G.B. Trudeau Does It Again. Hits The Target. Reveals Truth with an artist's brush.
Like it or not: press freedom requires the exchange of ideas
If you ever wonder if America’s press was free -- just take a look at last week’s Doonsbury funny pages strip. (It can be found on many Internet web sites.)
Newspapers in this country are free to censor what they do not like or are unwilling to discuss and talk about. G. B. Trudeau, the brains behind this long-running progressive strip, is used to this kind of treatment.
If you are among those who do not know of which I speak, here is what’s going on in the comics. A number of newspapers did not run this week’s Doonesbury strip that skewers Texas Republican politicians for the law they passed requiring women to undergo a sonogram before they can have an abortion.
There is comedy (sad to say) in the reaction to this week’s strip. Right here in Texas, under our very noses, the wanta-be U.S. president, who sits in the governor’s mansion in Austin, signs a bill to be invasive of pregnant women by making them law-breakers if they do not submit to sonograms and worse.
Our middle-aged state legislators created the bill and the governor signed it some time ago. The governor of Virginia got in the same hot water and is struggling for his political life.
Our governor may not be in as much trouble because of the huge numbers of right-leaning Christians and non-believers who want to ensure we do not forget women are second-class citizens.
A mother from Seattle wrote the following on the Doonsbury pages of Slate.com: “I am a mother of five with three grown daughters and two daughters-in-law all of child bearing age. Thank you for trying to protect their right to choose when and how and if they start a family by bringing this issue to light for so many. You have a way of explaining things to even the stupid people.”
Another brave soul from Philadelphia submitted this wisdom born out of experience:
“Thank you so much for addressing this farcical legislation in the manner it deserves. I had a good chuckle. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, it makes me sick that many Republican politicians believe sticking probes into women's bodies for no medical purpose and against their will is anything other than a traumatic and unconscionable violation.”
Then there were those of a different opinion as this e-mail from Illinois: “Your comic strip appears to be liberal tripe masquerading as entertainment. Much like Bill "the Muppet" Maher.”
A guy in Oregon wrote: “Your "cartoon" is disgusting and way out of line. You should switch to commentary and get out of the "cartoon" business. Go to church.”
So we are free to express our impartially, our views, biases, hate or love without danger of going to jail or being run out of town. Our daily paper does not run the 40-years running strip on a daily basis, depriving (in my weird view) our readers of a minority opinion in this Texas town.
Government invasion into the private lives of “We the people…” has gone to extremes the last 20 years. It is the very political party (especially the Tea Party element) that wants to reduce government intervention into our lives, pushing this. That is the amazing part. They appear to be all for this invasion of women claiming it will prevent abortions. They are for “life.” I respect the free exchange of ideas.
It has been said that there is a reason that God gave us two ears and only one mouth. Listening is such a crucial activity yet we devote so little time to it. Listen twice as much as talking or think twice before opening the mouth, or writing a piece like this.
30--
Showing posts with label Doonsbury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doonsbury. Show all posts
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Friday, July 15, 2011
Michele Bachmann admits to being "kook"
Congress woman Bachmann desires to be more knowledgeable
The minimum wage law is a way to see that employees get at least bus money to work and back. Some one with two minimum wage jobs is still not making a living wage.
Minimum wage is not an answer to all the problems of business and commerce. The basic idea was to get as fair a deal as could be for employees without looking like the old sweat-shop wages.
There are still people around who are opposed to minimum wage workers. Take for example what a U.S. Congressional Representative from the state of Minnesota said recently on national television:
''If we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.''
Michele Bachman, the lady who wants now to be president, shared those words of wisdom. Our country could solve the unemployment problem by doing away with minimum wages. Jobs, at every level, would appear as if by magic. If only she had suggested this to the rest of her congress comrades and made such a law, how wonderful it would be for all those without jobs.
But the lady-politician did not stop there with her problem solving. Back on television again she claimed that the former Fox News educator, Glenn Beck, could solve the national debt crisis. She told a South Carolina audience: “I think if we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he can solve this [the national debt].” Here again, why doesn’t she get the guys and gals in congress together and turn all these problem-solving statements into action.
I did not make this up. No one, to my knowledge, is putting words into her mouth. She is the one who confused her Concords -- the “shot heard round the world” was in Concord, Mass., not Concord, N.H. as she said in a speech in New Hampshire.
She is the one who said: “The big thing we are working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax. … There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.''
All we ask of politicians is a little research, a little reading of the history books and newspapers before that share their wisdom. Bachmann has yet to name even one Nobel Prize winning scientist who believes in intelligent design.
Such talk is scary when coming from a U.S. Representative who wants to be president. What edition of history books has she been reading? What research scientist has she been relying upon? While amusing, it is still frightening anyone could take her seriously.
Intelligent design is held by some church-goers to be how the world came into being. In last week’s funnies Mr. Stiller, a high school biology teacher, helped his class understand the theory. “It goes like this,” he said, “5,700 years ago a male deity created the heavens and earth and all life on it in six days. Unfortunately, He didn’t like his own handiwork so God created genocide and drowned everyone on earth except the family of Noah, a 600-year-old man who was charged with saving animals.”
A student interrupts, but Mr. Stiller continues, “Almost done. So Noah took two of everything including microbes, but forgot the dinosaurs…” [Borrowed from the July 10 episode of Garry Trudeau’s Doonsbury strip. Used here with due respect, but lack of official permission to copy the words. Hope neither side will sue.]
To Bachmann’s credit, she is aware of saying strange things, she lamented once: “I have experienced that throughout my political career, being labeled a kook.”
Once Bachmann also said, I wish I was more knowledgeable…” to which a friend of mine said, “Lady, we all wish you were more knowledgeable.”
PUBLISHED IN SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011
The minimum wage law is a way to see that employees get at least bus money to work and back. Some one with two minimum wage jobs is still not making a living wage.
Minimum wage is not an answer to all the problems of business and commerce. The basic idea was to get as fair a deal as could be for employees without looking like the old sweat-shop wages.
There are still people around who are opposed to minimum wage workers. Take for example what a U.S. Congressional Representative from the state of Minnesota said recently on national television:
''If we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.''
Michele Bachman, the lady who wants now to be president, shared those words of wisdom. Our country could solve the unemployment problem by doing away with minimum wages. Jobs, at every level, would appear as if by magic. If only she had suggested this to the rest of her congress comrades and made such a law, how wonderful it would be for all those without jobs.
But the lady-politician did not stop there with her problem solving. Back on television again she claimed that the former Fox News educator, Glenn Beck, could solve the national debt crisis. She told a South Carolina audience: “I think if we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he can solve this [the national debt].” Here again, why doesn’t she get the guys and gals in congress together and turn all these problem-solving statements into action.
I did not make this up. No one, to my knowledge, is putting words into her mouth. She is the one who confused her Concords -- the “shot heard round the world” was in Concord, Mass., not Concord, N.H. as she said in a speech in New Hampshire.
She is the one who said: “The big thing we are working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax. … There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.''
All we ask of politicians is a little research, a little reading of the history books and newspapers before that share their wisdom. Bachmann has yet to name even one Nobel Prize winning scientist who believes in intelligent design.
Such talk is scary when coming from a U.S. Representative who wants to be president. What edition of history books has she been reading? What research scientist has she been relying upon? While amusing, it is still frightening anyone could take her seriously.
Intelligent design is held by some church-goers to be how the world came into being. In last week’s funnies Mr. Stiller, a high school biology teacher, helped his class understand the theory. “It goes like this,” he said, “5,700 years ago a male deity created the heavens and earth and all life on it in six days. Unfortunately, He didn’t like his own handiwork so God created genocide and drowned everyone on earth except the family of Noah, a 600-year-old man who was charged with saving animals.”
A student interrupts, but Mr. Stiller continues, “Almost done. So Noah took two of everything including microbes, but forgot the dinosaurs…” [Borrowed from the July 10 episode of Garry Trudeau’s Doonsbury strip. Used here with due respect, but lack of official permission to copy the words. Hope neither side will sue.]
To Bachmann’s credit, she is aware of saying strange things, she lamented once: “I have experienced that throughout my political career, being labeled a kook.”
Once Bachmann also said, I wish I was more knowledgeable…” to which a friend of mine said, “Lady, we all wish you were more knowledgeable.”
PUBLISHED IN SAN ANGELO STANDARD-TIMES, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Doonsbury explains intelligent design
Congress woman Bachmann desires to be more knowledgeable
The minimum wage law is a way to see that employees get at least bus money to work and back. Some one with two minimum wage jobs is still not making a living wage.
Minimum wage is not an answer to all the problems of business and commerce. The basic idea was to get as fair a deal as could be for employees without looking like the old sweat-shop wages.
There are still people around who are opposed to minimum wage workers. Take for example what a U.S. Congressional Representative from the state of Minnesota said recently on national television:
''If we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.''
Michele Bachman, the lady who wants now to be president, shared those words of wisdom. Our country could solve the unemployment problem by doing away with minimum wages. Jobs, at every level, would appear as if by magic. If only she had suggested this to the rest of her congress comrades and made such a law, how wonderful it would be for all those without jobs.
But the lady-politician did not stop there with her problem solving. Back on television again she claimed that the former Fox News educator, Glenn Beck, could solve the national debt crisis. She told a South Carolina audience: “I think if we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he can solve this [the national debt].” Here again, why doesn’t she get the guys and gals in congress together and turn all these problem-solving statements into action.
I did not make this up. No one, to my knowledge, is putting words into her mouth. She is the one who confused her Concords -- the “shot heard round the world” was in Concord, Mass., not Concord, N.H. as she said in a speech in New Hampshire.
She is the one who said: “The big thing we are working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax. … There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.''
All we ask of politicians is a little research, a little reading of the history books and newspapers before that share their wisdom. Bachmann has yet to name even one Nobel Prize winning scientist who believes in intelligent design.
Such talk is scary when coming from a U.S. Representative who wants to be president. What edition of history books has she been reading? What research scientist has she been relying upon? While amusing, it is still frightening anyone could take her seriously.
Intelligent design is held by some church-goers to be how the world came into being. In last week’s funnies Mr. Stiller, a high school biology teacher, helped his class understand the theory. “It goes like this,” he said, “5,700 years ago a male deity created the heavens and earth and all life on it in six days. Unfortunately, He didn’t like his own handiwork so God created genocide and drowned everyone on earth except the family of Noah, a 600-year-old man who was charged with saving animals.”
A student interrupts, but Mr. Stiller continues, “Almost done. So Noah took two of everything including microbes, but forgot the dinosaurs…” [Borrowed from the July 10 episode of Garry Trudeau’s Doonsbury strip. Used here with due respect, but lack of official permission to copy the words. Hope neither side will sue.]
To Bachmann’s credit, she is aware of saying strange things, she lamented once: “I have experienced that throughout my political career, being labeled a kook.”
Once Bachmann also said, I wish I was more knowledgeable…” to which a friend of mine said, “Lady, we all wish you were more knowledgeable.”
The minimum wage law is a way to see that employees get at least bus money to work and back. Some one with two minimum wage jobs is still not making a living wage.
Minimum wage is not an answer to all the problems of business and commerce. The basic idea was to get as fair a deal as could be for employees without looking like the old sweat-shop wages.
There are still people around who are opposed to minimum wage workers. Take for example what a U.S. Congressional Representative from the state of Minnesota said recently on national television:
''If we took away the minimum wage — if conceivably it was gone — we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.''
Michele Bachman, the lady who wants now to be president, shared those words of wisdom. Our country could solve the unemployment problem by doing away with minimum wages. Jobs, at every level, would appear as if by magic. If only she had suggested this to the rest of her congress comrades and made such a law, how wonderful it would be for all those without jobs.
But the lady-politician did not stop there with her problem solving. Back on television again she claimed that the former Fox News educator, Glenn Beck, could solve the national debt crisis. She told a South Carolina audience: “I think if we give Glenn Beck the numbers, he can solve this [the national debt].” Here again, why doesn’t she get the guys and gals in congress together and turn all these problem-solving statements into action.
I did not make this up. No one, to my knowledge, is putting words into her mouth. She is the one who confused her Concords -- the “shot heard round the world” was in Concord, Mass., not Concord, N.H. as she said in a speech in New Hampshire.
She is the one who said: “The big thing we are working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax. … There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.''
All we ask of politicians is a little research, a little reading of the history books and newspapers before that share their wisdom. Bachmann has yet to name even one Nobel Prize winning scientist who believes in intelligent design.
Such talk is scary when coming from a U.S. Representative who wants to be president. What edition of history books has she been reading? What research scientist has she been relying upon? While amusing, it is still frightening anyone could take her seriously.
Intelligent design is held by some church-goers to be how the world came into being. In last week’s funnies Mr. Stiller, a high school biology teacher, helped his class understand the theory. “It goes like this,” he said, “5,700 years ago a male deity created the heavens and earth and all life on it in six days. Unfortunately, He didn’t like his own handiwork so God created genocide and drowned everyone on earth except the family of Noah, a 600-year-old man who was charged with saving animals.”
A student interrupts, but Mr. Stiller continues, “Almost done. So Noah took two of everything including microbes, but forgot the dinosaurs…” [Borrowed from the July 10 episode of Garry Trudeau’s Doonsbury strip. Used here with due respect, but lack of official permission to copy the words. Hope neither side will sue.]
To Bachmann’s credit, she is aware of saying strange things, she lamented once: “I have experienced that throughout my political career, being labeled a kook.”
Once Bachmann also said, I wish I was more knowledgeable…” to which a friend of mine said, “Lady, we all wish you were more knowledgeable.”
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