Open Thread–4/17/2016

Posted by TomCat at 12:49 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Apr 172016

I got up super early this morning to do my taxes on the last possible day. It went quite well. I posted the Squatch’s birthday article first, because I wanted to be sure that was up, no matter what else happened, I don’t owe Infernal Revenue or the State of Oregon any money. I did, however, have to pay a $35 Portland Arts Tax. The poor and middle classes get to pay for the rich to attend events that the rest of us can’t afford. It’s been a pet peeve of mine for years. Also on a positive note, I’m stable enough on George that I can now pee standing up. At this rate, it won’t be long, before learn how to miss the pot like a normal guy. Tomorrow I have an appointment with one of Megan’s (PCP)associates. Julie, cannot approve my Oxycodone, because she’s a PA. It should be an interesting trip, because I’m taking the normal bus, and the forecast high is 88°. I may have only a Personal Update tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:56 (average 5:23). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Donald Trump’s father, Fred, was a pretty crummy guy. He was a low-income housing profiteer who used state and federal subsidies in developing his real estate empire—the one his son Donald benefits from—and abused his position.

As the man who controlled the FHA’s New York office, Powell controlled the flow of money for Beach Haven, a big apartment complex Fred Trump built with FHA loans. He allowed Trump to start building before Beach Haven was actually approved and start renting to vets and others six months before he had to start repaying his loan.

In that time Trump pocketed $1.7 million in rent payments. Trump was also allowed to pocket most of a fee—5 percent of the Beach Haven development’s cost—that was earmarked for architectural work. Trump was also permitted to borrow more in federally subsidized funds—$3.7 million, to be precise—than he actually needed.

Beach Haven was the apartment complex Woody Guthrie moved into in 1950. Unfortunately for Woody, Trump was a racist shit (apples and trees).

Here’s Woody!

Like Republican father, like Republican son!!

From TPM: In an extraordinary display of internal discord, the chairman of the Republican Party’s rules committee is accusing top GOP officials of "a breach of our trust" by improperly trying to impede a proposed change in bylaws that would make it harder for party leaders to nominate a fresh candidate for president.

Bruce Ash, RNC committeeman from Arizona, wrote the harshly worded email to the other 55 members of the GOP rules committee that he chairs. The confidential email, obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday, was written days before party officials gather in Hollywood, Florida, for preliminary discussions about what rules the GOP will use at its presidential nominating convention this July.

Ash wrote the note at a time when some top Republicans consider the party’s two leading presidential contenders, billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, to be likely November election losers and have discussed how to replace them with alternatives at the summer convention in Cleveland, Ohio. It is possible that no contenders will have the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination at that gathering, which would produce the first GOP convention without a presumptive nominee since 1976.

Because this has become such a contentious issue, I’m going to leave the current poll up for the rest of the month. May Republicans have a civil war between themselves. Nothing could be better for our down-ballot candidates.

From Raw Story: Saturday Night Live took aim at a multitude of subjects associated with the rise of religious freedom laws that are anti-LGBT legislation in disguise, with a parody film preview of an “oppressed Christian” baker forced to not only make a cake for a same-sex couple but also to declare that “God is gay.”

Dang!! It looks like God and I have something in common!! Smile with tongue out

Cartoon:

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Religious Reichsfuhrer Pretended to Duck in McCrorystan

Posted by TomCat at 12:18 pm Politics, Religion

Apr 132016

The graphic with this article is the State Flag of the Republican Theocratic Dictatorship of McCrorystan, formerly North Carolina, led by Religious Reichsfuhrer Pat McCrory. You are probably aware that McCrorystan has taken some major economic hits over their recent display of hatred for Transgender folks who want to use the rest room. To try to stem that tide Religious Reichsfuhrer McCrory pretended to duck.

Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina, whose state has been the subject of withering criticism since he signed legislation limiting bathroom access for transgender people and eliminating anti-discrimination ordinances based on sexual orientation, announced Tuesday that he would strengthen workplace protections for state employees and urge the General Assembly to modify part of the law.

But he stopped short of opposing limits on which bathrooms transgender people could use, and the law will be left largely intact. Critics said his action was more cosmetic than real.

Mr. McCrory signed the legislation immediately after it was passed last month and, 20 days later, made his slight retreat with an executive order that he said would alter the equal employment policy for state workers to cover discrimination claims related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

He also said he would urge lawmakers to reverse course and allow people to bring discrimination cases in state court… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Rachel; Maddow covered the story and extended it to Tennessee.

Note that neither the Times, nor Rachel came out and said McCrory’s pretense at ducking is just smoke and mirrors. I say so because it’s all talk. He hasn’t actually done anything.

It wouldn’t surprise me if xhamster is Religious Reichsfuhrer McCrory’s favorite site. Whether it is or not, threatening Bubba Bagger’s access to Republican family-values porn, could crash the state government.

It will be interesting to see what Tennessee does.

Happy Easter

Posted by TomCat at 11:25 am Holiday, Politics, Religion

Mar 272016

Easter

In the time I have available, I don’t think I can improve on last year’s Easter message, so here it is again.

Whether or not you are a Christian, I respectfully invite you to join me in the celebration of the my faith’s most central holiday, even though many of its traditions are borrowed.

Jesus was a fascinating man. He associated most closely with the social rejects of his day. He respected people with faiths different from his. He did not burn their religious writings or try to prevent them from their own forms of worship. Sometimes he used them as an example of what is right, like the Good Samaritan. He had a heart for meeting the needs of the poor, and admonished us to care for them. His concern for the rich was that their own greed would blind them. He had no trouble getting along with sinners. He met people at the point of their need, and accepted all, except for the religious hypocrites who used their position to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor and to force their own piety codes, which they often ignored themselves, onto others. Those were only people Jesus condemned. Sadly, they are still among us.

If we are followers of Jesus, our faith will help us to follow the example of what he did. Of course, none of us is perfect in that way. God knows that I fall short every day. It is important to know that those who preach the things Jesus was against, but condemn those who contend for the things Jesus supported, are not followers of Jesus. They are pseudo-Christians. Authentic Christians try to follow Jesus’ example.

And now, for your listening pleasure:

Brussels Unprepared

Posted by TomCat at 1:28 pm Politics, Religion

Mar 232016

The Daesh, political extremists that are hijacking Islam for their own perverse ends, just committed a horrific act of terrorism, by attacking the the Brussels airport and subway station, killing over 30. Whenever such attacks happen, their counterparts, political extremists hijacking Christianity for their own perverse ends, call for religious discrimination and a crackdown on civil liberties. They are wrong about the problem. In Brussels, the problem was, at least in part, inadequate preparation.

A week after the attacks early last year in Paris against the magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery, Belgian police officers were fired on as they executed a search warrant in the town of Verviers. Officials learned that the assailants were members of a terrorist cell that had been planning a significant attack on Belgian police officers or civilians.

The incident changed the way counterterrorism officials perceived the Islamic State threat in Europe and made clear that Belgium itself had a greater problem on its hands than it realized.

Before the plot was disrupted, the United States Department of Homeland Security would later explain, nearly all of about a dozen Islamic State plots and attacks in the West had involved lone assailants or small groups. But, the report presciently warned, “the involvement of a large number of operatives and group leaders based in multiple countries in future ISIL-linked plotting could create significant obstacles in the detection and disruption” of new plots.

Indeed, that is now the case, and as the investigation of the even more brutal November attacks in Paris showed, Belgium is a major source of the threat. The attacks on Tuesday in Brussels raised the most serious questions about how prepared the nation was for that threat…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Click through for more detail on how Brussels was unprepared to defend their inhabitants against a terrorist attack.

While Rachel Maddow did not come to a conclusion on preparation, she does provide some excellent background.

Republican responses to the attack have been what we would expect from the pseudo-Christian version of the Daesh. Fecal Dump Trump would close our borders, infiltrate mosques, and torture suspects. TRUSed Uranus Cruz blamed Obama for the attack, and called for closing the borders, increasing support for Israel, and carpet bombing civilian populations where the Daesh has fighters. KKKsich called for closing the borders.

Those are not the answer. Whenever we, whichever nation we are, respond to terrorism by making ourselves less fess free, the terrorists win. Every time we respond to terrorism by discriminating against the religious population that the terrorists are hijacking, the terrorists win. That guarantees them new recruits. The best thing we can do is to harden our targets, vet potential immigrants carefully without ethnic profiling, and build a discrimination-free economy where all ethnic groups can thrive. And as for the people of Brussels…

Je Suis Bruxelles

Open Thread–3/22/2016

Posted by TomCat at 2:14 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Mar 222016

I felt tired and chilly, so I opened the Lona box and made a withdrawal. I ordered groceries from Store to Door for delivery tomorrow. I expect Lu to arrive in about an hour to help me with my shower. Hugs to all!! My thoughts and prayers go out to to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Brussels, that have killed at least 30 and wounded at least 230, and to all their loved ones. I am not covering it as a news item today, except to make this statement and condemn all political violence, especially when it hijacks religion.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:43 (average 7:24). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: I’m a Bernie supporter. I canvassed for him. I phone-banked for him. I have contributed $2,100 to his campaign so far, and plan to keep giving until either I hit the maximum or he is no longer in the race. Have I established my bonafides?

I am not, however, an absolutist. I recognize politics is a win or lose proposition and, in the end, we often have to support the better of the two options, even if they are not the options I would want. In other words, if Bernie loses, I will be canvassing for Hillary, phone banking for her, and shifting my contributions to her.

Here are a few numbers that explain why:

17 million: The number of people who will lose their health insurance if Hillary or Bernie is not elected.
2: The number of Supreme Court Justices who will likely be named in the next four years. That amount is high enough that it will lock SCOTUS in either a conservative or liberal position for decades.

4.75: The minimum amount per hour that people working for minimum wage will not receive for at least through 2021.
33: The percent of women who will seek an abortion sometime in their lives who will not be able to obtain one because Republicans will be in power in all three branches of government.
1: The minimum number of international accords on controlling climate change that the United States will abrogate

I don’t have the author’s bonafides, because I lack his time, mobility, and resources, but I fully agree with him. Click through for the rest of the list.

From NY Times: The Justice Department said on Monday that it might no longer need Apple’s assistance in opening an iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino, Calif., rampage last year.

The disclosure led a judge to postpone a court hearing over the issue and temporarily sidesteps what has become a bitter clash with the world’s most valuable company.

In a new court filing, the government said an outside party had demonstrated a way for the F.B.I. to possibly unlock the phone used by the gunman, Syed Rizwan Farook. The hearing in the contentious case — Apple has loudly opposed opening the iPhone, citing privacy concerns and igniting a heated debate — was originally set for Tuesday.

Donation requests have been going around, claiming to have forced the FBI back down. They forced nothing. Such scam requests should not be rewarded. Finding another way to hack the phone is not backing down. It isn’t even a win, unless their activity keeps our cell phone privacy secure. It clearly has not done so. Left wing organizations who use lies to solicit money are acting like Republicans. Boycott them.

From Crooks and Liars: Once again, we turn to the inimitable Samantha Bee to make sense out of the senseless Republicans’ need to obstruct President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination.

I may start calling her Samantha Bingo.

Cartoon:

Open Thread–3/18/2014

Posted by TomCat at 2:06 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Mar 182016

Yesterday I went to see my PCP’s PA. It was mostly about going over test results. My AIC was a 7.1, a little higher than I want it, but we3ll below the ganger range. My white count was a little high. Ellie thinks that was, because I was still recovering from pneumonia, and drew more blood to retest. My LDL was fine, but my HDL was a bit low. I ordered some fish oil caplets to boost my Omega 3s. She authorized pain meds sufficient to meet my needs. My poop test showed no evidence of colon cancer. All things, considered, I’m a perky puddy tat. I’ll retest in three months. My LIFT bus came at the back end of my window, and picked up and dropped off several people, before I got home in mid-afternoon. I had a late lunch and crashed. After breakfast this morning I cooked suppers for three days. A Lona Nap snuck up on me, so I’m running a bit behind. Several of you know Carrie. She asked me to let her friends know that she’s having Internet trouble. I hope she can return soon. TGIF!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 6:03). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: \Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò is a staunch conservative and was vocally opposed to same-sex marriage throughout his five-year tenure as the Vatican’s nuncio (ambassador) to the United States.

He also sent an anonymous invite to Ms. Kim Davis, of anti-equality fame, to the Pope’s DC visit. While people, here and elsewhere, initially thought this was a coup for Davis and bigotry, Pope Francis turned the other cheek.

And now word comes that the incident is prompting The Vatican to replace Vigano. A friend of the Pope’s claimed he was blindsided by the meeting, and the move caused the Vatican to distance itself from Viganò, leading many to believe the Pope would quietly replace him as his “statutory retirement age” was approaching. Viganò turned 75 in January; when bishops and archbishops reach that age, they are required to submit a letter of resignation to the Vatican.

Interestingly, the Pope is thinking about replacing the social conservative warrior with an advocate of immigration.

Good riddance to a Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian. I am not Catholic, and I am not even slightly interested in practicing Catholic dogma, but I keep liking this Pope more and more.

From The New Yorker: President Obama is planning to take the nation’s nuclear launch codes with him when he leaves office, in January of 2017, the President announced in a nationally televised address on Thursday.

The President was quick to acknowledge that his decision to hold on to the launch codes was unorthodox, but said that he was doing it “to reassure the American people.”

“In recent weeks, there has been a rising level of alarm about who might have access to these codes going forward,” Obama said. “As a result, it occurred to me that the safest thing would be if I just held on to them for the foreseeable future.”

The President stressed, however, that he would follow through on his plan to keep custody of the launch codes “only if it is necessary.”

“We’re just going to have to see how everything plays out,” he said.

LOL Andy!! He might briefly consider keeping them if Hillary is the next President, but if either Fecal Dump or TRUSed Uranus wins, it's a no-brainer.

From YouTube: Robert Reich: How to Fix the Supreme Court

The Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the right, the seditions Republican Reich, is wrong. This video is sponsored by MoveOn.org, which released this statement on Garland's nomination. The best place to express disapproval to Republican Senators is to visit them, when they are waiting in the unemployment line.

Cartoon:

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A Big Win for Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity

Posted by TomCat at 1:03 pm Politics, Religion

Feb 032016

His Iowa Caucuses victory was more than just a win for Sen. Ted Cruz, aka Uranus Inspector, the only Canadian import worse than filthy Tar Sands sludge. It was also a big win for Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity, the exact opposite of authentic Christianity. To see how significant a win this was, we a;so need to look what he defeated, and it was a lot more powerful than the Hateful Hairball.

When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took the stage last night to declare victory in the Iowa Republican caucuses, he opened his triumphant speech with a direct appeal to the people who worked so hard to secure him his win — evangelical Christians.

“God bless the great state of Iowa,” he said. “Let me first of all say: to God be the glory.”

Cruz went on to make several more biblical references, working a litany of scripture passages and appeals to “Judeo-Christian values” into a 30-minute speech that often sounded suspiciously sermonesque. He then concluded by citing Psalm 30, stirring the crowd into a frenzy by reminding them that “joy cometh in the morning.”

“I tell you tonight, Iowa has made clear to America and the world: morning is coming,” he said.

Cruz’s engagement with Christianity on the campaign trail is nothing new, as he’s made no secret of his evangelical strategy. He launched his run for president at Liberty University, an evangelical school, courted the endorsement of leading theological conservatives in the Iowa, and organized a passionate network of conservative Christian volunteers to help him get out the vote on caucus day.

Cruz’s engagement with Christianity on the campaign trail is nothing new, as he’s made no secret of his evangelical strategy.

And in Iowa, at least, it worked. Evangelicals flooded caucus sites across the state last night, ultimately making up 64 percent of Republican caucus-goers — up 7 points from 2012 — according to entrance polls. And despite ample hand-wringing from political analysts over Donald Trump’s support among portions of the evangelical flock, the biggest slice of churchgoers sided with Cruz: he won the lion’s share of “born again” Christians at 34 percent, with Trump grabbing 22 percent and Sen. Marco Rubio — a Roman Catholic — pulling in 21 percent… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Think Progress>

Note that Liberty University and Regent University has more graduates in permanent “nonpartisan” executive staff positions than the Ivy League, because so many “burrowed in” to permanent, “nonpartisan” positions, especially in DOJ, from political appointee positions during the Bush Reich. Then last thing America needs is more pseudo-Christians sabotaging our freedom.

Lawrence O’Donnell explained just how great an obstacle Uranus Inspector overcame.

Overcoming corn in Iowa with pseudo-Christianity is no laughing matter. While I have been laughing at the Cruz’ campaign of pseudo-Christian hatred, I’m not laughing any more, especially since so many front-end Republican primaries are dominated by the pseudo-Christians in their base. This magnifies how important it is for Democrats to turn out and vote!

Open Thread–1/26/2016

Posted by TomCat at 1:15 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jan 262016

Yesterday I finally found a way to exchange my sharps. I cannot use the Metro facility, because it is hazardous for people in wheelchairs. The Lift bus won’t wait for me. Fortunately I found a private company that actually costs less than Metro, and they come right to my door. Jeannie (shower-aide), just left, so I’m a perfumed pussycat with shiny fur again. Arvilla (PT) will be here within the hour. She’ll set-up my quad cane and work me out, Tomorrow I hope to do part of the dreaded task, while Tracey (OT) checks me for safety.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 5:32). To do it click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: The most hated man in America just gave another reason to be hated. As you know, there is a medical crisis going on in Michigan with every child in Flint potentially poisoned with lead. People, especially the poor, are still desperate for clean water. Ted Cruz has entered to do the Christian thing and donate—

But only for those who work in ultra-right wing, fake pregnancy “crisis” centers.

Likely, none of Ted’s water donation will get to the children who actually need the water. That would require working with a real charity, like the Red Cross. Instead, Ted’s campaign is coordinating water donations through Flint Right to Life only to be delivered to the ideologically-aligned wingnuts who work at these awful anti-abortion centers.

For those who don’t know, pregnancy "crisis" centers are places run by pro-life extremists, which are designed to fool women into thinking they are actual medical facilities. Instead, pregnant woman are bombarded with fake information in an attempt to trick them out of having an abortion. The people who work at these centers have no qualms about lying, instilling fear, or encouraging women in abusive relationships to stay put as long as there is no abortion.

It should be no surprise that, even in so-called charity, Uranus Inspector, however you spell it, acts just like a Republican.

From The New Yorker: On Saturday, the Times reported that the former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg “has instructed advisers to draw up plans for a potential independent campaign in this year’s presidential race.” From one perspective, that isn’t too surprising. The former mayor has long been eyeing a possible run at the White House, and there has been a lot of speculation about his intentions in 2016. Last week, a well-connected New York Republican told me that he thought Bloomberg would jump in if Donald Trump won the G.O.P. nomination.

While third party candidates on the left hurt progressives and only help elect Republicans, right-wing third party candidates are a blessing to America. They help elect Democrats.

From Alternet: Nationwide blowback targeting Muslim places of worship has now reached South Milwaukee, Wisconsin–where a group calling itself the Christian Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) is aggressively opposing the construction of a new mosque.

The religious facility–Masjid Al-Hudad–does not require prior approval from the city and has already acquired the property on which it will be built.

But that is not stopping the far-right, Christian fundamentalist group CCLU from mobilizing fierce opposition, including at a Common Council meeting last Tuesday.

At the public meeting, CCLU member Bob Braun issued an unclear–but highly alarming–warning. "There’s going to be, I predict, bloodshed one of these years coming up," he said, according to local media.

Here we have one more in the long list of examples of Republican domestic terrorism.

Cartoon:

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Vulture Capitalism is the Republican way!

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