Two Polls

A new poll reveals how incredibly ignorant and callous many Americans are.

Americans unaware of Iraqi death toll

Americans are keenly aware of how many U.S. forces have lost their lives in Iraq, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll. But they woefully underestimate the number of Iraqi civilians who have been killed.

When the poll was conducted earlier this month, a little more than 3,100 U.S. troops had been killed. The midpoint estimate among those polled was right on target, at about 3,000.

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Among those polled for the AP survey, however, the median estimate of Iraqi deaths was 9,890. The median is the point at which half the estimates were higher and half lower.

The real number is, of course, much higher. There's no official number, but one study put at 650,000. I don't think an honest observer could put it below 100,000--The U.N. reported 34,000 deaths for 2006 alone. And just think, for every respondent who gave a figure in the hundreds of thousands it would take dozens of people answering absurdly low figures to average down to 9,000.

Add in the amount of people who were injured and the 40,000 Iraqis that are now leaving the country every month and you can start to understand the scale of devastation. Even another factor is the size of the population in proportion to ours. They have (had) 25 million people upon our invasion to our 300 million. Increase the death toll by a factor of 12 to get an idea of what a similar situation in America would be.

Another poll reveals our Anti-Troop Troops:

An overwhelming majority of 72% of American troops serving in Iraq think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and more than one in four say the troops should leave immediately, a new Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey shows.

One thing: The poll was taken one year ago this month, meaning three quarters of the troops would already like to see us out of Iraq. Looks like the vast majority of the military is even ahead of the Democrats.

War Is Boring #4

Read it here.

Conservapedia!

I had no idea this existed until I read about it in August's latest comic. Check out Conservapedia, the user editable right-wing encyclopedia that includes such highly researched knowledge nuggets as:

Evolutionists have no real evidence that macroevolution occurs and there is no consensus on how it allegedly occurs...

and

Evolution Violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics

And there is about six encyclopedias worth of problems on their moon entry:

Our solar system is one of the few that has only one sun. Only one sun and only one moon: this uniqueness may reflect the existence of only one God.

New Toon: Welcome To Walter Reed

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The investigation into the dilapidated, rodent infested, bureaucratic hellhole of Walter Reed was a refreshing discovery from a media that's been airing uninterrupted coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith court hearing cry-fest. Good to know that in between sending our young people into an unnecessary war and fucking them over for the rest of their lives they get to put their feet up (if available) at such a nice place for a few weeks.

One thing that works well for politicians who are combat veterans is that they get indignant and beat their chests with moral superiority on any issue involving "the troops." Thankfully in this case it will actually be for the better in getting those problems fixed.

I've got a few new comics coming this week. Check back.

Thursday: The Infectious Optimism of Barack Obama

Don't Forget: I've got a selection of quality shirts I designed and printed myself on sale in the store for a mere $5 each.

The Nun

Speaking of Religion, I just finished watching one of the best films of the last half century: The Nun, which was snubbed by the Academy in 2004:

While at boarding school, a group of girls suffered under the torment of a cruel and sadistic nun until the day they could no longer bear the abuse… and the nun was mysteriously never seen again. Years later, brutal and unexplained murders begin killing the members one by one. Feeling the familiar and evil presence of the nun from years ago, the surviving women regroup in an attempt to save their lives and lay the nun to rest one final time.

Tagline: Not all water is Holy

The Nun was drowned by the children whom she tortured and now (18 years later) manifests herself through water to kill her victims in the manner of Patron Saints. Although she didn't come close to the terror of the Gingerdead Man, I'm putting the Nun up there with top female villains Nurse Ratched and Anne Wilkes.

The King Of The World

From Time:

Brace yourself. James Cameron, the man who brought you 'The Titanic' is back with another blockbuster. This time, the ship he's sinking is Christianity.

In a new documentary, Producer Cameron and his director, Simcha Jacobovici, make the starting claim that Jesus wasn't resurrected --the cornerstone of Christian faith-- and that his burial cave was discovered near Jerusalem. And, get this, Jesus sired a son with Mary Magdelene.

I'm pretty sure they meant to write "startling claim" so I'm gonna go with that.

Startling claim? Not to most people on Earth. That someone was the Son of God (and simultaneously God himself), born of a Virgin, bodily resurrected and physically ascended up into the sky is the only claim that startles a rational mind. Seriously, people of all faiths have the tendency of treating their religious claims as the default position of reality and that the burden of proof is on everyone else to disprove it. I'm sorry, but it's just not so.

Making a claim that contradicts everything we know so far (flying around on magic carpets, walking on water, invisble "auras") requires proof. I support anything that opens discusion, but do we really need James Cameron and Dan Brown hauling out coffins and making elaborate conpiracies to come around to something that is clear if you only take a step back and give an honest critical look at Biblical claims? Don't answer that.

New Toon: Non-Binding Parenting

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If I drew the kid as George Bush and the parents as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid then I would have had to label the cat "Iraq."

and that would be lame.

I will use the rest of this time trying to sell you things.

Don't forget that if you like a cartoon you can order a nice signed color print of it here. And if you really like a comic you can buy the original artwork from me. Just send me an e-mail
for availability.

I also do commissions for a reasonable price. Anything from George Bush to your cat to George Bush having relations with your cat can be drawn.

and the Pulitzer goes to...

I think I got them all:

• Dick Lochner on Hillary's baggage.
• Larry Wright on Hillary's baggage.
• David G. Brown on Hillary's baggage.
• John Trever on Hillary's baggage.
• Paul Combs on Hillary's baggage and also on Hillary's baggage.
  

New Shirt Design

I've been wanting to make this design for a while now and I'm finally going to get around to printing them soon. They should be available by the end of March.

I'm also ordering more of the Johnny Cash shirts so I'll have XL sizes.

Go Listen

Brother Harry Hardwick of the infamous Landover Baptist church was interviewed by the Infidel Guy Podcast (or as Landover put it, a "Famous Negro Atheist"). Absolutely hilarious. Go listen.

New Toon: The Piece Of Paper That Did Nothing

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Democrats passed a non-binding resolution saying they disapprove of Bush's surge plan. I hope we didn't vote them into office to pass non-binding measures all year.

Bush hasn't cared what Congress thinks for a while now. The criticism from Pro-War Republicans is valid: If Democrats think the surge is wrong, if the war is wrong and people are needlessly dying, why won't they vote to cut off funds?

Democrats can reposition themselves, have debates, and "rebuke" the President all they want. It's certainly a lot better than what was happening a year ago in Washington, but it doesn't change a thing in Iraq if they don't end the war. Perhaps I'm being too harsh and that is what they are slowly trying to do--erode support for the President, force Senators to take positions, and take time to sell to the public that cutting off funding isn't an Anti-American plot to leave our soldiers without food and water stranded in the desert. But I don't have that much faith in the Democrats.

If anyone that voted for this resolution won't cut off funds when the time comes (and it's been time), they are a coward.

Thursday: another take on the resolution.

Straight Outta' Compton

Altweekly comics infiltrated the L.A. Times Editorial Page this Sunday with comics from Ted Rall, Jen Sorensen, August Pollak, and myself (all members of C.W.A.). Cartoonist Joel Pett gave us a nice writeup:

While mainstream press cartoonists recover from their wretched run of astronaut diaper doodles and appalling Anna Nicole Smith gags (class action paternity suits?), let's look in on the alternative-press inkers. This restless crowd is joyfully impertinent, blissfully unencumbered by meddling editors and able to stretch the bounds of taste, subject matter and edginess. They're angrier too, probably the result of working day jobs without benefits or continually being overlooked come awards season. And while some lament the long-winded presentation, there's often a payoff in context, detail and having the space to mention obscure facts. (Who knew you couldn't mock the king of Thailand?) Besides, these four comics average about 80 words apiece, about the same as a brief letter to the editor. Pretty good stuff… but can they exploit a salacious celeb tragedy?

New Illustrations

This cover and the two spots below were for the Anchorage Press last week. We'll Fly Away is a memoir by Toby Sullivan about his time on a King Crab fishing boat (one of the most dangerous jobs in America). The story focuses on the few months in which a woman joined the six man crew as a cook and the sexual tensions and friendships that arose from it.

It was a really great story but unfortunately I can't link to it because their website hasn't been updated. I'm illustrating some other memoir pieces for the right now.

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And then I got to draw one of my favorite rappers, Ghostface, for campusprogress. The article asks why Ghostface is lauded by mainstream critics such as the NYTimes and The New Yorker while ignoring vibrant artists outside of the mainstream.

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New Toon: Ted Haggard, Ex-Gay

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It's Ted Haggard week here at www.mattbors.com. There is one glaring thing I included (or did not include rather) in this comic. Haggard has five children and I had to omit some for space and aesthetic reasons. No, but seriously, I got to drawing this and wanting it to be as realistic and fair as possible took a look at it and felt something was missing. What was it? Oh, right. I drew him with pants. Haggard wouldn't be wearing any fucking pants in this situation!

As gracious reader/spiritual advisor Bruce tells me:

Sick, very sick young man grow up and I pray that you repent because Jesus loves even sick boys like you.

Random Stuff

• August's new comic takes on the right-wing "it's cold! Al Gore is an idiot" tactic/lame joke used today (again) by Drudge.
  
• Nothing new here, just another asinine comic from Bob Gorrell.
  
• Condoleeza Raps on YouTube.

New Toon: Haggard's Gay Therapy Survival Guide

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Ted Haggard was back in the news last week. After three weeks of therapy he is "completely heterosexual." This comic theorizes how he may have made it through those trying weeks. Ex-Gay therapy is a disgusting movement and I feel bad for the people in it--except Haggard. I wish him a long life of struggle and a deteriorating marriage while struggling with his natural urges of homosexuality.

I was really frustrated with this comic. I loved the script but hate my inconsistent portrayal of Haggard's grinning horse face. I had to cut down on some of the material in order to fit it into six panels, so I decided to put them in another comic that will be out on Thursday. It has a decent caricature of him so I won't be killing myself as previously planned after finishing this one.

Valentines

The useless holiday of Valentines Day is rapidly approaching. I've got no one to buy anything for anymore. The love of my life choked on her own vomit last week. Check out some cards from Big Fat Whale, Diesel Sweeties. and Mr. Wiggles.

New Illustration

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For an article on campusprogress.org entitled Alfalfa Sprouts Dissent-Bush’s elite base turns against him at annual Alfalfa Club Dinner by Michael Gottwald.

Exactly

The Funnies

As everyone except newspaper editors know, most daily comics suck. The comics page is overflowing with garbage, much of it by dead people. Another good chunk is by uncredited ghost artists, joke writers, and credited copycat artists carrying on a 70 year old strip. Some of it is funny (Pearls Before Swine comes to mind).

United Media is making an attempt to not just get new blood (ink?) into the comics page, but strips that are actually good.

Diesel Sweeties by Richard Stevens is their first attempt and it's had a pretty successful launch. It appeared in Attitude 3 last year (along with myself) and as far as I know is the first comic to make the jump from being an extremely popular webcomic to a syndication deal. It's also a pixel comic created entirely on computer which makes its' appearance in newspapers even that more astounding. He got what seems to be an unprecedented good deal with the syndicate: He controls his merchandise and makes web-only Diesel Sweeties for his website. The syndicated strips are here. Hopefully there will be more interest by syndicates and Editors to get exciting material in the microscopic slots they alot the dailies these days.

United has also launched fellow C.W.A. member Stephanie McMillan's Minimum Security comic as a web only feature Monday through Friday. Read it here.

New Toon: Attention Toddlers

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This No Spanking law that has been introduced in California is a perfect example to me of something you shouldn't do versus something there needs to be a law against. Spanking your children, especially when they are under 3, is an ignorant and uncreative way of parenting, but making a law against it seems equally stupid. Child abuse is already illegal. So how do we enforce spanking? This law makes it all illegal, so even a light swat is punishable by fine or imprisonment. It also prevents children under three from being spanked. Have your third birthday party yesterday? Welcome to the world, kid. Time for a spanking.

And when liberals from San Francisco say "Things have changed. Now we tell parents what to do," I couldn't write a better quote for right-wingers decrying the "Nanny State".

Also, I caught some show called Supper Nanny or something with these unruly brats. There was this little six year old running around talking shit and hitting people. I'm for passing a law requiring his parents to beat him with a clothes hanger.

Next Week: comics on more important subjects.

War Is Boring #3

A new War Is Boring strip is up.

No St. Peter?

Cagle's site has a collection of Molly Ivins tribute cartoons for the late great columnist (although it doesn't include Jen Sorensen's). Amazingly, I'm not seeing any Pearly Gate cartoons with St. Peter and Molly Ivins yelling out some line she was famous for. This is truly an astounding feat for mainstream editorial cartoonists.

New Toon: Warmax

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This cartoon relies on you knowing the Flomax ad ("do you have a going problem?"). I asked a few people and they were all familiar with it, except the ones who weren't and liked the strip because all drug commercials are the same. So I think I'm safe on this one.

New Toon: Ripple Effect

Running this week in the Cleveland Free Times

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I have another comic coming tomorrow (I've been busy lately). Check out these other great comics as of late.

The Good:

• Slowpoke on Private Accounts
• Big Fat Whale on Obama
• Tom the Dancing Bug on God
• Bob the Angry Flower on...boobs

The Bad:

Did you hear Joe Biden put his foot in his mouth?

It has arrived!

New Toon: Bumbaro

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I had a cartoon about the surge for today, but I decided to bust this one out while Barbaro is still eating up the front pages. Check back Friday and Saturday for more comics.

I'm mainly a verbose multi-panel type guy, buy one thing I love about doing one panels is stretching out and actually drawing some figures and a nice background instead of just talking heads.

As for Barbaro, August says it best:

It's not even a heartwarming story, if you think about it. Someone took a horse, trained it to run fast, and during the course of exploiting its ability to run fast for the purpose of gambling, fatally crippled it. Yay, America!