Open Thread–2/21/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 212020

It’s a yucky day here at the CatBox. My stomach has heartburn has been screaming all morning. I have to stay up, because Providence Home Medical Equipment is swapping-out a six pack of the portable O₂ tanks I use, when I’m out and about. TGIF to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:57 (average 5:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Republicans alternate between blaming Obama, Hillary, Nancy and Bernie.

Short Takes:

Froom YouTube (Washington Post Channel): Resurfaced video shows Bloomberg referring to transgender people as ‘some guy wearing a dress’

We knew Bloomberg [R-NY] was racist and misogynist. Add homophobic to his unsuitable list. RESIST!!

From Washington Post: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) mounted a new defense Wednesday for the toxicity emanating from pockets of his presidential campaign’s supporters, implying it was possible Russian actors were again manipulating social media to incite Democratic divisions.

Sanders’s language was indirect, offered on the debate stage here as his opponents faulted him for the behavior of his most strident fans. It drew criticism from experts in disinformation, who said they had no direct evidence the Kremlin had masqueraded as Sanders voters to interfere in the 2020 race much as Russian trolls had done four years earlier.

“All of us remember 2016, and what we remember is efforts by Russians and others to try to interfere in our elections and divide us up,” said the senator from Vermont. “I’m not saying that’s happening, but it would not shock me.”

I tend to doubt that, because I remember the toxicity of many ‘Bernie Bros’ toward me in 2016, because, as a Bernie supporter, I committed to voting for Hillary, after Bernie asked his supporters to do so. ‘Bernie Bros’ were a factor in my switch to Liz Warren this year. I understand that some of the hate-mavens, threatening Democrats who disagree, are employees on Bernie’s paid staff. If so, he needs to identify and fire them immediately. That said, I would not put such skullduggery past Putin [R-RU] and his Puppet Pervert Trump* either. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Bloomberg Flounders, Warren Rebounds, and Bernie Brings the Heat

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. Liz and Bernie were head and shoulders above the rest. And he’s right that the debate should have focused more on the evil Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, and their criminal Fuhrer Trump*. I particularly liked how Robert used FDR as an example of democratic socialism. If Bloomberg [R-NY] wins the nomination in a brokered convention, it will destroy the Democratic Party and probably, the USA with it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival (HQ – 5.1 Studio )

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/19/2019

Posted by TomCat at 8:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 192020

It’s an exhausted day here at the CatBox, so this is my only article today. Yesterday, they started my test an hour early. The nurse inserted my IV in a very small vein, and the pain I felt when the anesthesiologist shot the Jungle Juice was extreme and intense for the minute or two it took to knock me out. I was done and ready to go home at 12:30. WWWendy’s school had told her she could leave an hour early at 2:30. But both of her co-workers called in sick, so they let her go an hour late at 4:30, and she hit rush hour traffic. She did not get to the hospital until after 5:30, and it was after 6:30, before she got me home. None of this was her fault, and I am blessed to have her. I have a very sore throat and raging heartburn. I have a tumor growing where the esophagus meets the stomach, partially blocking the passage. Food gets hung up there, and when it can’t go down, it comes up. The doctor said it looks malignant, but we won’t know for sure until the lab results from the biopsies come back. The pictures he took are sitting on WWWendy’s dashboard. I’ll scan and post them for you tomorrow, as tonight is a WWWendy night. Those are not the results I wanted to get. ARGH! I just can’t catch a break these days. Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:07 (average 6:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The Borowitz Report: In an apparently successful attempt to get under the skin of Donald Trump, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has purchased Greenland from Denmark.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, would not disclose the price that Bloomberg paid for Greenland but indicated that it was an “all-cash offer.”

“Mr. Bloomberg has a lot of money,” Frederiksen added.

News of Bloomberg’s purchase of Greenland reportedly infuriated Trump, who immediately ordered his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to make an offer to buy the Faroe Islands from Denmark.

Andy, is it true that Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten* was so pissed that he went to Nambia for a Hamburder? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence & Rachel Question Reports That Barr May Leave DOJ Over Trump Tweets

I so wish Barrf would quit that I can taste it, but if you believe it, we really do need to talk about that bridge I’m selling. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): How Democrats Clean Up the Messes Left by Republicans with Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, is shitting all over America with their welfare for billionaires. This is NOT Trump. The Republican Reich had done this for years, and I have been calling them on it for years too. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ricky Nelson – Travelin’ Man 1961

I danced the cha cha to this, when I was 13. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/15/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 152020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox. I slept well last night, but I’m pretty run down from a sleep deficit. I need more. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so please expect no more than an Open Thread. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:Today’s took me 3:30 (average 4:57). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Michael Moore: ‘Trump Is Very Beatable’ In 2020

Who remembers that Michael warned us that Trump* would beat Hillary in 2016? It pleases me to see him say that several Democrats can beat Trump* in 2020, if we do our share. Trump is not worthy of fear, unless Putin successfully puts him in again. The Democratic Party cannot afford to ignore any state in 2020! RESIST!!

From Alternet: “Again, Joni Ernst has shown that she is willing to push our families into poverty with a smile. The programs she plans to cut are a lifeline for millions of Americans. She should be ashamed.”

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told donors at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. last March that federal spending on non-discretionary programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is “out of control” and will require “changes” in the future.

That’s according to a 55-second audio clip published Wednesday by Iowa Starting Line. In the recording, Ernst is asked by an attendee whether she is on board with Sen. David Perdue’s (R-Ga.) call for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

“I think we all are because we understand that our non-discretionary spending is growing like this,” replied Ernst, who is up for reelection in 2020. “Everyone focuses on discretionary spending because that is what we can control in Congress. The rest is on autopilot and is out of control. We have to figure out ways to honor the commitments that have been made, but make changes for the future. How we do that, I don’t know.”

Progressive advocacy group Social Security Works tweeted that “changes” is “code for massive cuts.”

Joni Pig Nuts isn’t alone in this. When it comes to slashing YOUR Medicare and Medicaid, the entire Republican Reich want to cut off YOUR nuts and more! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): the kinks- you really got me

Ah… The memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/13/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 132020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. Store to Door is delivering groceries sometime this afternoon/ I’m hurrying to try to catch an early nap. On the plus sided, breakfast stayed inside me. Have a great day.

Jug Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:07 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Willamette Week: A lawsuit filed Feb. 11 by seven tenants against their downtown landlords alleges squalid living conditions in the apartments above a Portland landmark.

The plaintiffs: Seven tenants of the Stewart Hotel at 127 SW Broadway

The defendants: Leon and Pamela Drennan and Pennie Narver, who are associated with the building’s landlord and owner.At issue: The Stewart Hotel, located next to iconic strip joint Mary’s Club, is filled with single-room-occupancy apartments. It’s both a relic of a bygone Portland and a desperately needed home for low-income Portlanders. Monthly rent is about $600.

The claims: The lawsuit, filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, documents shockingly unhealthy conditions for Portlanders finding shelter there, even as the hotel’s caretaker has filed for bankruptcy and apparently abandoned all care of it.

The lawsuit lists a horror show of conditions: “holes in walls, cockroach infestations, lack of heat, persistent and potentially dangerous mold, broken washers and dryers, debris in common areas, bed bugs, and inadequate plumbing.”

0213Stewart

I actually had to live there when I became disabled, and could not work, and when it took me four years to get SSDI disability approval and three more years on Central City Concern’s waiting list, after which I moved to the Henry. It’s as bad as they say it is. The landlords are pseudo-Christian Republicans. I hope the tenants succeed in their suit. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In a decision that Donald Trump called “incredibly unfair,” Judge Amy Berman Jackson has sentenced Roger Stone to ten years of house arrest in the home of Senator Susan Collins, of Maine.

As part of the sentence, Senator Collins will be required to live under the same roof as Stone, in Bangor, and insure that he is properly fed, clothed, and exercised until 2030.

The sentence immediately drew howls of protest from Stone, who claimed that living with the ceaselessly waffling Collins would “send me over the edge.”

“Judge, can we revisit the whole prison idea?” Stone begged Jackson.

Dang, Andy! As much as I hate to admit it, I’m on Roger Stone’s side. Having to live with Slithering Susan Collins is clearly cruel and unusual punishment. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Experts Warn Democracies Facing Autocracy: Protect Your Institutions

Masha Gessen could not have been more accurate in her speech. Her list of rules was just as good, as was Snyder’s. I have been comparing the Republican Party with Germany’s National Socialist Party of the 1930s for years. History proves me right every week. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Ventures – Wipe Out

This is the first song I played publicly in a band after I got my Fender Stratocaster. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

The Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda Strikes Again!

Posted by TomCat at 9:25 am Politics

Feb 102020

Many are confused as to why the criminal Fuhrer Trump’s approval ratings remained as high as they did during the impeachment process. Many Americans watch the normal mainstream news outlets, complete with their bias against all things progressive, especially social democrats. If that isn’t bad enough, most small town and rural Americans plus virtually all Republicans, watch the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise! Someone there recently leaked an internal memo, about how they stacked the deck.

Fox News’ own research team has warned colleagues not to trust some of the network’s top commentators’ claims about Ukraine.

An internal Fox News research briefing book obtained by The Daily Beast openly questions Fox News contributor John Solomon’s credibility, accusing him of playing an “indispensable role” in a Ukrainian “disinformation campaign.”

The document also accuses frequent Fox News guest Rudy Giuliani of amplifying disinformation, as part of an effort to oust former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, and blasts Fox News guests Victoria Toensing and Joe diGenova—both ardent Trump boosters—for “spreading disinformation.”

The 162-page document, entitled “Ukraine, Disinformation, & the Trump Administration,” was created by Fox News senior political affairs specialist Bryan S. Murphy, who produces research from what is known as the network’s Brain Room—a newsroom division of researchers who provide information, data, and topic guides for the network’s programming.

The research brief is especially critical of Solomon, a former opinion columnist at The Hill whose opinion pieces about Ukraine made unsubstantiated claims about its government interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Solomon’s pieces for The Hill fueled Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt in Ukraine, which eventually helped lead to President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Trump has also frequently cited Solomon’s questionable reporting on Twitter in his own defense… [emphasis added]

Insured from <The Daily Beast>
H/T Media Matters

Fox News Sends Out Internal Memo Warning About Fake News…On Fox News

Most Sheeple and other deplorable Republicans can’t react to the truth, because they don’t know it. They have been fed a steady stream of lies, lies they want to believe because of their fear inspired hatred. Nevertheless, we must keep trying to teach them for the sake of the few, who can be taught.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–2/9/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:13 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 092020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. I’m feeling better than yesterday and WWWendy will be here shortly. This is my only article today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today,s took me 3:30 (average 5:55). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

A visual blast from the past.

Short Takes:From Mother Jones (H/T Daily Kos): Here’s something sleazy: In 2019, the state of Montana had to twice warn voters about mailers from the Republican National Committee disguised to look like official 2020 Census documents. They were actually requests for money and voter information to help re-elect President Donald Trump.

But the GOP hasn’t stopped.

In response to our recent request for your political mail, a Michigan resident sent us a document that looks almost identical to the one the GOP came under fire for last year. (We’ve lightly redacted the document.) Our reader isn’t alone—a Michigan TV station wrote about the practice causing “confusion” recently, too. We’ve contacted Michigan’s census officials and are awaiting comment.

Click through to view this Republican SCAM SPAM in it’s entirety! Is this sleazy? Yes! Is it typical of the Republican Reich? Hell, Yes!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): New Hampshire Democratic Debate Cold Open

It’s nice to poke some good natured fun at our own candidates for a change. As much as Republicans need and deserve satire as disgustingly vile as they are, we need a brief break. RESIST!!

From KOIN: A rally planned by the Ku Klux Klan at the Multnomah County Courthouse was canceled Saturday hours before its scheduled start. But throngs of anti-fascist protesters arrived, leading to the arrest of 3 people.

About three hours prior to the KKK rally taking place, the Portland Police Bureau announced organizers — who they did not name — had backed out of the event early Saturday.

Before the arrests, Portland police said it was a peaceful demonstration.

Olivia Katbi Smith, the co-chair of the Portland Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said hundreds came out to protest the KKK rally.

Kudos to the Democratic Socialists! Oregon Leads the way! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Harry Nilsson – Everybody’s Talkin’ (1969)

I loved his The Point Album. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/8/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 082020

I’m having a rough day. Although I haven’t barfed my breakfast, I have severe heartburn, and the Republicosis has returned. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, so please expect no more than an Open Thread. I hope your weekend is better than mine.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:42 (average 4:31). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From ACLU: Voting should be as easy and convenient as possible, and in many cases it is. But across the U.S., too many politicians are passing measures making it harder to cast a ballot. The goal is to manipulate political outcomes, and the result is a severely compromised democracy that doesn’t reflect the will of the people. Our democracy works best when all eligible voters can participate and have their voices heard.

Suppression efforts range from the seemingly unobstructive, like voter ID laws and cuts to early voting, to mass purges of voter rolls and systemic disenfranchisement. And long before election cycles even begin, legislators can redraw district lines that determine the weight of your vote. Certain communities are particularly susceptible to suppression and in some cases, outright targeted — people of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Below, we’ve listed some of the most rampant methods of voter suppression across the country — and the advocacy and litigation efforts aimed at protecting our fundamental right to vote.

Click through for the best reference I’ve seen on voter suppression by the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (538 Channel): Who Won The New Hampshire Debate? Buttigieg? Klobuchar? Sanders?

Here’s my take on it. Buttigieg and Sanders ended in a virtual tie. Warren was third, in spite of being sabotaged by ABC news, who virtually ignored her all night. She got less time than Klobuchar, and WAY less time than Biden. Klobuchar was fourth. She seemed a bit desperate. Biden was fifth. He was more forceful, than before but was singularly unimpressive. Steyer is still trying to buy victory, and Yang is still a one trick pony. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Witnesses Left Scattered In Wake Of Trump Impeachment Scandal

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* always leaves chaos in his wake, as others bear the consequences of his never-ceasing crimes and incompetence. RESIST!!

Also from YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Secret Service Skipping Reports On Payment To Trump Resorts: WaPo

Meanwhile a Trump* appointed federal judge just ruled that Congress lacks standing to sue Trump* for emoluments violations. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Doors – Hello, I Love You

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/7/2020

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

Feb 072020

It’s a lazy day here at the CatBox. On the plus side, I kept my food down yesterday and my breakfast, today. On the minus side, although my phantom nerve pain is gradually diminishing, it has cost me enough sleep over two nights that I’m dead tired. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you fo?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Fox News host Sean Hannity boldly defended President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, by accusing Democrats of supporting “abortion after birth.”

There is no such thing as “abortion after birth,” as many on social media pointed out.

“It’s the party that wants to nationalize everything,” Hannity told his Fox News viewers. “Even supporting infanticide, and abortion after birth, as the Virginia governor told us.”

Again, there is no such thing.

Abortion after birth, were that possible, might not be all that bad in two instances. Hannity is one. The other wears an asterisk. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Iowa Caucus Glitch, Biden’s Drop, and Trump’s Acquittal

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right in everything he said. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich, aka the Fifth Reich, is so evil that Hitler, Fuhrer of the Third Reich, stopped playing chess with Scalia long enough to express his envy of Fuhrer Trump*. I do like Lawrence’s idea of reorganizing the states to equalize the Senate and Electoral College. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty Woman (from Black & White Night)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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