Happy May day from the CatBox. It’s been a very busy day here. I installed a new poll. I made the graphics and collected all the data I’ll need for tomorrow’s report. I prepared my grocery order and ordered groceries from store to door. I spent a half hour in chat with my HSP. Animae’s ISP is blocking my email replies to her. Animae, if you read this tell them I’m not a damn spammer. They are ignoring email from me asking to be taken off their abuse list. ARGH!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:08 (average 5:01). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): NY Times Publishes Robert Mueller’s Questions For President Donald Trump
I strongly suspect that Mueller already knows the answers to virtually all the questions. He has almost finished with everyone else and is now zeroing in on his main target. For the list of questions, click here. RESIST!!
From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): Michelle Malkin on politics and comedy, then and now
Barf Bag Alert!!
In the first segment, Malkin was reacting to displeasure on the left at GW Bush, the second worst Resident in history, pretending to look for Osama bin Laden under the furniture, treating his own failure, as if it was no big deal. In the second segment Malkin demonstrated Republican hypocrisy. RESIST!!
From Daily Kos: Many may not know this (most people don’t), but Patrick Conroy, the Chaplain of the House recently forced out by Representative and Ayn Rand devotee Paul Ryan for being insufficiently grateful for the Republican tax cuts, was a Catholic, and as such, unmarried and without children.
Some of the conservatives who now steer the Republican Party’s policies are going to make damned sure that never happens again:
Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), one of the leaders of the committee searching for a replacement for the ousted House chaplain, said the next spiritual leader of the House should be someone with a family who can better relate to and counsel lawmakers with spouses and children.
Walker is Chairman of something called the “Republican Study Committee” and co-chair of something called the “Prayer Caucus” in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.
A Rabbi can have a family, but I bet a dollar they wouldn’t accept a chaplain that says, "Oy gevalt", either. RESIST!!
From The New Yorker: The National Rifle Association’s decision to ban guns during Mike Pence’s speech at its annual meeting in Dallas this week “leaves him totally vulnerable to a bear attack,” the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, warned on Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the Education Department, DeVos said that she was “deeply concerned” that the N.R.A. was underestimating the danger posed to Pence by “the savagery of one rogue bear.”
“All it would take is one angry bear to ruin what otherwise promises to be a really nice gun event,” she said.
Dang Andy! Does the best three word response to the Pence speech begin with, "Ready… Aim…" 
RESIST!!
Cartoon:
The Republican elephant rides the rest of us. Other elephants are blameless.
15 Responses to “Open Thread – 5/1/2018”
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6:07 Grapeleaf indeed.
MSNBC – There seems to be some speculation as to how the questions got to the New York Times (one attorney at least feels the questions are “not phrased the way an attorney would phrase them” and suggests they may have come paraphrased from the White House) but no one is questioning the substance of them, no one is suggesting that they don’t represent anything Mueller doesn’t want to talk about, and everyone appears to agreethey are loaded. And, yes, everyone seems to agree Mueller knows the answers. That’s not the point. The point is what would/will Trump say if/when asked. That’s been referred to as “Lawyering 101.”
Malkin – I generally reserve the term “jerk” for male jerks – but Malkin has earned it.
DKos – Walker’s remarks caused such a stir that he had too step down from the “Study Committee.” It was so clearly anti-Catholic – and Catholics are still the largest single Christian denomination in the US.
TNY – “May this house be safe from tigers.” Of course, that may not work with bears. Especially Russian bears.
Cartoon – I was going to say that Republicans outside the 1% still get to ride us, but I like your take better.
MSNBC: Fairly ‘innocuous’ questions, one would think, but this is a skilled, meticulous man (Mueller), who brought down John Gotti. I would proceed with caution, but that’s not dt’s style. Better for us too.
BBA: omg! How in the sam hell can she spew the lies?? ugh!!
DK: These guys, starting with Ryan don’t need a chaplain, they need a swift kick in the a== going out the door. As=Hats!!
NYer: This is hilarious!!! Kudos to Andy!
Cartoon: Yea, ain’t that the truth!
Hope that you have a relaxing evening, take good care, and Thanks, Tom.
Will the right-wing/Republican follies never end? Nope. At least we will not cease to be entertained. (Don’t get smug, though, Democrats and left-leaners – you aren’t right on everything!)
Cartoon: And the 99% get to clean up the elephant you-know-what.
Happy May Day to All!
And that ends the good news. Mother brother is back in the hospital again – 5th admission since Mom’s funeral on 2/13/18.
This time it’s for his anemia. His hemoglobin has dropped on every admission until the last time they finally transfused him w/ a unit of blood when it got down to 7.0. The next day he was discharged w/ a 8.0 value. (Unit of blood typically raises hemoglobin about 1 point).
But since the 2nd or 3rd admission I was saying this is NOT due to concentration from dehydration OR his pneumonia like the Hospitalists have been claiming. He’s losing blood from SOMEWHERE.
So I DEMANDED that he get a repeat CBC on Monday. And it showed a hemoglobin of 6.4! That is PROFOUNDLY & DANGEROUSLY low.
His hem-onc doc finally got back into town on Monday and called me Tuesday morning saying he needs an urgent transfusion.
Plus from a number of scans done in the interim he needs to be reevaluated by his gastroenterologist doctor.
Fortunately, as I have mentioned, his son from the SF Bay area has been there since late Saturday evening.
We got him admitted – got him transfused – got his scheduled for a colonoscopy and endoscopy tomorrow morning by his GI doc.
At least I FINALLY feel like someone is paying attention!
…
But if I’m scarce for the next few days, you’ll know why.
Wishing you good luck. And, take good care of yourself!
I wish your brother good luck and hope they find the source of his anaemia soon now that they’ve made those scans. Good to see him finally been taken care of. Now don’t forger to do the same for yourself, Nameless.
Nameless, take the time you need to be with your brother and tend to his medical needs. It seems that he just can’t catch a break right now. I lit a candle at church for your brother and for you last Sunday. Hopefully the doctors can address the anemia without further delay. Blessings and peace be with you.
Add my thoughts, prayers, and concern to the rest. Just starting to get on top of his care took WAY too long.
We are here whenever you have the time.
MSNBC: Yes, those questions are to be questioned, apparently.
DK: I do not care a whit what religion he is part of. What I care about is how the damned congress is salted with so many religious functionaries. They have bible studies, I understand. Where did separation of church and state go? Ryan was, apparently, unhappy with the priest’s reference to caring and equality, pig hole!
New Yorker: Well, if a bear crashes the party, they can always feed deVos to it.
Now, Mitch, that’s not nice, wishing food poisoning on a perfectly sweet bear. Well, unless it’s a Russian bear. In that case, bear, enjoy your meal.
Doesn’t that Russian bear deserve a balanced diet? Feed it both Pence and deVos!
MSNBC: Lot’s of questions about those questions.
DK: Where there’s a strict division between religion and government The House employs a Chaplain?
TNY: Why did the NRA ban guns at Pence’s speech in the first place? Is he going to say something that makes Texans want to shoot him?
Cartoon: And after the ride and the elephant has served it’s purpose they shoot it for a trophy on their wall.
Lona, that’s Andy. The Gun Ban is satirical. But I bet the Secret Service won’t allow Open Carry.
Puzzle — 4:37 A pretty flower that I’ll stay away from. I am allergic to North American type geraniums and I would not want to risk a reaction to this one.
MSNBC — I was taught to never ask a question to which I didn’t already know the answer (Osgoode Hall 1970 pre law seminar for high school students). If or when Drumpf actually answers the question, Mueller will be able to challenge him more effectively and will know if he is lying.
Media Matters — One word: HYPOCRITE!!!
Daily Kos — So Republicans want a Chaplain who is married with kids and therefore better able to relate to them. It works two ways. We The People should fire all the Republicans and elect representatives and senators who can better relate to us and our needs!
The New Yorker — And the Parkland students are wondering why the NRA won’t push for no guns in school. I can only think it is a money and power issue.
Thanks all. Hugs!