Open Thread – 12/31/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:19 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 312020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I managed another post today. Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day. After the destinking the TomCat, we plan to have a special dinner. I will still be in the saddle tomorrow, as she’s coming in mid-afternoon. But I’m not big on year in review articles, so I don’t know what I’ll have to work with. Tonight we can celebrate New Years Eve together: ZZZZZZ with me!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:13 (average 5:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The House of Representatives had a busy Monday, returning early from the Christmas break to easily override a Trump veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and pass a boost to the stimulus bill survival checks from $600 to $2,000. So Trump got a rebuke and a gift at the same time. Trump was walloped on the NDAA, with 322 voting to override to 87 sticking with him.

The Senate will convene at noon on Tuesday, when Sen. Mitch McConnell will indicate how the Senate is going to proceed with what the House is presenting to him this morning. The veto override won’t be an issue, even though it requires the same two-thirds majority as in the House. The Senate passed the NDAA with a 84-13 margin under Trump’s veto threat. The override vote could happen as soon as Wednesday, or Democrats could force a delay as they demand a vote on the $2,000 survival checks.

Loeffler and Perdue are now on board, saying “yes” to the checks. After saying “no,” of course.

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey have vowed to block the defense bill until they get a vote on the $2,000 survival checks. “That relief passed in the House today with 44 Republicans voting for it,” Markey tweeted Monday. “Senate Republicans must do the same and get the American people the help they need.” Sanders said in a statement Monday, “Let me be clear: If Sen. McConnell doesn’t agree to an up or down vote to provide the working people of our country a $2,000 direct payment, Congress will not be going home for New Year’s Eve.”

Major Kudos to Bernie. A New Years Eve filibuster has the added benefit of slowing the spread of Trump* virus by keeping GOP Senators from sponsoring super-spreader events at home. Nevertheless, it won’t work, because Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch will not give-in. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: You would think being “anti-wife beating” would be a bipartisan thing.

But what about “that guy I went out with once is stalking me and he has a gun”?

This week Senate Republicans again showed us who they are.

Senate Republicans are blocking re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) over the so-called “Boyfriend Loophole.” USA Today:

…the most recent version of the bill passed by the House last year intended to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which proved to be a large point of contention for many Republicans.

Previous versions of the act barred those convicted of domestic violence or abuse from purchasing and owning a gun if they were married to, lived with or had a child with the victim. But the 2019 amendment hoped to extend that provision to include dating partners and stalkers.

Though it had support from all Democrats who voted but one, only 33 Republicans voted to move the legislation forward, and the GOP has been accused of giving into the National Rifle Association, which has opposed the change.

Blocking VAWA to protect the gun rights of stalkers with a history of domestic violence is so evil it’s… Republican. Thank God for Joe. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Josh Hawley became the first senator on Wednesday to take up President Trump’s demand that lawmakers challenge the results of the 2020 election, saying he would object to Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results on Jan. 6.

The move by Mr. Hawley, Republican of Missouri, is unlikely to alter the outcome of the election, but it will force Republicans to publicly affirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory in a politically fraught test of loyalty to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Hawley, an ambitious freshman senator, framed the objection as “an effort to highlight the failure” of states “to follow their own election laws as well as the unprecedented interference of Big Tech monopolies in the election.” He did not repeat the president’s false claim of widespread voter fraud.

“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Mr. Hawley said in a statement. “I will object on Jan. 6 on their behalf.”

The decision ensures that the certification process, typically a formality, will instead become a debate on the House and Senate floors, elevating Mr. Trump’s repeated false assertions. The Constitution requires that challenges to the certification process be endorsed by lawmakers in both the House and Senate. While Mr. Trump’s most strident allies in the House had announced that they would object to Congress’s effort to certify the Electoral College results, they had so far been unable to persuade a member of the Senate to publicly back their effort.

What an asshole! And what an embarrassment to residents of that state. While no citizen of that state is to blame, except those that voted in that Nazi, Hawley makes Missouri such embarrassing misery that the Kansas City Chiefs should relocate out of shame… preferably to Portland or Denver. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild

Steppenwolf wanted to create rock music as it might have developed here, had there been no British influence. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

19 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/30/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:12 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 302020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. It appears that the progression of my disease demands that I spend more time getting bed rest. Nevertheless I managed to put together a full article today and hope to do so into 2021 as well. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:14 (average 5:59). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Although the pandemic rescue package finally signed by a pouting Donald Trump last night extends the federal moratorium on evicting renters who cannot make their payments, it’s only a temporary reprieve. The House and Senate-passed bill extends the eviction moratorium by only one month. We’re right back here in February, albeit with a new president not permanently sidelined by his own narcissistic delusions.

And the underlying problem is not going away. After the bungling incompetence of government responses from March onward, we are in a new pandemic surge. One in every thousand Americans has died from the virus. Without more lockdowns, the death toll will double in coming months; vaccines simply cannot be manufactured and distributed fast enough to prevent it. And all that means that those who have lost their jobs in a shattered pandemic economy cannot pay rent, and haven’t been able to pay rent, and will not be able to pay months of backlogged rent with a new $600 check, or a $2,000 one. $600 will go to food first, medicine second, rent third.

Here in OR, the legislature had already passed a three month extension on Oregon’s moratorium on evictions. In addition, they passed a financial aid package for landlords who need help staying afloat, because so many tenants have to live rent free. I have no doubt that we will continue to help those in need, because Oregon leads the way. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: Why weren’t we told about this sooner? Details at justscream.baby.

I have a better idea. If you need to scream, call (202) 456-1111, the White house phone number, but only before 1/20. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Defeating McConnell: The Real Stakes of the Georgia Runoffs

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. In this case I know, because I’ve been saying the same things ever since I learned that Senate control depends on the outcomes of those elections. Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch personifies the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich. If they retain the Senate majority, BBMMM will do to Biden what he did to Obama. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

20 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:27 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 282020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and my back is is a lot of pain, so please pardon my brevity. Tomorrow please expect no more than Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day, as she’s coming in the morning. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Religious Agony:

1227Broncos16-Chargers19

Stinking, useless, good for nothing Orb!

Short Takes:

From NY Times: Another dose of relief is finally on the way for the millions of Americans facing financial distress because of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump on Sunday night signed an economic relief package that will provide a round of $600 stimulus payments to most Americans and partly restore the enhanced federal unemployment benefit, offering $300 for at least 10 weeks. The agreement also contains provisions related to student loans, rental assistance and medical bills.

The legislation, which is 5,600 pages long, would provide welcome, albeit temporary, assistance to many. How quickly the money reaches your pocket will depend on several factors, though.

Here’s a closer look at what the legislative package will mean for you. This article will be updated as more details from the measure become available. For more details on how to get assistance, check out our Hub for Help.

I’m glad he signed it. Nevertheless, it’s too little too late. Click through for a detailed analysis. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Stacey Abrams: GOP Senators Have Not Stood Up To Sen. McConnell

It’s not bad enough that both Perdue and Loffler are up to their ears in graft. They are as incompetent as they are crooked. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dion – The Wanderer

Ah… the memories! However, it sure does illustrate the misogyny prevalent in our formative years. RESIST!!

22 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/27/2020

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

Dec 272020

It’d a tired day here in the CatBox. It’s also slow day for news to report. It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos Play the Chargers, but it’s not televised here. I’m ready for a nap. Have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:35 (average 5:48). To do it, click here.

Cartoon:

Christmas Dinner:

1227xmasdinner

Short Takes:

From NY Times: On the campaign trail, Joe Biden argued for higher taxes on Americans who make more than $400,000 a year. Those tax increases, he said, would help fund his broader agenda and reduce inequality.

But depending on the outcome of Georgia runoff elections next month, as president he will face either a Republican Senate majority that is dead set against tax increases, or a very narrow Democratic majority that will need to choose its battles carefully.

That will present him with a political conundrum: How do you raise more money from the wealthy if you can’t raise tax rates?

One potential answer: do better on enforcing the existing tax laws.

Tax experts have long identified a large “tax gap” between the amount Americans owe and what is actually collected. This is disproportionately a result of underpayment of taxes by high earners, especially in certain types of closely held partnerships and midsize businesses that face little scrutiny from either the Internal Revenue Service or outside investors.

That is exactly the type of structure — including dubious deductions — that allowed President Trump to minimize his tax bill for years, according to reporting on the president’s taxes by The New York Times.

One problem is that Republicans have been gutting the IRS’ budget for years, so they wont have the money to investigate and prosecute the rich. I’m all for this , but to do it Biden needs to get IRS the funds to do it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence (from The Concert in Central Park)

Ah… The memories! RESIST!!

23 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/19/2020

Posted by TomCat at 12:09 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 192020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, combined with a severe case of Republicitis. I’m late, because I just spent an hour on the throne. It’s a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, and it will be tomorrow too. My Broncos are playing the Bills, and it will be televised here, because it’s a Saturday game, so I shall be meditating this afternoon. May the blessed Orb shine its holy light on your team, unless they dump Buffalo dung on the prairie. Tomorrow is a WWWendy Day, so please expect no more than a Personal Update.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:39 (average 5:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Calling the prospect a “nightmare scenario,” Betsy DeVos warned that President-elect Joe Biden will pick an Education Secretary with a background in education.

The outgoing Education Secretary warned that putting someone with a “pro-education bias” in her job would be like “naming a fox to be Secretary of Hens.”

“For the past four years, I have worked tirelessly to keep our schools free from education,” she said. “It deeply saddens me to think that all of my hard work will go to waste.”

Even more alarming, she said, Biden may name a “knowledgeable person” to replace her, a decision she called “disastrous.”

“In order to be impartial toward education, an Education Secretary must be as ignorant as possible,” she said. “I don’t mean to boast, but I am going to be a tough act to follow in that respect.”

Dang Andy! Is it true that Betsy Blackwater took this to Trump* with the recommendation that he appoint Colonel Sanders as his Secretary of Hens! RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: On Thursday, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel of outside experts voted to approve providing an emergency use authorization (EUA) for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The agency is expected to complete the creation of the EUA on Friday, which would free up shipments of the vaccine to get on their way across the country this weekend. But they may have to get in line, because the first vaccine that was approved is already failing to reach states in the quantities expected.

Despite months of listening to Donald Trump brag about the incredible military operation he had put together to distribute a vaccine that did not then exist, states are suddenly discovering that the shipments they were expecting have been drastically reduced without explanation. Meanwhile Pfizer seems just as confused—it says there are millions of doses sitting in its warehouse ready to go, but Trump’s team is allowing them to gather dust.

As Bloomberg reports, some states were informed on Wednesday that their supply of Pfizer’s vaccine would be cut drastically. For Oregon, that means a 40% drop in the 74,000 doses they had been expecting. Gov. Kate Brown tweeted that this was a federal decision made through “Operation Warp Speed.” Oregon is not alone. As The Washington Post reports, officials in multiple states were alerted that their shipments of the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech would be “drastically cut” for next week.

Notices that they would not be getting what they were earlier told was on the way went out to at least six states. That list includes Illinois, Washington, and Maine, in addition to Oregon. Meanwhile, Florida officials seem to have lost their shipments of vaccine altogether, saying they disappeared from the online shipping system.

I trust that nobody is surprised that Oregon leads the shortage list, since the Republican Reich was unsuccessful attacking us with their Gestapo. I heard nurses in the hospital angrily speculating among themselves that it was intentional sabotage. As for Florida’s shipments, you will find the vaccine at Mar-A-Lago clinic. It may be obtained for $500,000 – $1,000,000 Bankster Bucks per dose. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Low – Some Hearts (at Christmas Time)

I have never heard this tune before, but I consider it particularly appropriate, since this Christmas is such a lonely time for those who have lost loved ones and those separated from loved ones due to Trump* virus. May God grant them peace and relief, and may those of us who can comfort them do so. HUGS!!

31 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/16/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 162020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and I’m hurrying to get back to bed. Tomorrow is gruesome hospital day. Please expect no more than a very brief Personal Update. Because of the notary appointment afterwards, I will probably not have the time or strength for a back and OK message, but if anything is wrong, I’ll text Nameless to let you know. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:11 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s campaign claims she had no idea she was posing for a photo with a former Ku Klux Klan leader who was once convicted of a violent assault on a Black man. Loeffler was photographed beaming alongside Chester Doles at a Friday campaign event.

“Kelly had no idea who that was, and if she had she would have kicked him out immediately because we condemn in the most vociferous terms everything that he stands for,” a campaign spokesman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But Loeffler was at a September event for QAnon candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene that Doles attended—and was kicked out of. You’d think that someone being a no-go for Greene would stick in the mind. After that event, a Loeffler campaign spokesperson said Loeffler didn’t know who Doles was. But again, that was her opportunity to learn. Apparently she didn’t bother.

We need all hands on deck to win the Georgia Senate runoffs on Jan. 5, and you can volunteer from wherever you are. Click here to see the Georgia volunteer activities that work best for you.

1216LoefflerKKKDoles

Perhaps the reason she doesn’t recognize him in plain clothes is that, when they are together, both are almost always dressed in their sheets and hoods. RESIST!!

From Crooks and Liars: The U.S. government pays disability benefits to people with a serious condition that leaves them unable to work full time. But the Trump administration has been trying to cut the number of people on the program for a while, and now Trump is planning to redefine full-time work as 30 hours per week for purposes of determining whether someone is disabled. Many people would lose their meager benefits as a result. Via Huffington Post:

This is not Trump’s* sole doing. Stealing money from the needy to provide more welfare to greedy billionaires is what Trump has to do to keep a few Republican elected officials actively supporting his election theft and sheeple-fleecing operations. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): The First Noël

Beautiful! Ah… the memories. HUGS!!

34 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/1/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:40 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 012020

It’s a new month here in the CatBox. Debora’s visit yesterday was routine. The problem with health visits is that I cannot lie down to rest my back in the morning, and that’s why I have excessive pain on those days. For a brace to give me relief was a long shot, and since it’s not likely to work, the insurance company won’t pay for it, so I won’t be getting it. Tomorrow will be another rough day, because WWWendy has to work. Therefore Dianna is coming to change my pain patch, and I’ll miss my morning nap again. Tuesday is Flush your Republicans Day. You might consider sitting on the lid for an hour.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:24 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Gerardo Gutierrez, 70, died alone from COVID-19 in April. He contracted the virus at work in a Publix grocery story deli. Early in the pandemic, he asked his employer to allow him to wear a mask at work. According to Gutierrez’s family—who have filed a wrongful death suit—Publix refused his request. The chain eventually changed its stance to allow employees to wear masks, but it was too late for Gutierrez, whose adult children had to say goodbye to him on a video call. The lawsuit they brought last week includes numerous complaints made by Publix employees to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) about the refusal of the grocer to allow them to use masks and gloves because they didn’t want to cause shoppers to panic.

“This is a case that needs to be prosecuted and that we need to push forward in our court system and shed light on what Publix was doing and why they were doing it,” the family’s attorney, Michael Levine, told the Tampa Bay Times. “The fact the they would chose profits over employees is shameful and disappointing.” It is shameful and disappointing and it’s how corporate America—with a big assist from Senate Republicans—operate. One of the primary poison pills for COVID-19 stimulus Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to budge from is blanket liability protections for employers like Publix to prevent suits like the Gutierrez’s. Or the suit from the family of the late Isidro Fernandez, who was killed by the virus after contracting it in a Tyson pork processing plant in Iowa—the plant where supervisors and managers were allegedly placing bets on how many workers were going to get sick. McConnell would let them all entirely off the hook, but even worse, he has been using it to hold essential relief for millions and millions of Americans hostage for months.

This is not a case of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch backing criminal Fuhrer Trump*. It’s a case of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch representing the Republican Reich. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In an attempt to demonstrate that he is in better physical condition than President-elect Joe Biden, Donald J. Trump spent part of Monday morning playing fetch with Mike Pence on the White House lawn.

The press corps was invited to the event, at which Trump, seated on a golf cart, hurled tennis ball after tennis ball at his Vice-President, who obediently retrieved them.

At one point in the demonstration, Pence paused to praise his boss’s “amazing stamina.”

Well, Andy, I have to admit it was fair. After all, both Biden and Trump* were playing with a dawg. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): After the Gold Rush

Indeed, mother nature is on the run from the Republican Reich. We must stand up on her side! RESIST!!

49 Days (7 weeks) Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 11/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 282020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I have enough gas in the tank for a full post today. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a WWWendy day, and we are having our Thanksgiving dinner. It’s also a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are praying the Saints, but it won’t be televised here. I hope you are having a fine holiday weekend, even if it isn’t a holiday for you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Now, as states across the country contemplate new lockdowns to slow down the rampant spread and record hospitalizations, the unprecedented demand for food aid is on the rise, according to the Guardian’s latest snapshot survey:

In Cleveland, 5,000 families showed up last Thursday for the pre-Thanksgiving drive-in distribution compared with 3,300 a week earlier and an average of 1,600 over the summer. Some 54% of the food distributed was for children and seniors. “We’re now seeing families who had an emergency fund but it’s gone and they’re at the end of their rope. We’re going to be doing this for a really long time, and that’s frankly terrifying given the impact hunger has on physical health, learning and development for children and parents’ stress,” said Kristin Warzocha, president of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
One woman in Cleveland, who didn’t want to be identified, discharged herself from the hospital against medical advice so that she didn’t miss the Thanksgiving food box delivery. “That’s the depth of need and desperation some families are feeling,” added Warzocha.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration is making a bad situation worse, The Guardian reports. Instead of boosting Snap benefits (food stamps), it cut eligibility. The USDA’s Farmers to Families program expires at the end of the year, as does a $450 million boost to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. “Without government assistance, ‘we’re headed toward a massive cliff come January,’ said Erin Pulling, CEO of the Food Bank for the Rockies which serves Colorado and Wyoming.”

Barf Bag Alert!!

This will not change when Trump* is gone. How many years have you seen me say, “Every penny Democrats spend to feed hungry families is a penny Republicans can’t give to a billionaire.”? RESIST!!

From NY Times: Iran’s top nuclear scientist, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead, was shot and killed Friday in what the Iranian media called a roadside ambush as he and his bodyguards traveled outside Tehran.

For two decades, the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was the driving force behind what American and Israeli officials describe as Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. His work continued after Iran’s push to develop a bomb was formally disbanded in 2003, according to American intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel nearly three years ago.

One American official — along with two other intelligence officials — said that Israel was behind the attack on the scientist. It was unclear how much the United States may have known about the operation in advance, but the two nations are the closest of allies and have long shared intelligence regarding Iran, which Israel considers its most potent threat.

There are three possibilities. Butcher Bibi, criminal Fuhrer Trump* or both in unison. I pick door number three. RESIST!!

From Alternet: A new viral video released by “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.

According to the three-minute YouTube video’s description, it aims to highlight Trump’s “cozy relationship with supremacists.” The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump’s repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.

Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah’s show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been “famous for being quick with an insult,” reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.

When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.

This will not change when Trump* is gone. Trump* did not choose the Republican Reich. The Republican Reich chose Trump*, because he represents them. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Paradise

John Prine was a man who loved this planet. Sadly his fight is over. Seven months ago, Trump* and the Republican Reich murdered him with Trump* virus. RESIST!!

52 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

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