Curiosity Kittens of Milford: Day 26

And other news

Photo: Tracy Harris

Ruby the Watchdog has taken on a steadfast and essential role as the kittens first show signs of wanting to explore their surroundings. That’s Daisy examining her chances as Ruby stands guard; Elvis right behind her, and Tuli watching attentively from the far corner. Over on the left, Spot and Uno practice their wrestling moves. We’ve put a dog/kid/kitten gate on the sunroom door in case any of them are successful at scaling the sides of the birthing box while we’re not looking. Two exhaust fans in facing windows keep the air moving as temperatures begin to climb.

In other news, the sound of whining from Moscow was audible here in Eastern Pennsylvania this morning as Russians surveyed the damage left by several explosive drones that hit apartment buildings in the Russian capital. Putin vowed revenge, claiming that Ukraine was attempting "to intimidate Russia, Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings. This is clearly a sign of terrorist activity," he said. Putin promised that air defenses around Moscow would be “strengthened.”

Putin’s whining about the drone attack, which killed no one and did only cosmetic damage to Moscow buildings, was just a tad hypocritical. The Washington Post reported this morning that the drone attacks on Moscow “occurred after Russia conducted its third aerial attack on Kyiv in 24 hours.” The drone attacks on Moscow caused no casualties. The most recent Russian aerial barrage on Kyiv killed one person and wounded at least four, according to the Post. Russia has repeatedly hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with rocket barrages, airstrikes, cruise missiles and armed drones, deliberately targeting residential areas. Russia has not used the same weapons against Ukrainian military forces anywhere along the 600 mile front lines in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, saving its heavy ground-to-ground missiles and airstikes for civilian targets. Hundreds, if not thousands of Ukrainian civilians have lost their lives to these Russian aerial attacks since the war began.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said “of course we have nothing to do with this,” but mysteriously commented that Ukraine is “pleased to watch and predict an increase in the number of attacks.” This gave rise to speculation that the Ukrainian spokesman was either being disingenuous, or his government knows more than they are saying. With a proliferation of Ukrainian-made drones in use by Ukrainian forces in the war, some observers speculated that the attack may have come from the same dissident Russian militias that staged a sneak attack last week on the Russian city of Belgorod, just 40 miles north of Kharkiv across the Russian border.

Meanwhile, the Republican anti-democratic movement continued to fray today as one split after another emerged over the upcoming debt ceiling vote. Republican Chip Roy of Texas blasted the deal between President Biden and (current) Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, calling it a “turd sandwich.” Other hard-right Republicans have begun floating the idea of making a “motion to vacate the chair” which would subject McCarthy to the same kind of vote over his speakership he faced in January. South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, promising to back the motion to fire McCarthy, said “They vetted candidates for Miss America more than they do the speaker. We’re vetting it. We are going through the process. It’s a healthy process. Everything is on the table.”

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, not usually known as a voice of reason in the Republican Caucus, described those wanting to “vacate the chair” to CNN this way: “You can’t govern with a gun to your head and that is what they are asking for. It makes us highly unstable, and it lays out the potential too for Democrats to take advantage of this and create absolute chaos.”

How Crenshaw would distinguish the chaos within his caucus from the chaos he predicts if Republicans don’t coalesce around McCarthy’s deal with Biden could not be determined.

At press time, Ruby was able to hold the line guarding the top of the birthing box, and the entire brood remained on high alert for the approach of mother Graycie bearing supper.