Meanwhile, In Cincinnati...

Just got an email from work that our hospital is full and all elective surgical cases have. Even cancelled. No transfers allowed to hospital. Driving home, passed a restaurant that was full. Shaking my head. Frustrated is an understatement.

— Syed A. Ahmad (@SyedAAhmad5) November 29, 2020

Donald the Loser has not spent a minute of his time on the pandemic since he was defeated. Now, he's saying that the FBI and the Department of Justice were involved in rigging the election.

At what point does it become obvious to the casual observer that Donald Trump has lost his mind, that he's nuttier than a boxcar-load of peanuts?

At what point does the 25th Amendment come into play? Someone who is as unhinged as Trump has no business being around anything sharper than a pair of safety scissors.

What Donnie the Sore Loser (and Traitor) Got for $3 MIllion

Wisconsin finished a recount of its presidential results on Sunday, confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump in the key battleground state. Trump vowed to challenge the outcome in court even before the recount concluded.

Dane County was the second and last county to finish its recount, reporting a 45-vote gain for Trump. Milwaukee County, the state’s other big and overwhelmingly liberal county targeted in a recount that Trump paid for, reported its results Friday, a 132-vote gain for Biden.

Taken together, the two counties barely budged Biden’s winning margin of about 20,600 votes, giving the winner a net gain of 87 votes.

That's right: Loser Donnie spent $3,000,000 to get Biden more votes at a cost of nearly $35,000 per vote.

So Trump's going to file yet another baseless lawsuit to add to the long list of losses he's racked up in court.

So much losing.

When all this is over, and when the various states' disciplinary committees state looking at all of the false claims and fraudulent representations mayde by Trumpist lawyers to the courts, don't be surprised if 2021 has a wave of disbarments.

Your Sunday Morning Big Prop Noise

A Hawker Sea Fury, which was missing from last week's post.

For Fun

 

Is Hollywood Dead?

The New York Times is running a long article about how the pandemic and streaming is taking a wrecking ball to Hollywood.

All of it may be true. But this is my opinion:

Imagine, if you will, that you swing by a highly-rated restaurant and pick up a couple of meals to go, with all of the trimmings. You set the table, pour out some good wine, and have a candlelit meal with your loved one. You put the various courses on plates, serve them, and enjoy them immensely.

Is that the same as going to eat at that restaurant? Not even hardly. The experience of going out to eat is lost, even the bad things tht can happen (finding a parking space, getting a ticket or being carjacked). It's a takeout dinner at home and, other than the actual food, is no different from bring home bags from McDonalds or cartons from local Chinese kitchen.

So it is with watching a movie at home. Watching a movie at home is watching television. Whether it's interrupted by commercials (broadcast networks, basic cable) commercial-free (premium cable) or on a steaming service, it's still sitting at home, watching television.

Sure, you don't have the annoyances, like some schmuck using his phone during the movie,[1] but you also miss out on the experience of going to the movies.

The entertainment industry consoles itself by thinking of how they came back from the pandemic of a century ago. The counter to that was that even if movie theaters closed in 1918, they reopened in 1920 because there was no other choice. People didn't have movie projectors in their homes, let along orchestra pits.

It's quite possible that going to a movie after the pandemic runs its course,[2] may be a lot harder. Movie theaters may be few and far between. But still, even if Regal and AMC both go Tango Uniform, those buildings are still going to be there. Not all of them will be converted into Fleecing the Faithful operations.[3] or will be razed. Some will be there for those willing to take the risk that some people will want to see movies in a theater and not watch them on their televisions (or phones).
_________________________________
[1] Something that should merit summary execution.
[2] Not "brought under control". Thanks to the fecklessness of Donald Trump and those infected with Toxic Libery and Freedom Syndrome, the chance of bringing the pandemic under control, as was done in other nations, has long been closed.
[3] AKA "megachurches".

More Bullshit from the Loser-in-Chief

One day after [thoroughly defeated] President Donald Trump said he would leave the White House on January 20 barring a massive revolt from Electoral College voters, Trump walked back his statement on Friday.

In a tweet, Trump says that President-elect Joe Biden will only be allowed in the White House if he can prove that he had 80 million votes.

That's nothing but Grade-AAA Fine Bullshit. Biden has won 306 electoral votes. He doesn't have to prove anything to Trump the Loser. Those who allege fraud and the like have the burden of proof.

This was a free, fair and secure election, Trump's unhinged and delusional whining to the contrary.

But there will be no shortage of Trumpanzees who will now parrot that Biden has to prove that there was no fraud. Every Trump supporter who claims that is proving that they are not loyal to this country, they are only loyal to Trump. Oh, they love to claim that they are patriots, but they are nothing but yellow-bellied traitors, every last one of them.

Caturday

A cat relaxes after too much turkey. All he needs is a remote.

(That cat wasn't the only one who is lazy; I just downloaded a photo from the Internet.)

A Sign of How Badly Trump Has Degraded Our Electoral System

{Lame Duck] President Donald Trump [Loser, '20] still won’t bring himself to concede the election he decisively lost to President-elect Joe Biden. But he’s now acknowledging he will leave the White House if Biden’s win is affirmed by the Electoral College, which is firmly on track to do just that in a few weeks.

That it's even a question as to whether or not Trump would acknowledge the vote in the Electoral College shows just how far he's dragged down this country.

How far, you might ask. This far:

Since November 2020’s election, tweets from Trump and his inner circle show how close the Trump campaign is in tone and style to Russian disinformation—@DonaldJTrumpJr, “Ever notice the “glitches” only go one way?”. Yet the current campaign by the president and his allies is different in one important way: total impact. The president has brought disinformation to an audience that the IRA could only dream of. In the week following Election Day, the hashtag #StopTheSteal was used over 1.5 million times on Twitter. Russian disinformation operations have shown some success, but Trump’s campaign has been in an entirely different league in terms of impact. The aftershock of Russian disinformation operations in 2016 strained some Americans’ trust in the electoral process Here, the president—armed with baseless conspiracies about voter fraud—is challenging that trust like never before. No need for Russian trolls; this damage is completely self-inflicted.

Let that sink in for a moment. Trump is doing Putin's work in attacking the electoral system in this country.

Sadly, millions of Trump's supporters have fallen into line. Whether they have simply drunk too deeply of the Trumpist Kool-Aid or they really have no loyalty to their country is a question to ponder. And those two postions aren't mutually exclusive.

That means if you are still following Trump's line on this, you may wave Old Glory around as much as you want and believe you are being patriotic, but you are not. You are either delusional or a traitor. Or both.

Meanwhile, Trump the Loser keeps on losing in court, where facts still matter:

[Loser] President Donald Trump’s legal team suffered yet another defeat in court Friday as a federal appeals court in Philadelphia roundly rejected the campaign’s latest effort to challenge the state’s election results.

Trump’s lawyers vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court despite the judges’ assessment that the “campaign’s claims have no merit.”

“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy. Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here,” 3rd Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, a Trump appointee, wrote for the three-judge panel, all appointed by Republican presidents.

Because Trump can't stand the idea of losing, he'll cheerfully wreck the electoral system with his baseless charges of fraud. But that's to be expected. For if one thing is clear, Trump doesn't give a shit about this country, or anything else, other than himself.

Because It's Friday

The CT Valley RR:

Happy Thanksgiving

On a number of radio stations back in the day, playing the entire song was a Thanksgiving tradition. Some of them were commercial stations-- almost nineteen minutes of no commercials. And some of them played it twice, at noon and 3 PM.

The judge was really blind, he had a Seeing-Eye dog. He played himself in the movie (as did Officer Obie).

I hope that if you're in America, you and yours have a good Thanksgiving. Try not to punch out your racist uncle or your commie nephew.

And please, enjoy the day without resorting to rampant consumerism.

Or burning down your hostess's house.

(The previous is a complete repeat from previous years. So sue me.)

Looking back over my previous Tanksgivings posts, there were good times and not so good times. Some of the ones when I was younger became family legends.

This one has the potential to spark a lot of family stories. There will be the families that stayed apart because of the pandemic. There will be the families that took a chance and gathered together. There will be the families that did get together and had a family superspreader event. Hopefully, there will be few of those.

I wish everyone a safe day.

Supreme Court to America: Die, Fuckers, Die

The Supreme Court has pledged its fealty to the Death Cult of Jesus:

As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide the Supreme Court late Wednesday barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.

Packed religious services have been super-spreader events. This isn't a matter of the people who willingly choose to risk getting infected at the services (if that was the case, then it's on them), it's everyone that they spread the virus to. It's akin to the Morons of Sturgis, who spead Covid-19 to nearly every state in the nation.

That the Supreme Court has closed its eyes to that and, instead, become infected with Toxic Libery and Freedom Syndrome, is a national disgrace. It is a cultish decision that ignores reality.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

One Corrupt Fuck Pardons Another

[Lame Duck] President Donald Trump pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn on Wednesday despite Flynn’s guilty plea to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts.

Yeah, like nobody saw this coming. Roger Stone is next up.

Of course, if, for some reason, Trump or Jared or someone is investigated, Flynn would not be able to hide behind the Fifth Amendment. But that's probably not terribly likely.

Trump's pardon will not erase the judgment of history, which will record that Flynn was an unregistered foreign agent and possibly a spy for one of our adversaries.

Career Planning

Seriously, though, what are comedians going to do for the next four years? Joe Biden is boring and competent; neither of which are comic gold.

That's Got to Chap Trump's Ass

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 30,000 points for the first time Tuesday as progress in the development of coronavirus vaccines and news that the transition of power in the U.S. to President-elect Joe Biden will finally begin kept investors in a buying mood.

80% of Trump's campaign was, essentially, "Lookit the stock market!" So yes, this has to burn bigtime.

42 Years

The WKRP Turkey Drop episode aired on this day in 1978.

Murphy Spreads the Bullshit

From GSA Administrator Murphy's letter to President-elect Biden:

Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision. To be clear, I did not receive any direction to delay my determination.

I call "bullshit". Murphy damn well knew that if she stepped outside of Trump's "this election was stolen" parameters, that she would be fired, just like Chris Krebs was fired for stelling the truth on the security of the election.

The post-election antics of Republican officials and Republican politicians have been filler for a thick book to be titled "Profiles on Cowardice" (feel free to suggest other titles). They've kept silent as Trump has thickly spread his propaganda that the election was stolen, as aided and abetted by the Right Wing Noise Machine on radio, TV and the Internet.

The difference between Trumpist propaganda and Russian propaganda is miniscule, at best. Every person who has parroted that crap, from Trump on down, has been either a gullible fool or a foreign agent.

Gutless Motors Can Read the Election Returns

General Motors is switching sides in the legal fight against California’s right to set its own clean-air standards, abandoning the Trump administration as the president’s term nears its close.

CEO Mary Barra said in a letter Monday to environmental groups that GM will no longer support the Trump administration in its defense against a lawsuit over its efforts against California’s standards. And GM is urging other automakers to do the same.

Yeah, it's not as though GM cares for safety, the environment, its workers, quality, or anything else other than looking good in its quarterly reports to the vultures on Wall Street.

This is simply a case of rats leaving a sinking ship.

Reality Smacks Trump Upside the Head

The General Services Administration ascertained Monday that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, clearing the way for the start of the transition from President Donald Trump’s administration and allowing Biden to coordinate with federal agencies on plans for taking over on Jan. 20.

The two-week temper tantrum of Trump is effectively over.

One wonders how long that this could have gone one before a reasonable conclusion could be made that Trump was delusional and the 25th Amendment would be exercized. But that would have never happened, because Mike Pence doesn't have the balls (or the integrity) to make such a move.

Oh, Trump will keep sending in his Legal Moron Squad to make fact-free arguments, but that was always about Trump conning the gullible for more donations.

Putin is Unwilling to Give Up on a Useful Tool

President Vladimir Putin says Russia is willing to work with whomever is officially declared the next president of the United States, but that he won’t offer congratulations until the winner is formally decided or a candidate concedes. 

Putin’s remarks broadcast Sunday on state television reiterate earlier Kremlin comments on why Putin had not congratulated Joe Biden after major news organizations called him president-elect, as did many other world leaders.

Putin's pretty loyal to his servants as long as they serve Putin's uses. But once he's done with them, he has no qualms about disposing of them.

Once Trump is out of the White House, he may want to consider having either Jared or Eric taste his food and sip from his drinks a few hours before Trump consumes them.

Only the Best Lawyers Can be Had for $20K/Day

The judge is asking questions as though he is talking to a competent lawyer. He is not. https://t.co/rq38KrvDNF

— Rick Hasen, Mr. Practicing Attorney (@rickhasen) November 17, 2020

Fucking unbelievable.

Scratch that. It's totally believable.

Also, this:

"If you have got the evidence of fraud, present it," [Chris] Christie said on ABC, where he is a contributor. He decried efforts by the President's lawyers to smear Republican governors who have not gone along with the President's false claims of voter malfeasance.

"Quite frankly, the conduct of the President's legal team has been a national embarrassment," he said, singling out Trump attorney Sidney Powell's accusations against Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.

Given the threadbareness of the case for Trump, I would not be surprised if some from his legal team end up before their respective state bars on ethics charges.

That goes double for Rudy.

Shorter Gavin Newsom: Do As I Say, Not As I Do (Until I Get Caught)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday apologized for what he called “a bad mistake” in attending a birthday party that broke the very rules that he has been preaching to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

He has suffered severe political backlash since it surfaced Friday that he and his wife attended the party Nov. 6 with a dozen friends at the pricy French Laundry restaurant in wine country north of San Francisco.

Yeah, sure he's sorry. I guess he was chanelling Leona Helmsley: Coronavirus restrictions, like taxes, are for the little people.

What he's saying in his apology is that he's a lemming, that he doesn't have a spine.

Smackdown du Jour

Lol pic.twitter.com/33pHz0txB8

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) November 21, 2020

Nailing both Trump and that smarmy prick Rivera in one blow. Well done.

Your Sunday Morning Prop Noise

Four low passes: Warhawk, Mustang, Coursair and Spitfire:

(Sorry, no Seafury)

Trump Fiddles While the Nation Burns

While His Fraudulency, the Bunker Boy is huddled with his Twitter acccount, crafting even more and more outandish theories to explain why he's going to be wrongfully evicted from his home on January 20th, the coronavirus continues to tear through this nation:

Bunker Boy is more intent on doing Putin's work, ripping away at the fabric of American democracy (as aided and abetted by Lickspittle Lindsey and Moscow Mitch) than on lifting a finger to do anything, let alone say anything, about the pandemic.

At this point, the GOP should change their animal avatar to either a chicken or a weasel. Both are more representative of the character of today's Republican politicians.

The only interest Trump has, other than plotting the most inept coup attempt in history, is golfing. The G20 summit is being held virtually; instead of attending a meeting about the pandemic, His Fraudulency played golf.

While world leaders met on Saturday to discuss preparation efforts to contain and alleviate the coronavirus pandemic in the next few months, President Donald Trump appeared to be golfing.

CNN reported that leaders from Germany, France, South Korea, and Argentina were scheduled to participate in the event. But noticeably absent was Trump, the leader of the country making up the largest share of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in the world.

More Stupidity from the Christian Taliban

A church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is receiving online criticism due to a packed crowd at a recent indoor gathering — and its plans to hold a Thanksgiving event.

For Victory Church’s Nov. 22 Friendsgiving, the megachurch is encouraging its members to “bring a neighbor.”

“We always look forward to this meal with you. All of our campuses will be participating at their facility,” the church wrote on Facebook.

The plans come while the city and state are in the midst of a major COVID-19 surge. Tulsa reported 616 coronavirus cases on Nov. 14, 455 the following day and 398 on Nov. 17 — the three highest totals since the pandemic began.

The coronavirus has no respect for one's beliefs or creed. But what it has proven itself to be is a stupidty test, and a lot of people are failing it.

Unfortunately, it is the healthcare workers who end up bearing the brunt of it, caring for those who were too stupid to take precautions, or who got infected from a stupid member of their family.

Stupidity cannot be cured. Stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death. There is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.
-- Robert A. Heinlein

Some things are timeless. Human stupidity in the face of knowledge is one of them.

Caturday

Chip plays with a globe:

It seems like a good metaphor for our times.

For Thanksgiving, Please, Stay the Fuck at Home!

With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation’s top public health agency pleaded with Americans on Thursday not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household.
...
The CDC issued the recommendations just one week before Thanksgiving, at a time when diagnosed infections, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing across the country. In many areas, the health care system is being squeezed by a combination of sick patients filling up beds and medical workers falling ill themselves.

This shit isn't rocket science, people.

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Practice social distancing.
• Wear a mask when you leave your home.
• Don't go out if you don't need to.
• Avoid places where people are acting ignorantly.
• And stay the fuck out of bars!

That doesn't sound terribly hard to do. It's not as though you're being asked to give a pint of blood every four weeks, use only three gallons of gasoline a week or go storm the beaches at Normandy.

But we can't do it. We, as Americans, can't engage in simple acts that would serve to limit the spread of this virus, because of an innate selfishness or, as a friend of mine calls it, Toxic Libery and Freedom Syndrome.

So we're basicaly putting all of our trust in two or three unproven vaccines because we're a nation of stupid children who cannot be trusted to do what is right, as egged on by the tantrum-throwing toddler in the White House.

Because It's Friday

Double-headed Garratts: