Domestic Terrorists

By Baxter

Another day, another mass murder in America. And we cats were already noting this as a somber anniversary.

Ten years ago, Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller was shot and killed in his church. His murderer, an anti-choice nutcase, is currently serving a life sentence — and has been known to pass along threats to Tiller's successor, who reopened the doctor's clinic after buying it from his widow.

Julie Burkhart's response: "We cannot let fear dictate our lives. People in Wichita and beyond need access to healthcare and it would be irresponsible of us not to reinstate that."

In the years since, Benedict Donald and his right-wing fanatics are busy making abortion providers' lives even harder. Only by the ruling of a single judge in Missouri has the state's last abortion clinic managed to remain open today, and anti-choice legislation — mostly enacted by men — is on the march in a slew of mostly Southern states. (Yes, Democratic Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards, we're looking at you.)

Meanwhile, voices of reason manage to poke through — at least from our Neighbors to the North, who are unencumbered by our history of fundamental evangelism. "As a government, as Canadians we will always be unequivocal about defending women's right to choose, defending women's rights in general," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "It's a shame that we increasingly see conservative governments and conservative politicians taking away rights that have been hard fought over many, many years by generations of women and male allies."

America is peculiar: With our open, liberal society, we're progressive in some ways, but still backward in others. And the push and pull that we go through on social issues is made exponentially worse by the presence in our country of some 300 million guns.

A shooter killed 11 people in Virginia Beach today. Coincidentally, the number of people killed at abortion clinics since 1993 is also 11. And we'd bet that all of the murderers responsible for their deaths would style themselves as unfailingly pro-life. We cats HISS.

Things We Cats Don't Care About

By Hubie and Bertie

Don't get us wrong: There are many things we do care about, but also many we don't. The news these days seems replete with the latter. Here are just a few of the topics that leave us yawning.

Benjamin Netanyahu's "staggering failure to form a government" — unless of course it finally leads to his downfall. Now, that would be reason for celebration.

People climbing Mount Everest. Sorry, we just don't.

What anybody with a penis thinks about abortion. (Okay, lefty guys excepted.)

Whatever Bill Barr thinks. He's completely trashed his career and reputation, just like everyone else who associates with Trump.

Tad Cochran's death, or anything Mississippi-related.

"Game of Thrones." Ever.

Meghan McCain. However, we do love this hide-the-USS-John-McCain-from-Benedict-Donald flap. We cats PURR.

"If We Had Confidence That The President Did Not Commit A Crime, We Would Have Said So."

By Baxter

Robert Mueller's 11 AM statement today was consequential for many reasons — chief among them his imperative that the next step in abrogating the disaster known as Donald Trump is the responsibility of the US Congress.

It made us think of 1974, and Richard Nixon — who is looking more and more like a statesman every day. Nixon, at least, understood that when the smoking gun tape came out, he had been proven to have obstructed justice. And that it was Game Over. Nixon's resignation soon followed.

Trump, by contrast, has no such understanding of the law and is, in fact, defiant. So what's the difference between 1974 and 2019? Not just 45 years of history, but the very nature of the Republican Party itself.

See, in 1974 — which we cats, having nine lives, vividly remember — three GOP pooh-bahs marched up from Capitol Hill to the White House, to tell Nixon he was done. They were Senator Barry Goldwater, House Minority Leader John Rhodes and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott.

The difference between 1974 and now? A realistic versus a compliant Republican Party. In today's GOP, there is a pitifully short supply of Goldwaters, Rhodeses and Scotts.

However — here's an interesting point.

Think about Barry Goldwater. Yes, he was a right winger, and yes, we generally have a negative view of him. But he had credibility that most of the GOP quislings on the Hill don't have today. Goldwater was a true Libertarian. If the government interfered in citizens' private lives — even, say, in the matter of abortion — he was against it. And if a President interfered with an investigation against himself — even if it concerned a Republican President, Nixon — he was against that, too.

Barry Goldwater died in 1998. There are none like him left in the GOP. Except, perhaps — Justin Amash. Like Goldwater, the Congressman from Michigan is more purely Libertarian than any Republican these days.

Wouldn't it be interesting if the Libertarian Goldwater chased Nixon from the White House — and the Libertarian Amash ends up chasing Trump? We cats see the potential historical parallel, and we PURR.

Amash, Awash In Admiration

By Miss Kubelik

We cats are not experts on each Republican in Congress. They're so bad collectively that to ponder them as individuals is torture in the extreme. Of course, every now and then, one of them sneaks through and grabs our attention: Shiny Trey Gowdy. Louis "Asparagus" Gohmert. Silly Matt Gaetz. Traitorous Devin Nunes.

But Justin Amash, the down-the-line Libertarian from Michigan, was a mere blip to us until the last few weeks, when he started tweeting brilliantly about Benedict Donald, the Mueller Report, why it's important to impeach, and the perfidy of his House Republican colleagues. So we looked him up.

The good news is that Justin Amash appears to have lost a ton of weight and gotten in shape. Good thing, because he'll have to fend off all the death threats he must be getting from Trump lovers. (See above: Thin Amash versus Fat Amash.)

The threats surely exploded tonight after Amash held a town hall in his home district and explained his impeach-y tweets some more. Strikingly, although there were some nutcases in MAGA hats who gave him heck, 90-plus percent of the crowd showered Amash with love.

We cats have always felt it would be better for the House Democrats to hold hearings on the Mueller report and the other nefarious activities of this nightmare Administration, and just not call them "impeachment" per se. But Trump's, Barr's and witnesses' refusal to cooperate on any front could be pushing us all toward the I-word. We're in a very delicate place right now, with the situation changing almost daily. As the Speaker of the House well knows.

Nevertheless, to have a Republican like Amash fuel the impeachment fire is extremely interesting, and based on the GOP's nuclear reaction to him, we wouldn't dream of discouraging it. It could be Amash's Joe Lieberman moment — except Amash is probably gutsier, more resolute (and a lot less whiny). We cats switch our tails, and wait.

Bats Can Be Democrats, Too

So much depressing news these days. To cheer up, we usually reach for a red panda or two. But how cute is this baby bat? We cats PURR.

50 Years Later, Still No Closer To Peace

By Zamboni

Big headlines in Montreal this weekend, but maybe not everywhere else: Today marks the 50th anniversary of John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's 1969 Bed-In for Peace.

Held at Montreal's downtown Queen Elizabeth Hotel, the Bed-In produced a new song ("All We Are Saying Is Give Peace a Chance"), publicity for the Lennons, some conversations about the fruitlessness of war, and, we're sorry to say, not much else. A half-century later, there's still violence and suffering on a grand scale.

Still, Lennon was brilliant at writing lyrics about the peace that he couldn't achieve. One of our favorite holiday songs is "And So This Is Christmas (War Is Over)," and of course our most cherished of all Lennon's oeuvre is "Imagine."

So on this Memorial Day eve, we'll end with that. We cats miss John Lennon, who left us way too soon. And we PURR.

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Service To Posterity

Since the Trumpsters have been completely ignoring the Presidential Records Act, we cats are doing our bit and reproducing this tweet that Benedict Donald apparently deleted.

Oh, and it's "Biden," of course. We cats HISS.

Bill Mauldin Responds To Jon Voight

We don't think Abe would have much use for Donald. Just sayin'.

Journalism 101

By Sniffles

This is an easy post tonight, because we're giving journalists some quick advice. Here's why.

In the last few days, the person who is currently recognized as President of the United States (thanks, Electoral College!) (thanks, Vladimir Putin!) has been in meltdown mode, because the woman who is second in line of succession to his office has questioned his mental capacity.

"I pray for the President," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said. "I wish that his family or his administration or his staff would have an intervention for the good of the country."

In response, aided and abetted by FOX "Business News," this person has promoted a doctored video that makes Pelosi seem like she's the one with the mental problems. The mainstream media have been pretty quick to identify the video as fake. Still, it's had millions of views. He also called her "crazy" and "a mess."

And the Republicans are silent.

So, the next time House Minority Leader Kevin "Hapless" McCarthy has a press availability, here's all the reporters need to ask:

"Mr. Leader, one-word answer, yes or no: Is the Speaker of the House crazy and a mess?"

Follow-up question:

"Mr. Leader, is the President a very stable genius?"

That's all. We cats PURR.

Dueling Disasters

By Hubie and Bertie

You would think that, although the Trumpsters are in a class of their own when it comes to incompetence, they're enough into command and control that they'd want important legislation to pass — right? Like their precious "middle-class tax break" that only benefits the one percent? That kind of legislation.

So it seems to us that the Benedict Donald crowd would want a federal disaster package to sail through Congress. Sure, it helps blue California (boo!) and brown Puerto Rico (not really Americans!), but it also has money for flood relief in the Midwest, and — key fact here — help for the panhandle of Florida after Hurricane Michael. (See above.)

But after quick passage in the Senate, the bill has halted in the House, because Chip Roy, a teabagger Congressman from Texas — Ted Cruz's former chief of staff, actually — stopped it. Roy objected to the fact that the bill provided no border wall money.

Despite that, Trump wanted this bill to pass. So why hasn't he sicced his thugs on this Roy dude? Why hasn't the Texas delegation pounced on him with knives to his throat? Why hasn't a panhandle Congressman like idiot Matt Gaetz — Trump fan extraordinaire — called for Roy's castration (or at least, dropping his objection to the bill)?

Is it because the Republicans on the Hill — not to mention in the White House — have no idea what they're doing? Let's put it this way: This clown car would never be tolerated in Nancy Pelosi's caucus. (Nancy Pelosi, who, by the way, we're very proud of.) We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

The World Spins Forward, And Trump Can't Expand The Map

By Baxter

The first thing we cats thought about this afternoon's news was that the haters' heads would explode: Ilhan Omar, a Somali Muslim woman, presided over the House of Representatives today.

And then of course Benedict Donald had that meltdown in the Rose Garden, and as usual, our attention was torn in a dozen different directions. So allow us to focus on one development in the last 24 hours that has not been so great for the Trumpy ones.

Was it the judges' rulings against Trump on the subpoenas for his banking and other records that have been flying thick and fast? The New York state legislature voting to hand over his tax returns? His HUD secretary's pathetic performance on Capitol Hill? Those are all horrible for him, for sure — but we're wondering why, of all places, Trump chose to hold one of road-show hatefests in Pennsylvania this week.

Not long ago, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad "Weird Beard" Pasquale was boasting about expanding the electoral map in 2020. Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado were supposedly all fair game. So why is Trump wasting time in a Republican Congressional district in the Keystone State?

We're making no predictions. Not this early. But a candidate who was confident about making inroads would beam into a state where inroads could be made — right? Kinda like, well... Elizabeth Warren, who went to deep-deep-red Mississippi a couple of months ago. We're just sayin'. We cats PURR.

New York To The Rescue Again

By Miss Kubelik

One of the ways to say "no" to all things Trump is for the states to step up and make their own laws to fight him. Several have already gone in that direction environmentally (led by California), and of course now a bunch of states are actively protecting reproductive rights — which kind of leaves women in Alabama, Mississippi and other red states up a creek, but still.

Yet occasionally a state's action can reach beyond its borders to affect us all. New York State, for example, recently voted for Congress to be able to access Trump's tax returns. And our state Attorney General, Letitia James, has the NRA in the crosshairs, so to speak. Both decisions could hasten Trump's and the NRA's political demise (or so we hope).

Now, the New York state assembly has voted to allow state prosecutors to pursue charges against Trump-pardoned felons. Message to the Paul Manaforts of the world: Look out.

As we've said before, it's a direct result of November's election, when the Empire State was able to finally flip the state senate to the Democratic side. Great stuff has been happening ever since. It gives us cats hope, and we PURR.

Calling Out The Bob Ewell Party

By Zamboni

We cats were all set to post some video from Mayor Pete Buttigieg's FOX "News" town hall, which he held last night. But for once, Mayor Pete's luck seems to have run out — at least, temporarily. Because actor Jeff Daniels, appearing on Nicolle Wallace's MSNBC show this afternoon, just blew everybody and everything else away.

We've checked Twitter, and nearly all the comments directed at Daniels are rapturous. So far: Just wait until Benedict Donald figures out what he said. We hope Trump does go after him, though, because 1) it will just give Daniels's remarks more play, and 2) attacking Atticus Finch is never a good idea.

(Now that we think of it, Trump is holding one of his "shows" in Pennsylvania tonight. We never watch, of course, but we'll try to remember to check back to see who he's lashing at now.)

And the GOP? Daniels had some mighty harsh words for them, too. A bunch of spineless, greedy racists, and America would be better off if they all fell on their knives.

Daniels is right about everything. Especially this: America needs a Dan Ellsberg right now. Whoever that person may be, we have a message from Atticus himself: "In the name of God, do your duty." We cats PURR.

Remembering Jackie

Twenty-five years ago today, we lost Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a true American hero. She held the country together during four terrible days in 1963 — and beyond. We cats salute her, and we PURR.

News Flash: Republican Congressman Knows How To Read

By Sniffles

We cats guess we should say something about Justin Amash. He's raised enough hackles in the Party of Vlad (previously known as the GOP), and even earned himself a tirade from Benedict Donald, simply by pointing out the obvious: He's read the Mueller Report, and he thinks Trump should be impeached.

Amash also raises the question: Have his Republican colleagues read the report? His answer: Don't bet on it. He also slammed Bill Barr for acting like a lapdog instead of an Attorney General. Pretty sweet.

We aren't completely surprised that of all the so-called consciences of the GOP — Susan Collins, Lamar Alexander, Larry Hogan, John Kasich, blah blah blah — it's this wildly right-wing dude from Michigan who shatters the "no collusion" illusion. As a rock-ribbed libertarian, Amash has been more consistent in his positions than your typical Republican hypocrite. Pretty sad commentary on his cowering colleagues, we'd say.

When we first heard the news, we wondered: Would L'Affaire Amash be a James McCord moment? You know, when McCord blew the cover off the Watergate cover-up in March 1973? Or, reaching back farther, would this possibly be like Bishop Blunt, who jump-started the 1936 abdication crisis by criticizing Edward VIII's churchgoing habits?

We kinda doubt it, but you never know. After all, the Mueller Report is #4 on The New York Times bestseller list — somebody must be reading it! We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Walking The Line

By Hubie and Bertie

This week was particularly horrible news-wise, and so some major centenarians have decided to check out. First, it was I.M. Pei, and now tonight it's Herman Wouk. We don't blame them. They've made their mark on a world that humans are trying their damndest to destroy. Why not leave?

Meanwhile, a 76-year-old is leading the Democratic pack for President in 2020, and from what we can tell, he's giving Benedict Donald the jitters. Ain't life strange?

Reading The New York Times's coverage of Joe Biden's campaign swing through New Hampshire, we were struck by one thought: the rope line. Joe has been packin' them in at his Granite State events, which means that not everyone gets to talk with him. But as a former Vice President, he won't always be able to meet voters one-on-one in small venues. He'll have to work his fair share of rope lines. Right?

And remember how the press just tortured Hillary Clinton over the rope line? Specifically, how her campaign allegedly corralled rally-goers and kept them away from her except under the most controlled conditions? That obsession still rankles us. Hillary Clinton is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. She's gonna have rope lines.

Joe Biden, who is a slightly lesser celebrity, will have them, too. But do you know who almost never does? Donald Trump. We cats can count on one paw the number of times Benedict Donald has worked the line. As in, almost never. We think we know why: He's a germaphobe. He doesn't like to touch people. He can't make small talk.

Why do the media set stringent standards for Democrats in retail politics, but give Republicans a pass? We cats will never understand this. And we HISS.

Jacinda And Justin

Need a pick-me-up? Here's a sight for Trump-weary eyes: two world leaders meeting in Paris today to discuss combating online hate. Some countries are still led by good people. We cats PURR.

Turn Off The Dark

By Baxter

It's Duplessis time in America.

As in Maurice Duplessis, the backward and corrupt premier of Quebec (1936-1939 and 1944-1959). Get to know this dude: He was a true harbinger of Trump.

He was anti-union, pro-"family values," anti-women's rights, pro-Catholic Church, anti-secularism, anti-social services, anti-city and pro-rural yahoos. In 1936 he put a crucifix on the wall of the provincial assembly. (It's still there, but perhaps not for long). The only schools he supported were Catholic. For some reason, he hated Jehovah's Witnesses. He also demonized his Liberal Party opponents. (We kid you not. He literally implied they were from hell.) His reign earned the nickname "La Grande Noirceur" — The Great Darkness.

But there's a happy ending. After Duplessis checked out from a heart attack in 1959, Quebec turned away from autocracy and ushered in The Quiet Revolution — throwing off the oppressive policies of the Church and moving toward the diverse, secular society that it is today. (One caveat: Nationalists in Canada have tried to rehabilitate Duplessis's image. Don't let them, True Northerners.)

Which brings us to today. In the United States — with children in cages, healthcare threatened, the Iran deal scrapped, a Muslim ban in place, NATO in the cross-hairs, women's rights under siege, climate change ignored, corruption rampant, Russia interfering, the rule of law flouted, the judiciary stuffed with Neanderthals, Trump on the rampage and the GOP complicit — we've entered our own Great Darkness.

Yep, it's really, really, really dark. But we can't wait for anyone to come along and save us — we have to do it ourselves. We have to register, run, donate, canvass, vote and win.

Next year, let's have our own revolution — and not a quiet one, either. We cats PURR.

(PHOTO: Johan Ferret)

Going To Town On Town Halls

By Miss Kubelik

We cats have been tough on Elizabeth Warren's Presidential ambitions in the past, and while she's still not in our personal top tier of 2020 Democrats, we have to admit that she's gotten our (favorable) attention lately.

She's rolled out some detailed policy proposals, which of course we'd expect since she's the wonky type. But she's also been less college professor and pretty in-your-face — the latest example being the bitch-slap she just gave FOX "News." Great stuff!

With other declared candidates accepting FOX's town hall invitations, Warren has said she'll have none of it. Calling Trump TV "a hate-for-profit racket that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists," she rejected her FOX town hall invite with a snippy, "Hard pass."

Good for her. We duly note that other candidates, specifically Harris, Booker and Castro, also haven't accepted town halls at FOX— but Warren's spot-on "no thanks" was very cathartic. We cats PURR.

P.S. For a rawer but equally satisfying take on Warren's FOX "News" smackdown, read this.

O No! Friend To Animals Everywhere Crosses The Rainbow Bridge

That W.H Auden feeling you get when you hear that Doris Day has died:

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Exhausted By It All Edition

By Zamboni

Feeling a little cranky today? Tired of all the 2020 tweets that hook their wagons to Mom? Overdosing on Grand Marnier french toast and smoked salmon eggs benedict at Mother's Day brunch? Ready to strangle every flower you see? Never fear, we cats are here to complain about the news (and throw in some motherly admonishments along the way). Grab another frittata and dive in.

Sorry, but it's against the law to eat on the Washington Metro system.

The George-Kellyanne Conway shtick is surely nothing but a nefarious ruse. She remains loyal to Benedict Donald while he tweets insults — all for a future book deal, we're sure. So we refuse to follow him or take him seriously. Still and all, today's "malignant narcissist" thread is pretty compelling. Is the book deal off?

You cannot ignore subpoenas.

We urge The Washington Post to rethink this headline. Alyssa Milano's call for a sex strike "didn't go over well"? The Post cites four critics of the idea. But Milano's original tweet got 38,000 likes and 13,000 retweets. Hmmm: 51,000. Four. What's the bigger number?

Tariffs do not hurt China. They are a tax on American consumers. Now, eat your vegetables.

Finally, looking around the country at all those Republican-led red states that are enacting extreme anti-choice legislation doesn't exactly put us in the mood for celebrating moms. They're taking away women's decision making on when and if they will become mothers just to get Roe overturned. To borrow a phrase from Scrooge: Mother's Day is "a false and commercial festival, devoutly to be ignored." We cats HISS.

Happy Warriors, Unite!

By Sniffles

A few words about the politics of joy.

We cats are seeing a number of reports about the Democrats' crowded 2020 race. We're not troubled by the number of candidates. Heck, it's just more proof of our deep and thoughtful bench. What's interesting to us is the number of people pledging to not go negative on each other.

As primary season progresses and we get into debates, we'll see how this holds up. But we're optimistic — mainly because we're confident that the prevailing sentiment is Beat Trump At All Costs.

And because that seems to be the driving theme, we have a plea. Please, Democrats, bring back the politics of joy.

Trump has been so negative, so hateful, so divisive — from the very first moment that he rode down that stupid escalator in 2015 through to his Inaugural Address and beyond — that America is exhausted. Negativity will do that to you. Trump's base may feed on it, but for the rest of us, it's unpleasant, disturbing and draining. And it's not what America is about.

America is optimistic — striving, straining, uplifting. Always trying to reach for something better. Always attempting to set things right. Always asking "Who's next?" when it comes to enjoying the fruits of our precious democracy. America, in short, is not Donald Trump.

So, Democrats, when we campaign for President in 2020, please let's talk plenty about the damage that Trump has done and is doing. But let's also draw a contrast with his hateful resentment. Let's inspire voters to turn out because they hear the bells ringing out, and they see Americans — all Americans — free, forever more. We cats PURR.

How To Save America: Vote Democratic (Wherever You Are)

By Hubie and Bertie

When we cats moved from Virginia to New York, we were very happy at the prospect of spending our nine lives in a deep-blue state. (Virginia still qualifies as purple, but it's getting there.) Still, we had a little twinge of guilt that we'd no longer be voting in a battleground state.

Well, New York has turned out to totally matter when it comes to Donald Trump.

In November, we helped elect a state attorney general who gets up every morning with one purpose: Bring Trump to justice. Letitia James has shuttered the Trump Foundation, is chasing Trump's banking records (and we bet she'll get them), and is investigating the NRA. Tish James is one fabulous badass, and every day we feel good about voting for her.

Also in November, New Yorkers flipped the State Senate from Republican to Democratic control. Since then, Albany has gotten a ton of great stuff done. Today, the State Senate passed a bill, 39-22, to allow Congress access to the tax returns of erstwhile Big Apple resident Trump. Governor Cuomo intends to sign it.

Some day, somehow, the truth about Trump will out — and we'll be able to thank the millions of Americans who voted for Democrats last year. Way to go, people! Keep up the good work, in New York, Virginia and across the country. We cats PURR.

Damages

By Baxter

We cats are big fans of Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz (and actually, of Hawaii's other Democratic Senator, too). Senator Schatz puts climate change at the top of his keeps-me-awake-at-night list, and no wonder. Not only does he have young children, but if the oceans rise from warming, his state is in deep — well, you know.

Lately, Senator Schatz has been highlighting the fact that it's starting to dawn on business interests around the world that global warming is a problem. For example:

"In 2019, climate change was named the number-one risk to North American insurers, edging out cyber risk for the first time in five years, as ranked by professional actuaries."

"The central bank of the Netherlands said in 2017 that 'Financial institutions must increasingly factor in the consequences of a changing climate.'"

"The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said in November 2018 that the 'physical impacts of climate change will pose risks through damage to property, changing property values and disruptions to supply chains.'"

"At the World Economic Forum this year, experts named climate change as the top economic and social risk facing the world. 'Of all risks, it is in relation to the environment that the world is most clearly sleepwalking into catastrophe.'"

We think this is a brilliant way to get people — who are for the most part idiots, as we know — to notice. Nobody cares about plant and animal life, but tell them that climate change is going to cost them money, and their hair will catch fire.

Which, coincidentally, is what the planet is doing right now. We cats HISS at the carbon-boosters, and PURR at Senator Schatz and all the young people who are going to save us from ourselves. We hope.

Indiana Kills Babies!

By Miss Kubelik

How ironic that a person named "Vice President Mike Pence," who used to be "Indiana Governor Mike Pence," chooses to tweet about how Democrats love to commit infanticide.

Ironic because we decided to look up Indiana's infant mortality rate, and take it from us, it's not pretty.

At 7.3 percent, Indiana's rate is, along with South Dakota, Ohio and most of the South, in the bottom decile nationally. Six hundred Hoosier babies needlessly died in 2017 because, among other reasons, their moms got insufficient prenatal care. Six hundred!

That's many, many more cases than the "infanticide" Pence and his merry band of misogynists could ever hope to find to back up their ridiculous "Born Alive" bill. So, who's really killing babies? We cats dump our dirty litter boxes over Mike Pence's head, and we HISS.

Rare Critical Thinker Has Enough, Checks Out

By Zamboni

We cats don't read Christian writers, so we're sorry to say that we had no idea who Rachel Held Evans was until she died this morning.

Sounds like we missed something — a true progressive Christian, and an antidote to the hypocritical right-wing evangelicals who take up all the oxygen in the room. And on top of that, she was just 37 years old.

Something's wrong with the world when a thoughtful, compassionate woman like this can die at such a young age  — while the sociopath Benedict Donald continues to wreak havoc with his pal Putin. We cats rail against the fates, and we HISS.

States' Rights, Done Right

By Sniffles

White supremacists, right wingers and Republicans sure do love states' rights. They invoke them constantly, usually to defend voter suppression and other forms of discrimination. And it was always a cherished battle cry of the Old Confederacy.

Back during the 1950s and 1960s, the Dixie dudes fighting against school desegregation and African-American voting rights were Democrats. But Richard Nixon's Southern Strategy drove them into the welcoming arms of the GOP, where they've stayed ever since.

For awhile, they stayed under the radar. Which means it was shocking when, in 1980, Ronald Reagan kicked off his Presidential campaign screaming about states' rights in Philadelphia, Mississippi — near the site of the 1964 Freedom Rider murders. (Yes, everyone, Reagan was the first to bring the haters out from the shadows and near, if not into, the mainstream. He was truly a horrible person.)

Today, we're wondering if the Republicans are going to stay consistent on that whole states' rights thing. Because the California Senate just passed a bill mandating that Presidential candidates must release their tax returns to get on their primary ballot.

Will it work? Who knows? Washington and New Jersey are considering similar bills, and will watch with interest. But while we aren't sure if Governor Gavin Newsom will sign it (Jerry Brown didn't),we love the message that it sends. Trumpsters appear to be divided between being outraged and haw-hawing, but they can't be happy that the nation's largest state is adding to the pressure Benedict Donald is already feeling to release his taxes.

The levers of democracy are maddeningly slow and inefficient, but we must continue to have faith in them. Because when an autocrat-wannabe is in the Oval Office and taking orders from Vladimir Putin (an hour's worth just today), our institutions are all we have left. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Star Of The Hearings

By Hubie and Bertie

Just about the only reassuring thing about the Trump sh*tshow is how it's allowed certain Democrats to shine: Pete Buttigieg, who speaks so eloquently and understandably about complex issues. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for showing people how it's done on social media and on the House Oversight Committee. And Kamala Harris, who gave William Barr his worst moments in a generally terrible (for him) day of Senate Judiciary Committee testimony.

The Republicans on the committee, as usual, proved themselves to be Trumpy quislings who are willing to discard the rule of law for their own perpetuation in power and a slew of judgeships.

One tweep has, we think, summarized the state of the Republicans the best. So in the wake of Lindsey Graham's and other Republicans' performances today, we'll let Kurt Eichenwald take it from here:

"The thought processes of the GOP [matches] that of 1980s Soviet officials — science denialism, party loyalty over reason and fact, the need to crush dissenters, ideology supplanting logic.

"Like the Soviets, these people are beyond reach. We do not understand how they readily throw aside science, reason and facts, and we try endlessly to use those to get them to reality. We point out their hypocrisy. But none of it matters. Party loyalty is all.

"There is no way to reach these people, other than becoming a Trump Republican. Just like the Soviets before them, they cannot and will not think independently. If they are told up is down — over and over and over — as a matter of party ideology, they will repeat it and nothing will ever convince them otherwise.

"And remember — if anyone in any way diverts from the orthodoxy of the GOP/Soviets — they are destroyed. 'Enemy of the people' was used extensively by the Soviets to attack dissent. And those who disagree were demonized even in death. Case in point with GOP: John McCain."

Whew. With a chilling thread like that, we cats are glad that badass questioners like Kamala Harris are around to bitch-slap these guys. She makes us PURR.