America's New Phone Plan!

Cross-posted at the ACLU Blog of Rights.

It’s way better than the old plan our founding fathers set us up with. (You know, the one where warrantless spying wasn’t permitted.)

The FISA Retroactive Immunity Package gives you a sleek new phone, all the free minutes you need and the flexibility the government needs to get around your Fourth Amendment rights. Best of all—NO ROAMING CHARGES, even if you are sent to Gitmo!

Hallmark

Steph McMillan, back from the AAEC convention:

One funny thing I heard was Mike Lester's response to people who ask him why he never draws positive cartoons: "Those are called greeting cards."

Nader

Ralph Nader:

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American."

Grover Norquist:

"John Kerry with a tan."

More of Nader's insightful comments:

"Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

I also wish Obama would focus harder on poverty. But Ralph Nader playing the race card is probably the most ineffective way on Earth to get him to go about this.

Taking a break from his busy campaign schedule, Nader is now telling a black man he is "talking white" and is afraid to sound like Jesse Jackson (note to all black politicians: you need to sound like Jesse Jackson in order to win). As a black man, you are required to go visit ghettos constantly. Ralph Nader spends a lot of time in them talking to poor people, so just follow his example. Oh, and don't forget to make asbestos litigation the centerpiece of your national campaign. OK, you're all set for victory!

Wednesday: Screw the Whales!

Celestial Justice

Appearing today in The Oregonian:

The Oregon-based Followers of Christ Church has been losing a lot of children lately. Primarily because they refuse to take their kids to hospitals--electing instead to stand around, pray, and anoint them with oil. It doesn't have near the success rate of modern medicine so Clackamas County officials want to press charges against the parents. But why stop there?

Green Lung

From a pack of American Spirits:

Organic tobacco: for the eco-conscious addict.

Basic Instructions

Remember back when detainee abuse could be blamed on a few white trash hicks? We've come a long way since then. After torture memos and a high-level meeting on the subject that was attended by almost every major figure in the Bush administration came to light, it's come to this: A CIA lawyer flew down to Gitmo in 2002 and briefed them on torture. (or if you prefer, "harsh interrogation.) He told them, "If the detainee dies, You're doing it wrong."

That's it. If the heart stops, if the body starts decomposing, you probably messed up. Grab another and try again--until you get it right. Until you figure out how to get them talking without killing them.

Monday: Ralph Nader

Just Say "No"

America, 2008:

Conyers: Could the President order a suspect buried alive?

Yoo: Uh, Mr. Chairman, I don't think I've ever given advice that the President could order someone buried alive. . .

Conyers: I didn't ask you if you ever gave him advice. I asked you thought the President could order a suspect buried alive.

Yoo: Well Chairman, my view right now is that I don't think a President . . . no American President would ever have to order that or feel it necessary to order that.

Joel Pett on Obits

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the AAEC convention this year in San Antonio. Besides the beer and conversation there's a lot of informative panels to check out. Nick Anderson, the President of the organization, had asked me to be on one about obit cartoons. How I would have loved that. But it wasn't in the cards this year.

Rob Tornoe is down there and posted about the obit panel on his blog. Joel Pett was a panelist:

"Normally, the letters say 'you suck', 'you can't draw', 'who are you related to at the newspaper'," Pett said. "But when you draw an obit cartoon, suddenly you're a genius, and the readers love you."

But Pett was hardest on himself as he showed an obituary cartoon for Barbaro, the famous race horse much beloved in Kentucky.

"In Kentucky, you have no idea how many people loved this," Pett said of his cartoon featuring Barbaro as a consteliaton in the night sky. "I think it sucks. People loose their jobs in our industry and I do this shit?"

"I guess you really can beat a dead horse."

Gallo Alert!

I spotted this back cover ad in the latest issue of Radar.

Nothing quite says "go buy Vodka--specifically Belvedere Vodka!" like Vincent Gallo staring at you.

Carlin Cartoons

I was really not planning on commenting on the George Carlin obits, but I have to chime in for just a second. Many have the identical wording "You can't say those seven words here either, Mr. Carlin" while standing at the Pearly Gates and it's kind of embarrassing. Do we need to go through this shit every two weeks?

I'm not going to expend the energy it would take to post and ridicule them, but head over to Cagle's blog to see some of the worst. He sent out an e-mail to the artists that drew them and asked why they would put an outspoken atheist in Heaven. It's interesting to see some of their replies.

Cagle writes:

When I was on my recent speaking tour of China, I showed a bunch of Pearly gate cartoons (I've drawn my share of Pearly Gates cartoons, too). Often a question would come form the audience, "Are you a Christian?" I would reply, "I'm not much of anything." And the questioner would reply, "No, no, I think you are a Christian."

Many of the artists who respond aren't religious either and yet they continue to pump out these horribly unoriginal cartoons for dead people who aren't even Christian. It's like a profession-wide pathology. Anything resembling a tribute to Carlin that is taking place at the Pearly Gates would have to be ironic and feature George making some comment about the large amount of BS religion is based on. Otherwise, slapping a celebrity with their most famous line along side them isn't endearing--it's crap.

(Kevin Moore had the most respectable one I've seen.)

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

I love how everyone's an energy expert on global oil markets all of a sudden.

Perhaps drilling a well off of every coast continuously for the last twenty years would have resulted in cheaper gas today. Of course, if conservatives hadn't opposed conservation, urban planning, higher gas mileage standards, and alternative energy, maybe we'd be even better off at the pump.

Me, I blame the papacy. If those assholes hadn't impeded science we would already be a green country and Barack Obama and John McCain would have one less thing to bitch about.

Parenting

Based on a true story.

Wednesday: Gas Price Blame Game

shitpissfuckcuntcocksuckermotherfuckertits

"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little."

-George Carlin

Yeah, but we got people like you out of it, George.

Teach The Controversy

These shirts are pretty hilarious. Because Raeliens and Flat-Earthers deserve a fair shot as well.

Computer Prowess

A while ago McCain was asked if he was a Mac or PC guy. His answer: "Neither, I am a illiterate that has to rely on my wife for all of the assistance that I can get."

Imagine if Obama said he relied on his wife for everyday things. There would be a wave of right-wingers calling him an effeminate wuss. I picture President McCain going to an elementary school and a fifth grader trying to show him his website...it would be a disaster.

Monday:Parents these days

RCLU: Reptilian Civil Liberties Union

cross-posted at the ACLU Blog of Rights

The latest Civil Discourse comic deals with the odd application of laws at Guantánamo Bay. While the Bush administration has argued that the Constitution and International Law magically don't apply to detainees on the island, one U.S. law has been in full effect for years: The Endangered Species Act, which protects Gitmo iguanas from harm. Breaking a federal law is a serious offense. Anyone caught murdering, torturing, or harshly interrogating Gitmo’s endangered wildlife could face stiff penalties.

ACLU lawyers (who were trying to protect the island’s human inhabitants) even report road signs warning drivers to slow down for iguana crossings. It’s like braking for ducklings in a park, only you’re in a lawless prison camp surrounded by razor wire.

Last week the Supreme Court finally got around to ruling on detainees’ habeas corpus rights. Turns out you can’t just set up shop on an island and detain children for half a decade without charge. Who knew? The ruling is far too late for the detainees who have already died without having their day in court. (See previous comic Swift Justice.) Hopefully, digging their graves won’t displace a peaceful family of iguanas.

That would be wrong. Not to mention illegal.

Comics Above the Fold

Publishing Mogul Sam Zell has earned a lot of criticism for slashing newsroom budgets and his controversial statements. The Orlando Sentinel recently unveiled it's new, tabloid-style redesign and one thing I can't complain about is the prominent placement of Sunday's editorial cartoon--the front page. (scroll down to the image of the Sunday paper to see.)

Cartoon Roundup

So I've bashed plenty of bad cartoons lately--here are some good ones.

• Tom Toles and Rob Rogers on Gay Marriage
• Big Fat Whale with a "gas prices are high" comic that doesn't make you cringe. (get him a prize!)
• August on "Terrorist Fist Jabbing."
• Abell Smith posted his first animated cartoon--with great results.
  
• Joel Pett had a great one on the Gitmo ruling but the below full-page comic is where it's at. It ran in his paper, the Lexington Herald-Leader, and he gave me permission to post it here.
  

misc.

My latest ACLU comic was delayed due to the Supreme Court ruling on Gitmo which threw a wrench in it. It should be going up tomorrow.

At the Membership Conference a week ago they were distributing hundreds of buttons made from an illo I did.



Nadine Strossen's term as President of the ACLU will be up soon and they had a lunch honoring her with speakers and three Supreme Court Justices in attendance--including Scalia (apparently they're good friends). She was the first woman President of the ACLU and also the youngest. Some staffers had me create this for her.

Twitter

Tweet me.

Lawful Detainees

Gitmo detainees will now be able to challenge their detention and may even be tried in U.S. Courts soon. Some semblance of sanity is returning to the country by way of a single swing vote on the Supreme Court. The Constitution being in effect, however, does not mean instant justice as the innocent people who have been imprisoned and even executed can attest to--or not attest to in the case of the executed.

Friday: McCain's computer prowess

Do We Have A Problem Here?

Well, it's Tuesday so that means it's time for Rob Tornoe to point out another instance of lazy cartooning. This time a well respected cartoonist, two time Pulitzer winner David Horsey, has reissued a six year old cartoon with new words in the balloons.

Rob might draw more cartoons than any staffer--up to 15 a week for politicker.com--so he doesn't have much sympathy for those who can't draw something new for the day:

In an era of declining jobs for cartoonists, it's my view that the ones lucky enough to have staff jobs should take the responsibility seriously. Especially when the majority of them only draw one cartoon a day, if that.

They at least owe it to the cartoonists out there struggling, trying to make a living.

Update: Make sure to check Rob's comments to see Horsey's explanation.

Jesus on a Dinosaur

Obviously.

Sean Delonas: Worse Than a Hack

Another day, another cartoon that makes me ashamed of my chosen profession.

Sean Delonas is a cartoonist whose work runs in the NY Post. His cartoons are usually ad hominem attacks on gays, women, fat people, and celebrities, which is why they run on on "Page 6." Nothing funny or clever finds its way out of this guy's brain. But apparently he is so flattered by himself he copies his own cartoons. (found on Queerty via Rob Tornoe.)

Here is his cartoon for April 6 ridiculing Thomas Beatie, the "pregnant man."



"Any Suggestions?"

I have one: deliver the baby.

Now, two months later, Sean is so incredibly inept and unqualified as a cartoonist that he can't even think of an original idea for the day--so he plagiarizes his own shitty cartoon. Hack is too nice a word. It insults normal hack cartoonists who churn out crap, but still bother to make a new drawing or joke. Delonas simply redrew the comic and issued it on June 10. This time he dropped half the words.



"Suggestions?"

I have one: Resign.

Where are the Editors on this stuff? Do they find the fact that someone they pay to draw cartoons thinks he can mirror his own work and turn it in for the day? You see things like this, you look at the identical and predictable cartoons being drawn every day and editorial cartoonists wonder why we're getting laid off.

I flipped the one around and made two images...


When overlaid, you can see he didn't even eyeball it, but traced almost the entire cartoon.



This is lunacy. Why even go to all the trouble of redrawing it? Just reissue it. Want to make fun of the trans man again? Here, it's easy. Let's see...pregnant guy on delivery table. The doctor looks over and says "It's a boy." Draw it from a different angle and there you go: one hack cartoon for the day. It took me three seconds to think up.

-------------

I've e-mailed Sean and his editor early Monday to get their take, but they haven't responded.

Eskimo Nose Dap

I didn't think I was going to do a comic about the whole fist bump thing. But then came "Terrorists Fist Jab," one of the best entries into the political and cultural lexicon in years. Thanks, E.D.

I'm still kind of speechless over the whole thing.

Terrorist. Fist. Jab.

Wow.

(This is my 400th cartoon.)

Wednesday: Gitmo Justice

Russert Obits

Today is the first Sunday in a long time I haven't listened to Meet The Press. It was part of my routine while inking and coloring Wednesday's strip. I'm a little sad. I often found myself yelling at Tim to lay in a little harder, but he will be missed. (I only had the opportunity to draw him once.) Although he was somewhat of a conventional wisdom monger, he was one of the better talking heads out there. He certainly deserves all the tributes he's getting in the media. But when it comes to cartoonists paying homage to important people, they dropped the ball as always.

So far, my colleagues aren't pumping out as many bad cartoons as I thought. News of Russert's death happened on Friday so maybe they couldn't get to it in time. All the clichés have already been done at least once so there's something to plagiarize when they get back to the drawing table on Monday.

Sherffius was first out of the gate on Friday with the Creator of Heaven and Earth glad to finally "meet the press." And there were a few pointless portraits of Tim that offered nothing. I'll even give credit where credit is due and say that I thought Scott Stantis had a good one. Then there's the worst.

It should be said up front that the following are at least the first bad cartoon obits of Medium Russ. When people start releasing comics on Wednesday of next week that tread the same ground they are truly miserable hacks.

(click here to view)

MStreeter Savannah Morning News Jun 15, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

I don't know if there's a dead person who MStreeter hasn't drawn at the Pearly Gates. I draw wordy cartoons but, my god, keep it pithy with the obits. Please!

(click here to view)

Bruce Plante Tulsa World Jun 15, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

Standard Pearly Gate hackery here. I suspect some sloths to pump out near-identical cartoons early in the week. What's the point? I almost find this tripe insulting to the dead. I mean, does anyone think this happens when you die? You stand in a bad suit in front of the gated cloud community of heaven while an old guy with a book goes through your life to see if you get in or get the trap door to hell. "Well Tim, I'm looking over these Meet The Press transcripts and we are very pleased. The book you wrote on Fathers was great...in fact, The Father Who Art in Heaven would like to meet you!" ROFLMAO.

(click here to view)

Gordon Campbell Freelance Jun 14, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

A crying corporate logo. You've truly touched the Russert family--and the whole NBC peacock family--with this one. Alright hacks, here's some valuable info: Instead of tracing logos, there's a helpful website called logotypes that every first year design student knows about. It lets you download a vector image of most any corporate logo. Download that puppy, slap a tear on it, and hit the golf course for the rest of the day!

To see how easy it was, I gave myself 10 minutes to open my browser and Photoshop and recreate Gordon Campbell's cartoon with as many additional corporate cry babies as time would allow. Here's how I did:




10 minutes! And now when one of these brave companies experiences a loss in the family, I'll have a tribute cartoon ready to go!

Russert

Tim Russert has died of a heart attack. This is going to be one of the biggest obit cartoon sessions in history. Get ready for "Meet the Angels" cartoons.

I'll post the worst here.

Female Presidential Candidates of Tomorrow

Hillary Clinton may have put 18 million cracks in the "highest hardest" glass ceiling, but if any woman wants to break it she'll have to make sure she isn't too fat, too skinny, too manly, too girly, too nice, or too ruthless. Being rich would also help.

Monday: Terrorist Fist Jab

Fiendly Skies

I spent almost the entirety of Tuesday in airports flying back from the ACLU Membership Conference. Here's some random crap.


Barf bags with Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes on them!

Next: "It's not a tumor! It's air sickness!"



In case of an emergency, hurt your child.



Looks cute, huh? Try sitting next to this girl for a few thousand miles. I propose "Kid Class" for the back of the plane with some sort of sound-proof barrier so people who want to read, sleep and be generally pleasant can enjoy their flight.

I know "First Class" passengers get seated and served drinks before those in "C.H.U.D Class" are allowed on, but has anyone ever heard of "Breezeway" boarding? Maybe this is old news, but Delta had a separate boarding lane for rich people with a nice rug with "Breezeway" written in a breezy italicized font. The idea is if you are in First Class and don't bother boarding when you are supposed to because you want to finish your cocktail in the bar, you can use the Breezeway lane to bypass the hundred or so people waiting in line and hop on real quick. Why not make a staircase out of kneeling coach passengers for a few extra bucks?

Fist Bumping Jumps the Shark

Sorry to keep bringing it up, but I'm fascinated by the fascination.

This USA Today photo makes the pound look like a dated greeting only used by politicians and Iowa farmers. Thanks Obama.





Update: Apparently the term "Jump the Shark" may be tired as well. A funny replacement being pushed is "Nuke The Fridge." Urban Dictionary explains:

The term comes from the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which, near the start of the movie, Harrison Ford's character survives a nuclear detonation by climbing into a kitchen fridge, which is then blown hundreds of feet through the sky whilst the town disintegrates. He then emerges from the fridge with no apparent injury. Later in the movie, the audience is expected to fear for his safety in a normal fistfight.

Here's video evidence. How does something like this make it into a movie?

Lawn Order

My hometown of Canton, Ohio, passed a law that will jail people who let their lawn grow longer than a porn star's penis. Home prices are tanking. Who's responsible? The bum down the street who won't cut his grass!

People are obsessed with their lawns all across America but it seems fitting that this came from Canton. When I mowed lawns there in the summer people seemed particularly uptight about which direction you mowed and at what height they wanted it maintained--after a few days they treat it like a five o' clock shadow that needs a fresh scraping.

So much effort goes into maintaining a lawn; gas, water, chemicals, time. If I ever make enough money to buy a house, the first order of business will be ridding myself of as much lawn as possible with gardens, mulch, walkways, low-maintenance shrubs, cement--whatever can keep me from reeking of gasoline on Sundays.

Friday: Female Presidential Candidates of Tomorrow

Turd of the Day

Chuck Asay ridicules transgendered people in his latest cartoon. Being transgendered can get you killed in this country. The choice of which bathroom to use can draw stares, ridicule and harassment. Thankfully, those in Colorado now have a choice.

The right-wing website World Net Daily writes:

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, has eliminated gender-specific restrooms and locker rooms statewide, giving woman and girls reason to fear being confronted by predators, cross-dressers "or even a homosexual or heterosexual male," according to a critic.

Gay guys don't identify as female and aren't attracted to children, but they may just mosey into a ladies room for the express purpose of hurting little girls. I love it.

(click here to view)

Chuck Asay Creators Syndicate Inc. Jun 10, 2008 EditorialCartoonists.com

For the hell of it I went over to the Free Republic boards, the anal leakage of the internet. Here's a sample:

The law says, “gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and transgenders”. There is no provision that female clothing must be worn that I could see.

The Islamification of American women.

I would prefer hundreds of men guarding the restrooms from these freaks. It's worth a year in jail to keep these things away from little girls....or boys for that matter.

2050

Hillary has conceded and endorsed Obama, who has a nearly identical voting record in the Senate. But some of her supporters are still saying they will vote for McCain, who promises to appoint right-wing judges to the Supreme Court. I can't think of a worse strategy for progressing Women's Rights.

Wednesday: Lawn Order

Again with the Fist Bumping

NY Times:

As he declared himself the nominee on Tuesday, Mr. Obama cut a particularly woman-friendly figure on stage, dedicating his speech to his grandmother and affectionately bumping fists with his wife, Michelle.

How is fist bumping seen as a gracious gesture to women?

A Little Patience

This animation is amazing. I can't imagine how long it must have taken.


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Cutting Ties

Barack Obama has left his church of twenty years after another "yelling pastor" video made the web. What could have prompted his departure? Not politics. It was a personal decision--one that was best for his family. It only happened to coincide with the conventional wisdom mongers declaring this to be something he "had to do."

I guess they are right in that the issue would never go away otherwise. If he became President, he might fly back every Sunday to be indoctrinated. You can receive weekly phone calls by homophobic hate-mongers, but not black preachers.

Monday: Hillary Supporters

The Latest Absurdity

This campaign cycle has been dominated by hyper-analyzing some of the candidates' most mundane mannerisms and traits: Hillary's laugh, her cleavage, her tear, his flag pin.

The latest? The quick fist bump between Barack and Michelle Obama during his speech in Minnesota. Yahoo! currently has it as the top story, saying it "has people talking." The Washington Post has some insight into the historic nomination of the first fist bumping candidate nominated by a major party.

It was the fist bump heard 'round the world.

As Barack Obama walked onstage in St. Paul, Minn., to claim the Democratic nomination Tuesday night, he and wife Michelle hugged and then, gazing into each other's eyes with knowing smiles, gently knocked knuckles.

He also gave her a playful little pat on the butt, but it was the bump that got everyone talking.

I like how they write "'round" instead of "around." Very hip. Almost as hip as fist bumps.

I guess it's shocking whenever a politician does something normal people do and you know it isn't the result of an adviser leaning over and whispering, "the people like to do the fist bump thing--you should give it a try." Is this the elitist behavior of his Hillary told us about?

The antithesis of this moment had to be the image of McCain during his speech. The awkward grinning, bad jokes, and deep-green vomit background made him look like a creepy old man. Maybe when they meet on stage for an event there will be an embarrassing moment where one tries to give dap and the other shake hands, followed by the "what the fuck are we doing" hand shuffle.

New Yorker Captions

There's a hilarious article over at Slate by Patrick House titled "How To Win The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest." Patrick won (of course) and has an excellent breakdown of a victory strategy, including the types of words used in winning captions.

You are not trying to submit the funniest caption; you are trying to win The New Yorker's caption contest.

Humor and victory are different matters entirely. To understand what makes the perfect caption, you must start with the readership. Paging through The New Yorker is a lonesome withdrawal, not a group activity. The reader is isolated and introspective, probably on the train commuting to work. He suffers from urban ennui. He does not make eye contact. Laughing out loud is, in this context, an unseemly act sure to draw unwanted attention. To avoid this, your caption should elicit, at best, a mild chuckle. The first filter for your caption should be: Is it too funny? Will it make anyone laugh out loud? If so, throw it out and work on a less funny one.

I've heard Robert Mankoff, the stippling-obsessed cartoon editor, say the same thing and it always struck me as odd. I believe the way he described it was that the comics should cause a slight curl of the mouth and no audible reaction.

I always thought cartoons were supposed to be funny and never cared much for those found in The New Yorker. After reading the mag for about two years I've warmed up to them a bit. But maybe, as Patrick suggests, I'm one of the people pretending to get it "in the hope of receiving some sort of osmotic transfer of IQ if they hold the magazine tight enough."

Situation Floor

CNN has TV screens on the walls and descending from the sky. Some walls are TVs. The prized possession is the interactive jumbotron manned by John King. Sadly, I tuned in tonight and King wasn't zooming in and out, breaking down the demographics for us--John Roberts was filling in. I wonder how long he trained.

Friday: Obama Quits Church

Mailbag Douchebag

A Christian writer who has begun witnessing to me through e-mail wrote, at least initially, about my Michelle Malkin comic:

Muhamhead [sic] also said to fight until the whole world is submitted to Islam.

...and that is exactly what is happening.

Why ding Michelle because she points it out?

If you ARE aware of the violent teachings of Islam, then why ding her?

Why not ding Islam for it's official teachings?

Seems strange to me.

Any reasoning for why?

Just wondering.

Best regards,
~Joseph

Dang, that's a whole lot of "dings" there, Joe. I'll try to respond in your native language: Malkin is a ding dang idiot so I gave her a dinger. Jihadists are also big dingers who have dinged us and should be danged back, but they are not taking over the whole dang world through ding dang Dunkin' Donut ads.

Thus, I dinged Michelle.

Flagz in Tha Hood

This is cross-posted at the newly relaunched ACLU blog "Blog of Rights." Also, I'll be presenting a slide show of my comics this weekend in DC for the ACLU membership conference.

-------------

Educators are constantly struggling to keep the wandering minds of the young focused on their studies. Attempts to weed out “distracting” clothing is a constant issue. You might expect to hear about some half naked girl being asked to come back with some clothes on. Perhaps a death metal shirt with impaled concert goers getting turned inside out by the Choir teacher. But the American Flag?

The latest Civil Discourse comic is about the real-life case of 15-year-old Malia Fontana. For the crime of wearing an American Flag bandana in her back pocket she was escorted to the Principal’s office where she was written up. Fortunately, Maria was paying attention to the part in her American History class about Free Speech. She knew her rights were being violated.

The ACLU got involved and passed the principal a note telling him to clear her name and apologize. The press release noted:

Malia has long supported young people’s rights. In 8th grade, she wrote a paper in support of the Children’s Bill of Rights for which she received a grade of A+

Did you catch that, Mr. Principal? An A+. You just messed with the wrong sophomore!

Subliminal Jihad

Michelle Malkin and friends raised a fuss over an ad for a donut shop with a scarf in it--an issue that affects all Americans.

I struggle with whether or not I should note that an incident or quote is real in my comics. Sometimes it's important to let people know you are not actually making this up, but it can detract from the reading. After I finished the comic, I showed it to a friend who hadn't heard of the Dunkin' Donuts incident or the brouhaha over the 9/11 memorial. They laughed and said, "You know, I can almost imagine those things happening in real life." Then I broke the bad news.

Wednesday: The Situation Room