It’s another busy day here at the CatBox. An occupational therapist visited this morning. She agreed that the shower in my room is too small to use. Store to Door is delivering groceries soon. It’s a big order, as they will be closed for two weeks. I’ll have to put them away. WWWendy comes this evening to de-stink the rancid TomCat and help with chores. Please expect no more than a Personal Update tomorrow, and there will be no links messages on Care2. I have a routine follow up visit with Ellie in my PCP’s office.
Groceries done!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 4:09 (average 5:00). To do it, click here. How did you do.
Short Takes:
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Judge Shocks Court With Harsh Rebuke Of Michael Flynn; Sentencing Delayed (19 min.)
For the judge to go off on Flynn the way he did, the information that he has, but that is redacted to us, must be extreme. He even inferred treason, a statement that must have been accurate, albeit improper. I bet Flynn’s Fuhrer is wringing his tiny hands. RESIST!!
From The Hill: It seems the country is headed for a government shutdown, but it’s not due to any kind of real national or international crisis.
Rather, it’s over a Trump temper tantrum as he is hell bent on getting funding for his ill-advised, waste-of-taxpayer-money, unwanted border wall. After all, it helped get him elected with his far-right, anti-immigrant base of voters.
While there are many reasons Democrats should stand strong and not acquiesce to Trump on this, they need to espouse the truth about how they have better handled immigration and border security and have made the country safer in comparison to Republicans.
While the president lies regularly, facts and truth still matter to the American people. The rule of law, sensible governance and keeping the country secure are also of utmost importance.
The flow of undocumented immigrants to the U.S. peaked in 2007, under President George W. Bush, when the number living in the U.S. was 12.2 million. It has been in decline ever since.
There is a short term bill likely to pass in the Senate that would temporarily fund the government until February, but if it doesn’t pass in the House, or if the Hatemonger in Chief does not sign it, we must be sure that voters know that the Republican Reich is fully to blame. RESIST!!
From NY Times: Call it the deep-state defense.
After the Pentagon stripped an official’s security clearance for reading a top-secret paper in public, his allies said he was “caught in the web of the deep state.”
When federal agents raided the home of a government contractor suspected of taking classified documents, his supporters denounced the “deep state F.B.I.”
And when a conservative conspiracy theorist rejected a plea deal with the special counsel, he claimed he was targeted because he dared “to oppose the deep state.”
President Trump has long tried to explain away his legal troubles as the work of a “deep state” of Obama supporters entrenched in the law-enforcement and national-security bureaucracies who are just out to get him. Now junior officials and others accused of wrongdoing are making the case that the same purported forces are illegitimately targeting them, too.
There is no propaganda too insane for Republicans to employ, attempting to evade responsibility for their own crimes. RESIST!!
Cartoon:
10 Responses to “Open Thread – 12/19/2018”
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5:07 One of their prettier seasonal ones, I think.
I got a big grocery order today too. I hadn’t done one in over a month so it was definitely time. So glad I have a big freezer.
MSNBC – I do love this judge. I wonder, however, whether in his ire he gave away something that Mueller had not wanted to get out (even though he was aware of the possibility and wanted to avoid it.)
The Hill – I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but we will have some help from even conservatives – they will want to pin it in Trump but that may be OK. Considering the fact that the Trump organization has just taken over the RNC, that may well be OK/
NYT – If only they realized what the so-called “Deep State” really is … but I suppose they’d consider that a conspiracy to uphold sanity. Seriously, if there weren’t career civil servants who stay on through changes of administration, our nation would fall apart. And, along with everything else, the Trump régime has made a substantial dent in it.
Cartoon – Resisting, yes. But at least we are not revolting, like the right.
MSNBC: WOW! I watched Rachel this morning, discussing this, just love her, and how she explains things. Judge Sullivan is my kind of judge. I was kind of surprised with the delay in sentencing though.
Hill: I hope that it gets resolved, and quickly.
NYT: Nothing but lies even when caught red-handed. Have they no shame for what they do? unreal.
Cartoon: Absolutely.
Hi, WWWendy! I hope that you can find a space that is more compatible/appropriate for you, ico, having a small bathroom. That’s not good. Best to you for your appt. tomorrow. Hope that you get a chance to relax a little, take good care, and Thanks, Tom.
For the record, Judge Sullivan based his treason question on the incorrect thought that Flynn was an unregistered foreign agent while he worked in the White House. At that time, he was not. In fact Judge Sullivan, after realizing his error, apologized.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-flynn-sentence-today-national-security-advisor-trump-administration-live-stream-today-2018-12-18/
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/12/19/us/politics/ap-us-trump-russia-probe.html
No, I suppose Flynn technically wasn’t. but I’ll bet Tweety Amin is.
MSNBC: This judge is known for blasting prosecutors, as I understand it. But, having put the “T” word in association with Flynn, mistaken, or not, it appears he may be signaling something about Drumpfenfarten!
The Hill: Just how many stakes can Drumphy drive into his wriggling, rotting, carcass?
NYT: The GOPIGS never, ever, ever, take responsibility for their actions, and this is nothing new. The closes thing to the “deep state” there is, is the filling of the federal courts with clowns like Kavanaugh, going back to G.W.B., and continuing with Drumphy.
Keep resisting! Keep voting! Keep supporting true Progressive candidates and programs! Keep insisting that our elected representatives actually represent US, not Big Money! The Dems will claim the House next year, but that is no reason to relax. ‘Tis the season to RESIST!
MSNBC: Glad the judge voiced some mighty words toward Flynn. I too was surprised that the judge is delaying his sentencing.
The Hill: Last I heard it doesn’t look like it is going to happen. No one wants it to. except for tRump, who doesn’t work anyhow.
NYT: All lies and still continues. Shameful.
Cartoon: We must continue to resist.No ” if’s” or “buts” about it.
3:28 (average 5:00) The festive season is upon us.
Rachel MAddow: I hope not only Drumpf is wringing his tiny hands, but that Mike Pence is also sitting on hot coals. The judge said that Flynn had made the vice-president lie to the country because he wasn’t truthful with Pence then; something not many believed at the time. The judge is either taking Pence off the hook once and for all, or there’s more to come for him too. Ninety days is a long time to give further information, even if it is the holiday season, let’s hope this canary has a whole new tune to sing.
TH: Get ready to tell the truth, loud and clear and repeatedly, because Drumpf is getting ready for his next tantrum and, as always, will put all the blame on Democrats. Nothing new here, so just make sure you’re well prepared, Democrats.
NYT: They used to say “the devil made me do it”, but that doesn’t seem to work any more. Let’s hope the judges aren’t taken over by the deep state then. They’ve all seen the many versions of the Body Snatchers too many times.
Cartoon: And the worst is they’re resisting even after they won the House back.
Puzzle — 4:37
MSNBC — This is the video I was trying to post but could not get it to load.
Sorry in a hurry and no time to finish.
Thanks all. Tired Hugs!