November 13
The Ted Rall Show returns to the airwaves! Watch this space for details.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
The Libby Indictment
It's all good, obviously. My full reaction will come in next week's column, but suffice it to say that--from the standpoint of those of us who want to see the Bushies fall and fall hard--a drip drip of indictment and scandal is better news than a bunch of indictments--Rove and Cheney, not to mention Bush--all at once. It took the American people many, many months to fall in love with George W. Bush. It will take at least as long to convince them that their affection was misplaced.
It's all good, obviously. My full reaction will come in next week's column, but suffice it to say that--from the standpoint of those of us who want to see the Bushies fall and fall hard--a drip drip of indictment and scandal is better news than a bunch of indictments--Rove and Cheney, not to mention Bush--all at once. It took the American people many, many months to fall in love with George W. Bush. It will take at least as long to convince them that their affection was misplaced.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Impeachment Column Mail Call
Zephyr asks:
Strictly speaking, the US Department of Justice is charged with that function. On a practical level, however, it is directly overseen by and the Attorney General receives orders from the White House. When there's a clash between the executive and legislative branches of this sort, therefore, the Supreme Court's decisions can--as in Rasul--simply be ignored.
Steve writes:
And we may have that prosecutor in the form of Mr. Fitzgerald. I hope that he requests an extension of his mandate so he can pursue criminal charges, up to and including treason, against both former Texas Governor Bush and Mr. Cheney. Still, this hardly seems like a system that has worked very well so far. Furthermore, there are no criminal statutes against lying to the people--a crime that ought to be punished by removal from office.
Richard writes:
One can hope. This would be an excellent example of the system working as it should or, in the words of one unaware pundit a few months ago, pandering to the voters--which is, of course, what elected officials are supposed to do every day, not just during election years. Still, many--too many--officials might be able to distance themselves from Bush without going so far as to vote for his removal from the office his lies and thievery have repeatedly dishonored.
Getting Clinton's jizz out of the Oval Office was one thing, but how long will it take to mop up the blood of 160,000 dead?
Lee writes from Canada:
Very articulate. That's what learning to write outside of the American educational system will do.
Zephyr asks:
You wrote, "More than a year after the Supreme Court decided in Rasul v. Bush that the nearly 600 Muslim men and young boys being held incommunicado at Guantánamo Bay were entitled to have their cases heard by U.S. courts, they remain in cold storage--no lawyers, no court dates. The Bush Administration simply ignored the ruling."
Is there an agency of the government whose function it is to enforce Supreme Court decisions?
Strictly speaking, the US Department of Justice is charged with that function. On a practical level, however, it is directly overseen by and the Attorney General receives orders from the White House. When there's a clash between the executive and legislative branches of this sort, therefore, the Supreme Court's decisions can--as in Rasul--simply be ignored.
Steve writes:
I couldn't agree less on the utility of the Constitution to deal with Bush and his acolytes. For one thing, the Constitution gives the president no immunity to the criminal laws. One courageous prosecutor has the means under the Constitution to bring down an entire government. That none is doing so is simply a tribute to the boldness and criminal expertise of our governors.
The Nixon case is unfortunate because Nixon stayed out of jail while his aides did time. It set a pretty bad precedent, but at least we removed Nixon from office. The Clinton case is even worse because it set a precedent that lying is not a serious enough offense to warrant removal from office. Bush is taking liberal advantage of the Clinton doctrine.
Despite all this, Bush could be called to answer in criminal court, especially if his aides begin to sense that they're in jeopardy. Ultimately, a criminal complaint would force him out of office. The Constitution has what it takes to remove him, if the personnel responsible for enforcement haven't yet manifested the fortitude to act.
And we may have that prosecutor in the form of Mr. Fitzgerald. I hope that he requests an extension of his mandate so he can pursue criminal charges, up to and including treason, against both former Texas Governor Bush and Mr. Cheney. Still, this hardly seems like a system that has worked very well so far. Furthermore, there are no criminal statutes against lying to the people--a crime that ought to be punished by removal from office.
Richard writes:
Ted,Thanks for your article.
Perhaps I misinterpreted the substance of your piece but haven't you overlooked those having face the voters and run for reelection in 2006? Standing behind an increasing unpopular president will prove a political liability for many. I think the Harriet Miers "revolt" in Republican ranks may provide further evidence of this possibility even though those on that side feel she is too "liberal." In order for Clinton to be impeached several Democrats were forced to go against party and back the inquiry, such as Dianne Feinstein. For this I hold out hope. And realistically, a reawakened Republican party and congress will have to occur even with a democrat president in order to set right the nation. The sooner the better.
One can hope. This would be an excellent example of the system working as it should or, in the words of one unaware pundit a few months ago, pandering to the voters--which is, of course, what elected officials are supposed to do every day, not just during election years. Still, many--too many--officials might be able to distance themselves from Bush without going so far as to vote for his removal from the office his lies and thievery have repeatedly dishonored.
Getting Clinton's jizz out of the Oval Office was one thing, but how long will it take to mop up the blood of 160,000 dead?
Lee writes from Canada:
Thanks for “Why Bush is Unimpeachable”, which I saw on Common Dreams.
The US Constitution is pretty much a dead letter these days, and it’s not just because of Bush.
The power of Congress to declare war became a dead letter when LBJ used the Tonkin Gulf Resolution to ramp up a huge war involving millions of Americans. Since then, every president has felt free to send US troops hither and yon without worrying about Congress, especially if he can get some US troops killed. Once that happens, Congress and most other Americans want to “stay the course” and avoid “talking about the past” – until several years of failure cause “malaise” to show up in the polls.
Impeachment? It’s either an impossibility (Johnson, 1867) or a sick game (Clinton, 1998). The president has become a king, with all the sacredness of royalty and all the political power of a prime minister. I’m Canadian. I don’t even remember the name of Prime Minister Paul Martin’s wife. But Laura Bush is America’s queen, with a major role in selling her husband’s policies. Republic? – fuhgeddaboutit. You’ve got an elective, but not a constitutional monarchy.
Too many people look for similarities between today’s America and Nazi Germany. The real similarity is with Fascist Italy: the constitutional forms were hollow but continued a ghostly existence; the dictatorship developed over several years, and the nature of the regime was vicious and contemptible, not overpoweringly evil.
Eventually it took a disastrous defeat in WWII to rouse the king to fire Mussolini and arrest him. What will it take to rouse Congress to revive the Republic and get rid of the contemptible regime that has spat on the constitution and perverted the Republic while saluting the flag that “stands for” it?
Very articulate. That's what learning to write outside of the American educational system will do.
The Night Before Christmas
That's what it feels like across the land, as special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald readies what with luck will be a set of indictments against Karl Rove, Scooter Libby and other members of the illegitimate Bush junta that has occupied the White House since stealing it via judicial corruption in 2000. Already the right wing is preparing its stupid-ass arguments, but they won't stick any more. The American public is slow-witted but finally clued in to what has been done under their name, and they know that outing a CIA agent is treason plain and simple.
The next question, assuming that Rove and Libby get the frog-marching each richly deserves, is what happens to Bush and Cheney. Cheney, as the New York Times reported, was Libby's original source for the information about Valerie Plame. And Bush knew that Rove was covering up the leak investigation from the start. That both men are traitors is plain to see for anyone who cares to take notice. The question is, will the GOP Congress fulfill their Constitutional obligation to impeach them or will the political pressure build via the media to the point where both mass murderers are forced to resign? I suspect rather the latter, with the scandal and its inevitable denouement--President Hastert, anyone?--unfolding sometime next year. Although, with this gang, anything is possible.
There are those who will point out that it's a little strange to see a special prosecutor with the power to bring down a president, and those commentators will be correct. As I wrote in my column this week, however, the system is broken. All we have, the last hope of the republic, is this special prosecutor. If and when we rid ourselves of the Bush plague, one hopes that we won't just "move on" but will take stock of what went wrong with our system of checks and balances and take action, including amending the Constitution to allow minority political parties to bring up impeachment procedings or setting up an independenty judicial means of removing a law-breaking president, to prevent such a disaster from again befalling the world.
That's what it feels like across the land, as special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald readies what with luck will be a set of indictments against Karl Rove, Scooter Libby and other members of the illegitimate Bush junta that has occupied the White House since stealing it via judicial corruption in 2000. Already the right wing is preparing its stupid-ass arguments, but they won't stick any more. The American public is slow-witted but finally clued in to what has been done under their name, and they know that outing a CIA agent is treason plain and simple.
The next question, assuming that Rove and Libby get the frog-marching each richly deserves, is what happens to Bush and Cheney. Cheney, as the New York Times reported, was Libby's original source for the information about Valerie Plame. And Bush knew that Rove was covering up the leak investigation from the start. That both men are traitors is plain to see for anyone who cares to take notice. The question is, will the GOP Congress fulfill their Constitutional obligation to impeach them or will the political pressure build via the media to the point where both mass murderers are forced to resign? I suspect rather the latter, with the scandal and its inevitable denouement--President Hastert, anyone?--unfolding sometime next year. Although, with this gang, anything is possible.
There are those who will point out that it's a little strange to see a special prosecutor with the power to bring down a president, and those commentators will be correct. As I wrote in my column this week, however, the system is broken. All we have, the last hope of the republic, is this special prosecutor. If and when we rid ourselves of the Bush plague, one hopes that we won't just "move on" but will take stock of what went wrong with our system of checks and balances and take action, including amending the Constitution to allow minority political parties to bring up impeachment procedings or setting up an independenty judicial means of removing a law-breaking president, to prevent such a disaster from again befalling the world.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Geek Love
Now that Wish Lists have become a way for people to support cartoonists, at long last I've come up with one of my own. You may have noticed that some of these items are pretty expensive. Well, duh! If they were cheap I could afford to buy them myself. Like a certain orange credit card, therefore, I've developed a kickback scheme to sweeten the pot for those interested in improving my quality of life: Depending on how much you spend, you get everything from signed books to originals to, well, me.
Here's the deal:
Under $50: I love you. Love is cheap!
$50 to $100: You get a signed Ted Rall book of your choice (assuming it's in print).
$100 to $200: A small sketch of my choice.
$200 to $400: An original cartoon of your choice, from the last three months (assuming I still have it).
$400 to $600: An original cartoon of your choice, from any time (assuming I still have it).
$600 to $800: Two original cartoons
$800 to $1000: I will draw a custom cartoon to your personal specifications (provided that your idea isn't totally embarrassing)
$1000 to $2000: One custom cartoon plus a complete set of every Ted Rall book ever published, including foreign editions, and out-of-print titles, signed
$2000 and up: We'll hang out for coffee and/or drinks. You can take my photo, bring your friends, be fun and/or boring. Even Republicans will be accomodated. Caveat: Said event must occur in New York City or a city where I happen to be visiting, or a place that I agree to and that you're willing to fly me to. The night's on you. Added bonus: an original cartoon to remember me by.
Email me at chet@rall.com if you want to play.
Now that Wish Lists have become a way for people to support cartoonists, at long last I've come up with one of my own. You may have noticed that some of these items are pretty expensive. Well, duh! If they were cheap I could afford to buy them myself. Like a certain orange credit card, therefore, I've developed a kickback scheme to sweeten the pot for those interested in improving my quality of life: Depending on how much you spend, you get everything from signed books to originals to, well, me.
Here's the deal:
Under $50: I love you. Love is cheap!
$50 to $100: You get a signed Ted Rall book of your choice (assuming it's in print).
$100 to $200: A small sketch of my choice.
$200 to $400: An original cartoon of your choice, from the last three months (assuming I still have it).
$400 to $600: An original cartoon of your choice, from any time (assuming I still have it).
$600 to $800: Two original cartoons
$800 to $1000: I will draw a custom cartoon to your personal specifications (provided that your idea isn't totally embarrassing)
$1000 to $2000: One custom cartoon plus a complete set of every Ted Rall book ever published, including foreign editions, and out-of-print titles, signed
$2000 and up: We'll hang out for coffee and/or drinks. You can take my photo, bring your friends, be fun and/or boring. Even Republicans will be accomodated. Caveat: Said event must occur in New York City or a city where I happen to be visiting, or a place that I agree to and that you're willing to fly me to. The night's on you. Added bonus: an original cartoon to remember me by.
Email me at chet@rall.com if you want to play.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tom DeLay to be Arrested
And so it begins. The thug who hired DC goons to shut down the Florida recount by acts of violence at a planned riot is being arrested today in Texas: fingerprints, mug shot, maybe (pleeeeeeease) even a perp walk. Let Tom DeLay be the first of many such arrests in coming days and weeks as the illegitimate Bush regime rightly falls upon the scrap heap of history.
Better late than never.
And so it begins. The thug who hired DC goons to shut down the Florida recount by acts of violence at a planned riot is being arrested today in Texas: fingerprints, mug shot, maybe (pleeeeeeease) even a perp walk. Let Tom DeLay be the first of many such arrests in coming days and weeks as the illegitimate Bush regime rightly falls upon the scrap heap of history.
Better late than never.
New York Daily News: Could Bush Go Down in Treasongate?
When Treasongate broke last summer, right-wing psychos online and on TV lambasted my assertion that this was serious business that could lead all the way to the Oval Office. Now the New York Daily News has an exclusive story indicating that Piehole himself knew all along. If true, Bush should be arrested immediately since he is a traitor to the United States and thus possibly in the employ of foreign agents:
Courtesy of FOR Dave:
When Treasongate broke last summer, right-wing psychos online and on TV lambasted my assertion that this was serious business that could lead all the way to the Oval Office. Now the New York Daily News has an exclusive story indicating that Piehole himself knew all along. If true, Bush should be arrested immediately since he is a traitor to the United States and thus possibly in the employ of foreign agents:
Courtesy of FOR Dave:
As you stated in your Blog, you called it. Found this on Drudge. If it's true, then it shows that Bush knew
of Rove's involvement in the Plame Affair TWO YEARS AGO. Which proves that he's been lying all along.
Keep up the great work,
Dave
http://nydailynews.com/front/story/357107p-304312c.html
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Did I Call It Or What?
DC gossipmongers are focusing on Dick Cheney as a possible indictee (please...please...pleeeeeeease?) in Treasongate. The biggest bastard in the nest of vipers currently running America in the ground, CNN is reporting, could be indicted as early as tomorrow.
As usual, right-wingers mocked me for writing this in my July 5 column:
And as usual, I was right and they were wrong.
DC gossipmongers are focusing on Dick Cheney as a possible indictee (please...please...pleeeeeeease?) in Treasongate. The biggest bastard in the nest of vipers currently running America in the ground, CNN is reporting, could be indicted as early as tomorrow.
As usual, right-wingers mocked me for writing this in my July 5 column:
How far up the White House food chain does the rot of treason go? "Bush has always known how to keep Rove in his place," wrote Time in 2002 about a "symbiotic relationship" that dates to 1973. This isn't some rogue "plumbers" operation. Rove would never go it alone on a high-stakes action like Valerie Plame. It's a safe bet that other, higher-ranking figures in the Bush cabal--almost certainly Dick Cheney and possibly Bush himself--signed off before Rove called Novak. For the sake of national security, those involved should be removed from office at once.
And as usual, I was right and they were wrong.
ATTITUDE Presents: Stephanie McMillan's MINIMUM SECURITY
It's right here in front of me, and it's a beautiful thing: outrageous and outraged cartoonist Stephanie McMillan's book! Fresh off the press from NBM, this third volume in the "Attitude Presents:" series (following Andy Singer's "No Exit" and Neil Swaab's "Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles," both of which are still available) is exactly what fans of the series and alternative comics lust for: a batch of high-quality work by an artist that most people haven't yet discovered.
You can check out Stephanie's cartoons at www.minimumsecurity.net, and you should. But the book is 160 pages, barely more than ten bucks on Amazon, and absolutely delicious. From politics to relationships, from Bush-bashing to global warming, Stephanie delivers the goods in piece after piece. If you're a Ted Rall fan, you'll love Stephanie McMillan. Please take my word for this and drop ten bucks on this.
Then send me an email to tell me what you thought. I'll post the interesting ones here.
It's right here in front of me, and it's a beautiful thing: outrageous and outraged cartoonist Stephanie McMillan's book! Fresh off the press from NBM, this third volume in the "Attitude Presents:" series (following Andy Singer's "No Exit" and Neil Swaab's "Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles," both of which are still available) is exactly what fans of the series and alternative comics lust for: a batch of high-quality work by an artist that most people haven't yet discovered.
You can check out Stephanie's cartoons at www.minimumsecurity.net, and you should. But the book is 160 pages, barely more than ten bucks on Amazon, and absolutely delicious. From politics to relationships, from Bush-bashing to global warming, Stephanie delivers the goods in piece after piece. If you're a Ted Rall fan, you'll love Stephanie McMillan. Please take my word for this and drop ten bucks on this.
Then send me an email to tell me what you thought. I'll post the interesting ones here.
Monday, October 17, 2005
America 2008
Several people ask:
The militarizing of government functions domestically, recently exemplified by Bush's proposal to suspend Posse Comitatus to allow the military to respond to a possible avian flu epidemic (by setting up internment camps for victims).
Several people ask:
hi im a big fan and i know you're busy, but i was wondering if you could briefly explain to me your latest comic 'america 2008'. maybe im not keeping up with the latest news but why would america look like that in 3 years? what is this a commentary on?
The militarizing of government functions domestically, recently exemplified by Bush's proposal to suspend Posse Comitatus to allow the military to respond to a possible avian flu epidemic (by setting up internment camps for victims).
Biographical Info
Jim from Costa Rica asks:
I haven't worked for Slate in years (but I would if they were interested in having me back!), so they're using an outdated form of my bio. I remain unashamed of my past as a college dropout/expellee. It should also be noted that I eventually graduated from Columbia, with honors in history.
Jim from Costa Rica asks:
I thought this paragraph from your Slate biography was both funny and intriguing:
In 1984, Rall was expelled from Columbia Engineering for disciplinary and academic reasons. He gave up drawing cartoons during the mid-'80s, instead devoting himself to his work as a trader/trainee at Bear Stearns brokerage firm and a loan officer at the Industrial Bank of Japan. He moonlighted as a telemarketer and taxi driver.
My question is why is this most wonderfully ironic passage not included on your website?
I haven't worked for Slate in years (but I would if they were interested in having me back!), so they're using an outdated form of my bio. I remain unashamed of my past as a college dropout/expellee. It should also be noted that I eventually graduated from Columbia, with honors in history.
Today's Email from a Real Republican Voter
Courtesy of Rader:
Well, I like Al Gore even if I don't love him exactly. Still, it's always good to hear from guys like Rader. Right-wingers have become pretty quiet lately; even the death threats have dried up as of late now that every single utterance of the post-9/11 era has turned out to be dead wrong.
Courtesy of Rader:
i would first like to say that i fully support the first amendment, and i support your expressing your opinion. however, i must know, where on EARTH do you come up with the things you express? the negatives towards our presidential administration are unprecedented, wild, and i fail to find anything anywhere to corroborate what you say. do you use sources along with actual news and events or do you just randomly imagine the president screws things up and attempt to make lame jokes about it? please regard my first amendment to also say what i like. on that note i would like to say that you disgust me. thank you for your time.
I love my country and its president,
Well, I like Al Gore even if I don't love him exactly. Still, it's always good to hear from guys like Rader. Right-wingers have become pretty quiet lately; even the death threats have dried up as of late now that every single utterance of the post-9/11 era has turned out to be dead wrong.
Martial Law? It's Already here
Russ writes:
Russ makes an excellent point. Moreover, Bush signed a secret executive order granting him the write to execute anyone, including American citizens, he declares to be an "enemy combattant."
Russ writes:
You’re about 4 years late – we’ve been living under martial law since passage of Patriot Act.
In fact some Constitutional scholars hold that suspension of habeas corpus equates with martial law.
The Patriot Act effectively provides for this, allowing President to declare ANYONE an ‘enemy combatant’ who can be held incommuicado indefinitely.
“The martial law concept in the U.S. is closely tied with the Writ of habeas corpus, which is in essence the right to a hearing on lawful imprisonment, or more broadly, the supervision of law enforcement by the judiciary. The ability to suspend habeas corpus is often equated with martial law. Article 1, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution states, "The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law#United_States_of_America... Okay, Wikipedia isn’t scholarly source, but it’s probably accurate.)
Russ makes an excellent point. Moreover, Bush signed a secret executive order granting him the write to execute anyone, including American citizens, he declares to be an "enemy combattant."
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Bloggers Can't Make up Their Minds
A blog called bloggledygook references me as someone who puts down people who voted for Bush:
Well, far be it from me to shy away from the characterization someone who doesn't read much of my work has for me. So yes, I'll fess up: Anyone who voted for Bush is a Goddamned fucking idiot. Fuck them. Why progressives should suck up to such morons instead of ridiculing them as they well deserve--which, incidentally, might remind them to think more carefully the next time they exercise their franchise--is beyond me.
On the other hand, Bernard Weiner lists me as a "journalistic hero" for standing up to the Bush regime's attempt to loot the treasury while destroying American democracy and personal freedom.
Oh, well. Back to the Bush voter-bashing cartoons for this week.
A blog called bloggledygook references me as someone who puts down people who voted for Bush:
Those lefty bloggers can now sit back and sneer I-told-you-sos and in true Ted Rall fashion, portray Bush voters as stupid and sinister all at the same time.
Well, far be it from me to shy away from the characterization someone who doesn't read much of my work has for me. So yes, I'll fess up: Anyone who voted for Bush is a Goddamned fucking idiot. Fuck them. Why progressives should suck up to such morons instead of ridiculing them as they well deserve--which, incidentally, might remind them to think more carefully the next time they exercise their franchise--is beyond me.
On the other hand, Bernard Weiner lists me as a "journalistic hero" for standing up to the Bush regime's attempt to loot the treasury while destroying American democracy and personal freedom.
Oh, well. Back to the Bush voter-bashing cartoons for this week.
Sunday, October 9, 2005
UK Independent: Bush Claims God Told Him to Murder 100,000 People
Courtesy of Ken:
Courtesy of Ken:
I am a devoted fan of your work and when I read this article I thought "Wow , this is great! Almost as good as something Ted Rall would come up with". Only its for real. I've read some snippets of Bush getting messages from God, but nothing this well documented.
If you haven't read it already please do check it out.
From: The Independent on line.
Bush: God told me to invade Iraq
President 'revealed reasons for war in private meeting'
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
Published: 07 October 2005
..... Palestinian foreign minister Nabil Shaath says Mr Bush told him and Mahmoud Abbas, former prime minister and now Palestinian President: "I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George go and end the tyranny in Iraq,' and I did."...
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article317805.ece
The New York Times' War on Cartooning
What is going on at The Times? Readers ask me all the time, as if I know because they used to run my work, but hell if I know. The Week-in-Review section has become a clone of Newsweek's famously dismal gags-about-the news (yes, gag me) Perspectives section. To read either would be to miss the fact that editorial cartooning is currently in its golden age. Sadly you have to read the alternative weeklies, and the ATTITUDE compilations, to know. And the Web, of course. You sure as hell won't find anything but donkeys, elephants, labels and all manner of stupidity in the Times.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Times' Sunday Magazine has introduced a section called "The Funny Pages" which includes a one-page serialized graphic novel by, incredibly--the dead worst graphic novelist in America, Chris Ware.
Ware, best known for his Jimmy Corrigan GN of a few years ago, is a fine draughtsman who works wonders as illustration's answer to Death Cab for Cutie. Sadly, he also fancies himself a cartoonist, i.e. an artist who works with words and ideas as well as pictures. That's tough to do when you're fairly stupid (read his interviews to see what I mean), aggressively out of touch with the world (no crime, unless you're trying to be a cartoonist) and have had nothing of interest happen to you. His artwork has managed to seduce enough fans and editors (at the Times magazine, for instance) that they've managed to ignore Ware's FEMA-like incompetence as a cartoonist, some to the extent that they call him one of the (cough) best cartoonists working today.
Of course, many of the same folks think George W. Bush is the best president we've ever had, so there you go.
What is going on at The Times? Readers ask me all the time, as if I know because they used to run my work, but hell if I know. The Week-in-Review section has become a clone of Newsweek's famously dismal gags-about-the news (yes, gag me) Perspectives section. To read either would be to miss the fact that editorial cartooning is currently in its golden age. Sadly you have to read the alternative weeklies, and the ATTITUDE compilations, to know. And the Web, of course. You sure as hell won't find anything but donkeys, elephants, labels and all manner of stupidity in the Times.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the Times' Sunday Magazine has introduced a section called "The Funny Pages" which includes a one-page serialized graphic novel by, incredibly--the dead worst graphic novelist in America, Chris Ware.
Ware, best known for his Jimmy Corrigan GN of a few years ago, is a fine draughtsman who works wonders as illustration's answer to Death Cab for Cutie. Sadly, he also fancies himself a cartoonist, i.e. an artist who works with words and ideas as well as pictures. That's tough to do when you're fairly stupid (read his interviews to see what I mean), aggressively out of touch with the world (no crime, unless you're trying to be a cartoonist) and have had nothing of interest happen to you. His artwork has managed to seduce enough fans and editors (at the Times magazine, for instance) that they've managed to ignore Ware's FEMA-like incompetence as a cartoonist, some to the extent that they call him one of the (cough) best cartoonists working today.
Of course, many of the same folks think George W. Bush is the best president we've ever had, so there you go.
Saturday, October 8, 2005
The Tillman Link
The Nation has a piece on Pat Tillman, as referenced by Don:
The Nation has a piece on Pat Tillman, as referenced by Don:
You've probably read the articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Nation (see http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051024/zirin) on Pat Tillman's opposition to Bush's Iraq war and his fondness for Noam Chomsky, revelations that have Ann Coulter spewing chunks, but I'd be interested in getting your take on the matter.
Harriet Miers' Experience
FOR Fred notes:
Lies, lies and damned statistics. It is true that many, indeed half of justices who served on the Supreme Court, did not work as judges previously. That doesn't tell the whole story, however. Most of these non-judge justices served during the 19th century. Indeed, the trend during the 20th century has led to increasing experience requirements to serve on the highest court in the country, mirroring a general requirement in the employment sector towards increasing credentials: today's BA is yesterday's high school diploma, etc. Moreover, most of the justices cited as "inexperienced" by pro-Miers Republicans did have fairly impressive credentials. These included former senators and, in William Rehnquist's case, a sitting deputy attorney general.
Miers' experience doesn't come close to the kind of resume justices have been expected to possess during the past few decades.
That said, the conservative revolt against Miers is a little strange. So Bush lied about guaranteeing an anti-Roe justice (even though seems about as pro-life as you can get short of having shot an abortion doctor herself). You didn't seem to mind his lies when they worked towards your benefit--the tax cuts helping the economy, WMDs in Iraq, capturing Osama dead or alive, etc. Buy a rabid dog and eventually he'll bite you too.
FOR Fred notes:
I saw a stat recently that sed nearly half of the supreme court justices throughout history (including Renquist) were not judges before taking the bench. I've even heard rumors that Bill Clinton is sniffing around for an appointment under the next democratic admin (and lets hope its the NEXT admin).
I'm not sure about this lady myself, but her lack of judicial experience is hardly unprecedented. Just proves my point that most folks in poltics (regardless, in this case, of right or left alignment) will reach for the nearest bat to pummel their opponent and worry about the hypocracy later (if at all.)
Lies, lies and damned statistics. It is true that many, indeed half of justices who served on the Supreme Court, did not work as judges previously. That doesn't tell the whole story, however. Most of these non-judge justices served during the 19th century. Indeed, the trend during the 20th century has led to increasing experience requirements to serve on the highest court in the country, mirroring a general requirement in the employment sector towards increasing credentials: today's BA is yesterday's high school diploma, etc. Moreover, most of the justices cited as "inexperienced" by pro-Miers Republicans did have fairly impressive credentials. These included former senators and, in William Rehnquist's case, a sitting deputy attorney general.
Miers' experience doesn't come close to the kind of resume justices have been expected to possess during the past few decades.
That said, the conservative revolt against Miers is a little strange. So Bush lied about guaranteeing an anti-Roe justice (even though seems about as pro-life as you can get short of having shot an abortion doctor herself). You didn't seem to mind his lies when they worked towards your benefit--the tax cuts helping the economy, WMDs in Iraq, capturing Osama dead or alive, etc. Buy a rabid dog and eventually he'll bite you too.
Pat Tillman Redux
A lot of people have been contacting me concerning the piece in the San Francisco Chronicle about Pat Tillman. (For those who have been hiding under a rock, Tillman was the former NFL football player who gave up a multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the army in 2002. He served two tours of duty, the first in the invasion of Iraq and the second in Afghanistan, where he was killed in a "friendly fire" incident the Pentagon tried to cover up.) According to the Chron, Tillman was far from the right-wing poster child the right--and the left, including me--took him to be. He regarded the Iraq war (although not the Afghan invasion) as illegal and read a lot of Chomsky.
"I don't believe it," Ann Coulter said in reaction to the revelation that the premier indicutee into the Bush Administration's Post-9/11 Death Cult was a leftie. I admit it--I'm surprised too. Like Coulter, Bush, et al., I too bought the cartoon image: chiseled features, proud to wear the uniform, football player. We were all wrong, as it turns out.
Of course, I know that there are progressives in the military. Some have written books about their experiences. And I receive email from a lot of them. But they are, by and large, the exception. Tillman, said to have signed up in reaction to 9/11, seemed to fit neatly into the usual soldier = mook paradigm.
Except, according to his mother Mary as quoted in the Chron piece, he wasn't. Which only adds to the confusion for me. Why would someone familiar with Chomsky, whose work is dedicated to the prospect that government and especially the military, lies as routinely as they breathe, agree to sign their life away with a blank check to an unscrupulous unelected gooney bird like George W. Bush? For that matter, how could someone who read The Nation and other left-of-center publications, fail to understand that the invasion of Afghanistan was every bit as unjustitiable and as much of a distraction from a real war on terrorism, as the looting of Iraq?
I wish all this stuff had come to light immediately after Tillman's death--hell, immediately after his enlistment. It would have saved countless lives, both of American servicemen who joined the military after being inspired by him and the Iraqis and Afghans they and their comrades dispatched in the name of the World Trade Center. But it's too late for that. As for me, this episode serves as an important reminder that you can't always judge a book by its red, white and blue cover. And it redoubles the tragedy of his death, since it sounds like we lost one hell of an interesting human being in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
A lot of people have been contacting me concerning the piece in the San Francisco Chronicle about Pat Tillman. (For those who have been hiding under a rock, Tillman was the former NFL football player who gave up a multi-million dollar contract to enlist in the army in 2002. He served two tours of duty, the first in the invasion of Iraq and the second in Afghanistan, where he was killed in a "friendly fire" incident the Pentagon tried to cover up.) According to the Chron, Tillman was far from the right-wing poster child the right--and the left, including me--took him to be. He regarded the Iraq war (although not the Afghan invasion) as illegal and read a lot of Chomsky.
"I don't believe it," Ann Coulter said in reaction to the revelation that the premier indicutee into the Bush Administration's Post-9/11 Death Cult was a leftie. I admit it--I'm surprised too. Like Coulter, Bush, et al., I too bought the cartoon image: chiseled features, proud to wear the uniform, football player. We were all wrong, as it turns out.
Of course, I know that there are progressives in the military. Some have written books about their experiences. And I receive email from a lot of them. But they are, by and large, the exception. Tillman, said to have signed up in reaction to 9/11, seemed to fit neatly into the usual soldier = mook paradigm.
Except, according to his mother Mary as quoted in the Chron piece, he wasn't. Which only adds to the confusion for me. Why would someone familiar with Chomsky, whose work is dedicated to the prospect that government and especially the military, lies as routinely as they breathe, agree to sign their life away with a blank check to an unscrupulous unelected gooney bird like George W. Bush? For that matter, how could someone who read The Nation and other left-of-center publications, fail to understand that the invasion of Afghanistan was every bit as unjustitiable and as much of a distraction from a real war on terrorism, as the looting of Iraq?
I wish all this stuff had come to light immediately after Tillman's death--hell, immediately after his enlistment. It would have saved countless lives, both of American servicemen who joined the military after being inspired by him and the Iraqis and Afghans they and their comrades dispatched in the name of the World Trade Center. But it's too late for that. As for me, this episode serves as an important reminder that you can't always judge a book by its red, white and blue cover. And it redoubles the tragedy of his death, since it sounds like we lost one hell of an interesting human being in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
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