OK, One Possible Word Of The Year

From Album 6

I nominate “classy,” as in, “who knew 2015 would end on such a classy note?”

Anyway, we know that the effect this will have on The Donald’s supporters is…nothing. Hell, at this point, Trump is virtually bulletproof when it comes to his base…which happens to be the GOP base…in other words, a kind of downward spiral symbiosis between the core and the candidate. They deserve each other.

And, while I agree with everyone else that another potential word of the year nominee would define Trump’s candidacy, at least for the GOP — “disaster” — it is at least a little scary to consider that same disaster if, god forbid, the cards and stars somehow lined up.

So…otherwise, hope your 2016 is NOT a disaster, but…classy, in whatever way that means for you. Cheers!

Vacation Day

Possibly tomorrow as well. Thanks again to anyone stopping by. See you soon.

Tanned, Rested, And Ready...No, Really!

From Album 6

Ed Kilgore doesn't think much of the latest attempt to recycle Jeb!

Friday

From Album 6

Happy Holidays...

Christmas Eve

From Album 5

Well, am recycling an old Rand Paul shot for this

The “Seinfeld” writer who created Festivus doesn't want Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to celebrate the fictional holiday

“I hate the guy,” Don O'Keefe told The Huffington Post’s "HuffPost Live" in an interview Wednesday. "I think he’s some form of lizard that’s crawled into a suit and somehow been allowed in the Senate.

“I strongly dislike it when elected officials with whom I strongly disagree try to co-opt a government holiday of mine for venal, immoral purposes that hurt our nation,” he added.

Happy Holidays -- will post a photo of Tigger tomorrow...

But It's A Really Classy Lump Of Coal

From Album 6

Maybe the best lump of coal ever. A lump of coal so good it'll make your head spin. Oh, I won't even bother to link to Trump's latest ("schlonged" -- hell, there's almost a cottage industry devoted to whether and how crass it really is); anyway, I'm still oddly grateful that The Donald is sticking around. He certainly gives us a good idea of just how deranged the GOP base really is -- they'll happily go full on lemming (yeah, I know, the lemming thing is a myth, but...) And if, Flying Spaghetti Monster forbid, he somehow gets elected...what was the Thomas Jefferson quote? Something about getting the government we deserve? Merry Christmas.

FYI, I'll be posting sporadically for the next couple of days, and even more sporadically next week. Thanks as always for stopping by, and hope your solstice season finds you as well as you can be.

Cheers!

Jesus Saves

From Album 6

Via the five fingered discount:

Religious retailers say that the baby Jesus is also the most shoplifted item in their stores during the yuletide season.

Tis the season...

We've Been Down This Road Before

From Album 6

Krugman reminds us that Trump is a feature, not a bug -- or, to repeat myself, history repeated as perhaps tragedy and farce: we went through this shit eight years ago...and some folks STILL haven't learned the lesson.

Friday

From Album 6

Tigger wasn't a water cat, but he sure didn't mind hopping in the tub now and then, as long as water wasn't actively running. In addition to being a nice cool spot to lie down on during warm months, it made for a nice hiding place for an ambush.

Have a good weekend.

Exit Stage Left

From Album 6

It's time. Besides, it's not like they're being melted down. Instead, they're no longer going to be officially honored by a city where a large number of people believe, with damn good reason, that they shouldn't be.

Channeling His Inner Curtis LeMay

From Album 6

You know, even George Wallace was somewhat embarrassed by LeMay in 1968...

Drink Up

From

Here are the official rules.

Note: not my photoshopped picture, but one that captures my upcoming mood.

Cage Match?

From Album 5

So is it down to Tailgunner Ted and The Donald, one fall or remaining television time, as they say?

Friday

From Album 5

I'm pretty sure this is the original for most of the Photoshopped pictures that include him. It's from two years ago.

I think he was still getting used to the larger space. The sofa's sitting above what used to be a wall.

Have a good weekend.

Like Your Crazy Uncle Who Cites Chain Emails And Fox News...

From Album 5

...except he's a sitting Justice. Damn. I recall someone once referring to Scalia telling us what he really thinks as "the soft bigotry of lowered expectations."

Anyway -- how's this for an idea? Restore higher education funding, and even add to it. It can be done. And give more people the chance at obtaining a college degree.

They Just Can't Quit Him

From Album 5

Sorry to belabor the point, but a couple of articles note that, take your pick, the barn door is open, the genie is out of the bottle...Pandora's box is open...the pure, undiluted id of the Republican Party is on display...worse still, the media is totally addicted.

Trump Addiction

From Album 5

Might as well face it. True, Trump does have a sizable following by any estimate, and that's pretty disturbing: some 20-30 percent of one of the major political parties will happily go along with at best the political equivalent of a professional wrestling (shit) heel, more ominously, a bona fide proto-if-not-literal fascist. But, that said, Trump is like crack cocaine for the media -- probably the easiest way to attract eyes and ears in short-attention-span America...

What Hath Trump Wrought

From Album 5

Looks like the monster's awakening...

Friday Cat Blogging

From Album 5

Here's a typical shot of the boy from the not-too-distant past. For a while the default for kitchen cabinets was an open door policy...and if there wasn't one, I'd hear it. Not that I minded, but regularly I was pulling dishes or containers out so he could explore or just hang out...and returning them once he'd satisfied his curiosity.

Have a good weekend.

Something's Wrong About This Picture...

From Album 5

Oh, there we go. Fixed it.

From Album 5

But An Armed Society Is A Polite Society...Right?

From Album 5

It's not even been a week since the last headline shooting...and it wasn't even the only one today. As to the post's title, I often think about the "armed=polite" saw when dealing with local traffic that seems...pretty hostile at times, and certainly armed in the sense that pretty much every car on the road is a potential lethal weapon. Well...there will be more somber talk, but if nothing could be done when first graders were viciously massacred...

But they sure will scream about foreign refugees...fleeing a war zone we had quite a hand in making.

Big Lies And The Big Liars Who Tell Them

From Album 5

OK, so they went from the silent treatment to full on victim blaming, to wondering why more Planned Parenthood clinics aren't targeted (um, they ARE), to old Tail Gunner Ted just going all out, or all in, with this years version of Bob Dole's "Democrat Wars."

They're. Just. Plain. Nuts.

The Distancing Commences

From Album 5

Link -- it doesn't apply to Fiorina per se, but here's a link that does...and her rhetoric continues to be as vile as ever.

Friday Cat Blogging

One of my favorite pictures of him.

Have a good weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving Music

I dunno -- sometimes this fits my mood, and this is one of those times. Hope you had a good holiday. See you tomorrow.

Who Needs Facts When You've Got Myths?

From Album 5

And when you've got voters in a political party who prefer myths?

Not Exactly A Comforting Notion

From Album 5

The full on wingnuts are taking a closer look at Ted...

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria The Donald?

From Album 5

OK, wrong movie, but the same character name...however...more and more, it's clear that Trump's not a bug, but a feature.

Friday Cat Blogging With Photoshop

From Album 5

I won't lie. This is still an emotional time, but there's also every reason why I should celebrate my little guy. So, here's what I think was the first iteration of Tigger Photoshopped. Not much of a change, just the poster. No way would he sit quietly with anything in attacking or clawing distance, much less something like a flyer or picture. Might have also done some adjustments to levels.

And, at least for a while in the coming weeks, I think I'll post similarly on Fridays, i.e., minimal Photoshopping, only to clean up my camera mistakes. You'll see: he was quite the guy.

Have a good weekend.

Tell Us What You Really Think, Donald

From Album 5

Will he call the special identity papers "classy?"

Asshole.

Fish Gotta Swim, Birds Gotta Fly...

From Album 5

...and assholes gotta be assholes.

I think I've used that title and cliche before. And I think it was about Ted Cruz. But it fits.

The level of insanity from the wingnuts ranks right up there with the ugliness of the Paris attacks. It's like they need each other. Creeps.

Not With A Bang

From Album 5

...of course, it was always a question of when, not if.

Bigotry Never Rests

From Album 5

And here, the headline says it all, as a friend who sent me the link noted. Just when you think they can't get more perverse, more grotesque...

I'm Just a Small -- Microscopic Even -- Blogger

From Album 5

But I'll add my tiny voice of solidarity with the people of France, and by extension, all of us in the civilized world. No, I'm not a pacifist, but I know we won't defeat terrorism by trying to be more violent. We'll only win by being more civilized.

Have a good weekend.

Sometime You Have To Let Go

Doesn't hurt any less...

No picture and probably none tomorrow. A flood of memories, though.

Tigger took a bad turn for the worse last night, and this morning I had to say goodbye to the little guy.

At least he's no longer in any pain.

I sure do miss him and always will.

Back on Monday.

I Dunno -- Maybe It's Something In The Water

From Album 5

Like fracking chemicals...anyway, Tailgunner Ted channeled his inner Rick Perry last night.

A Test Pattern Would Be...Less Annoying

From Album 5

I'll skip a link today -- but another episode of the traveling spin circus and clown show is on tap for tonight...while locally, Diaper Dave is also Desperate Dave...

Right On Time

From Album 5

War on Christmas nonsense season...Oh, how they love to play the victim.

Friday Cat Blogging Without Photoshop

From 2Millionth Web Log

This is from summer 2008, so Tigger would've been just about a year old.

Right now he's still looking quite tired -- guess that's a side effect of the chemotherapy -- but he continues to eat and is doing as good as I guess can be expected. As I've said before, he's a good -- and brave -- little guy.

Anyway -- changing the subject, you've probably seen this, but if not.

Damn. Hope it works.

Have a good weekend.

Marbled Dick

From Album 5

So, a stone Cheney will haunt the Capitol building, at least until some future time when, like with the Confederate "monuments," it gets stowed away, not even useful for a doorstop. Or, if they want, it can go into an exhibit about hubris, arrogance, and criminal ignorance.

Huh?

From Album 5

A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, etc., doesn't even begin. Hell, even literal truthers, best as I can tell, don't claim the pyramids were granaries. I don't know what troubles me more: Carson himself, or that a plurality of GOP voters think he's presidential material...

Tool Time

From Album 5

The reboot falls flat...or worse.

Monday Update

Well, after coming home Tuesday, it's been a thankfully uneventful week for Tigger. Tomorrow he goes back to the vet school for another chemotherapy treatment. I'm obviously hoping for the best. Maybe tomorrow I'll be back to regular posts, but one more unretouched shot today is the first I saw of the orange guy. It was on the website of the shelter/pet adoption agency. Easy to see why I thought he might make for quite a good friend.

From 2Millionth Web Log

...

We're Gonna Take A Couple More Days

My cat's back home, and appears to be feeling much better, but I'm going to keep an eye out for at least the next few days. There's still a pretty big hill to climb...Anyway, I think I'll be away for the week. Thanks as always to all of y'all who stop by -- quality over quantity, I always say.

Take it easy, see you next week.

No Post Today

Apologies. My cat had really bad symptoms over the weekend, so I took him to the vet. The diagnosis is not good -- feline lymphoma.

I'll try to be back tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a non-Photoshopped picture of him. He sure is a good little guy.

Friday Cat Blogging With Photoshop

From Album 5

In Mexico this week, hoping it's not a total catastrophe. And, once again, reminding us: no, a single event is not in itself proof of global warming, but it DOES give us a clear preview/warning that unusual weather events could become the new normal if we choose to do nothing.

Have a good weekend.

And Another Bite Of The Nothing Burger

From Album 5

Link.

In An Uncertain World...

From Album 5

...it's nice, even kind of comforting, to know we can count on one thing: William Kristol will always -- always -- be utterly wrong.

This Guy

From Album4

If further proof was needed that they're a goddamned joke...

Just...

From Album 5

Amateur hour doesn't even begin to describe...

Friday Cat Blogging With Photoshop

From Album 5

Is it or isn't it edition...to tell the truth, I'm skeptical to not really caring, but I never mind a trip through the wayback machine...

Have a good weekend.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

From Album 5

Well, I gave a bit of a hint...substitute "liar" where the arrow is pointing and it's fixed.

Vast Wasteland

From Album 5

Change the channel, pull the plug...