Open Thread–3/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:22 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 032020

It’s a very busy day here in the CatBox. I had to prepare and send my grocery order. I spent over an hour on the phone trying to line up the oncologist for my cancer treatments. I think I have, but I still have no results from my PET Scan. I’m hoping for a call tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted. I still have to do the prep work for covering Super Tuesday. I am experimenting with mi diet and found that I’m not plugging the passageway as badly, when I eat a soft solid food and goop together. Yesterday for lunch I had a small portion of ground turkey sandwich. That was borderline. For supper, I had chili goop over rice. That worked great. For breakfast, I had New England clam chowder goop with a bite of saltine with each bite of goop. That worked well too. May Liz and Bernie kick ass today!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:36 (average 5:10): To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: A former Justice Department attorney compared her service under President Donald Trump as somewhere in between Nazi Germany and “The Apprentice.”

Erica Newland went to work at the Department of Justice in the summer before the 2016 election, and stayed under Trump because she liked her colleagues and believed she could make a difference — but soon learned an uncomfortable truth about herself, reported The Atlantic.

“I guess I know what kind [of German bureaucrat] I would have been,” Newland said, imagining how she might have served in the 1930s. “I would have stayed in the Nazi administration initially and then fled.”

She lasted in Trump’s government until October 2018, when an anti-Semitic extremist killed 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, and that same week her colleagues at the Office of Legal Counsel were tasked with justifying Trump’s order to refuse all asylum claims at the southern border — mirroring language the gunman had used against foreign “invaders.”

Newland, who is Jewish, recalled an exchange she had with a supervisor who often reminded staffers they worked for the president by saying, “We’re just following orders.

The bureaucrats under Hitler were “just following orders” too. What’s the difference? Fuhrer Hitler’s Nazi Reich was the Third Reich. Criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* Republican Reich is the Fifth Reich. The similarities are undeniable. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) is under intense pressure to drop out of the 2020 race for the Democratic Presidential nomination, her nine supporters announced on Monday.

The announcement from Gabbard’s nine followers surprised many Democrats, who had been unaware that the Hawaii congresswoman was still running.

In a conference call after the South Carolina primary, the nine members of Team Tulsi concluded that Gabbard’s path to the nomination had grown “dauntingly narrow.”

“We believe that Tulsi would be an amazing President of the United States,” Harland Dorrinson, a spokesman for the other eight Gabbard supporters, said. “But we have regretfully come to the conclusion that this is not her time.”

Andy, is that a good idea? The nine fools stupid enough to vote for Tulsi should still vote for her. That way, they won’t damage the nation by voting for Bloombarf or criminal Fuhrer Trump*. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): What Bernie Skeptics Need to Know Before Super Tuesday

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the Right, the evil Republican Reich, in addition to corporate Democrats, have their heads up their asses. 1. Amen! FDR was a democratic socialist. Amen! Trump promised reform and delivered National Socialism. 3. Amen! A Wall Street speculation tax to pay for public needs is far better for America than Republican welfare for billionaires. 4. Amen! Congress will pass progressive legislation, if we get off our asses, flush the Republican Reich, and replace DINOs in the primaries. 5. Amen! Bernie acts younger than Biden. 6. Amen! With criminal Fuhrer Trump* in power, the Democrats will unite behind any candidate, who wins the nomination, as long as they win it fairly! However, if DNC Superdelegates take the nomination from the voters’ choice and land it to another, they will destroy the party and the nation. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Monkees – Last Train To Clarksville 1966

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 022020

Please pardon my brevity. I’ve made ~~five~~ six trips to the throne since 2 AM, and my breakfast experiment went into the sink, leaving screaming heartburn. Oh God, it’s Monday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:26 (average 5:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Alternet: Radio personality and CNN weekend host Michael Smerconish came under fire Saturday morning—along with the network—for “casually” portraying the surging prospects of Democratic presidential frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders as comparable to the threat of the infectious coronavirus which continues to spread in the United States and around the world.

He should be fired immediately. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Buttigieg Suspends 2020 Race To ‘Bring Our Party And Country Together’

I think he’s a good VP choice. RESIST!!

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

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–3/1/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 012020

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy will be here in about half an hour, so I may need to finish this after my de-stinking. I kept breakfast down this morning, but to do it, I had to spread it out over 90 minutes and take tiny bites. I cut my metformin in quarters. Republicosis set in at bedtime and kept me up half the night. ARGH! Have a great day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

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

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (SNL Channel): Coronavirus Cold Open – SNL

Once in a while, reality tops satire. Despite a thoroughly valiant attempt, by the SNL actors, the real life Republicans were far more absurd than the actors were. But the pseudo-Dems were quite funny! RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Biden wins big in South Carolina but Bernie Sanders still leads delegate count

There’s not much else to say. Uncle Joe kicked ass. I credit the Clyburn endorsement for the breadth of his win. However, Super Tuesday will far more telling. On the plus side, Steyer suspended his campaign. May Bloomberg [R-NY] follow him quickly. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Troggs – Wild Thing

That’s another I played in a band. Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Bill Maher from 2/28

Posted by TomCat at 10:32 am Politics

Feb 292020

It’s that time of week again, so here are 4 fine video clips, from Bill’s show last night. Enjoy!

Monologue: The Flus Will Not Replace Us!

Anyone who can make us laugh at COVID-19 [R-CH], while telling the truth about it has to be a damn good comedian.

Dr. Anne Rimoin: Going Viral

She knows her stuff. For that reason I’m certain that she will have no input on whatever response criminal Fuhrer Trump and Vice Fuhrer Mike “The HIV Guy” Pence enact.

Nicholas Kristof: Tightrope

A good drug policy is the opposite of Republican policy. It’s a public health problem, not a criminal justice problem.

New Rule: My Way or the Die Way

My Way or the Die Way is an attitude Republicans welcome and encourage routinely. The vast majority of Democrats won’t tolerate it. And we should not! I do not!

I liked this show!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–2/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 292020

It’s become a busy day here in the CatBox, as two days missed has me way behind in research. I was also sick most of the night, and today, and I have thrown up four times since breakfast. I really think it’s pills blocking the passage. Then food and saliva collect and fill the esophagus. ARGH! Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, and normally I would publish only a Personal Update, but I’ll try to add a piece on the SC primary. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:57 (average 4:51). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

0229Cartoon

That is the machine I was in yesterday.

Short Takes:

From Alternet: According to a report from the Star-Telegram, a senior member of the rightwing paramilitary group Oath Keepers who moved to Texas in 2015 is actively recruiting local law enforcement employees while telling them a “bloody civil war” against the U.S. government is on the horizon.

The report states that John D. Shirley, the national director of the Las Vegas-based Oath Keepers finagled himself a job as a county constable in Hood County which provided him with access to other police officers and now he is using his position to recruit.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Oath Keepers organization is “one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the U.S. today” with, reportedly, thousands of members made up of former law enforcement officials and military veterans.

The Oath Keepers are Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christian terrorists. Because of the group’s treasonous activities, membership in Oath Keepers ought to be a court martial offence for military personnel and cause for termination for other government employees, especially those in law enforcement. RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump announced on Friday that he intended to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as his director of national intelligence, choosing someone he considered last summer before senior Republicans in Congress deemed him unqualified for the job.

When even Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch’s prime lackeys consider this bozo unqualified,it shows that he’s only sycophant that criminal Fuhrer Trump* can find to be his Barrf in the DNI position. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Moody Blues – Tuesday Afternoon (1970)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Personal Update–2/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 6:39 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 282020

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox. I was able to keep the last three meals down. I usually have the most trouble at breakfast and wonder if my morning pills are blocking the tiny opening around the tumor. I have my Medicare Advantage company researching liquid prescription alternatives. Today is my PET Scan. I’ll get the results sometime next week. I’ll get home at around 1:00 PM, and by the time I change clothes, put everything away, and prepare and eat lunch, I’ll have a very short nap at best, so you may not hear from me until tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be back in the saddle then. Remember: Democrats debate, Republicans masdebate! TGIF to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:35 (average 5:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Take:

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dion The Wanderer

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/26/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 262020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, but I did stomach the last three meals with minimal pain. Tonight is a WWWendy night. Happy Hump Day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:43 (average 5:25). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Yesterday was soup and crackers. This is the chili and rice.

0226Chili

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: At the last debate, Bernie Sanders defended his supporters while also condemning anyone who exhibited the culture of bullying that many who claim to support him display online. Earlier tonight, reporter Scott Bixby of The Daily Beast reported that one of Bernie Sanders staffers was using a private Twitter account to trash the other Democratic candidates.

Using the account @perma_ben, Ben Mora, a regional field director for Sanders’ campaign based in Michigan, has attacked other Democrats in the field—as well as their family members, surrogates, journalists, and politically active celebrities—in deeply personal terms, mocking their physical appearance, gender, and sexuality, among other things.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mora has tweeted, “looks like her name: pained, chunky, [and] confused origin/purpose.” Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg “is what happens when the therapist botches the conversion,” and his husband, Chasten, Mora predicts, will be “busted for running a meth racket” in 10 years. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a frequent subject of Mora’s private account, is called a “dumb Okie,” “an adult diaper fetishist” who “looks like shit” and who lied about having Native American ancestry “to get into Harvard.”

The thing is, this is a thing. This is exactly what other candidates were complaining about. It’s what many of us experienced online in 2016, and it’s an acknowledged problem by the Sanders campaign despite his disavowal of the attitudes and sentiments expressed by these guys.

So it was encouraging — very encouraging — to hear that Mora had been fired. Unfortunately, that’s not the end of the story. Since Mora was fired, the reporter has been doxed and is being harassed.

Kudos to Bernie for canning the SOB. I think Bernie supporters are great, but some Bernie Bros are just stinking Republicans! RESIST!!

From The Borowitz Report: Asserting that his personal interests put him in direct conflict with the interests of the United States of America, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has demanded that Donald Trump recuse himself from all decisions involving the future of the U.S.

Speaking from her office at the Supreme Court, Ginsburg said that Trump’s oft-stated allegiance to himself makes it impossible for him to render unbiased decisions on issues affecting people other than himself.

“Since the United States is populated by three hundred and thirty-one million people who are not him, any decision regarding their fates would, by definition, ensnare Trump in an insoluble conflict of interest,” she said.

Ginsburg enumerated a list of issues about which Trump should immediately recuse himself, including immigration, trade, taxes, the social safety net, women’s reproductive rights, health care, the economy, the military, the environment, “and any other issues related to domestic or foreign policy not listed above.”

Amen Andy! What else is there to say? RESIST!!

From YouTube (Trae Crowder Channel): Liberal Redneck – Super Tuesday Smorgasboard [sic]

As usual, Trae is funny as hell, but realistically, only two choices are best for America: Liz or Bernie! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Turtles – Happy together (video/audio edited & remastered) HQ

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/24/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:28 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 242020

Yesterday WWWendy and I cooked up a storm. We made liquified Progresso Italian Wedding Soup and crackers, liquified Campbell’s Chunky Sirloin Burger Soup and spaghetti, liquified chili con carne, rice, mixed veggies, tomatoes, jalapenos, and chili powder (watch out Squatch), liquified fried eggs, hash browns, and milk, and liquified sliced peaches and cottage cheese. The chili was damn good, for baby food. The Chunky (NOT!) Soup wasn’t bad. The eggs and taters were a problem, because they glopped-up in the fridge overnight. I needed to add a load of milk to soften it up. Then it hardened while I was eating it. Bring on the heartburn. It will be trial and error. Today was supposed to be a lazy day, but I had to work on my grocery list and schedule my PET Scan (for Friday) and Lift rides. Oh God, it’s Monday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:31 (average 4:58). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: In an unapologetic display of animal cruelty, an anonymous group of terrible people released over two dozen pigeons into Las Vegas, with political accessories affixed to their heads. The group, which will not be named here, released the abused birds on Tuesday, in a “sarcastic” protest of the Democratic presidential debate the next day.

0224MAGAPigeonsinLasVegas

Republicans have no qualms about cruelty to animals. Look how cruel they are to people. And why did they need birds in the first place? Deplorable Republicans also wear MAGA hats, also squawk and tweet about their criminal Fuhrer Trump*, and also shit all over everything. RESIST!!

From NPR: The daredevil “Mad” Mike Hughes was killed in a rocket launch gone wrong Saturday in Barstow, Calif., two witnesses to the accident confirmed. He was 64.

It was the third launch for Hughes in one of his homemade rockets and part of his eventual plan to be able to determine for himself, up in the sky, if Earth was as flat as he proclaimed to believe.

Anyone, who would get in a homemade rocket to prove the earth is flat, was so stupid, that he has to be a Republican. Condolences to his family, but I’m sure glad Trump* can’t appoint that dingbat to head the National Science Foundation.

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Gerry & The Pacemakers – Ferry Cross The Mersey (1965)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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