Jun 232016
 

I can get this today and maybe tomorrow, but I’ll definitely need the Squatch to do it Saturday and possibly Sunday.  I’m still hurting. Second surgery is tomorrow.  Hugs to all!!  This is my only article today:

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:44 (average 5:06).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Julie will kill me for this:

IMG_0167

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: When Pastor Roger Jimenez’s hateful rant against the LGBT community went viral, there was (and continues to be) a well-deserved backlash from people such as myself who don’t worry too much about what people love what people, as long as they love one another. Pastor Roger Jimenez has a pastor buddy down in Texas whose name is Donnie Romero. Pastor Donnie Romero spends his waking hours thinking about men kissing men and touching their penises together and it drives him mad. This “madness” makes him think and say terrible terrible things and like most narcissists, he must blame everybody else for making him think and feel these terrible things. After opening with how his son loves the lion in the Bible (and we all love Narnia!), he goes into saying that he agrees with Pastor Jimenez’s homophobia “100 percent.”

These 50 sodomites are all perverts and pedophiles, and they are the scum of the earth, and the earth is a little bit better place now," Romero said in his sermon. "And I’ll take it a step further, because I heard on the news today, that there are still several dozen of these queers in ICU and intensive care. And I will pray to God like I did this morning, I will do it tonight, I’ll pray that God will finish the job that that man started, and he will end their life, and by tomorrow morning they will all be burning in hell

Yet another view of how Republican Supply pseudo-Christians express "love".

From The New Yorker: In what some are calling a sign of its desperation to raise cash, the Presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump is auctioning off New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on the popular e-commerce site eBay, campaign officials have confirmed.

Christie, who is described on the site as being in lightly used but good condition, is believed to be the first sitting governor ever to be auctioned on the Internet.

Andy, he might get a better deal selling PIGnocchio by the pound.

From Alternet: On Foreign Policy

“It all started with her bad judgment in supporting the war in Iraq in the first place. Though I was not in government service, I was among the earliest to criticize the rush to war, and yes, even before the war ever started. But Hillary Clinton learned nothing from Iraq, because when she got into power, she couldn’t wait to rush us off to war in Libya.”

This claim has been debunked time and time again. While Clinton certainly voted to authorize the war in Iraq, there is no evidence that Trump criticized it “before the war ever started.” In 2002, Trump offered tepid support for the war in an interview with radio host Howard Stern. Immediately after the invasion again, Trump told Fox’s Neil Cavuto the war “looks like a tremendous success” from a military standpoint.

Trump did speak out against the war in July 2004—a full 16 months after the war began. Pressed on these facts by CNN’s Jake Tapper, Trump promised to provide evidence of opposition to the war, saying:

“No, no, but I was against it from before it started. And if you go back and look at that interview, and I’ll get it for you if you want, but that interview was substantially before the war started. It was the first time I was ever asked the question. And even that, it wasn’t like, oh yeah, we should go in. It was a very, like yeah, maybe.”

Tapper told Trump he’d “love” to see evidence of Trump’s vocal opposition to the war. So far, that wish seems to remain unfulfilled.

1st of 5 Biggest Lies in Trump’s Hillary-Attack Speech.  Click through for the other four.

Cartoon:

0623Cartoon

Factory is in China

Share
Jun 192016
 

Tomorrow I undergo my first of two outpatient surgeries for ocular cancer.  The second will be on Friday.  Lynn, our beloved Sasquatch, will be doing the Open Threads until I can return, and she and Nameless will be managing the site. I do hope to make a brief appearance at least once a day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:51 (average 4:45).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: President Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats are rallying around proposals to expand Social Security and increase benefits, a sea change after three decades dominated by concern over the program’s rising costs.

The Democrats’ new consensus was driven by the populist election-year politics of Senator Bernie Sanders and by a realization that many workers have neither traditional pensions nor any significant retirement savings.

Thank you Bernie! At the outset we didn’t dream you could go so far.

From Alternet: With Donald Trump’s poll numbers sinking into a death spiral, dozens of Republican delegates are now openly plotting a coup to overthrow him at this year’s Republican National Convention.

The Washington Post has scored an interview with GOP delegates who are leading the effort to allow delegates to vote their consciences at this year’s RNC so they can choose someone other than Trump. The rule change would allow delegates to unbind themselves based on “personal or religious conscience.”

That’s transparent election theft.  I think the response of the Trump Humpers would be armed mayhem. Rump Dump has won the Republican nomination fair and square. He has a right to represent the Party that chose him at the ballot box, however abhorrent I consider him.

From TPM: During her speech at the New Hampshire Democratic party’s convention on Saturday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) continued her attacks on Donald Trump, calling him a "thin-skinned, racist bully."

"Donald Trump says he likes to see women on their knees," she told the crowd, according to NBC News. "Well, Donald, that’s not happening. Can you believe this guy? Democrats believe in equal pay for equal work and a woman’s right to decisions over her own body. And we’re ready to fight for it."

The Democratic senator also brought up the lawsuit over Trump University.

"Now Trump University failed, and that’s no surprise," Warren said, according to NBC News. "Think about all the other Trump failures. Trump casinos. Trump Airlines. Trump steaks. Trump magazines. Trump vodka. Trump Mortgage. Trump Games. Trump Travel. Trump Ice. Trump Network. Donald Trump is a proven businessman — a proven failure."

Warren said that Trump should be shaking "in his high-priced Italian loafers, begging the court to protect him, terrified about what happens if those videos go public and he is held accountable."

Keep it up, Lizzie!! You are still a national treasure.

Cartoon:

0619Cartoon

Share
Jun 182016
 

I’m waiting for Julie to arrive, so I’m sure I’ll finish this after she is gone.  This weekend I want to do two things: rest and hydrate.

Julie has come and gone.  She made me a primped Puddy Tat, and I fed her baby back ribs.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 5:53).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Killer Dawg Update (taken Wednesday):

IMG_0142

IMG_0151

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Consider this: John McCain has just said something just as, if not even more insane and offensive than Donald Trump:

John McCain: Obama is ‘directly responsible’ for Orlando attack

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the elder Republican statesman, said President Obama was “directly responsible” for the terror attack in Orlando due to his failure to combat the rise of the Islamic State terror group.

McConJob has now whored himself so far that he’s aping Rump Dump Trump.

From NY Times: Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is leaning heavily toward running for re-election to the seat he swore he was giving up after six often frustrating years and a failed presidential run, associates said on Friday, a reversal that would upend one of the most competitive races in the country.

Mr. Rubio could make his decision public early next week after he spends the weekend with his family in Florida weighing the personal, political and financial considerations of another campaign. One adviser who described the senator as “all in” said Mr. Rubio’s staff members had already begun scouting a site for a possible announcement.

The last thing we need in the Senate is a Border Booter Bot, a Republican racist Latino, bigoted against his own people.

From Washington Post: Bernie Sanders could offer an endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton before the party’s convention next month, depending on the outcome of ongoing policy talks between the two campaigns, Sanders’s campaign manager said Friday.

Jeff Weaver, a longtime Sanders confidant, said that he has been encouraged by discussions over several policy issues important to Sanders — including a plan for tuition-free college — that Sanders would like to see as part of the Democratic legislative agenda going forward. Clinton and Sanders began talks in earnest over such issues during a meeting Tuesday in Washington.

“The resolution of those issues are important to determining any timetable” for a potential endorsement, Weaver said, adding that the outcome could also determine “how closely the campaigns work together” heading into the fall to defeat Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

During an address live-streamed across the country Thursday night, the senator from Vermont did not concede the Democratic nomination to Clinton but told supporters that he plans “in a short period of time” to start working to see that “Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly.”

Thank you, Bernie!

Cartoon:

0618Cartoon

Republicans want to repeal US support for it.

Share
Jun 172016
 

It’s almost time for me to leave for my blood test.  There probably won’t be time to post this before I return this afternoon.

I’m back.  I’m done.  I’m so tired I hear Lona calling from my pillow,.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:02 (average 5:11).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Media Matters: Fox’s Geraldo Rivera Shames Orlando Victims For Not Fighting Back

Barf Bag Alert!!

 

Isn’t it just like the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda, Faux Noise, to blame the victims?

From Daily Kos: Though the outcomes of the legislative votes are far from sure, the filibuster begun by Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy has succeeded in bringing Republicans to the table for a pair of votes.

Senate Democrats ended a nearly 15-hour filibuster early Thursday after Republican Party leaders reportedly agreed to allow votes on two proposed gun control measures.

The votes will supposedly include a proposal to provide universal background checks, and another to prevent those on the no-fly list from obtaining weapons. The second bill apparently addresses the no-fly list, not the much larger terrorist watch list. These are both positions that have wide, bipartisan support in the public, but which Republicans have either blocked from a vote or voted down in the past.

As wonderful as this sounds, Senate Republicans caved in, while secure in the knowledge that House Republicans will never allow either bill to come to the floor.

From NY Times: A member of Parliament was gunned down outside a library in northern England as she was wrapping up a meeting with constituents on Thursday afternoon, a rare act of gun violence in a nation that strictly regulates firearms.

The lawmaker, Jo Cox, 41, who was considered a rising star in the opposition Labour Party and a passionate advocate for victims of the civil war in Syria, was shot in Birstall, a town about six miles southwest of the city of Leeds. A 77-year-old man was slightly injured in the attack.

A 52-year-old man was arrested in Ms. Cox’s killing, and the police said they were not looking for any other suspects. No motive has been established, officials said.

The suspect was identified in the British news media as Thomas Mair.

On Thursday night, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported on its website that Mr. Mair was a “dedicated supporter” of the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi organization in the United States. The center, which tracks hate groups, said Mr. Mair bought a manual from the alliance in 1999 that included instructions on how to build a pistol. It based its reporting on invoices it said it had obtained, copies of which were published on its website…

Please offer Prayers and condolences to the family and loved ones of Jo Cox, who may well be the first UK victim of terrorism by a Republican-supporting fascist.

Cartoon:

0617Cartoon

Share
Jun 152016
 

I’m expecting Julie to arrive momentarily, but want to do as much as I can, as this is a very busy week.  She came, and brought sad (for me) news,  She has been having an online romance in WV and is moving there in early July.  So I nave begun the search for another caregiver.  I will consider myself blessed if I cab find one half as caring as she is.  I trust we will stay in touch.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 6:27 (average 8:57).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: In the course of delivering the commencement address at Stanford University, Ken Burns did an epic takedown of The Donald.  In addition to deriding him for his lack of experience, his bombast, and his lies, he also called his campaign a “political Ponzi scheme” and implored “those ‘Vichy Republicans’ who have endorsed him to please, please reconsider”.

 

What can I say? He’s absolutely correct, except that trump would not be where he is if Burns’ complaints were not applicable to the Republican Party in general.

From Real Clear Politics.

State

Date

Delegates

Clinton

Sanders

Delegate

Allocation

Open/

Closed

(2,382 Needed to Win)

4763

2800

1881

Delegates Won

4051

2219

1832

Superdelegates

(712)

581

49

District of Columbia

June 14

20 (25)

16

4

Primary

Closed

The primaries are over. The winner, sadly, is beyond refute.

From Alternet: California’s counties process ballots in waves, by category: those that arrive before election day; those cast on election day (including provisional ballots given to people whose names were not on polling place lists); and those that arrive in the mail afterward. Thus, in the days that followed last Tuesday’s primary, the total number of ballots processed—out of 9.2 million cast statewide—has been steadily increasing, even though 2.3 million remain unprocessed… [emphasis added]

Rather than some draconian conspiracy to cheat Bernie, the still uncounted ballots are uncounted because of when they were submitted, not because they were provisional. The article goes on to say that it will almost definitely not give Bernie a win in CA, Even it it did, it would not affect the overall delegate count enough to matter.

Cartoon:

0615Cartoon

This map is how Bloody Bullseye Barbie, aka Drill Baby Dingbat, targeted Democrats running for Congress for violence  Gabby Giffords was one.

Share