Bill Maher from 5/29

Posted by TomCat at 10:45 am Politics

May 302020

It’s that time of week again, so here are good four video clips, from Bill’s show last night. Enjoy!

If Bill wants things to return to “normal”, he’ll have a long wait.

Sure I feel for the owner/operators of small independent restaurants. Take from greedy billionaires to support them and their employees! But we can’t open too early. That will just make their plight worse!

Jay Leno’s Quarantine Quips

Jay Leno is one very funny guy!

Soledad O’Brien and Ian Bremmer on Race

A few (very few) liberals may be racist, but racism is a prerequisite for inclusion in the Republican Reich!

Thanks Bill!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–5/30/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 302020

It’s a painful day here in the CatBox. Sitting in my chair to write exacerbates my spinal cancer pain. The pain seems to become severe about two hours before my Oxycodone dose. I’ll talk to my palliative care team on the 16th. Wendy is alive and well in Wyoming. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:53 (average 4:19). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0530TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,795,635
Deaths: 104,581
Recovered: 519,709

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: In case there was any questions about Jo Rae Perkins’ devotion to the cultish QAnon conspiracy theory universe—raised, no doubt, by her campaign statement last week after she won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate race in Oregon—she answered them fulsomely the next day in interviews.

Thank God this Fascist dingbat is running against Jeff Merkley. She doesn’t stand a chance! RESIST!!

From YouTube (John Pavlovitz Channel): HOW TO PROTEST RACIAL INJUSTICE THE “RIGHT WAY”

John Pavlovitz epitomizes what it means to be a real authentic Christian, as opposed to a Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian. Republicans are not racist, the Pope is not Catholic, and bears never, ever shit in the woods! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trey Crowder Channel): Liberal Redneck – Minnesota Burning

You have to hand it to Trey. How often is it that you get to heat such profound truth in that accent? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads (Live from The Wildlife Concert)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

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!!

Open Thread–5/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 282020

It’s a hot busy day, here in the CatBox, with 89° forecast. WWWendy is coming, and we have lots to do to get me ready for her five day trip. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 5:10): To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 1,747,781
Deaths: 102,197
Recovered: 490,256

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an escalation of his spat with Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, Donald Trump is demanding that the 2020 Republican National Convention relocate from Charlotte to Moscow.

“North Carolina has been difficult every step of the way, and meanwhile Moscow has always been very helpful to me,” Trump wrote, in one of a series of early-morning tweets.

Additionally, Trump argued, moving the R.N.C. to Moscow would save the Republicans millions in airfare. “The most important people working on our 2020 campaign will already be there,” he tweeted.

Well, Andy, I see you’re doing straight news again. Is Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch dancing for glee? RESIST!!

From Alternet: Trump and Republicans don’t want mail-in voting this November because it blows up a couple of their most effective voter suppression schemes.

In presidential elections dating back to 2000, there’s been noticeable media coverage of long lines in majority-black precincts; commentators sometimes wonder out loud why people would have to wait in line 8 hours to vote in, for example, inner city Ohio in 2004 or Milwaukee in the 2020 primaries.

Leading up to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s contest with Stacey Abrams in 2018, the Atlanta Constitution-Journal documented how 8 percent of the state’s polling places had been recently closed, hitting rural black areas particularly hard. The Washington Post chronicled how broken voting machines—and the long lines they create—were largely confined to downtown Atlanta and black suburbs and rural areas.

The effect, of course, is to discourage voters from showing up or staying in line, particularly those people who are paid by the hour and have to take time off work to vote.

“The strongest tool Americans have to prevent Republican attempts at voter suppression is mail-in voting.”

In a Republican Reich, voting while Black or Latino is a felony. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): People Are Strange – The Doors [The Very Best Of The Doors]

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

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!!

Open Thread–5/13/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 132020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. It’s a WWWendy day. I’m ready to go back to bed. Happy Hump Day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:23 (average 5:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

05113TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,411,018
Deaths: 83,558
Recovered: 298,641

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Former President Barack Obama said on Monday that he is unconcerned about Donald Trump accusing him of “the greatest crime in American history” because Attorney General Bill Barr does not prosecute criminals.

“At first, when I heard that he was accusing me of being the worst criminal ever, I have to admit I was a little rattled,” Obama said. “But then I remembered Barr’s don’t-prosecute-crimes policy, and I was pretty chill about it.”

Obama said that he was unsure what crime Trump was accusing him of committing, “but I’m pretty sure I never lied to the F.B.I. or anything as serious as that—so I’m good.”

Andy, I fear Obama may be screwing the pooch on this one. When Barrf refuses to prosecute criminals, if applies only to the Republican Reich. Barrf prosecutes innocent Democrats with glee! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Democrats’ Focus On Essential Workers In Draft Of New Relief Bill

Even though it doesn’t matter, I had the privilege to vote for Liz in Oregon’s primary last week. I hope Biden utilizes her plans. and policies! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): CSN&Y – Carry on 1969

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/12/2019

Posted by TomCat at 10:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 122020

I was so wiped out the rest of the day yesterday that, except for a small supper, I went back to bed all yesterday afternoon and evening. Then I overslept two hours this morning and still feel very tired. But I had a better appetite at breakfast. Have a Republican-free day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:36). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0512TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,388,283
Deaths: 82,018 (over 18,000 in May)
Recovered: 262,328

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: One week after the United States Senate returned to session, Senator Susan Collins, of Maine, said that she would self-quarantine to avoid possible contact with decisions.

Collins said that she had hoped to safely distance herself from any decisions while at the Senate but feared that the risk of accidental exposure to a decision was too great.

“I was troubled and concerned by how many decisions there were,” she said. “It did not feel safe to me.”

Collins said that she would self-quarantine until she is confident that the danger of being in the vicinity of a decision had clearly passed.

Dang, Andy! Was there ever a time that Collins’ did not test negative for integrity, whenever she makes decisions? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Obama Calls Trump Administration’s Virus Response ‘Chaotic Disaster’

This is a very big deal! For former President Obama to speak out against criminal Fuhrer Trump* is completely out of character for him. He should have done so sooner! RESIST!!

From YouTube ( a blast from the past): Buffy Sainte Marie-Circle Game

Ah the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 102020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy will be here within the hour. Tomorrow is a chemo infusion day. I have to be in the lobby for the TriMet Lift Bus at 6:22. Happy Holiday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:40 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0510TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,349,538
Deaths: 80,098
Recovered: 238,081

To all Moms!:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: “History is written by the winners,” William Barr, the attorney general, said Thursday when asked how he thought future generations would assess his decision to drop all criminal charges against Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, who had pleaded guilty twice to breaking the law. “So it largely depends on who’s writing the history.”

In service to Mr. Trump, Mr. Barr is abusing his power not to write, but to erase, some of the most important lessons of American history.

The Watergate scandal, with its revelations of how dangerous a renegade White House could be, led to reforms meant to ensure an independent Justice Department, one faithful to the law rather than to the Oval Office.

The nation had seen firsthand how much harm a president with no respect for the rule of law could do — particularly when he used the Justice Department, under a compliant attorney general, to protect allies, punish adversaries and cover up wrongdoing.

Click through for an extensive expose of crimes Barff has committed on behalf of his beloved criminal Fuhrer Trump*. RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Virtual Graduation Cold Open

It’s hard to believe that even one student voted for him. The LiMu Emu would have been a far better choice than Trump*! Where is Booth, when you need him? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Wild World

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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