return Monday night.  Please pray for her safety. As a result, my next two WWWendy days are tomorrow and Tuesday.  Will I be stinky by Tuesday, or what?  Happy Hump day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:04 (average 4:33).  To do it, click here.

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0527TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,729,022
Deaths: 100,686
Recovered: 480,273

Short Takes:

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump threatens to shut down social media platform

This is much too little, much too late. Twitter is almost as bad as Fakebook. It’s time to put Twitter in the shitter!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): As U.S. Deaths Reach 100,000, Trump Praises His Handling Of Virus


Congratulations to criminal Fuhrer Trump for murdering 100,000 in the Republican war against America for greed and power.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ghost Riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash – Full Song



Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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May 252020
 

A hat tip to Ken W, in Michigan I think, who told me to look up this reference. The author, a Brit to be sure, is so spot on that I felt compelled to share the short article. And to those who know me, a Canuck through and through, will know that many Canadians will share this view. There are many Americans that likely share this view too.

From The HOBBLEDEHOY

Someone on Quora asked “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:  

A few things spring to mind.   Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Image result for trump images
Image from YouTube.com

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.  

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.  

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.  

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.  

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. …

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.  

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.  …

I encourage you to read the remainder of this short article. There is a Star Wars comparison that is so graphic and so amusing. I hope you get some much needed levity from it. I also should say that this article was written 08 March 2019 so does not include any of Trump’s COVID-19 fiascos which would only make things worse.

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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!!

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May 162020
 

A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN

Politics Plus regular and steadfast commenter, Mitch D., has sent me an email with the following ‘letter’. I’m sure most of our regulars have received it too but as a foreigner, I found it particularly humorous (pun intended) and I decided that it deserved an even bigger audience than it already had. Here is a complete copy of it.

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

“In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA, and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

 

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, and Utah, which she does not fancy).

 

Our new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
———————–
1. The letter ‘U’ will be reinstated in words such as ‘colour,’ ‘favour,’ ‘labour’ and ‘neighbour.’ Likewise, you will learn to spell ‘doughnut’ without skipping half the letters, and the suffix ‘-ize’ will be replaced by the suffix ‘-ise.’ Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up ‘vocabulary’).
————————
2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ‘like’ and ‘you know’ is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter ‘u’ and the elimination of ‘-ize.’
——————-
3.  July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
—————–
4.  You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you’re not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can’t sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you’re not ready to shoot grouse.
———————-
5.  Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
———————-
6.  All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
——————–
7.  The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
——————-
8.  You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with  catsup  but with vinegar.
——————-
9.  The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth – see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
———————
10.  Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one’s ears removed with a cheese grater.
———————
11.  You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
———————
12.  Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
——————–
13.  You must tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us mad
—————–
14.  An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776)
—————
15.  Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

P.S.:  Only share this with friends who have a good sense of humour ( NOT humor )!

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