Personal – Page 306 – Politics Plus

Open Thread – 6/15/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:15 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 152019

It’s a confortable day here in the CatBox. Yesterday, Maintenance fixed my A/C installation, so I an not losing cool air on hot days, and can open my window for fresh air on cool mornings. That will make it more comfortable here.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:34 (average 8:57). To do it, click here. How did you do.

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): The DNC Announces Official Matchups For First 2020 Debates

Liz vs. Amy vs. Beto vs. Cory promises to be an interesting matchup. Night 2 should be a polite dog pile on Joe. If Joe can avoid a serious gaff, I’ll be surprised. The real debate on night 2 will be Kamala vs. Bernie vs. Pete. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Washington Post Channel): Opinion | Trump’s impeachment would be a constitutional, not a political, question

AMEN! Well said! RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: On Thursday, two oil tankers suffered explosions and damage in the Gulf of Oman. These evident results of attacks followed a series of similar damaging incidents in May. Overnight, the United States Navy released a video that reportedly shows a small Iranian vessel next to the tanker Kokuka Courageous, carrying people who appeared to be removing a device that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo identified as an unexploded mine. Pompeo stated that the analysis of U.S. experts indicated that Iran carried out the attack using mines. However, there is at least one person who disagrees with this analysis—the owner of the tanker involved. Not only does he not think that Iran was behind the attack, but he doesn’t believe his ship was damaged by a mine.

The Kokuka Courageous is operated by Japanese company Kokuka Sangyo. The owner of the ship, Yutaka Katada, says that, according to the reports that have been made by the crew of the ship, the U.S. is wrong on just about every aspect of the attack. According to the Daily Beast, Katada contradicted the report by Pompeo and said that, rather than a mine, his ship was hit by “a flying object.” Katada claims this information came from those on board the ship at the time of the incident. He also states that the damage to his tanker was located “well above the waterline,” which would most likely exclude any sort of torpedo or submerged mine.

An MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone can fire an Joint Air to Ground Missile, the most modern in the arsenal. Given crew description that is a far more likely an explanation than the Republican deep-fake video that shows nothing definitive. RESIST!!

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Open Thread – 6/14/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:12 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 142019

It’s a muggy day here in the CatBox. My eyes are burning and my COPD is acting up. Right now Portland has the highest grass pollen count in the US. I slept poorly last night, because of residual heat.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 4:50). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Mike Pompeo Constructs Iran Narrative Moving US Toward War Footing

Since Pompeo blamed Iran, before any evidence was even available makes it highly likely that Pompeo knew that the attack was going to take place, before it happened. The Maine, Gulf of Tonkin, or WMD redux? RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: Back in May, Mitch McConnell passed a milestone: over 100 pieces of legislation that were passed by the Democratic-controlled House have been halted by the Senate majority leader before they ever got a vote. McConnell bragged about turning the Senate into a legislative cemetery, and he’s being a good crypt-keeper by making sure that even the most critical bills are dead on arrival.

That includes sorely needed legislation that would provide election security for 2020. As The New York Times reports, McConnell is blocking any vote on a bill that would provide funds to secure state and local election facilities against exactly the sort of attack that Russia carried out successfully in 2016. McConnell is also blocking legislation designed to force companies such as Facebook and Twitter to be more transparent about the sources of political ads.

McConnell is protecting Russia’s hacking. McConnell is protecting Russia’s social media campaign.

What else could McConnell do to grease the skids for more Kremlin interference?

He’s doing everything he can. This is not just Trump. Bought Bitch Mitch and the Republican Reich are conspiring with Russia. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: The embattled Presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway will leave her post at the White House, effective immediately, and begin a new job at the Kremlin on Friday, the White House and the Kremlin have confirmed.

Conway, who has served as a counsellor to President Donald Trump, will serve as a counsellor to President Vladimir Putin.

The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, announced the news in sombre fashion. “Everyone here is happy for Kellyanne, but our nation has lost a great liar,” she said.

Dang Andy! She so crooked that the Fuhrer is going to keep her. RESIST!!

Cartoon

Contrary to Republican claims, the founding fathers did not put it there.

Open Thread – 6/13/2019

Posted by TomCat at 8:29 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 132019

It’s not as hot today here in the CatBox. Yesterday the high at the airport was 99°, but downtown, where I am, it reached 103°. Today will be in the high 80°s. I still feel frustrated and depressed, but I’m back in the saddle anyway.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:30). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Inside President Donald Trump’s Plot To Destroy His GOP Nemesis

I stand boldly against Justin Amash on every issue, save one. But that one has fully unleashed the wrath of the Republican Reich against him. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Jesse Dollemore Channel): Donald Trump: “I’d Take” Damaging Info on 2020 Rival From Foreign Enemy Operatives!

Thank you Jesse. I too am shocked that Fuhrer of the Republican Reich is bragging about his criminal intent. The Fuhrer is a traitor. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: Today’s Quinnipiac poll finds all the better known Democratic candidates would defeat Donald Trump if the election were held today.

Joe Biden leads by 53% to 40%

Bernie Sanders 51%, Trump 42%
Kamala Harris 49%, Trump 41%
Elizabeth Warren 49%, Trump 42%
Pete Buttigieg 47%, Trump 42%
Cory Booker 47%, Trump 42%

Woooo Hoooo!! RESIST!!

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Personal Update – 6/11/2019

Posted by TomCat at 7:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 112019

I have terrible news. They cancelled my move, because of a paperwork glitch. They did the paperwork for a Fair Market Unit. To qualify I need < 50% of a median household income. I do quality. The temporary unit I was going to, until a fair unit in the building is available, is a Hooper Detox unit. The government subsidy rep refused to sign off on treating the unit as temporary and insisted I meet the qualifications for that unit, which is < 40% of median household income. I don’t qualify. They explained my disabilities and how they had to put me in an inadequate unit here. The government subsidy rep didn’t care. I must have gotten a damn Republican. I will get the next fair market unit that opens there, be it in a day or a year. I’m so frustrated! This is my only article today. I just need a day to cry and get my head around this. AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:46 (average 4:58). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Take:

From The New Yorker: Donald Trump has reached a groundbreaking deal with the Hawaiian Islands to make them the nation’s fiftieth state, Trump confirmed on Monday.

Calling it “my most incredible deal yet,” Trump said that he had forced Hawaii to bend to his will and “cough up billions” to become a state.

“This is a big win for our country,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Hawaii is going to be a beautiful and amazing state.”

Just minutes after his announcement, however, there was significant pushback from Hawaii, which claimed that it had already reached a deal to become a state in 1959.

That claim swiftly drew the ire of Trump, who denounced Hawaii’s alleged sixty years of statehood as “fake news” and “disgraceful.”

Dang Andy! If the Fuhrer steals the 2020 election, Hawaii will agree that it’s fake news and stay out. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Open Thread – 6/10/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 102019

It’s another busy day here at the CatBox. Unit 245 is a much smaller unit than Unit 215 was. It is big enough to meet my needs, albeit barely. The bathroom, on the other hand, is magnificent. I can’t wait to break in my new throne, and it has a roll in shower. I would have taken pictures, bur when I reached into the pouch on my wheel chair, I discovered that my iPhone was still sitting on my bed here. ARGH! I’ll be going back there tomorrow with Anne, a CCC Rep., to sigh paperwork, get keys, pay and take possession. I’ll take pics then. For that reason, I’ll be posting only a Personal Update with no links messages on Care2. The trip back may be gruesome. We have 96° forecast. Oh God it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:45 (average 5:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Watch Fox News host call Trump statement ‘fake news’

Barf Bag Alert!!

When Laura Ingraham, one of the most rabid goose-steppers at the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, calls bullshit on her own beloved Fuhrer, you know he stepped in it. RESIST!!

From YouTube (A blast from the the past):

Ah the memories! RESIST!!

From TPM: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao cleared the path for projects that would specifically benefit Kentucky and thus, her husband Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ahead of his 2020 reelection bid.

According to Politico, these arranged grants ultimately topped $78 million.

Chao assigned her aide Todd Inman to be the special liaison for Kentucky projects, a perk that other states did not enjoy and which helped channel money and attention into the Bluegrass state.

Dang! Bought Bitch Mitch is corrupt? What a surprise… NOT! RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Using Trump instead would be a trans-species fallacy.

Personal Update – 6/9/2019

Posted by TomCat at 7:20 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 092019

This is just a pit stop and my only article today. WWWendy and I are going to see the new CatBox. Hugs to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:12 (average 5:46). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Take:

From The New Yorker: A British woman quit her job, on Friday, after being forced to spend the better part of a week with Donald J. Trump, the woman has confirmed.

Speaking to reporters at her office in London, the woman said that, although she had spent years trying to get the job, having to endure several days in the company of Trump convinced her that “life is too short.”

“When I started this job, I knew that a certain amount of my responsibilities would involve dealing with members of the public,” she said. “But had I known that I also would have to spend hours listening to Donald Trump talk, I certainly would have applied for a different position.”

So she quit after almost a week, Andy? What took her so long? RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Open Thread – 6/8/2019

Posted by TomCat at 9:18 am Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 082019

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox, as we move into another heat wave with mid 90°s weather by mid week. Please expect no more than a Personal Update tomorrow with no links messages on Care2. After we de-stink the vile TomCat, WWWendy and I are going to the new CatBox for a look-see.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Special Announcement:

I have promoted Joanne Dixon, aka JD, from Editor to full Administrator, making her equal in authority to Squatch, Nameless, and I. It’s overdue. Hell! She’s around here more than I am, and I think we can trust her not to delete the site. Winking smile Congrats, JD!

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Representative Rashida Tlaib Unveils Bold New Policy For America’s Poor

I like it, but I prefer guaranteed basic income for all American households of $20,000. That would be reduced by 50% of what a household earns, so a family earning $30,000 would get a $5,000 subsidy. A family earning $40,000 would get no subsidy. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Media Matters Channel): “Lock her up” and Sean Hannity’s “beyond despicable” hypocrisy

Barf Bag Alert!!

Faux Noise hypocrites? Lock them up! Lock them up! RESIST!!

From Alternet: President Donald Trump knows what buttons to push when it comes firing up his far-right base, and one of them is decrying “socialism” and insisting that the Democratic Party has become fully “socialist” in its ideology. Meanwhile, the term “democratic socialism” is a badge of honor for Sen. Bernie Sanders and his ally, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City. But context is crucial. The “socialism” that Sanders and AOC champion is really a revival of New Deal/Great Society liberalism, and while both of them are left-of-center by U.S. standards, neither would be embraced by actual Marxist-Leninists or Maoists — in fact, communist websites have attacked them for not being true leftists.

But then, neither of them have claimed to be disciples of Che Guevara or Mao Tse-Tung. What they favor is regulated capitalism with a strong social safety net, realizing that the public and private sectors both have their place. And it’s possible to favor “socialism” in the form of Social Security, Medicare, public parks, the U.S. military or public libraries while applauding the private sector when it comes to software programs, Apple products, restaurants, smartphones, Ikea furniture or hip-hop recordings. One does not rule out the other.

Here are some forms of “socialism” that are wildly popular in the United States.

1. Social Security

One of the many government programs that came out of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal, Social Security has been around since 1935. President George W. Bush proposed privatizing Social Security in the 2000s, and the idea was met with a very negative response. Public support for the program remains strong: an NPR/PBS/ Marist poll conducted in 2018 found that 60% of Americans would rather reverse the GOP’s corporate tax cuts of 2017 than see the government cut spending for Social Security. And among Democrats, that number jumps to 80%.=

There is nothing wrong with supplementing Social Security with a private-sector retirement plan such as an IRA, a pension or a 401(k). But Social Security is a form of “socialism” that most Americans still support 84 years after it was implemented.

I shared the first of five examples. Click through for the other four. Also, add Libraries, Police Departments and Fire Departments to the list. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Open Thread – 6/7/2019

Posted by TomCat at 10:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 072019

I’m running way behind schedule, because I got tied up with move prep. Please pardon my brevity. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:51 (average 5:14). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence’s Last Word: Trump’s Lies About Why He Didn’t Serve In Vietnam

I believe that Resident Bone Spurs, given the opportunity, would have served in WWII… in the SS Einsatzgruppen. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: The Impeachment Process Explained

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. Far too many do not understand the ins and outs of this process. Impeachment by the House does not flush the Fuhrer of the Reich on the right, the Republican Reich. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: The billionaire Donald J. Trump’s bid to become a born-again Christian failed over the weekend after Jesus Christ turned down his friend request, campaign officials have acknowledged.

Jesus, who has not generally been active on Facebook, made a rare appearance on the social network on Monday to announce His decision to ignore the presumptive Republican nominee’s request for a personal relationship with Him.

In a brief post, Jesus offered the following explanation: “Just everything.”

Andy, Jesus’ response is quite logical. Trump could not be born again without being born before. His initial appearance was due to defecation, not birth. RESIST!!

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