"There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather, Just Bad Clothing"

By Sniffles

When we cats were kittens, we worked for an event planning firm in DC with a client that held a major event in the Capitol Rotunda. Now, the Rotunda is a lovely space. But it's not large — at least, not enough to have seated this particular client's retinue of major donors and supporters. Lots of people couldn't get in, so while the event was an overall success, behind the scenes it was a logistical nightmare.

This is what the Trumpsters must be going through right now, since Benedict Donald announced that Monday's cold weather forecast has forced his swearing-in indoors. Gee, that's too bad. Other thoughts:

On Inauguration Day 1961, the temperature in Washington was also in the low 20s. On top of that, the city had been walloped by a record snowstorm, and we all know how well DC copes with that. Nevertheless, people bundled up, the ceremony took place on the Capitol steps as usual, and John F. Kennedy spoke without a coat.

Before today's relocation, we couldn't read the weather forecast — which included wind gusts up to 30 mph — without wondering what Benedict Donald was going to do about his fake hair.

This is only partly about the weather. Social media accounts are reporting that DC has been dead as doornails, so nobody was expecting a lot of folks to show up anyway. (In 2009, when Barack Obama was sworn in, there were pre-inaugural parties in Washington for weeks.) The prospect of miles of empty folding chairs terrifies Trump.

It's delicious to think that, of the MAGAts who do flow in, many now will have rearranged their schedules, booked flights and hotels, and spent lots of money to see — nothing. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota nails it.)

The Art Of The Cut

By Hubie and Bertie

Why did Michelle Obama not attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter? Why is she skipping the inauguration on Monday?

To anyone clutching their pearls about this, the answer is obvious. She wants nothing to do with Donald Trump.

At the Carter event, she would have had to sit next to him. That's how it works, folks: The current President and Vice President sit in the front row. Former Presidents sit in the next row, in order: The most recent POTUS and spouse, then the next-most-recent POTUS and spouse, and the next-next-most-recent, and on and on. There would have been nothing Michelle could have done about this, so she bowed out.

(And of course she's refusing to sit through another travesty of a swearing-in. She doesn't have to attend. In fact, we wish that other members of the former POTUS club would join her, but they won't.)

Michelle is not alone, though. Lots of tongues wagged about Vice President Harris's apparent snub of Trump at the Carter service. Later, the Vice President's Twitter account posted a photo from the funeral that omitted Benedict Donald and Moose & Squirrel, which got people riled up even further. (The Carter Center posted the same photo, by the way — like Harris, with a completely straight face.) And now we've learned that Harris will not invite JD Vance and his wife to the Naval Observatory for a courtesy visit.

Why should she? Vance called her "trash" on the campaign trail. And if we're keeping score, the Pences broke protocol first, snubbing Harris and Doug Emhoff during the last transition. (BTW, Karen Pence cold-shouldered Donald at the Carter funeral, too, and more brutally than Vice President Harris did.)

Michelle and Kamala are not only expressing their disdain. As Black women frequently have to do, they're showing us all how to handle ourselves going forward. In the words of one of our favorite social media mavens, "Michelle Obama is instinctively on the right track for how you politically approach Trump in term two. You largely ignore him, and go about your business. You deny his people what they actually want from you — your anger and frustration." We cats agree, and we PURR.

(IMAGE: Michelle on January 20, 2017, being all of us.)

Rubin Leaves WaPo Twisting Slowly In The Wind

By Miss Kubelik

Back in the day, there was no Beltway pundit we laughed at harder than Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post. Now, thanks to Benedict Donald, she's on our side. If you had told us 15 or 20 years ago that this would happen, we would have said you were nuts.

And that's not all — today, Jennifer Rubin and the Post are no more. When the paper spiked the above cartoon by Ann Telnaes, it was the last straw for Our Jen. Like Telnaes, she's left Bezos World. 

Wasting no time starting her post-Post life, Rubin has joined former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen to create a new media platform, The Contrarian. Contributors to The Contrarian will include folks you'll recognize, like George Conway, Jonathan Alter, Joyce Vance, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Olivia Julianna, that young star from Texas who taught Matt Gaetz a thing or two about fat shaming.

"Corporate and billionaire owners of major media outlets have betrayed their audiences' loyalty and sabotaged journalism's sacred mission — defending, protecting and advancing democracy," Rubin said. "The Washington Post’s billionaire owner and enlisted management are among the offenders. They have undercut the values central to the Post's mission and that of all journalism: integrity, courage, and independence. I cannot justify remaining at the Post."

Amen, JR! Our canceled digital subscription to WaPo runs out soon, and now we don't have to worry about missing her. We cats PURR.

Best Friends: Simply The Best.

By Zamboni 

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, is hard at work rescuing pets from the fires in Los Angeles and to help free up space in local animal shelters there. Caravans of cats (and dogs) have arrived at the sanctuary, where they will stay until it's safe to go home.

"Yesterday’s transport flight was a resounding success, bringing 58 cats and 26 dogs from Los Angeles to Kanab," Best Friends said in a statement. "Today, we’re pulling in dozens more animals from Pasadena Humane Society and LA Animal Services so they have room to provide a safe place to hold pets displaced by the fires.

"Additionally, more than 300 people have raised their hands in the last 24 hours to volunteer, many local to California. Some have already started vital cleaning assistance at the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Los Angeles, freeing up staff to focus on lifesaving transports."

This is the kind of work Best Friends is known for. They first got our attention back in 2005, when they rescued and re-homed pets after Hurricane Katrina. Sadly, the disasters keep marching on, but as Mr. Rogers said, "Look for the helpers." If you'd like to support Best Friends' efforts on behalf of pets in LA, click here. We cats PURR.

Bon Anniversaire, Jean

"Today is my 91st birthday.

"To Donald Trump, from one old guy to another: I can tell you Canadians prize our independence. We love our country. We have built something here that is the envy of the world — when it comes to compassion, understanding, tolerance, and finding a way for people of different backgrounds and faiths to live together in harmony.

"We've also built a strong social safety net — especially with public healthcare — that we are very proud of. It’s not perfect, but it’s based on the principle that the most vulnerable among us should be protected.

"If you think that threatening and insulting us is going to win us over, you really don't know a thing about us. You don't know that when it came to fighting in two world wars for freedom, we signed up — both times — years before your country did. We fought and we sacrificed well beyond our numbers.

"We also had the guts to say no to your country when it tried to drag us into a completely unjustified and destabilizing war in Iraq.

"We built a nation across the most rugged, challenging geography imaginable. And we did it against the odds. We may look easy-going. Mild mannered. But make no mistake, we have spine and we have toughness.

"Every time that Trump opens his mouth, he creates new allies for all of us. So let’s get organized! To fight back against a big, powerful bully, you need strength in numbers.

"The whole point is not to wait in dread for Donald Trump’s next blow. It’s to build a country and an international community that can withstand those blows.

"I am 91 today and blessed with good health.

"I am ready at the ramparts to help defend the independence of our country as I have done all my life."

—Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien

The Queue, Carter-Style

"So friends, I ended up in DC last night standing in line for hours into the early morning, waiting to pay my respects to President Jimmy Carter. I was full of mixed emotions. Sadness over where we've been, and where we are going. And yet, after waiting four hours in subzero temperatures (which I do not recommend!) in the middle of the night along with thousands of like-minded people, I felt hope, and uplifted by them.

"I found community. I found people looking out for each other. Talking with each other. Walking with each other. I walked the streets at 3 AM to get to my car without fear, with people looking out for me and me for them. It was overwhelming, and left me with hope.

"There are millions of us. My humble suggestion is to go find them. Be with them. It will help you, it will help them, and I daresay it will help our country. Peace, love and healing to you all."

—@kcarpdiem.bsky.social

De Adder Du Jour

 

Our closest ally has joined the fight against the fires in Los Angeles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called it a true example of "neighbours helping neighbors." Nicely done, sir — and thank you/merci, Canada. We cats PURR.

(UPDATE, January 10: Sad to report that one of Canada's Water Bombers has been damaged and grounded after being hit by an unauthorized drone yesterday. Unauthorized drone use during a fire is against the law in LA — punishable by up to $75,000 in fines and a year in prison. Find 'em and haul 'em off to the hoosegow! We cats HISS.)

Our Favorite Photo From The Carter Funeral

 No words necessary. We cats PURR.

"Neither Our Fears For Today Nor Our Worries About Tomorrow"

 

Quick observations on today's funeral for President Jimmy Carter:

President Obama obviously had one job this morning — to occupy Benedict Donald so that no one else would have to talk to him.

The Bible reading by Josh Carter seemed like pointed commentary: "The law of the spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." Hmm.

Could there have been at least one woman eulogizer? Seemed an omission when you consider how many women Carter appointed to government and, especially, to the judiciary during his Presidency.

That said, Jason Carter is a star. He was the best, closely followed by Andrew Young, but every speaker was good. (Dark Brandon, too.)

It was touching to see the Bidens shake hands with Prime Minister Trudeau after the service. But of course Justin was there — the Carters attended his father's funeral in Montreal in 2000. We cats PURR.

Thought For The Day

When Jimmy Carter was President, he installed solar panels on the roof of the White House, to help inspire the nation to move away from fossil fuel energy and to preserve the environment. Ronald Reagan removed them. Now, nearly 40 years later, Reagan's hometown of Pacific Palisades is burning to the ground. We cats HISS.