{"id":40874,"date":"2020-08-24T09:21:06","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T16:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=40874"},"modified":"2020-08-24T09:21:06","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T16:21:06","slug":"open-thread-8-24-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/08\/24\/open-thread-8-24-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread – 8\/24\/2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a busy day, here in the CatBox.  Diana, my palliative care nurse, is coming between (9:00 and 10:00 this morning for a routine visit.  I’m now experiencing a side effect from my new cancer treatment: fatigue.  Evelyn, my Oncologist, advised me that was the most likely problem I might have.  It’s a fight to keep my eyes open today.  Tomorrow is a WWWendy day, but it won’t effect my writing.  It will be 4:30 to 5:00 PM when she gets here.  Starting tomorrow, I shall be covering the Republican National Convention in Open Threads.  But you don’t need to stay away.  I shall not include any videos, just a brief pictorial summary.  Oh God, it’s Monday!<\/font><\/p>\n

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

Today’s took me 3:01 (average 4:56).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

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

<\/font><\/p>\n

Trump* Virus Update<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"0824TrumpVirusMap\"<\/a><\/font><\/p>\n

At least it’s worst in red states.<\/font><\/p>\n

US Cases: 5,875,939
US Deaths: 180,618
Plus the many GOP plague murder victims Republicans are hiding from us.<\/font><\/strong> <\/p>\n

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

From Forbes<\/a>: <\/font>A majority of Republican voters think that the U.S. coronavirus death toll, which is over 176,000 and rising, is \u201cacceptable,\u201d a CBS News\/YouGov poll found Sunday, with an even larger number saying that the national response to coronavirus is \u201cgoing well.”<\/font><\/p>\n

That speaks volumes about the incredible lack of empathy among the deplorable Republican Reich. To anyone who gives a damn, 176,000 dead Americans (now over 180,000) is NOT even barely tolerable, let alone “going well”.  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>Just weeks after President Trump\u2019s administration agreed to pull back federal officers from demonstrations in Portland, Ore., where his attempt at a high-profile crackdown backfired, the fate of the city\u2019s protests now rests to a large extent with an altogether different leader: A brand-new, 39-year-old district attorney whose approach to enforcing the law is as contested as the demonstrations themselves.<\/p>\n

The new prosecutor, Mike Schmidt, took office Aug. 1 after defeating an experienced federal prosecutor by a 3-to-1 margin in Multnomah County, which includes most of Portland. Even his critics say the breadth of his victory gave him a mandate to reshape prosecutions in Portland, a city of frequent protests, where there is no clear end in sight to demonstrations against police brutality that began after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. <\/p>\n

He has not been slow to shake things up: Ten days after taking office, Mr. Schmidt effectively dismissed charges against more than half of about 600 people arrested since the protests began at the end of May. <\/p>\n

His directive met with strong objections from the Portland police and Multnomah County sheriff. But it was in keeping with his progressive campaign platform as one of a new generation of prosecutors<\/a> across the country who are pledging to reduce penalties for low-level nonviolent crimes. <\/p>\n

Mr. Schmidt said his office would presumptively decline to prosecute demonstrators for minor offenses such as interfering with the police, disorderly conduct and trespassing \u2014 cases that did not involve deliberate violence, property damage or theft. And charges for assault on officers and resisting arrest will now require closer scrutiny, with prosecutors taking into account in filing charges whether the police fired tear gas into crowds. <\/p>\n

I voted for Mike. I’m glad I did. Oregon leads the way!  RESIST<\/strong>!!<\/font> <\/p>\n

From YouTube<\/a> (a blast of protest): <\/font>Confounds the Science – (Parody of) Sound of Silence – REMIX | Don Caron \/ Linda Gower<\/p>\n