Lest We Furr-get: Even More True Now

Remember This?

 

By Zamboni

Try to imagine how the media would have reacted if Joe Biden sold a mega-donor's cars from the South Lawn of the White House and received a $100 million Super PAC donation from the guy.

Trump, of course, does not get taken to task for such outrages by our toothless press. This is why democracy is hanging by a thread: Not only has Congress rolled over and played dead, but the media have abdicated their responsibility to speak truth to power. Only the judiciary is keeping some of the guardrails in place — and there are still some scary times ahead as we wait to see if they hold.

While we understand people's urge to share, it got very tiresome to see the same images of Trump and Musk in our social media feeds yesterday. So we went with this image of Tricky Dick instead. (Ah, nostalgia.) Do we really think Donald bought his granddaughter a Tesla? If we were Musk, we'd make extra-sure his check clears. We cats HISS.

Canada's Indivisible Right Now. We Can Be, Too.

 

By Baxter

Things continue to be stupid on the Trump tariff threats. (Hint: He always blusters and then backs off). And good God, you don't want to know what they're doing to the Kennedy Center. But if you're feeling overwhelmed and wondering what you can do — and who isn't? — our favorite podcast featured some "Good Trouble" today. Here's the scoop:

Congress will be in recess from Saturday, March 15 through Sunday, March 23. Indivisible.org has developed a "Musk or Us Recess Toolkit" for Americans wanting to take action on town halls while members are spending time back in their districts.

• If your representative is a Republican, force a town hall. Organize your own event and extend an invitation. If the member declines, "turn their silence into a story."

• Call on Democrats to hold their own town halls and demand that they hold Trump, Musk and the Republicans accountable. Put on notice any Democrats who aren't speaking out.

Check your member's website for any town hall information. Or, you can sign up for town hall alerts from Indivisible by clicking here. (If you have a GOP member who's too chicken to hold one, you'll also find details there on how to prepare for and publicize your own.) We cats PURR.

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

For Those Of You Who Have Been Complaining, Democrats Have Finally Mastered The Message

And tomorrow, they could do a new version that says "Republicans inherited one of the most miraculous economic recoveries from a pandemic ever.. and etc." We cats PURR.

Now, That's A Mandate

By Sniffles

Benedict Donald loves to boast about his landslide-that-wasn't in 2024, but he'll never be able to get the crushing margin of victory that Mark Carney just achieved in Canada's Liberal Party leadership race — nearly 86 percent! Not bad for someone who's never run for anything before.

And thanks to Trump's ridiculous recent insults to Canada, all our electronic devices lit up with special bulletins about Carney's election. We can't remember the last time something like that happened.

In his speech today, Carney repeated his great line "In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win," and needled Trump: "There's someone who's trying to weaken our economy. He's attacking Canadian workers, families, and businesses. We can't let him succeed." And he took direct aim at Conservatives' loathsome leader: "Poilievre's plan will leave us divided and ready to be conquered. Because a person who worships at the altar of Donald Trump will kneel before him, not stand up to him."

This is the kind of language we like to hear. Democrats, please take note. We cats PURR.

Ahem. (A-Hemings.)

By Hubie and Bertie

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said on TV recently that forcing the University of Virginia to close its office of diversity, equity, and inclusion will bring the school closer to the original philosophies of its founder, Thomas Jefferson.

Yep, our third President practiced his own curious version of DEI. In fact, he had several children from it.

Youngkin is nothing but a cipher in a cheap fleecy vest. And after a less-than-stellar single term, he's just the latest GOP Governor of Virginia to be pumped up by the media and turn out to be a total lamebrain. George Allen was a racist nincompoop, and Transvaginal Bob McDonnell, convicted of corruption, was headed to jail (until the Supreme Court rescued him). But observers keep insisting that because Virginians lose their minds and send a Republican to Richmond from time to time, that must mean something significant because the Old Dominion is a purple state. It's a load of crap.

Youngkin's latest folly? Luring the right-wing Armed Services Brewery to Norfolk with $300,000 in tax breaks. After less than two years of local opposition, bad finances, and paltry business, the place is closing. But not without the usual ton of MAGA whining. "Unfortunately, our ability to profitably operate in Norfolk was severely affected by the local woke mob, a few individuals in the area who have no love for the traditional American values we hold as a company," CEO Alan Beal wrote.

Gosh! We had no idea that a rampaging "woke mob" was terrorizing the good citizens of Norfolk. (Actually, local residents were against the brewery from the beginning, citing its marketing as hateful to women, homosexuals and transgender people, and signing petitions opposing the granting of city permits. But once Youngkin decided to impose the business on them anyway, folks declined to patronize it.)

It's idiots like Youngkin, not DEI initiatives, that try to make people be what they aren't and do stuff that they wouldn't. Republicans are never happy unless they can drag us all back to the 1950s, are they? We cats look forward to Democrat Abigail Spanperger's election as Governor in the fall. In the meantime, we HISS.

(UPDATE, March 11: For anyone needing even more confirmation that Alan Beal is a garbage person, read this illuminating explanation of what really fell the Armed Forces Brewery. Hint: Not woke mobs.)

Slava Ukraini

The world's largest Ukrainian flag was unfurled today on the Ellipse in front of the White House. We cats PURR.

And Now, A Message From A Real POTUS

"Sixty years ago, hundreds of brave heroes marched unflinchingly across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, demanding the fundamental right to vote. They were met with brutal force and violence, but their courageous activism continued until the Voting Rights Act became the law of the land.

"Today, we honor those leaders by remembering the journey our nation has taken — and more importantly, where we must go now. Together, let's keep the faith."

—President Biden

The Gospel According To...

By Miss Kubelik

One of the most important books we cats have read lately is James, by Percival Everett — a re-imagining of Mark Twain's classic Huckleberry Finn. Sitting atop the New York Times bestseller list for months, it won the National Book Award for fiction last year. We cats knew it was brilliant from its first pages. Please, American high schools everywhere, teach it alongside Twain's novel from here on in.

What struck us most about James — aside from the fact that its enslaved characters speak in Margaret Mitchell-type dialect to white people, but the King's English to each other — is the constant feeling of being under siege. In James, as in life, enslaved Black Americans could be beaten, abused, raped, or lynched, at any time, for any reason (or pretext). The stress of living under this, and the constant vigilance it required, must have been exhausting. In James, as readers, we feel it — no matter our race. It's a true learning experience.

Why do we bring this up? Because with the chaos that Donald Trump has unleashed on our government and our nation, maybe white people are feeling vulnerable now, too.

Think about it.

White Americans, whether you voted for Trump or not: Are you worried that your Social Security payment won't land in your bank account on the appointed day? Do you wonder if your VA healthcare provider will be there when you need him or her in the future? Are you nervous that 20-year-olds with Musk laptops have gotten hold of your confidential IRS information? Are you a participant in an NIH clinical trial that's been halted? Are you a federal employee whose job has been eliminated/restored/eliminated again, without reason or explanation? Are you a pregnant woman in a red state? If something goes wrong, will your providers withhold the care you need and leave you to die?

If the answer to any of these questions (and more) is yes — maybe you're feeling kind of like James and his fellow enslaved Black Americans did. Left exposed through no fault of your own, and only because of who you are. Not a good experience, right?

In the time of Trump, we are all James — we are all under threat. Even if we don't realize it. Please, white America, wake up. We cats HISS.

(PS: In case you were wondering, yes. All of America's problems are because of racism. Jimmy Carter told us.)

It's Not Easy Being Green

By Zamboni

It's only March, but this has got to be the photo of the year.

Congressman Al Green (D-TX) stood up, both literally and figuratively, to Benedict Donald, Short-Pants Vance, and the Preacher of the House the other night, and got censured today for his trouble.

That's unfortunate, but to be honest, we doubt it bothers him. Everything in the House of Representatives has become a farce — especially since Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene escaped any punishment for their constant heckling of President Biden. As if to emphasize that point, a number of Green's Democratic colleagues joined him in singing "We Shall Overcome" to drown out Mike Johnson's reading of the measure. Good trouble, nicely done.

Nevertheless, we were disappointed to see that 10 Democrats voted "yes" on the censure. They have their own reasons, of course — maybe they're in red or purple districts, not that anyone will remember this censure vote in November 2026 — but we wish that Hakeem Jeffries had been able to keep his caucus together on this one. Green is absolutely right: "The decorum that you expect from me, you have to expect from the President. There comes a time when you cannot allow the President’s incivility to take advantage of our civility."

Damn right. This is an emergency. Don't stand on decorum. Call 911.

We're still waiting for a coherent Democratic response to the Trumpy-Musky dismantling of democracy. Yes, we know that a vocal opposition can take time to cohere. Firebrand Howard Dean, our hero, was the first outspoken voice against Bush-Cheney, and he announced his Presidential candidacy in June 2003 — a full year and a half after Bush v. Gore. But it's 2025, folks, and we don't have the luxury of time.

One of our favorite social media accounts — Texas-based — had this to say about Al Green: "Green lives rent free in their heads. That's his role, and he does it well. Not every House Democrat can be Al Green. And they don't all need to be, either." True, but right now, we wish there were just a few more. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Randy Rainbow Is Wickedly Funny (And Sadly, Exactly Correct)

"Tariffs? What tariffs?" Benedict Donald just yanked Mexico, Canada, and the nation's economy 180 degrees in the other direction today — well, for a month, at least. We defy (key word) any corporate leader to defend this insane Trumpian roller coaster as good for business. An infant is in charge. Republicans? Any thoughts? We cats HISS, but in the meantime, enjoy this new video from the incomparable RR.

Elbows Up

It' almost time to turn in, but we couldn't resist one more Canadian-themed post. Tomorrow we'll return to the land of E Pluribus Unum with some thoughts on Al Green. We cats PURR.

Wonderful Wab

 

By Baxter

Well, we — and Mary Trump — were right. Trump didn't like it one bit that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau looked into the cameras yesterday and addressed him directly as "Donald."

How do we know? He sent out an attack dog, jailbird* Peter Navarro, to whine about it. Pretty interesting since Navarro has a track record of going after PMJT — and having to apologize.

Naturally, Navarro got it wrong when he complained that Trudeau said Trump was "dumb." No, Jailbird Pete, Justin actually said Trump was smart — just that the tariffs were dumb. You could look it up.

Once again, we have proof that the way to get under the Trumpsters' skin is to make fun of them. Yes, it's hard to find the humor sometimes when you're in a state of perpetual outrage. But it works. We can't wait to see what Trump has to say about Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who knew exactly how to needle Benedict Donald when he signed the order to pull US alcohol off his province's shelves. We cats PURR.

*Wow, did we mix animal metaphors here. But it's true: Navarro is both dog and bird. And while we're at it, mostly an idiot.

"Make That Make Sense"

By Sniffles

Gosh, we cats sure hope our lights don't go out. In response to Benedict Donald's insane tariffs on Canada, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario — not exactly a lefty anti-Trumper — has talked about cutting electricity to Minnesota, Michigan, and New York. (Come on, Doug, two of us voted for Harris-Walz last November.)

Meanwhile, Prime-Minister-For-a-Few-More-Days Justin Trudeau gave a stern speech today, and yes, he went there: "What [Trump] wants to see if a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us," he said. "That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state."

(If you watch the whole speech at the link, you'll also hear Justin address Trump directly — "Donald, this is a very dumb thing to do." Handy reminder that, according to Mary Trump, her uncle hates it when people call him "Donald.")

The bottom line? "Donald" wants Canada's natural resources. He also wants to give his pal Putin a back door to the Arctic. Sounds a lot like 1938, doesn't it? Canada is Austria — but there's no Switzerland to flee to, like the Von Trapp family did by climbing ev'ry mountain.

Of course, as it always happens with Trump, it seems he's started to waffle. Was it Trudeau's pledge to enact retaliatory tariffs? (Mexico and China said so, too.) Was it the plunging stock market? The SAQ pulling US wines and liquors off its shelves? (Probably not.) Or maybe Trump saw Liberal leader-in-waiting Mark Carney's statement today: "We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are united and determined. In trade, as in hockey, we will win." Ha ha! Well played, on both counts.

We know why the Trumpsters are dismantling the federal government, and why the Republicans are going along — it's the fulfillment of Grover Norquist's long-held right-wing dream of strangling it in the bathtub. But we can't figure out why Benedict Donald and the GOP are willing to tank the US economy as well. Can anyone explain? We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Aislin/Terry Mosher, The Montreal Gazette)

Wild About Waitsfield

By Hubie and Bertie

Vermont gave its biggest margin of victory to Vice President Kamala Harris for President in November — bigger, even, than any margin it's given to Bernie Sanders for Senate. So why did JD Vance think he could go there to ski at the Sugarbush Resort without kicking up a rumpus?

Better yet, why is Vance even taking a vacation? He's only been on the job five weeks. Can you imagine how the media would have treated Harris if she had done the same? The mind boggles.

Anyway, the good people of Waitsfield, a charming hamlet near Sugarbush, turned out to tell Vance exactly how they felt about him — particularly after his and Trump's disgusting performance in the Oval Office on Friday. Hundreds of protesters, both along the roadway and at the entrance to the resort, waving Ukrainian flags and shouting insults, forced Vance and his family to go to an "undisclosed location" — ha, ha!

This sign (above) is our favorite. Good work, Vermont! We cats PURR.

Attention, Google Maps