Open Thread – 8/9/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 092020

It’s a frustrating day here in the CatBox, because criminal Fuhrer Trump* held his campaign rally for billionaires at his private club, pretending to be a Trump* virus relief executive action on Saturday, and the news analysis has not percolated to YouTube. There is no relief in his bullshit orders. It will be my lead article tomorrow, but this is my only article today. Tomorrow, I may run late, because my palliative care nurse, Diana, is coming to change my Fentanyl patch. Have a restful Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0809TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,152,001
US Deaths: 165,093

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Tom Eckerle—a Republican road commissioner for Leelanau County, Michigan—is reportedly resigning after political pressure for repeatedly using the n-word, an anti-Black racist slur, to describe racial justice protestors.

Before a meeting of the road commission started last Tuesday, Eckerle was asked by a commission member why he wasn’t wearing a mask. He responded, “Well this whole thing is because of them (n-words) down in Detroit.”

When Bob Joyce, the commission’s chair, told Eckerle he couldn’t say that, Eckerle said, “I can say anything I want. Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.”…

…When asked about his comments during a Thursday interview with Interlochen Public Radio, Eckerle said didn’t realize the public found out about his comments and said, “No, I don’t regret calling it an (n-word). A( n-word) is a (n-word) is a (n-word). That’s not a person whatsoever.”

Republicans are not racist, the Pope is not Catholic, Trump* is not an asshole, and bears never, ever shit in the woods! RESIST!!

From Buzzfeed (Hat-Tip Crooks and Liars): At least two students say they have been suspended at North Paulding High School in Georgia for posting photos of crowded hallways that went viral on Twitter.The photos show students packed into hallways between classes, not appearing to practice social distancing and with few masks visible, amid the coronavirus pandemic. They went viral after being shared by the account @Freeyourmindkid.

One of the teens who posted photos, 15-year-old Hannah Watters, told BuzzFeed News she received a five-day, out-of-school suspension for posting one photo and one video on Twitter.

She posted the above photo with the caption, “Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate.”

Watters said she was pulled into the school’s office around noon on Wednesday and was told she had violated the student code of conduct.

“The policies I broke stated that I used my phone in the hallway without permission, used my phone for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent,” she said.

Paulding County Schools has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged suspension.

Another student, who did not want their name used, also told BuzzFeed News that they were suspended for posting photos on Twitter.

When the Republican Reich weaponizes Trump* virus to murder children, they punish the children for telling the truth about it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): “Trump Is an Asshole” – MUSIC VIDEO – NSFW

Amen! Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 7/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:28 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 292020

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is coming to destink the sweaty TomCat, goop, and help with chores. Then I have to meet with the building manager to renew my lease, an hour of routine paperwork. Yesterday’s PET scan was as unpleasant as always, but it will be interesting to see the results a week from Friday. This is my only article today, but expect me back in the saddle tomorrow. Happy Heat Wave Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:18 (average 4:45). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

As much as he botches about China, that’s still where his stuff is made.

Trump* Virus Update:

0729TrumpVirusMap

Click here for interactive map.

US Cases: 4,500,102
US Deaths: 152,388
World Cases: 16,936,005
World Deaths: 664,401
Trump’s Share of World Deaths: 22.9%
US Share of World Population: 4.3%

Short Takes:

From OPB: Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday unveiled coronavirus testing-related metrics the state must meet before schools can reopen, and it became immediately evident that many of the state’s largest school districts will be online-only this fall.

Brown’s announcement was swiftly followed by news from school districts: Portland Public Schools will have online classes only until at least Nov. 5 for all grades. Beaverton School District will be conducting classes online until at least Nov. 13. Salem-Keizer, North Clackamas and Tigard-Tualatin districts will also start the year holding online classes with plans to stay remote until at least late fall.

The list is likely to continue growing.

According to the latest county reopening guidelines announced by the governor, the entire state needs to have a weekly positivity rate of less than 5% for three weeks. The latest statewide positivity rates for COVID-19 tests for the previous three weeks were 5.8%, 5.8% and 4.6%.

Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero warned online classes could stretch past November for his district.

“As an educator, I know that there is no true replacement for face-to-face learning and the interaction between a student and a dedicated teacher or staff member,” Guerrero said in a statement. “But our announcement today is in keeping with our highest priority during a global pandemic, which is the health and well being of our students and employees.”

This is how Democrats manage education if the face of Trump’s* Republican plague. Kudos to Kate Brown! Oregon leads the way! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Dissembling, Defensiveness And Partisanship: AG Barr’s House Hearing

Lying Republican Nazi SOB! Barrf barfed! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday

Kudos to the protestors left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–7/13/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:29 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 132020

It’s another muggy day, here in the CatBox, as we’re moving into a heat wave. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread. It’s WWWendy’s last day, before her trip. She will be bringing her friend with her to teach her how to destink a vulgar TomCat. Her friend will come to help me shower on Saturday or Sunday. She made me promise to be on my best behavior. Of course, even my best is misbehaving! Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:07 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0713TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 3,414,582
US Deaths: 137,795

Short Takes:

From ESPN: The Washington Redskins will officially announce Monday morning that they will be changing their nickname, though no new name will be revealed just yet, a source confirmed Sunday night.

It had been widely expected that Washington would change its name, and one source said Saturday night that an announcement of a new name would come soon.

Sports Business Daily, which first reported Monday’s official announcement, reported that the new name would not be announced yet because trademark issues are pending.

I think the racist Republican Redskins should move the team to Israel and rename it the Netanyahu Foreskins, since Butcher Bibi is such a schmuck. RESIST!!

From Alternet: The leader of one of the largest teachers’ unions in the U.S. accused President Donald Trump over the weekend of “trying to bury” federal guidelines warning that fully reopening schools and universities in the fall poses a high risk of spreading Covid-19 and endangering the health of students, faculty, and parents.

A 69-page packet (pdf) of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention materials obtained by the New York Times and labeled “For Internal Use Only” cautions that the “more people a student or staff member interacts with, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of Covid-19 spread.”

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* doesn’t care if every school in the US is a super-spreader event, as long as he thinks reopening them will make him look better. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast played at Woodstock): Joan Baez Live @ Woodstock 1969 Joe Hill.mpg

Dedicated to all who were or wanted to be at Woodstock with me. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

The Trump* Plan to Murder Children

Posted by TomCat at 11:05 am Politics

Jul 092020

Many nations are sending their children back to school this fall. They can do so, because they took the necessary steps (social distancing, wearing masks, extensive testing, and contact tracing tracing, etc.) to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Therefore, it’s safe for them to open their schools. Here in the US, Criminal Fuhrer Trump* claimed that the pandemic is a hoax fostered by Democrats. He took none of the necessity steps early and is discontinuing the few steps he took too late. As a result, we have a raging plague of Trump* virus running wild. It is not safe to open our schools. Nevertheless, Trump* is demanding that schools reopen to hide his own and Republican incompetence in controlling their plague. American school children will pay for this with their lives and those of their families.

Determined to reopen America’s schools despite coronavirus worries, President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to hold back federal money if school districts don’t bring their students back in the fall. He complained that his own public health officials’ safety guidelines are impractical and too expensive.

Shortly afterward, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be issuing new guidance next week “that will give all new tools to our schools.” The recommendations will keep students safe, he said, but “the president said today we just don’t want the guidance to be too tough. ”

Despite Trump’s increased pressure on state and local officials, New York City announced that most of its students would return to classrooms only two or three days a week and would learn online in between. “Most schools will not be able to have all their kids in school at the same time,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

For a nation that prides itself on its public school system, it’s an extraordinary situation in this pandemic year.

With millions of the nation’s parents anxious about their children’s safety in the fall — and their own work interruptions if they must stay home — Trump continued to inject politics into public health… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <US News>

Trump Admin. Pushes For Schools To Fully Reopen This Fall, But How?

Democrats know that reopening schools would good for us politically, but we don’t want the political benefit derived from the murder of hundreds, if not thousands, of school children and their families infected with Trump* virus.

Educator rips Trump’s push to reopen schools amid pandemic

This is what will happen if criminal Fuhrer Trump* gets to sacrifice the lives of children and their families on the altar of his reelection campaign.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–3/5/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 052020

It’s a busy day, here at the CatBox. Eating is getting easier, since I discovered that pills getting stuck in the tumor were the big problem. I ground them with my mortar and pestle last night, and WWWendy mixed the powder with cottage cheese. YUCK! I’ve eaten better crunchies from my kitty box, but my ham and beans goop over rice went down without issue. This morning I ground them and mixed them with apple juice. They glopped up, but I got them down. Store to Door is delivering groceries this afternoon, so I’ll mix tonight’s grind with apple sauce. I scheduled an initial appointment with my new oncologist, Dr. Evelyn Brosnan on Thursday, March 17. I’ve requested that they release the PET Scan results to me this week, but they may not. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:42 (average 8:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: As an elementary school art teacher in the Dallas, Texas area, Stacy Bailey introduced herself to her students with a “get to know your teacher” classroom presentation. The presentation included photos of her friends, dog, family members, and fiancée (now spouse), as reported by The Advocate. After the presentation, a parent complained about the image of her fiancée. Bailey was suspended from her position, assigned to another school, and nearly three years later, has been awarded a $100,000 settlement from the school district, as reported by NBC News. Why the complaint and all of this fall-out? Bailey’s fiancée, now-wife, is a woman. The district denies any wrongdoings.

The district says it received complaints from parents because Bailey was talking about her sexual orientation with children. A parent complained Bailey was “promoting the homosexual agenda,” as reported by the Texas Tribune. If you’re curious about what the picture involved, it reportedly showed Bailey and her now-wife, Julie Vasquez, in Finding Nemo costumes, making funny faces. Bailey allegedly explained Vasquez as her “future wife.” In September 2017, Bailey was placed on administrative leave…

…In 2018, after eight months of suspension, Bailey was assigned to teach at a different school in the district. Working with attorney Jason Smith, she sued the school district in federal court, alleging the district violated her constitutionally protected rights. In October 2019, Judge Sam Lindsay ruled in her favor. The settlement of $100,000 was awarded on Monday.

Kudos to Stacy Baily for overcoming Republican hatred of LGBTQ people. There is nothing unusual about straight teachers talking about their families. For the Republican Reich to allow one and deny the other is a Republican level of hypocrisy. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: A harrowing scene unfolded at the White House on Tuesday night as Donald Trump screamed at Mike Pence for “not praying hard enough” to make Joe Biden lose the Super Tuesday primary contests, sources said.

Witnesses to the vituperative dressing-down of the Vice-President reported that the evening started badly after Trump saw the returns from Virginia, which Biden won handily.

“Mike, you were supposed to tell God to make Sleepy Joe lose,” Trump snapped. “A lot of good your ‘praying’ did.”

Trump’s tirade against Pence grew in ferocity after Biden romped to victory in state after state, a string of victories that Trump blamed squarely on Pence’s inadequate praying efforts.

Dang, Andy! As much as I hate to admit it, I was screaming at pseudo-Christion Vice Fuhrer Mike “The HIV Guy” Pence for the exact same reason! Were it not for Republican prayer incompetence, Bernie would have won! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Four Season & Frankie Valli hits live Sherry, Rag doll, Walk

Damn, ! was young then! Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

BREAKING From NY Times: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts plans to drop out of the presidential race on Thursday and will inform her staff of her plans later this morning, according to a person close to her, ending a run defined by an avalanche of policy plans that aimed to pull the Democratic Party to the left and appealed to enough voters to make her briefly a front-runner last fall, but that proved unable to translate excitement from elite progressives into backing from the party’s more working-class and diverse base.

Though her support had eroded by Super Tuesday, in her final weeks as a candidate she effectively drove the centrist billionaire, former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, out of the race with debate performances that flashed her evident skills and political potential.

While I recognize the necessity, I have a one word response: Shit! She has a great future. Liz 2024! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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