In an upcoming “60 Minutes” interview, former Vice President Dick Cheney said he had his doctor disable the wireless function of his implanted defibrillator because he was concerned terrorists could hack into the device. I have a feeling Cheney wasn’t only concerned about terrorists when he made this decision.
Category: human rights
The World of Justice Scalia
Here’s a well-informed Supreme Court Justice of the United States. According to a New York Magazine article, Justice Scalia only reads The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times. He admits he gets most of his news from talk radio and his favorite host is Bill Bennett.
*update: Be sure to read Justice Scalia’s answer to why he became an avid hunter. Scalia recounts when his grandfather and namesake Antonino became too old to go out into the woods, he would sit on the back porch and shoot rabbits who ventured out in the vegetable garden. When the interviewer suggests this isn’t a very sporting way to hunt, Scalia excuses it because his grandfather was 85 at the time. I wonder if Justice Scalia will be metaphorically shooting defenseless things from the Court bench in his old age…
*update #2: “… the only heroic opinion I ever issued— was my statement refusing to recuse”, Justice Scalia said of his decision not to recuse himself from the case which involved former Vice-president Cheney, his hunting buddy. If I can find the cartoon I did about that case, I’ll post it soon.
Found it! From 2004:
Supreme Court back in session
It’s the first day of the Supreme Court’s 2013 term. Head over to SCOTUSblog to read about what’s coming up.
Another mass shooting- this time in Washington, DC
Another mass shooting in the United States. If I sound weary, it’s because I am. Although it’s early and details about the shooter are still emerging, the common ingredients are all there: easy access to guns, previous gun-related arrests, the powerful gun lobby, mental illness, and violent video games. Here’s a graphic reflecting who commits these mass shootings from Mother Jones:
I guess they forgot to include a graphic showing the male/female ratio.
Back to work
Congress is returning today after their a 5 week recess (you had most of August off from your job, didn’t you?) to face the question of Syria. President Obama will also be making his case for airstrikes on six(!) networks today, followed by a Tuesday prime-time address from the White House.
Here’s what I thought in 2003 about Bush’s push for war in Iraq:
…and here’s what I think about Obama’s case for airstrikes in Syria.
This time it’s Syria
It’s looking more and more like the US will be launching air strikes in Syria, possibly as early as Thursday. You’ll have to excuse my cynical tone, but here we go again. Here’s an illuminating chart by a well-known Egyptian blogger which shows the complicated and constantly changing relationships in the Middle East. Of course our past policies have contributed to the never-ending cycle of violence in the region:
There are some congress members speaking out against military action.
Here’s my latest animation on the subject.
A very disturbing development…
Yesterday as I was finishing up a deadline, I noticed this at the Guardian website. The partner of Glenn Greenwald (one of the journalists who broke the Snowden/NSA story) was detained for 9 hours at London’s Heathrow airport. As an American and an editorial cartoonist, this is a very disturbing development. I remember right after 9/11 how ordinary people were detained for weeks without access to legal counsel, all in the name of preventing terrorism threats.
This reinforces one of my biggest fears- that people who criticize the government will be targeted. Every time I’m interviewed I always talk about how we American cartoonists never have to face the types of threats other cartoonists around the world do because we have the First Amendment to protect us. This is the first time I truly feel the situation has changed.
Here’s Glenn’s response and Andrew Sullivan’s piece challenging PM Cameron. Be sure to read the last line; the unfortunate reality is that it’s a question which needs to be asked.
Manning found not guilty of aiding the enemy
Bradley Manning was found not guilty yesterday of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy. However, he was found guilty of several charges of espionage. The sentencing hearing begins today and Manning faces over 100 years in prison.
Bradley Manning verdict today
Today a military judge will rule on the Bradley Manning Wikileaks case. If Private Manning is convicted on the “aiding the enemy” charge, he could face life without the chance of parole in a military prison. Regardless if you feel Manning is guilty or innocent, this could have a serious impact on investigative journalism and how much we know about what our government is doing. It’s a big deal.
Helen Thomas 1920 -2013
Journalist Helen Thomas died yesterday at the age of 92. A tenacious and outspoken trailblazer for many young female reporters, Thomas covered the White House for over fifty years. Her career unfortunately ended in controversy but I will forever remember and thank her for this exchange with then White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. If only all journalists approached their jobs like Helen did. 
Dear Malala: I am writing this letter to explain why we tried to kill you
In a bizarre development, a senior member of the Pakistani Taliban has written a letter to Malala Yousafzai explaining why the Taliban tried to murder the then 15 year-old school girl. The handwritten, rambling, 4-page letter (which jumps around from British colonialism to pointing out that Henry Kissinger is Jewish) insisted that she was not targeted because of her support for education, but because of her “smearing campaign” against the Taliban. Last Friday Malala delivered a very inspiring speech at the United Nations supporting girls’ education and received a standing ovation. It’s as though the Taliban just realized that they need to launch a PR campaign to fix their misogynistic image.
WANTED: hoodie
I’ve heard many pundits dismiss the issue of “Stand Your Ground” laws in the discussion of the Trayvon Martin case because it wasn’t part of the defense strategy but I think that’s missing the underlying issue. When you combine people’s prejudices with guns and the right to use force in self-defense outside of your home, there will be more killings. Don’t buy it? Well, think about how people act in their cars when you accidentally cut them off. Now put a gun, a perceived threat, and no obligation to retreat first all together.