Open Thread–3/7/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 072020

It’s a hectic day here in the CatBox. I had trouble holding my supper down last night, but it was my fault. I became distracted by the news on TV and ate too much too fast. That will do me in every time. I received the results from my PET Scan last night, but I could not understand a damn thing about what they mean. Therefore I sent them to Dr. Nameless in email, and hopefully he can tell us more. Please expect short days from me on both Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, with all the attendant de-stinking and chores. On Monday, I’m going out for a drive with Sandi, a good friend for 35 years with whom I have made hundreds of trips to the prison for volunteer work. She is also a cancer survivor. I should be fully back in the saddle on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 4:56). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

They are building a National Socialist Reich to do that very thing!

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Praises Coronavirus Response As Cases Rack Up And Markets Spiral

Criminal Fuhrer* Trump and the Republican Reich don’t give a damn about the 3,500 Americans trapped on that ship. He only cares about keeping his “numbers” low. Earth to asshole… come in! Your numbers are going way up, anyway. But he told the truth about one thing: that he should have become a medical expert instead of running for President. AMEN! If only he had done ANYTHING, other than running for President! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Senator Susan Collins, of Maine, has not decided whether she will wash her hands in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Collins confirmed on Friday.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Collins said that she was “deeply troubled” by the behavior of the covid-19 virus.

“The behavior of the coronavirus is, to me, profoundly disturbing,” she said. “Whether it rises to the level of something I should respond to by washing my hands is a question I am devoting a great deal of thought to right now.”

Dang, Andy, I have an idea! Until she makes up her mind, she should go live on the cruise ship her criminal Fuhrer Trump* refuses to rescue. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Three Dog Night “One”

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/4/2020

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

Mar 042020

It’s a queasy day here in the CatBox. I’m keeping it down, but just barely. By rotating food items to different meals, I’ve determined that I can eat items I thought I couldn’t eat at lunch, when I have no pills to take. I’ll have my mortar and pestle today, my big jar of applesauce tomorrow, and box of 50 2 oz. plastic cups with lids to store powdered meds and applesauce on Sunday. WWWendy is coming this evening to de-stink the Tomcat and help with chores.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s non-food item took me 4:02 (average 5:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Take damn his undeserved medal away too!

Short Takes:

From Alternet: A mother and son from Sarasota Military Academy in Florida are being quarantined for COVID-19, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. On the Academy’s Facebook page [Fakebook delinked], the school posted on Monday that the “mother’s contact with a patient at Sarasota Doctors Hospital in her professional role,” had led to both her and her son to be quarantined as a “precautionary measure.” The two reportedly showed no symptoms of the virus.

On Friday, Feb. 28, Trump’s top coronavirus point man and non-believer in science, Mike Pence, held a fundraiser in Sarasota at the home of Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan. At the event, Pence talked about “possible changes in travel status to the United States,” while shaking hands with dozens of supporters and 44 cadets from Sarasota Military Academy. Ruh-roh.

While I would not wish Trump* virus on anyone, spending some quarantine time might teach that hate-spewing pseudo-Christian sycophant a little compassion for his and his criminal Fuhrer’s other Trump* virus victims. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Mitch McConnell’s Do Nothing Republicans

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich on the right, the evil Republican Reich, has two perfect (for them) shepherds: criminal Fuhrer Trump* and Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch. Flush both in November, and flush all their cronies. Every Republican in office is one Republican too many! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): THIS MAGIC MOMENT-JAY AND THE AMERICANS

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

The Trump Virus

Posted by TomCat at 10:32 am Politics

Feb 292020

Criminal Fuhrer Donald “Blame the Dems” Trump* and criminal Vice Fuhrer Mike “The HIV Guy” Pence have so badly mismanaged the federal response to the rapidly growing epidemic of COVID-19, it’s time to change its name. It is now the Trump Virus.

On Thursday, a whistleblower revealed that the U.S. personnel who greeted potentially infected arrivals from Wuhan, China, were not given either the protective gear or the training necessary for the situation. Despite being exposed to these evacuees—some of whom have since proven to be carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus—the workers have still not been tested for COVID-19.

That might seem like a bullet that was dodged, except that just two days ago the CDC confirmed that a U.S. patient who had not traveled outside the country or associated with someone known to be infected was infected with the COVID-19 virus. It was the first case of “community spread” COVID-19 in the nation. And that patient lived in the same county as the location of the incident the whistleblower described.

It’s clear now that the very first time this White House was forced to confront this threat, it fumbled the response. One time may be all it took… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Daily Kos>

The health workers who treated arrivals from Wuhan and did not take precautions when testing and treating them should have been quarantined. They were not, because “the workers did not exhibit symptoms”. Of course they didn’t, as it was before the incubation period could finish. Now they are loose in the population.

Because of Trump* and the Republican Reich, the disease has now spread to California, Washington, and Oregon.

Window Of Opportunity For Containing Coronavirus Rapidly Closing

To sum this up, all the information were getting from criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich 100% pure unadulterated bullshit. All they care about is protecting the economic improvements Obama built and Trump* pretends to own.

Michael Moore: Trump Calling Coronavirus ‘Hoax’ Is ‘Dangerous’

Last night I learned that it is now in the Portland area. Given my stage III cancer, I’ll probably be spending a lot of time at the hospital getting chemo and radiation therapy. This puts me at at much higher risk for infection than most. If it kills me, please send the bill for my funeral to the asshole in the White House responsible for Trump Virus!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–2/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 292020

It’s become a busy day here in the CatBox, as two days missed has me way behind in research. I was also sick most of the night, and today, and I have thrown up four times since breakfast. I really think it’s pills blocking the passage. Then food and saliva collect and fill the esophagus. ARGH! Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, and normally I would publish only a Personal Update, but I’ll try to add a piece on the SC primary. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

0229Cartoon

That is the machine I was in yesterday.

Short Takes:

From Alternet: According to a report from the Star-Telegram, a senior member of the rightwing paramilitary group Oath Keepers who moved to Texas in 2015 is actively recruiting local law enforcement employees while telling them a “bloody civil war” against the U.S. government is on the horizon.

The report states that John D. Shirley, the national director of the Las Vegas-based Oath Keepers finagled himself a job as a county constable in Hood County which provided him with access to other police officers and now he is using his position to recruit.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Oath Keepers organization is “one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today” with, reportedly, thousands of members made up of former law enforcement officials and military veterans.

The Oath Keepers are Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian terrorists. Because of the group’s treasonous activities, membership in Oath Keepers ought to be a court martial offence for military personnel and cause for termination for other government employees, especially those in law enforcement. RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump announced on Friday that he intended to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as his director of national intelligence, choosing someone he considered last summer before senior Republicans in Congress deemed him unqualified for the job.

When even Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch’s prime lackeys consider this bozo unqualified,it shows that he’s only sycophant that criminal Fuhrer Trump* can find to be his Barrf in the DNI position. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon (1970)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/24/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:28 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 242020

Yesterday WWWendy and I cooked up a storm. We made liquified Progresso Italian Wedding Soup and crackers, liquified Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup and spaghetti, liquified chili con carne, rice, mixed veggies, tomatoes, jalapenos, and chili powder (watch out Squatch), liquified fried eggs, hash browns, and milk, and liquified sliced peaches and cottage cheese. The chili was damn good, for baby food. The Chunky (NOT!) Soup wasn’t bad. The eggs and taters were a problem, because they glopped-up in the fridge overnight. I needed to add a load of milk to soften it up. Then it hardened while I was eating it. Bring on the heartburn. It will be trial and error. Today was supposed to be a lazy day, but I had to work on my grocery list and schedule my PET Scan (for Friday) and Lift rides. Oh God, it’s Monday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:58). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: In an unapologetic display of animal cruelty, an anonymous group of terrible people released over two dozen pigeons into Las Vegas, with political accessories affixed to their heads. The group, which will not be named here, released the abused birds on Tuesday, in a “sarcastic” protest of the Democratic presidential debate the next day.

0224MAGAPigeonsinLasVegas

Republicans have no qualms about cruelty to animals. Look how cruel they are to people. And why did they need birds in the first place? Deplorable Republicans also wear MAGA hats, also squawk and tweet about their criminal Fuhrer Trump*, and also shit all over everything. RESIST!!

From NPR: The daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket launch gone wrong Saturday in Barstow, Calif., two witnesses to the accident confirmed. He was 64.

It was the third launch for Hughes in one of his homemade rockets and part of his eventual plan to be able to determine for himself, up in the sky, if Earth was as flat as he proclaimed to believe.

Anyone, who would get in a homemade rocket to prove the earth is flat, was so stupid, that he has to be a Republican. Condolences to his family, but I’m sure glad Trump* can’t appoint that dingbat to head the National Science Foundation.

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Gerry & The Pacemakers – Ferry Cross The Mersey (1965)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 202020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and I’d like to get an early head start on my nap as Store to Door is delivering groceries some tome this afternoon. Have a Republican flush day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:45 (average 5:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

TC from the Inside:

Here are the endoscope photos I promised you.

Barf Bag Alert!!

0220TCguts

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Shortly after the Democratic Presidential debate on Wednesday night, aides to Michael Bloomberg announced that he would spend ten billion dollars to buy an entirely new personality.

Acknowledging that some attributes of the former New York mayor’s new personality have yet to be ironed out, campaign advisers indicated that the eleven-figure outlay would be used to purchase warmth, empathy, and humanity.

Additionally, billions of Bloomberg’s war chest will be used to remove several unappetizing qualities from his current personality, including arrogance, touchiness, and a glaring inability to hide his contempt for others.

Amen, Andy. Straight news! RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump on Wednesday named Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany who quickly antagonized the establishment after arriving in Berlin in 2018, to be the acting director of national intelligence overseeing the nation’s 17 spy agencies.

By choosing Mr. Grenell, who has little experience in intelligence or in running a large bureaucracy, the president signaled that he wants a trusted, aggressive leader atop an intelligence community that he has long viewed with suspicion and at times gone to war against.

As ambassador, Mr. Grenell made public statements that some German officials took as expressing opposition to the government there, an extraordinary intervention into domestic affairs that diplomats typically avoid. He attacked what he called “failed” open-border policies in Germany, which has resettled hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, and criticized Berlin’s stances on Iran, military spending and Chinese investment in global telephone networks. He also expressed an eagerness to empower conservatives throughout Eur

What we have here is an appointment that exemplifies Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich: a Director of National Intelligence, who is completely devoid of intelligence. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Zombies – Time Of The Season HD

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 102020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I woke up around midnight with an upset stomach, and could not get back to sleep. I held my breakfast down, but just barely. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:55 (average 5:43). To do it, click here. How did you do? I would have been faster, if I were a dawg, or if the hydrant were Trump*.

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Everyone loved Bill Murray reprising his role as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day.

Everyone hated Trump.

USA Today’s Ad Meter, which tabulates consumer ratings, has been running its Super Bowl ad rankings since 1989. This year, Trump’s campaign ad was ranked as the worst.

The second-least favorite? This commercial for pretzel Pop-Tarts. Yes, pretzel Pop-Tarts are more popular than the president of the United States. Not coincidentally, a pretzel Pop-Tart would also be a much better president, because it has more dignity and gravitas and doesn’t necessarily have to be thoroughly toasted before breakfast. (You know, because Trump sprinkles Adderall on his pancakes. Or so I’ve heard.)

I personally found this year’s Super Bowl commercials (something I usually enjoy) to be the worst in my memory. That criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* was the worst of the worst put a smile on my face. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Will New Hampshire Finish Joe Biden’s Political Career?

What really upset me is to see Liz tied with Biden at fourth. I think that ABC’s decision to give Pete and Amy more time than Bernie and Joe and way more time than Liz is at least partially to blame for that. As much as I’d love to see NH move Joe into well-earned retirement, I hesitate to count him out before SC, where Mayor Pete could be in big trouble.

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Harry Nilsson narrates “The Point”

I mentioned The Point yesterday. Here it is. If this clip does not auto-play the next six segments, click through for the playlist. Ah… the memories! Oblio is a Democrat! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/8/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 082020

I’m having a rough day. Although I haven’t barfed my breakfast, I have severe heartburn, and the Republicosis has returned. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so please expect no more than an Open Thread. I hope your weekend is better than mine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:42 (average 4:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From ACLU: Voting should be as easy and convenient as possible, and in many cases it is. But across the U.S., too many politicians are passing measures making it harder to cast a ballot. The goal is to manipulate political outcomes, and the result is a severely compromised democracy that doesn’t reflect the will of the people. Our democracy works best when all eligible voters can participate and have their voices heard.

Suppression efforts range from the seemingly unobstructive, like voter ID laws and cuts to early voting, to mass purges of voter rolls and systemic disenfranchisement. And long before election cycles even begin, legislators can redraw district lines that determine the weight of your vote. Certain communities are particularly susceptible to suppression and in some cases, outright targeted — people of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Below, we’ve listed some of the most rampant methods of voter suppression across the country — and the advocacy and litigation efforts aimed at protecting our fundamental right to vote.

Click through for the best reference I’ve seen on voter suppression by the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (538 Channel): Who Won The New Hampshire Debate? Buttigieg? Klobuchar? Sanders?

Here’s my take on it. Buttigieg and Sanders ended in a virtual tie. Warren was third, in spite of being sabotaged by ABC news, who virtually ignored her all night. She got less time than Klobuchar, and WAY less time than Biden. Klobuchar was fourth. She seemed a bit desperate. Biden was fifth. He was more forceful, than before but was singularly unimpressive. Steyer is still trying to buy victory, and Yang is still a one trick pony. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Witnesses Left Scattered In Wake Of Trump Impeachment Scandal

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* always leaves chaos in his wake, as others bear the consequences of his never-ceasing crimes and incompetence. RESIST!!

Also from YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Secret Service Skipping Reports On Payment To Trump Resorts: WaPo

Meanwhile a Trump* appointed federal judge just ruled that Congress lacks standing to sue Trump* for emoluments violations. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Doors – Hello, I Love You

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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