Open Thread–7/4/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 042020

It’s a relatively lazy holiday here in the CatBox. I looked forward to today, because I would have been able to see Portland’s main fireworks display from my window. Of course, it has been cancelled. Maybe I’ll see it next year, if I live that long. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a Personal Update or an Open Thread. WWWendy is coming so destink the pungent TomCat, change my patch, goop and help with chores. Also, because we’re running out of time, tomorrow is Infernal Revenue day in the CatBox. Have a fine weekend!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:15 (average 6:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0704TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,891,380
US Deaths: 132,112

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Lincoln Project Channel): Gettysburg

This could not be more appropriate for today! We must remember those murdered by criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* racist Republican Reich! God bless those very few Republicans that understand this. The smart ones have left or will soon leave the party. RESIST!!

From Raw Story: Yet another senior Donald Trump advisor has tested positive for COVID-19.

“Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of President Trump’s eldest son and a top fund-raising official for the Trump re-election campaign, tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday before a Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore, a person familiar with her condition said,” The New York Times reported shortly before Trump’s speech began.

“Ms. Guilfoyle traveled to South Dakota with Mr. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., in anticipation of attending a huge fireworks display where the president was set to speak. They did not travel aboard Air Force One, according to the person familiar with her condition, and she was the only person in the group who tested positive,” the newspaper reported. “Still, that another person who was expected to be near Mr. Trump tested positive — and someone who most staff aides consider a member of the Trump family — is likely to renew attention around potential risks to the president.”

How rabid! She attended criminal Fuhrer Trump’s white supremacy super-spreader campaign show, while infected with Trump* virus and no mask or distancing. How many will die, because she spread her Fuhrer’s plague? She needs to do one more thing: give her boyfriend’s father* a BIG, sloppy kiss! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from Woodstock): BERT SOMMER – AMERICA – WOODSTOCK 69

The next few songs are dedicated to all who were at Woodstock or wanted to be. Most of us gave Bert a standing ovation for this song. Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Trump* to Celebrate Oppression for the 4th

Posted by TomCat at 11:25 am Politics

Jul 032020

In my youth, I climbed the back of Mt. Rushmore, stood on top of Abe’s head and looked down at Teddy’s nose. I intended no disrespect to the Lakota people. I had no idea that I was violating their sacred land. In fact, I had no idea that they are the rightful owners of that land.. Furthermore, I did not learn about the KKK links to the monument until today.

On Friday, President Donald Trump will continue his tour of racism and colonialism, moving from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the sacred Black Hills. Make no mistake, this visit is an attack on Indigenous people.

I visit the Black Hills alongside many other Lakotas every year as part of a tradition we have maintained for thousands of years. Stretching from what is now known as South Dakota into Wyoming, they are a sacred place that I take my family and my children to, like the Vatican for Catholics or Mecca for Muslims. The hills are where I feel most connected to Creator.

The Black Hills are also the site of death, violence and war. They are home to Mount Rushmore — a monument to white colonizers carved by a Ku Klux Klan sympathizer into land stolen from us by the U.S. government in 1877. Two of the men carved into that mountain are slave owners, and one approved the mass hangings of 38 Dakota men in the largest mass execution in the history of the United States.

Trump’s visit to Mount Rushmore, timed to America’s celebration of the Fourth of July, is almost a natural sequel to his rally in Tulsa — originally coinciding with Juneteenth. He is taking his campaign from the site of one of the United States’ most horrific acts of racism to another place with long histories of oppression and state-sanctioned violence… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NBC News>

I find myself less inclined than many to blame George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt for practices that are horrifical by today’s standards, but were considered normal and acceptable when they were alive. They were all people who left things better than they found them. They helped establish the foundation, on which we are fighting to win justice and freedom for all.

Native Americans in South Dakota Protest Trump’s July 4 Trip to Mount Rushmore

I do support the Lakota demand to destroy the monument on Mt. Rushmore. I have nothing against having a monument to those four people and would not object to building one elsewhere. The monument is in the wrong place. The Lakota people gave up huge tracts of land, negotiating in good faith for the sanctity of the Black Hills, their sacred land. The only just recompense for the crime of forcing them off their sacred land is to return it to them. Republicans will argue that the monument is our heritage, but isn’t reinstituting the observance of this treaty after over a century of violation a far better heritage than four dead men carved in stone?

Julian Bear Runner: Trump Doesn’t Have Permission To Visit Mount Rushmore

And speaking of criminal Fuhrer Trump* (even though I’d rather not), he plans only a campaign event for racists, that he can use to start forest fires with an illegal fireworks display, and to kill as many Lakota people as he can, as his Sheeple spread the pestilence of Trump* virus, in the process of celebration Trump* and only Trump*. Shame on the entire Republican Reich!

RESIST!!

Open Thread–7/3/2020

Posted by TomCat at 11:24 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 032020

It’s a tired day here in the CatBox. I had to spend so much time trying to arrange medical mayhem for when WWWendy is out of town later this month that I missed my morning nap. ARGH!! TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:09 (average 6:11). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0703TrumpVirusMap

Map Reference Thanks, Nameless!

US Cases: 2,837,726
US Deaths: 131,504

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Oregonian Channel): Oregon State Police don’t comply with indoor mask order by Gov. Kate Brown

If Oregon State cops consider themselves above the law, arrest them, fire them, defund them, or all of the above! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Epstein’s Confidant Ghislaine Maxwell Charged In Sex Abuse Probe

I’m sure we can expect interference from AG Barrf to undermine this case. If Maxwell is convicted and imprisoned, criminal Fuhrer Trump* will have a more difficult time finding underage girls to assault, when he’s not in Russia. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Audio)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–7/2/2020

Posted by TomCat at 7:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 022020

It’s a busy day here in the CatBox. A fire alarm made me get up at 1:00 AM, and I could not get back to sleep. WWWendy is coming soon, so this is my only article today. JD, would you please publish Sam? Have a great day! Joke: Why did God create Republicans? She wanted to make Satanist cannibals look good!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:57 (average 5:39). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

US Cases: 2,781,085
US Deaths: 130,813

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump may not have read a Presidential Daily Brief on the Russian bounty scheme because he holds reading material upside down, experts suggested on Wednesday.

After studying photographic evidence of Trump holding a book in that difficult-to-read position, Davis Logsdon, who studies literacy at the University of Minnesota, said that such a practice could have impeded the President’s ability to process information on his desk.

“If Trump is holding all of his Presidential Daily Briefs upside down, what is intended to be important intelligence requiring his urgent attention might, to him, appear to be little more than meaningless marks on a piece of paper,” Logsdon said.

Dang, Andy! Did he learn that technique from the way Crawford Caligula, aka GW ChickenHawk, read My Pet Goat on 9/11? RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: President Donald Trump makes very clear his allegiance to the almighty dollar, so it should hardly be shocking that he’s willing to throw Black people under the bus when it comes to his beloved Trump Tower. The president made his position even clearer Wednesday when he vehemently opposed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to have a Black Lives Matter sign painted on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. The building’s namesake called the planned sign a “symbol of hate” and berated the mayor for supporting a plan to reallocate $1 billion of the police department’s $6 billion operating budget—a drop in the bucket for protesters pushing for a wholesale overhaul to policing.

Kudos to Mayor de Blasio! I can’t wait to see the look on criminal Fuhrer Trump’s* face the first time le looks down from his liars lair and sees Black Lives Matter! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the the past): Get Back (Remastered 2009)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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!!

Open Thread–6/30/2020

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

Jun 302020

It’s a crazy day here in the CatBox. I’ve been having trouble changing my Fentanyl patches. They are tiny, transparent and sticky. Because my previous surgery to knock out eye cancer damaged my eyes, everything I see is blurry, and I have double vision. Also, my hands shake when I try to do delicate work. So far, I have destroyed two patches trying to change them, and with a copay of $10 per patch, that has to change. To solve the problem WWWendy will come every three days, instead of twice per week, so she can change my patch, when she’s here. Therefore, my WWWendy days will change every week, and my schedule here will be variable. I may be a bit scarce for the next two days. Store to Door is closed for the Fourth, so I ordered my groceries from Safeway.com. They will be delivering a huge order between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, and it will take me a long time to unbag them and put them away. Then WWWendy will be coming Thursday morning to destink the rancid TomCat, change my patch, goop, and help with chores. Don’t forget to remind everyone to flush the Republican Reich!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:33 (average 5:25). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0630TrumpVirusMap

US Cases: 2,683,301
Deaths: 128,819

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an act of retaliation against the Russians for sponsoring Taliban attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Donald J. Trump is sending Jared Kushner to the Kremlin to offer advice on its coronavirus response, the White House confirmed on Monday.

“To all those who thought that this President was not taking the Russians’ actions seriously, this response should speak for itself,” the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said. “The President had an array of responses to choose from, and the one he selected is by far the most punishing.”

According to White House insiders, Trump and his advisers debated the response to the Russians for hours before finally settling on the Kushner option late Sunday night.

“Jared Kushner is the most brutal weapon in our arsenal, and deploying him is a decision that no one should ever take lightly,” one adviser said.

Awww, come on, Andy. Criminal Fuhrer Trump* would never do such a horrible thing to his favorite butt plug, Vladimir Putin [R-RU]. Furthermore, that would be a clear casus belli. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: At least one House Democrat has had enough with Republicans ignoring mask requirements during House committee hearings. Rep. Jim Clyburn, head of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, has written a letter to ranking Republican Steve Scalise warning him that if committee Republicans continue to show up at hearings without masks, those Republicans will not be recognized to speak during subcommittee meetings. At all.

Clyburn was not particularly polite about it, either. In his letter, Clyburn reminds Scalise that it was Scalise who “repeatedly” has wanted in-person hearings and “you assured me that this could be done safely.” But when “every single Republican Member of the Subcommittee refused to comply” with congressional mask rules, Clyburn was fed up.

Kudos to Jim Clyburn. I hope that the other Democratic heads of committees and subcommittees, both women and men, grow a pair too! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): The Doors – Break On Through HQ (1967)

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

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!!

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