Cannas

The first ones of the season. I love cannas, they're so obnoxiously festive and tropical. We've had a lot of rain this month, so everything is green and lush here.

Too bad it won't last.

Friday kitten blogging

A little blurry, but you can see what they spend a lot of their time doing.

Maddie has perfected the, "don't leave me I'm so sad" look.

And she's taught Ripley her technique.

Ripley went to the vet this afternoon and got her staples out. Woo hoo!!

Memorial friday Maxx blogging

He looks so masculine. I'm getting used to looking a feminine girl kitties.

Evening kitties

Plum asks if I regret adopting her. Good grief!! Not a chance. I just tease about the biting- she bites about the normal amount for your average kitten. It's just a lot compared to lion kitty Maxx (who never bit for obvious reasons) and Maddie, who doesn't bite much either.

And here's the elegant Miss Madeleine. She's so funny... it's so incredibly obvious that she's female. Between her delicate little face and the eyelashes, she almost looks like a cartoon kitty.

We the People

I rather like this. John Edwards is raising funds to put this full page ad in the Washington Post.

It's pretty direct, and direct is good. Republicans are stoopid- simple language is something even they can understand.

Miss Chainsaw

Arrrrrgh, matey.

She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping.

Love the little spotted tummy revealed by the surgery shave. Madeleine's too (see post below).

Sleepy Madeleine

Why are you trying to wake me up? I'm sleepy, I've been playing all day.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Always Wrong

Why the chimpy administration would send Cheney to the Middle East at this point is beyond me. He has been consistently wrong about everything since day one.

And guess what? everyone hates him. Everyone. Really, what is the fucking point?

I don't have to even guess what the guy in the middle of the photograph is writing. Without a doubt it's, "this guy truly IS an asshole. I wish I could shoot him in the face."

Meanwhile, out in the 100 degree heat:



Some soldiers who are fed up with the heat, dust, IEDs, sandspiders, repeated deployments and continual happy-talk from the fucking "commander guy" prepare to shoot Cheney in the face as soon as he emerges from his meeting.

Reuters Photo: Eduardo Munoz

Update: Oy. Via Froomkin, darth cheney addressed the troops today:

"'Well, Iraq's looking good,' Cheney responded. 'It's hard sometimes, if you look at just the news, to have the good stories burn through. Part of it is that what we're doing here, obviously, takes time. From our perspective, looking back, as I say, to a year and a half ago, I think it's remarkable progress. I think we've turned the corner, if you will. I think when we look back from 10 years hence, we'll see that the year '05 was in fact a watershed year here in Iraq."

I'm pretty sure that takes the prize for most obviously wrong and boneheaded platitudes expressed in one quote. Seriously, Iraq's looking good? to whom? the sandspiders who are hoping to inherit the wreckage?

My way or the highway

Photo: Susan Walsh, Associated Press

Chimpy wants carte blanche for his clusterfuck of a war. Bush would veto Democrats' new Iraq bill.

WASHINGTON - The White House threatened on Wednesday to veto a proposed House bill that would pay for the war only through July — a limit Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned would be disastrous.

The warnings came as Democratic leaders wrestled with how to support the troops but still challenge President Bush on the war. Bush has requested more than $90 billion to sustain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September.

Democrats were unbowed.

"With this latest veto threat, the president has once again chosen confrontation over cooperation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

snip

"In essence, the bill asks me to run the Department of Defense like a skiff, and I'm trying to drive the biggest supertanker in the world," Gates told senators Wednesday. "And we just don't have the agility to be able to manage a two-month appropriation very well."

Well, tough titty Sec. Gates. I really don't give a good goddamn how hard this makes your job.

My advice to democrats, since chimpy is unable and unwilling to do anything but throw a temper tantrum and insist on getting his own way, it's time to deauthorize and defund the war.

Period.

Extra Ripley

Look at that funny little face.

She is quite sweet, apart from the biting thing.

Wednesday plushy update

Who me?

Yes, you!

The kiddens are doing fine. They pretty much wear each other out.

Update: I believe we have many new visitors to the site this week. Welcome!! Also, just a note, almost all of the kitty photos are fairly high resolution. If you click on the photo, you can get all the up close and hilarious kitty details, in Maddie's case, her riotous curly eyebrows and heart melting eyelashes.

The good kitten

I's just napping here.

I would NEVAH join Ripley in any nefarious activities.

I must admit that Maddie was being just as rambunctious as Ripley this morning. The two of them were tearing around the apartment and taking turns leaping on each other.

Who me?

Yes, you, you little stinker. Waking me up at 5:00 am, picking a fight with your big sister.

Little scamp.

Borat kitten

As Borat would say, "watch out, she bite."

We are learning this week that we may bite our teddy bear. We may bite our peeps. We may bite our mousies. We may even bite our sister if she lets us get away with it. But we MAY NOT BITE FOUR LEG's FEETIES.

No matter how appetizing they may look. Ah, what can you do? She's a kitten and she's teething.

Henry Higgins wuz right

AP Photo: J. Scott Applewhite

"Good heavens! What language is that cretin speaking? The Americans really have gone mad."

Henry Higgins (on speaking english), "...why the Americans haven't spoken it in years!"

Who me?

That wasn't me biting ur feet last night. I didn't jump on mah sister's haid, neither.

When the Levees Fail. Again.

Tyrone Turner/National Geographic

It appears the Bushies have done their usual bang-up job of repairing the levees in New Orleans. New Orleans' Rebuilt Levees "Riddled With Flaws"

Almost a year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared that it had restored New Orleans' levees and floodwalls to pre-Hurricane Katrina strength.

But the system is actually riddled with flaws, and a storm even weaker than Katrina could breach the levees if it hit this year, say leading experts who have investigated the system.
The unwelcome news comes as residents gird for what is predicted to be a "very active" Atlantic hurricane season, and as residents are still slowly rebuilding their homes and lives after Katrina.

During a recent inspection of the levee system with National Geographic magazine, engineering professor Bob Bea of the University of California, Berkeley, found multiple weak spots.

So much for the promise to build the levees to withstand a Category 5. Did they think no one was going to check their work? If there's another hurricane this year, I imagine Bush will say, "No one could have imagined that those levees weren't strong enough."

Bastards.

Monday kiddens

Ripley can usually be distracted from attacking my feet if I toss her a peep sacrifice.

About the time I'm ready to throttle her, she comes to me mewing her silly mew and begging to be picked up for a purr session. It's hard to stay mad.

Maddie keeps a close eye out for Ripley's shenaningans. Yesterday Ripley was really tormenting Maddie, who clearly just wanted to rest from her surgery.

She seems improved this morning and was back to stalking Ripley and jumping on her haid.