Open Thread – 12/6/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:23 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 062020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. I had a fine breakfast of steak in scrambled eggs, yogurt, rye bread and butter. I took a morning nap. I did my research. Today is a holy day in the Church if the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are playing on Sunday Night Football this evening, so it will be televised here. May the Holy Ellipsoid Orb shine its blessed light on your team, unless they play in an arrow head. Have a fine Sunday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:15 (average 5:07). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

An annual day of mourning for the Republican Reich!

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Lately, it seems that right-wing heroes and heroines du jour turn out to be slimeballs and reprobates. Well, add another to the list—Melissa Carone, the star witness in the Trump campaign’s attempt to overturn Biden’s win there due to baseless claims of voter fraud.

By now, you’ve seen Carone’s bonkers testimony before a Michigan state house panel, in which she claimed to have seen all manner of fraud while votes were being counted at the TCF Center. Her claims were so off the rails that even Rudy Giuliani had to try to rein her in. Earlier, she’d claimed to have seen ballots smuggled inside vans. A judge had previously ruled Carone’s claims were “not credible.”

For most of the week, people have wondered whether Carone had been too well served during her testimony. But it turns out there’s another reason to question her credibility. Two years ago, she was busted for sending obscene messages to her boyfriend’s ex-wife.

As I see it, sexual content is not what made this sleazy. What made it so is that her boyfriend’s ex-wife apparently did not consent to be the recipient of Carone’s GOPORN. That she did this should not surprise anyone. The gospel in a Republican Reich is that women should be obscene and not heard. RESIST!!

From NPR (Hat-Tip Mitch [ours, nor BBMM]): Under the order filed Friday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn instructed the Department of Homeland Security to begin accepting new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program as soon as Monday.

In his ruling, Garaufis said the terms of the federal program must be immediately restored to what they were “prior to the attempted rescission of September 2017” when the White House began a series of maneuvers to dismantle the program.

The judge also instructed officials to reinstate two-year permits for qualifying applicants. Over the summer, the administration had begun issuing one-year permits.

Kudos to Judge Garaufis, who was appointed by Bill Clinton. There are few judges left that do not bear the 666 of Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch etched into their foreheads. Win the Senate! RESIST!!

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Michigan Hearings Cold Open

As talented as she is, Kate just cannot convey the sense of evil with which Rudy 9/11 reflects the Republican Reich. Nevertheless, SNL was hilarious as usual. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast of Christmas): Nat King Cole – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

May God grant that our nation and the whole world might overcome the pseudo-Christian hatred that the Republican Reich has inflicted on us! RESIST!!

44 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Video Thread 12/4/2020

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 2:20 pm Open Thread, Politics

Dec 042020

GEORGIA – Jon Ossoff

Meidas Touch – GEORGIA

Now This News – not my Senator Udall, whom Corey Gardner cheated to defeat, but is cousin in New Mexico (who is planning to retire, sadly.

The Lincoln Project – GEORGIA

Parody Project/The Freedom Toast

A commercial from the Norwegian Postal Service showing – well, you’ll see (hanky alert for laughter)

Borat

Keith (yesterday, but 2 hours later than usual so I missed it.)

Open Thread – 12/4/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:13 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 042020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. WWWendy and I got everything done yesterday, and I did get a morning nap this morning. However, I’m already ready for another. I had a cheeseburger and eggs for breakfast. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update from me. It’s a WWWendy day to destink the TomCat, cook and do chores. TGIF!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:16 (average 4:59). To do it, click here. How dis you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: In his urgent demand on Monday that President Trump condemn his angry supporters who are threatening workers and officials overseeing the 2020 vote, a Georgia elections official focused on an animated image of a hanging noose that had been sent to a young voting-machine technician.

“It’s just wrong,” the official, Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, said at a news conference. “I can’t begin to explain the level of anger I have over this.”

But the technician in Georgia is not alone. Far from it.

Across the nation, election officials and their staff have been bombarded in recent weeks with emails, telephone calls and letters brimming with menace and threats of violence, the result of their service in a presidential election in which the defeated candidate’s most ardent followers have refused to accept the results.

There is a single word that best describes such heinous threats of violence to intimidate honest workers and keep them from doing their jobs: Republican! RESIST!!

From NPR: President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said he has asked the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to become his chief medical adviser and said he plans to call on Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration.

In an interview with CNN, Biden said he’ll urge Americans to wear masks starting Jan. 20 to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Biden said he would use his authority to require masks in federal buildings and on interstate transportation.

“Just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days. And I think we’ll see a significant reduction,” Biden said.

I think Fauci is an excellent choice. If super-spreader Trump* had followed his advice, America would be far better off. 100 days of masks is just the beginning of policies Biden should implement. Another is extensive contact tracing. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Canadian Premier Makes Emotional Holiday Plea

Kudos to Brian Pailister. The US needs a Grinch like him in charge of every state. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): These Trump supporters say big tech is biased. Here’s why they’re on Parler [Twitter for GOP Sheeple]

A commenter on YouTube Said it best. The universe is made of protons neutrons, electrons and morons. To that I add, on Parler the morons are Sheeple whose intelligence echoes BAAA-A-A-A-A-AAADLY!! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): The Yardbirds – Shapes Of Things

This will be the last in the BFTP series. The Yardbirds knew the shape of things to come many years ago. Is it too late to change it? RESIST!!

46 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Video Thread 12/3/2020

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 2:43 pm Open Thread, Politics

Dec 032020

Crooks and Liars video

American Bridge – GEORGIA – Loeffler

American Bridge – GEORGIA – Perdue

The Lincoln Project – GEORGIA – “Pulpit”

The Trumpty Dumpty Cycle #3- Full Cast: Steve Buscemi, James Carville, Kristin Chenoweth, Margaret Cho, Laurie Garrett, Whoopi Goldberg, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Stephen Root

Personal Update – 12/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 1:08 pm Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 032020

It’d a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy is finishing it up after giving me a haircut, my shower, putting groceries away and cooking. I’m running way behind. I’ll be in the saddle tomorrow. Hugs to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:20 (average 5:17). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From NY Times: The top Democrats in Congress on Wednesday endorsed a bipartisan $908 billion stimulus compromise as a baseline for talks, offering a significant concession in an effort to pressure Republicans to revive stalled talks on providing additional relief before the end of the year.

After months of publicly insisting that another stimulus package must provide at least $2 trillion, Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, to return to the negotiating table with a bill less than half that size as a starting point.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., whose advisers had pushed privately in recent weeks for lawmakers to make compromises to pass an economic aid agreement as quickly as possible, also offered a blessing of sorts for the effort. In a virtual event with laid-off workers and a small-business owner struggling amid the pandemic, Mr. Biden said the bipartisan package “wouldn’t be the answer, but it would be immediate help for a lot of things, quickly.”

The measure, spearheaded by Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, and Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, would restore lapsed federal jobless benefits, providing $300 a week for 18 weeks; would include $288 billion for struggling small businesses, restaurants and theaters and $160 billion for fiscally strapped cities and states; and would create a temporary liability shield for businesses operating amid the pandemic.

I would happily back it except for one thing. It gives criminal immunity to business owners and managers who knowingly commit crimes while following the directives of the Republican Reich. For example, Tyson foods maintain executive betting pools on how many employees will be infected and on how many will die because of their unsafe working conditions. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Climate change song “The Shadows” by Sandel

The writer/singer calls climate change the greatest threat of our age. This hi her response, and a fine one it is! RESIST!!

47 Days Until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 12/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:50 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 022020

It’s a hectic say here in the CatBox. Diana will be here momentarily to change my pain patch. (Now, she left over an hour ago.) A couple of you mentioned a Tenz unit, and that is something I discussed with Molly, my PA. Here’s the problem. Someone needs to attach and dethatch the pads several times daily, and since the target location is mid-back, where I cannot reach, I could only use it with a live in caregiver. So that’s out for me. Tomorrow morning WWWendy is coming to destink the TomCat and help with food. It’s also a Store to Door grocery delivery day. Therefore please expect no more than a Personal Update from me. Happy Hump Day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:28 (average 6:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Appearing on Howie Carr’s show on Newsmax TV, Trump lawyer Joe DiGenova called for the public execution of Chris Krebs for his interview on CBS News’ 60 Minutes Sunday night after explaining in detail what the strategy is for disenfranchising millions of voters who elected Joe Biden.

The plan is pretty simple and utterly ridiculous. Republican governors will just declare the election process corrupt and either decline to send electors or else send a slate of electors for Donald Trump, regardless of the certified outcome of the actual election.

Barf Bag Alert!!

This is typical tactics for the 5th Reich. Many Republicans appear to be rejecting Trump*, but don’t believe them. The crimes he committed were implementing the policies they wanted from him. Now they’re feigning innocence. RESIST!!

From NY Times: Neither Jon Ossoff nor the Rev. Raphael Warnock has endorsed the Green New Deal. But that hasn’t stopped the Sunrise Movement, the activist climate group that champions the sweeping climate change plan, from mobilizing in force for the two Georgia Democrats in their high-stakes runoff races for Senate seats.

The group is aiming to help register 10,000 to 20,000 Georgians who will turn 18 by Jan. 5, the day of the elections. It has people on the ground canvassing and dropping off campaign literature. And while its appeals mention the threat from climate change, it does not present the issue as a litmus test.

“Right now, we’re focused on the bigger picture,” said Shanté Wolfe, who is leading the Sunrise Movement’s work in Georgia. “Our effort is in favor of the greater good.”

The furious efforts in Georgia by the Sunrise Movement and other progressive groups — on behalf of two candidates who do not share their most ambitious policy goals — reflect the urgency that is consuming the Democratic Party’s left flank. Two victories in Georgia would produce a 50-50 tie in the Senate, giving Democrats control of the chamber because Kamala Harris would cast tiebreaking votes as vice president.

I’m pleased to see the progressive left coming to the realization that the centrist-left is a far better choice than the 5th Reich. This is especially true, since wins in those races kick Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch out of the Majority Leader’s chair. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Colbert Late Show Channel): The Biden Family Cat Has Some Lofty Goals

How cool! CAT is where it’s AT. I especially like the part about nuking the dawgs! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): To My Old Brown Earth

May we restore the earth to a world that still supports life! RESIST!!

48 Days until the Big FLUSH!!

Open Thread – 11/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 282020

It’s another tired day here in the CatBox, but I have enough gas in the tank for a full post today. Tomorrow please expect no more than a Personal Update, as it’s a WWWendy day, and we are having our Thanksgiving dinner. It’s also a Holy Day in the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb. My Broncos are praying the Saints, but it won’t be televised here. I hope you are having a fine holiday weekend, even if it isn’t a holiday for you.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:26). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Now, as states across the country contemplate new lockdowns to slow down the rampant spread and record hospitalizations, the unprecedented demand for food aid is on the rise, according to the Guardian’s latest snapshot survey:

In Cleveland, 5,000 families showed up last Thursday for the pre-Thanksgiving drive-in distribution compared with 3,300 a week earlier and an average of 1,600 over the summer. Some 54% of the food distributed was for children and seniors. “We’re now seeing families who had an emergency fund but it’s gone and they’re at the end of their rope. We’re going to be doing this for a really long time, and that’s frankly terrifying given the impact hunger has on physical health, learning and development for children and parents’ stress,” said Kristin Warzocha, president of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
One woman in Cleveland, who didn’t want to be identified, discharged herself from the hospital against medical advice so that she didn’t miss the Thanksgiving food box delivery. “That’s the depth of need and desperation some families are feeling,” added Warzocha.

Not surprisingly, the Trump administration is making a bad situation worse, The Guardian reports. Instead of boosting Snap benefits (food stamps), it cut eligibility. The USDA’s Farmers to Families program expires at the end of the year, as does a $450 million boost to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. “Without government assistance, ‘we’re headed toward a massive cliff come January,’ said Erin Pulling, CEO of the Food Bank for the Rockies which serves Colorado and Wyoming.”

Barf Bag Alert!!

This will not change when Trump* is gone. How many years have you seen me say, “Every penny Democrats spend to feed hungry families is a penny Republicans can’t give to a billionaire.”? RESIST!!

From NY Times: Iran’s top nuclear scientist, long identified by American and Israeli intelligence as the guiding figure behind a covert effort to design an atomic warhead, was shot and killed Friday in what the Iranian media called a roadside ambush as he and his bodyguards traveled outside Tehran.

For two decades, the scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was the driving force behind what American and Israeli officials describe as Iran’s secretive nuclear weapons program. His work continued after Iran’s push to develop a bomb was formally disbanded in 2003, according to American intelligence assessments and Iranian nuclear documents stolen by Israel nearly three years ago.

One American official — along with two other intelligence officials — said that Israel was behind the attack on the scientist. It was unclear how much the United States may have known about the operation in advance, but the two nations are the closest of allies and have long shared intelligence regarding Iran, which Israel considers its most potent threat.

There are three possibilities. Butcher Bibi, criminal Fuhrer Trump* or both in unison. I pick door number three. RESIST!!

From Alternet: A new viral video released by “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Friday offers an in-depth look into President Donald Trump’s ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacy.

According to the three-minute YouTube video’s description, it aims to highlight Trump’s “cozy relationship with supremacists.” The video, which garnered more than 700,000 views in less than 24 hours, notes Trump’s repeated attacks on nearly everyone under the sun.

Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent for the Noah’s show, provided the commentary for the video. During the video, he noted that Trump has often been “famous for being quick with an insult,” reports the Huffington Post. From lawmakers , state, and local officials, to Democratic voters, Trump has so easily insulted tons of people—except white supremacists.

When Trump was elected, racists rejoiced. White supremacists rallied around him holding rallies and blatantly making their racial bias known. On multiple occasions, Trump has retweeted white genocide posts on social media and subtly defended the actions of white supremacists.

This will not change when Trump* is gone. Trump* did not choose the Republican Reich. The Republican Reich chose Trump*, because he represents them. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast for the planet): Paradise

John Prine was a man who loved this planet. Sadly his fight is over. Seven months ago, Trump* and the Republican Reich murdered him with Trump* virus. RESIST!!