{"id":39022,"date":"2020-02-20T08:53:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T16:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=39022"},"modified":"2020-02-20T08:53:08","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T16:53:08","slug":"open-thread-2-20-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/02\/20\/open-thread-2-20-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–2\/20\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a tired day here in the CatBox, and I\u2019d 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.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 3:45 (average 5:34).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

TC from the Inside<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Here are the endoscope photos I promised you.<\/font><\/p>\n

Barf Bag Alert!!<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

\"0220TCguts\"<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: 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.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

Acknowledging that some attributes of the former New York mayor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Additionally, billions of Bloomberg\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Amen, Andy. Straight news!  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: 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\u2019s 17 spy agencies.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As ambassador, Mr. Grenell made public statements that some German officials took as expressing opposition<\/a> to the government there, an extraordinary intervention into domestic affairs that diplomats typically avoid. He attacked what he called \u201cfailed\u201d open-border policies in Germany, which has resettled hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, and criticized Berlin\u2019s stances on Iran, military spending and Chinese investment in global telephone networks. He also expressed an eagerness to empower conservatives throughout Eur<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (a blast from the past): Zombies – Time Of The Season HD<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n