Live sketching Obama’s 2013 State of the Union tonight

Posted on February 12, 2013 by - politics, society

So much news- the Pope announcing his resignation, the ex-LAPD officer is in a standoff with police at Big Bear, and the State of the Union is only 2 hrs away.  I’ll be doing live sketches  during the SOTU speech so I hope you’ll follow via the Washington Post or twitter.   For you dog lovers, the Westminster Dog Show is also on tonight.  In case you’ll have to miss it, here’s a taste of our own Washington Worst of Breed:ScaliaBulldogSM

40th anniversary of Roe v Wade

Posted on January 22, 2013 by - human rights, politics, society, womens issues

Today is the 4oth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v Wade, which made abortion legal in all 50 states.  Every year on this day the Pro-life groups descend on Washington DC to march around the Court.  I live in the area so I’ve witnessed these over the years and it always strikes me how the majority of these protesters are very young children.  012208AntiRoeDCMarch

Criticism of NRA leadership increases

Posted on January 15, 2013 by - politics, society

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.

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Violence in movies and video games

Posted on December 18, 2012 by - free speech, politics, society, womens issues

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.

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