Open Thread – 3/10/2021

 Posted by at 10:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 102021
 

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  I had to take an Oxycodone this morning to supplement the methadone.  I try to avoid that whenever I can.It’s been three days since the last time I Republicated, and I’m not happy with that.  Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:41 (average 4:31).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: House Democratic legislators including the chair of the chamber’s Veterans’ Affairs committee have reintroduced legislation that would block the deportation of noncitizen U.S. military veterans, and allow eligible deported veterans to return home to the U.S. Because federal immigration officials don’t follow even their own policy, it’s unknown exactly how many veterans have been kicked out of the U.S. over the years. Advocates have estimated the number to be around 230.

“It’s a disgrace that veterans are falling through the cracks of our broken immigration system and being deported,” Veterans’ Affairs chair Mark Takano said, who reintroduced the bill with fellow Californian Juan Vargas and Arizona’s Raúl Grijalva. “Deported veterans are exiled from the country that they call home and that they fought to defend, and they face significant barriers to access the benefits they are entitled to and eligible for under the law. Congress must act and fix this injustice, and passing this comprehensive legislative package can help us achieve that.”

I fully agree with this legislation. To deport veterans who have put themselves in harm’s way to defend this nation is so criminal, it’s … Republican!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From NY Times: It was a familiar play by Donald J. Trump: lashing out at his enemies and trying to raise money from it.

The former president this week escalated a standoff over the Republican Party’s financial future, blasting party leaders and urging his backers to send donations to his new political action committee — not to the institutional groups that traditionally control the G.O.P.’s coffers.

“No more money for RINOS,” he said in a statement released on Monday by his bare-bones post-presidential office, referring to Republicans In Name Only. He directed donors to his own website instead.

Trump** wasted no time in getting back to sheeple fleecing. Sheeple are so dumb that it’s BAAA-A-A-A-A-AAD!!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Judy Collins – Send In The Clowns

 

Ah… the memories and the clown cars!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

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Video Thread 3/9/2021

 Posted by at 2:08 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Mar 092021
 

Yes, this is a short list (and mostly transcript at that.) I’ll make it up probably tomorrow.

Democracy Calling

She may not be perfect (but then, who is) but I do like “The Claire Bear.”

Justice Matters – Glenn Kirschner. It gave me a smile to hear Glenn say my own words to me (“rue the day” waspart of them)

Rare panther sighting in the Everglades (from Ezra Van’s pwn channel)

Rough and ready transcript: Anchor: A man makes a discovery in the wild and the story behind this Trare sighting. The florida panther, is an elusive animal. Most of us will likely only see one in captivity in a place like the miami zoo, but a miami beach, man came across some in the wild, four of them together, and he had his camera with him to be. CBS 4 shows us the incredible video.
Announcer: What a stroke of luck to get a glimpse at a florida panther in the wild. But how about seeing four or more all at the same time?
Ezra Van: I mean I physically was shaking. I was so excited.
Anouncer: Ezra Van heads out to the everglades at least once a week, wildlife photography as a hobby. In all his years. He never saw what he found at Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. It happened just when he was leaving and saw a panther hangingout with the vulture
start, taking some pictures and another panther walks up and they and they bark both start playing with it and then another panther walks up, and then all three of them are kind of toying around. With it and then a fourth panther walks up and just kinda sits off on to the grass on the side.
Announcer: Van says they stalked that vulture a little while longer and eventually let it go
EV: and they hung out in the grass for a little while they would even look over at me one of them meowed at me, hung out there for three minutes and just walk back off into the trees
Alligator Ron Bergeron: Looking at the video it looked like to me a a female panther with three cubs. These cubs will stay with their mother for about two years.
Announcer: Alligator Ron Bergeron is known as the mayor of the everglades he has many titles. Everglades conservation is just one
ARB: well, that’s very incredible, and that has a lot to do. If you go back to nineteen. Eighty one are estimates on panthers win twenty to thirty panthers across all of the Everglades.
Announcer: He said seeing those four panthers together could only happen after years of hard work to save the endangered animal .
ARB: we put together a panther team and studied it. And today. We estimate we have somewhere around one eighty to two hundred and thirty panthers across the beautiful Everglades tremendous success story on one of the most endangered species on the planet.
Announcer: Alligator Ron says while the population is growing there is still more to do to ensure a bright future for the florida icon.
ARB: it’s biggest enemy, is loss of habitat and collisions with cars. More crossings under our roads are extremely important to avoid collisions with panthers.
EV: The panthers are a Florida treasure you know and appreciating nature and everything that lives in it, including the panthers. I mean, I think, that’s really key to why a lot of us who live in florida
Announcer: we’ve got a lot of interest and for you on a website. Cbs miami dot com. You can get another look at all of that and video. You can also find out more about conservation and efforts to save the florida panther in the everglades ted scout cbs Four News.
Second Anchor: My hats off to the cameraman
First Anchor: sure.

Beau on Trump and money and Republicans

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The Alt-Right Playbook Complete

 Posted by at 1:27 pm  Politics
Mar 092021
 

Caveat: “Complete” here means “Complete up to now.” Ian suggests in the fourth endnote and the bonus to it that he is not finished. After that, however, CoViD-19 came along and he has been doing a series on that (I should say, with that title.  The “VID” in the titles actually refers to “VID”eo games.)   I will be continuing to check in and if he adds to the Playbook, I will feature anything new in Daily Video Threads, but I will also add to this post in order to keep everything in one place for easy access.

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Endnote #1

Chapter IV

Chapter V – Please note that the “Ship of Theseus” is not a ship but a concept – any object made up of basically identical parts. If you get hung up on “ship”, try “fence.” (and if you get up on “Theseus,” try – I don’t know – Bernie Sanders? Or maybe Hamilton.)

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Endnote #2

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Endnote #3

Chapter X (The Long One)

Endnote #4 (Stuff that wouldn’t fit into the long one – so also long)

Aaand – Bonus! (Contining Q&A that wouldn’t fit into the endnote … so also long. (And the CC doesn’t pick up the questions well.)

Chapter XI

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Open Thread – 3/9/2021

 Posted by at 10:08 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 092021
 

It’s a very tired day here in the CatBox.  WWWendy and I finished our chores last night, and it should be fairly calm until Thursday.  With both a shower aide and grocery delivery day, I’ll be spending a lot of time in my chair that day.  I’m not looking forward to it.  Tuesday is a Flush you Republicans Day, but so far, I haven’t had any to flush.  Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:58 (average 4:36).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: One sunny day last spring, Bridgette Craighead was dancing the Electric Slide with three police officers in the grass next to the farmers’ market. It was the first Black Lives Matter protest this rural Virginia county had ever had, and Ms. Craighead, a 29-year-old hairdresser, had organized it.

She had not known what to expect. But when the officers arrived, they were friendly. They held her signs high, and stood next to her, smiling. Later an officer brought pizzas and McDonald’s Happy Meals. They even politely ignored her cousin’s expired license plate.

This, she thought, was the best of America. Police officers and Black Lives Matter activists laughing and dancing together. They were proving that, in some small way, their Southern county with its painful past was changing. They had gotten beyond the racist ways of older people. This made her feel proud. In a photograph from that day, Sgt. Thomas Robertson is smiling, and Ms. Craighead is standing behind him, her face tilted toward the sun and her fist held high.

She did not see the officers around Rocky Mount much after that. But in early January, someone sent her a photograph. It showed Officer Jacob Fracker and Sergeant Robertson posing inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the day the building was stormed by Donald J. Trump’s most fervent supporters.

At first, she did not believe it. Not her officers. But there they were, Officer Fracker giving the camera his middle finger. She confronted them on Facebook and they did not deny it. On the contrary, they were proud.

On a hate and hypocrisy scale of 1 to 10, Repuglicans rate a 50!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): SCHNOZZOLA – A Parody of Lola | Don Caron

Don always has a knack for lambasting Republicans!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Let the Good Times Roll – Harry Nilsson

Ah… the memories!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

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Video Thread 3/8/2021

 Posted by at 1:33 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Mar 082021
 

The Damage Report – Long-ish (under 6 minutes) but an important topic – and Ro Khanna.

Extremist military and veterans. I do apologize for no CC.

This is only a partial transcript.
Whoever coined the phrase “Once a Marine, always a Marine” did not have this in mind: A Marine Corps veteran using the Marine Corps flag to attack a Capitol police officer. Thomas Webster is one of more than 30 who have served in the military now charged with crimes at the Capitol.
“It doesn’t take an army to do what happened; it takes people with some skill set to lead those others,” said former FBI Agent Tom O’Connor, who spent two decades investigating extremists.
“Extremist elements in the United States have long tried to recruit former military and former law enforcement into their ranks for their skill set.”
And for the mindset of a culture trained to resort to violence when all else fails.
Army veteran Stewart Rhodes founded a group called Oath Keepers in 2009. “All you veterans out there, you’ve got to stand up,” he said in a video on the conspiracy theory-spreading website InfoWars. “Lead your local community in watching over their own backyards, over their own neighborhoods, and over their own towns.”

Now This News – The kids are all right.

Robert Reich on Guaranteed Income. (You know, the “work ethic” is really overrated. I have felt for decades that people who have wealth but choose to work just take jobs away from more needy – and often more competent – people.)

Trae on royalty. For a different take on the interview, check out this.  Though neither seems to be aware that royals, particularly those in the direct line, do work, and do pay taxes.

The quote to be carved in stone on the exterior of the Obama Presidential Library has been chosen.

Is someone in the Biden administration watching Beau’s videos?

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Open Thread – 3/8/2021

 Posted by at 10:12 am  Open Thread, Politics
Mar 082021
 

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox.  The methadone has ruined the way food tastes for me.  I still haven’t caught up with my sleep.  WWWendy is coming this evening.  Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:16 (average 7:10).  Ti do it, click here.  How did you sdo?

Cartoons:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Disgusting and hateful Senator Tommy Tuberville tried to get an Amendment passed that would have prevented schools from getting funding if they allow transgender students to compete in sports. Sen. Joe Manchin — a Democrat — voted in SUPPORT of the Amendment, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski — a Republican — voted AGAINST it.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) blasted Tuberville for the measure that would have blocked funding for schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports. Murray came out and called a spade a spade, saying that this stunt by Tuberville was “simply an attempt to discriminate against transgender students.”

She added, “For the love of god, can’t we just have a little bit of heart and compassion in this world for someone who doesn’t look or live exactly like you? All students, including transgender students, benefit from participating in sports to challenge themselves, to improve fitness, to be part of a team.”

That ANY Democrat could vote for such a vile amendment makes me want to puke. Unfortunately we can’t challenge DINO Joe in the primaries until the elections of 2024. Even more unfortunately, we need to be damn glad we have him until them, because he alone stands between us and Majority Leader Bought Bitch Mitch!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From Alternet:

A Florida hospital diverted vaccines from the general public to an ultra-wealthy community where its CEO and Republican donors lived.

Gov. Ron DeSantis insists “the state was not involved” in helping to vaccinate 1,200 residents of the wealthy Ocean Reef community in January, but a spokeswoman for Baptist Health Systems, which administered the doses, told Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald that state officials did intervene.

“It is our understanding that the Medical Center at Ocean Reef asked the State of Florida for vaccine doses, and the State of Florida asked Baptist Health to take delivery of the doses to our ultra-cold freezer storage for delivery to the Medical Center at Ocean Reef,” said Baptist Health spokeswoman Dori Alvarez in a statement.

Some of the beneficiaries had donated to the governor’s political action committee, which has garnered almost $4 million, and Baptist Health Systems president and CEO Brian Keeley and his wife own a home in Ocean Reef.

The spokeswoman would not say whether the couple was involved in getting the vaccine doses delivered to their community.

If you believe that that DeSantis had nothing to do with this absurd lie, you should also believe the Pope is not Catholic, Trump** is not an asshole, and bears never ever shit in the woods!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Creedence Clearwater Revival – Proud Mary

 

Ah… the memories!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

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Video Thread 3/7/2021

 Posted by at 5:17 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Mar 072021
 

Now This News — Something Nice

Now This News – Something interesting (sounds expensive, but at least not invasive.

Justice Matters – Glenn Kirschner – Derek Chauvin Trial (12 and a half minutes but it’s an important case)

Ring of Fire – Yeah, I know it’s Trump**, but it’s kind of promising. And better then looking at Jared, isn’t it?

KAREN blocks road to man’s driveway and slaps his phone away (with bonus intro)

Cole and Marmalade – Cat Logic 3

Beau on questions about Black History Month

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Open Thread – 3/7/2021

 Posted by at 10:25 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 072021
 

It’s a very tired day here in the cat box.  For the last week I had a pants load of long appointments setting up my hospice services, and all that chair time exacerbated my back pain.  My hospice nurse adjusted my methadone dose to my new level of pain.  That was too high for my normal level of activity, causing all the side effects.  I told her that’s what I thought, and she agreed to put me back to 10 mg methadone every eight hours.  I’m feeling better.  Here is my new schedule.  This is what I said I would explain today.  Monday is a Wendy day, usually in the evening.  Thursday a shower aide comes around 9 AM.  Then Store to Door delivers groceries between 11:30 AM and Noon.  That will be a rough day.  Saturday morning is a Wendy day.  My hospice nurse will come every two weeks on Monday.  Then I will have occasional visits from Jo, the chaplain.  I like her.  She is an authentic Christian and loves the definitions for Republicitis and Republicosis.  So except for the initial confusion everything is doing pretty well.  Nevertheless, it will take a few days for me to catch up on sleep.  May you be well and truly blessed this Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:41 (average 4:56).  To do it, click here.  How did you fo?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos:

…”It will be a Democratic Party Armageddon in 2022 if we sit here on our butts and say, ‘Oh, we’re sorry, we’re not as determined to get our agenda passed as Republicans were,'” Sen. Jeff Merkley, the Oregon Democrat spearheading filibuster reform efforts, told the Post. He’s right. With the Supreme Court seemingly ready to gut the remains of the Voting Rights Act and 43 states considering some 253 voter restriction bills, it could be Armageddon for Democrats. If the elections reforms passed by the House don’t become law, Democratic voters will be blocked from the polls. If President Biden’s critical agenda to address the pandemic, economic inequality, climate change, immigration—everything!—is stymied, Democratic voters won’t want to go to the polls in 2022.

Biden sure as hell recognizes that. That’s why the former longtime member of the Senate is open to filibuster reform. “One thing that is nonnegotiable is him delivering for the American people,” Emmy Ruiz, the White House political director, told the Post. “The number one priority here is to get this agenda, this bold agenda, passed through Congress.” Another White House official said the “‘strategy is adjusting every single day,’ reiterating Biden’s position that the filibuster is not sacrosanct while the agenda is.”…

Jeff could not be more correct. Oregon leads the way!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump State Department official charged for attacking police in Capitol riot

Could the Republican Reich be more guilty of treason than this?  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Crimson and Clover – Tommy James & The Shondells

Ah… the memories!  RESIST the Republican Reich!!

Don’t Let Republicans Steal YOUR Future!!

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