A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. My Humans finally got Home after being gone for Too Long, in My Opinion. At least I was here by myself without That Dog, since they take It with them. My Humans' friend came and Served Me in their Absence.

Well, this has been an eventful couple of Weeks, hasn't it? I have to tell you, I am so glad I am only a Cat and don't have to worry about Money. My Humans have given up on the idea of ever looking at their 401ks again, as that Stock Market thing just keeps sliding downward. Today at first it looked as if it was going to be Better, and then in the last 10 minutes it tumbled over 200 points! Those People who invest in it keep looking for it to be the Bottom but it never is.

In other News, it was just announced that Senator Ted Stevens was convicted of corruption. While I don't like to wish Evil on anyone, it is Good to see him get his come-uppance. However, he still intends to continue his campaign for re-election to the Senate. I find this Bizarre:

"Despite being a convicted felon, he is not required to drop out of the race or resign from the Senate. If he wins re-election, he can continue to hold his seat because there is no rule barring felons from serving in Congress. The Senate could vote to expel him on a two-thirds vote."

From what I understand, regular Humans who are convicted of a Felony lose their right to vote - but apparently Senators don't lose their right to be a Senator? This just makes no sense to Me...but of course we Cats probably just don't understand the intricacies of Government.

Meanwhile, the Obama Human continues to lead in the Polls, which is good news. Despite my Female Human's fear of a Stolen Election, I think he's going to actually win. Interestingly, about 40 telemarketers in Indiana walked off the job rather than read a Script attacking Obama. I wonder if THAT had ever happened before?

In the meantime, there is some Scary Stuff going on Out There. There are breaking reports of a white supremacist plot to assassinate Barack Obama having been, thankfully, broken up by the Feds. But how many more are Out There? This Country is a Very Scary Place. I am glad that, being a Cat, I can just hang out at Home and not put Myself at Risk. The Obama Human deserves a Lot of Respect for putting himself Out There and taking these Risks.

Apparently the United States has launched yet another Attack on some other Country out of the Blue - killing a bunch of people in Syria, including some Children. According to the Report,

"Syrian officials lashed out at Washington on Monday for a 'sheer violation of international law,' saying the U.S. attack killed eight people and wounded one."

Seems to Me that a Country can't get away with calling other Countries "Terrorists" if that Country is going to act the Same Way they do. I mean, what is Up with THAT?

Well, telling you all this News has now made Me depressed. I was trying to find some Lighthearted Stories to share with You but couldn't find Any. That is Scary in itself, isn't it?

My Female Human is thinking of taking off on Election Day to make calls to Get Out the Vote. Even though she lives in a Blue State, there should be no taking anything for Granted this year, no matter where You live.

So with that I leave you with this LOLCat from YesWeCanHas.com:

-508 Points...Need I say more?

What a mess. Even states, such as California, are looking for bailouts. And it's not just over here. Whole countries are going bankrupt.

I really am wondering where it will end. If McCain comes out tonight and tries to talk about Obama's ties to Bill Ayers when the world is crumbling around him, I think it will backfire and the people at that town hall will not let him get away with it.

A Cat's Eye View

Baxter here. I am looking a little cranky in this picture because The Dog had recently chased me up into my Cat Perch when it was taken so I had not yet regained my composure.

First of all, welcome to my third effort at Blogging. I am finding it a good Outlet for my Frustrations and Emotions. We Cats don't usually like to talk about our Emotions so it is nice to be able to let it All Hang Out.

Speaking of which, my Humans were letting it all hang out last night during that Giants-Packers game. I was trying to get some shut-eye, first on the Male Human's lap and then on the Female Human's lap. But they kept making noise when Something was happening on that box they like to watch.

I really wasn't paying attention to this thing they called the Playoff Game but I couldn't help it after awhile as they were making too much of a racket. Finally the Female one made a big screechy noise and scared the Bejeesus out of me and I had to run off into the other room in a huff. They came up to bed shortly afterward so I guess that was the end of it. They seemed very Happy. They were saying the Super Bowl Party they are going to be at on February 3 will be more Fun this way. Unfortunately Cats are not invited to the Party, so I guess I'll be sitting home sulking. My only comfort will be that The Dog is not invited either and she'll be sad.

Here's a picture of the winning field goal my Female Human screeched about (photo credit Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)


In other news, there was a big To Do recently about the Obama Human talking about Ronald Reagan in what was seen as a Complimentary Way. Apparently the other Liberal Humans were not pleased with what he said because they think of Reagan as second only to that Nixon Human in the depths of his Evil.

But Liberal Values quotes the offending Speech as follows:

"I don’t want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what is different is the times. I do think that, for example, the 1980 election was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. They felt like with all the excesses of the 60s and the 70s and government had grown and grown but there wasn’t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think he tapped into what people were already feeling. Which is we want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing." (emphasis added by Yours Truly.)

Now, call me silly (well, don't, because I'd be Offended...but I digress) but that doesn't sound to me as if he was necessarily endorsing the policies of the Reagan Human. What he said, if anyone actually paid Attention, was that Americans want optimism, dynamism, and entrepreneurship. It did not say they want Tax Cuts for the Rich.

My Female Human, the one who usually writes here, has thought of this comparison herself. She says Reagan was able to beat the Carter Human who had been talking about how the country was in a "malaise," because Reagan talked about the country as a "shining city on a hill." "Malaise" vs. "Shining City." Which would YOU pick?

Obama is saying he represents that sense of optimism that has been missing during the last 8 years; not that he wants to reinstate any of Reagan's policies. Anyone who doesn't Get that is just meowing to get attention, in my book.

There may be other reasons not to want to vote for the Obama Human but thinking he's an admirer of Reagan's administration should not be one of them.

On another subject, what is going on in that thing called the Stock Market? My Female Human says that when it comes to checking her 401k balance, she is making like the "three monkeys" - Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil.

As long as she doesn't see the decline she doesn't have to think about this:

Now, as a Cat, I have no interest in High Finance. It's no skin off my Nose whether or not my Humans have to work until they're 75 instead of retiring at a decent age. As long as my Bowl is filled with Cat Food I am a happy camper. But I know my Humans are a bit concerned. And I hear that the foreign markets are plunging today - lucky thing ours is Closed for the holiday.

Finally, I'll finish with another humorous, yet pertinent, LOLCAT.

Hope you all have a good week and have an ample supply of Catnip to get you through the ongoing Campaign of the Human Presidential Candidates.