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.
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)
"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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
"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
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.
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.
Sometimes we just don't know what we'd do without our Canadian friends. We cats PURR.
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.
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?
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.
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.
(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.)
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.
We cats welcome everyone to the cause of defending democracy against Benedict Donald and the MAGAts. We refuse to bicker about policy differences (because what will they matter if our democratic form of government is destroyed?), and we will not take converts to task on social media with messages of "What took you so long?" Sure, it's tempting. But this is an emergency.
Still and all, we have to make some observations about Nicolle Wallace's plea today to George W. Bush to publicly endorse Vice President Harris. What a reminder that before Trump, we used to call Bush the younger the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived. He sent thousands of Americans to die in a phony, trumped-up war, abandoned thousands of others during and after Hurricane Katrina, and plunged the country into an economic freefall in 2008 — all of which took us years to recover from.
In fact, with those three acts, George W. Bush paved the way for Trumpism. Matt Bai in The Washington Post (from which we unsubscribed, by the way) recently observed this.
Those facts alone make us cats want to hack up a hairball. But Wallace's reference to Bush's 2004 declaration that they should "leave everything on the field" as a justification for her argument really makes us sick. Do you remember what that entailed 20 years ago? Republicans demonizing gay people in battleground states, led by Karl Rove and (the, of course, very gay) Ken Mehlman — banking on voters' fear of "the other" to gain support in advance of terrifying concepts like marriage equality.
That said, why did Wallace do this?
Was it a public plea because her private entreaties weren't being heard, or were rejected outright? Did she do it because of Trump's recent comments on Liz Cheney? Did Barbara the daughter (who's endorsed Harris), or Laura, or someone else close to Smirky, tell her he would listen if she went public? Did she want to strengthen the platform for former Republicans on MSNBC during a Harris Administration? Or did she just want to give cover to other GOP late endorsers? We think the backstory on this is hugely complex — and maybe someday we'll find out the details. Meanwhile, we cats HISS and PURR at the same time.
Steve Bannon was released from federal prison this week. What a pity. It was such a comfort to know that he was behind bars and not out in the world, stirring up MAGA mischief. (Actually, it's more than mischief. It's sedition.) But from what we could tell, it didn't look like he'd skipped many meals in the prison cafeteria.
Bannon may be out, but there are plenty of other people whose current, well-deserved imprisonments are something to celebrate. Like:
Ghislaine Maxwell — Sentenced to 20 years in June 2022, Jeffrey Epstein's fellow sex trafficker is languishing in the Federal Correctional Institution in Tallahassee, Florida. Does she have any comment on the recently revealed tapes of Epstein, in which he spouts off about Trump? (In case you're wondering, everything Epstein says on the tapes sounds completely believable.)
Tina Peters — The former Colorado County Clerk was sentenced to nine years early last month for (OMG!) Trump-inspired election fraud. She was taken away to the Mesa County Detention Center, but not before she was forced to listen to the judge slam her for her crimes. "You are no hero," Judge Matthew Barrett said. "You abused your position, and you’re a charlatan."
Enrique Tarrio — The repugnant Proud Boy leader got 22 years for seditious conspiracy and terrorism back in 2023, and now is in residence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Manchester, Kentucky. His weeping and mewling did not move the judge, who turned away Tarrio's pleas for mercy and gave him one of the longest January 6-related sentences yet. (Funny, why has Benedict Donald suddenly started wearing MAGA caps with the Proud Boys' colors — black and gold? Perhaps some enterprising journalist could dig into this.)
Stewart Rhodes — Until Tarrio, the eyepatch-wearing Oath Keeper pooh-bah received that longest January 6 sentence (18 years). Is he the only Yale Law School grad locked up at the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Maryland?
Not only is justice being served, that's four fewer votes for Trump. Will Benedict Donald be next? Only if you vote to send him there — either early this weekend or on Tuesday. We cats PURR.
