In which the pond avoids distractions to attend to nattering "Ned" and the bromancer ...

The greatest rat? Surely not … why the same day Troy was out and about celebrating perhaps the greatest rat of them all …

The rat is celebrated at ADB here, and what about good old Joe Lyons, ADB here? So many rats, so little time, but surely the current rat is actually just your average dropkick loser rat, without much distinction or class … at least Billy and Joe got to be PM, instead of being known for a handshake ...

Well this day the reptiles seemed like they were taking a view on the rat, blessing the lad with the cult status of a Lobbecke…

The reptiles are always trying to distract the pond, but Lobbecke or no, the attention-seeking narcissist of the west is one temptation the pond can easily resist … just as it quickly moved past other offerings …

Instead the pond was drawn, as it usually is, to nattering "Ned", top of the trio of reptiles lurking in the digital opinion section …

Why was this so beguiling?

Well sandwiched between "Ned" and the bromancer was Dame Slap, and presumably "Ned" was bemoaning the way Dame Slap had been led astray, taking the Bolter with her …

The opinions of the quiet?

Too silly for words, but it meant the pond was in the right mood to tackle a "Ned" outburst, another epic shouting at clouds …

Usually the pond would interrupt, but this attack by "Ned" on the likes of Dame Slap and the Bolter is simply too rich, and should proceed unimpeded …

The question is, will the likes of the Bolter and Dame Slap recant? Will the Bolter approvingly quote "Ned" in his blog?

On the other hand, who cares …

Well fancy that, a doom-laden apocalyptic effort from "Ned" which is like a slap across the cheek with a soft velvet glove to the likes of Dame Slap and the Bolter …

Please allow the pond to pause for a Rowe, with more Rowe here … before turning to the bromancer ...

That's better, nothing like a little relief in the fountain of life.

Now as "Ned" moaning about the Donald has been featured at length, it behoves the pond to turn to the bromancer, to see the plucky lad defy Ned and celebrate the Donald's singular achievement in the making ...

By golly, it's difficult dancing on the head of a pin, celebrating the ascendancy of your fair average fundamentalist Catholic, though the pond was shattered that the even kookier Amy Cony Barrett missed the cut …

The Times story does not use the word cult, but it’s easy to see why some of its details alarmed many readers. People of Praise members are said to be accountable to a same-sex adviser, called a “head” for men and (until recently) a “handmaiden” for women, who gives input on a wide variety of personal decisions. They swear “a lifelong oath of loyalty” to the group. As one blogger put it, “Barrett is a dangerous religious extremist who believes a federal judge can subvert the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States in order to promote her own religious agenda.” Knowing Barrett’s fiercely conservative legal credentials—clerking for fellow Catholic Antonin Scalia, membership in the Federalist Society—what are we to make of her alleged membership in such a group?

Oops, pity about that handmaiden story and the TV show, but there's more at Slate here, and a link to the NY Times story, but what the heck, it's here …

The group believes in prophecy, speaking in tongues and divine healings, staples of Pentecostal churches that some Catholics have also adopted in a movement called charismatic renewal. The People of Praise was an early leader in the flowering of that movement in North America. It is ecumenical, but about 90 percent of its members are Catholic. To fulfill the group’s communitarian vision, unmarried members are sometimes placed to live in homes with married couples and their children, and members often look to buy or rent homes near other members. Some former members criticize the group for deviating from Catholic doctrine, which does not teach “male headship,” in contrast to some evangelical churches. The personal advisers can be too controlling, the critics say; they may betray confidences, and too often they supplant the role of priest. Mr. Lent said the group’s system of heads and handmaids promotes “brotherhood,” not male dominance. He said the group recently dropped the term “handmaid” in favor of “woman leader.”

What the heck, maybe next time for the handmaiden, and so back to the bromancer celebrating the deeds of the Donald …

Take that "Ned", see the bromancer celebrate how good it's going to be for businesses in states that allow abortions, at least for the rich who can afford to fly there and pay for the procedure … 

Let's face it, nobody in the United States gives a toss about the poor, and their unwanted spawn can be adopted by Catholics to sustain the Ponzi scheme …

Oh there'll be minorities to persecute and much fun to be had ...

And there you go, the bromancer dancing on the grave of nattering "Ned" only a few seconds after the poor old sod stopped shouting at clouds, Dame Slap, the Bolter and such like …because the chance to oppress women and minorities is a big moment in the Donald's reign, and a big moment for the bromancer in particular and Western politics more broadly …oh and possibly for coat hangers eager to do their thing for handmaidens in backyard abortions …

And now, as the pond began with a rat, why not end with a Pope cartoon celebrating a rat, with more celebratory cartoons from the best papal authority doing the rounds here ...