Open Thread – 2/5/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:35 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 052021

It’s a painful day here in the CatBox. Stowing the groceries yesterday was difficult. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update. WWWendy is coming in the morning. Have a great day, and TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:20 (average 6:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Calling it “the best news I’ve had in months,” Donald J. Trump has excitedly accepted congressional Democrats’ offer to star in a new, nationally broadcast television show.

Trump boasted to reporters about his new TV opportunity, which was presented to him, on Thursday, by Representative Jamie Raskin.

“It’s going to be similar to ‘The Apprentice,’ because I’ll be sitting behind a table, but it will also be a little different,” Trump explained. “Instead of me asking a lot of questions, people will be asking me the questions. That should spice things up.”

The former President said that the “most amazing” aspect of his new show would be the number of networks broadcasting it.

Dang, Andy!! Hopefully the follow up will a show about the Orange Pervert** broadcast from prison cell. It will be called: Orange** is the New Red! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Daily Kos: On Tuesday, the body of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed by pro-Trump insurrectionists during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, was laid in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived that evening to pay their respects. Americans were able to watch the ceremony on multiple news channels—but not on Fox News. On Fox News, Sicknick’s ceremony was barely mentioned.

Instead, Fox News’ ever-frothing opinion hosts did what they do best: stoke audience panic over all number of bizarre side issues, from a barrage of far-right conspiracy theories promoted by the fascist Laura Ingraham to Sean Hannity’s important report that somebody got ejected from a Lakers game “FOR HECKLING LEBRON.”

Fox’s attempt to mostly pretend Sicknick’s ceremony was not happening did not go without notice. In fact, it seems pretty much everybody noticed it, to the point that both blasting and mocking Fox for their silence became the evening’s hot Twitter pastime.

Most of the criticism noted that Fox News had long pretended that “Blue Lives Matter,” only to have it not matter at all when it came to an officer murdered by a Trump-devoted mob. The Washington Post even put some numbers to it with an analysis of how often the network even bothered to mention Sicknick compared to competing networks, even after the network ran “thousands” of segments about other police deaths during the previous four years.

Accusing Fox News of hypocrisy over the death of police officers, however, is giving them far too much credit. Fox News is not minimizing the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick because they wish to downplay the violence of Trump supporters toward police. Fox News is minimizing Sicknick’s death because they are accessories to his death. [emphasis added]

Click through! This author (Hunter) could not be more spot on! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): No Apology From Greene As House Removes Her From Committees

Thanks to the 11 Republican Representatives that voted for America and against the Nazi Republican Reich. But the sad fact that there were so few of them is ample evidence to show which side the Republican Party is on. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dust in the Wind

For me, this seems particularly appropriate at the moment. Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

Open Thread – 2/4/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:40 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 042021

It’s a gruesome day here in the CatBox. Last night I slept poorly, and when I finally did sleep, I missed doses of Oxycodone. I am in enough pain, that I would lay down and tell you guys I’ll be here tomorrow if I could, but I can’t. It’s a grocery delivery day from Store to Door and I have to be up to receive, unpack, and store my order. on a scale of one to ten my day rating is ARGH!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:32 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In her most explosive claim to date, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene accused former President Barack Obama of converting to Judaism in order to obtain lasers.

According to Greene, Obama’s obsession with lasers was a result of working in the entertainment business, “where he is constantly surrounded by laser-owning Jews.”

“Obama would go to Netflix meetings and be seething with envy of all these Jewish TV executives who had lasers,” she said. “That’s why he converted to Judaism and, according to something I read on the Internet, got bar-mitzvahed.”

Dang, Andy! Obama??? Space Lasers, even?!!? How could he DO such a thing?!!? Oy Gevalt!! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Big Oil’s Grip On Power Weakens; Democrats Focus On Climate Change With New Majority

I don’t see climate change legislation fitting into a reconciliation package. In order to save our planet, we may need to Nuke the Filibastards! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Rolling Stones – She’s A Rainbow

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!!

Open Thread – 2/1/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:30 am Open Thread, Politics

Feb 012021

It’s a tired/painful day here in the CatBox. Yesterday, WWWendy and I got all our chores done. I feel very tired. Tomorrow, I expect to be be back in the saddle again. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:13 (average 5:11). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump will act as his own defense attorney at his impeachment trial after receiving a law degree from Trump University.

Trump bestowed the degree upon himself in his capacity as the dean of the Trump University School of Law, where he graduated first in his class.

In his first official statement as the lead attorney of his defense team, Trump vowed not to quit the team “like those other losers.”

Andy, what a wonderful idea! Trump** will get the quality of representation he deserves! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Crooks and Liars: Tucker Carlson rants about anyone in the media that has dared to call out Fox for it’s dangerous rhetoric egging on white supremacists, and attacks AOC as a “tool of corporate power” for saying there are white supremacist sympathizers in Congress.

Barf Bag Alert!!

AOC is a tool of corporate power. The Pope is Jewish. And bears never, ever shit in the woods! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Daily Kos: A counterproposal by ten supposedly “moderate” Republican senators that would reduce COVID-19 pandemic emergency funding to a fraction of what’s being proposed by Democrats is landing with a wet thud today, despite the ten Republicans framing their effort around alleged “bipartisan” cooperation. That’s not a surprise; it’s difficult to believe the proposal, led by the perpetually concerned Sen. Susan Collins and including Sens. Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, and Rob Portman, was meant as genuine proposal. And Democrats, to their credit, seem appropriately skeptical about its earnestness.

The proposal sketched out by the ten Republicans in a letter to President Joe Biden on Sunday is most notable for its slashing of proposed pandemic funding. Biden and Democrats are moving towards a $1.9 trillion plan; the Republican senators are instead proposing just $600 billion, less than a third of that amount. It would reduce proposed survival checks from $1400 to $1000, and cut them off for Americans earning over $50,000 a year or families earning $100,000.

It also cuts school pandemic funding, with Bill Cassidy telling Fox News Sunday that the “real problem” is not ongoing pandemic dangers but “teachers’ unions telling their teachers not to go to work.”

The ten Republicans are attempting to sell the fractional measure as bipartisanship, and major news outlets are predictably gobbling those claims, with The Washington Post musing that “the GOP offer presents a challenge for Biden, who campaigned on promises to unify Congress and the country” and Reuters framing the measure and its supporters with the much-cherished “moderate” label. (It should go without saying that the nine of ten Republican senators who voted to nullify consequences for Trump attempting to extort a foreign leader for personal gain cannot be sensibly called “moderate.”) Of special note, the Republicans are framing their proposal as a way to dodge the partisanship of Democrats passing the Biden-backed proposal using reconciliation rules, rather than caving to Republican filibuster.

Well, you know what Republicans mean when they say “bipartisan”.

RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): New Kid in Town (2013 Remaster)

Ah… the memories. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!

Video Thread 1/31/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 3:09 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 312021

The Lincoln Project

Robert Reich – Corporations as guardians of democracy?

Corey from WellRed, playing a press secretary, with Brent Terhune asking questions (Brent did those MAGAt parodies that were so real many people thought he was a MAGAt.)

SNL – Blue Georgia

And you thought you’d seen every possible take on Bernie’s mittens.

Beau – This could be funny if weren’t so true. “Travesty” is the word, all right.

Open Thread – 1/31/2021

Posted by TomCat at 11:52 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 312021

It’s a VERY day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is doing chores. I should be in the saddle tomorrow. Enjoy your Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 5:50). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: QAnon leaders are increasingly concerned that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s obsession with Jewish space lasers is distracting her from her core mission of battling baby-eating cannibals.

In an emergency meeting of QAnon elders, the conspiracy theorists issued a communiqué warning Greene to “stay on point.”

“We sent you to Washington as an anti-cannibal candidate for a reason,” the communiqué read. “Your focus on Jewish space lasers, while totally valid, may impair your effectiveness in defeating the international baby-eating cabal.”

Dang Andy! How can sheeple be do dumb?!!? It’s BAAA-A-A-A-A-AAD!! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): What Still Works Cold Open

Isn’t it fine that, even with Trump** out of the White House, Republicans still provide abundant material for satire. I won’t be rooting for Tom Brady. RESIST the Republican Reich!!

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

Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Build the Future. It Belongs to YOU!

Video Thread 1/29/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 3:58 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 292021

Meidas Touch – Rubio

The Lincoln Project – “One of the people who organized this is well known for having worked with The Lincoln Project in the past. So – let’s have trial by combat!”

Now This News – AOC on present GOP House caucus

Really American

Puppet Regime

From Twitter (The 11th hour) No CC and I hate to spolt the punch line – I’ll email you, Nameless.

Give Brian Williams and his producers at the @11thHour an Emmy….🤣💀 pic.twitter.com/36FjWPqAyI

— Icculus The Brave (@FirenzeMike) January 29, 2021

Beau on Biden and national security. It’s related to controlling the conversation (remember from the Alt-Right playbook a few days ago?)

Video Thread 1/28/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 3:17 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jan 282021

Meidas Touch

Really American – The one I posted yesterday had no CC when I posted it. I went back later in the evening to get a transcript, and then it did have CC. So my advice on this one is to wait 6 or so hours and then view it on YouTube.