In the early minutes of Wednesday’s Republican debate, while everyone on stage was studiously ignoring the fact that their AWOL rival is a serial criminal defendant, someone on Twitter asked what we’d prefer to be doing instead of watching that show. I posted my answer: Prepping for a colonoscopy. I would’ve preferred gagging on polyethylene glycol than witnessing what … [Read more...] about MAGA CLOWN CAR BULLISH ABOUT ITS CRIMINAL COUP DEFENDANT
A Tale of Two Camps
It is a sad yet indisputable fact that, in recent memory, our nation has not been as politically and, yes, morally divided as it is today. Nor is it a secret that the deep divisions are largely due to the way Americans view and react to the words and actions of one man, former President Donald J. Trump. The views and reactions are radically and perhaps irreconcilably … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Camps
TRUMP INDICTMENT TOUR (CARTOON)
The Life-Long Enchantment of Our Founding Stories
With cancer, a person begins to look at their life in a different way. I have been thinking about enchantment, and my future. I am inspired by the spirit of mystery and magic which is a definition of enchantment. I’m attracted to the philosophy that all forms of life, as well as the inanimate, have spirit. Even a rock, I like to think, has a spirit. I sometimes forget this. And … [Read more...] about The Life-Long Enchantment of Our Founding Stories
FAT AND ORANGE (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
Donald Trump recently “truthed” to his cult, “Why doesn’t Fox and Friends show all of the Polls where I am beating Biden, by a lot. They just won’t do it! Also, they purposely show the absolutely worst pictures of me, especially the big ‘orange’ one with my chin pulled way back. They think they are getting away with something, they’re not. Just like 2016 all over again… And … [Read more...] about FAT AND ORANGE (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
PRIDE MURDER
Laura Ann Carleton was shot and killed for flying a Pride flag. Carleton, who was 66 years old and the mother of nine, was murdered inside her clothing store, Mag.Pi, in Cedar Glenn, California on Friday. The San Bernardino County sheriff said the suspect had torn down the Pride flag and “yelled many homophobic slurs at Carleton” before shooting her. The weapon used was a … [Read more...] about PRIDE MURDER
Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner Group boss joins long list of those who challenged Vladimir Putin and paid the price
Two months after challenging Vladimir Putin’s leadership in an apparent but abortive “mutiny”, Yevgeny Prigozhin – the former owner of the mercenary private military company Wagner Group – has joined a long list of prominent Russians to die in mysterious circumstances. Prigozhin’s private jet apparently crashed on a routine flight from Moscow to St Petersburg just after 3pm … [Read more...] about Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner Group boss joins long list of those who challenged Vladimir Putin and paid the price
LEMMINGS (MIKE PETERS GUEST CARTOON)
Mike Peters is recognized as one of our nation’s most prominent cartoon artists for his outstanding work as both a political and comic strip cartoonist. His favorite expression “WHAT A HOOT” certainly sums up his outlook on his life and work which are inexorably entwined. Mike’s warm, easygoing and zany demeanor is evidence that his personality matches his creative talents. As … [Read more...] about LEMMINGS (MIKE PETERS GUEST CARTOON)
8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump’s future and – covertly, with dog whistles – race
Eight GOP candidates for president after they entered the debate hall in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023. Scott Olson/Getty Images Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service; Brian Kalt, Michigan State University, and Calvin Schermerhorn, Arizona State University After weeks of speculation over who was going to participate, eight … [Read more...] about 8 GOP candidates debate funding to Ukraine, Trump’s future and – covertly, with dog whistles – race
Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly
It’s tempting to envision orcas attacking yachts as the forward troops in an animal uprising. Jackson Roberts/iStock via Getty Images Plus Alexandra Isfahani-Hammond, University of California, San Diego Memes galore centered on the “orca revolution” have inundated the online realm. They gleefully depict orcas launching attacks on boats in the Strait … [Read more...] about Memes about animal resistance are everywhere — here’s why you shouldn’t laugh off rebellious orcas and sea otters too quickly
THUMB SUCKING
by Don Hermann Columnist We are so busy measuring public opinion that we forget we can mold it. We are so busy listening to statistics we forget we can create them. These are two of the most profound observations by Bill Bernbach, selected by Advertising Age as the most influential person of the last century in the advertising business. Think of people in the … [Read more...] about THUMB SUCKING
Supreme Corruption in the Supreme Court
While Donald Trump is in the headlines every day, with one indictment after another, the Supreme Court justices are laughing at the population of the United States. Once on the Court for a lifetime appointment, it seems they can be as corrupt as they want and get away with it. Aside from impeachment which could never happen with a polarized Congress, there is no way to … [Read more...] about Supreme Corruption in the Supreme Court
TRUMP’S WORST FEARS (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
So why is Trump skipping the first Republican presidential debate? I don’t think it’s because he’s afraid of tough questions. The debate is being hosted by Fox News and even if they did ask a tough question, like how will he serve out his presidency from a Georgia jail cell, he’d just do what he did during the 2016 debates. He didn’t answer any tough questions in those … [Read more...] about TRUMP’S WORST FEARS (CARTOON, COLUMN AND VIDEO)
First Republican debate set to kick off without Trump – but with the potential to direct the GOP’s foreign policy stance
GOP candidates will likely debate whether the US should continue to pour support into Ukraine’s effort to defeat Russia. Scott Peterson/Getty Images Jordan Tama, American University School of International Service When Republican presidential hopefuls take the stage in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023, for the first debate of the 2024 campaign season, … [Read more...] about First Republican debate set to kick off without Trump – but with the potential to direct the GOP’s foreign policy stance
The Moon, a Rerun
It seems that the Great Powers have finally caught up with me. I even heard an Indian on NPR talking about India landing on the same spot where the Russians crashed yesterday. I wrote these two connected posts on 14 November 2009 and 29 December 2005, respectively. Playing Lunar Catch Up 14 NOVEMBER 2009 · 5:36 PM Or is that "catsup"? NASA found significant and … [Read more...] about The Moon, a Rerun
U.S. Military Lends a Helping Hand in the Maui Fire Tragedy
With at least 114 people dead as of this writing and about 850 people still unaccounted for, the devastating Maui fire is now the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history and the deadliest wildfire tragedy in the United States in more than one hundred years. A TIME on-line article touchingly describes how historic “Lahaina [vanished] in less than a day. And without … [Read more...] about U.S. Military Lends a Helping Hand in the Maui Fire Tragedy
DeSantis said something that made Trump and his supporters angry. How deplorable!
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said something that made Donald Trump and his supporters angry. How deplorable! By "deplorable" I mean, "DeSantis actually said something that I agree with." From Politico, 19 August 2023: "The Trump campaign and MAGA world on Saturday blasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for remarks appearing to label some of the former president’s supporters … [Read more...] about DeSantis said something that made Trump and his supporters angry. How deplorable!
Hurricane Hilary Sparks California Panic Buying
SAN DIEGO, Ca--As Hurricane Hilary was being downgraded to a category 1 hurricane, an employee at Stater Brothers in the San Diego community of Rancho Penasquitos had just told me that the store was completely out of garlic. "I haven't seen this since the beginning covid when people rushed to the stores. Yesterday was crazy. We even ran out of water." The store's bread … [Read more...] about Hurricane Hilary Sparks California Panic Buying
A changing climate, growing human populations and widespread fires contributed to the last major extinction event ? can we prevent another?
Emily Lindsey, University of California, Los Angeles; Lisa N. Martinez, University of California, Los Angeles, and Regan E. Dunn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Over the past decade, deadly wildfires have become increasingly common because of both human-caused climate change and disruptive land management practices. Southern California, where the three of … [Read more...] about A changing climate, growing human populations and widespread fires contributed to the last major extinction event ? can we prevent another?
LONG LIVE MEDIOCRITY
by Don Hermann Columnist The Hell with you. As long as I get what I want or do what I want the rest doesn’t matter. Does that seem familiar? There’s a breakdown in performance. A breakdown in communication. A breakdown in a significant amount of areas of importance to us. Is technology part of the problem? Is the computer doing our thinking for us? HATE is on the … [Read more...] about LONG LIVE MEDIOCRITY