The Limits Of MAGA

By Sniffles

If you've been consuming mainstream media this week, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Benedict Donald was already sworn into office. Everything is Trump-centric, with hardly a story about President Biden. Handy tip, everybody: Joe Biden is still President for another five weeks. Watch this space.

Journos would probably respond by saying that Joe has been pretty invisible lately. Well, actually, he hasn't — but that's a subject for another post.  We cats are certain that he was happy to sign the continuing resolution into law last night, and, although not happy to abandon the next phase of student loan forgiveness, he was pleased to leave it as an unresolved issue for the upcoming Clown-Car Administration.

Joe was probably also darkly entertained by the Trumpian antics in Washington the last few days. Donald's attempt to pitch us all into chaos ended up being turned back by his own Republican Party.

As Democratic activist Simon Rosenberg observed, "Trump's legislative and political miscalculations were the most significant I've seen in my 32 years here in DC. He was goaded into coming out against the must-pass bipartisan bill and crashing the US government by the lie-infused Elon Musk, and then added his own wild demands for ended the debt ceiling. The replacement bill Trump supported failed due to Republican (no Democratic) opposition on Thursday.

"Then, last night, his party — along with Democrats in both chambers — overwhelmingly passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through March without the one thing he demanded — a suspension or elimination of the debt ceiling, something he told Republicans they needed to fight for and keep the government shut until they won.

"Trump was politically weakened this week, and it was all impulsive, reckless, self-inflicted wounds. He followed Elon, and got terribly burned. Speaker Johnson was also weakened, and the Republican Party looked immature, foolish and not ready to govern." We cats PURR.

Nobody Elected This South African Person To Anything

By Hubie and Bertie

Looks like the House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution that does not include Benedict Donald's demands for lifting the debt ceiling. HAHAHAHA.

This chaos is just the beginning of Trumpian nightmares to come — but we find it interesting that the Democratic caucus in the House has been able to flex a bit of muscle. And Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a well-deserved victory lap tonight. Nothing like a real fight to wake us all up from our post-November-5 stupor, right?

Meanwhile, are Donald and Elon in a cat fight? Rumor has it that Trump is unhappy with the memes that portray him as subservient to Musk. (See above.) Could we not have all predicted this days ago? It's just more proof that the rules don't apply anymore — except when they do. You have to fund the government by such-and-such a date, for example. We cats cheer for guardrails, and we PURR.

DC Has Gone Crazy, So Here’s A Nice Kitty

By Miss Kubelik

There’s something really disturbing going on. Not only has Benedict Donald become President-elect (inconceivable, but it’s happened), he’s throwing the country into chaos weeks before he’s even taken office.

DC is in an uproar tonight since Trump and the very unelected-to-anything South African immigrant Elon Musk have torpedoed Preacher of the House Mike Johnson’s spending bill, forcing the House into crafting a new bill — or risk a government shutdown just days before Christmas.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has already said that the Democrats will not ride to Mikey’s rescue on this. Which is exactly right. After all, the MAGA crowd owns everything now. So let them deal with the consequences.

Unfortunately, a lot of us will be dealing with them as well — today, tomorrow, and for at least the next four years. Will America survive? Your guess is as good as ours. We cats HISS.

Merchan Says Nope. Windsor Was A Nazi Dope.

By Zamboni

One small glimmer of good news hit us yesterday when Judge Juan Merchan slapped back Benedict Donald's bid to dismiss his 34 hush-money convictions in the Stormy Daniels case.

The results of the 2024 election — and the hideous decision by SCOTUS on Presidential immunity — have no bearing on the fact that 12 New York jurors found Trump guilty, Merchan said. Trump's "decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records pose no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the executive branch," he declared.

Judge Merchan's 41-page decision made us think of another famous quote: "It would not make sense of the past."

That's what King George VI said when he denied a request from his abdicated brother the Duke of Windsor to grant the Duke's oft-divorced wife, Wallis Simpson, the title of Royal Highness. Just as dismissing the Daniels case would amount to an undeserved erasure of Trump's transgressions, the King felt giving a title to Mrs. Simpson was illogical since, at the time, the Royal Family did not allow divorced persons in its ranks. (Of course, as we know, things do change, and may yet in the case of Trump. But so far, that's an ordeal yet to come.)

Aren't historical parallels fun? Particularly since George VI was talking about a couple of Nazis at the time. We cats PURR (and HISS a little).

Maybe The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow

 

 We'll always have Randy Rainbow. We cats PURR.

Thoroughly Pardoned Milley?

By Baxter

If anything has become clear since the disastrous events of November 5, it's that the old rules don't apply anymore. That's why we cats opined recently that President Biden should keep those Presidential pardons going, including pre-emptive ones. (He's already taken care of son Hunter, as we know, and nearly 1,500 other folks in the biggest one-day pardonpalooza in White House history.)

The usual suspects in politics and the press have carped and moaned over Dark Brandon's clemencies. Too bad. If that's what it takes to protect people from the malevolent man-baby Trump, so be it. As jurisprude and podcaster Allison Gill has pointed out, "The [Presidential] pardon power is one of those things that's pretty impossible to overcome...pre-emptive pardons would definitely throw a huge wrench into Trump's plan to target his political enemies."

Gill also notes that pardons would relieve anti-Trumpers of the enormous costs of mounting a defense. "People can still be indicted," she says. "Defending yourself against the government can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars — not to mention the time and mental distress of it all...often, the proceeding itself is punishment enough."

One of the major figures who may be in need of a pardon is General Mark Milley, who helped shepherd the nation to a safe Biden inauguration in 2021. Those actions so annoyed Benedict Donald that last year he suggested Milley should be executed for treason. (P.S.: Our vaunted news media reacted with a big yawn.) If Joe's considering more pardons, Milley should be at or near the top of the list. We cats PURR.

(PHOTO: US Army/Henry Villarama)

Happy 99, Rob Petrie

By Baxter

As we've said many times, this isn't an entertainment blog. But from time to time, we cats pay tribute to members of the performing arts community who inspire us. Dick Van Dyke is one of those. Star of Broadway, classic TV, and Hollywood musicals, he's still with us — marking 99 years on the planet today.

When she was asked to audition for The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rose Marie allegedly asked, "What's a Dick Van Dyke?" Well, "a Dick Van Dyke" is one of those irreplaceable performers who, for decades, has effortlessly entertained us. And he would be the first to tell you that he was able to do it because he was surrounded by brilliant talent. Happy birthday, sir. Please stick around a while longer. We cats PURR.

The "Good Old Days" Were Not So Good

By Sniffles

Remember when you learned history in school years ago, and found out how short people's lives used to be? If you reached your forties and fifties, you were old. Famous Americans like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin defied the odds — Franklin hit 84, while Adams lived to 90. But thanks to disease, lack of clean water, and poor working conditions, most folks checked out early.

Then along came modern times, with our amazing advances in sanitation, safety on the job, healthcare for kids, and — yes! — vaccines. Inoculations against a variety of maladies contributed significantly to humans' length (and quality) of life. Eradicating smallpox was a huge victory. And another, as any student of the American Presidency knows, was polio.

Franklin D. Roosevelt contracted polio when he was 39, after visiting a Boy Scout camp near Bear Mountain, New York. For the rest of his life, he never walked again — but because of the cooperation of a more-genteel press, the majority of Americans never realized it. Photos of FDR in his wheelchair, like this one taken at Hyde Park, are few and far between. Roosevelt made sure of it, because polio terrified people. Voters may not have understood that someone stricken with it could lead them out of the Great Depression and to victory in World War II.

But thanks to science and two brilliant dudes — one a first-generation American, the other an immigrant — polio was beaten with a vaccine. It was first given as an injection and then (you may remember) as a drop of vaccine on a sugar cube. Thanks, Dr. Salk! Thanks, Dr. Sabin!

Today, unbelievably, Team Trump and the odious vaccine opponent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are trying to turn back the clock on polio. This will literally kill people — especially children — and it's way past time for the medical community to step up and cry foul. As for Franklin Roosevelt, he and First Lady Eleanor were very wary of the Kennedys. RFK Jr.'s antics have perhaps shed additional light on why. We cats HISS.

Needlepoint

Wow, this was a terrible news day, and sadly, there are many more to come. We cats really didn't expect Christopher Wray to stay on as Director of the FBI, but we thought he might put up a little bit of a fight. Instead, he's just the latest example of way too much obeying in advance. Did he cut a deal with Trumpster Pam Bondi that she wouldn't throw him in jail if he resigned? If so, that agreement isn't worth the paper it's not printed on. We cats HISS.

Goosing Donald

"It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Premier Donald Trump of the great province of America. I look forward to seeing the Premier soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"

—Canada Goose (not the winter coat)

Tish James Won't Go Gently Into That Good Night

By Hubie and Bertie

Just when it seems like everybody's caving to Benedict Donald, New York Attorney General Letitia James is standing firm.

"What?" she said. "Toss the $497 million civil fraud judgment against Trump? Fuhgeddabboutit."

James's office refused to grant Trump's request to drop the case, sending Trump's attorney a letter that became public today. "The ordinary burdens of civil litigation do not impede the President’s official duties in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution," the deputy solicitor general wrote.

Good for Team James. It's been pretty discouraging to watch members of the media (and, to be frank, some world leaders) obeying in advance. It reminds us a lot of how cowed our side was after September 11, 2001, which was why we were thrilled when a fighter like Vermont Governor Howard Dean emerged to give the Bushies hell. We loved him for it then, and we still love him.

Today, we all have to take a page from Tish James's book and from other legal-beagle warriors like Marc Elias, and pound these Trumpsters into dust. We can do it because they will erf up — in fact, they're already doing it. And while we can't guarantee that we'll always win in court, we can absolutely help them collapse under the weight of their own idiocy by being loud and mocking. (Donald hates that.) We cats PURR.

Would Could Have Been / What's Going To Be

By Miss Kubelik

We cats will never not be mad that America didn't elect Kamala and Doug as First Couple. Here they are, all spiffed up to attend the Kennedy Center honors last night. Such style and elegance.

Another important aspect of a Harris-Walz Administration? It wouldn't have been staffed with people sympathetic to dictators and authoritarians. Sadly, that's what we're about to get with the return of the Trumpsters.

Those cretins include Tulsi Gabbard, whom Benedict Donald has said he'd like for Director of National Intelligence. Tulsi is not only wildly unqualified for the job, she has repeatedly defended monsters like (newly former) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — to the point where officials on both sides of the aisle were afraid that she'd leak sensitive information to Assad before he fled to Moscow this weekend. Are we really, really going to allow a person like this to be DNI?

The hope is that with Assad's fall, more and more details of his horrific regime will be revealed over the coming days and weeks, disqualifying Gabbard before she can even sit her butt in a Senate hearing chair. The notorious Saydnaya Prison, for example, has just been liberated. The stories are already hideous — Amnesty International named it a "human slaughterhouse" of mass hangings, solitary confinement, and torture to the point where prisoners forgot their own names. Gabbard needs to be humiliated over this, and we're looking forward to both journalists and elected officials doing the job. We cats PURR.

Sarah McBride (D-DE) On The Struggles To Come

"The biggest challenge is going to be to summon the hope necessary to see the fight through. I think that one of the challenges that we have in this country right now, particularly for Democrats, is that, really since the 1960s, it has felt like if we simply work for it, if we vote for it, if we volunteer, if we share our stories, if we lift our voices, that we can then inevitably bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. 

"And we felt that, I think particularly, in 2008 and when we elected Barack Obama, and then Affordable Care Act passed, and marriage equality became a law of the land. It just felt like there was this sort of unfolding sense of great progress.

"It feels different right now. It doesn't feel like if we simply work for it and fight for it, that change will come, that things will work out. But think about all of the advocates and activists and citizens who lived through different chapters in our country's history. We have to recognize that that sense of inevitability with hard work that we felt 20 years ago, 30 years ago — that’s the exception in our country's history.

"Every single previous generation of Americans has been called to conquer odds much greater than the ones that we're facing right now. And they had every reason to believe that change would not come. Enslaved people in the 1850s had no reason to believe that an Emancipation Proclamation was on the horizon. Unemployed workers during the early days of the Great Depression had never heard of a New Deal. Patrons at the Stonewall Inn never knew of a country where they could live openly and authentically as themselves. And yet they persevered. They summoned their hope, they found that light, and ultimately, they changed the world."

Remebering Les Filles De Poly

By Zamboni

Here's a cheery note: Today is the 107th anniversary of the Halifax Harbor explosion in Nova Scotia. It was so big that it ranked as the biggest explosion caused by humans until the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Today is also the 35th anniversary of the massacre at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. In less than 20 minutes, a gunman (yep, accent on man, no surprise) killed 14 women — because they were women. "I am fighting feminism," he declared before opening fire. Dude seemed to have a problem with girls learning engineering. Like most mass killers, he shot himself before police could get there, but left a suicide note saying that feminists "have always ruined my life."

The Polytechnique shooting isn't the only misogynist rampage to have happened in Canada, the other occurring in Toronto in 2018. Both give pundits and policymakers annual opportunities to mull over the continuing problem of violence against women. But we never seem to make any progress, do we? In fact, it's getting worse. "The concept of male supremacy has been popularized and normalized by social media influencers like Andrew Tate," writes columnist Allison Hanes in The Montreal Gazette. "Disillusioned and wayward young men are being fed the message their problems are women's fault. And the antidote to their ailments and inadequacies is to assert male dominance."

Ugh. Improving women's overall status and safety may never happen unless more and more of them can get elected to the corridors of political power. The US had a bit of a setback on that front this year, but we cats refuse to give up. In the meantime, we HISS.

P.S.: On the subject of gun violence, there's no doubt that healthcare insurance companies are rapacious bastions of evil. But shooting their CEOs in the back is also bad. We cats HISS again.

"I Never Thought This Could Happen In Korea"

By Baxter

Are we all fully immersed in the Christmas spirit? We cats noticed that even before Thanksgiving Day, and immediately thereafter, decorated trees, holiday lights, and (ugh) Christmas inflatables started popping up around us. Even though we live in a 50-50 Republican-Democratic area, we assumed it was folks depressed about the election and deciding to waste no time throwing themselves into tidings of comfort and joy.

Unfortunately, though, current events still exert their tug. Here's one that really got our attention: the failed declaration of martial law in South Korea. (MAGAts, please note: It's not spelled "Marshall law.")

The video from Seoul was, at first glance, a bizarre mirror-image of January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol. This time, it was lawmakers trying to get into the South Korean parliament to override President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, with the South Korean military attempting to keep them out. Long story short (and thank goodness), the forces of democracy prevailed. Lawmakers unanimously voted to reject the martial law declaration, and Yoon walked it back.

What led up to this confrontation? Lots of stuff. First, we all have to recognize that South Korea has not always been a model of good government. But it's been a lot better since 1987, when constitutional democracy was consolidated. And obviously, South Korea has been a valued ally against Benedict Donald's good buddy, Kim Jung Un, in North Korea. But in 2022, politics in South Korea took a turn to the right.

It not only took that rightward turn, it eerily presaged the events of 2024 in the United States. Here's how the Toronto-based Globe & Mail summed up the path to this week's events:

"In 2022, Yoon and his conservative People Power Party won South Korea's election in an absolute squeaker, capturing the Presidency...with 0.73 percent of the vote. It was a bitter race dubbed 'the unlikable election' because of the candidates' high disapproval ratings and frequent smear campaigns.

"Another commentator termed it 'the incel election' instead, with Yoon capitalizing on a wave of male resentment. He blamed feminism for assorted troubles that ranged from soaring housing costs and waning upward mobility to plummeting birth rates — and he captured 65 percent of male voters age 18 to 29. By contrast, 68 percent of female voters that age broke for [the opposition] Democratic Party."

Did we cats notice all this happening in South Korea in 2022? We freely admit we didn't. But now, Yoon is facing possible impeachment, which he richly deserves. And we wonder if here in the US, Republicans in Congress will have the gumption to stand up to Benedict Donald the way Korean parliamentarians have stood up to Yoon. We cats wait and watch — but expecting nothing, we HISS.

"The Time For Cautious Restraint Is Over"

By Sniffles

The reactions from Democrats and the press to President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter have been infuriating. Do they not understand how completely reality has changed? Do they not realize how out of control the Department of Justice will be next year? If not, why not? They've had nine years to figure Trump and the MAGA movement out, and they've utterly failed — or they insist on being ostriches.

A few reactions from Democrats have made us grin. Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas's tweet from yesterday is one: "If you are coming here looking for someone to bash Joe Biden, you came to the wrong place. My focus is entirely on Trump and the thugs he is trying to place in his Administration." Outgoing Montana Senator Jon Tester's response is another. Approached by reporters on Capitol Hill, he said, "I'm about to get the fuck out of here. Ask somebody else."

For other Democrats, we have this advice: Just tell the media that you haven't seen the pardon, haven't read the pardon, haven't heard anything about it. So you can't comment. Sound silly? It's worked for Republicans with the press for simply years.

It's so discouraging that Democrats have this circular firing squad going when Washington is about to go straight into the toilet in just 47 days. We need to spend our energies on fighting them, not each other. In a previous political world, there might have been opportunities to indulge in lofty intellectual discussions about Presidential pardons and the rule of law. Not anymore. The rules have changed — or don't exist. Everybody's back has a target. Wake up!

Dark Brandon seems to know, though. Word has it Team Biden is discussing pre-emptive pardons for those in the Trumpsters' cross-hairs: people like Anthony Fauci, Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, others. Our take? As the great Carrie Fisher used to say, "Doooooo eeeeeet." We cats PURR.

The White House Wears The Ribbon

Here's just one of the many decent aspects of White House life that's going to disappear come January 20: On Sunday, the AIDS memorial quilt was displayed on the South Lawn for the first time. If Benedict Donald called Americans killed in war "suckers and losers," we can only imagine how he describes people with HIV. We cats HISS.

Merry Early Christmas, Hunter Biden

By Hubie and Bertie

Events occur, circumstances alter, and people change their minds. For Joe Biden, November 5 resolved the question of whether he would pardon his son Hunter before leaving office. Of course he would. As one of our favorite Twitter accounts pointed out, "We live in a world where you pardon the kid, not because you can but because you have to."

So we cats have a few things to say.

To Trumpsters who are heading for their fainting couches — Hey, team, elections have consequences.  You can scream about the Hunter pardon all you want. But it will have exactly zero political impact, especially considering the horrors you're about to inflict on the country next year.

To the earnest doubters on our side — Get a grip. Sadly, we have to stop thinking in terms of the way things used to be.

To the Great Forgetters — Benedict Donald pardoned reprobates like Mike Flynn, soon-to-be-ambassador Charles Kushner, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Eddie Gallagher, and Steve Bannon. Hunter Biden, with all his problems, is a one-hundred-percent better man than any of them.

To the Morning Schmoes — We don't give a damn what you think about this, pro or con. Or about anything, for that matter.

To President Biden — We're happy for you, and hope that you and your family can find some peace and joy together this holiday season. That's our angel side speaking. The devil side, which we always love to indulge in, hopes that you do lots more Dark-Brandon-type stuff between now and January 20. Give 'em hell, DB! We cats PURR.

"Unbought And Unbossed"

By Miss Kubelik

We're a day late in observing the centenary of Shirley Chisholm, but we liked this photo so much that we couldn't resist.

"Let us celebrate Shirley Chisholm’s brilliance, determination, and grace," Vice President Harris tweeted. "So many of us stand on her broad shoulders. With her spirit and in honor of her legacy, let us continue to speak truth to power and fight for equality and justice for all."

Chisholm probably would not be pleased with the lack of progress women are making at the highest level of our government. In the last eight years, two brilliant women have had to concede a Presidential election to an unspeakably terrible man. Although Harris's wise words — like Chisholm's fighting spirit — inspire us, we cats still HISS.

Rest Well, Janey Godley

By Zamboni

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Today, it turned out in force for Scottish comedian Janey Godley, in a very Princess-of-Wales-Total-Queen-Elizabeth kind of way. We cats couldn't be more tickled. And of course, one of the members of the crowd made sure to hold up a replica of Janey's most iconic sign. Thank goodness she died before the US election, right? We cats salute her, and we PURR.

It's A Wonderful State

Our part of New York today was looking a lot like Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve in Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life. Did you know that Capra based Bedford Falls on Seneca Falls in the Finger Lakes region? He did! Seneca Falls is famous as the site of the first women's rights convention in 1848. We're still fighting those battles, 176 years later (*sigh*). Well — the fight goes on. Meanwhile, we cats hope you had a lovely and thankful day, and we PURR.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Many, many people are posting about how to get along with their obnoxious MAGA relatives this holiday. Thankfully, that's nothing we cats need worry about. Have a fun and restful day. We cats PURR.

It Has To Be E Pluribus Unum

By Baxter

Have you seen a lot of glee on social media and the interwebs from blue-staters and liberals who can't wait for their Trumpster neighbors to realize that their wages are going to be cut, their grocery bills are going to explode, their schools are going to get stupid, and their gas tanks are going to get a lot more expensive to fill? Yeah, us, too.

It's also gone from "Ha-ha-ha-that-MAGAt-is-going-to-pay-more-at-Shop-Rite" to "Blue states should stop subsidizing red states with their tax dollars." We cats have to admit we're inclined to agree. States like ours (New York) pay far more into the federal government than we get back.

But on the other hand, supporting lamebrain red states helps lift all boats, yes? (Because there are a lot of Black Americans in lamebrain red states, through no fault of their own.)

That last point, actually, is key. Here's why. In the midst of all the horrors that Election Night 2024 brought us, the worst one was that we knew Vladimir Putin was sitting in Moscow and smiling. Not just because his stooge Benedict Donald was heading back to the White House, but because the election was so close. (It was. Don't go by November 5th numbers. Look at them now.) If there's anything Putin dearly wants, it's a United States of America that is no longer very united.

On top of that, our closest ally and neighbor, Canada, has a Trumpy successor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waiting in the wings. They'll have an election next year. We've already seen writers and opinion leaders we admire speculating that if Conservative Pierre Poilievre becomes Prime Minister and imposes Trump-like policies on Canada, they'd be willing to support Quebec sovereignty.

Wow. The last time Canada came close to breaking up was in 1995, when the vote to separate failed by a whisker. We're no fans of Poilievre, but take it from us — a sovereign Quebec would make Canada weaker, disrupt its economy, and hobble its efforts to oppose Russia's influence in the Arctic. (Which is something Vlad really cares about.)

We have to stick together, folks, whether we're talking about our fractious 50-state union or Canada's 10 provinces and three territories. Federalism, as in so many matters, is the only answer to Putin. What's Benjamin Franklin's alleged famous phrase? "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we will hang separately"? We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: The Apotheoses of Washington, US Capitol Rotunda)

Tomorrow Doesn't Have To Belong To Them

"This past week marked 58 years since the opening night for the Broadway premiere of Cabaret in 1966. I played the Emcee — the Kit Kat Club's master of distraction, keeping Berlin mesmerized while Nazism slipped in through the back door.

"Cabaret serve[s] as a glaring reminder of how dangerously easy it is to accept bigotry when we are emotionally exhausted and politically overwhelmed.

"The 1960s were a time of social upheaval, but also a time of hope. There was a sense that as a society, we were striving toward progress — that the fight for civil rights, for peace, for equality was a fight we could win. Cabaret, with its portrayal of a decadent society willfully ignorant of its own demise, provided a stark counterpoint to that hope. It was a warning against the seductive power of distraction, the dangers of apathy and the perils of looking away when history demands that we look closer.

"Now, in 2024, we find ourselves in a different, far more precarious moment. The recent election of Donald Trump to a second term has left many Americans, particularly those who fought so hard against the forces of authoritarianism and hate, feeling drained and disillusioned.

"There's a sense that we have seen this show before, that we know how it ends, and that we're powerless to stop it. Or worse, a sense that even though we are facing dark times, they won't really affect our own day-to-day lives — echoing the tragically shortsighted assessment of so many European Jews in the 1920s and '30s.

"The democratic election of an authoritarian figure, the normalization of bigotry, the complicity of the frightened masses — none of these are new themes. We have indeed seen this show before, and I fear we do know how it ends. It's understandable to want to retreat, to find solace where we can, but we cannot afford to look away.

"History is giving us another chance to confront the forces that Cabaret warned us about. The question is: Will we listen this time, or will we keep laughing until the music stops?" 

—Joel Grey, actor

Throw The Books At 'Em

By Sniffles

Team Project 2025, the Trumpsters, and Christian nationalists aren't big on kids getting educated and learning about people who are different than they are. So threatening! That's probably why more than 10,000 books have been taken off the shelves in public schools in the last year, with right-wing rubes in Iowa and Florida leading the way.

Offending texts are by the usual suspects — Harper Lee, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Mark Twain — but sometimes they include surprises, like Agatha Christie. (Whut? Too violent? Who knows?) The book-banners feel they must protect their children from knowledge and ideas. It's a reminder that, alas, the play Inherit the Wind never gets old.

So here's a thought for the upcoming holiday season: Get everyone on your Christmas/Hanukkah list a book. Maybe several books. Maybe banned books. And don't get them from Amazon. Visit your local booksellers and give them a little love. We have a fine one in our neck of the woods, and will also shop for cards and festive gewgaws while we're there. It's a small but pay-it-forward gesture. We cats PURR.

"I'm Back, Birches"

Wow! Woody the Talking Christmas Tree had an amazing "Wake Up Woody Party" today! Lots of people showed up to greet an audio-animatronic Christmas decoration — which is proof that Nova Scotia is a world apart. Sounds kind of attractive, actually. We cats PURR.

Merry Creepymas

By Hubie and Bertie

Can it really almost be a year since we cats first posted about Woody the Talking Christmas Tree? Hang onto your Cinnabons, it's true!

Woody is a talking holiday decoration that annually badgers shoppers and scares small children at a mall in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. (There's a dude inside who interacts with mall patrons in real time.) He can be appeased by offerings of those revoltingly sticky-sweet, commercially produced cinnamon buns that, for years, have surely helped spike diabetes rates in North America. And tomorrow is the Wake Up Woody 2024 unveiling party at the mall. Quick, can we grab a flight to Halifax?

In the depressing wake of the 2024 election, lots of folks are hauling out the holly early and trimming the tree before their spirits fall again. But Woody is not your average feel-good holiday bauble. In fact, he's kind of sick and disturbed, which is a sensation we can relate to in the last two and a half weeks. Go, Woody, go! We cats PURR.

JFK 61

By Miss Kubelik

Does the comic "Family Circus" run in your local newspaper? If so, our condolences. It is a cloying and unfunny single daily panel on weekdays and a multipanel comic on Sundays. It frequently uses Christian imagery — the original cartoonist, Bil Keane, now dead, was Roman Catholic. Our battle-ax Catholic grandmother adored it ('nuff said).

Today, we cats went to war with the "Family Circus." Our local paper, the Albany Times Union, ran a single panel that played off President John F. Kennedy's "Ask Not" theme from his Inaugural Address. The comic was insipid and meaningless. But did they really have to run it on the 61st anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination?

The editor of the Times-Union instantly blamed King Features, saying that the syndicate dictates the content and dates of the comics they send — although earlier this year, that same editor had no trouble policing "Doonesbury" when Garry Trudeau dared to bring up Trump's rape adjudication in civil court. He banished "Doonesbury" to the editorial page. Not the first time in 50 years that that's happened.

"We live in interesting times," he wrote, a cliché we're sure he reaches for whether he's answering a complaint from the right or the left. We cats didn't answer him. But we did write to King Features to complain.

Are we dating ourselves? Yes, we have nine lives, but even Americans with only one life, if they're old enough, will never forget November 22, 1963. Sadly, if the people in today's newspaper industry don't remember John F. Kennedy, one would hope that at least they'd have enough institutional knowledge to refrain from printing crap. Another reason American journalism is in the toilet. We cats HISS.

Your Move, Journalists

 

We don't always agree with Garry Kasparov, but this warning certainly seems true. Mostly because it's the reason behind our corporate news media boycott of the last two-plus weeks — we can't get caught up in the madness and keep our focus. Unless the press figures out a way to properly cover the Trump crowd, that boycott will probably continue, in one form or another, for a while to come. We cats HISS.

Bathroom Bouncers

By Zamboni

Representative-elect Sarah McBride of Delaware, who will be the first transgender person to serve in Congress, is classier than House Republicans deserve.

Mike Johnson and his bigoted minions like Nancy Mace are slamming the doors of Capitol Hill women's restrooms (and the women's gym) in McBride's face, but she refuses to give them the satisfaction of enraging her. She's staying focused on meeting her colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike, and, of course, on serving her constituents. She's ready to do the job that the voters of Delaware gave her.

As Harvey Milk famously said, people may label you as "other" — but when they get to know you, you'll be able, "for once and for all, [to] break down the myths. Destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake." We cats salute Sarah McBride, and we PURR.

Woof Woof

 

By Baxter

Here's another dog-themed commentary on the vomit-inducing bilge that makes up today's news. For our sanity's sake, we've been shielding ourselves from most of the awful headlines, but somehow this one sneaked through. Of course, "Joe" and "Mika" are not journalists, but entertainers. Still and all, their bending the knee at Mar-a-Lago is a chilling reminder of the dangers of obeying in advance. For more helpful hints on authoritarianism, here is a link to On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. We cats HISS at The Morning Schmoes and MSNBC.

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Citizen Bill

 

By Sniffles

It's interesting that former President Clinton thinks he'll see a woman President in his lifetime. (He's certainly followed a strict health regimen since his 2004 heart surgery, so maybe he'll give 100-year-old Jimmy Carter a run for his money.) Sadly, he may also be right that America's first woman President could be a conservative Republican. Ugh. Aside from that, this interview was a reassuring experience for all of us trying to dig out from the wreckage of November 5. We cats PURR.

Now, That's A Doggie Bag

Unlike dogs, we cats are fastidious souls and use litter boxes for our business. So we wouldn't have run across this fabulous poop-bag box ourselves — we have BlueSky to thank! It's a pretty nifty sight on the day that President Biden authorizes Ukraine to hit Russia with our long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems. Take that, Vlad. We cats PURR.

A Sign Spotted In Ireland

We don't have any immediate plans to visit Europe, but we completely get this. We cats apologize to the world, and we PURR.

"The Only Way Out Is Through"

"I have faced fascism before, in this very country. I was one of 120,000 Japanese Americans summarily rounded up and expelled from our homes at gunpoint, all for the crime of looking like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor. I spent my childhood behind barbed wire. My parents lost everything.

"But we did not give up on this country. We rebuilt our lives, and we worked to ensure that something like this never happened again in America. Now, I fear there are echoes from that dark chapter of our history. They are speaking once again of camps to hold people, this time for the crime of being undocumented.

"We must not repeat the mistakes of the past. We can learn from them. I know it feels bleak out there. I know it feels hopeless. But I am living proof that out of that darkness can rise great hope and optimism.

"I will fight for the principles of this country until my very last breath. I ask you to join me in that fight. It is a noble one. It is a worthy one. And it is one we fight on behalf not just of ourselves, but of generations to come. When you are my age, you will be able to look back upon this time and be proud of what you did, what you stood for.

"So don’t give up hope. Do not despair. That is what they want, and we shall not give them that satisfaction.

"In Japanese, there is a word my mother used to say to me. 'Gaman, Georgie,' she’d say. It means to endure with fortitude and dignity. We all could benefit the spirit of Gaman. Look to community. Look to friends and family who stood with us and who suffer the grief of this loss with us. In their company find comfort. And when you are ready to stand up and fight, I will be with you, too.

"We will prevail. For the light always defeats the darkness."

–George Takei, actor, writer, and activist

Looking For A Day-Brightener?

By Hubie and Bertie

Yes, things are generally terrible, but the news is not all bad. Check this out: "Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the two Georgia poll workers defamed by Rudolph W. Giuliani after the 2020 election, received his watch collection, a ring, and his vintage Mercedes-Benz on Friday," The New York Times reports.

If we're not mistaken, that Mercedes was previously owned by Lauren Bacall. Since Betty was a devoted Democrat, she must be smiling somewhere. We cats approve, and we PURR.

Here's To Hadji

By Miss Kubelik

Every now and then a cat makes a headline that nearly everybody sees. Larry the Cat, who serenely presides over 10 Downing Street as chief mouser, is one. World leaders who visit Prime Minister Keir Starmer consider themselves lucky if Larry photobombs their arrivals at No. 10.

Another such cat was Hadji, the 22-year-old sidekick of legendary New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez. (If you're not a Mets fan, or even into baseball, pro tip: Hernandez was a guest star on that brilliant two-part Seinfeld episode, "The Boyfriend" — which we can watch and laugh at again and again, even in the darkest times.)

Hernandez announced yesterday that Hadji had crossed the Rainbow Bridge. "It was his time to go," Hernandez said. "He passed painlessly and with dignity. See you in another life, my old buddy. I know you'll be waiting for me with open paws." We cats salute Hadji, and we PURR.

Brittlestar Reacts

Sometimes we just don't know what we'd do without our Canadian friends. We cats PURR.

"The Wars They Will Be Fought Again"

By Zamboni

Want a small pick-me-up? Here's Vice President Harris playing a game with her grand-nieces last week — enjoying her family (and some wine!) and recharging her batteries for whatever lies ahead. Good for her!

 

Yes, the news is upsetting. Probably best to avoid it for a while. And let's all resist the urge to bash or condemn one another or to assign blame. Votes are still being counted, so until we have all the information, we must wait. But if you're looking for a friendlier slice of the world online, there's something you can do right now.

Create an account on BlueSky. Twitter refugees have been stampeding to it since the election — so you'll probably find lots of people you like there. Plus, you no longer need an invitation to join. Check it out — BlueSky could very well emerge as the alternative to Elon Musk's cesspool of hate and misinformation. We cats PURR.

Well, That Was Fast.

We know we said we were going offline for a while (and probably will still do that), but how could we neglect today's anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? Such a metaphor for this week! We HISS at the election, but PURR at Gordon Lightfoot for the artistry he gave us.

Time-Out Time.

On Tuesday, Americans voted for depravity, lawlessness and hate. We won't drag you through the details, because you already know what they are. But since ballots are still being counted and we don't know the outcome of all the races (especially out West), we cats plan to take some time to absorb what's already happened, take in what's still to come, and assess the future.

So we'll spend the next little while offline — looking out our windows, chattering at chipmunks in the yard, batting around our toys, curling up in baskets of hot-out-of-the-dryer towels, and eating as often as we can sucker our Mom Cat into feeding us. When we feel ready to return, we'll jump on the bed and paw you in the face. Take care, and, as always, thanks for reading. We cats PURR.

De Adder Du Jour

While the cable news talking heads keep trying to normalize Benedict Donald and his merry band of traitors, the Nova Scotian cartoonist Michael de Adder completely nails the reality — and how so many of us Americans are feeling. We cats thank him, and we PURR.

Some Preliminary Scratched-Out Thoughts

By Baxter

Okay, it's Friday of the Week from Hell, and we have one thing to say to our fellow Democrats: No finger-pointing allowed. Kamala Harris ran a flawless campaign. And no, Joe Biden wouldn't have won. Stop that malarkey* right now, because we're going to have to save our energy for what's to come.

In the meantime, though, we will point fingers at our Twitter friends who are asking how it was possible that Harris got "less votes" or "a lower amount of votes" than Biden did in 2020. You mean "fewer" and "number," folks. Just because the world is going to end soon doesn't mean we have to squelch our inner curmudgeon. We cats HISS.

*This goes double and triple for the repugnant cable-TV talking heads — but then, we're not watching them, are we?

Fear Ruled Yesterday. And We're Feeling It Today.

As the demon Gozer told the Ghostbusters: "Choose the form of the Destructor." Last night, American voters did just that.

We don't understand what's happened, and maybe we'll post with some insights later. But right now we are terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. See you under the bed. We cats HISS.

Dark Brandon Appreciation Post

By Sniffles

It's Election Day, and turnout across the country appears to be high — especially in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Nevada. Harris-Walz supporters are by turns excited and nervous. We're on the brink of something, that's for sure. Even Benedict Donald doesn't sound too confident at the moment.

However, events are still unfolding. So let's pause to send some appreciation Joe Biden's way.

Today must be pretty bittersweet for Biden, who clearly wanted to bring the fight to Trump again. (Reminder: As of this moment, Joe is the only Democrat who's beaten him.) But if you stop and think about it, Biden is the one who really made these last incredible 107 days possible.

After all, back in 2020, he chose Kamala Harris to be his running mate — elevating her even after she challenged him in a primary-election debate that got the pundits' tongues wagging. Biden had the judgment and maturity to understand that that debate moment was ephemeral in comparison with the gifts, skills and constituencies she would eventually bring to the ticket. And during the entire Administration, they've worked together as true partners.

Then, this year, after he cratered against Benedict Donald in the June debate, the whole world jumped on his case, demanding he bow out. Biden waited three weeks, and now we understand why. It's obviously not a decision a world leader makes quickly — and he certainly wasn't going to make a move before the July NATO summit was over. Then he waited until the Republican National Convention wrapped up on July 18. Finally, on Sunday, July 21, he called Kamala. You know the rest.

This last move was Dark Brandon at his darkest best. He let the MAGAts spend their entire convention time and money trashing him. Trump still hasn't gotten over it — you could tell from the unhinged rants he always spewed at his increasingly ill-attended rallies. Donald hates it when he thinks (in this case, rightly) that someone has taken advantage of him.

Thanks, Joe. You're still our favorite badass. We cats PURR.

Election Eve Reminders

If you haven't cast your 2024 ballot yet, please make sure you have a plan to vote tomorrow. Remember, if you're already in line when the polls in your area close tomorrow evening, you can still vote. If you need information on your rights on Election Day, call the ACLU Election Protection Hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(UPDATE, Nov. 5: For additional voter assistance, Hillary Clinton tweeted this chart of National Voter Protection Hotlines in every state. And thanks to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, you can also request a provisional ballot if you to need to. We cats PURR.)

Our Opinion On The Polls

By Hubie and Bertie

The shockwaves are still reverberating from last night's Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll that showed Vice President Harris with a three-point lead over Benedict Donald in Iowa. Conducted by Selzer & Co., this survey of likely voters has a well-deserved reputation for accuracy. "Selzer’s Iowa poll is considered a gold-standard survey and could have implications in other Midwestern states that will help decide the election," Fortune magazine reported.

Pollster Ann Selzer was mildly taken aback herself. "It's hard for anybody to say they saw this coming," she said. But she attributed Harris's current strong standing to voters age 65 and up, particularly women. Women over 65, y'all! Iowa has a six-week abortion ban, and Boomer women remember the freedoms they had before the Supreme Court scuttled them. And boy, are they mad.

So, if Harris has indeed jumped out to a three-point lead in Iowa, how can she and Trump be running within the margin of error in all seven of the battleground states? Seems pretty counterintuitive.

Our theory: Swing-state voters have been absolutely pummeled by campaigns and pollsters, for weeks if not months. Their TVs are filled with ads. Their smartphones ping with constant texts. Strange phone numbers pop up on their screens. Battleground voters can't escape, and they're burned out. So how do you get a valid sample when so many people aren't answering their phones, or — if they do answer — play games to spite the caller? This leads us to believe that pollsters in swing states are surveying the same small subset of voters.

While there's a lot of campaigning going on in places like, say, Iowa, Kansas, and Alaska, it's nowhere near the frenzy in the battlegrounds. Which means fewer jaded voters, which in turn makes it easier for pollsters to get an accurate read. Also, in places like Iowa, the Harris spots running nationally on TV have a greater chance of breaking through, so they're making an impact. (Harris has been way outspending Trump on national ads, like the ones you see during football games.)

Bottom line? We're not accusing polls like The New York Times/Siena of inherent bias. But a survey like the Iowa poll or one by the Kansas Policy Institute has a greater chance of being accurate. We cats PURR.