West Virginia chemical spill

Posted on January 14, 2014 by - human rights, politics, society

The spill happened last Thursday but it looks like the MSM is finally understanding the magnitude of this story after the Sunday morning talk shows ignored it.   It’s still a developing story, but there’s at least one question which should be answered:  Why is a chemical substance which hasn’t been tested for humans allowed to be housed near a river which supplies water to communities?

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For more on the spill and methylcyclohexane

For more coverage, go to The Charleston Gazette.

For my animation on the subject, from Monday

 

Supreme Court sexism?

Posted on December 19, 2013 by - human rights, politics, womens issues

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had to deal increasingly with the question whether she’ll step down from the bench while a Democratic president is still in office.  Yes, she is 80 years old- the oldest member of the Court- and there’s the danger of health issues forcing a resignation during a conservative presidency.  But hey, but the life expectancy of women in the US is five years more than men.  That means that Justice Scalia (77) should consider stepping down as well as Justice Kennedy (77) and Breyer (75), right?  At least we should expect more interviewers asking them the question only posed to Justice Ginsburg…

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Edward Snowden, whistleblower

Posted on December 18, 2013 by - free speech, human rights, politics, society

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:ShootingTheMessinger

 

A judge rules in favor of our privacy

Posted on December 17, 2013 by - free speech, human rights, politics, society

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.MetadataVacuums

The reality of our health care system

Posted on November 14, 2013 by - human rights, politics, society

So, the last two animations I’ve done have dealt with conservatives talking nonsense about the healthcare situation in the US.  This one was actual nonsense coming from a well-known voice of nonsensical talk and the other one, from a former VP who is peddling a book about his life-long healthcare experiences and obtaining a new heart.

I’m getting to the point where I feel like throwing something at my TV because of the current debate over whether or not people should be able to keep their current health care insurance plans in light of the Obamacare website fiasco.  Conservatives are yelling about government forcing people to give up their current insurance plans, the talking heads are obsessing about how some people will end up paying more for their new health care insurance plans, and  the House leadership is planning a bill called “Keep your Health Plan Act”. On the last one, they conveniently left out the operative word:  insurance.  We are just skimming the surface on a health care system which is complicated,ineffective and incredibly expensive- all because we refuse to discuss what is fundamentally wrong with how we provide health care.  There are so many other systems in the world we could learn from but all it takes is one uninformed politician or talking head to scream “socialism” and it effectively shuts down any meaningful discussion.

I’ve mentioned this book before, but I’m going to again-  The Healing of America by T.R. Reid Go buy it. It’s excellent and will open your eyes. I wish it was required reading for every member of Congress.

Virginia Gubernatorial Race- Election Day

Posted on November 5, 2013 by - human rights, politics, society

It’s Election Day in Virginia.  The republicans have managed yet again to offer the voters a candidate out of touch with so many Americans, especially women.  Ken Cuccinelli, a staunch anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, social far-right gubernatorial candidate for the GOP is still behind Terry McAullife, but the numbers are tightening.

*UPDATE:  Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe wins, but it was a tighter race than most predicted.

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Drones and civilian deaths

Posted on October 23, 2013 by - human rights, politics, society

I’m just shaking my head…

“Actually, IDGAS how many. Killing potential enemies is messy”

That was a facebook comment in response to my current animation about human rights groups challenging the Obama Administration over the number of civilian deaths due to drone strikes.  Ok, so even if one can’t feel simple human compassion for the deaths of non-Americans, I can’t understand how these people don’t see the impact these strikes have on our standing in the international community.  Seems like it would just make the job of “killing potential enemies” harder.BruisedLiberty

One bad heart away from the presidency

Posted on October 21, 2013 by - human rights, politics

Sundays are one of my regular deadline days.  It’s the toughest one for me, especially if it’s a beautiful sunny day and everyone around me is still in weekend mode.  I suppose I could do the animation on Friday but I like to watch the Sunday morning news shows to see if there’s some interesting audio to use.  However, this past Sunday wasn’t difficult to focus because 60 Minutes was running an interview with Dick Cheney and if any of you are familiar with my print work,  the former vice-president is one of my favorite targets.  I’m pretty sure I’ve done more cartoons over my career about Cheney than even GW Bush during his two terms.

60 Minutes is on at 7pm in my time zone, so I couldn’t wait until then to come up with the idea but there was a short video clip from the upcoming show circulating online.  Most written pieces highlighted that Cheney and his doctor decided to shut off the wireless capability of the  implanted defibrillator because of a potential terrorist hacking threat, but I found Cheney’s terse answers to questions about his health problems more interesting.  I didn’t know this but apparently studies show that people with severe heart disease can also suffer from memory loss, depression, impaired cognition, and a decline in decision making abilities.  Great-the guy who is second in line to the presidency and more than likely the major decision maker in going to war in Iraq can’t differentiate between Saddam Hussein and the guy who ordered the attacks on September 11, 2001.CheneyHeart