Blue Cat Democrat

Wahoowa... and we're back!

2006-08-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Teddy has presumably given up on blogging in favor of playing with his new friend. Boxer (yes, named after the junior Senator from California, and yes, Kate and I are fully aware that we are huge nerds) came to live with us in April. He's an orange tiger cat, and a spunky one at that, and about four months Teddy's junior. They seem to get along quite well, and we feel much better about leaving the kitties home alone when they have each other to play with. That said, I think I'll take over blogging for a while, with Teddy's permission of course.

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So classes started at UVA today. It's hard to believe this is the third such day since I graduated. Two years ago, I began my first job on the same day that classes began. I was heartbroken. I would have given anything to trade in my morning commute for a leisurely stroll across campus. I yearned for the first day of school excitement and clean notebooks, pens that work, and new syllabi.

This year, my emotions are mixed. I miss college. I miss my friends, going to the gym in the middle of the day, late nights at Alderman, and waking up to an expanse of green and brick, and I miss the luxury of dreaming about what I wanted to do after college rather than actually doing it. At the same time, I wouldn't trade places with the Class of 2010 for anything. I love my job, my apartment, my roommate and the kitties, the new friends I've made and those with whom I've become closer since college, and having complete control over my decisions and my lifestyle.

I guess what I miss most about college is the sense of direction I had during those four years. There was a clear path: pick a major, take required classes, get best possible grades in those classes, load up on extracurriculars and research experience, and you're considered a successful student. After college, the path becomes a little less clear. There's no prescription for what one needs to do to be successful. There's not even a prescribed formula for what one is supposed to do period. Just two years post-college, many of my friends are starting (or finishing) graduate school, getting married, buying homes, and other various grown-up things. My path is less defined. At the same time, I wouldn't give back these last two years for anything, not even for some extended time at my alma mater.

Wahoowa, and thanks for the memories UVA.

Immigrant Nation

2006-04-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

As the descendant of Egyptian immigrants, immigrant rights are of great concern to me. That's why I'm against HR 4437, which would criminalize immigrants and anyone who assists them with basic social services. Yesterday, there was a huge rally on the Mall. Not exactly cat-friendly, so I sent the Mommy to rally. Some of our favorite slogans:

"Butterstick is the child of immigrants."

"GPA: 4.13
Class Rank: 14 out of 386
President of the National Honor Society
(list of other accomplishments)....
Am I a criminal?"

"George W. Bush- You are a child of immigrants."

"Immigration works... Just ask the Native Americans."

"Q. Why does everyone want to come to our country?
A. Have you seen what we've done to their countries?"

"Send Tancredo back to Italy."

"People are not illegal."

Now I'm not sure that Butterstick should be the poster child for this issue. After all, he has to go back to China when he turns 2. Other highlights:

-As CNN prepares to go on the air, a man with a CNN badge positions signs so they will be in focus on camera.

-Five (Mommy counted twice) counter protesters.

-A yelling Rabbi who told the crowd that Moses said "Si, se puede" during his convo with Farrah (really?!?).

Teddy, Outdoor Cat

2006-04-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

So I went outside today. I've actually been out twice before, but I was embarassingly coy and refused to go much beyond the front stoop. Not today. The best thing about outside: ants. I ate three. I chased a number of other bugs, but ants are the only things slow enough for me to actually eat. The worst thing about outside: dogs. Those beasts are scary.

Here's me, ready to conquer the world (or at least mommy's patio):

Timid at first, yes, but here's me looking more confident:

Down to business, time to hunt for ants:

Uh-oh, it's a dog. Mommy doesn't see it yet but I do.

Kittens Get New Mommy

2006-04-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I was rescued from the shelter, I got human mommies. These kittens got a pitbull mommy. Pretty cool, but I'll take the humans. They have opposable thumbs that let them do things like feed me. Check out the story at http://www.thebostonchannel.com/asseenon5/8479377/detail.html

The Best and Worst of Springdale, Arkansas

2006-03-23T18:35:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not blogging lately. My mommy has been preoccupied and unable to help me post. She has been doing some work related to Arkansas and shared with me. So today, I bring you the best and worst of Springdale, Arkansas.

Many of you may have seen the tv documentaries on the family in Arkansas that seems to think God wants them to overpopulate the earth. In fact, my link to the modest swimwear came from this family. Check out their craziness at www.duggarfamily.com.

Now to the best of Springdale... his name is Papa Rap. He's a rapper, DJ, and advocate for children. Check him out at www.paparap.net. I particularly like the rap that encourages parents to find out if their children qualify for subsidized health care.

In other news, Grandma visited this week. She's allergic to me, but still plays fishing pole and rubs my belly. Thanks Grandma, come back soon!

Modest Swimwear

2006-03-14T08:29:00.000-08:00

I may be a cat, but I know ridiculous humans when I see them. This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

http://www.wholesomewear.com/page-4.html

Spring is here!

2006-03-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

Spring is here! It's a gorgeous 65 degrees here on Capitol Hill. A wonderful thing happened today... my mommy opened the windows. There are screens, of course, so I can't get out, but this has opened up a whole new world to me. I've been sitting in the window sill for the past three hours, watching cars, motorcycles, squirrels. There are people walking by having interesting conversations. There's even a nice breeze. My mommy said if I would wear a collar and a leash I could go outside, but I haven't decided if I want to venture out yet. Seems kind of dangerous out there. I also hate wearing anything, especially a collar. My mommies got me this lame collar with a silly bow tie. With my white chest, it looks like I'm wearing a tuxedo. While the mommies find this hilarious, I think it's completely humiliating.

That's all readers. I'm back to the window sill. I'll let you know if I decide to go out.

Washed Out Dresses and Disappointment

2006-03-05T20:53:00.000-08:00

That's how I would sum up the Oscars. I'm not sure why champagne was the color of choice tonight, but the off-white family doesn't do much for fair skin and blonde hair (even if it comes from a bottle). My best dressed award goes to Selma Hayek and Jada Pinkett Smith, who exhibited some dashing shades of blue.

As for the awards . . . it was pop culture and politics over cinematic artistry and characters that force one to think outside the box. Let's begin with best actress. I watched Walk the Line twice on Saturday (once with each Mommy), and it was great, primarily because of Joaquin Phoenix's amazingly accurate portrayal of Johnny Cash. Reese Witherspoon was good too, but nothing NOTHING compares to Felicity Huffman's role in Transamerica. Reese learned to sing, but Felicity took us inside the head of a woman trapped in a man's body.

On to Best Picture . . . someone who came to watch the Oscars at our place suggested that the large cast of Crash probably generated a groundswell of support among the Hollywood elite. Crash was good, but not groundbreaking. Brokeback Mountain was groundbreaking. It's the kind of movie that sticks with you for a few days. You forget why you're sad and then you remember Ennis and Jack. You walk away thinking "what a phenomenal love story, what a beautiful metaphor for forbidden love." Originally, Brokeback was expected to make a splash in urban gay echelons, but eventually made it's way to nearly every suburb in America. That's because it's more than a gay cowboy story, it's a love story wiith which everyone from soccer moms to gay urbanites can identify.

Oh, and here's my entry for the Mastercard commercial:

Cheap mouse traps from Most Congressional: $5
A fancy mouse trap from Lowe's: $20
A kitten from the DC shelter who keeps mice away: $70 (includes neutering and bag of kitten food)

A friend who snuggles at night, plays fishing pole, and blogs: priceless

A Day in the Life of a Blue Cat Democrat

2006-03-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today is my mommy's birthday, so she stayed home with me. She got a digital camera for her birthday, so we were able to capture my daily routine on film.

My day usually starts around 6-7am, when I start pouncing, licking, and sitting on my mommies. Someone has to let them know dawn is upon us. They wear these great strings on their sweatshirts for me to play with.

I eat breakfast while my mommies dry their hair and what not.

Sweet! Mommy got some tissue paper for her birthday.

Time for my morning exercises.

Now time for work.... I've got my eye on Washington, ready to report back to my loyal readers. See the suspicious-looking man in the background? I'm pretty sure he's working for Abramoff.

Buy Blue

2006-02-28T06:14:00.000-08:00

As a Blue Cat Democrat, I never want my purchases to support corporations that fund the Republican Party. I encourage everyone to visit www.buyblue.org. You certainly can't avoid every establishment that donates to Republicans, but I think it's important to boycott places that are donating millions to the Republicans. Bottom line: shop Costco, Claire's, Starbucks, Dress Barn, and L.L. Bean. Buy Apple computers and Google like it's going out of style. Stay at the Hyatt and fly JetBlue. Shop Barnes & Noble and buy Progressive Auto Insurance. If you need another reason not to shop at Wal-mart, they give $1.7 million to the Republican Party (Target gave the Republicans about $217,000). If you want to use a bank or credit card, I don't know what to tell you. Anheuser-Busch also supported Republicans to the tune of $1 million.

Bring on Vancouver!

2006-02-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

I was very disappointed, as I suspect were many of you, with the performances in the ladies' free skate last Thursday. I mean, I went all day without getting spoiled. I was careful to only watch the Game Show Network and sleep, which is an atypical day for me. I didn't even blog so that I wouldn't accidentally navigate to WaPo or NYT or CNN and get spoiled (I understand that my brudder Eric got screwed by the WaPo. I maintain that he should sue for emotional damages.). So, I was very disappointed that the medal ended up going up to the girl who screwed up least. Not that the Japanese skater's performance wasn't lovely. It just lacked a certain passion, as my boy Dick Button would say. Dick and I like to go to the dance halls together and let me tell you: two-beer queer. But anyway, I digress.

I was really angry with Sasha. You could see in her eyes as she skated out on the ice that she knew she was going to fall. It's kind of like when my eyes get all huuuuuuge and my pupils get ginormous and you know I'm going to leap on your head from behind the couch. That's exactly how my girl Sasha was telegraphing her imminent failure. I felt bad for her -- that would never happen to me. She should have turned into Crazy Eyes McGee like me rather than into Doubty McDoubterson. It would have helped her -- she could have four-footed a landing rather than two-footing it.

If Sasha couldn't win, I really wanted the Russian girl with the sick mom and the awesome last name to win. She was pretty cool. The one bright spot was the happy-go-lucky performance of my fellow shelter cat Emily Hughes. She's gonna be one to watch in four years, mark my words right here and now. Shelter cats DOM-IN-ATE!

All in all, the lack of Kwan, the failure of Johnny Are-you-Weir, boy? and the total women's chokefest all around really left me, Aunt Libby and my mommies feeling unfilfilled. Bring on Vancouver!

New Supreme Court to Hear Late-Term Abortion Case

2006-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

In the first abortion case since the addition of two new Supreme Court justices, the Court will determine the legality of a law banning late-term abortions. The case challenges a Nebraska law prohibiting abortions in the third trimester. The law was previously struck down on the grounds that there was no exception for the health of the mother. I warned you humans before the Alito vote.... I'm glad that cats are generally not affected by Supreme Court decisions.

Happy Presidents' Day!

2006-02-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to apologize for not blogging for almost a week now. My mommies were a little under the weather last week, and I was busy taking care of them. Thanks to my die-hard fans who reminded me that I need to be more diligent in my blogging.

In honor of Presidents' Day, I thought I would share a bit about pets in the White House. The first felines in the White House were two tiger cubs during the Martin Van Buren administration (they were soon given to the zoo). Rutherford B. Hayes owned the first domesticated house cats, including four kittens and a pair of Siamese cats, in fact the first to reside in the United States. My personal favorite presidential cat is Socks, who resided in the White House with Bill Clinton. Here is a picture of Socks:
Other Presidents with feline friends include: Carter (Misty Malarky Ying Yang), Ford (Shan), and Kennedy. It's a shame that just five cats (we don't acknowledge the current cat in the WH, but I will say the Gores don't have a cat) have occupied the White House in the last 50 years. I think presidents would be a lot more effective with feline advisors.

Cheney Shoots, Causes Heart Attack

2006-02-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

Apparently the man Cheney shot has had a minor heart attack. I'm going to ask my mommies to bullet-proof the windows.

Don't Shoot, Mr. Vice President

2006-02-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

With my close proximity to Capitol Hill, I've become increasingly concerned that the Vice President will mistake me for a quail and shoot me. I mean, really, if he could mistake a 78-year-old lawyer for a quail, he could definitely take a five-month-old kitten for a quail. Now that the U.S.

David Letterman had some interesting explanations of Cheney's "accident" on his top ten list:

"Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter"

"I thought the guy was trying to go 'gay cowboy' on me"

"Excuse? I hit him, didn't I?"

"Until Democrats approve medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly"

Authorities in Corpus Christi may have cleared Cheney of wrong-doing, but I'm not convinced. Was this guy tied to the Abramoff scandal? Perhaps he has insider knowledge of Haliburton activities in Iraq? I'm just saying, you have to consider all angles. Let me go on record as calling for an FBI investigation.

Help some deserving kids come to DC

2006-02-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

My mommies' friend Ryan teaches in the Mississippi Delta as a Teach for America volunteer. He is raising money to take his students on a trip to D.C. over spring break. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of these children. Learn more about the trip and donate at www.deltatodc.org. Thanks!

This Week In Politics

2006-02-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

This week the President introduced his proposed 2007 budget. It includes across-the-board cuts to most social programs, notably Medicare and Medicaid. The budget would also create a $952 billion deficit by 2011. That's pretty impressive... cut programs that help people and increase the deficit.

The president also signed into law the 2006 budget. However, there was a typo in the legislation and it will have to go back to Congress. C'mon Dems, let's reignite this fight!

Also, my mommy was quoted in the Santa Fe New Mexican sticking it to Heather Wilson:

"If Heather Wilson is trying to raise her profile by publicly taking on the Republican establishment , it must be an election year," DCCC regional spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said in an e-mail . "But when push comes to shove, she never quite gets around to putting her vote where her mouth is."

Said Bedingfield: "She did this exact same song and dance with Abu Ghraib in 2004 and then voted against a congressional investigation."

Way to go Mommy Beds!!

In other news, Aunt Michelle and Aunt Barbara are visiting. It's a regular family reunion up here on the Hill!

Happy Birthday Eric!!

2006-02-10T06:28:00.000-08:00

A big shoutout to my bro, Eric, who turns the big 2-4 today. Happy Birthday Eric!! Thanks for being such a great role model, friend, and confidant to me. I love you!

My brother is wicked smart. My brother Eric specializes in the evaluation of broadband telecommunications networks and analysis of emerging broadband technologies, with a little help from me of course. In this capacity, my brother Eric is conducting extensive research on emerging telecommunications technologies. He is also responsible for testing, evaluating, specifying, and pricing a wide range of communications technologies.

My brother Eric is conducting extensive research on Internet Protocol (IP) technology, including video over IP for video transmission over wide area networks and video conferencing, VoIP and other telephony applications for cable systems, as well as on emerging cable hardware technologies. He is involved in preparing wide area networking plans and system-level designs. I'm helping with this too!

My brother Eric has served as CTC Project Coordinator on numerous wide-area networking projects, including, most recently, on our project to interconnect 19 Maryland and Virginia-area jurisdictions over microwave. That project involves deployment of a public safety microwave system in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. The project is to connect public safety organizations in the 19 jurisdictions to provide voice, video, and data communications on a secure and private network. This means if a terrorist attack occurs, my brother Eric's work will save us all. Way to go brother Eric!!

Cat Heroes: Part 1

2006-02-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I think I'll feature felines making a difference in our world. Today's story was brought to my attention by Eric. Thanks bro!

NEW YORK (AP) -- He came from the streets of Brooklyn, a cool customer on four legs, the perfect bait for a sting on a fake veterinarian.

Meet Fred, undercover kitten.

Authorities on Wednesday introduced the 8-month-old former stray cat that posed as a would-be patient while police investigated a college student accused of treating pets without a license.

At a news conference, Fred sported a tiny badge on his collar as he posed for photos with owner Carol Moran, a prosecutor.

"He's pretty easygoing, a real Brooklyn guy," Moran said.

Fred shared the spotlight with Burt the Boston terrier, an alleged victim of Steven Vassall, 28, who was arrested last week and released on $2,500 bail.

Burt's owner, Raymond Reid, contacted authorities after the dog survived a botched operation. In hindsight, he said, he should have been suspicious of a veterinarian who only made house calls and treated animals at an undisclosed location.

Vassall "seemed like a genuinely nice guy," Reid said. "I'm glad they caught him, but at the same time I feel sorry for him."

Last week, an investigator posing as Fred's owner summoned Vassall to an apartment rigged with a hidden camera. Authorities played a videotape at the news conference showing the defendant saying the kitten could be neutered for $135.

Vassall was arrested as he left the apartment carrying Fred in a box and cash for the operation. Investigators later recovered a price list for vaccinations and other procedures, including surgeries.

It was unclear how long Vassall -- a college student who once worked as a laboratory assistant in a vet's office -- allegedly scammed pet owners before Fred helped put him out of business.

Way to go Fred! Thanks for doing your part to show what cats have to offer the world. It's a good thing they arrested this guy before he got too far with you. That would have been tragic.

People Prefer Puppy Bowl to President Bush

2006-02-08T07:02:00.000-08:00

From today's Washington Post:

"Puppy Bowl II." The Super Bowl was up 5.4 percent in the ratings compared with last year. But this year's Puppy Bowl telecast from 6 to 9 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, featuring 22 puppies at the Animal Planet Stadium in downtown Silver Spring, jumped 23 percent compared with last year, owing no doubt to the many improvements this year, including the Bowl Cam view of drinking players from a clear-bottom water bowl. Puppy Bowl was telecast three times on Sunday. At its height, its average audience of 690,000 nearly equaled MSNBC's 707,000 for the State of the Union address last week. Across its many replays last year, about 5 million people sampled Puppy Bowl. This year? You do the math. No, seriously, you do the math.

And this doesn't even include the animals who watched... I didn't know this thing is in Silver Spring. Why didn't you take me mommies?

Ask Teddy

2006-02-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

Due to technical difficulties, my announcement regarding my new column, Ask Teddy, seems to have disappeared. I will be answering your questions every Saturday morning. Simply post your comments about life, politics, love, pets, etc. in the comments section and I will answer them in my weekly column.

Puppy Bowl II

2006-02-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

I watched the game last night, complete with surprise plays, tackles, and even a few fights. I'm talking about Puppy Bowl II, which was on Animal Planet yesterday... three times. My mommies watched the first game with me, and for some reason, thought I would want to watch it two more times while they went out.

The Puppy Bowl is essentially four to six puppies that play with dog toys on a mini football field. The game could really be spruced up by adding some jerseys, maybe some commentators, and better music. I also think the half-time show should feature some celebrity cats and dogs. By far, the best part of the game was the kitten half-time show. These kittens got to play on a huge playground, complete with kitten toys. There was one kitten that looked exactly like me when I was an infant. My mommies agreed. I'm thinking about contacting Animal Planet to see if we might be able to conduct a DNA test to see if this kitten is related to me. I'll keep you posted, but if this turns out to be the case, we'll probably be running the talk show circuit.

I was a little disappointed that kittens were merely the half-time show. I'm hoping next year the execs over at Animal Planet will wise up and run a kitten bowl as well. I mean, do dogs really need three bowls?

Phil's Got Nothing on Me

2006-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today is Groundhog Day. For the sixth year in a row, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, thus suggesting there will be six more weeks of winter. Someone should tell this groundhog that it's been 60 degrees for about three weeks now. Anybody considered the fact that it might be time to find a new species to predict the weather?

In other news, Congress elected party leaders yesterday. I have to confer with Mommy Beds, but I might consider posting my thoughts later...

This is a picture of me contemplating the ramifications of today's GOP House Leadership elections

2006-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

I mean, could you believe the GOP Leadership elections today? They mulliganed the first ballot! Procedurally, that's just embarrassing. And I couldn't believe they missed the opportunity to elect Shadegg. He was the only real reformer in the race! Just goes to show that cronyism trumps good sense every time. Boehner is a K St. biddy who will be problematic for them as the election cycle moves forward. Foolish, foolish. Although, and I don't mean to sound like that guy, but I saw the Boehner thing coming a mile away. I knew Blunt was bluffing when he said publicly that he was over the top and when I saw they were going to the second ballot, I knew that Shadegg had played spoiler and cleared the way for Boehner to come from behind. It was all pretty obvious if you were picking up on the signs this week.

In other news, Aunt Mel came to visit this week! It was so great to have a new face to step on in the middle of the night.

Now that the Leadership race drama is over, I am hoping for new episodes of Lingo tomorrow. Chuck Woolery is the bomb!

Nice try, Uncle Teddy

2006-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

My namesake tried to filibuster the Alito confirmation today. Unfortunately, the filibuster was blocked and it looks like Alito will be confirmed. I'm decidedly opposed to Alito's conservative agenda. Any Senator who votes to confirm Alito should consider the fact that Blue Cat Democrat will be endorsing candidates this Fall, and your vote on this issue will be taken into consideration. I'm not sure this is an endorsement you can afford to lose.

My primary interest in the Supreme Court is derived from a decision last year not to hear the case challenging Florida's ban on adoption by homosexual couples. I'm concerned this is dangerously close to a ban on adoption by same-sex heterosexual domestic partners. My life has been great since my mommies adopted me. I don't ever want anyone to take me away from my mommies. And if they try, I'll round up all the cats and we'll storm the Supreme Court with tape on our mouths like those crazy pro-lifers....

My Escape

2006-01-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today I slipped out the door when my mommy left for work. For one brilliant hour I recklessly roamed the halls of the apartment building. Fortunately, I was found about an hour later by my godmother, Aunt Libby. She returned me safely to our apartment. The rest of the day was much less exciting, but my mommies were very happy to return home and find me safe and sound. There's always tomorrow...

Welcome to my blog!

2006-01-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

My name is Edward Moore Kennedy Hamm-Bedingfield, but everyone calls me Teddy. I was born on the streets of DC and somehow ended up at the DC Animal Shelter on New York Avenue. That's where I was adopted by my mommies. Yes, like Heather, I have two mommies. Now I live the good life on Capitol Hill. There are very few rules in my house, and I spend my days sleeping and looking out the window. At night, I enjoy pouncing and biting my mommies and any other guests in the apartment.