It’s a muggy day here in the Cat-Box, and I feel very tired.  The high humidity woke me up, and I slept poorly.  TGIF Hugs to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:19 (average 4:59).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is how Republicans support our veterans.

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald Trump is sowing discord among his foreign-policy advisers with a controversial plan to send a drone to the Middle East, White House insiders report.

According to sources familiar with the heated discussions, the opposition to Trump’s plan stems from the belief of many in his inner circle that the drone proposed for the mission is totally ill-equipped and doomed to miserable failure.

“There is virtually no enthusiasm for this particular drone,” one source said. “Trump is the only person who thinks that it has any use whatsoever.”

Fears abound that, if the drone were employed in the Middle East, it would immediately stray off course, due to its near-total lack of an even rudimentary guidance system.

Dang, Andy! Do you have Kushner (the drone) pegged or what?  RESIST!!

From YouTube (CSPAN Channel): Secretary Chao on California Fuel Economy Standards (only 41 sec.)

Barf Bag Alert!!

Everything Mrs. Bought Bitch Moscow Mitch says is a lie! RESIST!!

From YouTube (Jeff Merkley Channel): Merkley Demands Action on Gun Safety Legislation

Jeff is spot on and is showing how Oregon leads the way in dealing with Republican Ammosexuals. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox.  It’s a grocery delivery day, so I want to finish, post, eat lunch, and lie down early enough to get part of my nap in before Store to Door gets here.  Pooped Hugs to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:20 (average 4:43).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): WaPo: Trump Call With Foreign Leader Prompted Intel Whistleblower

RepubliSpeak Dictionary: Potentially Privileged Material = absolutely damning evidence against the Republican Reich that must be hidden. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): A Liberal Redneck Reaction Video – The Third Democratic Debate

I disagree. The positive reaction to Yang and his handout to ten people was driven by greed and stupidity. I think most progressives would give up great union insurance, but most voters are not progressives. They are driven by perceived self-interest. I agree debates should be issues-based. That ABC did not end include Warren excerpts says a lot about ABC! Kudos to Rep. Ham! RESIST!!

From Times of Israel: Blue and White leader Benny Gantz on Thursday dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s offer of a unity government that includes all the religious right-wing parties, insisting that the next coalition should have himself as prime minister, not Netanyahu, and be committed to liberal policies on religious issues.

Earlier in the day, after the leaders of all the parties in the right-wing religious bloc signed a document pledging to recommend Netanyahu as the next prime minister and vowing to enter a coalition only as a single unit, the premier called on Gantz to join a government that includes those parties, pressuring him to drop his demand for a “secular” unity government with Likud.

At a faction meeting Thursday afternoon, Gantz responded to the proposal: “The nation went to the ballots and made a clear choice — the nation chose unity. Blue and White won the elections, Blue and White is the biggest party. I intend to form a broad unity government headed by me, which would reflect the people’s choice and our basic promises to the public and our priorities.”

Kudos to Benny Gantz! Flush Netanyahu [R-IS] and Trump [R-Hell]! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  I had a bit of computer maintenance to do, in addition to scheduling my Lift Bus ride for Monday’s medical appointment and a medical waste exchange for my sharps container.  Tonight is a WWWendy night to destink the sticky TomCat and do chores.  Hump Day Hugs to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:19 (average 5:02).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoons:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Late Show Channel): Elizabeth Warren: A Country That Elects Donald Trump Is Already In Trouble

Dang! I have to disagree with Liz. We are in trouble, because Trump was elected, but we are not the country that elected him. Russia is! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Trump: America’s Homeless Are Living On Our Best Highways, Our Best Streets

How absurd! The level of homelessness is driven by the greed of Republican tinkle down welfare for the rich. Now the chief perpetrator wants to punish the victims. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Israeli exit polls showing an extremely tight race

Even if you’re an Atheist, please pray for the political demise of Butcher Bibi Netanyahu [R-IS], Israel’s version of Fuhrer Donald Trump. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

It’s a very strange day here in the CatBox.  YouTube is broken.  Videos play just fine, but the embed requester won’t load the code I need to embed videos here.  I checked the support forum, and lots of folks have the same problem.  When was the last time I posted a normal day without videos?  ARGH!  Hugs to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:13 (average 6:37).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Fantasy Football Report:

Here’s the latest from our own fantasy football league.

Scores:

Vivian and I had the high scores.

Standings:

Vivian and WWWendy are the league leaders.

Remember to set your lineup before Thurs. evening.

Short Takes:

From Washington Post: CONFLICTING REPORTS were circulating Monday about who launched the devastating attack on Saudi oil production facilities Saturday, and from where. Though Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed credit, Saudi Arabia and the United States said the assault did not come from Yemen; both blamed Iran, but without providing evidence. What is certain is that the strike represented a major escalation in the conflict in the Persian Gulf — and that President Trump, who triggered the crisis with his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, seems to have lost any ability to control it.

Iran has been engaged in aggression across the Middle East for years, including in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. But Mr. Trump’s decision to walk away from the international agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program and to apply crushing new sanctions has provoked Iran, inexcusably but predictably, to ratchet up that aggression. The U.S. attempt to block all Iranian oil exports, which has delivered a powerful blow to the Islamic republic’s economy, was itself a virtual act of war. Tehran first responded with attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf, and now comes the stunning air raid on Saudi oil facilities — which, wherever it came from, very likely had Iranian sponsorship or support.

Mr. Trump’s ability to respond effectively is severely limited compared to previous U.S. presidents. Few believe his pronouncements, so barring the presentation of overwhelming evidence, claims of Iranian responsibility will not persuade even close U.S. allies. European states that joined U.S. operations to secure the Persian Gulf in the past are very reluctant to do so now, because they fear Mr. Trump will drag them into a war. Even some of Iran’s foremost adversaries don’t want a conflict with Iran presided over by an erratic and unstable U.S. president, who already canceled one military strike at the last minute.

The attack should not go unanswered, but the best response may not be a military one. Mr. Trump risks compounding his strategic problems if he acts hastily or recklessly. The United States must first work to definitively establish who was responsible for the operation and how it was carried out, and make that information public. Especially since it was Saudi and not U.S. assets that were struck, no retaliatory U.S. military action should be undertaken without consultation with Congress.

Locked and loaded Chicken-hawk Bone Spurs must be stopped from starting a war at the behest of Murderer Salman an Butcher Bibi. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff has issued a press release and a subpoena to the acting Director of National Intelligence over a subject that looks deeply concerning. A month ago, someone inside the U.S. intelligence community filed a whistleblower complaint alleging a “flagrant problem” or “violation of the law.” That complaint appears to have been aimed directly at actions by acting DNI Joseph Maguire. Since that filing, the Inspector General for the intelligence community has looked into the matter and found that it’s not only “credible,” but an “urgent concern.”

A month later, this urgent concern about a flagrant violation is still being hidden by Maguire. The clock ran out for Maguire to release this whistleblower report on Sept. 3. But he did not release it. In fact, he didn’t even let Congress know that there was such a report.

As Schiff notes, even if the original report didn’t allege a violation of the law, the failure to release the report absolutely is a violation of the law. This instance is both extremely serious and utterly unprecedented.

This obstruction of Congress’ oversight rights is an impeachable offense all by itself. RESIST!!

From ProPublica: Medical images and health data belonging to millions of Americans, including X-rays, MRIs and CT scans, are sitting unprotected on the internet and available to anyone with basic computer expertise.

The records cover more than 5 million patients in the U.S. and millions more around the world. In some cases, a snoop could use free software programs — or just a typical web browser — to view the images and private data, an investigation by ProPublica and the German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk found.

We identified 187 servers — computers that are used to store and retrieve medical data — in the U.S. that were unprotected by passwords or basic security precautions. The computer systems, from Florida to California, are used in doctors’ offices, medical-imaging centers and mobile X-ray services.

Your medical records should not be at risk. Tell your Congress Critter to pass a bill to secure the servers. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!