And reader, her reaction is about what you would expect it to be.
Every once in a while I have a tiny bit of trouble figuring out what the exit line of a ‘toon should be. And sometimes when that happens, a little voice comes down from the universe and tells me what it should be, and sometimes, someone writes a comment, which turns out to be the perfect line, and I appropriate it.
Which is what happened with today’s toon. So thanks, Jeannie!
We are going to need a REALLY big flyswatter.
Panda Solidarity Forebber Bob T is under the bed Panda
Well, this is it. Today is the last day to vote, so I am posting this early so that more people see this. I’m writing this on Monday night (because I actually got today’s ‘toon done before dinner time.)
We had quite the windstorm on Monday, which started sometime in the night. Then it died down for a couple hours before it picked up again from another direction. The power went out for a bit, but it came back on again after a couple of hours at the most, so I didn’t have to put my usual outage tricks into effect. (also I was able to post this!)
Now to distract myself from the day ahead I listening to Taylor Swift (yes really) and switching off to occasionally to the SNL cold open with Kamala Harris and Maya Rudolph. If you haven’t watched this yet, I hope you will. Each time I watch it, I am struck all over again by watching the true joy between Harris and Rudolph… The roar of the crowd when they see Kamala on the other side of the mirror. I mean…I realize it couldn’t have been a total surprise to the audience or crew. I read there had been a few hints. The audience must have had to go through extra security. There must have been a bunch of Secret Service folks. Still, it could have been cancelled at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances. Each time I watch it (not gonna tell you how many times) I feel the joy radiating off the screen. I hear it in the roar of the crowd that pauses the interaction between Harris and Rudolph.
I don’t know what we are going to wake up to on Wednesday, but the choice seems clear, has always seemed clear to me. Do we want a leader who will cheerfully do the hard work that needs to be done to try to get the country and the world in a better place? Or do we want a mentally and physically collapsing would be dictator who will bring in unprincipled grifters and con men to be his advisors, who are using him for their own purposes? Watch any of his appearances from the last week and tell me that this is someone you would trust the future of your children and grandchildren to.
Please vote for a better future, if you haven’t already. Do it for the pandas.
As you might remember, the whole panda family has moved to China, so that Binky Li and Qing Bao could move to the Panda House. I’m not sure where this story is going, but I’m sure it’s going somewhere.
I wrote this a couple weeks ago, and one thing and another jumped up and down and yelled “I’m more important! NO! I am” and so I finally got this one done.
There will be a bit of a rant after this ‘toon, so feel free to skip that if you are tired of me ranting! I am still a wreck, and I suspect many of you are too, so let’s just get to those fun-loving pandas!
Cheating is definitely not winning.
Be the Bear and Panda On Bob T stress napping for the next 5 days Panda
So here goes my rant:
I seriously can not figure out how anyone with a brain could possibly consider voting for TFG. He is visibly deteriorating every time he is on camera, and we have no idea what is going on when he is not on camera. At this point it is clear he is being used by the extreme wing of the Heritage Foundation/GQP because he is (inexplicably) popular with his rabid base. At this point it is clear that the goal is to get him elected, either pull his puppet strings or replace him with JD, who seems to be full on board with a live action version of The Handmaids’ Tale/Hunger Games.
And can we talk about Pastor Mike’s plan to toss out the Affordable Care Act? Were it not for the ACA, I would have been without healthcare from about 2010 till I was eligible for Medicare (which they also want to get rid of, along with Social Security.) In a recorded conclave with big GOP donors, he talked about the affront of having the government get between you and your healthcare.
I’ll wait while you consider that statement from Pastor M…
Yeah…the party who allows women to die of sepsis/blood loss in the parking lot when they have miscarried rather than let her determine with her doctor that she needs an abortion to save her life, is concerned about the government sliding into your doctors office.
Every time I watch Kamala Harris and the people who support her (Michelle! Beyonce!) I feel a flood of hope for the possibility of being governed by adults. I can’t listen to any more news about polls or the horse race the major media seems to want to keep talking about. I can only worry so much about TFG and Pastor Mike’s BIG SECRET for that One Great trick That Big Democrats Don’t Want You To Know About to Overthrow Democracy and trust that Marc Elias and all his clever lawyers will protect us from such fuckery.
I know everyone who is still here with me is the choir I am preaching to and believe me, I am so glad you are here and understand the assignment: To vote for Kamala and all the D’s on the ballot. Big shout out to all of you in Ohio (Sherrod Brown!!!) and those in swing states who have to listen to all the hyperbolic political ads non-stop.
Thank you who have chosen hope over retribution. I’m so glad we are here together.
5 more days!
as a reward for listening to me rant, here’s our favorite seasonal ‘toon!
Fabulous Furry Friday KNOWS that this is one of your favorites!
I bet you thought I would never get around to finishing this Panda-Extravaganza of PandaPaloozahood. Well, to be honest, neither did I! But here we are in the final and-they-lived-happily-ever-after chapter!
Huzzah!
And so, we end, like all fairy tales end, (at least the sanitized happily ever after ones…the original Grimm’s tales are often quite a bit darker!) with the evil step sisters getting just what they deserve, and Bikkie going off to the palace with a rather familiar looking King and Queen to live a life of fun and luxury!
Now, if we could just banish Mittens to a dark dungeon somewheres. Remember to vote y’all!
To Friends of Bob in the Hurricane Helene ravaged country side, I think of you and hope you are safe and well. Climate change is kicking our butts.
Be the Bear! Bob T wants to live happily ever after Panda
I think you’re right. I’m doing my best not to immerse myself in the RNC spectacle: the insincere calls for “unity”, the calculated choice of a young, not what you might call qualified, choice for VP. He is certainly no statesman.
What the GOP means by “unity: That we will not point out the crimes, both convicted and indicted of their chosen candidate. That we will not say mean things about the far reaching implications and realities of their Project 2025, which is the blueprint to take down the government and the country as we have known it in our lifetime. That we will not point out the many, many, (many) lies told by their candidate both in and out of office That we will not keep bringing up that …um…attempted coup when he lost in 2020. That we will accept their calls for violence while not raising a hand to defend ourselves.
900 pages is a lot to read, and I have not read it. But here is one of the highlights, things that you might not consider would have impact on our day to day lives: Defunding NOAA: These are the scientists that bring us the weather reports. Besides bringing attention to climate change, those wonderful little weather apps that come free on our phones, the ones that tell us if we need to bring a sweater or maybe put off our trip to the city for a day, because there is a big storm coming in, those are big business. If only those could be privatized…run for profit! You don’t get to know which way the wind blows if you’re not willing to pay for it. Mostly, we think of those weather apps as a nice thing, so we know what to wear or to pack for a trip. But they are a vital tool for weather disaster planning, that saves lives as well as money.
JD Vance is closely tied to Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and (barf) Tweedledee and Tweedledum. FFF* was leaning toward the rich white guy from North Dakota: a guy who at least looked the part of VP. But Tweedledee and Tweedledum thought young JD was the better pick. That should tell you all you need to know.
Meanwhile, back at the Panda Chronicles…
Here’s to not having bad dreams…
*Felon Forty Five
Be the Bear Bob T is short on funny things to say Panda
Here at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, we take our commitment to mental health (ours and yours) very seriously, and while we do feel a need to pontificate about our ongoing political nightmare, we are going to do our best to keep Mittens and his fascist minions off of the ZooNooZ stage.
Unlike certain TV networks, we have not offered lucrative contracts for Mittens apologists to spread their nonsense on our ‘toon waves.
We are, we should add, powerless to keep Pinky off ZooNooZ.
While we don’t approve of A.I. in general, you can hardly fault Pinky’s creative use as part of her cubpaign fundraising efforts! Well, at least until Mommee finds out about it.
We are watching in real time as Mittens loses his grip on reality. We should petition any force of nature or divine entity you may subscribe in, to keep us safe until Joe Biden is in the White House for a second term. Stay safe, friends, Panda on!
What a way to start the year! The firehose of NooZ, real and fake has already started. If we are going to survive this year, we need to do a little editing about how much of the firehose we allow to blast us in the ears.
First of all, obviously ZooNooZ needs to stay on your radar of what you should listen to. Then, you should subscribe To Joyce Vance‘s Substack Newsletter, along with Heather Cox Richardson. Add Jay Kuo for a little more in depth analysis. For a sweary look at the Nooz, you can’t do better than Jeff Tiedrich. You can find all of them on the Substack website or app, if you are someone who likes apps. You can find me there too! I’ve been doing a Year in Review there, and will be doing that for a few more weeks!
You can listen and watch a little bit of main stream news, but take it all with a grain of salt and don’t over do it. A little bit goes a long way!
Here are the things I won’t be paying (much) attention to: The GOP primary, for starters. I mean, that’s not something I’ll be voting in. I guess if you’re a Republican that’s something you probably should pay attention to (although what are you doing HERE if you’re a Republican?) But since I won’t be voting for any of those people, my attention can be minimal.
There are a few other things that I need to draw back from, both because I can’t do anything about them, or they are conditions that are so complex and so long running, I don’t have the knowledge or understanding to make any meaningful contribution.
In other NooZ, my birthday Season is now officially over.
Hang on tight and buckle up, folks! It’s gonna be a hell of a year!
Be the Bear! Bob T I’m not sure I’m ready for this Panda
