Politics Plus

Yesterday I was so tired that I took a nap in the morning, took A nap in the afternoon. and took a nap in the evening.  I’m getting a late start today, because Julie was here.  After I was shined and refined to puddy perfection, I helped her with a few things on the computer and took her out for lunch from a neighborhood food cart.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:06 (average 4:33).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From American Bridge PAC: From birtherism to 9/11-trutherism, and a long-held conviction that global warming is “a hoax,” Donald Trump has for years dabbled in widely-debunked and discredited conspiracy theories.

Except for the 9/11 Truther BS, his nut-job theories are standard Republican Party line.

From Daily Kos: From The Daily Mail:

Bookings at Trump Hotels have plummeted by more than half since The Donald launched his controversial presidential campaign.

While Trump’s own popularity among his voters did not waver as he strode towards the Republican nomination, the hotel arm of his empire has taken a hit, according to data from travel firm Hipmunk.

Reservations at his hotel collection have fallen by 59 per cent year-on-year as their market share has crumbled.

I could not be more pleased that people are protesting against Rump Dump with their wallets.

From Media Matters: In a New York magazine article, Gabriel Sherman reported that Rupert Murdoch, executive co-chairman of Fox News’ parent company, “has signaled he plans to fully back Trump in the general election against Hillary Clinton” in “a sharp reversal from the hostile view he held over much of the past year.”

I told you that the Republican Reichsministry of Propaganda would goose-step behind whomever the Reich picked as Fuhrer.

Cartoon:

Please Pardon my brevity.  I want to finish in time for a nap before it’s time to go prison.  I won’t return until late tonight, so please  expect no more than a Personal Update tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:01 (average 5:12).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Me: Our Next First Lady

Since yesterday, I showed you what kind of nekkid first lady Rump Dump would bring to the White House, it’s only fair that I do the same for Hillary.

From Daily Kos: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals began hearing ​a case Tuesday on the legality of the Texas voter ID law. It’s viewed as the most restrictive such law in the nation and the circuit court’s ruling could have impacts well beyond the Lone Star state…

…To prove how twisted it is: If all you have is a college student ID, that’s not acceptable for voting. But if you’re a college student with a gun permit, they will happily give the nod to that and let you cast your ballot.

So for voting in Texas, having a gun is more important than having a brain.

From NY Times: A bitter divide over the Middle East could threaten Democratic Party unity as representatives of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont vowed to upend what they see as the party’s lopsided support of Israel.

Two of the senator’s appointees to the party’s platform drafting committee, Cornel West and James Zogby, on Wednesday denounced Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and said they believed that rank-and-file Democrats no longer hewed to the party’s staunch support of the Israeli government. They said they would try to get their views incorporated into the platform, the party’s statement of core beliefs, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July.

Bernie’s delegates could not be spot-on!

Cartoon:

I had a rough night last night.  I was awakened by an intermittent sharp stabbing pain in my left ankle, and it remains.  What make it particularly difficult, besides ruining my night’s sleep and my morning nap, is that my left ankle is made of titanium and is about three feet away from me.  On the plus side, I called my medical equipment company and told them to come pick up my O₂ tanks and concentrator, because my Pulmonologist told me that he doesn’t think I need them anymore.  I really needed that good news.  My turn for some was overdue.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:51 (average 4:45).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Think Progress: Climate education in Oregon just took a big step forward.

Last week, the Portland Public Schools board voted to eliminate the use of any textbooks or other materials that are “found to express doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities.”

“A lot of the text materials are kind of thick with the language of doubt, and obviously the science says otherwise,” Bill Bigelow, a former Portland public school teacher, told the Portland Tribune. “We don’t want kids in Portland learning material courtesy of the fossil fuel industry.”

In his testimony to the board, Bigelow quoted from the book Physical Science, published by Pearson.

“‘Carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles, power plants and other sources, may contribute to global warming,’” he read. “This is a section that could be written by the Exxon public relations group and it’s being taught in Portland schools.”

Other books have also been found to cast doubt on climate science: A review of sixth-grade textbooks in California, for instance, found that the books “framed climate change as uncertain in the scientific community — both about whether it is occurring as well as about its human-causation.”

No doubt the problem of Republican skience replacing science in many of our nation’s textbooks stems from the influence Texas exerts on the publishers. Kudos to the Portland School Board. Oregon leads the way!

From American Bridge PAC: Donald Trump Profited From Companies He Blasted For Outsourcing

Barf Bag Alert!!

Rump Dump Trump remains Republican in all the ways that count. What he says bears no relationship to what he does.

From NY Times: Palestinians, settlements and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rendered him effectively unwelcome in Washington and toxic to Palestinians. Yet to shore up his coalition in the Israeli Parliament, Mr. Netanyahu has now offered Mr. Lieberman the office of minister of defense — widely considered to be the second most powerful position in the Israeli government, with a critical role in dealing with the United States and the Palestinians.

Mr. Netanyahu may think his political needs are more important than relations with the soon-to-end Obama administration, relations that are already severely strained by the nuclear agreement with Iran. But the administration had at least established a working relationship with Moshe Yaalon, the tough but pragmatic defense minister who resigned once the offer to Mr. Lieberman became known. The timing of this changing of the guard is particularly sensitive because a critical 10-year defense agreement establishing new levels of American military aid for Israel is in the final stages of negotiations.

All US military aid to Israel should be suspended, as long as Bibi the Butcher continues to slaughter Palestinians, while ignoring Israel’s treaty obligation to pursue a two-state solution.

Cartoon:

I'm waiting for Julie to arrive.  She's now almost two hours late, and since she lost her phone, I cannot contact her.  I'm very worried.  Phew, she made it 2 1/4  hours late.  We made me a polished puddy tat, did the dreaded task, cleaned the apartment, made a 4 – 5 day supply of γέεννα chili, and talked.  Now it's late and I'm pooped, but that's OK.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today;s took me 5:03 (average 7:30).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: While washing her hands in a Connecticut Walmart bathroom, a woman named Aimee Toms, 22, was harassed by another customer who said:

“You’re disgusting!”
"You don’t belong here!”

We can put her argument against Republican bigots another way. "Thou shalt not commit TEAbuggery!!"

From KP Daily Funnies: The Liberal Redneck tells conservatives how it is in language they can understand

Even Bubba Bagger could understand that!

From Daily Kos: Louisiana state Rep. Kenneth Havard from Jackson proposed an amendment to a bill yesterday, then pulled it, which would limit the age and weight of exotic dancers. The Louisiana House was discussing bill No. 468, that would raise the minimum age of exotic dancers from 18 to 21. But that wasn’t what the amendment was about.

AMENDMENT NO. 1
On page 1, line 14, after "shall be" delete the remainder of the line and insert the following:
"between twenty-one and twenty-eight years of age and shall be no more that one hundred sixty pounds in weight."

In my younger days, I knew a stripper, who went by "U.C. Moore". She weighed over 250, had a humongous chest, and was far a far better comedienne than this Republican asshole is a Representative.

Cartoon:

Given the chance, Rump Dump Trump will guarantee that more will be exploded.