(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Cheers and Jeers: Thursday [1] [] Date: 2023-12-07 Breaking News House Republicans said Wednesday they've uncovered fresh evidence of corruption by President Biden, inching them closer to launching a formal impeachment inquiry. According to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), the president was seen buying his grandchildren ice cream during his Thanksgiving vacation on Nantucket Island. The evidence suggests that the money used to pay for it—as high as tens of dollars—“may have originated in China, Iran or Cuba,” and the frozen treats were used as a "quid pro quo" in exchange for an agreement by the junior Bidens to help their grandfather win the 2024 election. "We are troubled by these new revelations," said Johnson. "And we intend to get to the bottom of this, including allegations of flagrant abuse of candy sprinkles and chocolate sauce, through the impeachment process. Frankly, it's all we have left." This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Cheers and Jeers for Thursday, December 7, 2023 Note: Sorry you weren’t picked as Time magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year. If it’s any consolation, I voted for you. You clearly had the best yard signs. —Mgt. - By the Numbers: 9 days!!! Weeks 'til winter: 2 Days 'til Christmas on the Farm in Troy, New Hampshire: 9 Annual health care spending per person in the U.S.: $12,900 Annual health care spending per person in Canada: $5,900 Life expectancy in the United States and Canada, respectively: 79 / 85 Amount that Swiss bank Banque Pictet & Cie will pluck from their petty cash drawer to pay fines and back taxes for helping American clients hide billions in assets: $122 million Age of Denny Laine, co-founder of Wings and The Moody Blues, when he died Tuesday: 79 - Your Thursday Molly Ivins Moment: The Old War Criminal is back. I try not to hold grudges, but I must admit I have never lost one ounce of rancor toward Henry Kissinger, that cynical, slithery, self-absorbed pathological liar. He has all the loyalty and principle of Charles Talleyrand, whom Napoleon described as "a piece of dung in a silk stocking." Come to think of it, Talleyrand looks pretty good compared to Kissinger, who always aspired to be Metternich (a 19th century Austrian diplomat). Just count the number of Americans and Vietnamese who died between 1969 and 1973, and see if you can find any indication he ever gave a damn. As for Kissinger's getting the Nobel Peace Prize, it is a thing so wrong it has come to define wrongness—as in, "As weird as the time Henry Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize." Tom Lehrer, who was a lovely political satirist, gave up satire after that blow. —October 2006 - Puppy Pic of the Day: Tis the season… - CHEERS to getting the lead out. Continuing the longest streak of Infrastructure Weeks on record, President Biden announced this week that it's his goal to replace the country's lead water pipes—all 9.2 million of them. Which, now that I think about it, also makes this Healthcare Week because, lest we forget, here's why the pipes are being replaced: "For children, we see developmental delays and behavior problems related to lead exposure, because it is a very potent neurotoxin," Dr. Ruth McDemott-Levy, professor &co-director of the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment, at Villanova University, told ABC News. "And so, if we don't catch it quickly enough ... we're talking about lifelong problems for the child and, that can affect the ability to perform well in school, to get a decent paying job." […] No word yet on whether or not the directive includes the lead pipes in Clue. [I]f a pregnant woman is exposed to lead over a long period or has prior high blood levels, the toxin can cross the placenta to the fetus and increase the risk of miscarriage, neurocognitive damage, premature birth or low-birth weight, according to the CDC. Meanwhile, the MAGA leadership in Congress says it's moving forward with its plan to re-classify lead as a vegetable and start serving it with school lunches. Message: they care. CHEERS to America the Resilient. Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the “day that will live in infamy”—the surprise and surreal Japanese air attack on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor that killed 2,403. As a nation, we snapped out of it in the blink of an eye and it was all downhill for Yamamoto and Tojo after that. Needless to say, the number of veterans who were there on Dec. 7, 1941 is fast dwindling. Only a few will make the trek this year, and one of them is 103-year-old Ike Schab: While it’s been more than eight decades since the Pearl Harbor attack, Dec. 7 still brings back his memories of being there. ”And they’re not necessarily pleasant,” he says. “But I definitely don’t want to lose that memory.” Schab was a Navy musician stationed aboard the USS Dobbin that was anchored off Ford Island. During the bombing of Battleship Row, he helped load his ship’s anti-aircraft guns. Asked what was racing through his mind, he says, “Disbelief. I couldn’t believe it was happening.” The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. 81 years later, oil still leaks from the vessel. Even at his advanced age, Schab looks forward to attending the annual Pearl Harbor commemoration ceremony to pay his respects alongside other December 7 survivors. ”There’s a certain feeling of comfort and at the same time obligation. That’s a good word,” he said. ”I owe them. Just like that.” Mr. Schab and the rest of the survivors would appreciate it if we young'uns would kindly never forget that day or those who were there. Happy to oblige. JEERS to the most ridiculous talking heads in the world. I'm told there was a debate last night in Alabama among the MAGA cultists who want to be the next president of the United States. Well, except for the candidates who either dropped out or didn't qualify because they don’t have name recognition even among their family members...plus the one candidate who's trouncing them all by 50 points and chose to slur his way through an incoherent fundraiser instead. The Three Stooges didn’t watch the debate either, as they rightly felt it would only lower their I.Qs. Did I watch it? Hell no. I can already rattle off the talking points they use to gaslight the audience about the "Democrat party." And every single one of those sanctimonious jackasses on stage probably criticized Trump a bit, but pledged to vote for him in 2024 anyway after he kicks their asses in the primaries. So it became a question of did I want to contribute to the ratings of a MAGA debate? No, I did not. But if it’s at all helpful, last night on Star Trek the crew of the Enterprise saved the universe and Spock did a lot of neck pinching. - BRIEF SANITY BREAK - x Amezaiku, or Japanese candy art, is an ancient Japanese tradition that can be traced back to the Heian period from 794 to 1185 CE. Amezaiku hard candies are unlike any other, with their hyper-realistic animal designs and lollipop-likeness.pic.twitter.com/gQuYJVenV0 — Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 5, 2023 - END BRIEF SANITY BREAK - CHEERS to great inventions. The microwave oven, invented by Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer (from the great state of Maine), was patented on this date in 1945. We were going to use this as an opportunity to give a lecture on proper microwave usage and safety, but here in C&J “Danger” is our middle name and it’s too much hassle and paperwork to change it so… - And in case you’re wondering: our last name is “Call 911.” CHEERS to Planet Progress. The United Nations climate talks—aka COP28—in oil-drenched United Arab Emirates are underway, and they're busy as a solar-powered bumblebee. Here's a quick summary of what was accomplished during its first week (of two): » For the first time, they agreed that no fossil fuel company or executive would be getting a Christmas card this year, and could even be mildly tut-tutted during the Airing of Grievances on Festivus. This year’s logo is apparently a giant hairball coughed up by the Sultan of Dubai’s cat. » They agreed that the original framework for the draft of the plan that would establish a benchmark for ratifying the timetable was ready to be sent to the sub-committee to be converted into a pledge for a schematic of the agenda that will establish a milestone for approving the event horizon. » They agreed to take under advisement Elon Musk's idea for slowing the effects of rising sea levels by filling absorbent SpaceX pods with ocean water and jettisoning them into the sun. » They all resolved that "This Thunberg kid is gettin’ on our nerves." » They tabled a motion to stick a cork in the butt of the Great Sphinx until they can determine if the main cause of its outsized methane emissions can instead be attributable to Great Sphinx burps. But most important, they agreed on the shape of the negotiating table for next year's conference: tetracontakaiheptagon. Excellent choice. - Ten years ago in C&J: December 7, 2013 JEERS to the young and the restless. A new poll shows that a growing number of Millennials are outraged at President Obama and his radical Affordable Care Act that allows them to stay on their parents' insurance plan until they're 26. They also think he oughtta be recalled in a recall election that can't happen, and they hate what he's doing in countries that most of 'em can't find on a map. Furthermore, they say they're absolutely, positively not voting for him when he runs for his third term. I think the poll was taken in a bar at closing time. - And just one more… CHEERS to Menorah palooza. Tonight will be one of dread in my neck of the woods, as I become what my neighbors fear most: an Episcopalian brandishing a dreidel and a platter of my homemade latkes topped with fresh fire extinguisher foam. Last year I took out six windows, two lampposts and a hedge with the former, and made the old lady down the street tap into her supplemental dental insurance with the latter. We trust things will be a little more peaceful where you are when the Jewish counterpart to Christmas starts at sundown. Which reminds me... It was just before Hanukkah and Miriam was giving directions to her grown-up grandson, who was coming to visit for the first time since she'd moved to her new apartment. "Come to the front door, "Miriam said. "There's a panel at the door. Use your elbow to push button 3A and I'll buzz you in. Come inside and the elevator is on your right. Get in the elevator and user your elbow to press the third-floor button. When you get out, my apartment is on the left. Use your elbow to ring my doorbell and I'll open the door for you." "Grandma, that sounds easy," said the grandson. "But why am I hitting all these buttons with my elbow?" Replied Miriam: "You're coming to visit empty handed?" Happy Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka!!! Or, in the immortal words of thankfully-former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker: “Molotov!” And have a nice Thursday. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today? - Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial "Yes, I was confused by Bill in Portland Maine. It was a mistake of judgment. It was an intellectual mistake. And I want to make amends for splashing in his kiddie pool." —George Conway - [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/7/2209923/-Cheers-and-Jeers-Thursday?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/