Open thread–2/23/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:42 am Open Thread, Politics

Feb 232020

It’s a very busy day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy worked late at her night job, so she’ll be a bit late today. We have a ton of stuff to do. Happy Sunday.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:24 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Sen. Bernie Sanders Is The Projected Winner Of The Nevada Democratic Caucus

Kudos to Bernie, and sad condolences to Liz! I’ll post the delegates total, when Nevada is done counting. RESIST!!

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Anderson Cooper on Rod Blagojevich claim: Just nuts

Blago comparing himself to Nelson Mandela is like comparing a steaming pile of shit to a Rose. Blago is calling himself a ‘Trumpocrat’. He’s no kind of …crat. The way he talks and acts, he’s an dishonorary Republican, like that other famous Illinois political criminal: Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley. RESIST!!

Also from YouTube (CNN Channel): Warren insults Bloomberg after Nevada caucuses

While her candidacy is in deep doo doo, we owe Liz a major debt of gratitude for exposing Bloomberg to America. Her insults are far less than he deserves. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Mamas And The Papas – California Dreamin’. Audio Gold Song ful HD.mp4

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/22/2022

Posted by TomCat at 9:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 222020

The labs are in, and the news is bad. I do have esophageal cancer, probably in stage III. That gives me a three year survival rate of 32%, with chemo and radiation. The next stage is a nose to knees Pet Scan. So it’s not a happy time in the CatBox. I plan to get our hosting paid at least a couple years in advance and take steps to transfer ownership of Politics Plus to Nameless, Lynn, Joanne and Lona on my passing, so the community here will survive me. I plan to dedicate whatever time I have left to do as much good as I can. I’m very tired. I had an emergency Republicosis run at 1:30 AM. Fortunately, I made it to the throne without accident this time. Tomorrow, please expect no more than an Open Thread. It’s a WWWendy day, and we have lots of extra work, using the new blender to prepare food less likely to get stuck in my tumor. Have a great weekend.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:37 (average 5:10). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From ProPublica: President Donald Trump’s new acting intelligence director, Richard Grenell, used to do consulting work on behalf of an Eastern European oligarch who is now a fugitive and was recently barred from entering the U.S. under anti-corruption sanctions imposed last month by the State Department.

In 2016, Grenell wrote several articles defending the oligarch, a Moldovan politician named Vladimir Plahotniuc, but did not disclose that he was being paid, according to records and interviews. Grenell also did not register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which generally requires people to disclose work in the U.S. on behalf of foreign politicians.

FARA is the same law that Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former deputy campaign manager Rick Gates were convicted of violating. (Manafort went to trial. Gates pleaded guilty.)

Although such behavior would disqualify a Democrat, in the Republican Reich, proof of such criminal corruption must be tendered by all applicants seeking employment in high office. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): GHOST DONALD IN THE SKY – Parody

Wonderful! May your song be prophetic about the political demise of every Republican politician starting with Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch and continuing beyond Criminal Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten*! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Byrds – “Mr. Tambourine Man” – 5/11/65

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/21/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 212020

It’s a yucky day here at the CatBox. My stomach has heartburn has been screaming all morning. I have to stay up, because Providence Home Medical Equipment is swapping-out a six pack of the portable O₂ tanks I use, when I’m out and about. TGIF to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:57 (average 5:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Republicans alternate between blaming Obama, Hillary, Nancy and Bernie.

Short Takes:

Froom YouTube (Washington Post Channel): Resurfaced video shows Bloomberg referring to transgender people as ‘some guy wearing a dress’

We knew Bloomberg [R-NY] was racist and misogynist. Add homophobic to his unsuitable list. RESIST!!

From Washington Post: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) mounted a new defense Wednesday for the toxicity emanating from pockets of his presidential campaign’s supporters, implying it was possible Russian actors were again manipulating social media to incite Democratic divisions.

Sanders’s language was indirect, offered on the debate stage here as his opponents faulted him for the behavior of his most strident fans. It drew criticism from experts in disinformation, who said they had no direct evidence the Kremlin had masqueraded as Sanders voters to interfere in the 2020 race much as Russian trolls had done four years earlier.

“All of us remember 2016, and what we remember is efforts by Russians and others to try to interfere in our elections and divide us up,” said the senator from Vermont. “I’m not saying that’s happening, but it would not shock me.”

I tend to doubt that, because I remember the toxicity of many ‘Bernie Bros’ toward me in 2016, because, as a Bernie supporter, I committed to voting for Hillary, after Bernie asked his supporters to do so. ‘Bernie Bros’ were a factor in my switch to Liz Warren this year. I understand that some of the hate-mavens, threatening Democrats who disagree, are employees on Bernie’s paid staff. If so, he needs to identify and fire them immediately. That said, I would not put such skullduggery past Putin [R-RU] and his Puppet Pervert Trump* either. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): Bloomberg Flounders, Warren Rebounds, and Bernie Brings the Heat

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. Liz and Bernie were head and shoulders above the rest. And he’s right that the debate should have focused more on the evil Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, and their criminal Fuhrer Trump*. I particularly liked how Robert used FDR as an example of democratic socialism. If Bloomberg [R-NY] wins the nomination in a brokered convention, it will destroy the Democratic Party and probably, the USA with it. RESIST!!

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

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/20/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 202020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox, and I’d like to get an early head start on my nap as Store to Door is delivering groceries some tome this afternoon. Have a Republican flush day.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:45 (average 5:34). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

TC from the Inside:

Here are the endoscope photos I promised you.

Barf Bag Alert!!

0220TCguts

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Shortly after the Democratic Presidential debate on Wednesday night, aides to Michael Bloomberg announced that he would spend ten billion dollars to buy an entirely new personality.

Acknowledging that some attributes of the former New York mayor’s new personality have yet to be ironed out, campaign advisers indicated that the eleven-figure outlay would be used to purchase warmth, empathy, and humanity.

Additionally, billions of Bloomberg’s war chest will be used to remove several unappetizing qualities from his current personality, including arrogance, touchiness, and a glaring inability to hide his contempt for others.

Amen, Andy. Straight news! RESIST!!

From NY Times: President Trump on Wednesday named Richard Grenell, the ambassador to Germany who quickly antagonized the establishment after arriving in Berlin in 2018, to be the acting director of national intelligence overseeing the nation’s 17 spy agencies.

By choosing Mr. Grenell, who has little experience in intelligence or in running a large bureaucracy, the president signaled that he wants a trusted, aggressive leader atop an intelligence community that he has long viewed with suspicion and at times gone to war against.

As ambassador, Mr. Grenell made public statements that some German officials took as expressing opposition to the government there, an extraordinary intervention into domestic affairs that diplomats typically avoid. He attacked what he called “failed” open-border policies in Germany, which has resettled hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, and criticized Berlin’s stances on Iran, military spending and Chinese investment in global telephone networks. He also expressed an eagerness to empower conservatives throughout Eur

What we have here is an appointment that exemplifies Fuhrer Trump* and the Republican Reich: a Director of National Intelligence, who is completely devoid of intelligence. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Zombies – Time Of The Season HD

Ah… the memories. RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/19/2019

Posted by TomCat at 8:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 192020

It’s an exhausted day here at the CatBox, so this is my only article today. Yesterday, they started my test an hour early. The nurse inserted my IV in a very small vein, and the pain I felt when the anesthesiologist shot the Jungle Juice was extreme and intense for the minute or two it took to knock me out. I was done and ready to go home at 12:30. WWWendy’s school had told her she could leave an hour early at 2:30. But both of her co-workers called in sick, so they let her go an hour late at 4:30, and she hit rush hour traffic. She did not get to the hospital until after 5:30, and it was after 6:30, before she got me home. None of this was her fault, and I am blessed to have her. I have a very sore throat and raging heartburn. I have a tumor growing where the esophagus meets the stomach, partially blocking the passage. Food gets hung up there, and when it can’t go down, it comes up. The doctor said it looks malignant, but we won’t know for sure until the lab results from the biopsies come back. The pictures he took are sitting on WWWendy’s dashboard. I’ll scan and post them for you tomorrow, as tonight is a WWWendy night. Those are not the results I wanted to get. ARGH! I just can’t catch a break these days. Happy Hump Day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:07 (average 6:13). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From The Borowitz Report: In an apparently successful attempt to get under the skin of Donald Trump, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has purchased Greenland from Denmark.

In an official statement released on Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, would not disclose the price that Bloomberg paid for Greenland but indicated that it was an “all-cash offer.”

“Mr. Bloomberg has a lot of money,” Frederiksen added.

News of Bloomberg’s purchase of Greenland reportedly infuriated Trump, who immediately ordered his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to make an offer to buy the Faroe Islands from Denmark.

Andy, is it true that Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten* was so pissed that he went to Nambia for a Hamburder? RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Lawrence & Rachel Question Reports That Barr May Leave DOJ Over Trump Tweets

I so wish Barrf would quit that I can taste it, but if you believe it, we really do need to talk about that bridge I’m selling. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): How Democrats Clean Up the Messes Left by Republicans with Robert Reich

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right, and the Reich on the Right, the Republican Reich, is shitting all over America with their welfare for billionaires. This is NOT Trump. The Republican Reich had done this for years, and I have been calling them on it for years too. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ricky Nelson – Travelin’ Man 1961

I danced the cha cha to this, when I was 13. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Personal Update–2/18/2020

Posted by TomCat at 6:34 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 182020

Standing corrected by one, who shall remain Nameless, I’m going to the hospital where the endoscopist will carefully record and examine every cm. on the way down and the way up, when he shoves the camera down my throat. Winking smile Wish me luck! I hope I’m back in the saddle tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:21 (average 5:06). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/17/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:45 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 172020

I want to rest all I can today, because tomorrow is shove a camera down my throat day. Please expect only a Personal Update. By the time WWWendy gets me home it will be supper time. Depending on how I feel I may or may not be able to publish Wednesday. I’ll update you as soon as I can. Oh God, it’s Monday!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:56 (average 5:27). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

This is how white supremacists used to steal elections.

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Trump’s newest Medal of Freedom winner was apparently terribly concerned about presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg kissing his husband on stage during an ugly rant on his radio show last week, where he said this during his attack on the former mayor’s sexuality:

Now, there may be some Democrats who think that is the ticket. There may be some Democrats who think that’s exactly what we need to do, Rush. Get a gay guy kissing his husband on stage, to ram it down Trump’s throat and beat him in the general election. Really. Having fun envisioning that.

Buttigieg was asked if he wanted to respond to Limbaugh’s remarks this Sunday by Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union:

Now Mayor Pete is not my 1st choice, but when it comes to Rush Limbarf and Republican homophobia, I could not be more on his side. RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Slick Lobby: Velshi On How Fossil Fuel Is Buying Your Vote

I’m sure none of my regular readers are falling for this Republican bullshit, but we need to educate others: Corporations are NOT people. Money is NOT speech. Fossil fuels are killing YOU! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): I Think We`re Alone Now – Tommy James & The Shondells

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

Open Thread–2/16/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:52 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 162020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. WWWendy if coming to de-stink the rancid TomCat and help with chores, including the preparation of what I need for my day trip to the hospital on Tuesday. I hope your day is fully Republican-free. If not, flush!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:09 (average 5:05). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Short Takes:

From Daily Kos: Moscow Mitch McConnell went on Fox News to chortle and gloat over the 395 bills the Democratic House has passed in the last year that he’s refusing to consider.

“It is true,” the Senate majority leader said. “They’ve been on full left-wing parade over there, trotting out all of their left-wing solutions that are going to be issues in the fall campaign. They’re right. We’re not going to pass those.” Like making sure state and local governments have enough funding to secure the 2020 election and legislation ensuring that people’s health care is protected. You know, crazy “full left-wing parade,” unlike his Senate that’s cranking out extremist, unqualified judges and voting on forced-birther bills that can’t even pass in the Senate.

At the same time Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch’s beloved criminal Fuhrer Trump* is whining about how the House of Representatives get nothing done, because they spend all their time persecuting him. The only solution is to dump every Republican dawg catcher, the Nazi Republican Fuhrer, and every Republican in between. Every Republican in office is one Republican too many! RESIST!!

From Raw Story: Appearing in MSNBC’s “AM Joy” former lead prosecutor Glenn Kirschner hammered Attorney General Bill Barr of a pattern of deceit and perjury that began with his Senate confirmation hearings and continues to this day.

Speaking with host Joy Reid about Barr’s ABC interview admission that he is unhappy with Donald Trump’s tweets and that he doesn’t let them influence him, the prosecutor called him out.

“Bill Barr is not to be believed,” Kirschner explained. “You know, from day one, Joy, at his confirmation hearing he lied — he committed perjury. [Sen.] Kamala Harris asked him, did anybody at the White House including the president ask you to open an investigation or suggest you should open an investigation? What did he say? ‘You know, I’m grappling with the word suggest.’”

First, Barrf should be impeached. Then, Barrf should be disbarrfed! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Marcels – Blue Moon

This was the first 45 RPM record I ever owned. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue!!

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