Meme Dump

Bobservations

Last week we took Ozzo to the vet for a checkup. The vet confirmed the eyesight is failing and the hearing is failing and the arthritis is spreading, and did bloodwork to check kidney, liver and heart levels, and then called us with the news. I listened in as Carlos talked to our vet and when he hung up I asked what was said:

“Well, he said that we ought to change our wills and leave the house and everything else to Ozzo because he's gonna outlive us all.”

Seriously.

This week’s Tuxedo Memory is from April 2011:

“Caturday

Despondent over his love for books, and his utter inability to read a single word, Tuxedo simply gave up.”

I cannot stop smiling whenever I find a photo of The Great Tuxedo sprawled flat on his back. That cat slayed me.

Shocking? No. A letter from a trusted church source based in Germany was found among the private papers of Pope Pius XII and suggests that the Pope was told in 1942 that up to 6,000 “Poles and Jews,” were being killed in furnaces every day at the Nazi death camp Belzec, in Poland.

The document adds to the evidence that some scholars say shows Pius knew about the Holocaust but did not want to confront or offend Hitler because he feared Communism, believed that the Axis powers would win the war and wanted to avoid alienating millions of German- and Nazi-sympathizing Catholics.

So he said nothing while millions more were murdered.

Fuck the Catholic Church.

A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him, loudly enough for those around them to hear, why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation:

“You grew up in a very different world, an almost primitive one. The young people of today are much more advanced than people your age. We grew up with TV, a man landing on the moon, jet place, space travel, the internet, cell phones, nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers, AI,  automated manufacturing, amazing technologies, and …”

He paused to sip his beer and the senior citizen took advantage of the silence:

“You’re right, son. We didn’t have those things when we were young … so we invented them. But tell me, you arrogant little shit, what are YOU doing for the next generation?”

The applause was deafening.

Remember, someone came before you to make your life easier and better.

When auto CEOs say they can't afford to pay their workers more money remember that the Big Three automakers have made $250 billion in profits the past decade and have spent $66 billion on stock buybacks and dividends.

It’s not that there isn’t money for raises and bonuses, it’s that the rich want to get richer while their employees suffer.

The irony of the  Hunter Biden gun charge is that the firearm application only exists because he purchased the gun from a federally-licensed firearms dealer, which actually conducts a background check.

You know, those same background checks that Republicans don’t think you should undergo to own a gun.

Lauren Boebert Groper says it’s over between her and the guy who gave a handie to during a matinee performance of Beetlejuice because he’s a Democrat.

I think it’s because he forgot to leave twenty dollars on the nightstand before he left.

Mr-Former-Fake-One-Term-Twice-Impeached-Currently-Four-Time-Criminally-Indicted-Not-My-President-Gurl’s former attorney, Rudy Giuliani was sued this by his onetime lawyers who claim he owes them $1.36 million in unpaid legal fees.

Looks like Rudy might wanna return the cubic zirconia he bought for his mistress-turned-fiancée last week. Even the sixty bucks he gets for it might help.

This week’s offering is Ryan Greasley, a fitness and underwear model –and try as I might, I could only find that one photo of him fully clothed—who has graced the pages of magazines like DNA and MMH. But we don’t care much about that because this is: Would You Hit It?

PS To be fair, I didn’t try hard to find Ryan in clothes.

Vote Blue .. . And Here's Why, AGAIN!!!

It’s been a few weeks since we checked in on the GOP and their special brand of bigotry and ignorance, so let’s dive right in …

INDIANA

Last week the city of Westfield deleted Twitter and Facebook posts that recognized Pride Month under the direction of Mayor Andy Cook because he says the city “should not engage in supporting a social agenda.”

The city has previously posted celebrations of Black History Month and Juneteenth without Cook complaining about any “social agenda”  but they are clearly trying to erase us.

MONTANA

The state legislature has passed a bill to specifically ban people dressed in drag from reading books to children at public schools and libraries, part of a host of legislation aimed at the rights the LGBTQ+ community.

As RuPaul says, Reading is fundamental, but the library is closed to drag queens trying to read children’s books to children.

TEXAS

Texas Congressman, and a Republican because … of course … Chip Roy wants to defund the entire U.S. military because an Air Force base is hosting a few Pride events in June.

This is the GOP; defund the entire military because The Gays.

Ant then the Texas House gave initial approval to a bill restricting children from seeing sexually explicit performances; the bill was originally designed to restrict kids from attending drag shows, but its most recent version seeks to criminalize any live performance that the bill defines as sexual.

The party who stands against the idea of more government now wants to tell parents how they can and cannot raise their children.

NORTH CAROLINA

The state GOP has proposed the “Clarify Regulations on Adult Entertainment” bill that would prohibit “adult live entertainment” on private property in the presence of anyone under age 18 and not allow it at all on public property.

Now the GOP wants to tell Americans what they can do on their own property.

FLORIDA

Ron DeSantis has signed a bill imposing tough new penalties and restrictions on undocumented immigrants in Florida that, among other things, requires employers to use E-Verify to make sure workers are authorized to work in the U.S.

As a result, Latin American truck drivers were threatening to stop delivering to and in Florida, and migrant workers and construction workers are leaving their jobs as well.

Keep in mind that DeSaster will do the same for this entire country effectively destroying the economy.

Also note that DeSantis signed a bill to bar state colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and limiting how race can be discussed in many courses.

In college, adults cannot be taught about diversity and equality and race.

In Ron DeSantis’ “Straight Whites Only” state.

Oh, and also in Florida under DeSantis, the state education department rejected two new Holocaust-focused textbooks for classroom use, while forcing at least one other textbook to alter a passage about the Hebrew Bible in order to meet state approval.

If we don’t teach the Holocaust how can we stop it from happening again; and if you don’t think it will, keep watching.

PS  DeSantis proclaims himself Israel’s best friend and during a visit there last month he credited a prayer he inserted into the Western Wall with warding off a major hurricane. DeSantis also had his children baptized with water from the Sea of Galilee.

But he doesn’t want his children to learn about the Holocaust.

NORTH DAKOTA

GOP Governor Doug Burgum has signed a bill to prohibit public schools and government entities from requiring teachers and employees to refer to transgender people by the pronouns they use. The new law also requires teachers to out the children to their parents and bans  transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice without prior approval from a parent or guardian.

They are coming for Free Speech.

OKLAHOMA

GOP Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill to fund the state’s PBS station, Oklahoma Educational Television Authority through 2026, accusing the station of indoctrinating young children with shows like “Sesame Street,” “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” and “Clifford The Big Red Dog.”

Stitt is pissy because of a “PBS Newshour” feature on parents’ support for various gender care treatments, a gay character in “Work It Out Wombats,” and the news that “Clifford the Big Red Dog” introduced LGBTQ characters.

Stitt says these anti-LGBTQ+ moves don’t represent his values but says he represents the taxpayers.

Just the hate-filled, anti-LGBTQ+ bigoted ones, apparently.

GOOD NEWS

TEXAS

A push to inject religion into public schools faltered after the House failed to pass a contentious bill that would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed prominently in every classroom. The measure was part of an effort by conservative Republicans expand the reach of religion … be clear, only Christianity … into public schools.

I’ll remind the Texas GOP: Separation of Church and State.

OREGON

The State Senate failed to reach quorum again, meaning six additional Republican senators have now disqualified themselves from running for reelection under Article IV, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution.

The Senators in question all hit 10 unexcused absences—refusing to show up for votes in which the GOP side would lose—and under Measure 113, passed by 68% of voters in November, they are now barred from running for their current Senate seat in the next election.

Now just three of the state’s Republican senators are left to run for re-election at the end of their term.

MONTANA

The State Supreme Court has solidified protections for abortion access and will allow nurses with advanced degrees to continue performing abortions in Montana; all seven supreme court justices agreed that the law unconstitutionally interferes with Montanan’s right to privacy to seek medical care from the provider of their choosing.

As of now, women in Montana still have some rights.

MISSISSIPPI

The church-state separation watchdog American Atheists has won a lawsuit to remove mandatory “In God We Trust” language from the state’s official license plate. American Atheists filed suit on behalf of the Mississippi Humanist Association, accusing state officials of violating nonreligious people’s freedoms of speech and religion by forcing them to display “In God We Trust” on their personal vehicles.

GOP Governor Tate Reeves has boasted about the “In God We Trust equating the phrase with “Mississippi’s values,” insinuating that only Christians are real Mississippians.

Not so fast, asshat.

OKLAHOMA

The state Supreme Court has tossed out two state laws outlawing abortion. One bill would have banned abortion when a fetal heartbeat was detected, which is usually at six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant, while the other bans the procedure starting at conception.

A win for women’s rights.

NEVADA

Joe Lombardo is one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state abortion providers, making Nevada another state that has solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients.

Lombardo, who describes himself as “pro-life” and was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee, says he respects the will of voters who codified abortion rights up to 24 weeks in a 1990 referendum vote.

As it should be done.

ALABAMA

In a decision that is a major victory for the Voting Rights Act, the US Supreme Court struck down Alabama’s racist House map, finding that the state discriminated against Black voters when it drew its seven congressional districts last year.

Alabama will have to redraw its congressional map to include a second majority-Black district. Black voters currently comprise a majority of the voting age population in just one district, despite making up a quarter of the state’s population.

A strike against racist GOP tactics to keep Black Americans from voting.

ARIZONA

Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs has vetoed a GOP-backed bill that would have put legal requirements on public school bathrooms and denied transgender students from using the bathrooms that match their gender identity.

Good news.

LOUISIANA

Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards has vowed to veto the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and says he will veto other bills that would seek to ban gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth and bills to ban teachers from addressing students with their preferred pronouns.

The march goes on …

If you like the Good News, please note that many of the stories are about Democrat governors and Democrat-led legislatures—with a couple of exceptions—which should prove one thing:

Tuesday Thought #3

America Under Siege: President _____ Remembers The Holocaust ... Forgets The Jews

Holocaust Remembrance Day was last Friday and, as is custom, the White House issued a statement ... a statement that failed to mention Jews or anti-Semitism.

The Holocaust was remembered, and the Jews were forgotten.

One of President _____’s spokesmorons, this one is called Hope Hicks, says the reason for omitting the Jews was that, "despite what the media reports, we are an incredibly inclusive group and we took into account all of those who suffered."

Okay, let’s look at all those who suffered:

Six million Jews—and that number is kind of a guess because no one really knows—were murdered by the Nazis. There were some 4.5 million Soviet civilians, and 3 million Soviet prisoners of war, the number of non-Jewish Polish civilians murdered is about 1.6 while 312,000 Serbian civilians were also murdered; 250,000 people with disabilities living in institutions were killed, along with 200,000 Gypsies and 1,900 Jehovah's Witnesses; 70,000 repeat criminal offenders and so-called asocials—many of whom were homosexual—and an undetermined number of German political opponents and resistance activists.

All told, a rough estimate would be over 16 million people murdered, with nearly a third being Jewish and the White House cannot mention that. Is it because Steve Bannon, an anti-Semite, formerly of Breitbart, has the president’s ear?

I wonder ... Hicks then told CNN that while 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, 5 million others were also slaughtered during Adolf Hitler's genocide, including "priests, gypsies, people with mental or physical disabilities, communists, trade unionists, Jehovah's Witnesses, anarchists, Poles and other Slavic peoples, and resistance fighters."

Oops, she forgot The Gays there, as well.

And so, as one might expect, Hicks was asked if the _____ White House didn't mention Jews as victims of the Holocaust because the president didn't want to offend the other people the Nazis targeted and killed, and she muttered that "it was our honor to issue a statement in remembrance of this important day."

The reason for the remembrance is the fact that Hitler ordered the extermination of Jews; he sought to wipe out an entire group of people; his enemies, some gypsies, some gays and others, were most likely just an added benefit because, let’s be really clear here, the Jews were the target.

The Jews were the target and this past week the United States of America just ignored them.

Anti-Defamation League Director Jonathan Greenblatt told CNN that the United Nations established International Holocaust Remembrance Day not only because of Holocaust denial but also because so many countries—Iran, Russia, Poland, and Hungary, for example—refuse to acknowledge Hitler's attempt to exterminate Jews and focus, and President _____ did last week, on “generic suffering rather than recognizing this catastrophic incident for what is was: the intended genocide of the Jewish people."

After being asked about the ADL criticism and the omission of the Jews or even of anti-Semitism, Hicks provided a statement from Ronald Lauder of the World Jewish Congress:

"It does no honor to the millions of Jews murdered in the Holocaust to play politics with their memory. Any fair reading of the White House statement today on the International Holocaust Memorial Day will see it appropriately commemorates the suffering and the heroism that mark that dark chapter in modern history."

We aren't playing politics with the memory of those Jews murdered in the Holocaust; we are simply remembering them , and by failing to mention them at all, _____ and his band of racists and anti-Semites and homophobes are trying to, in their own way, deny it ever happened.

Enter White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who, on Sunday, actually defended the statement saying, the Holocaust was "horrible event" and a "miserable time in history that we remember here at the White House."

Except, again, for the Jews. Priebus continued:

 "And certainly we'll never forget the Jewish people that suffered in World War II and obviously still incredible wounds that remain in a time in history that was of great incredible horrific magnitude."

And when he was asked why he would “whitewash” the Jews, Priebus simply denied that was the case.

Except that’s what they did; imagine, if you will, if we hold a memorial next year for the victims of the Impulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and just don’t mention that the majority were gay—because some straight people were killed, to; or what if we fail to acknowledged that most were Hispanic because some white folks were in the club as well.

And that leads me to wonder how _____’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is Jewish feels about the snub; how does Ivanka feel since she converted to Judaism and is raising the couple’s children in the Jewish faith.

Priebus said:

"It's a terrible time in history and obviously, you know that President Trump has dear family members that are Jewish and there was no harm or ill will or offense intended by any of that."

But then Priebus again maintained that the _____ White House does not regret the omission.

They are not sorry.

Six million Jews did in the Holocaust and Donald _____ cannot bring himself to say it.

How sick is that?

Fortune

Random Musings

That picture of Mittsy and _____ sharing a candlelight meal looked, to me, like the most Grindr date in the world ... and, is it just me, or does anyone else think Mittsy could write a book on how a man can go from being a con man and a fraud and the worst possible candidate for president in all of history, to being the great unifier of the American people in a matter of months. Or, maybe Mittsy will write a book on how he kissed some ass to get a government job.

It’s no secret around Casa bob y Carlos that when it comes to decorating for the holidays—that’s our home this year—I become somewhat of a tyrant.

So, I made a little mash-up of who I am on Decorating Day. Look familiar?

The Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. is reminding us, in the wake of white supremacists openly offering Nazi salutes and denigrating Jews, that “the Holocaust did not begin with killing; it began with words”:

“The Museum calls on all American citizens, our religious and civic leaders, and the leadership of all branches of the government to confront racist thinking and divisive hateful speech.”

That was the museum’s response to the meeting of the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think tank headed by Nazi poster boy Richard Spencer, who resurrected Nazi propaganda and wondered out loud if Jews “are people at all.”

That’s worth remembering the next time you hear someone call Spencer and his ilk the “Alt-Right” because Alt-Right means white supremacists.

So, when you see these people, look them in the eye and say something because Hate will almost always look away, or scurry back into the darkness.

Last weekend Carlos and I watched Sausage Party OnDemand™. It’s an R-rated cartoon about food and, well, the very idea of a hot dog f**king a hot dog bun was high-larious.

Just sayin’.

Get ready for a _____ White House, where his children will lurk in the corners, and where President ____ will be listening to his team of advisors, riddled with white nationalists, climate deniers, and those swamp dwellers he promised to take out of politics.

So a group has started a _____ investigative fund with the goal of raising $100,000 through sales of a t-shirt.

Resist. ThinkProgress will be hard at work exposing the realities of a _____ presidency, like how he will, okay, ALLEGEDLY, use his power to grease the wheels on a construction project in Argentina that will directly enrich his own family ... on his cozy relationship with both the Alt-Right and the NRA.

If you want to help, Resist. One hundred percent of the proceeds go towards resistance.

The father of a California soldier recently killed in Afghanistan says he felt disrespected and hurt by passengers who booed him and his family when they were on a flight to meet his son's remains.

Recently, Stewart Perry, his wife and daughter were on an American Airlines flight from Sacramento to Philadelphia with a transfer in Phoenix to receive the remains of his son, Sgt. John Perry, who had died in battle.

The flight to Phoenix was 45 minutes late and the crew, fearing the Gold Star family might miss their connecting flight, made an announcement for passengers to remain seated to let a "special military family" deplane first.

Sweet, right? Kind, no?

Well, not for those passengers in First-Class who booed the announcement and complained that they paid first-class fares meaning they were the special passengers.

America in The Age of _____. Me first.

SyFy has a new show called Incorporated, set in a 2074 where corporations have seemingly unlimited power—not a stretch really .... The show centers around Ben Larson, a young executive who risks everything to infiltrate the all-controlling corporate world and save the woman he loves.

More importantly than that, is that Larson is played by Sean Teale and he.is.hot.

Just sayin’.

So, cereal giant Kellogg’s has decided to cease advertizing on ultra-conservative website Breitbart, as is their right, and released this statement:

“We regularly work with our media-buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that are not aligned with our values as a company. We recently reviewed the list of sites where our ads can be placed and decided to discontinue advertising on Breitbart.com. We are working to remove our ads from that site.”

Now, the usual suspects are crying foul, with Breitbart leading the charge:

“Kellogg’s decision to blacklist one of the largest conservative media outlets in America is economic censorship of mainstream conservative political discourse. That is as un-American as it gets.”

Freedom of Speech is un-American? Choosing when and where you advertize is un-American? Oh, Breitbart, sit down.

In high-larious news, if former CIA director and retired General David Petraeus win the heart of President-elect _____ and becomes his Secretary of State, maybe _____ can throw in a pardon as well to make the job easier for Petraeus.

See, back in 2015, Petraeus pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information—the stuff he shared as pillow talk with his mistress which, apparently the GOP has no problem with—and that would require a presidential pardon for Petraeus to assume the role of secretary of State.

In addition, Petraeus might have to get his probation officer’s permission to leave the state of North Carolina to travel for his job.

Yup. Sorry about that Middle Eastern crisis, but the Secretary of Sate is still wearing his ankle bracelet and cannot leave the house.

That’s what happens when criminals get government jobs.

Oops. It looks like North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory’s just about done.

Though he stomped his feet and demanded a recount of every single vote cast in the election—because he lost by 5,000 votes—the recount seems to show that his Democratic opponent, Roy Cooper, just broke the 10,000 vote mark, meaning that McCrory has no right to demand a recount.

You’ve been flushed, asshat.

In more high-larity from the _____ transition team is news that half-wit, has-been, half-term, Mama Grizzly Bore™ might be in line to be _____’s Secretary of the VA.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest government agency, with over 300,000 federal employees and a budget of $182 billion for 2017.”

It’s crazy, I know—we all know—but I love that all this lead to Josh Barro—who recently left the GOP for our side—to Tweet:

“Nothing would say "supporting veterans" like appointing a lazy dilettante to oversee their health.”

I don’t usually watch The Voice, but I have been seeing videos of Billy Gilman’s performances  online and I like what I hear.

Gilman made history back in 2000, when at age 11 he became the youngest artist to have a Top 40 hit on the country charts; his debut album went to #2 on Billboard’s Country Chart, and he followed that up with two gold albums. Then things got rocky, either because Billy’s voice changed as he went through puberty or, as he seems to see it, country music lost interest in him when rumors swirled that her might be gay:

“In recent years when I did come back to Nashville, there were rumors and whispers — is he or isn’t he? For many that know Nashville and how much I love the industry… being a gay male country artist is not the best thing. You know, if people don’t like your music, that’s one thing. But after having sold over 5 million records and having a wonderful life in the music industry, I knew something was wrong when no major label wanted to sit down and have a meeting and listen to the new stuff. I’d do a showcase in Nashville and no major label showed.”

Now Billy Gilman is out and may well be the front-runner on The Voice and, gay or straight, he deserves the shot.

Lastly, in our Tweet of the Week, comes pollster Nate Silver fact-checking ditzy blond _____ mouthpieces Kellyanne Conway’s claim that _____ won in an historic landslide:

Sit down, Kellyanne.