Open Thread – 8/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:03 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 262020

It’s another tired day, here in the CatBox. I overslept again this morning, but I still took a morning nap. Then I overslept from that too, so I’m running somewhat behind schedule. Last night I got to tell WWWendy she’s full of shit. She used my toilet and plugged it. That’s what happens when you get too many Republicans in one place. Fortunately she unplugged it too. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:19). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

US Cases: 5,957,522
US Deaths: 182,471
Plus the many GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

RNC Deplorables Take:

Night two of the RNC was more of the same.

I was particularly taken with the abject hypocrisy of der Reichsminister der Staat, Mike Pompeo. Do you remember how Republicans screamed when the Chicks (then Dixie Chicks) criticized GW ChickenHawk, Fuhrer of the failed Fourth Reich, for lying about his failed attempt to conquer Iraq for oil and profit? Then Republicans claimed that all politics stops at the water’s edge. But last night, Pompeo delivered his totally political message, praising Trump’s* failed foreign policy, from Jerusalem. Republican pseudo-Christians (the opposite of real authentic Christians) loved it, but it was unethical at best, if not criminal.

The following is a summary of everything that occurred:

Short Takes:

From USA Today: Hurricane Laura, which grew to a Category 3 storm early Wednesday, is forecast to bring “potentially catastrophic” storm surge, fierce winds and flash flooding to eastern Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday night and early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center says.

More than half a million people were ordered to evacuate as the storm approached, including the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur.

Even if Laura reaches Category 4 strength during the day on Wednesday, forecasters still expect the storm to hit near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 3 hurricane, as it’s predicted to weaken slightly before landfall. The storm has already intensified a “remarkable” amount in the past 24 hours, the storm center says.

Laura is growing in size, too. “Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles,” forecasters said.

0826Laura

Aren’t we lucky that criminal Fuhrer Trump and the Republican Reich stole FEMA’s operating funds? The poor that are devastated by this Republicane are SOL. But what will Republicans raid to pay for slightest storm damage to the property of billionaires: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, aid to starving children? If you’re in Laura’s path, please tale care. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Trump’s 40 Biggest Broken Promises Revealed

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, while the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, don’t care how wrong they are. They’re too busy having wet dreams over criminal Fuhrer Trump*. They chose him to be their beloved Fifth Reich Fuhrer, because he reflects the ideas, values and policies of the Republican Reich better than anyone since the original Fuhrer, who lead the Third Reich! But how did Robert limit it to just 40? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Trump Song Parody Blasts the President’s Many Misdeeds

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

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

"No Joy" DeJoy Before the House

Posted by TomCat at 11:31 am Politics

Aug 252020

I was looking forward to see Trump’s* sycophant billionaire Postmaster General, “No Joy” DeJoy”, testify before the US House of Representatives. I had been thoroughly disappointed by his Republican-staged sham hearings before the US Senate. The House did not disappoint!

…1. Democrats are putting DeJoy on the hot spot about whether he knew his service changes would lead to mail delays

In his Senate testimony Friday and again Monday before the House, DeJoy pitched the widespread delays across the nation in recent weeks as unfortunate dips in service, caused mostly by a shortage of postal workers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But House Democrats obtained an internal Postal Service memo written to DeJoy earlier this month that warned his suspension of overtime and extra mail trips would cause such delays. (DeJoy has since stopped the removal of mailboxes and sorting machines — although he won’t put back the hundreds taken away since he started in June).

“Mr. DeJoy, you’re withholding information from us,” said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the committee holding the hearing, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, “concealing documents and downplaying the damage that you’re causing.”

DeJoy didn’t really have a specific answer to why he didn’t share this memo with Congress or whether he had concerns about mail delays through his changes, although under pressure from Democrats he used stronger language than before to describe mail delays. “We are very concerned with the deterioration and service and are working very diligently [to fix it],” he said.

But overall, DeJoy gave Democrats an opening to make their central case, which is that his actions are politically motivated.

“In the Postal Service’s 240 years of delivering the mail, how can one person screw this up so fast?” a visibly frustrated Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.) asked, adding “What the heck are you doing?”

“For anyone thinking of voting absentee, the effect of your changes is to move Election Day from Nov. 3 up to something like Oct. 27,” Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) said. (He’s not wrong, based on best-practices recommendations from both election experts and the Postal Service to mail your finished ballot at least a week before the election.)… [emphasis added]

Inserted from<Washington Post>

This is the first of four listed takeaways from House hearings on the Postal Service. Click through for the other three. You owe it to yourself to do so.

Louis DeJoy Answers For His Corruption

I particularly like how Lynch [D-MA] tore him a new asshole!

Rep. Stephen Lynch Questions Postmaster General DeJoy During Hearing

It is crystal clear that No Joy has his job for one reason only: to help steal the 2020 election for Trump* and the Republican Reich.

RESIST!!

Open Thread – 8/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 252020

It’s a tired day, here in the CatBox, but I did get a nap this morning. My meeting with Diana was routine, except that Trump* was speaking when she arrived. I gave her a barf bag. She appreciated it. WWWendy is coming tonight to destink the rancid TomCat, change my pain patch, do lots of gooping, and help with chores. Close the lid before you flush, so the Republicans don’t get away!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:31 (average 4:15). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0825TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive map

US Cases: 5,917,479
US Deaths: 181,204
Plus all the GOP Plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

Deplorable RNC Take:

When I got up for supper the Republican National Convention was already underway. Dressing, which I have to do in bed, takes me about 15 minutes, so I tried to count the lies. I failed. Actually, I gave up, when I had counted 75 before I finished dressing.

It was truly ugly. They called Trump* Virus ‘China Virus’ and praised Trump* for the magnificent way he has protected us from it. They set their platform as whatever their God damn Fuhrer wants. Do you remember the McCloskys, those vile racists, who got a ‘Republicans on Parade for threatening BLM protesters with guns from their front yard? They were the stars of the show, behind Trump*. They said Biden and the “Democrat Party” want to do away with the suburbs, implying that black people would move in and make them slums.

Here is a complete summary of everything that occurred.

The person at the bottom of the picture is YOU!

Short Takes:

From Reuters: In a claim likely to intensify the controversy surrounding one of the most influential figures in the American Christian conservative movement, a business partner of Jerry Falwell Jr has come forward to say he had a years-long sexual relationship involving Falwell’s wife and the evangelical leader.

Giancarlo Granda says he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as a pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in March 2012. Starting that month and continuing into 2018, Granda told Reuters that the relationship involved him having sex with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.

Granda showed Reuters emails, text messages and other evidence that he says demonstrate the sexual nature of his relationship with the couple, who have been married since 1987. “Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda said in an interview. Now 29, he described the liaisons as frequent – “multiple times per year” – and said the encounters took place at hotels in Miami and New York, and at the Falwells’ home in Virginia.

This is typical of the hypocrisy of Republican pseudo-Christians, the opposite of real authentic Christians. FYI, Falwell now refuses to resign from Liberty University. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Jeff Merkley Channel): Merkley Speaks Out Against Secret Police

Jeff could not be more spot-on about Trump’s* GOP Gestapo! Oregon leads the way! I’m so glad I worked on his campaign in 2008, the year he won his seat from Oregon’s last Republican Senator, Gordon “Goose Step” Smith! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): “Like a Brick Thrown in Troubled Water” – a Roy Zimmerman song parody

Isn’t that the truth?!!? Kudos to left-wing protesters! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:16 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 202020

It’s a busy, tired, painful day, here in the CatBox. My infusion yesterday went well, and I’ve had no side-effects, so far. However, except for an hour in the infusion recliner, I had to be in my wheelchair from 9:30 AM until 8:30 PM, and that’s so hard on my back that maximum pain killers barely takes the edge off the pain. Store to Door delivered groceries today so I had to unpack them and put them away. In addition, I spent over an hour on the phone on medical mayhem. JD, would you please cover Sam Bee, as I’m doing something else. Have a great day, everyone!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:18 (average 6:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0820TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,702,837
US Deaths: 176,396
Plus all the GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

Long Take:

Watch: Democratic National Convention: Day 3

Kamala was magnificent. Barack Obama actually called criminal Fuhrer Trump* a threat to democracy. Such a statement by a former precedent. That and the nomination of the first African American and Asian American for VP make this a historic event! RESIST!!

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Sen. Susan Collins has, of course, expressed her concern about the sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) at the hands of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. What Collins doesn’t want all of her constituents—the people for whom she calls the USPS “a lifeline,” the “seniors, veterans, and those in rural areas who are depending on reliable mail delivery for essential goods and services”—to find out is that she’s the person most responsible for this mess.

DeJoy can say he’s making all of the cuts to services because of the dire financial situation of the USPS. Yes, we know he’s doing it to try to right the election for Trump, but the financial crisis at the post office has given him the opportunity to do so. And Collins, more than anyone else, is responsible for that. She’s the one who engineered this crisis. In 2005, Collins introduced the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), which required the USPS to prepay the next 50 years’ worth of health and retirement benefits for every postal service employee. It is the only federal agency that is saddled with this requirement. At the time, she was the chair of the Senate government oversight panel, and she got the bill through her committee and onto the floor in 2006. It passed on a voice vote on Dec. 20, 2006 in the lame duck session before Democrats took back control of the Senate.

What the legislation required of the USPS was to calculate the entirety of its pension costs for the next three-quarters of a century—75 years—and spend the next decade putting away enough money to cover the majority of them. Which is insane. And has accounted for nearly 90% of the service’s red ink in the past decade. Right now, the USPS is $160.9 billion in debt for what it owes to prepay retirees, and has years’ worth of operating deficits because it can’t generate revenue under the restrictions placed by the law.

Collins is great at pretending she’s a center-left moderate, but she’s more like Goose Step Gordon Smith, the Senator I worked to help Jeff Merkley [D-OR] defeat. She’s always with us, when we don’t need her, but against us, when we do. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Raw Story Channel): Sandra Smith grills Kayleigh McEnany about Trump’s praise of QAnon

Once again Kayleigh Lie-a-Lot proves she is a Republican with a PhD (piled higher and deeper) in Bullshitology. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Family Guy – Republican Town Song

Is this great satire or what? Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:22 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 182020

It’s a hot day (high 80°s), here at the CatBox. Yesterday my visit with Diana was routine. She’s a very nice lady, who pulls no punches and tells it like it is, but does so with compassion. Tomorrow is my first Pembrolizumab infusion at the hospital. I’ll leave after lunch on a TriMet Lift van, and WWWendy will pick me up between 4:30 and 5:00 PM. When we get home, it will be a regular WWWendy day with TomCat destinking, patch changing, food gooping, and chores. So I’ll be taking a morning nap to rest as much as I can first. Therefore, please expect no more than a Personal Update from me. Assuming that I have no adverse reactions, I’ll be back in the saddle on Thursday. Tuesday is flush Republicans day. Lower the lid so none get away.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 5:05). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0818TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,613,357
US Deaths: 173,778
Plus the many GOP murder victims Republicans are hiding from us

Short Takes:

From Willamette Week: A right-wing “flag wave” event in downtown Portland on Saturday ended with a far-right protester firing two gunshots into a crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators.

Seaside, Ore., resident and conservative activist Haley Adams advertised her Aug. 15 “Rally Against Domestic Terrorism” as a “flag wave” and stressed the group’s intent to remain peaceful. About 25 people attended the rally in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center.

This reporter saw several members of the protest arrive with weaponry—they open-carried a Scorpion 9 mm carbine and an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Others held Mace, paintball guns and a 9 mm handgun.

The flag wave rally exchanged chants and taunts for approximately an hour with a group of Black Lives Matter protesters before Adams’ group embarked on a march through downtown Portland. Counterprotesters [sic] followed closely, and there was a small exchange of violence between the two groups: Flag wave protesters were seen Macing BLM protesters and shooting them with paintball rounds and hard plastic pellets. Counterprotesters [sic] returned fire with Mace and Silly String.

At approximately 1:35 pm, about 15 conservative protesters retreated into the SmartPark garage at Southwest 4th Avenue and Yamhill Street. Ten minutes later, three cars sped out of the garage and down 4th Avenue. The driver of one car—a blue Dodge Dart—fired two shots at a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters as he left but didn’t hit anyone. Some of the BLM protesters recovered a 9 mm casing at the scene of the shooting.

When Republican Ammosexuals say “peaceful”, this is what they mean. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Bernie Sanders on How Democrats Can Win the Working Class

The Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right! Combined with Bernie, he’s twice as right. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, are wrong and need permanent vacations behind bars! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Vote Him Away (The Liar Tweets Tonight)

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

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/17/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 172020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. Diana, my palliative care nurse will be here shortly for my routine weekly visit. The same stories still dominate the news, so my research took an extra long time. It’s a relatively cool day: only 95° Angry smile . Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:48 (average 4:24). To do it, click here. Hoe did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0817TrumpVirusMap

Click here for interactive map.

US Cases: 5,569,520
US Deaths: 173,143
Plus all the many GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.

Short Takes:

From Euro-News (Hat-Tip Lona): CLIMATE JUSTICE

This is where Kamala Harris comes into her own. While she was district attorney of San Francisco, 15 years ago, Harris created an environmental justice unit, which specifically existed to deal with cases of environmental crime.

Harris identified that “crimes against the environment are crimes against communities, people who are often poor and disenfranchised,” as she said to the San Francisco Chronicle in 2005.

The nexus between socio-economic disadvantage and environmental damage is something Harris has sought to address consistently – long before terms like ‘intersectional environmentalism’ even existed.

More recently, Harris has sued major oil companies after they violated environmental legislation, and after the devastating Refugio oil spill in 2015, the company responsible (Plains All American Pipeline) were indicted on 46 criminal charges.

The following year, after Volkswagen was found to have cheated on its diesel emissions, Harris secured a €73m settlement from the car manufacturer for the state of California.

Although many so called progressives, aka regressives, have whined incessantly that Harris is a “corporate Democrat”, her track record on the environment is quite good. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Raw Story Channel): Trump claims ‘dogs’ are getting mail-in ballots

Barf Bag Alert!!

If criminal Fuhrer Trump gets any more full of shit, we’ll have to paint a crescent moon on his forehead. Obviously it is my feline proclivity to be biased against dawgs, but if they could vote, they would be far more responsible than Republican Sheeple. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): ANTI-REPUBLICAN FUNNY SONG

This song is ten years old. It was spot-on then, and the Republican Reich is so much worse now! Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/14/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 142020

It’s a sickly day here in the CatBox. I experimented with a new kind of goop this morning, and sometimes such experiments fail. It blocked my tumor, and I spent most of the morning throwing up. On the plus side, most of my goop experiments have been successful, giving me a variety of tasty things to eat. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Speaking of goop, today’s took me 3:29 (average 5:22). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Republicans HATE this treaty, ratified unanimously by our founding fathers.

Trump* Virus Update:

Click for interactive map

US Cases: 5,418,071
US Deaths: 170,446
Plus all Trump’s* Murder victims Republicans are hiding from us

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In a blistering takedown of Joe Biden’s running mate, Donald Trump on Thursday accused Senator Kamala Harris of maliciously speaking in complete sentences.

Blasting her penchant for hewing to the rules of grammar, Trump said, “A lot of people are saying, mean, nasty, disrespectful. To a new level, like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Sad,” he said. “Sick and sad.”

I’m not buying that fib, Andy! Trump is much too racist to say any minority can speak in complete sentences. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Speechless After Reporter Asks If He Regrets Lying To Americans

The lies are bad enough. Even worse, he and the Republican Reich have murdered over 8.52 Americans with their Trump* virus plague for each of those 20,000+ lies! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): DUMP TRUMP SONG – Leigh & The Dumpettes

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

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Trump* Lies about "Relief" Plan

Posted by TomCat at 11:05 am Editorial, Politics

Aug 102020

Last weekend, Resident Donald Trump*, Fuhrer of the Nazi Republican Reich, promised a press conference in which he would explain how he would provide his own relief plan for the American People. It was really a campaign rally, delivered at taxpayer expense from his own Bedminster, NJ country club, while greedy Republican billionaires cheered him on. Everything he said and everything his supporters, like Larry Kudlow, said later were lies.

According to the Washington Post, his so-called unemployment relief created a whole new program that would take months to set up. States would have to pay $100 of the $400 per person per month payments, and pay for the administration of the program. Trump also said he would suspend payroll taxes. These are not taxes at all, but the entitlement payments that fund Social Security and Medicare. He said he will terminate those “taxes”, if reelected. The so-called rent relief provides for studies, but no relief at all. The measure on student loans is just a two month extension of the relief Democrats passed in March.

According to the NY Times, the Trump* plan included no relief for small businesses, schools, or state and local governments.

According to Market Watch, workers would still be on the hook to repay the payroll tax relief by April 15. Unless governors request the unemployment relief and can afford to pay their share, workers will receive nothing. Since Republicans are funding the program with money repurposed from from disaster relief funds, the program will run out of money in two months and leave nothing for disaster relief during hurricane season.

On the other hand, if Trump steals the White House again, and eliminates the “payroll taxes” permanently, Republicans will have an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare, as they have wanted to do for years.

In short, this is nothing but a dog and pony show, intended to make Trump* look good before the election, but providing virtually no relief.

I’ll leave you with wise words from Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi calls Trump’s executive actions ‘absurdly unconstitutional’

RESIST!!

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