Open Thread – 8/12/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:42 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 122020

It’s a relatively comfortable day, here in the CatBox with two days in the 70°s, before the next heat wave builds to a 100°+ weekend. WWWendy and WWKristin returned safely and happy, albeit sunburned. They return your greetings and kind wishes. Tomorrow I may have no more than as Personal Update or an Open Thread. It’s a WWWendy day, but I won’t know when she’s coming until after she gets her work schedule later today. It’s also a grocery delivery day. Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:04 (average 5:15). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0812TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,309,622
US Deaths: 167,789

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In a rare instance of praising one of his White House predecessors, Donald J. Trump on Tuesday hailed Woodrow Wilson for opposing efforts to institute online learning during the 1918 pandemic.

“There were a lot of crybabies in 1918 saying, ‘The schools aren’t safe—let the kids learn on their computers,’ ” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Woody wouldn’t hear of it.”

Instead, Trump said, “Kids went to school and the influenza just kind of disappeared eventually. Woody did a fantastic job.”

Dang, Andy! Are you sure he didn’t praise Wilson because of his overt racism and KKK support? RESIST!!

From Alternet: Remember when political reporters crowed about what a masterful play Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had made when he lined up his caucus to acquit Donald Trump without hearing from a single witness? Yeah, that acquittal came on February 6 when U.S. senators were already getting briefed on the seriousness of the coronavirus’ spread abroad.

But Senate Republicans, led by McConnell, fell all over themselves to make sure Trump was at the helm when the pandemic hit U.S. shores. Now, what once looked like a promising cycle for Senate Republicans has turned entirely treacherous precisely because the caucus is saddled with Trump as their standard bearer.

Politico reports the party is directing nearly its entire $100 million war chest at saving the seats of eight incumbent senators while the few GOP candidates aiming to defeat a Democrat have been left almost entirely to their own devices. With the exception of funneling a little money into the effort to defeat Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama, they simply don’t have the resources to play offense.

The seat of Democratic Sen. Gary Peters from Michigan, for instance, once seemed like a flippable seat. But as Trump has tanked in the state and Joe Biden is presently positioned very well there, Senate Republicans have left Republican candidate John James to fend for himself.

Instead, GOP groups, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund have been trying to bolster their defenses in Georgia, Iowa, and Montana—three states that weren’t even on the radar as potential Democratic pick ups when the cycle started.

I wonder how much of that money is going to help Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch. This shows how desperate the Republican Reich has become. May all their efforts fail! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Noodle Muffin’s “Morning in America” Music Video

Under Trump*, we are mourning in America! Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/11/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 112020

It’s a crazy day here in the CatBox. Providence already approved the Pembrolizumab treatments. WWWendy will get her schedule tomorrow from school, and I’ll be scheduling treatments as soon as I know what’s best for her. The 25 µg Fentanyl patch is giving me much better pain relief. For the first time in months, my pain level has been zero all day, except for when I Republicated a brick that made my hemorrhoids bleed. May all your Republicans be softer.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:49 (average 4:37). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0811TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,254,561
US Deaths: 166,295

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Donald Trump has repeatedly and far-too-publicly mused over wanting his own face carved into Mount Rushmore. This we knew. Over the weekend, however, we learned that it has gone a bit farther than mere public desire: On Saturday, The New York Times reported that an unnamed Trump White House aide “reached out” to the office of South Dakota’s Republican governor to inquire as to what the process of adding new heads to Mount Rushmore might actually be.

Mt. Rushmore is on sacred Native American land. Can you imagine anything more sacrilegious than carving the head of criminal Fuhrer Trump* in a sacred place? RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump is considering new immigration rules that would allow border officials to temporarily block an American citizen or legal permanent resident from returning to the United States from abroad if the authorities have reason to believe the person may be infected with the coronavirus.

In recent months, Mr. Trump has imposed sweeping rules that ban entry by foreigners into the United States, citing the risk of allowing the virus to spread from hot spots abroad. But those rules have exempted two categories of people trying to return: American citizens and foreigners who have already established legal residence.

Worrying about spreading Trump* virus from Mexico to the US is bass ackwards. Mexico should be worried, not the US. Being Black or Latino will be “reason to believe the person may be infected” with Trump* virus, especially before election day. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Donald Trump Anti-Wall Protest Song<.p>

Amen! Kudos to left wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 102020

It’s a hot, busy day here in the CatBox. I’m waiting for Diana, my palliative care nurse, to come change my patch, hopefully at about 9:30 AM. I’m already running late, because I overslept. Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, but it will not affect my publishing as she won’t be back from Eastern Oregon until mid-afternoon tomorrow. I texted WWKristen, who is with her and promised they will both stay safe and naughty. Oh God, it’s Monday! Update: Diana came and changed my patch.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:12 (average 4:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0810TrumpVirusMap

Click for interactive map

US Cases: 5,201,873
US Deaths: 165,626

Short Takes:

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Georgia teen says school used students as guinea pigs

The school administrators were goose-stepping behind their beloved Nazi leader, criminal Fuhrer Trump*. Now that her suspension has been lifted, nine students have already tested positive for Trump* virus, and this GOP crime has been exposed, threats of physical violence are SOP for the Republican Reich! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Biden Leads In 2020 Battleground Map

May God protect the truth of his projection from the Republican Reich collusion with Trump’s* boss, Putin [R-RU]. Help God with your vote! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): “Nasty Man” by Joan Baez

Joan is seven years older than I am. I’m so glad she’s still with is. Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/9/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:17 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 092020

It’s a frustrating day here in the CatBox, because criminal Fuhrer Trump* held his campaign rally for billionaires at his private club, pretending to be a Trump* virus relief executive action on Saturday, and the news analysis has not percolated to YouTube. There is no relief in his bullshit orders. It will be my lead article tomorrow, but this is my only article today. Tomorrow, I may run late, because my palliative care nurse, Diana, is coming to change my Fentanyl patch. Have a restful Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 4:38). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0809TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,152,001
US Deaths: 165,093

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Tom Eckerle—a Republican road commissioner for Leelanau County, Michigan—is reportedly resigning after political pressure for repeatedly using the n-word, an anti-Black racist slur, to describe racial justice protestors.

Before a meeting of the road commission started last Tuesday, Eckerle was asked by a commission member why he wasn’t wearing a mask. He responded, “Well this whole thing is because of them (n-words) down in Detroit.”

When Bob Joyce, the commission’s chair, told Eckerle he couldn’t say that, Eckerle said, “I can say anything I want. Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.”…

…When asked about his comments during a Thursday interview with Interlochen Public Radio, Eckerle said didn’t realize the public found out about his comments and said, “No, I don’t regret calling it an (n-word). A( n-word) is a (n-word) is a (n-word). That’s not a person whatsoever.”

Republicans are not racist, the Pope is not Catholic, Trump* is not an asshole, and bears never, ever shit in the woods! RESIST!!

From Buzzfeed (Hat-Tip Crooks and Liars): At least two students say they have been suspended at North Paulding High School in Georgia for posting photos of crowded hallways that went viral on Twitter.The photos show students packed into hallways between classes, not appearing to practice social distancing and with few masks visible, amid the coronavirus pandemic. They went viral after being shared by the account @Freeyourmindkid.

One of the teens who posted photos, 15-year-old Hannah Watters, told BuzzFeed News she received a five-day, out-of-school suspension for posting one photo and one video on Twitter.

She posted the above photo with the caption, “Day two at North Paulding High School. It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate.”

Watters said she was pulled into the school’s office around noon on Wednesday and was told she had violated the student code of conduct.

“The policies I broke stated that I used my phone in the hallway without permission, used my phone for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent,” she said.

Paulding County Schools has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged suspension.

Another student, who did not want their name used, also told BuzzFeed News that they were suspended for posting photos on Twitter.

When the Republican Reich weaponizes Trump* virus to murder children, they punish the children for telling the truth about it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): “Trump Is an Asshole” – MUSIC VIDEO – NSFW

Amen! Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/8/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Aug 082020

It’s a very tired day, here in the CatBox. JD, would you please cover Bill Maher? I have another lead story that needs doing. Yesterday they increased my Fentanyl dosage to 25 mg, so I’ll be in less pain starting with my next patch change Monday. The PET scan was not good. My oncologist is seeking insurance approval for a drug called Pembrolizumab. The chances of severe side effects (excessive immune response) are less than 5%. If it works, which is a long shot, it will tag my cancer cells with markers that allow my own immune system to recognize and attack them. If insurance will not approve, because it’s a long shot, or if it doesn’t work, I’ll be fortunate to see 2021. I hope you have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:02 (average 5:46). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0808TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,098,494
US Deaths: 164,144

Short Takes:

From Alternet: The Sturgis, South Dakota motorcycle rally in 2015. This year’s rally, now underway, is expected to attract 250,000 people.

It would be too much to expect the millions of Americans who choose to celebrate their personal identity with intentionally loud and purposely obnoxious, high-polluting machines, operated at speeds in excess of 70 mph on our nation’s highways, with zero protection between themselves and the roadway, all to care equally about potentially infecting other people with an invisible virus.

Still, for at least a discrete subgroup of those folks who claim the “individual freedom” to face a fatality risk 26 times the rate of other motorists, attendance at the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota this year in the midst of the deadliest global pandemic in over a century, signifies a quantum leap of sorts in both irresponsibility and crass disregard not only for their own lives, but for the rest of the people in this country as well.

Certainly many bikers are not Republican fools. They will not be there. The deplorable Republican Sheeple will spread Trump’s* Republican plague far and wide! RESIST!!

From NY Times: Jerry Falwell Jr., one of President Trump’s most prominent and controversial evangelical supporters, will take an indefinite leave of absence from his role as president and chancellor of Liberty University, the board of trustees announced [pseudo-Christians delinked] on Friday.

The news comes days after Mr. Falwell posted, and then deleted, a photograph on Instagram of him posing alongside a woman with his pants unzipped and his arm around her.

Mr. Falwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier in the week, he apologized for the photo.

Franklin Graham, who leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, defended Mr. Falwell in an interview on Friday evening.

“He is a great leader and he has taken this school — it is one of the largest universities in the United States. He’s done an incredible job,” Mr. Graham said. “He is a great leader and I certainly support him.”

I thought you might appreciate this follow-up. I wonder how many BJs Graham has gotten on Falwell’s yacht. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction

Are we in the eve of destruction from the Republican Reich? Kudos to left-wing demonstrators! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/6/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 062020

It’s a cool day here in the CatBox with 77° forecast, and humid as hell. It’s also a busy day, as Store to Door is delivering my groceries. I have to unpack and put them away. I had other things to do, so I have no time for a morning nap. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update. In the morning WWWendy will be destinking the vile TomCat, changing my patch, doing chores and gooping. Then we go to the hospital, where Evelyn, my Oncologist, will interpret my PET scan. I’ve seen the results, and to me, they look pretty bleak. But I guess I should not be disappointed that I’m dying. That’s what dying people do. In addition, Becky, my palliative care specialist will talk to us, and I expect her to increase my Fentanyl patches from 12.5 mg to 25 mg. Saturday WWWendy and WWKristen are going to the mountains until Tuesday morning. Diana, my home palliative care nurse, changed her schedule to change my patch on Monday. Then WWWendy will come a day late on Tuesday. Crazy enough? Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:32 (average 5:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

US Cases: 4,975,279
US Deaths: 161,660

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Despite how many times you hear “what goes on the internet, stays on the internet” some people just don’t learn. Deleting a photo doesn’t make it go away, yet infamous Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. seems to think otherwise. Again, Falwell has deleted something on social media—but this time not because of its obvious racism, but its bizarre nature.

The photo posted on Falwell’s Instagram was captured and shared to Twitter by Houston Chronicle reporter Robert Downen before it was deleted.

0806FalwellJr

Hat-Tip and kudos to JD for suggesting this subject. When I lived in Phoenix, a close friend (platonic, not carnal or professional) was an exclusive call girl. She told me that when there were conventions of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians (the polar opposite of real authentic Christians) in town, she and her friends had to import girls from Las Vegas. There weren’t enough hookers in Phoenix to meet the demand for their services. As he parties on his yacht, bought with funds bilked from his victims, Falwell shows that he’s as big a hypocrite as his father was. Of course, that’s a Republican trait. RESIST!!

From ProPublica: A teenage girl carrying her baby arrived at the U.S. border this summer and begged for help. She told federal agents that she feared returning to Guatemala. The man who raped her she said had threatened to make her “disappear.”

Then, advocates say, the child briefly vanished — into the custody of the U.S. government, which held her and her baby for days in a hotel with almost no outside contact before federal officers summarily expelled them from the country.

Similar actions have played out along the border for months under an emergency health order the Trump administration issued in March. Citing the threat of COVID-19, it granted federal agents sweeping powers to almost immediately return anyone at the border, including infants as young as 8 months. Children are typically entitled to special protections under the law, including the right to have their asylum claims adjudicated by a judge.

Under this new policy, the administration is not deporting children — a proceeding based on years of established law that requires a formal hearing in immigration court.

It is instead expelling them — without a judge’s ruling and after only a cursory government screening and no access to social workers or lawyers, sometimes not even their family, while in U.S. custody. The children are not even granted the primary registration number by which the Department of Homeland Security tracks all immigrants in its care, making it “virtually impossible” to find them, Efrén C. Olivares, a lawyer with the Texas Civil Rights Project, wrote in a court declaration arguing that the practice is illegal.

This travesty is criminal and deplorable, typical of both Trump* and the racist Republican Reich! On a related note, I’ve been watching and highly recommend Immigration Nation on Netflix, which Trump* and Barrf tried to ban. It makes me want to scream in anger and cry at the same time. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)

This clip refers to Crawford Caligula’s Republican Fourth Reich. GW ChickenHawk was saint compared to Trump*, Putin’s Pee-Pee Puppet, Fuhrer of the Nazi Republican Fifth Reich! Kudos to the left-wing demonstrators! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/5/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 052020

It’s a routine day here in the CatBox. I’m running a bit late, because I had to eat breakfast slowly, and I took a cat nap to rest my back. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:06). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0805TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,920,917
US Deaths: 160,372

Short Takes:

From AlterNet: The Daily Caller has taken tens of thousands of dollars to help Republican campaigns raise money while performing political fact-check services for Facebook.

Federal election filings from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee show that the two organizations rented email lists from the publication this year, paying $40,213.75 and $18,171.40, respectively.

The Caller, a right-wing publication co-founded by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, has also since 2016 sent dozens of emails “paid for by Trump Make America Great Again Committee,” a joint fundraising vehicle shared by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to Media Matters.

Media Matters also revealed that The Daily Caller has sent sponsored emails on behalf of a number of Republican candidates this year. Media Matters posted screenshots of the emails, from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C; Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; the Senate Conservatives Fund; and the Bikers for the President PAC.

Their association with The Daily Caller, which is published excrement, hideously co-founded by Fucker Carlson, make this clear. With Fakebook, the only way to win is not to play! UNPLUG!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Ending The Census Early Could Have Huge Political Consequences

The poorer people are, the more difficult they are to count and the more likely they are to vote blue. This is nothing more than a criminal attempt by the Republican Reich to skew representation in favor of the Nazi Republican Party for the next ten tears. We must defeat this scam! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Bruce Springsteen – The Rising (official video)

Kudos to the left-wing demonstrators! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 8/4/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 042020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. It’s a good thing it’s a WWWendy day, as the TomCat is more than ripe. This is my only article today. Diana, my palliative care nurse rescheduled to a week from tomorrow, so I’ll be fully in the saddle tomorrow. Because WWWendy is my caregiver, everyone else should be jealous!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:47 (average 6:44). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0804TeumpVirusMap

US Cases: 4,864,282
US Deaths: 159,000

Short Takes:

From John Pavlovitz:

…People ask me every day how they can go on, where they can find hope, what the secret is to staying positive is in these days that seem to provide no respite from enmity—and I only have one answer:

There is no other choice.

For all but a select few of us, this is the place we’re going to be for the duration, and this is the place we’re going to need to defend and this is the place we’re going to need to renovate with the capital of our lives.

It’s the place we’re going to shout down the bigots,

the place we’re going to outnumber the close-minded,

the place we’re going to demand equity,

the place we’re going to tear down the flags and the statues and mindsets that perpetuate white supremacy,

the place we’re going to expand so that every hungry, exhausted, hurting soul finds rest,

and the place we’re going to lock arms and dig in our heels and push back the terrified bullies trying to drag us backward.

This is my home, it’s the place I’ve lived for half a century and poured my life and my gifts and my heart into, and I’d really rather not uproot my family and leave my friends and flee to places that feel less violent and less cruel and more welcoming—because that’s what we’re supposed to be.

America has never been all that the songs declare we are, never approaching the kind of whitewashed, mythical greatness so many dream of returning to—but it’s been a place where tired, poor, huddled masses yearned to reach and breathe in, because it was aspiring to be safe harbor for liberty in a tempest of inhumanity.

And dammit, I’m going to spend myself to make sure it can become that.

The racists are growing desperate. I think their violence is going to get worse. I think they feel the head winds of History blowing fiercely against them and they are going to make one more frantic, brutal, ugly assault on diversity and decency—and we’ll have to be here to be the line that will not be moved.

Yes, I’m done.

I’m done with this America—and I’m ready to fight for a better one.

Lock arms with me, friends.

We have a stand to make.

Please click through for the rest! AMEN!! RESIST!!

From NY Times: Black lives do not matter nearly as much as white ones when it comes to the death penalty, a new study has found. Building on data at the heart of a landmark 1987 Supreme Court decision, the study concluded that defendants convicted of killing white victims were executed at a rate 17 times greater than those convicted of killing Black victims.

There is little chance that the new findings would alter the current Supreme Court’s support for the death penalty. Its conservative majority has expressed impatience with efforts to block executions, and last month it issued a pair of 5-to-4 rulings in the middle of the night that allowed federal executions to resume after a 17-year hiatus.

The extreme systemic racism evident in the administration of the death penalty makes two truths self-evident. First those 5-4 rulings demonstrate the need to fix SCROTUS (Republican anti-Constitutional VD). Second, the state-murder of helpless convicts, no matter what they did, is the wrong way to convince people that killing is wrong. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Ohio 1970 Kent State University

In the 1960s I witnessed the murder of peaceful demonstrators by police, national guard, and other Republican thugs on several occasions. Republicans Nazis are even more ready to kill us today. Kudos to left-wing protestors! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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