May 062020
 

Do you remember the “anonymous whistleblower that helped expose the high crimes and misdemeanors for which criminal Fuhrer Trump* escaped responsibility?  Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch and the Senate Republicans violated their oath.  Well, it’s whistleblower time again.  This one is not anonymous, and the high crimes and misdemeanors are even worse.

0506Bright

[H]e was pressured to invest in drugs and vaccines that lacked scientific merit, because the people selling them had friends in the Trump administration, up to and including the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He was forced to transfer funds to acquire drugs for the Strategic National Stockpile, America’s most important reserve of lifesaving medications, based not on health needs but on “political connections and cronyism.” He was instructed to use his department’s budget to purchase flu medications of questionable efficacy. And when the COVID-19 crisis erupted, he was pressured to approve a plan that would “flood” cities with unproven and untested doses of chloroquine drugs, from uninspected manufacturing plants in Asia. When his efforts to work through the system failed, he decided he had a “moral obligation to the American public” to ring the alarm about the plan, “which he believed constituted a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety.” In retaliation, he was “smeared,” with officials unfairly accusing him of dropping the ball on vaccine development and PPE preparation.

These are just some of the allegations contained in a blistering, 63-page complaint that Dr. Rick Bright, former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), filed today with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. According to his lawyers, Bright will testify before Congress next week.

Vanity Fair has submitted requests for comment to the White House and the Food and Drug Administration, and will update this article with any responses. In a statement, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Caitlin Oakley said: “Dr. Bright was transferred to NIH to work on diagnostics testing—critical to combatting COVID-19—where he has been entrusted to spend upwards of $1 billion to advance that effort. We are deeply disappointed that he has not shown up to work on behalf of the American people and lead on this critical endeavor.”

Bright has become the first high-level federal whistleblower to publicly allege that the Trump administration has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by unduly pressuring health officials, and putting politics and profit ahead of science. Bright, the government’s top coronavirus vaccine developer, had spent a decade at BARDA, a small but powerful agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), whose mandate is to partner with private companies to help accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. According to Bright’s complaint, BARDA manages almost $50 billion worth of contracts and acquisitions, on an annual budget of just over $1.5 billion. He was named director in 2016…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Vanity Fair>

I strongly encourage you to click the link in the second paragraph and read the shocking complaint in it’s entirety.

Here’s some coverage from CNN.

Ousted vaccine director says pandemic warnings were ignored

In the criminal Fuhrer’s White House, as in the entire Republican Reich, truth telling is a capital offense.

White House coronavirus task force to be ‘phased down’ around Memorial Day


There are few things that the Republican Reich, especially criminal Fuhrer Trump* hate more than oversight. They fear that the next whistle blower will publicly expose it, when Republicans murder more and more Americans to reopen the economy for Trump’s* political ends.

MSNBC did a better job covering the actual corruption.

Coronavirus Whistleblower Complaint Suggests Trump Admin. Putting Politics Above Science


How many thousands of Americans have died and will die, because criminal Fuhrer Trump* is diverting the resources desperately needed by sick families no serve his, his relatives’, and his Republican cronies’ greed?

The last time there was a whistleblower complaint, we impeached Criminal Fuhrer Trump*. Since these high crimes and misdemeanors are even worse, it’s time to give that dirty son of a bitch (apologies to all female dawgs) a second asterisk.

RESIST!!

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Apr 302020
 

It’s a crappy day here in the CatBox.  I spent a lot of time on the throne this morning.  The problem with eating goop is like the problem with computer programming.  Goop in; goop out.  I talked to Megan (my PCP) and Evelyn’s (my Oncologist) nurse this morning.  We all agree that the best way to deal with Republicosis is Imodium AD.  Thursday is send Republicosis to criminal Fuhrer Trump* Day!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 5:00).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0430TrumpVirusMap

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Vice-President Mike Pence has started wearing a mask after Anthony Fauci told him that it will protect him from women, Fauci has confirmed.

After seeing video of a maskless Pence touring the Mayo Clinic, on Tuesday, Fauci said, “I knew I had to come up with something fast” to get through to Pence.

Fauci immediately got on the phone with the Vice-President and informed him that “clinical research” had demonstrated that a mask is “an effective female-repellent.”

I believe you, Andy. That brown-nose sycophant, Pence, would love ensure that the use of his butt is reserved exclusively for his beloved criminal Fuhrer Trump*.  RESIST!!

From Alternet: Countless non-fundamentalist churches in the United States, from Catholic to Lutheran and Episcopalian, have embraced social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic and temporarily moved their activities online. But many Christian fundamentalists and evangelicals have been irresponsibly downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 and doing so with deadly results: journalist Alex Woodward, in the U.K.-based Independent, reports that the pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 30 pastors in the Bible Belt.

“Dozens of pastors across the Bible Belt have succumbed to coronavirus after churches and televangelists played down the pandemic and actively encouraged churchgoers to flout self-distancing guidelines,” Woodward reports.

What Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christians (the polar opposite of authentic Christians) fail to realize is that their false god carries a pitchfork and has horns, cloven hooves, and a pointy tail.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): From Ukraine to Coronavirus: Trump’s Abuse of Power Continues, featuring Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* exactly reflects the values and policies of the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich. Every Republican in office is one Republican too many.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast): If it be Your will – Leonard Cohen – Lyrics

I hadn’t heard this before, but given my current situation, it really hits home.  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Apr 292020
 

Deputy criminal Fuhrer, Vice Resident Mike Pence, insulted the eyes of the nation today by refusing to wear a mask in the Mayo Clinic, proving that the Republican Reich is the place where ugly and stupid meet.

0429PenceNoMask

As Americans continue to seek answers about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Stephen Colbert offered some advice Tuesday night: Maybe it’s time to stop listening to Vice President Pence.

Just hours earlier, Pence, who leads the White House’s coronavirus task force, prompted a collective outcry when he was spotted speaking to staff and patients at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., without a face mask. Many, including Colbert, noticed Pence seemed to be the only person at the medical center who wasn’t wearing some sort of face covering — an apparent violation of the clinic’s policy and a move that appears at odds with federal guidelines dictating best practices for stemming the spread of the novel virus.

“Hold on, I’ve got a mask for you right here,” Colbert said on his CBS show, staring defiantly into the camera while appearing to make a crude gesture with his hand, which was wrapped loosely in a surgical mask.

Colbert wasn’t the only person who objected to seeing the lower half of Pence’s face Tuesday. The late-night host was joined by fellow TV comics and medical professionals, all of whom roundly criticized Pence for failing to set the right example amid the pandemic by knowingly disregarding the hospital’s masking policy.

By early Wednesday, Pence’s name and “Mayo Clinic” were trending on Twitter as critics slammed the vice president for promoting “completely irresponsible public health messaging.”…

Inserted from <Washington  Post>

Pence Blasted For Defying Mayo Clinic Face Mask Rule During Visit

On the other hand, Pence could be doing us a favor.  First, having Pence serve jail time in a cremation urn than in a prison cell.  Second, if we’re really lucky, Pence might spread Trump* virus to criminal Fuhrer Trump*.  Of course, I’m employing satire, but it is a lovely thought!

RESIST!!

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To Inject or Not to Inject?

 Posted by at 10:20 am  Politics
Apr 242020
 

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich never cease to amaze me.  Every time I think they have exceeded bounds of human credulity, they take another asymptotic step toward infinity.

0424Lysol

After a presentation Thursday that touched on the disinfectants that can kill the novel coronavirus on surfaces and in the air, President Trump pondered whether those chemicals could be used to fight the virus inside the human body.

“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute,” Trump said during Thursday’s coronavirus press briefing. “And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets inside the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”

The question, which Trump offered unprompted, immediately spurred doctors, lawmakers and the makers of Lysol to respond with incredulity and warnings against injecting or otherwise ingesting disinfectants, which are highly toxic.

“My concern is that people will die. People will think this is a good idea,” Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, told The Washington Post. “This is not willy-nilly, off-the-cuff, maybe-this-will-work advice. This is dangerous.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Photo credit: @PuestoLoco

Lysol Manufacturer Warns Against Internal Use After Trump Comments

Actually, I trust that virtually no Democrats or sane Independents are stupid enough to go along with such a lame idea.  Criminal Fuhrer Trump* and the MAGA Maniacs of the Republican Reich should try it themselves!

RESIST!!

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Apr 042020
 

It’s very busy day here at the CatBox, but I am feeling better than yesterday.  Tomorrow and Monday please expect no more than Personal Updates or Open Threads.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, with all the normal chores plus it’s Infernal Revenue Day.  Monday, I go to the hospital to have an infusion port surgically installed in my chest.  WWWendy will bring me home.  Tuesday will depend on how I feel after that surgery.  Love to you all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:34 (average 6:40).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0404TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 277,613
Deaths: 7,406
Recovered: 12,294

0404TrumpVirusData

Short Takes:

From Twitter:

Does that say it all, or what?  RESIST!!

From YouTube (Real Time Channel): Sen. Bernie Sanders

Click through using the channel link for the rest of Bill’s show. I don’t have time to submit an article on it this week, but it’s there for you. As for Bernie, he could not be more spot on in his outlook for dealing with the effects of Trump* virus. Looking to the future, Trump and the Republican Reich have trashed the economy so completely that tying health care to employment is no longer feasible.  On Bill’s ‘Manhattan Project’, we need health care that bases profit on wellness. We have healthcare that bases profit on sickness.  That’s bass-ackward!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Maddow to Trump: You Had One Job. Virus Response Needs Competent Leadership

This is one of Rachel’s best ever!  Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon, just lent respirators to New York. Oregon leads the way! Kate is as competent and caring as criminal Fuhrer Trump* and all his Republican lackeys are incompetent and uncaring. Incompetence is a hallmark of the Republican Reich, such as Katrina and the Republican Recession of 2008. What do we say of the Trump* virus pandemic and the Republican Depression of 2020? It’s Trump’s* job, so we say “Heck of a job, Donnie*!”  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Nancy Sinatra – Friday’s Child


Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Apr 032020
 

It’s a barfy day here in the CatBox.  I’ve been throwing up most of last night and this morning.  I think something got caught in my tumor.  I feel VERY tired.  TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:09 (average 4:46).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0403TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 245,442
Deaths: 6,098
Recovered: 10,411

0403TrumpVirusData

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Welcome to the COVID-19 Games, where the tributes are governors fighting for the scraps of critical protective gear still available, and where success still depends on kissing Trump’s ass.

Last week Trump was playing quid pro quo with Americans lives, telling governors “it’s a two-way street. They have to treat us well.” The result of not doing so is not getting help. Take New York, which requested 30,000 ventilators and got 4,400. And is being outbid by FEMA on the private market, where the state has been trying to procure more. “What sense does this make?” Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters Tuesday. “The federal government, FEMA, should have been the purchasing agent. Buy everything, and then allocate it by need to the states.” Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers asked for 190,000 nonsurgical masks from FEMA last week, and has struggled to find ventilators. He has no idea where the masks are.

On the other hand, Oklahoma asked for 16,000 face shields and got 120,000. It had received about 84,000 N95 masks by the end of last week, “more than twice its original request.” Then there’s Florida, which is expecting its third shipment from the feds. It got 100% of what Trump’s good buddy Gov. Ron DeSantis asked for in the first two shipments. Kentucky has gotten more than it requested. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Maine have only gotten part of what they’ve requested. (There you go, Sen. Susan Collins, more lessons learned for you.)

For governors to save their people, being just sycophants isn’t enough. They have to become suckophants too!  RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Sen. Harris On Trump’s Virus Response: ‘This Guy Doesn’t Understand His Job’

Unfortunately, I must disagree. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* does understand his job , and it has two foci: 1. Take the wealth of lower and middle class Americans and use it to provide welfare for billionaires and corporate criminals. 2. Establish a permanent, National Socialist, plutocratic Republican Reich in which elections have predetermined outcomes and exist for show only.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Neil Young – Heart of Gold/Lyrics (Full HD)

Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

 

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Apr 022020
 

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  WWWendy is stopping by, because she took my keys home by mistake last night.  Store to Door is delivering groceries this afternoon, and I have to but them away.  I feel very tired.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:42 (average 5:46).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0402TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 215,395
Deaths: 5,113
Recovered: 8,892

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Issuing a new distancing guideline on Wednesday, Donald Trump said that he was now practicing distancing from all of his previous statements about the coronavirus.

“As of today, I will be keeping a great distance between myself and anything I said about covid-19 in the months of January, February, and March,” he said. “I will be staying at least six feet away from those statements, and probably more like ten thousand feet.”

Trump said that he could not predict how long his new practice of distancing would continue, but indicated, “Next week, I will probably be distancing myself from things I said this week. This could go on for a long time.”

Well Andy, I see you’re back to straight news. You described criminal Fuhrer Trump* perfectly!  RESIST!!

From NY Times: Taking their cue from President Trump, Republicans at every level of the party are pushing ahead with plans to put on their national convention this summer and provide Mr. Trump the kind of gauzy coronation he seeks.

Democrats, by contrast, are mired in uncertainty. Access to their convention arena in Milwaukee is contingent on the state of the N.B.A. playoffs, and they won’t have an undisputed nominee until at least early June, while state parties scramble to rewrite rules governing delegate selection.

Even former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the likely Democratic nominee, has said “it’s hard to envision” his party’s convention taking place as planned in July. “The fact is it may have to be different,” he said during an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday night.

There may be a plus side to this. The cream of America’s National Socialist elite may contract Trump* virus through their own stupidity. While I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it may well be what’s best for America.  RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Jim Croce – Time in a bottle – 1973

Since Lona Requested ballads, I found a playlist of ballads.  Ah… the memories!  RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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Trump* Has His World Record

 Posted by at 10:50 am  Politics
Mar 272020
 

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* is always claiming that the he has made the US is first at something.  Almost invariably, he is lying.  But now, he deserves and can take complete credit for this.  Trump* has his world record.

0327TGrimpVirus2

On Thursday, we hit a grim watershed. The US overtook Italy and China as the country with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases. This is a dire crisis and an extraordinary failure of President Donald Trump. Americans are suffering and dying because the Trump administration failed to act quickly and decisively to prevent the virus’ spread. The US has now seen about 1,195 deaths and the number is rising rapidly.

On Thursday, the US saw an increase of more than 15,000 cases in one day — a shocking surge that can be explained by both the spread of the virus and increased testing after weeks of shortages — pushing the total number of confirmed cases over 82,000. China, in comparison, has reported 81,285 cases.

There is a fundamental difference between China and the US. China has broken the spread of the virus with a lockdown that first started in Wuhan on January 23 and is now being lifted in stages; only a few dozen new cases are allegedly confirmed each day, and most of these are apparently introduced from abroad. The US has not broken the epidemic. And if Trump has his way, easing guidelines to stay at home by Easter, we will fail to stop the epidemic and millions more will be infected. Even with active control, we might be facing around 81,000 deaths by July according to a new detailed analysis from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle

Trump bears direct responsibility for America’s unpreparedness and failed response to the epidemic. Since Trump came into office, he has systematically taken apart our protective public health system. The pandemic unit at the National Security Council was dismantled in 2018 under his watch. Trump slashed the CDC’s epidemic control teams in 39 countries, including China. And when the epidemic hit, Trump ignored it, downplayed it, and made repeated false claims. Even now, he spouts vulgar nonsense about restarting the economy by Easter when public health experts say the threat is going to persist for far longer.

Trump is profoundly culpable, but he is not the only reason for America’s dismal situation in the face of this epidemic. Our for-profit health care system rakes in money on disease, not on health. Instead, we have a system that works for the rich, instead of a public health system for all Americans that readily anticipates and controls new pathogens through testing, contact tracing, and quarantine…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <CNN>

The article could not be correct to point out the need for universal fee for health based medical care, like Medicare for all, instead of the private medical care we have now.

First, here’s criminal Fuhrer Trump* on his virus.

Resident Trump’s*10 most outrageous lines on coronavirus

Barf Bag Alert!!

On a bullshit scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), criminal Fuhrer Trump* rates 50+ for these.

And now, on Trump* Virus…

U.S. Now Has More Coronavirus Cases Than Anywhere In The World. How Did This Happen?

The experts said that it’s Trump’s* fault. Why would they say that? Because it is!

As US Tops Global Tally Of Coronavirus Cases, Trump* Is At Odds With Reality 

Trump* is still talking about opening the country for business. Governors who are criticizing Trump* are heroes for telling the truth. Trump* has now put 3.3 million Americans out of work. At the same time, he’s talking about taking control of rationing equipment.  I bet he’s hoarding PPE for future distribution to billionaires, while health care workers die in need of it. That’s just how Republicans operate.

RESIST!!

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