Open Thread–3/31/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 312020

It’s a very tired day here in the CatBox. Yesterday’s trip was a success, but the trip exhausted me. I am Big Time pooped. The doctor and I were on the same page. Since my cancer cells did not react favorably to immunotherapy, and the best chemo regimen would fill my home with Republicosis, I asked her of there was another chemo drug that would not cause such a severe reaction. She had anticipated my request and there is: Docetaxel. They will install an infusion port in my chest and pump me full of chemo goop every two weeks. It will give me nausea, but they have meds to help that. I will lose my hair. If it’s effective, I should have a year. If not, I may make it six months. That’s the plan. Tuesday is flatulence at Republicans day. Ready… Aim… FIRE!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:05 (average 4:30). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0330TrumpVirus

Cases: 164,798
Deaths: 3,178
Recovered: 5,507

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Donald Trump called in to Fox & Friends Monday morning and openly admitted that if more people vote, Republicans will lose. Democrats are pushing for vote by mail so that people don’t have to risk coronavirus to exercise their right to vote. Asked about “special interest projects” added to coronavirus relief bills, that is right where Trump’s mind went.

“The things they had in there were crazy,” he said. “They had levels of voting that if you ever agreed to it you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” You might think it’s amazing to hear a politician in a democracy saying that democracy is bad, but Trump joins a long line of Republicans saying that too much voting is bad.

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* is not the first Republican to voice this sentiment, and he won’t be the last. Republicans want to make the Fifth Reich permanent and establish a National Socialist plutocracy in which elections are only for show, because Republicans control who gets to vote. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In a conversation over the weekend that reportedly left the President “shaken,” Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Donald Trump that if everyone in the United States dies, it would adversely affect his television ratings.

Although Fauci was quick to add that the everyone-dying scenario was purely hypothetical, he stressed that, from a medical perspective, alive people were more likely than dead ones to watch television.

According to a source familiar with the conversation, the possible impact of covid-19 fatalities on Trump’s ratings “totally blindsided” the President, who immediately convened an emergency meeting of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

“It’s time you losers started taking this situation seriously,” Trump reportedly barked. “Especially you, Pence.”

I wondered why criminal Fuhrer Trump flip-flopped to support social distancing. Andy has explained it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Status Quo – Pictures Of Matchstick Men

I hope that those of you who had not heard some of my psychedelic hippie music are enjoying it. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/29/2019

Posted by TomCat at 10:38 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 292020

I’m in a hurry, as WWWendy will be here in a few minutes. This is my only article today, and I may have to finish it later. Tomorrow I have my oncologist appointment, so please expect only a short Personal Update. Have a fine Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 5:04). To do it, click here. Bow did you do?

Cartoon:

Even though he’s a crispy critter, SCROTUS is still as bad or worse.

Trump* Virus Update:

0329TrumpVirus

Cases: 123,828
Deaths: 2,229
Recovered: 3,238

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Dr. Anthony Fauci spent several hours on Saturday gently explaining to Donald J. Trump why it would be “a bad idea” to hold a giant parade to celebrate the great job the President is doing to combat covid-19, Dr. Fauci has confirmed.

Trump first raised the idea of a massive parade early Saturday morning, arguing that it would address the “biggest problem” created by the pandemic thus far: the lack of appreciation for his own efforts regarding it.

“A parade would put Jay Inslee and that woman in Michigan in their place,” Trump bitterly insisted.

As Trump began drawing up plans for a parade, a panicked Dr. Fauci interceded and tried to explain that such a celebration would be “much nicer” if held after the pandemic is over.

“Would I still be able to have tanks?” a crestfallen

Trump asked.

“Yes, you could have tanks,” Fauci replied.

Andy must be on a straight news kick. I’d be amazed, if this did not really happen. RESIST!!

From NY Times: At a White House briefing on the coronavirus on March 20, President Trump called the State Department the “Deep State Department.” Behind him, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, dropped his head and rubbed his forehead.

Some thought Dr. Fauci was slighting the president, leading to a vitriolic online reaction. On Twitter and Facebook, a post that falsely claimed he was part of a secret cabal who opposed Mr. Trump was soon shared thousands of times, reaching roughly 1.5 million people.

A week later, Dr. Fauci — the administration’s most outspoken advocate of emergency measures to fight the coronavirus outbreak — has become the target of an online conspiracy theory that he is mobilizing to undermine the president.

I’m shocked that Fauci has lasted this long. For our sake, I hope he is mobilizing to undermine criminal Fuhrer Trump, the Resident, NOT the President! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): White Bird- It’s A Beautiful Day –1968

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Samantha Bee from 3/25

Posted by TomCat at 10:42 am Politics

Mar 262020

It’s that time of week again, and here are three video clips from Sam’s show last night. Enjoy!!

COVID-19 Is the World’s Worst Coworker

Here in Portland, some workers are so desperate that out of work strippers are offering topless food delivery. I would get regular food delivery (without boobs), if my cancer allowed me to eat the food.

The Furries Are On to Something

When Bernie was in Portland, we learned that birds prefer him. Anyone is a better choice than criminal Fuhrer Trump*!

The Episode of ER No One Asked To Be A Part Of

Trump* virus sufferers should be isolated in a Trump* hotel. Which Trump* Hotel? Whichever one Trump* is in!

While Sam’s show was not as funny as usual, criminal Fuhrer Trump* and his virus have made the world a much less funny place of late.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–3/26/2020

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

Mar 262020

It’s another crazy day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy was here last night. She was planning to fly to Iowa for a booty call this morning, but the airline shut down her flight. I’m sorry, because she wanted to go. I’m relieved, because I was really concerned for her safety. My Oncologist’s office called and rescheduled my appointment for Monday. They wanted to mail my pain meds, as I had requested, but since I cannot reach my mailbox, I would not get them until Sunday, when WWWendy comes. So, rather than risk a mail SNAFU, I told then to hold it for me to pick up there on Monday. We dug through my desk, found my old Oxycodone emergency reserve. I have enough for a pill at bedtime every night and an extra on both shower day and travel day. On Monday they plan to give me several week’s supply, so this never happens again. Today is a grocery delivery day from Store to Door. Due to Trump* virus, they no longer bring groceries in from the hallway or help me put them away, so I have a lot more work. Thanks to JD for sending me a little hand cart that will make it easier. Thursday is ‘flush a Republican day! 1 – 2 – 3 BA-WOOOOOSH!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:35 (average 6:15). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0326TrumpVirus

Cases: 68,814

Deaths: 1,037

Recovered: 428

0326TrumpVirusTests

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The 9/11 terrorist attacks ushered in a new era of changes that linger to this day—from taking off our shoes at airport security checkpoints, to tolerating an erosion of civil liberties and government intrusion in our lives. We are deeply in debt from the resulting (and unnecessary) wars and hyper militarization of our budget. Republicans reaped electoral benefits, branding themselves as the party that “keeps you safe.”

COVID-19 promises a dramatic reshaping of American society. Here are at least 11 ways our lives will change. Feel free to speculate about others.

1.) Government is here to help. Ronald Reagan famously quipped, “the most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” That ushered in two generations of Republican nihilism, with relentless focus in slashing and cutting government in all areas except for defense. Well, it turns out government is the only thing that can help in a global disaster, and even Republicans have stepped up to pour trillions into the economy and directly in the hands of individuals. Meanwhile, the vaunted free market, supposed solution to all of society’s ills, is sitting helplessly begging for handouts.

2.) Wall Street will face further restrictions. Wall Street faced increased regulation in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. It’ll only get worse, as bans on corporate stock buybacks and other limits will become increasingly popular. Tolerance for corporate tax evasion will erode further, particularly among companies that receive any kind of federal bailout money.

3.) Security is more than just thwarting terrorists. The Trump administration, freshly elected, gleefully disbanded the nation’s pandemic preparedness task force. The last competent administration foresaw the possibility of a pandemic creating havoc in this country, but the incompetent Republican did not, and most people were blissfully unaware of the danger. No longer. This has consequences not just at the federal and state budget levels, but in how corporations plan for a rainy day (like Apple, with its $245 billion cash hoard), and how we individuals interact. We have a lot to learn from Asia—from contact-less greetings (would be so hard for me!), to greater use of face masks and general acceptance of our responsibilities to help keep others from getting sick.

I have included the first three. Please click through to read the other eight. I agree with one caveat. For these much-needed changes to take root, it’s imperative to flush criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich! This includes not only 10 and #11, but all the way down the ticket to dawg catcher. RESIST!!

From Alternet: It might be easy to forget, given the crisis enveloping the world at the moment, that the United States is scheduled to hold a very important election in November. But with projections that the COVID-19 crisis isn’t going away any time soon, what will this mean for voters’ access to the polls, and the very legitimacy of the election? These are important questions, and journalists play a critical role in answering them.

Many have risen admirably to the task. For instance, the Center for Public Integrity, in partnership with Time (3/23/20), spoke with voting rights experts to lay out the possibilities and pitfalls of different responses. The primary action being floated is a bill, introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would require no-excuse vote-by-mail options and 20 days of early in-person voting in every state, as well as offering federal funding for the implementation of those measures.

But as voting rights experts told CPI reporter Carrie Levine, the changes have to be implemented thoughtfully to avoid disenfranchisement. Mail-in ballots from communities of color, for example, have historically been rejected at higher rates, and language, ability and even poor access to reliable mail service (as on Native American reservations, for instance) can be a barrier for many.

Oregon leads the way. Here, a drivers license or Oregon ID card automatically registers people to vote. Oregon mails our ballots to our homes. Homeless people can get a ballot at any post office or library. When you return your ballot, if it lacks the required postage, the post office will deliver it anyway. Ballots may also be taken to collection points. Since every ballot is paper, the paper trail is guaranteed. No system is perfect, but ours is best! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Taking bold action to safeguard the health of millions of Americans, Dr. Anthony Fauci has tricked Donald J. Trump into believing that there is no Easter this year, Fauci has confirmed.

After hearing Trump declare on Tuesday that he hoped to reopen the country on Easter Sunday, an alarmed Fauci decided to spring into action.

“I ran down to my computer and mocked up a phony 2020 calendar with no Easter on it,” Fauci said. “Then I showed it to Trump and said, ‘There’s a problem with your plan, Mr. President. There’s no Easter this year.’”

According to Fauci, Trump was initially baffled by the news. “How could that be?” Trump asked. “There’s Easter every year.”

“This is a leap year,” the quick-thinking virologist replied.

“I guess I didn’t know it worked that way,” Trump said. “I never go to church.”

Dang, Andy! I assume this it straight news, but isn’t outsmarting criminal Fuhrer Trump* a bit like wrestling a quadriplegic? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): IRON BUTTERFLY – IN A GADDA DA VIDA – 1968 (ORIGINAL FULL VERSION) CD SOUND

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:23 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 252020

It’s a very tired day here in the CatBox. Because I’m out of pain meds, I got almost no sleep last night. I have a dose to take tonight. I saved it, because it’s a WWWendy night. Happy Hump day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Jen Sorenson Cartoon:

Included with permission from and link to Jen Sorenson

Trump* Virus Update:

0325TrumpVirus

Cases: 55,081

Deaths: 785

Recovered: 379

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: As conditions worsen and the novel coronavirus infects more people daily, white supremacists want to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to advance their racist agenda. Extremist groups, including neo-Nazis, are encouraging infected members to spread coronavirus to law enforcement officials and Jewish people, according to intelligence gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). According to ABC News, “members of extremist groups are encouraging one another to spread the virus, if contracted, through bodily fluids and personal interactions,” the FBI’s New York office warned in an alert Thursday.

According to the alert, racist extremists urged their followers to use spray bottles to spread bodily fluids to police officers on the street. “Anti-government folks in America love to target law enforcement as a symbol of America’s authority,” Don Mihalek, executive vice president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, told ABC News. “It’s just sad that that’s their focus at a time of crisis in the nation.”

The white supremacist groups also advised followers to go to “any place they [Jews] may be congregated” to spread the virus including businesses, places of worship, and markets, the alert warned. According to ABC News, white supremacists have been blaming Jewish leaders and people for both the coronavirus and global response to it for weeks. Extremists even blamed the Jewish community for the shutdown of government activities in New York, New Jersey, and California, organizations that monitor white supremacist messaging found. Social media posts by extremists and conspiracy theorists are even attempting to connect “Chinese efforts to safely dispose of victims’ bodies to cast doubt on the number of Jews who died during the Holocaust, the Anti-Defamation League reported.

Here in Portland, the police association, notorious for their racism, has often supported the white supremacist Proud Boys against the almost equally loony anarchist Antifa. It would be karma if the their Nazi Republican friends did this to them, but I hope not. The good police would be infected with the Republicans! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: At long last invoking the Defense Production Act, Donald J. Trump has ordered the nation’s factories to begin mass-producing gallons of spray tan.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that, because millions of Americans have been forced to remain indoors, the country’s stockpiles of fake-tan reserves have fallen to “dangerously low” levels.

“I sent Mike Pence out to buy some yesterday, and he went to store after store and they were all out,” Trump said. “It’s a disgraceful situation.”

Trump said that, although he had been reluctant to invoke the D.P.A., “People are going to lose their tans within days if nothing is done.”

Under the order, the specific hue of spray tan that Trump has demanded will be pumped out by retrofitted factories that normally manufacture orange paint.

Dang Andy! I don’t think it will help criminal Fuhrer Trump*. Former Speaker John Boehner, aka Agent Orange, will buy out the fake tan spray no matter how much they produce! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence: Trump’s ‘Deadly Nonsense’ On Re-Opening The Country

Millions of dead people would not bother criminal Fuhrer Trump* or the Nazis of the Republican Reich. I don’t want to see any suicides, but I have to admit that just one Trumpicide* would not be a problem. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past) (I used up my previous playlist and needed to find another.): Time Has Come Today(Chambers Brothers-Long Version)with no cuts to song

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:08 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 232020

It’s a tired day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy and I got a lot done yesterday. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update from me, as I have an appointment with Evelyn, my Lead Oncologist, to further discuss my cancer treatment strategy. I’ll be gone all morning. OGIM! (Oh God It’s Monday!)

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 5:15). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0323TrumpVirus

Coronavirus Cases: 35,079
Deaths: 458
Recovered: 178

0323TrumpVirusTests

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Hat-Tip Lona): Die Die Coronavirus (FoundersSing)

I would love to see that, but I have my doubts, because of the way criminal Fuhrer Trump* and Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch are fighting to use it for corporate welfare. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Senate Republicans were struggling to salvage a more than $1 trillion economic rescue package to respond to the coronavirus crisis when they got the message on Sunday afternoon: One of their own had been walking around the Capitol with Covid-19 for days as they debated how best to confront the rapidly spreading pandemic.

Senator Rand Paul had tested positive for the coronavirus, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, told fellow Republicans over lunch. It was the news that lawmakers had been dreading for weeks as they went about their travel- and handshake-heavy routines while the disease circulated around the country.

The news set off a frantic race to retrace the steps of Mr. Paul, who had continued to show up in the Senate — even using the private senators’ gym, where he swam laps in the pool on Sunday morning — until he received the results of his coronavirus test sometime after his workout.

It injected a potentially dangerous new element into the intense negotiation over a stabilization package to bolster the country’s health system and social safety net and to prop up an economy teetering on the brink of collapse.

What can we say? Idiot (Rand Paul), Son of Idiot (Ron Paul), Named after Idiot (Ayn Rand) is acting just like a Republican! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Calling it a “promising development,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that alcohol may help people survive the most severe effects of coronavirus briefings.

Noting that millions of Americans have been exposed to the daily briefings of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Fauci said that he had voluntarily submitted to a preliminary trial of the alcohol-based therapy.

“What we have found is that a single dosage before the briefing and as much as a double dosage after the briefing do much to alleviate the most acute suffering,” Fauci said.

The esteemed virologist said that if Americans are able to administer additional doses during the briefings, “Consider yourself lucky.”

I don’t know, Andy. It would take a whole lot of doses, at least a fifth, to mask the effects of a briefing by criminal Fuhrer Trump*. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Herman’s Hermits – Wonderful World

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/22/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:19 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 222020

It’s a bush day here in the CatBox. I got a late start, because I overslept. WWWendy is in the way. I will probably have to finish this after my shower. This is my only article today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average e4:33). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0322TrumpVirus

Trump* virus Cases: 26,959

Deaths: 349

Recovered: 178

0321TrumpVirusTests

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Hat-Tip Alternet): Shocking video captures Trump supporter buying Dollar Tree store out of toilet paper

Is this greedy bitch typical of the Republican Reich or what? RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In a new controversy ensnaring the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, forty per cent of the nation’s toilet-paper supply has been found in Senator Richard Burr’s garage.

The discovery of the coveted paper products occurred on Saturday morning, when Burr, who had been checking stock quotes on his phone, accidentally leaned against his garage-door opener.

The garage immediately disgorged the priceless cache of toilet paper, which tumbled into the street and snarled traffic for three blocks.

Picking through the mess, a sharp-eyed neighbor of Burr’s found a Costco receipt indicating that the senator had purchased the toilet paper in early January, shortly after he received classified information about the potential scope of the covid-19 pandemic.

Andy, Burr has a reasonable excuse. Most of us have small assholes, but Republicans’ assholes extend from the crowns of their heads to the soles of their feet and are both internal and external. That’s a lot to wipe! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Ex-Labor secretary: Bail out families, not corporations

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich is right. The Reich on the right, the evil Republican Reich, wants to bail out criminal corporations. Bail out people. Corporations are NOT people! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): THE WHO – I Can See For Miles (1969)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–3/21/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 212020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. I had trouble keeping breakfast down. I had to wait a couple hours to finish it. Tomorrow please expect no more that an Open Thread or a Personal Update, as WWWendy will be here to de-stink the vile TomCat, help with chores and parade in her Wonder Woman Wendy romper! Have a great weekend!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:32 (average 7:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0321TrumpVirus

19,823 cases

276 deaths

147 recovered

0321TrumpVirusTests

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Virus Scandal: Senators Accused Of Profiting Off Coronavirus Info

MSNBC was wrong not to include Diane Feinstein [DINO – CA]. It opens the network to charges of bias. More important, as a Democrat, I want to know when one of ours acts like a Republican. Di-Fi is a stinking DINO piece of shit and deserves the same treatment that Republicans get. If anything, we should be harder on her. Democrats to not applaud and encourage corruption, greed and hypocrisy from our representatives the way Republicans do. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Amid speculation that United States senators might soon be working remotely, Senator Richard Burr on Friday demanded guarantees that senators working from home will still have access to insider-trading tips.

Speaking from the well of the Senate, an impassioned Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said that a “system needs to be put in place—not tomorrow, not next week, but today—to insure that senators receive the insider-trading information that is both our lifeblood and our birthright.”

Burr blasted the Obama Administration for not establishing contingency plans to safeguard the steady flow of stock tips to U.S. senators in the event of a pandemic, nuclear war, or asteroid strike.

Why am I not surprised, Andy? This is straight news, isn’t it? RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump rants at reporter asking about scared Americans

Of course it’s normal for people to be scared. A real President would offer comfort and support. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* is NOT a real President! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Righteous Brothers – Soul and Inspiration

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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