It’s a busy day here in the CatBox, as Store to Door will be delivering my groceries within the next 90 minutes. Sitting in my power chair is the single thing that most sets off the pain from my spinal cancer. I need t accept that, after about four hours, I need to rest in bed for a while. So this morning, I rose at 5:30, and returner to bed from 9:00 to 10:30. Other than running late, we’ll see how I do. They came, and did not bring half my order. ARGH!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 6:10 (average 10:02). To do it, click here. How did you co?
Cartoon:
Trump* Virus Update:
Mote the huge brown blob in the four corners area of the Southwest. That is the Navajo reservation. There, Republican pseudo-Christian missionaries were protesting over wearing masks and gloves. In the process, they murdered a bunch of Navajo people, as a favor to Republican Supply-side Jesus (the antithesis of the real Jesus).
Cases: 1,903,956
Deaths: 109,176
Recovered: 688,817
Short Takes:
From Crooks and Liars: The Frank Rizzo statue was removed from the Municipal Services Plaza overnight. You don’t have to be from Philadelphia to understand what this means to Philadelphians. Via the Daily Beast:
Rizzo, who served as police commissioner from 1967 to 1971 and mayor from 1972 to 1980, oversaw a legacy of police brutality in the city and of discrimination against minorities. In 1971, he publicly urged supporters to “Vote White.” NBC Philadelphia reports that a crew arrived just after midnight Wednesday to remove the statue from the steps of the city’s Municipal Services Building. Members of the National Guard reportedly surrounded the area as work began. Shortly before 2 a.m., a truck drove off with the statue. City mayor Jim Kenney posted a photo of the empty spot early Wednesday alongside the caption: “The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone.”
I remember Rizzo from the late 1960s, when I lived in New York and Atlantic City. I had family in Philly, so I was often there. On an asshole scale of one to ten, Rizzo was a real Republican! RESIST!!
From Daily Kos: Donald Trump may not want to believe it, but the evidence is beginning to mount around the nation that white supremacists and assorted far-right “Boogaloo Bois” are working overtime to leverage protests around the United States against police brutality in the wake of the George Floyd killing—not to merely join the protests, but to both inflict violence and property damage, as well as to threaten other communities with it, all in order to heighten political tensions around the protests.
The tactics vary: Some are showing up disguised as anarchists or sympathizers, while some are arriving fully armed, in camo and body armor, with the Hawaiian shirts signifying the far-right “Boogaloo” civil-war movement. Others are simply spreading false information on the Internet by posing as antifa and telling smaller suburban and exurban communities that hordes of ravening anarchists are about to descend on their communities and break all their windows—sending those communities into fits of paranoid overreaction.
Trump has been insistent that the violence in the streets has primarily been the work of antifa, while denying the presence of far-right extremists: “I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in. This is an ANTIFA Organization,” he tweeted on Monday.
In fact, there is abundant evidence that, as The New York Times’ Neil McFarquar observed, the mix at the protests has involved a broad range of actors. And so far, according to The Nation, the FBI has found no indication of organized antifascist involvement in the protest violence.
Some so-called protestors are peacefully exercising their right to dissent. They are almost all Democrats. They are the ones criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich assault. Some call themselves Antifa, but they are anarchists bent on creating chaos. Since chaos is a Republican tactic classifying these Republicans as Democrats is an error. Some are just looters. Republicans label them as Democrats too, but their primary motivation is greed, a Republican trait. Looters are Republicans too. And some are just MAGA Maniacs. They are obviously Republicans. Don’t be a Republican. Protest peacefully. RESIST!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love (Audio)
Ah… the memories! RESIST!!
Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!
12 Responses to “Open Thread–6/4/2020”
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I’d rather not get everything than get substitutes I can’t eat because of allergies myself. But, yes, it’s frustrating either way.
Some good news from New Mexico
Meidas Touch – I literally cannot keep up with all the wonderful ads
coming out. This one is not even the newest, there is one 17 hours newer.
Lincoln Project
RVAT (Republican Voters Against Trump)
Speaking as a veteran, I’d say Beau is handing out such a big helping of
truth here that any Republican who watches it will choke on it.
If you missed President Obama’s Round Table yesterday, here’s the YouTube
link (it’s almost an hour and a half, so I don’t want to embed,)
Cartoon – A lot of people have been remembering that recently. The area around the White House is looking so much like it.
Map – You are so right about the Navajo nation. It hurts, but it’s true.
C&L – well, that’s good news – not good enough to make the violence there go away, but still good.
DK – “may not want to believe it”? Of course he believes it. He knows it well. And he loves it. But unless he does so by one of his infamous foot-in-mouth accidents, he will never admit it.
Past – Yes indeed. The melody is based on “Plaisir d’Amour” (1784) – but very loosely.
Cartoon: A very sad day.
TVU: Third death in county, and I believe it will continue to rise. Unfortunately.
C&L: I remember my dad talking to us about Rizzo back in the days, over dinner. My father (and others), abhorred him, as he was a evil man, and I’m so glad to read that the statue is gone. Good riddance too!! NE Philly was my old stomping grounds in the summer as a youngster, still got kin that live up by Pottstown, & Tacony, and of course, Jersey too.
DK: We’ve had peaceful protests here locally, and up in Austin. Yesterday…Gov Abbott said that the US military is not needed in Texas.
BFTP: Gawd….love this song!
So sorry to read that you are in pain w/your chair. Would a foam doughnut(s) help you? Then,…they didn’t get the rest of your order delivered? Hope your day gets better, and you get a chance to R&R. Take good care, and Thanks, Tom.
*This just in: “Just wanted to say that I’m appalled at the WH attempt to liken Trump’s bible stunt to Churchill visiting bombed out neighborhoods. The comparison verges on obscenity. Churchill wept on these visits, he offered compassion and hope and helped people find their courage.” ~ Eric Larson, Journalist and Author ~
2. “David Pakman reports a high volume of emails who are disgusted by Trump’s ‘Church stunt’. to the point that they’re going to vote for Biden. Nobody quite campaigns for Biden like Trump.” ~ Robert H. ~
3. “Lindsey Graham says Trump can be a handful sometimes. Mrs. Lecter calls Hannibal a picky eater.” Mary R.~
4. “Let’s not forget that when NFL players tried to protest peacefully by taking a knee, Trump called them ‘sons of beetches.’ (sp) ~ RsT ~
5. “Nancy Pelosi would have him (dt) gone in a minute, she is about the country, not political stunts.”~ Bev H.~
TVU: Yes, the news coming out of the Navajo Nation is depressing, and so sad.
Joanne: MT, CP, RVAT, and Beau. All spot on!! Thanks so much for getting them out there.
Thanks, but a donut would not help, The pain is between the shoulder blades.
OK, color me confused. So the pain is not where the cancer is? Not that that would be unprecendented; after all, there’s referred paid. but I just assumed when you told us that the cancer was at T-11 that the pain would be there too. (And that’ still wouldn’t allow you to get any benefit from a donut, even if you pressed it up against the back of the chair, because gravity would not be your friend.) But “between the shoulder blades” took me by surprise.
I do hope you are feeling better by the time you read this!
‘Toon: Next week Trump will try to annex China as the 51st state!
TVU: I saw the 4 corners blob right away, have been there. So, the genocide by disease has never really stopped! Bastards!!!!!!!!
C&L: Very good!
DK: The Boogaloos, and their kin are who Trump is trying to rally for his own little army, as he spews his usual gaslighting at the nation.
BFTP: I have had difficulty loving me some Elvis, but some of his pieces are really nice.
Meidas Touch, ETC: He has been writing the scripts for the ads of his opponents.
Cartoon: Sad indeed. Depressing to see it happening everywhere including my city too. Did you see the fences that tRump is having placed all around the W.H. this morning?….Despicable.
TVU: Scary….Still growing here.
C&L: Great news. It’s about time.
DK: We’ve had our share of peaceful protests/demonstrations here all throughout California too. One city down here had the National Guard come out last night, over 200 of them. As for tRump. he’s one that seems to be instigating violent/hatred actions.
BFTP: Big fan of Elvis. Great tune.
Sure hope you get to feeling better soon.
Take care. Thanks TomCat
Sounds like you have to find a new routine for your days, TomCat, alternating between sitting in your power chair and resting in bed. You may also have to look into finding ways to work from the comfort of your bed if that is an option given your eyesight and distance to your monitor.
3:22 I have no idea why this difficult puzzle came together so easily.
Cartoon: I hope this event doesn’t give Trump and his gang any ideas.
Update: Not only were those “missionaries” on a foul mission, worst of all they were allowed to spread their disease just as they’re forefathers were encouraged to hand out pox-infected blankets.
C&L: Kudos to Philadelphia’s City mayor Jim Kenney, a nice but small step in the right direction. Now go and make sure all people like Frank Rizzo are cleansed from the police force and take his toxic legacy with them.
DK:
Violence needs to be avoided at all times, but Trump has done a great job scapegoating the (far)left for the violence by pointing to Antifa, knowing full well that the real problem is the extreme right (white supremacists and assorted far-right “Boogaloo Bois”) who are stoking violent fires on his behalf. It is significant that the FBI can’t find any indication of organized Antifa involvement no matter how hard Trump leans on the FBI.
BFTP: I’ve never been an Elvis fan but I don’t mind hearing one or two of his golden oldies taking me back in time.
{Shhh! Don’t tell! But I actually own a pair of blue suede shoes.}
” finding ways to work from the comfort of your bed ” I know there are gadgets available to help with that, particularly with a laptop (I’m not so sure about a desktop.)
Thank’s Lona, but I can’t work from bed.
Thanks and TGIF Hugs to all!
Cartoon — No wonder Trump loves Xi . . . he heads a country that uses heavy duty military equipment to control the people . . . just like Trump wants to do! Trump loves authoritarians and wants to be like them.
Crooks and Liars — Good move Philadelphia but it is not enough! . . . not nearly enough! Keep moving forward with societal change that elevates equality for all people, no matter who!
Daily Kos — Trump tweet: “I don’t see any indication that there were any white supremest groups mixing in,This is an ANTIFA Organization,”
Trump is such a jackass not only because of his inability to spell, but if he paid attention, he would know that the FBI made arrests in Nevada of 3 men, white supremacists, who were gearing up for joining the protests as armed provocateurs. I am very sure that is just the tip of the iceberg. He would also know that many of the protesters at Charlottesville in 2017 (Unite the Right) whom he called “some very fine people” were also white supremacists. “There are none so blind as those who do not want to see.” Trump that is you . . . you paranoid, racist, bigoted, narcissist and incompetent fool!
Trump Virus — It boggles my mind that the US government can’t wrap its collective mind around this pandemic. Here in BC, we had 5 new cases after several days of no new cases. From The Vancouver Sun:
“Henry said five cases were reported in B.C. between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday with no deaths. There are now 201 active cases in the province, with 26 people in hospital and six in intensive care.”
And this is in a province with 5 million people. Even in Québec and Ontario where at least 80% of all Canadian cases are, the growth of new cases and deaths has slowed.