Open Thread–7/1/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 012020

It’s a crazy day. I’m waiting for Safeway.com to arrive, and hoped they would be here, before I publish this, but their tracking app shoes them over one hour late. They have emailed me my receipt. They are out of stock for $100 out of $190, including toilet paper. I can do without a lot of the items, but it may be a shitty week, here in the CatBox. Tomorrow, please expect no more than Personal Update. WWWendy will be here in the morning. Hump Day Hugs!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:59 (average 5:08). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0701TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,730,803

US Deaths: 130,134

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Oregonian Channel): Portland Police declare a riot on June 30, 2020

It was a riot… a police riot. They attacked demonstrators, because they were in front of the police union office protesting police violence. Sadly, policing is one of the few areas in which Oregon does NOT lead the way. RESIST!!

From NY Times: American officials intercepted electronic data showing large financial transfers from a bank account controlled by Russia’s military intelligence agency to a Taliban-linked account, evidence that supported their conclusion that Russia covertly offered bounties for killing U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, according to three officials familiar with the intelligence.

Though the United States has accused Russia of providing general support to the Taliban before, analysts concluded from other intelligence that the transfers were most likely part of a bounty program that detainees described during interrogations.

Investigators also identified by name numerous Afghans in a network linked to the suspected Russian operation, the officials said — including, two of them added, a man believed to have served as an intermediary for distributing some of the funds and who is now thought to be in Russia.

The intercepts bolstered the findings gleaned from the interrogations, helping reduce an earlier disagreement among intelligence analysts and agencies over the reliability of the detainees. The disclosures further undercut White House officials’ claim that the intelligence was too uncertain to brief President Trump. In fact, the information was provided to him in his daily written brief in late February, two officials have said.

Now we have undeniable proof, both that Russia paid for the murder of US troops, and criminal Fuhrer Trump* knew about it since February, 2019. He rewarded Russia in spite of it. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* has now fallen back to his defense of last resort. He’s calling it “fake news”. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): he Hollies – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Donald Trump* [R-Russia]

Posted by TomCat at 11:28 am Politics

Jun 302020

The first time I covered this story, most of you were surprised to read it. Now it’s all over the news, so I’ll cover it again. Not only has criminal Fuhrer Trump* known that Russia pays bounties to Afghan terrorists for killing US troops, but also Trump’s* only response had been to fight to add Russia to and invite Putin to the G7, over the objections if our allies.

American officials provided a written briefing in late February to President Trump laying out their conclusion that a Russian military intelligence unit offered and paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan, two officials familiar with the matter said.

The investigation into the suspected Russian covert operation to incentivize such killings has focused in part on an April 2019 car bombing that killed three Marines as one such potential attack, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter.

The new information emerged as the White House tried on Monday to play down the intelligence assessment that Russia sought to encourage and reward killings — including reiterating a claim that Mr. Trump was never briefed about the matter and portraying the conclusion as disputed and dubious.

But that stance clashed with the disclosure by two officials that the intelligence was included months ago in Mr. Trump’s President’s Daily Brief document — a compilation of the government’s latest secrets and best insights about foreign policy and national security that is prepared for him to read. One of the officials said the item appeared in Mr. Trump’s brief in late February; the other cited Feb. 27, specifically.

Moreover, a description of the intelligence assessment that the Russian unit had carried out the bounties plot was also seen as serious and solid enough to disseminate more broadly across the intelligence community in a May 4 article in the C.I.A.’s World Intelligence Review, a classified compendium commonly referred to as The Wire, two officials said… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

If you’re wondering why Russia is doing this, it’s an act of vengeance. When Russia invaded Afghanistan, Republican Presidents in the 1980s supported Osama bin Laden and the Taliban with weapons and money to kill Russian troops. So this problem, not to mention the existence of Al Qaeda and ISEL, aka the Daesh, is a gift from the Republican Reich. Now, back to the present.

What To Know About Allegations That Russia Bribed The Taliban To Kill U.S. Troops

If you believe Kayleigh Lie-a-lot that her beloved Fuhrer was not briefed, see me about buying my bridge in NYC. However, if he ignored his Daily Brief, and his staff never brought this to his attention, that’s even worse.

RESIST!!

Trump* Promotes Racism Again!

Posted by TomCat at 10:58 am Politics

Jun 292020

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* donned his hood and sheets yesterday to promote racism yet again. This time he retweeted one of his deplorable sheeple screaming “White Power” at a demonstration. But that was the Republican version of white power. Authentic white power is the power to follow and assist Black people in their ongoing quest for freedom.

President Trump on Sunday retweeted a video of one of his supporters yelling “White power!,” once again using the vast reach of his social media platforms to inflame racial divisions in a nation roiled by weeks of protests about police brutality against black people and demands for social justice reforms.

The edited racist video shows a white man riding in a golf cart bearing “Trump 2020” and “America First” signs during what appears to be an angry clash over the president and race between white residents of a Florida retirement community. Mr. Trump deleted the tweet more than three hours after posting it.

In response to a protester shouting “Where’s your white hood?” and other taunts, the man in the golf cart pumps his fist in the air and says “White power!” twice. The two-minute video continues to show profane exchanges between protesters and other Trump supporters riding on more golf carts…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Trump Retweets Video Of Supporters Chanting ‘White Power’ At Protesters, Deletes After Backlash

The commentators tried to lessen the impact of this Republican racism by pointing out the profanity used by counter-protestors. First, there was too much profanity on both sides. More important, although profanity may be distasteful, denouncing it to offset the racist hate of promoting Republican white supremacy is absurd.

The Republican Reich have been racist ever since they implemented the Southern Strategy. in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Dixiecrats deserted the Democratic Party, because the Democrats passed legislation that outlawed Jim Crow laws. The Republicans adopted them as the Republican base. Prior to Trump* they hid their hoods and robes and dog-whistled their way into power. Today’s Republican Reich wears hatred, racism and white supremacy as badges of pride. We must send the Republican Party the way of the Whigs! Every Republican in office anywhere, at any level, elected or appointed, is one Republican too many!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–6/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 292020

Yesterday was a busy day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy and I did lots of gooping and chores. As a result, I missed a lot of nap time and feel quite tired. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 5:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0629TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,637,892
Deaths: 128,45

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Every member of the Scrap Yard Fast Pitch softball team resigned after GM Connie May used them a photo of them standing for the anthem to tweet an anti-BLM message to Trump.

The Texas-based team is predominantly white, with only two Black players, but they have had run-ins with their GM before over her racist “All Lives Matter” BS. This move, wherein they say they felt used by her as political props to send a message they explicitly reject, was the final straw. They conferred for an hour, confronted May, and left their jerseys on the locker room floor.

Kudos to the Scrap Yard Fast Pitch softball team. They should reorganize under a Democratic GM! RESIST!!

From YouTube (The Conversation Channel): A field guide to Trump’s dangerous rhetoric

Jennifer seems to have an excellent handle on how criminal Fuhrer Trump* uses his PhD (piled higher and deeper) in Bullshitology! Some of the Ad… fallacies are also called criminal thinking errors. RESIST!!

From YouTube ( a blast from the past): Del Shannon – Runaway

This is one of the first songs I learned to sing and play on the guitar. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/27/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:42 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 272020

It’s a very tired day, here in the CatBox. This building can be very difficult to find, and yesterday, the Providence Elder at Home doctor was 90 minutes late for our appointment. First, her GPS system kept sending her in circles that missed the turn to get to the building. When she finally found it and got to the street parking area on the other side of the building, she called me, and I came down to the lobby to let her into the building. However, the city’s street parking pay system was out of order. She had to download the mobile street parking app, register, and use it to pay for parking. I had to wait in the lobby for over half an hour, before she finally got to the door. Things went uphill from there. I gave her the records i keep on medications, pain management and blood sugar. I familiarized her with my condition. She checked me out, and we agreed that I’m doing pretty well for a guy with one foot in the grave. She will return monthly to check on my condition and help with any immediate needs. If I have a need sooner, I can call for an appointment. She told me that she will need to come more often as my condition progresses to help me with pain management. I’m feeling very worn out. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update. It’s a WWWendy day, and we have lots to do. Have a fine weekend!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:11 (average 4:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Considering his replacement, his resignation was tragic.

Trump Virus* Update:

0627TrumpVirusMap

Except for CA, you can see where Republicans are strongest.

Cases: 2,554,470
Deaths: 127,673

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump on Friday threatened to ban a coronavirus vaccine if it turns out that it was invented by former President Barack Obama.

Trump’s threat took members of the White House press corps aback, since there are no reports to date of Obama attempting to invent a vaccine or any other pharmaceutical.

Trump acknowledged that he was not aware of any such activities on Obama’s part, but warned that, if the former President succeeded in inventing a coronavirus vaccine, “I’m not going to let that happen.”

“If Obama came up with a vaccine, it would only be to make me look bad,” he said. “Well, guess what? I’m not going to let him get away with something cute like that. We’re going to move quite powerfully on anything Obama does in terms of a vaccine.”…

Consider this, Andy. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* is just using Obama as a smoke screen. The Republican Reich wants to block any vaccine. Since the Trump* virus death rate for minorities is disproportionately high, and since most minority voters vote for Democrats, Republicans want to kill as many as they can before the 2020 election. RESIST!!

From NY Times: American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter.

The United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe intended to destabilize the West or take revenge on turncoats, had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year.

Islamist militants, or armed criminal elements closely associated with them, are believed to have collected some bounty money, the officials said. Twenty Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2019, but it was not clear which killings were under suspicion.

The intelligence finding was briefed to President Trump, and the White House’s National Security Council discussed the problem at an interagency meeting in late March, the officials said. Officials developed a menu of potential options — starting with making a diplomatic complaint to Moscow and a demand that it stop, along with an escalating series of sanctions and other possible responses, but the White House has yet to authorize any step, the officials said…

Actually, the Times is incorrect on one point. Trump* did respond to Russia paying for the murder of US troops. According to the BBC, he postponed the G7 Summit from June to September, because other nations rejected his plan to allow Russia to join the G7 (G8, if they did) and Putin [R-RU] to attend the summit. That’s how much the Republican Reich cares about the murder of US troops! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 232020

It’s a steamy day here in the CatBox with 90° forecast and high humidity. Yesterday’s doctor visit never happened. The office called right when she was supposed to arrive and told me she could not come because she was ill. We rescheduled for Friday morning. I’m still doing very well on the Fentanyl. Have you flushed a Republican today?

Jig Zone Puzzle: Today’s took me 3:02 (average 4:42). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 2,389,785
Deaths: 122,659
Recovered: 1,003,320

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump on Monday called his successful drinking of a glass of water at his Tulsa rally his proudest achievement as President.

“I brought that glass of water up to my mouth and drank from it without spilling a drop on my tie,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “You can look at the tape. There was not a single drop of spillage.”

Trump added that, while drinking a glass of water was an impressive achievement in itself, executing it so well in front of such a large crowd made it even more extraordinary.

Dang, Andy! What large crowd? Do you think the idiot* added Clorox? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): COVID-19 Crisis Has Arizona Reeling; Trump, Heedless, Plans Visit

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* does not care about how many people he murders by spreading his virus to Sheeple, stupid enough to attend his events and to all the people they infect with Trump* virus. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* cares only about hos greed and extending rule of the Fifth Reich. I bet that those pseudo-Christian pastors will soon be selling those bogus ionization units. Any takers? RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival (HQ – 5.1 Studio )

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/21/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Jun 212020

It’s a better Sunday, here in the CatBox. My Fentanyl patch has helped my pain level and reduced my use of Oxycodone considerably. Tomorrow I have a morning visit from a Providence Home Health doctor, so how much I publish will depend on how long she is here. Kudos to all Dads.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:18 (average 5:42). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0621TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 2,331,673
Deaths: 122,005
Recovered: 973,061

Short Takes:

From Alternet: On Friday night, Attorney General William Barr issued a statement saying that the U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffry Berman, had resigned. That was a lie. Not only had Berman not resigned, he had told Barr repeatedly that he would not resign, and had turned down other roles at the Department of Justice. So, about an hour after Barr’s statement, Berman issued a statement of his own, telling Barr to stuff it. Actually, Berman stated that he had been “appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York” and that he would only step down “when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate.” Berman is in the middle of a number of highly sensitive investigations, including an ongoing investigation of Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani and his associates in Trump’s Ukraine scandal. So his removal clearly signals that Barr is, once again, placing Trump’s desires far ahead of such arcane ideas as justice, or the nation.

On Saturday afternoon, Barr produced a new statement. He’s given up the pretense that Berman has resigned. Instead Barr says, “I have asked the president to remove you as of today, and he has done so.” According to Barr, this makes assistant U. S. Attorney Audrey Strauss the new acting U. S. Attorney, but considering Barr’s knowledge and application of the law, odds are he’s simply lying again. Hilariously, Barr claims there’s no danger of there being an issue with ongoing cases because … the inspector general will see to that. As everyone knows, Trump and Barr just respect the hell out of inspectors general.

SDNY’s Geoffrey Berman has resigned. Perhaps he’ll have time to testify to Congress now.

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* claims that Barrf did this on his own. He claims he had nothing to do with it. One, or far more likely, both, are lying. Barrf lacks the authority to fire a US Attorney. RESIST!!

From YouTube (John Pavlovitz Channel): 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER TO SAY TO GRIEVING PEOPLE. How Our Words Can Magnify Other’s Loss

Very well said, by an Authentic Christian (the polar opposite of a Republican pseudo-Christian). I could not agree more! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel):Facts don’t support what Trump, Pence say about coronavirus

Trump* Virus is an ongoing disaster, just like criminal Fuhrer Trump and the Republican Reich, who are making it so much worse. Here in Oregon, the most recent spike comes from a Pentecostal Church in Eastern Oregon. There Republican pseudo-Christians (the opposite of real authentic Christians) are practicing Republican guidelines on Sunday and infecting their neighbors Monday through Saturday. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): “REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE” THE MARMALADE ~ 1969 – original recording ~ HQ AUDIO

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–6/19/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:34 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 192020

It’s a muggy day here in the CatBox with a projected temp in the high 80°s. Tomorrow WWWendy will be coming to help de-stink the thoroughly foul TomCat and to help do chores and prepare goop. Therefore please expect no more than a Personal Update or Open Thread from me. JD, would you please cover Bill? TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:05 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0619TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 2,264,307
Deaths: 120,691
Recovered: 931,150

Short Takes:

From Washington Post: The city of Tulsa announced a last-minute curfew that began Thursday night and will continue Friday and Saturday, restricting people from a large area surrounding the arena where President Trump will hold his first campaign rally in months.

An executive order signed by Mayor G.T. Bynum (R) says the curfew, which begins at 10 p.m. and lifts at 6 a.m. all three nights, is intended to quell potential overnight violence as thousands intend to pour into the city to protest the president’s visit.

It’s unclear whether the Trump supporters who have camped out for days to secure a prime spot to see the president on Saturday will be cleared out as well, but some videos posted on social media appeared to show people leaving the area carrying tents and lawn chairs .

Bynum declared a “civil emergency” after law enforcement informed the mayor that “individuals from organized groups who have been involved in destructive and violent behavior in other states are planning to travel to the City of Tulsa for purposes of causing unrest in and around the rally,” the order reads.

We need to watch this very carefully. I would be very surprised, if there is no continuation of violent Republican racist false flag terrorist attacks designed to appear as the work of Blank Lives Matter and/or the non-existent Antifa. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Washington Post Channel): For DACA recipients, a sense of relief after the Supreme Court’s decision

Roberts’ decision was not pro-DACA. It was very technical and narrow, almost inviting the Republican Reich to try again without the sloppy contradictions in motive that prompted this decision. Furthermore, he did not even mention the racist intent that should have protected DACA recipients from criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* order. Let us hope that trying to steal the 2020 election will keep criminal Fuhrer Trump* too busy to try again. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Steppenwolf – Magic Carpet Ride (Version 1969)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Older Entries Newer Entries