This week I’m attending a cartoon conference in Caen, France with cartoonists from Algeria, Chad, France, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, and Russia. I’ll be posting photos and updates from the event.
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Category: free speech
The Five Questions
I follow British editorial cartoonists and cartooning organizations on twitter so this morning there were several posts about the death of Tony Benn, a revered figure in UK politics. I have to admit I wasn’t aware of the impact he had on British politics. Listen to what he says about democracy and money in politics- and take a look at his ‘Five questions of Power’:
I’m afraid I have to agree with Benn that “It’s questionable whether either in America or Britain we have a democracy” when money is considered speech by the Supreme Court. See questions 2, 3, 4.
More sketches of CPAC 2014 speakers
Anti-gay discrimination in the name of religion
I cannot tell you how furious I get when hearing a politician or representative from a special interest group trying to justify these so-called “Religious Freedom” bills now making their way through several state legislatures. These bills would allow businesses to deny services to gays because of the employer’s religious beliefs- which isn’t any different from not allowing blacks to sit at lunch counters reserved for white customers.
My take at the Washington Post
UPDATE: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoes bill
RELATED: Oklahoma judge rules Texas’ gay marriage ban unconstitutional; cites “state-imposed inequality”
George W Bush still doesn’t get it
This past Sunday ABC’s This Week ran an interview with the former president where he talked about his involvement with veterans and the difficulties they face when re-entering civilian life. At one point Bush gets somewhat emotional and says “I’m in there with them”. No, you’re not. You (and your administration) are the reason so many are in a place where you are not.
Kiev
Terrible news in Kiev this morning and not a peep from Putin.
Taiwan & China hold first direct talks since 1949
With the Olympics underway and the non-stop Chris Christie coverage, you’re probably not going to get much mention of this historic development in the American media. I worked and lived in Taipei for a short time in the late 1980’s and although I wasn’t interested in politics at the time, I remember very well when my taxicab driver proudly explained to me how Taiwan had many big guns pointed on their north shore towards mainland China in the event of an invasion.
A soldier’s 10th deployment
Last night’s State of the Union proved Speaker Boehner really does need an intervention for his tanning bed use, VP Biden has now officially turned into your crazy old uncle, and the GOP has jumped the shark in choosing patriotic backdrops (notice the apples; pie anyone?) for their SOTU responses. But what continues to stick in my mind is the moment when President Obama introduces Army Sergeant 1st class Cory Remsburg. No, not because of the two minute standing ovation he received and the understandable emotional reaction people (and myself) had- but to this line in Obama’s introduction:
“A few months later, on his tenth deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan.”
His 10th deployment. Think about that for a minute.
Plenty of news orgs are characterizing this as the SOTU high point, but I haven’t read any stories or heard any of the talkingheads this morning pointing out the outrageousness of a soldier on his 10th deployment and how it illustrates the constant state of war this country is in. Our politicians are great at waving flags and giving standing ovations for injured soldiers while ignoring what this does to a country and its people’s souls.
Edward Snowden, whistleblower
Yes, Edward Snowden is a whistleblower. Not a traitor, not a spy, and not someone who “…ought to swing from a tall oak tree”. Since the NSA ruling by Judge Richard Leon, I’ve been hearing more of the MSM use the term to describe, or at least pose the question that Snowden is a whistleblower.
Quite a different attitude than when we first learned of Edward Snowden:
A judge rules in favor of our privacy
A DC district judge ruled yesterday that the NSA’s collection of Americans’ phone records is most likely unconstitutional. This comes right after the outrageous 60 Minutes promotion/propaganda piece for the NSA last Sunday where the viewer was treated to little tidbits about Edward Snowden’s behavior so he comes across as a bit of a weirdo.
UN Human Rights Council- what’s in a name?
Yesterday 14 new countries were named to the UN Human Rights Council- among them were China, Russia, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia. I’ll just post this 2001 cartoon from the archives:
Veteran’s Day 2013
