These Bitches ...

I mean, it’s kind of expected from a woman who speaks at Nazi Conventions, but it still sickens me.

This past week GOPQanon Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at David Hogg, a Parkland school shooting survivor, for … and wait for it, it’s totally stupid and totally Marge … for not arming himself with a gun when he went to school that day because hundreds of students carrying weapons is safer than one student carrying a weapon.

She can fuck all the way off.

Then we have Franklin Graham, who has visited Disney as a child and taken his own children to the theme park but now, because Disney is taking a pro-LQBTQ+ stance, Frank says:

“Disney is indoctrinating children with the LGBTQ agenda—and they don’t even try to hide it.”

But then how does Frank explain that Disney first got into trouble last month  when it was revealed they had donated to politicians who crafted the Don’t Say Gay bill?

You cannot have it both ways, asshat.

This past week, in an effort to crack down on price-gouging by Big Pharma who have raised the price of a lifesaving product used by millions of Americans by almost 500% in recent years, the House passed a Democratic-sponsored bill to cap the price of insulin at $35 a month for most Americans. One of the ‘No’ votes was GOP sexual predator Matt Gaetz who has a vile reason for his vote.

He said, in a newsletter to his constituents—who, to be fair if they keep voting for this fuckwad deserve what they get—Gaetz said he opposed the bill because fat people, not Big Pharma, are responsible for driving up the cost of insulin. He suggested that Type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to obesity, could be cured if only people would workout more and lose weight, at which point they wouldn’t need insulin anymore and the drug costs would fall without government intervention.

According to Mother Jones at least 25% of Gaetz’s home state is clinically obese, including its most famous resident … Thing 45.

And now, this last bitch, who really takes the cake … at a recent campaign rally, Michigan GOPQanon Congressperson Lisa McClain told the crowd that Thing 45 had caught and killed Osama bin Laden:

“Well, [Thing 45] was in office. We didn’t have a war and I think he made three peace treaties. Caught Osama—Osama bin Laden and Soleimani, Al Baghdadi. And this President is weak. And I’ll tell you weakness breeds aggression. We need strength.”

A quick Google search would have proven to this dumb bitch that the 2011 raid that killed bin Laden, however, occurred during President Barack Obama’s first term in office.

Joe Biden was Vice President at the time.

Thing 45 was hosting a reality show.

All of you kindly fuck all the way off.

Bobservations

This week, eating breakfast and watching GMA, there was a story about Facebook doing an online graduation ceremony for 2020 high school seniors.

Oprah Winfrey will be the commencement speaker … gag … and Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles , among others would speak. And Miley Cyrus will perform her “inspirational” song, ‘The Climb.’ Carlos, with his Absent-minded Professor ears on, said:

“Decline? What? Is her credit card declined?”

And began singing:

“♫ ♪ I’m declined! I’m declined ♪ ♫”

I said:

“Honeybunch? It’s ‘The Climb,’ not ‘I’m Declined.’”

“Oh.”

More Carlos … yesterday, right after eating his breakfast, Tuxedo threw up on a kitchen rug. As we have a standing rule that I take care of what goes into the cats, and Carlos takes care of what comes out, he cleaned up.

As he bitched and whined and moaned—far, far less than I would have had the situation been reversed—I suggested we change his middle name to VomitCleaner. He said:

“I already go by that name.”

And he ain’t wrong.

Tuxedo seems to relish the fact that Carlos and I are in lockdown because now he has company …

The homeowners’ association for Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave near Miami that recently bought enough COVID-19 antibody tests for every single resident and worker on the island, has been approved for a $2 million loan through a federal program intended to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the Fisher Island Community Association—the master homeowners’ group for the wealthiest ZIP code in the country—plan to use the money.

The rich get all the breaks.

Go figure … Right after asking the federal government to expand the use of its lone FDA-approved drug to coronavirus patients, Jaguar Health has more than tripled the price of the drug.  They say the need to drastically raise the price during the height of a pandemic to stave off the company’s collapse.

Earlier this year, the list price of a 60-pill bottle of Mytesi—an antidiarrheal medication which may help with the virus—was $668.52. On April 9, as more and more people were dying, Jaguar Health raised the price to $2,206.52 a bottle.

The rich get richer and the poor … die.

After closing down and sending students home due to the COVID-19 crisis, West Point is being forced to bring 1,000 cadets back to its campus—an epicenter for the virus—so _____ Trump can deliver a commencement address.

West Point had postponed its commencement, and school officials were unsure whether to hold one, until _____ announced that he would be speaking there.  Why. You may ask? Jealousy.

Last Friday, the day before Michael Elizabeth Pence was to speak at the Air Force commencement ceremony in Colorado, _____ abruptly announced that he would, in fact, be speaking at West Point. That was news to everyone, including officials at West Point, who been looking at the option of a delayed presidential commencement in June, But now, with _____ feeling butt-hurt that Pence is getting press, West Point has called back 1,000 cadets.

For the ego of _____.

The New York Times ran a few stories on the lunacy of Fox News’ chief asshat, Sean Hannity. And because he was butt-hurt about it, Hannity had his attorney Flying Monkey, Charles Harder, demand an apology or a retraction.

It all began with a piece by Ginia Bellafante about Brooklyn bar owner, Joe Joyce, who took a cruise to Spain in March, and later contracted the coronavirus and died. Now, while it is not clear that Joyce contracted the virus in Spain, his daughter Kristen Mider told Bellafante that her father watched Fox News and believed the coronavirus was under control because Hannity said so. Bellafante said that Hannity "went on air proclaiming that he didn’t like the way that the American people were getting scared 'unnecessarily.' He saw it all, he said, 'as like, let’s bludgeon Trump with this new hoax.' " 

Except it isn’t a hoax, and the shoddy, biased, half-assed vomitous mouth droppings that Hannity passes off as news may have led to a man’s death. And so, when Harder demanded an apology, and NYT legal counsel David E. McCraw responded:

"The columns are accurate, do not reasonably imply what you and Mr. Hannity allege they do, and constitute protected opinion. In response to your request for an apology and retraction …

… our answer is 'no.’”

No.

Yes, in the midst of a pandemic that is far from over, the White gift shop is now selling COVID-19 coins, emblazoned with things like:

“WE FOUGHT THE UNSEEN ENEMY” … “Everyday Heroes” … “President Donald J, _____, Vice President Michael R. Pence, Secretary S. Mnuchin, Drs. Jerome Adams, Deborah Birx, Anthony Fauci.”

The coins regularly cost $125 but buy now and you get one for $100. And, to sweeten the pot, 20% of the proceeds are donated each day to U.S. Hospitals including Johns Hopkins for its COVID-19 Coordination and Tracking.

I wonder where the other 80% goes.

I need some hot men, and a Husband In My Head now, so let’s go with Matt Bomer, who responded to a viral meme featuring a lineup of white guys—Cheyenne Jackson, Finn Wittrock, Max Greenfield, and Wes Bentley—all cast as leading men by producer Ryan Murphy, with @vintagehols saying:

“i could not name one of these men if someone put a gun to my head.”

First off, I could, and did; take that! But Matt gets the award for best Retort because he tweeted back:

“I love all of these men and their unique talents. But if you’re going to line us up and objectify us every few months like Ryan Murphy’s version of a Hitchcock blonde...then I’ve got dibs on Grace Kelly.”

And then, because he’s not just a pretty face, Bomer followed that tweet with one soliciting donations to CenterLink, a coalition of more than 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia:

“While you're figuring out who's who click on this link and donate to Centerlink and support LGBTQ youth around the country who need a place to live, eat, and find safety right now. Even 50 cents helps!”

Hot and compassionate.

Yes, please.

So, we’re watching some movies here in Lockdown and there are some hot mens traipsing across the screen, like—clockwise:

Corey Stall, who fulfills my sexy bald man fantasy, and will be co-starring on the new season of Billions.

Nicholas Pinnock, who is giving me Denzel Washington with an extra dose of hotness, while starring in For Life.

Martin Freeman, who played Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock on PBS, and is now starring in the offbeat comedy Breeders.

And comedian Jermaine Fowler, who was one of the first celebrity contestants on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race and played Kevina Hart—brilliantly—in Snatch Game.

I do like a bowl of Man Candy in the morning.

Tuesday Thought #1

The Funny Papers

Pat Bagley, Jim,Morin, RJ Matson, Bart van Leeuwen, Clay Bennett, Michael de Adder, Nick Anderson, Jack Ohman, Darrin Bell, Scott Stantis, Mike Luckovich, Ed Wexler

The Funny Papers

David Fitzsimmons, Steve Benson, Jack Ohman, Bill Day, Randall Enos, Adam Zyglis, Michael de Adder, David Horsey, Clay Bennett, Nick Anderson, Jim Morin, Darrin Bell

Tuesday Thought #3

Johnson & Johnson Doesn't Care If People Die.......It's All About Profits

You gotta love Big Business. Tax breaks, bail outs, billions in profits.

People dying.

Oh, yeah, that last part may not be included in the quarterly report to shareholders, but it's true.

It seems that monster pharmaceutical company, Johnson & Johnson,  is refusing to participate in the Medicines Patent Pool, which is designed to lower the prices of HIV medicines and increase access to them for people in the developing world.

Profits. It's all about profits.

From Doctor's Without Borders:
"Johnson & Johnson, which holds patents on three key new HIV drugs desperately needed throughout the developing world, has so far refused to license these patents to the Medicines Patent Pool. The Pool has been set up to increase access to more affordable versions of HIV drugs, including fixed-dose combinations that include multiple medicines in one pill, and to develop much-needed pediatric HIV drugs.The Pool would license patents on HIV drugs to other manufacturers and the resulting competition would dramatically reduce prices, making them much more affordable in the developing world. However, since the Pool is voluntary it will only work if patent holders like Johnson & Johnson choose to participate."

Johnson & Johnson holds the patents on the HIV medicines rilpivirine, darunavir, and etravirine. Rilpivirine is a promising antiretroviral, under development for use in first-line treatment regimens, while darunavir and etravirine are important for patients who have developed resistance to their existing treatment.

And, even though Johnson & Johnson offers "reduced access pricing," the cost of these drugs is out of reach of many in the world's least-developed countries--many of those in sub-Saharan Africa. The cost of darunavir and etravirine alone runs more than $2,000 a year in countries where $2000 is what one might earn in a lifetime. Developing countries pay even higher prices.

Last December, the National Institutes of Health, which holds the intellectual property rights for a manufacturing process for darunavir, put its patent for the AIDS drug in the patent pool. Johnson & Johnson holds the drug’s remaining patents, and is effectively blocking other companies from manufacturing and making darunavir available at prices affordable for patients in the developing world.

Blocking the manufacturing of a drug that could save some people's lives. For profit.

Please go HERE, to the Stop AIDS Campaign and sign the letter asking Johnson & Johnson to join the Patent Pool.

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