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–7/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 252020

It’s a lazy day here in the CatBox. There is not much news that we have not already covered, so this is my only article today. Portland is entering an excessive heat waning with several days over 90° and Sunday and Monday over 100°. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread. Tomorrow WWWendy will be here to destink the sweaty TomCat, help with chores, and mega-goop. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:06 (average 5:20). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

We got rid of Lyin’ Ryan, but there are many more to flush!

Trump* Virus Update:

0725TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,251,024
US Deaths: 148,529
World Cases: 15,998,009
World Deaths: 643,809
Trump’s* Share of World Deaths: 23.1%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): White House Hijacks CDC Guidelines For School Reopenings

The Republican Reich do not care how many families they murder in their attempts to make life appear normal for electoral purposes. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trey Crowder Channel): Trae Crowder and Mark Agee on why the Right hates AOC so much – Evening Skews Clip

The Republican Reich hate AOC so much, because she tells the truth! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from civil rights): Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come (Official Lyric Video)

Support Black Lives Matter! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Samantha Bee from 7/22/2020

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 1:13 pm Politics

Jul 232020

Here are four “acts” from Sam’s show, plus a parting thought.

Deniers, Dimwits, etc. Part I

Texas, Florida, yes, they are indeed the poster children. Could one call it a catch-22 that Democratic governors who ask for help don’t get any from this regime just because, whereas Republican governors can get whatever they want, but they don’t want anything?

Deniers, Dimwits, etc. Part II

Georgia, Oklahoma, Arizona – all just as bad if not worse, but lower in population so lower in numbers – at least for now. May I throw in a picture which is worth a thousand or so words?

Masha – (Whom we should have listened to in 2016)

Voter turnout is tough to get, always, because people don’t see how much every vote matters in the ocean of votes. And there are otherwise intelligent people who don’t think the vote is the strongest way to bring about change (I’m looking at you, Noam.) What I think they are forgetting is how quickly and effectively change achieved through movements and activism can be UNdone if it isn’t supported at the ballot box. Can I attempt an analogy? Sitting around and breathing may not be the most powerful way to live a full life. Lifelong learning, exercise, love of family and friends are all more powerful in making one feel one has a life. But if you don’t also breathe, all those other things kind of lose their power.

Sam’s Shed – Mister Wives

Cool. Of course I’m old fashioned.

Those are the four acts she promised, but she also had a parting thought –

RESIST!

Open Thread–7/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 232020

It;s a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is coming, and it’s a grocery delivery day. JD, would you please cover Samantha Bee? Tomorrow, I have a visit from the Providence home doctor, so how much I’ll do is still up in the air. Please have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:02 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0723TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,102,002
US Deaths: 146,198
World Cases: 15,415,731
World Deaths: 631,164
Trump’s* share of World Deaths: 23.2%

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump Tries To Link COVID-19 Surge To Black Lives Matter Protest

Trump* is spreading bullshit, as usual. The BLM protestors wear mask. The reasons for the surge are Republican incompetence, neglect, lies, and super-spreader events. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Comment): No, this reporter didn’t call Kayleigh McEnany a ‘lying b**ch’

The reporter clearly said, “you don’t want to engage”. However, by not calling Kayleigh Lie-a-lot a “lying bitch”, that reporter really screwed up! She should have! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): Liberal Redneck – Trump’s Secret Police

I agree, Trae. I live in Portland, and I’ve been calling these Republican stormtroopers Trump’s* Nazi Gestapo since they got here. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from labor): Billy Bragg – There is Power in a Union

Except for unmuzzled Republican Nazi police unions, support labor! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

The Fuhrer’s Briefing on his Plague

Posted by TomCat at 10:42 am Politics

Jul 222020

Yesterday criminal Fuhrer Trump* must have felt anxious over watching his chances to steal the 2020 election slip through the fingers on his tiny hands. In an attempt to circumvent that probability, he dusted off his PhD in Bullshitology. True to form, he piled it higher and deeper.

President Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic was growing more severe in the United States and endorsed mask wearing in a shift after weeks of playing down the seriousness of the crisis that has killed more than 140,000 Americans.

Rather than just “embers” of the virus, as he has repeatedly characterized recent outbreaks afflicting much of the country, Mr. Trump conceded that there were now “big fires,” particularly in Florida and elsewhere across the South and West. He vowed to press a “relentless” campaign to curb the spread without offering any new specific plans for how to do so.

“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he resumed the televised coronavirus briefings that he had called off in late April. “Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is. It’s what we have.”

The president’s shift had its limits, however, as he again congratulated himself on his handling of the pandemic, admitted no missteps and made a number of specious claims. He included none of his public health experts in the briefing and falsely asserted that he had never resisted wearing a mask. And he contradicted his own press secretary, who had told reporters just hours earlier that the president was sometimes tested for the virus multiple times a day; in fact, he said, he has never been tested more than once in a single day… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>
Photo credit: Mother Jones

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, he did not attend Trump’s* plague show, because he wasn’t invited.

President Trump Gave His First COVID-19 Briefing In Months. Here’s How It Went

Barf Bag Alert!!

The only way to make Trump’s* plague disappear is to make Trump* disappear.

Although Joe discussed more than just Trump* virus, he covered it far better than Trump* did.

Biden Delivers Remarks On 2020 Economic Plan

Now, wouldn’t you rather have a real President than a Fuhrer?

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/14/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 142020

It’s a very busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy and her friend Kristin are coming to destink the foul TomCat, gelp with chores, and prepare a ton of goop. This is my only article today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:52 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0714TrumpVirusMap

Map Reference: (click through for interactive map)

US Cases: 3,480,097
US Deaths: 138,273

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: It’s really hard to muster much sympathy for people like these, people who stubbornly refuse to accept science and common sense and in the end work against the common good. Waldron voted in the majority against a countywide facemask mandate only last week.

I think that, when this Republican arrives in hell, he’s going to find a lot of stupid Republican Sheeple, who are furious at him! RESIST!!

From YouTube (RWW Channel): Scott Lively Says Giving Women the Right to Vote Was a ‘Product of the Soviet Bolshevik Revolution’

Barf Bag Alert!!

If women are not barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, they are not fulfilling the role Republican Supply-side Jesus intends for them. Republican Supply-side Jesus is the false Jesus Republicans invented to justify their hate, greed and lies. He is the exact opposite of the real Jesus RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast played at Woodstock): Ten Years After – I’m Going Home(Woodstock 1969 Concert), Mono-Mix from 1969 Cotillion LP recording.

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!!

Republicans on Parade–7/12/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:48 am Politics

Jul 122020

Here is the one hundred seventy-ninth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winners are rabid, racist Republican Ammosexuals, Mark and Patricia McCloskey. They are so honored for pointing loaded weapons at peaceful BLM demonstrators, who weren’t even on their property!

Personal-injury attorneys Mark and Patricia McCloskey entered the national spotlight like the ultimate expression of white privilege, waving their weapons toward peaceful protesters whose crime was walking down a sidewalk. Republicans immediately tried to make the pair heroes of the Second Amendment, valiantly defending their home by pointing the weapons in the face of Americans who had the audacity to not be rich and white.

So it will probably come as a relief to everyone that they turn out to be jackasses of the first water. Mark McCloskey isn’t just the kind of raging a-hole who is hated by all of his neighbors, he’s not just a guy who has sued his own sister and his own father, he’s also a guy who did this: He destroyed bee hives on a neighbor’s property and left behind a note not only admitting that he did it, but threatening to sue if they didn’t clean up the mess promptly. That neighbor was a Jewish synagogue which had planned to use the honey for Rosh Hashanah. “The children were crying in school,” said Rabbi Susan Talve. “It was part of our curriculum.”

Congratulations, Republicans. These are your new heroes. And they’re perfect.

As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch outlines, the McCloskeys have a “long history of not backing down.” Which in this case means they are unbelievably—unbelievably—awful. If their moment in the national spotlight made them seem like a postcard advertising the very worst America has to offer, prepare to be amazed. They’re worse than you think… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Alternet>

I bet they would have left the bee hives alone had the honey not been for Jewish children. Click through for even more reasons these vile Republicans deserve a parade.

Like all rabid Republican Ammosexuals, they also lie like hell!

Couple aims firearms at Black Lives Matter protesters

Nothing that racist Republican said was true. Not one of the BLM protestors did anything to threaten him, his wife, or his property in any way. In typical Republican fashion, they acted out of hate, not out of the grievance they falsely claim.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:09 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 102020

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox. We’ve arranged to have a palliative care nurse to come change my pain patch when WWWendy is away. We’re still searching for a shower aide. Wish me luck. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update or Open Thread. It’s a WWWendy stink, patch, and shower day. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:11 (average 5:30). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0710TrumpVirusMap

Map Reference (click through for interactive map).

US Cases: 3,221,938
US Deaths: 135,869

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Ohio state Rep. Nino Vitale (R) on Tuesday encouraged his constituents to “stop getting tested” for COVID-19.

In a Facebook post, Vitale suggested that the government is using COVID-19 tests to create a “dictatorship.”

“Are you tired of living in a dictatorship yet?” Vitale asked. “This is what happens when people go crazy and get tested. STOP GETTING TESTED!”

“It is giving the government an excuse to claim something is happening that is not happening at the magnitude they say it is happening,” he continued. “Have you noticed they never talk about deaths anymore, just cases? And they never talk about recoveries. They just keep adding to numbers they have been feeding us from over 3 months ago!”

Is that typically Republican or what? And the rabid Nazi Republican Sheeple said BAA-A-A-A-A-A!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Adam Schiff Channel): Rep. Schiff on MSNBC: With Trump, Justice Delayed is National Security Denied

With criminal Fuhrer Trump* Justice is ALWAYS delayed, and national security is ALWAYS denied. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast played at Woodstock): Santana:SOUL SACRIFICE:Woodstock Music Festival, August, 1969

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

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Older Entries Newer Entries