| SOCKS THE CAT says Meow! [AU] Meow! [WAV] |
SOCKS with White House Santa Jim Shea ©
2000-2001, PSP Inc.
|
and BUDDY'S BUDDIES
ISSUE #24 -- Winter 2001
© 2000-2001, Presidential Socks Partnership, Inc.
tel 703-920-5193 - fax 703-521-6157
email: SOCKSTHECAT@ATT.NET
http://www.geocities.com/socksthecat.geo
For a copy of this newsletter,
please send your name and
address and two 34-cent stamps
to: SOCKS THE CAT FAN
CLUB
611 South Ivy Street,
Arlington VA 22204-2429
Dear Cats and Kitties,
I want to thank you all for the most wonderful eight years of any cat's nine lives. America is a great country, where a cat like me, abandoned with my twin Midnight at the age of two months, can grow up to become the nation's First Cat. I am grateful to Chelsea's piano teacher for finding me living under her porch in 1991 and feeding me, and for Mr. and Mrs. Clinton and to Chelsea for adopting me on March 29, 1991. I celebrate that day ever year, because that was the first time I felt truly loved. No cat should go unloved, and I encourage you to visit your local animal shelter and adopt someone to love.
For eight years, I have held my head high and purroudly served this Nation. I helped change the profile of Presidential pets. Not since Franklin Roosevelt's Fala was there a Presidential pet so well known. Yes, there was Millie Bush and that book, but she had to share the spotlight with Fred. For me, I had the White House all to myself for four years. Those were good years. Then the big brown dog arrived. He really got my back up, but like East and West Germans, like North and South Koreans, and I hope like Northern Irish and eventually Israelis and Palestinians, the dog and I eventually learned to live with each other in peace.
Now a new cat and a new dog will be moving into the White House. In the spirit of National Unity, I ask you to support the new First Pets. This Nation faces many challenges, and the President has to bear those challenges, but with First Pets around him, the President never bears those challenges alone.
As a "lame cat," post-election, I caution the new First Pets, however, as Eisenhower did in his farewell address, to beware of the Military-Industrial Catplex.
I too shall go forward to undertake my own new challenges. I expect to work on my meowmoirs, to spend more time with my family, and to break ground on my Presidential Pet library. In January, I will move to a new home in Cattaqua, New York, but my legacy will live on. This White House is now free of mice, and I hope it will stay that way forever.
A
FAREWELL LETTER FROM BUDDY
Dear Pups and People,
Thank you for giving me a new leash on life. It has been a grrreat four years since I arrived at the White House in December 1996. I loved the way people dropped everything to play with me. I can't count the number of memos that people crumpled up and tossed to me. In fact, I can't count at all. But I caught them all. That's the job of a Labrador retriever.
I'm grateful to the President for taking me everywhere. We flew together to Renaissance Weekends in Hilton Head, South Carolina, drove to Camp David, Maryland, and took long vacations in New England and Skaneateles, New York. I was always the first one off the plane. I'm glad he didn't take that cat along!
Over the last four years, when I met heads of state, I represented America with courage. I shook hands and spoke, but I never rolled over and played dead. I'm sorry for a few things, like when I bit the helicopter pilot's hand, but since then, I have done everything I could to serve America. I have been loyal to the President and the First Lady, and I will go wherever they go.
And now, it's time for me to go.
Jay Jacob Wind of Arlington VA
Dear Members of SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB and BUDDY'S BUDDIES,
I have been proud to serve America and our First Pets as president of their fan club for these eight long years. We started this newsletter by handing out 2,000 copies at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration. We dreamed we would reach America and the world. To our surprise, we succeeeded. Articles about SOCKS THE CAT FAN CLUB appeared in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and most recently, People. We were interviewed by radio and TV stations and appeared on network TV shows like Entertainment Tonight. More than 6,000 people wrote us from all over the country and the world -- including Austria, Australia, Canada, Chhina, France, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and United Kingdom. Amazingly, we produced 24 newsletters, an average of three a year. We donated more than $1,000 to our chosen charities, Children's Defense Fund and Humane Society of the US. We scooped all other media in 1994 by publishing the first article anywhere about the new White House Visitor Center on Pennsylvania Avenue across 15th Street from the White House.
My son, seven years old when he suggested that I should sell SOCKS THE CAT toys, is now 15 and draws his own cartooons. My home office is filled with Socks and Buddy memorabilia, though not as many as Sandi Langdon's collection (see the article elswehere in this issue). I've met Bill, Hillary, Al, Tipper, and yes, Socks. My awe at the majesty of the White House whenever I visit is undiminished, as is my faith in the success of our future.
All good things must come to an end. This will be my last newsletter, although I would welcome new leadership if someone wants to carry the flag. (No, Buddy, not you.) We will honor any mail orders that arrive, but we have no plans for an Ernie or Spot Fan Club -- we will leave that problem for the next Administration.
CHRISTMAS
2000 AT THE WHITE HOUSE
On December 4, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the 2000 White House holiday theme, "Holiday Reflections." To honor the past, the White House was decorated with ornaments, wreaths, trees, mantelpieces and a gingerbread masterpiece that reflect the seven Christmas themes of the Clinton Administration -- Angels (1993), The Twelve Days of Christmas (1994), 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1995), The Nutcracker (1996), Santa's Workshop (1997), Winter Wonderland (1998) and Holiday Treasures at the White House (1999). Among the decorations are 34 Christmas trees inside and 10 outside; 1,120 feet of garland, 324 wreaths including the 20-foot wreath on the front door; 50,000 lights; 1,071 bows; 220 poinsettias; and 12,751 ornaments on the Blue Room Tree. In 1993, the Year of the American Craft, Mrs. Clinton invited artisans across the country to begin The White House Collection of American Crafts with ornaments depicting the first theme "Angels." Thus began an accumulation of one-of-a-kind ornaments designed especially for the White House. Thousands of craftsmen, from elementary school art students to professional artists, participated in Christmas at the White House. Seven years of their work is now on display. 
The journey through the past begins as visitors enter The White House.
At
the East Entrance, Santa’s bag is nestled aboard an antique sleigh,
laden with ornaments from the decorative themes of each delightful year.
Handcrafted angels, a partridge in a pear tree, and historical dolls spill
from Santa’s sleigh, while nutcrackers and snowmen stand guard. Branches
of a festive Christmas tree are trimmed with needlepoint ornaments carefully
stitched with interpretations of past holiday themes. “Kissing balls”
created for the White House by master needlepoint artist Hyla Hurley
and
painter Gail Hendrix complete the bundle of treasures aboard the
sleigh.
 The
Ground Floor. In the East Colonnade, an ornament representing
each theme hangs in the middle of each wreath. In the Sculpture Garden,
a magnificent glass sculpture by Seattle glass artist
Dale Chihuly honors
the new millennium. Designer Santa suits, representing the 1997 theme
"Santa's Workshop," adorn the Christmas Tree in the East Foyer. On
the Ground Floor, the Vermeil Room represents the 1993 theme "Angels."
Across the hall in the library, the Save America's Treasures tree
honors the 1999 theme "Holiday Treasures at the White House." The
Diplomatic Reception Room features needlepoint artisans' work throughout
the seven years.
East Room. The antique crèche was a gift to the White
House by Mrs. Charles W. Engelhard of Nantucket MA in 1967 and has
been displayed every year since its presentation. This beautiful
crèche, made in Naples, Italy, in the late 18th century, features
47 baroque figures carved of wood and terra cotta. To ensure that
future generations enjoy this exquisite gift, a new setting inspired by
the Neapolitan displays in the Baroque period was created in 1999.
In addition, grapevine angels from the 1997 "Santa's Workshop" theme rest
on the mirrored mantels.
Green Room. The fanciful ballet scene over the mantel by ornament artist Christopher Radko spotlights the 1996 theme, "The Nutcracker." Blue Room. The centerpiece is the official White House Christmas Tree, an 18-foot Douglas Fir from the Shealer Family's Christmas Tree farm in Auburn PA. The tradition of a thematic tree began in the early 1960s and is continued this year with ornaments from all seven themes. Socks was especially happy one year when his likeness, rendered in needlepoint, crowned the Blue Room tree. The green velvet tree skirt was handmade by people from all 50 states, territories and DC in celebration of the Clinton family's first holiday season at the White House. Symbolizing the state in which each artist lives, there are apple blossoms from Arkansas, buckeyes from Ohio, marine life from Florida, and more. Red Room. The confectionery mantel, created by New York cake artist Colette Peters, commemorates the mantelpieces she designed for the 1998 holiday theme, "Winter Wonderland." |
State Dining
Room. The traditional gingerbread creation is a replica of the
White House highlighting the State Dining Room, Blue Room and East Room,
all decorated with themes of past holiday seasons. Miniature replicas
of Chef Roland Mesnier's last seven gingerbread houses are seen in the
miniature State Dining Room. The room also features the Monroe
Plateau, a gilded bronze plateau purchased from France in 1817 by President
Monroe. Although pieces of it have been displayed on holiday tables
ever since, this is the first time in 100 years that the plateau has been
displayed in its entirety.
The Grand Foyer features eight cone-shaped trees by designer Robert Isabell. The pier table reflects the 1994 theme, "The Twelve Days of Christmas." On the Cross Hall Grand Staircase, ornaments on the pier table showcase the 1995 theme, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The Oval Office contains a tree decorated with ornaments made by 140 students from Project Northstar, an organization of multi-racial community leaders who work with Washington's homeless and formerly homeless children in one-on-one tutoring sessions to promote literacy and strengthen basic academic skills. Volunteers from the White House serve as tutors. The West Wing Lobby highlights two Menorahs from 1997 and 1999. one by metal sculptor Mayrim Baram in 1997, and one from the historic Breed Street Shul designed and crafted by Marlene Zimmerman in 1999. The menorahs will be lit each night of the eight-day celebration of Hanukah. Music. Throughout the holiday season, over 2,000 people, from elementary school students to senior citizens, will participate in musical programs at the White House. Please contact the Regional Press Office (202-456-7150) regarding coverage of the various groups who will perform. Food. White House pastry chefs will use approximately 500 pounds of sugar, and 300 pounds of chocolate in their sweet creations throughout the holidays. The gingerbread creation contains over 150 pounds of gingerbread; over 25 pounds of marzipan; over 60 pounds of chocolate; and 15 pounds of sugar. Approximately 12,000 pieces of shrimp and 285 gallons of eggnog will be served at White House receptions during the holiday season. Volunteers. 81 volunteers from across the nation donated their time and talents to decorate the White House this holiday season. For many of these volunteers, helping the White House prepare for Christmas has become an annual tradition. More than 600 volunteers will assist with tours and musical groups performing at the White House during the holiday season.
From the original watercolor by Ray Ellis entitled "The White House, First Family's Residence, The Yellow Oval Room" 
 |
SOCKS'
APPEAL
from PEOPLE Magazine, November 27, 2000, page 146
By Michaele Ballard © 2000 - Used by permission - All rights reserved
As the Clinton era totters toward the history books, one White House occupant, at least, can rest easy about his legacy. Sandi Langdon is making absolutely sure that no one forgets Socks The Cat.
Langdon, 39, has what may be the biggest collection of Socks memorabilia anywhere in the world, including, in just the dining room of her house in Charlotte, N.C., more than 250 buttons, books, figurines, postcards and a trove of other items, such as Socks-adorned Secret Service tiepins. "She even has items we don't have," says Jay Jacob Wind, president of the international Socks The Cat Fan Club, which claims more than 6,000 members.
It's not that Socks is the only cat in Langdon's life; it's just that Socks occupies a special place in her heart.
"When Socks moved to the White House [in 1993], I thought he was a really attractive cat," says Langdon. The international credit manager for a chemical manufacturer has two felines of her own, named Princess and Lionel, as well as a husband, John, an architect, and a daughter, Caroline, 4. "He's my dream cat," Langdon says. "The next cat I get will look like him."
Now, in her constant search for all things Socks, Langdon scours eBay every day, travels to Washington DC, which is, she says, the mother lode of Socksiana, and has even taken tours of the White House seeking -- so far unsuccessfully -- to catch a glimpse of him. (A spokeswoman for Hillary Clinton says the White House had been unaware of Langdon's collection.)
Still, Langdon, a lifelong Democrat, does have one caveat about the First Family's treatment of the First Cat. "Socks didn't like it when the Clintons got Buddy," she says. "And neither did I."
On Wednesday, December 20, Hillary Clinton and Socks visited Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC. Socks The Cat Fan Club president Jay Jacob Wind was on hand for the testivities. First, young entertainers from all over the DC area danced and sang Chsitmas songs. Next , Socks went from person to person, cuddling with each, under the supervision of Special Agent Jim Elder. Then Mrs. Clinton sat in a rocking chair with Socks and many children in the hospital, handed out gifts, and answered questions. Then, all too quickly, it was over, with eight years of memories and history.
TEENAGERS & CATS
contributed by Beverly Goods, Arlington
VA
For all of you with teenagers or who had teenagers, you may want to know why they really have a lot in common with cats:
- Neither teenagers nor cats turn their heads when you call them by name.
- No matter what you do for them, it is not enough. Indeed, all humane efforts are barely adequate to compensate for the privilege of waiting on them hand and foot.
- You rarely see a cat walking outside of the house with an adult human being, and it can be safely said that no teenager in his or her right mind wants to be seen in public with his or her parents.
- Even if you tell jokes as well as Jay Leno, neither your cat nor you teen will ever crack a smile.
- No cat or teenager shares your taste in music.
- Cats and teenagers can lie on the living room sofa for hours on end without moving, barely breathing.
- Cats have nine lives. Teenagers carry on as if they did.
- Cats and teenagers yawn in exactly the same manner, communicating that ultimate human ecstasy -- a sense of complete and utter boredom.
- Cats and teenagers do not improve anyone's furniture.
- Cats that are free to roam outside sometimes have been known to return in the middle of the night to deposit a dead animal in your bedroom. Teenagers are not above that sort of behavior.
And remember, above all else, put out the food and do not make any sudden moves in their direction. When they make up their minds, they will finally come to you for some affection and comfort, and it will be a triumphant moment for all concerned.
AN INTERVIEW WITH SOCKS
Gertraud
Schneider of the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard recently
interviewed SOCKS. Here's how the interview went:
Q. As far as I can imagine you should be busy
packing up for moving to New York. Did you already see your new home
in Westchester County?
A. I have only seen pictures. The packing
begins after the holidays, and they tell me I should expect to move on
Wednesday, January 17, just before the January 20 Inauguration..
There was a rumor in the Washington Times that the Clintons are
putting up their Chappaqua home for sale, but White House spokesman Jake
Siewert responded, "They're still redecorating it, and that is process
not many people undertake before they sell..
Q. Maybe even your Dad Bill will have more
time for playing with you and tickle your fur.
A. That sounds great, doesn't it? That
would be very nice.
Q. Well, now my eight questions on your eating
habits. What gave your mother to you as snack at your kitty-school-time?
A. Always kibbles. I can't quibble with
kibbles.
Q. What could you eat over and over again?
A. Smoked salmon. Smoked salmon.
Q. What will you never ever eat again?
A. Caviar. Smells good. Like fish.
Tastes yucky. Like eggs.
Q. Please tell me your thoughts if you hear
the word "vegetarian"
A. I think of rabbits. Squirrels even.
Not cats.
Q. How much time do you spend eating and catching/finding
your meals? Did you ever catch mice or anything like that?
A. They feed me from a bowl, so I don't have
to catch anything. I caught mice 'way back in Little Rock, but it's
been a long time. They won';t let me chase mice here. When
they found mice in the White House in 1993, they brought in another cat
to catch them, according to Time Magazine.
Q. Do you have to defend your food against
that dog that came to live with the Clintons?
A. No, they keep up quite separated, after
that famous day on the South Lawn.
Q. Do you help yourself to eatable things
lying in your way by chance?
A. Of course! The best thing about living
in the White House is the table scraps after state dinners!
Q. When was the longest period you did not
eat? Why? What did you eat first afterwards?
A. When family friend Carolyn Huber drove
me from Little Rock to Washington in 1993, I didn't eat during the whole
car ride. That was 12 hours. I wanted anything after
that!
Q. What can disturb you while eating?
A. I always turns around when I hear that
man with the keys. Maybe he'll let me out to play!
Q. Do you still have any unfullfilled culinary
wishes?
A. I have heard there's something called Chocolate
Mouse. I would like to try that, but no luck so far.
Q. Will you keep your secretary and your e-mail-address?
A. Oh yes, a First Cat gets lifetime secretarial
service! And as long as there are Socks fans, there will be a Socks
The Cat Fan Club.
SOCKS THE CAT INTERVIEWS ERNIE, GEORGE W. BUSH'S CAT
SOCKS: So. You won. Congratulations.
ERNIE: Yessiree, we won. We stayed up
way late every night for a month, we scratched and counted every vote we
could, and we won. We could have gone on counting forever.
Not gonna do that.
SOCKS: You look different from me. I'm all
dressed up in a fancy black-and-white tuxedo, and you're ... well, you're
red. And you're big.
ERNIE: I'm not red. I'm an orange tabby.
Haven't you ever seen a tabby? Where have you been these last eight
years?
SOCKS: I've been here in Washington at the White
House. I haven't seen many other cats.
ERNIE: Well, I'm proud to be from Texas.
That's why I'm big, too. You've been inside the Beltway too long.
America needs leadership from outside Washington DC to restore dignity
to the White House.
SOCKS: And the name "Ernie"?
ERNIE: George W. named me after Ernest Hemingway.
He was an author. Wrote a book about a fish.
SOCKS: Yes, I've read that. And the toes?
ERNIE: I've got of them on each paw.
Count 'em. That's four more than you have.
SOCKS: Don't get snippy. I was only asking.
Can you tell me about your life?
ERNIE: Well, I was born six years ago and
given to the Bush family when I was just a little kitten. I can get
along with both parties -- cats and dogs. I grew up with a big spotted
dog.
SOCKS: Right -- Spot. Millie's puppy.
Grew up in the White House. Not exactly an outsider.
ERNIE: I'm not going to talk about anything
that happened 10 years ago. I'm a new cat. America needs new
leadership. I get things done. Effective leadership.
I'm a compassionate conservacat. I will be the First Cat in all 50
states and Hawaii.
SOCKS: What are you working on now?
ERNIE: I'm appointing my transition team and
my catinet. I've got Catin Powell and Catoleeza Rice on my team.
Just watch who else I appoint.
SOCKS: What will be the first thing you'll do upon
arriving in Washington?
ERNIE: I want to schedule meetings with all
the world's leaders.
SOCKS: For instance?
ERNIE: Well, I don't know their names yet,
but I'll bring the best people with me, and we'll restore dignity to the
White House.
SOCKS: I wish you luck in your new job as First
Cat.
ERNIE: Thank you, and God Bless America.
from Wireless Flash, January 24, 2000
Hillary Clinton’s move to New York is putting Socks
the White House Cat in the doghouse.
Nashville-based pet psychologist Pam Johnson-Bennett
fears
Mrs. and Mrs.Clinton are so preoccupied right now that Socks is getting
the silent treatment. Johnson-Bennett says
the Clintons were so stressed out during scandals that the cat probably
took the bad vibes personally. As a result, Socks may have turned into
one paranoid pussycat – especially with Chelsea away at college and Hillary
and Bill’s cat allergies which supposedly keep them from petting Socks.
Meanwhile, Jay Wind, president of the “Socks the
Cat Fan Club,” claims poor Socks spends most of his time attached to a
leash on the White House lawn.
Other insiders say Socks has been an emotional wreck
ever since the Clintons adopted Buddy the dog.
EXCLUSIVE
PHOTO OF SOCKS
On Wednesday, November 29, 2000, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton received the official White House Christmas Tree from Paul and Sharon Shealer of Auburn, Pennsylvania. The Shealers were named the 2000 National Grand Champion Tree Grower by the National Christmas Tree Association. The tree is an 18-foot Douglas Fir and was grown at the Evergreen Acres Tree Farm. The tree was placed in the Blue Room of the White House and will be on display throughout the holiday season. At the tree arrival ceremony, the Murch Elementary School Chorus performed.
Scared by the horses during the tree delivery ceremony, Socks hid in a holly bush on the South Lawn. Socks The Cat Fan Club president Jay Jacob Wind snapped this exclusive, never-before-published photo.
In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton disclosed that Socks has been declawed in December 1996. The First Family's decision to declaw Socks was in part at the insistence of the Secret Service, after Bill was seen wearing a bandage on his cheek. At first, he said he had cut himself shaving, but later he revealed Socks had scratched him. Perhaps the declawing was postponed until until after the presidential electlion to avoid it becoming a campaign issue. In response, author Annie Bruce wrote the following article exclusively for Socks The Cat Fan Club Newsletter.
by Annie Bruce, cat owner consultant and author of Cat Be Good
I received the following call. "My cat is soiling the sofa. We replaced it. We want to get rid of him but the shelter is full. They gave us your number."
I have heard this many times from owners of declawed cats. Ninety-five percent of the phone calls I receive from owners of declawed cats are asking for help with a litter box problem. Urine runs deeper than claws. Instead of recovering the sofa, with urine damage, the sofa must be thrown away.
Clawed cat owners call for a wide variety of reasons. And those with litter box problems are most often sick. We think we are saving furniture and money by getting a cat declawed. But we are actually endangering the cat and our home because the procedure permanently damages his feet.
Here are some things that are not well known about declawing:
- Declawing is an amputation to the first joint, including claw, bone, tendons and ligaments.
- Some cats have had to be put to sleep after being declawed because they couldn't walk.
- Some declawed cats develop a habit of biting.
- Declawed cats are more likely to urinate outside the litter box than clawed cats. Clawed cats with litter box problems were more likely to be sick or older than declawed cats.
- Nearly every cat owner who calls me about a litter box problem is considering giving up the cat, putting it outside, locking it in the basement or euthanasia.
- Owners of declawed cats spend more on home repairs than owners of clawed cats.
- A lack of scratching and decreased exercise leads to deterioration in health and fitness. The declawed cat has a harder time dealing with stress.
- Declawing is illegal in many places in the world including Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Norway, and Portugal.
- The Royal College of Veterinarian Surgeons and the British Veterinarian Association consider declawing cruel and inhumane and members refuse to perform the operation.
- Declawing can lead to infection, requiring subsequent, expensive operations.
- Cats are smart and can be trained to use a scratching post.
- Ask your veterinarian to refuse to declaw any cat. Tell the veterinarian declawing is illegal in many countries and that cats are smart and will learn to use the scratching post.
- Patronize veterinarians that refuse to declaw.
- When adopting a cat, make it clear to the animal shelter that you will consider cats with claws. You will come out ahead and you will making a vote against declawing.
- Contact the American Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) and ask that their brochure "Surgical Claw Removal, An Extreme Solution" be sent to your
- veterinarian. Phone 530.759.8106; e-mail: AVAR@igc.org; web site: http://AVAR.org.
- Spread the word. Speak up. Once the operation is done, there is nothing the cat owner cat do to fix her cats' paws. If you hear that a co-worker or friend is getting a new cat, give her this information about declawing. Cat owners are not typically warned about what the operation really is. When I describe to people what the operation entails, most tell me they would never have had it done it if they had known.