The difference between the debates about guns in the 1990’s and now is the increased criticism of the leadership of the NRA and their complete resistance to all discussion about any gun control. Here’s a recent poll by the Pew Research Center which shows a clear majority of Americans favor background checks for all gun sales.
Since I’m always looking for an opportunity to show former VP Cheney in drag…
The Washington Post is reporting that former Senator Chuck Hagel will be nominated by President Obama for Secretary of Defense. Senator Lindsey Graham, among others, is criticizing Hagel for his past positions on the Iraq War, Israel, and Iran.
My 2012 look back for The Washington Post
President Obama to meet today with congressional leaders; Speaker Boehner calls the House back into session on Sunday. The fiscal cliff nonsense continues….
The French daily, Le Monde, is publishing a weekly page of cartoons and analysis; this week’s subject is Christmas:
Wayne LaPierre just finished a press conference calling for armed guards in every school. If you didn’t see it live, you can watch here. 
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings, there’s been plenty of discussion about guns. Violent video games and the role of Hollywood have also been mentioned as causes, with calls for restricting the amount of sex and violence. My radar immediately pops up whenever I hear someone going down the censorship path- who would make those decisions and where does it end? Frankly, I find Victoria Secret ads tasteless for their blatant sexual messages but I wouldn’t call for outlawing them. This will cause some readers to roll their eyes but I think the lack of diversity is a big reason why this country has a “culture of violence”. The majority of the video game developers are young males, the powerful players in Hollywood are men, and we’re still a far way from true representation in Congress. From my own experiences in the animation industry and the editorial cartooning profession I can tell you the lack of women and minority groups does color what is created and commented on.
So we have another school shooting in America- 28 dead including 20 children aged 5-7 years at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. I haven’t read any response from the NRA yet, but you can bet this is what will happen next:
NRA and Congress
Reading an interesting WSJ article about an Obama administration counterterrorism program which allows examination of the government files of all US citizens for possible (that’s the part which should worry you) criminal behavior, even if there’s no reason to suspect them. The article also referenced the 2002 Total Information Awareness program promoted by then DARPA director John Poindexter, which was widely criticized at the time. Here’s my view from 2002:
Some napkin sketches from Randolph’s Bar & Lounge in the Warwick Hotel, NYC. Dwane Powell’s are on the right, mine are on the left. My favorite is Dwane’s rear view one.
My cartooning buddy, Dwane Powell is a fantastic photographer as well. Here’s a couple of photos he took during our trip to NYC.
