Republicans on Parade–5/29/2019

Posted by TomCat at 10:43 am Politics

May 292020

Here is the one hundred seventy-fifth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winner is Republican PA State Representative Russ Diamond (R-Annville). He is so honored for intentionally trying to murder Democratic state legislators by infecting them with Trump* virus.

Rep. Brian Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat, went on
Twitter and Facebook last night to share some shocking news. He says a
Republican colleague tested positive for COVID-19 — and no one told the
Democrats who worked on the same committee. Via MetroWeekly:

Sims, a member of the State Government Committee,
specifically called for the resignation of, and the possible prosecution of, the
member who allegedly tested positive, whom he identified as Rep. Russ Diamond
(R-Annville), as well as Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Marshall Township) and other
Republican leaders, for allegedly conspiring to conceal the fact that GOP
lawmakers had tested positive for COVID-19.

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

I call this attempted murder, because I can prove intent. Were Diamond just displaying a normal stupidity level for Republicans, he would not have warned his Republican colleagues that he was infected. Even worse, his colleagues joined the plot to kill Democrats. Otherwise, they would have warned the Democrats that Diamond was a walking death trap. It’s bad enough that Republicans caused the spread of Trump* virus. Now they’re weaponizing it to commit biological warfare.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–5/29/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 292020

It’s a tired day, here in the CatBox. It reached 92° here yesterday. While the A/C kept it bearable, it was too muggy to facilitate sleeping well. WWWendy, who thanks you all for your good wishes, left town this morning. When I texted her, she had just passed Pendleton, so she probably is in Idaho by now. Updating you on my medical mayhem, on Tuesday I have a video conference with Megan, my PCP. My PET Scan is on Tuesday 6/9, and my follow up with Evelyn, my Oncologist, is Tuesday 6/16. TGIF!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:30 (average 5:41). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0529TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,771,614
Deaths: 103,417
Recovered: 499,109

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: Servers belonging to the social-media platform Twitter burst into flames on Thursday, after the company attempted to fact-check all of Donald Trump’s tweets.

“We knew that fact-checking Trump’s tweets was going to put a strain on our system,” Jack Dorsey, the C.E.O. of Twitter, said. “We had no idea that it would result in columns of fire shooting forty feet into the air.”

Reportedly, an explosion in the server fact-checking Trump’s tweets about Joe Scarborough ignited a blaze that quickly spread to a server furiously vetting his tweets about Barack Obama.

Dang Andy! Aren’t the folks that run the Twitter shitter bright enough to store all Trump’s* tweets on asbestos servers, only? RESIST!!

From NY Times: The Trump administration is preparing an executive order intended to curtail the legal protections that shield social media companies from liability for what gets posted on their platforms, two senior administration officials said early Thursday.

Such an order, which officials said was still being drafted and was subject to change, would make it easier for federal regulators to argue that companies like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter are suppressing free speech when they move to suspend users or delete posts, among other examples.

The move is almost certain to face a court challenge and is the latest salvo by President Trump in his repeated threats to crack down on online platforms. Twitter this week attached fact-checking notices to two of the president’s tweets after he made false claims about voter fraud, and Mr. Trump and his supporters have long accused social media companies of silencing conservative voices.

The concept of free speech to the Republican Reich means Republicans are free to muzzle Democrats and stifle everything we say . Also, Republicans are free to lie continually with impunity and without oversight. RESIST!!

From YouTube (Robert Reich Channel): It’s Time to Send Trump and McConnell Packing

Of course the Reich on the left, Robert Reich, is right. The Reich in the right, the Republican Reich needs to be obliterated. From top to bottom, every Republican in power is one Republican too many! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing

I love the guitar playing! Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/28/2020

Posted by TomCat at 8:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 282020

It’s a hot busy day, here in the CatBox, with 89° forecast. WWWendy is coming, and we have lots to do to get me ready for her five day trip. Have a great day!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:00 (average 5:10): To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 1,747,781
Deaths: 102,197
Recovered: 490,256

Short Takes:

From The New Yorker: In an escalation of his spat with Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, Donald Trump is demanding that the 2020 Republican National Convention relocate from Charlotte to Moscow.

“North Carolina has been difficult every step of the way, and meanwhile Moscow has always been very helpful to me,” Trump wrote, in one of a series of early-morning tweets.

Additionally, Trump argued, moving the R.N.C. to Moscow would save the Republicans millions in airfare. “The most important people working on our 2020 campaign will already be there,” he tweeted.

Well, Andy, I see you’re doing straight news again. Is Bought Bitch Midnight Moscow Mitch dancing for glee? RESIST!!

From Alternet: Trump and Republicans don’t want mail-in voting this November because it blows up a couple of their most effective voter suppression schemes.

In presidential elections dating back to 2000, there’s been noticeable media coverage of long lines in majority-black precincts; commentators sometimes wonder out loud why people would have to wait in line 8 hours to vote in, for example, inner city Ohio in 2004 or Milwaukee in the 2020 primaries.

Leading up to Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s contest with Stacey Abrams in 2018, the Atlanta Constitution-Journal documented how 8 percent of the state’s polling places had been recently closed, hitting rural black areas particularly hard. The Washington Post chronicled how broken voting machines—and the long lines they create—were largely confined to downtown Atlanta and black suburbs and rural areas.

The effect, of course, is to discourage voters from showing up or staying in line, particularly those people who are paid by the hour and have to take time off work to vote.

“The strongest tool Americans have to prevent Republican attempts at voter suppression is mail-in voting.”

In a Republican Reich, voting while Black or Latino is a felony. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): People Are Strange – The Doors [The Very Best Of The Doors]

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Republicans on Parade–5/27/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:19 am Politics

May 272020

Here is the one hundred seventy-fourth article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s winners are four unnamed Minneapolis police officers. They are so honored for murdering yet another unarmed black man, who begged for mercy as one killed him and the rest watched.

ANOTHER DAY in the United States, another unarmed black man dead following unwarranted, insupportable, outrageous police violence. When will it end?

In Minneapolis on Monday evening, a white officer bore down with his knee on the neck of a handcuffed black man who lay sprawled on the street, rasping, “I cannot breathe” and “Don’t kill me.” The man died a short time after.

The suspect, George Floyd, was in his 40s. He was arrested when officers responded to what they called a suspected “forgery in progress.” They said the man appeared to be intoxicated and that he resisted arrest, though no evidence has been presented for either assertion.

There is plain evidence of what came next, however, from a video recorded by someone in a group of witnesses who stood a few feet away. In it, the white officer appears impassive, almost bored, as the suspect gasps for breath. He is unmoved as witnesses curse and plead with him to get off the suspect’s neck, as they warn that the man’s nose is bleeding, that he can’t breathe, that he isn’t resisting. Nor does the officer relent when an ambulance medic arrives and checks the man’s neck for a pulse… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Here are two video clips reporting on the incident.

4 cops fired after video shows one kneeling on neck of black man who later died

Minneapolis Officers Fired After Fatal Arrest Of Unarmed Black Man

Now, you might ask, how do I know they are Republicans? If they act like Republicans, hate like Republicans, and kill like Republicans, they are Republicans, no matter the party to which they belong. I’d worry that criminal Fuhrer Trump would pardon them, but it will never come to that. Guess who is in charge of the investigation? It’s Barrf! Should their names and addresses should be posted online? Sadly, that’s too Republican to do.

RESIST!!

Open Thread–5/27/2020

Posted by TomCat at 10:18 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 272020

It’s a hot time, here in the CatBox, with the next three days forecast in the 80°s. That’s not too bad in itself, but it’s a little strange for May. Yesterday my Oncologist and I agreed that since my treatment had almost killed me from septic shock, we needed a new plan, and she had one ready. First, I’m going to have another PET Scan to verify the progress of my disease, and see if there is a tumor in my liver that they can biopsy. If there is, Evelyn will get me into a clinical trial, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. They analyze the DNA of my cancer and design an individual drug that specifically targets my cancer, without targeting me. I’ll keep you posted. Tomorrow, I’ll probably have no more than an Open Thread or a Personal Update. WWWendy will be gone this weekend. She’s driving to Wyoming for a family reunion first thing Friday morning. She will return Monday night. Please pray for her safety. As a result, my next two WWWendy days are tomorrow and Tuesday. Will I be stinky by Tuesday, or what? Happy Hump day to all!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:04 (average 4:33). To do it, click here.

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

Cases: 1,729,022
Deaths: 100,686
Recovered: 480,273

Short Takes:

From YouTube (CNN Channel): Trump threatens to shut down social media platform

This is much too little, much too late. Twitter is almost as bad as Fakebook. It’s time to put Twitter in the shitter! RESIST!!

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): As U.S. Deaths Reach 100,000, Trump Praises His Handling Of Virus

Congratulations to criminal Fuhrer Trump for murdering 100,000 in the Republican war against America for greed and power. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): Ghost Riders in the Sky – Johnny Cash – Full Song

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/25/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 252020

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox. Tomorrow, please expect no more than a very brief Personal Update, because I have to leave home at 7:30. WWWendy is taking me to the hospital for my next infusion and to discuss what we need to change to extend my life without killing me. I’ll try to let you know when I’m home safe.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:27 (average 5:12). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Yes I know the chimp is an ape, not a monkey.

Trump* Virus Update:

0525TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,688,709
Deaths: 99,348
Recovered: 451,745

Short Takes:

From Crooks and Liars: Almost certain to be an enduring meme, that Trump decided that going golfing was appropriate and more important than honouring Americans that have died due to COVID-19. That he did so doing Memorial Day weekend makes it even worse.

Source: Rolling Stone

President Trump, who has faced mounting criticism for his administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis and his lack of empathy throughout, decided to leave the White House on Saturday to play golf.

According to several reports, today’s trip to the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, is likely his first outing to one of his private golf courses since early March. However, during the two “working weekends” the president spent at Camp David in May, it is unknown whether or not he played golf.

Trump going golfing is consistent with his reopen theme that he’s been pushing of late, but it still shows a tone-deafness and a lack of empathy. The U.S. pandemic death toll is approaching 100,000, and on top of that it’s Memorial Day weekend, a solemn occasion meant for tributes to Americans lost at war.

What Trump did today is much worse. He insulted fallen heroes by taking his ersatz bone spurs to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: Sharply disagreeing with critics of Donald J. Trump’s weekend visit to the Trump National Golf Club, Dr. Anthony Fauci has urged Trump to remain on the golf course until the pandemic is over.

“The people who are giving you a hard time about your golf trip are just haters,” Fauci told Trump on Sunday. “It’s in the best interest of everyone in the country that you keep golfing, Mr. President.”

“Please,” he added.

Andy, I have to admit that Fauci’s point could not be more valid. RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the Past): 500 miles – Peter, Paul and Mary [Original Audio]

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Open Thread–5/24/2020

Posted by TomCat at 9:44 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 242020

It’s a very busy day, here in the CatBox. WWWendy should be here in half an hour, so I’d better burn rubber. This is today’s only article. Have a great holiday weekend. If you must travel, please protect yourselves.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:07 (average 5:58). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Cartoon:

Trump* Virus Update:

0524TrumpVirusMap

Cases: 1,669,311
Deaths: 98,740
Recovered: 446,982

Short Takes:

From Alternet: …A new study shows that when it comes to forcing workers to go back into offices, stores, and factories, almost half the online voices shouting for the “reopening of America” were, and are, bot accounts. Of the accounts that have tweeted most on this topic, more than half are bots. Of the most influential, almost all are bots. And behind the bots … is someone still unknown.

The report comes out of Carnegie Mellon University. Digging through over 200 million tweets discussing COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus, researchers focused in on the most influential accounts—those most active, most retweeted, and most liked. Out of the top 1,000 accounts, 62% are bots. Perhaps even more amazing: of the 50 most influential accounts on this topic, 82% are bots.

The bots may be numerous, but their message isn’t varied. They’re not being used to pass along accurate news about COVID-19, to encourage social distancing, or to support state government calls for preventive measures. In addition to pushing false cures, like Trump’s much-pushed hydroxychloroquine, and spreading general false information about the dangers of COVID-19, there’s one point where bots are driving the whole of social media. According to the report, they are “dominating conversations about ending stay-at-home orders and ‘reopening America.’”… [emphasis added]

We can be sure of one thing. Those bots are smarter than the Republican sheeple they influence. Even artificial intelligence is more than no intelligence at all. RESIST!!

From CNN: With restaurants closed or open with limited capacity due to the coronavirus pandemic, a certain subset of those establishments’ “patrons” is struggling.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that certain areas across the country are reporting “an increase in rodent activity,” as rats search for sources of food other than restaurant dumpsters.

“Jurisdictions have closed or limited service at restaurants and other commercial establishments to help limit the spread of COVID-19,” the CDC said. “Rodents rely on the food and waste generated by these establishments. Community-wide closures have led to a decrease in food available to rodents, especially in dense commercial areas.”

As a result, rats are scampering elsewhere — including residential areas. Given the circumstances, they may even exhibit “unusual or aggressive” behavior, the CDC said.

We need to do some heavy duty pest control to kill those rats. Not only do they spread disease, but also, you know they’ll vote Republican in November! RESIST!!

From YouTube (a blast from the past): If I Were a Carpenter

Ah… the memories! RESIST!!

Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!

Experts Contradict Trump* on His Virus

Posted by TomCat at 9:56 am Politics

May 132020

Yesterday a panel of experts testified about COVID-19, aka Trump* virus in the Senate. They demonstrated that criminal Fuhrer Trump and the Republican Reich have been lying. They are so full of Trump* shit that their eyes have turned orange.

Two of the federal government’s top health officials painted a grim picture of the months ahead on Tuesday, warning a Senate panel that the coronavirus pandemic was far from contained, just a day after President Trump declared that “we have met the moment and we have prevailed.”

The officials — Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, and Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — predicted dire consequences if the nation reopened its economy too soon, noting that the United States still lacked critical testing capacity and the ability to trace the contacts of those infected.

“If we do not respond in an adequate way when the fall comes, given that it is without a doubt that there will be infections that will be in the community, then we run the risk of having a resurgence,” said Dr. Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who is at the forefront of efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine.

If states reopen their economies too soon, he warned, “there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control,” which could result not only in “some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Here’s some coverage of the Senate and more.

Fauci Clashes In Tense Moment At Senate Hearing

Criminal Fuhrer Trump* fears that keeping the economy shuttered will cost him any possibility to steal the White House again. How many people will he murder in the process? How many will be children?

Robert Reich has Republican motives down cold.

Robert Reich: The Real Reason Trump Wants to Reopen the Economy

The Reich on the left Robert Reich is right. The Reich on the right, the Republican Reich cares for money and power. They consider killing YOU part of their plan!

RESIST!!

Older Entries Newer Entries