Today, Everything Looks Slightly Different

Could more pandas be on the horizon?

So, all of us panda people have been having a major sad ever since the DC pandas left town earlier than was expected. (I lay their earlier departure at the feet of the Qanon caucus in the House, that was threatening a government shutdown “because f*ck you, that’s why”) Really, it has been a struggle not to throw myself in front of a train. Fortunately there are no trains here on the south end of my semi-bucolic island paradise.

But this morning, as I slowly came to consciousness to the sound of about 287 text notifications, I learned that the pessimistic panda prognostications are perhaps premature. (Pandas like ‘Ps’)

Newspapers that had, in the past few weeks, been falling all over themselves with stories with headlines like THE END OF PANDA DIPLOMACY and PANDAS? WHO NEEDS THEM? They are now reporting that Chinese President Xi JinPing made remarks at an official dinner last night in San Francisco, something like “Oh…you like pandas? Maybe you can have some more pandas…soonish.”

(gift link)

I think maybe when Biden and Xi were having their private discussion, it went something like this:

Biden: So…I kind of hate to ask, but…
Xi: What, my friend? You can tell me.
Biden: Are you going to make me beg? Don’t make me beg!
Xi: Beg for what?
Biden: YOU KNOW!
Xi: Um…No idea.
Biden: Stop toying with me! We need more pandas! I can’t stand all the people crying at the panda house at the zoo. It’s getting embarrassing. They come on White House tours and they are wearing their panda ears head bands and carrying their childhood stuff pandas and they won’t stop crying!
Xi: oh right! Pandas! I guess maybe you could have more pandas.
Biden: Oh, thank God! Jill told me not to bother coming home unless I could get her more pandas. First it was that damn cat, and now it’s pandas.
Xi: women!

I know there are far bigger problems in the world than our imminent lack of pandas. (We still have them in Atlanta for a little while) But here’s the thing:

Pandas represent hope.
Pandas represent joy.
And pandas are the cutest thing on earth, especially baby pandas.

Without hope and joy, well, it makes it harder to fight the evil that is surging around us, and there is a lot of evil, quite frankly. The possibility of potential pandas (more ‘Ps’!!!) motivates me to make sure that democracy survives. I hope this glimmer of hope and joy will motivate you too, because I think we can be pretty sure that if You Know Who connives his way back into power, all that hope and joy is gonna go right down the tubes.

Check your voter registration
Re-elect Biden and Harris.
Don’t get distracted by 3rd party candidates.
Vote for Democrats all the way down the ballot.

And check out today’s Panda Chronicle ‘toon. I think it was a little bit prescient, if I don’t say so myself!

Panda on, everyone. Today I have hope.