Open Thread – 12/14/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:33 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 142020

It’s a Republicitis day here in the CatBox. I just spent 45 minutes on the throne and cast an unbelievable number of electoral votes, among other things. Speaking of Republican feces, we just passed 300,000 Americans murdered by Donald Trump* and the Republican Reich with their plague. WWWendy is coming tonight. I want to get as much rest as I can this week, because Thursday is a Hospital/Infusion day, followed by a will notary appointment, followed by a WWWendy day all on the same day. Expect exhaustion. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Religious Ecstasy:

1213Broncos32-Panthers27

And a glorious, wonderful Orb it is!

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: One of the great strangenesses and perversions in the QAnon conspiracy theory is that part of what Donald Trump—a man who was good friends with convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein—is doing in his fight against the “deep state,” is to clean up a vast child-sex human trafficking cabal. The idea that there are powerful people engaged in illegal human sex trafficking that involves underage children is very believable. In fact, Donald Trump seems to have intimately known some of those people, and even hired the former Florida Attorney General Alexander Acosta—one of the main guys who cut a deal to let one of those human traffickers off with a hand slap.

Anywhos, QAnon theorists have evolved the Hillary Clinton and Pizzagate and whatever else anti-Semitic globalist bullshit theory that makes them feel like they know what’s going on. It’s like chemtrail conspiracy theory with a touch of sex and child abuse because QAnon is even more of a religious cult than Pizzagate was. And religious cults usually help define themselves by saying other groups of people do terrible things to children. And guess what? Republican QAnon conspiracy theorist and failed Louisiana candidate Ben Gibson was just pulled into custody on Wednesday and charged for … yup: four counts of possession of child pornography “involving juveniles under the age of thirteen.”

I’m not surprised. Republicans are not original enough to invent new crimes and perversions for their conspiracy theories, so they fall back on their own behavior for reference material and accuse Democrats of doing it. We call this projection. RESIST!!

From NY Times: In Michigan, Democratic electors have been promised police escorts from their cars into the State Capitol, where on Monday they will formally vote for Joseph R. Biden Jr.

In Arizona, state officials are holding the vote at an undisclosed location for safety reasons, far from what is expected to be a heated hearing on election integrity issues that Republicans will conduct in the Statehouse.

Even in Delaware, the tiny, deeply Democratic home state of the president-elect, officials relocated their ceremony to a college gymnasium, a site considered to have better security and public health controls.

For decades, Electoral College voters have served as the rubber-stamping bureaucrats of American democracy, operating well below the political radar as they provided pro forma certification of a new president. Despite its procedural nature, the role has long been considered an honor, bestowed as a way to recognize political stature or civic service.

This year, the Electoral College is another piece of routine election mechanics thrown into the cross hairs of President Trump’s sustained assault on voting integrity. After five weeks of lawsuits, recounts and Republican inquiries into unfounded claims of fraud, Americans will turn to the 538 members of the Electoral College to provide a measure of finality to Mr. Biden’s decisive victory.

And as small-town electors face harassment and more prominent figures adapt to increased security measures, a duty long considered a privilege has also become a headache.

I find it shameful that these people have to perform their civic duty under the threat of death and violence from the Republican Reich! As of now 168 Biden votes have been cast. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Frank Sinatra *☆* Adeste Fideles * (O’ Come All Ye Faithful)

Believe it or not, I first learned to sing this carol in Latin, as an assignment for sixth grade Latin class. Ah… the memories! HUGS!!

36 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/7/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:39 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 072020

It’s a comparatively lazy day here in the CatBox. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update, because WWWendy is coming in the morning to destink the TomCat, cook, and do chores. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 5:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Religious Agony:

The Broncos played a hell of a game, but I have to admit that, having watched pro ball since the 1950s, the Chiefs today are the best team I have ever seen. Beware of Nameless. We may see some swollen head syndrome.

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Well, it looks like COVID has yet another trick up it’s sleeve: Long term erectile dysfunction. Yes, that pesky problem that men take little blue pills for to allow them to continue … you know, having sex. Well, it looks like COVID causes vascular problems that are now being shown to cause ED! Even “mild” cases of COVID are causing this issue.

So your cousin/coworker/GOP politician who says “it was just like a little cold” may actually be wrong.

Hmm….. Is this sufficient cause to tell Republicans to attend super-spreader events without masks? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Why Trump’s Imprint On The GOP Is Likely To Remain

Considering the influence criminal Fuhrer Trump* will have on the future Republican Reich is a premier reason that the demise on the Republican Reich is imperative. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Mary’s Boy Child

The man’s voice rings like a bell! Hugs!!

43 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/6/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:23 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 062020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. I had a fine breakfast of steak in scrambled eggs, yogurt, rye bread and butter. I took a morning nap. I did my research. Today is a holy day in the Church if the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are playing on Sunday Night Football this evening, so it will be televised here. May the Holy Ellipsoid Orb shine its blessed light on your team, unless they play in an arrow head. Have a fine Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

An annual day of mourning for the Republican Reich!

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Lately, it seems that right-wing heroes and heroines du jour turn out to be slimeballs and reprobates. Well, add another to the list—Melissa Carone, the star witness in the Trump campaign’s attempt to overturn Biden’s win there due to baseless claims of voter fraud.

By now, you’ve seen Carone’s bonkers testimony before a Michigan state house panel, in which she claimed to have seen all manner of fraud while votes were being counted at the TCF Center. Her claims were so off the rails that even Rudy Giuliani had to try to rein her in. Earlier, she’d claimed to have seen ballots smuggled inside vans. A judge had previously ruled Carone’s claims were “not credible.”

For most of the week, people have wondered whether Carone had been too well served during her testimony. But it turns out there’s another reason to question her credibility. Two years ago, she was busted for sending obscene messages to her boyfriend’s ex-wife.

As I see it, sexual content is not what made this sleazy. What made it so is that her boyfriend’s ex-wife apparently did not consent to be the recipient of Carone’s GOPORN. That she did this should not surprise anyone. The gospel in a Republican Reich is that women should be obscene and not heard. RESIST!!

From NPR (Hat-Tip Mitch [ours, nor BBMM]): Under the order filed Friday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn instructed the Department of Homeland Security to begin accepting new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as soon as Monday.

In his ruling, Garaufis said the terms of the federal program must be immediately restored to what they were “prior to the attempted rescission of September 2017” when the White House began a series of maneuvers to dismantle the program.

The judge also instructed officials to reinstate two-year permits for qualifying applicants. Over the summer, the administration had begun issuing one-year permits.

Kudos to Judge Garaufis, who was appointed by Bill Clinton. There are few judges left that do not bear the 666 of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch etched into their foreheads. Win the Senate! RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Michigan Hearings Cold Open

As talented as she is, Kate just cannot convey the sense of evil with which Rudy 9/11 reflects the Republican Reich. Nevertheless, SNL was hilarious as usual. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Nat King Cole – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

May God grant that our nation and the whole world might overcome the pseudo-Christian hatred that the Republican Reich has inflicted on us! RESIST!!

44 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 8/15/2020

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

Aug 152020

It’s a steamy day, here in the CatBox. Portland is under an Excessive Heat Warning today and tomorrow with temperatures of 100°+ both days. With my O₂ concentrator acting like a space heater, and when the sun hits my big windows in the afternoon, the A/C unit is hard pressed to keep it in the 80°s inside. Tomorrow WWWendy is coming to destink the foul TomCat, change my pain patch, goop, and help with chores. Therefore please expect no more than a Personal Update from me tomorrow. Have a fine day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:03 (average 4:40). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

It’s Republican SOP!

Trump* Virus Update:

0815TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 5,478,009
US Deaths: 171,568
Plus the many plague murder victims Republicans are hiding

Short Takes:

From ProPublica: Guards in an immigrant detention center in El Paso sexually assaulted and harassed inmates in a “pattern and practice” of abuse, according to a complaint filed by a Texas advocacy group urging the local district attorney and federal prosecutors to conduct a criminal investigation.

The allegations, detailed in a filing first obtained by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, maintain that guards systematically assaulted at least three people in a facility overseen by Immigration and Customs Enforcement — often in areas of the detention center not visible to security cameras. The guards told victims that no one would believe them because footage did not exist and the harassment involved officers as high-ranking as a lieutenant.

According to the complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and shared with prosecutors, several guards “forcibly” kissed and touched the intimate parts of at least one woman. She faces deportation next week — meaning investigators could lose a key witness. Her attorneys have requested that immigration officials pause her deportation pending a review of the matter.

The best defense that those Republican perverts have is that they were following the example of their Fuhrer. RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump’s top two officials at the Department of Homeland Security are illegally serving in their positions, with appointments that violated the laws governing who can fill Senate-confirmed posts, according to a report released Friday by the Government Accountability Office.

Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, his deputy at the sprawling agency, are serving in violation of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which specifies orders of succession when senior officials resign, according to the G.A.O., Congress’s nonpartisan watchdog.

The report said the improper appointments began after Kirstjen Nielsen was forced out of office as the department’s secretary in April 2019.

“Because the incorrect official assumed the title of acting secretary at that time, subsequent amendments to the order of succession made by that official were invalid,” the Government Accountability Office said on Friday. The agency said that Mr. Wolf and Mr. Cuccinelli “are serving under an invalid order of succession.”

Should anyone be surprised that Republicans are not following the rules? The Republican SOP that rules and laws are for others, not them, has been in force for decades. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of protest): Bruce Springsteen & Joe Grushecky ☜❤☞ That´s What Makes Us Great (ANTI-TRUMP-SONG 2017 )

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–7/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 032020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I had to spend so much time trying to arrange medical mayhem for when WWWendy is out of town later this month that I missed my morning nap. ARGH!! TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:09 (average 6:11). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0703TrumpVirusMap

Map Reference Thanks, Nameless!

US Cases: 2,837,726
US Deaths: 131,504

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Oregonian Channel): Oregon State Police don’t comply with indoor mask order by Gov. Kate Brown

If Oregon State cops consider themselves above the law, arrest them, fire them, defund them, or all of the above! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Epstein’s Confidant Ghislaine Maxwell Charged In Sex Abuse Probe

I’m sure we can expect interference from AG Barrf to undermine this case. If Maxwell is convicted and imprisoned, criminal Fuhrer Trump* will have a more difficult time finding underage girls to assault, when he’s not in Russia. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread – 1/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:51 am Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 182020

It’s another crappy day, here in the CatBox, and I ALMOST went back to bed. Oh well, I get the camera in my gut in less than a month now. Tomorrow is a High Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, the Festival of Conference Finality. May the Orb shine it’s blessed light on your team, if it has survived. I’ll be out of the saddle on Sunday and Monday. Sunday is a WWWendy Day and we have a very stinky TomCat and lots of chores to manage. Please expect no more than a Personal Update or Open Thread. On Monday I have an appt. with my cardiologist. If you remember, a few weeks back, I was telling my PCP about my heartburn, when an acid bubble came up my esophagus. I put up my hand to my chest, winced, and lowered my head in pain. Megan freaked out. She slapped on the EKG stickers, and once she realized I wasn’t having a heart attack, she insisted I make an appointment with Lisa. That was set back a few weeks ago, because TriMet Lift was two hours plus late and could not pick me up until well after my appointment time. So Monday I hope to publish a Personal Update, and an MLK Day article, prepared a day in advance. I hope to be back in the saddle Tuesday. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:24 (average 4:27). I’m amazed I beat the average. To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: In the past, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was among the most popular Republicans in New England — a region of the United States that has become increasingly Democratic in recent years. Collins, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, was reelected by 17% in 2002, 23% in 2008 and 38% in 2014. But that was before Donald Trump became president, and according to polling by Morning Consult, Collins now enjoys 42% approval and 52% disapproval — making her the most unpopular politician in the U.S. Senate.

During the first quarter of 2017, according to Morning Consult, Collins enjoyed 67% approval in Maine. But the last quarter of 2019 found her overtaking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in terms of unpopularity.

It could not have happened to a more deserving bitch (apologies to female dawgs)! Maine… Vote Blue!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): President Donald Trump Picks Jeffrey Epstein Lawyers For Impeachment

How much do you want to bet that Barrf and the Republican Reich had Epstein killed to cover up their own crimes? Of course Fuhrer Trump* would pick pervert-friendly lawyers. Birds of a feather… RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): –

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread – 1/10/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:59 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 102020

It’s a lazy day, here in the CatBox. Store to Door called mid-nap to deliver groceries, yesterday. I woke up last night because of the high humidity, and could not get back to sleep. Tomorrow and Sunday are High Holy Days in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, the Festival of Divisional Resolution. May the Orb shine its Holy light on your team. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:49 (average 6:57). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: The New York City Bar Association has taken the extraordinary step of asking Congress to investigate Attorney General Bill Barr for being too politically biased to faithfully execute his duties as America’s top law enforcement official.

Bloomberg reports that the Bar Association is claiming that Barr’s recent statements and actions indicate that he may be enabling and encouraging “political partisans willing to use the levers of government to empower certain groups over others.”

The association also accuses Barr of disregarding “fundamental obligations in several public statements during the past few months,” including his duty to “act impartially, to avoid even the appearance of partiality and impropriety, and to avoid manifesting bias, prejudice or partisanship in the exercise of official responsibilities.”

Nothing like this has ever happened before. However, there has never been an AG as worthy of disbarrfment as Barrf! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Business Genius Donald Trump Thinks Your 409K Could Be Up 90%

Awww… you can’t blame poor impeached Fuhrer Trump*. He’s confused, because he uses Formula 409 to clean the Russian hooker pee stains from his face. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Redbone – Come And Get Your Love – LIVE 1974 The Midnight Special (Guardians Of The Galaxy)

I remember the music, but never saw it performed before. Fantastic!! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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