Monthly Archives: October 2010
Strategerize this!
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
John Cole, Scranton, PA Times-Tribune
So, when does that “trickle down” effect start kicking in?
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
John Cole, Scranton, PA Times-Tribune
His Majesty
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.
Loaves and fishes
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle Editorial Cartoonist and Animation Artist.
For Nick’s animations, visit Nick Anderson: Animation Archives.
For Nick’s cartoons, visit Nick Anderson.
Parallelogram
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Jen Sorensen, Slowpoke Comics
The Dreadcoats are coming: One if by land, two if by sea
All cartoons are posted with the artists’ express permission to TPZoo.
Jeff Danziger, Syndicated Political Cartoonist
The Watering Hole: October 2 — Brainwashing
Teabaggers: Determined to project their ignorance into everyone’s head — even five year olds. :-D
This is our daily open thread — you know what to do, right?
The Pledge to America: Part Six: Promises, Promises
The Promise:
Our plan offers a clear and clearly different approach, one in which the people have the most say and the best ideas trump the most entrenched interests.
Reality Check:
As will be seen, there is nothing clearly different about the Republicans’ “Pledge.”
Do “the people” really have the most say? The second most popular suggestion on Republicans “America Speaking Out” website, a site designed to receive input on what Americans want, was “Stop the outsourcing of jobs from America to other countries that do not pay taxes into the U.S. and stop the tax breaks that are given to these companies that are outsourcing.” Yet The Pledge does not address this issue at all. In fact, the policies promoted by The Pledge would continue to encourage the outsourcing of jobs.
Our plan stands on the principles of smaller, more accountable government; economic freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values, and the Constitution; and providing for a robust national defense.
Nothing “clearly different” here. These time-tested phrases stand for eliminating social programs; cutting taxes for the wealthy; forcing women to carry a baby to term, even if it puts her life at risk; prohibiting gay marriage; wrapping themselves in the Constitution while lambasting any judge who declares discriminatory laws unconstitutional; and a strong military, with expanded government surveillance powers.
Our plan puts forth a new governing agenda that reflects the priorities of the American people – priorities that have been ignored, even mocked by the powers-that-be in Washington – and can be implemented today.
The “new governing agenda” consists of measures designed to slow down the approval of any legislation: require a 3-day on-line posting period for any bill before it comes to a vote and make it easier to bog down spending bills by allowing unlimited amendments. Left unsaid is whether each proposed amendment would trigger another 3-day on-line review period.
They also Pledge to adhere to the Constitution by requiring every bill to include a line citing the specific constitutional authority for that particular bill. That means nearly every bill out of Congress will have to include a line stating “This bill is authorized by Article One, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.” Bills of Revenue, originating in the House, would merely have to add “This bill is authorized by Article One, Section 7 of the United States Constitution.” In other words, this promise is purely for show, and contains no substance.
Republicans also Pledge to require each bill address only one issue. Imagine, if you will, Congress having to approve the entire Federal Budget one line item at a time. Imagine, if you will, the Senate being forced to 60 hours of debate, a week and a half of debate, on each and every item, as DeMint is doing now. One Senator can, and will, shut down the entire federal government.
These are focused concrete examples of the policies through which we will promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, and national economic recovery – and they can be implemented today.
These “focused concrete examples” offer nothing new: cut taxes; deregulate businesses; de-fund or eliminate social programs; increased federal regulation over women’s bodies; use the power of the federal government to prevent people from getting married if they happen to be the same gender; continue crimes against humanity by incarcerating people for years, even for life, without a trial in an off-shore prison; kick out illegal aliens and increase border security; increase government surveillance powers, even over its own citizens, and so on.
To Conclude: This “Pledge” would create a totalitarian government and create an economy without manufacturing jobs, and without any social safety net for the jobless, the sick, the injured. As more and more manufacturing jobs are shipped off-shore, the purchasing power of the American people declines until, at some point, we can no longer afford the cheaply made foreign products. Corporations won’t suffer, as they will be able to market their goods in foreign markest, where income from manufacturing increases their purchasing power.
The Pledge is a new coat of paint on a rusted-out junker. Sure, it looks nice, but there’s no metal behind it. The crowd it was written for won’t look behind the paint job. Hopefully, the majority of the voting public will.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily that of The Zoo. Your comments, as always, are welcome.
Music Night. Happy Birthday, Albert.
I almost wish you’d never heard of Albert Collins, because then I could get credit for introducing you to the Master of the Telecaster, one of the most creative and talented blues guitarists of the 20th Century. Plucked out of obscurity in the 60s, Collins got a huge boost in the blues revival of the period and played and toured with many of the best. He also did a ton of session work up through the 80s and was part of the second blues revival along with greats like Stevie Ray Vaughn. He died of liver cancer, much too young at 61, in 1993. Do take the time to listen to these videos. If nothing else, you should listen to the first one, which may also introduce you to Debbie Davies, and her you also have to hear. More after the jump, of course, and at least take a taste before adding your contributions to Music Night.
The Pledge to America: Part Five: Forward!
By now, “The Pledge” has been somewhat reviewed by mainstream media and dismissed, even by some prominent Republicans Yet, to understand “The Pledge” is to begin to understand how millions of people can accept it as gospel. These people are attunded to certain catch words and nuances that most of us don’t recognize as a calling to The Chosen.
This analysis continues with a look at the Foreward/
The Watering Hole: October 1 – Louisiana Territories
On this day in 1801, Spain ceded its territories in the Mississippi River basin to France. This included much of what we now call the Southern United States. In 1803, Napoleon, in need of funds, agreed to sell this territory, including all other French territory in North America not already claimed by Britain after the Seven Years War to the United States.
Napoleon must have known what he was doing! The southern portion of this region has caused more grief to the United States than any other except the Carolinas. I’d toss Minnesota in with those two, except it has given us Al Franken.
This is our open thread. Please feel free to offer your own comments on this or any other topic.
