This Weeks Editorial Cartoons 3 October 2009

From Denny:

Usually, I post these cartoons on Saturday at The Social Poets blog - so if you don't see them here just take a hike over there for some weekend grins... Every now and then - like this rainy day - I remember to share the love on all my other blogs, enjoy!

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Cartoonists have been busy this week! So much in the news to lampoon - G20 meeting and protestors, swine flu fears, new "no texting while driving" law, Iran's empty promises about nuclear weapons, the current status of job seekers in America, trying to marry off Rush with the Truth but he won't have a shotgun wedding and President Obama juggling world affairs, two wars and vying for the 2016 Olympics to come to Chicago (they lost out to Brazil, congrats Brazil! South America has never hosted the Olympics.)

Swine Flu Fears - so powerful you no longer need a handgun in America...



Sad news of recent tragic deaths due to distraction from texting while driving prompted a new federal law to prohibit it:



The latest pastime trend to find meaning in life among jobseekers:



The latest desperation among job seekers to find any or full time employment. These days big companies like Exxon only employ people for up to 32 hours so they don't have to pay them any benefits. Even the U.S. Post Office does the same; only 4% of them are full time employees:



These two cartoons talk about how much the President has on his plate:






This one depicts how the Democrats and the President are beginning to look like they are attempting to take on too much in the field of multi-tasking and starting to look ridiculous.

Well, I guess, someone has to make up the work load that President Bush and Cheney sloughed off because they went to bed early and vacationed for a month at a time on a whim. The government started grinding to a halt so I guess the Dems have to speed things up just to make up lost ground:



Then there's everyone's favorite: Iran. They always seem to have a surprise-in-a-box or so they believe themselves to be that clever.



Loved the Kooky Jar one as it sums up the world belief system about the ruthless crass leaders of Iran. You have 7th century hearts and minds in charge of nuclear energy. Are you kidding? That's like asking a three-year-old to play with matches near a gas jet.



The one of the Secretary of State says it all about how Iran continues to screw over world leaders with deception after deception after lie after lie.



The G20 meeting of world leaders and their protestors, opinion of big banks:





While the world of truth-tellers keep trying to marry off the liars in a shotgun wedding...

Video: Obama Ends Bush Project of Missile Shield, Good Riddance

From Denny: This was a news story that got sidelined until today. I meant to comment upon this smart move of Obama to scrap this idiot Bush project. Of course, the reason Obama gives us is only part of the truth.

The real truth is that America is fighting a two-front war in the Middle East, drug wars in Mexico, South America and America's inner cities and small towns all across America. We can't even afford real health care for our citizens.

We are going bankrupt on the Republican wars. Who has any money left for a new project for staging missiles in Eastern Europe? In the end, just how much of an arsenal does one country need? We have more than adequate resources to protect our country and plenty of new technology - and will power - to deal with fools like the Iranian regime should it become necessary.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Trial Charges Against Iranian Moderates Are Flimsy

Image by BL1961 via Flickr

From Denny: These are the petty charges against the Iranian moderates who are members of the opposition party. Looks like the government wants to make sure even a small charge can stick just in case public opinion runs against them. They want to be able to declare victory on the most ambiguous of charges.

Here's the rundown of Regime Paranoia Points:

* acting against national security

* attempting to weaken the Islamic system

* having links with American, British and Israeli agents

* having links with MKO terrorist group

* sending pictures for foreign media outlets to instigate plots

* disturbing public order through rioting

* vandalizing public property

* setting up and attending illegal rallies

and the best for last:

* clashing with security forces - how dare you protect yourself when beaten over the head with night sticks and rifle butts when you are unarmed and in a peaceful demonstration.


Looks like Iran's regime is determined to hold onto power. These charges satisfy the harshest elements in their society. Putting these people away in prison on such flimsy - even childish - charges will not stop the movement but only give it martyrs to fuel the movement.

The opposition has started a fire the government cannot put out. When a person's spirit is on fire for change there is no stopping it. You can sideline people for a while but the inevitable will happen and that government will be dismissed by voters or toppled by a coup.


Iran, United States, Iran moderates, protestors trials, Middle East, National security, British Empire, Islam, Society and Culture, People's Mujahedin of Iran

Busy Week in World Politics Challenging Governments

Image via Wikipedia

From Denny: There has been a lot of political unrest around the globe this week, focused in the Middle East and Asia. Here are the latest developments.

Iran: Iran' opposition has been asking for help from the ruling council to deal with the Supreme Leader's decisions. Seems they are making headway as the Council has fractured in its unity, even to the point of declaring their views publicly, a bold move in a harsh regime of which they have helped build. Even they are beginning to wonder how they enabled this imbalance.

Of course, the government is not without it's pushback. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has cracked down on the protestors to prove who's boss. They managed to scare off the thousands of protestors who dwindled down to a handful of a few hundred. The Guard also knocked on protestors' doors in the middle of the night, drug them out, imprisoned them without recourse or notification to families and tortured them while in custody.

Well, news of the torture ticked off the public sentiment to a new outrage high. So the Supreme Leader figured he was magnamimous by letting go 140 protestors of the thousands he rounded up. The public outrage clearly unnerved the Supreme Leader and the Council to fear for their own lives.

The government has swung back to the stupid meter area and decided to begin its first trials of the protestors they still have in custody. They wrung false recorded and televised confessions out of tortured imprisoned protestors and then let that group go "free" in the hopes of killing the opposition movement. All it did was fuel the fire in the whole country. With the trials coming up we can only imagine the coming developments in this now volatile situation.

This week the opposition movement did try to mourn the militia attacked woman who was killed during the first week of protests, Neva. The harsh hard line Revolutionary Guard broke up that demonstration. The opposition continues to find new ways - and excuses - for being out in public to protest, any anniversary will do. You have to admire their resiliency and determination against a proven brutal oppressive government that desires to grab all power at any cost.

The protestors have been successful at cracking the unity of the Council, caused the country to doubt the once infallible Supreme Leader and showcased the very reasons why its important to separate church and state when it comes to a national government: so no one can grab absolute power and wield it without question.

This week begins the protestors' trials - now labeled rioters by the government - on charges of "rioting and conspiring against the ruling system." We all can accurately predict the negative outcome of this rigged dog and pony show for television. The government wants the Iranian people to watch their government in action, not to prove how fair they are but rather to prove without a shadow of a doubt they have complete control over the quality of - and future of - every citizen's life. They hope to strike fear into everyone's heart, rounding up the anger, turning it into fear and respect and return to the way things used to be. That will never happen, not after so much abuse has happened. Stay tuned and expect interesting developments.

Malaysia: Just minutes ago there is rioting in Kuala Lumpur against the Internal Security Act. It was originally enacted during the British colonial era to guard national security. However, the protestors maintain that since that time, successive governments have used it to jail government critics and muzzle dissent.

Sounds like their current government is going the way of the Bush grab for absolute power too by enforcing this Act, not a pretty imitation either. The people are protesting the government's supreme ability to flex its muscles any time - which allows the imprisonment of people regarded as security threats, no questions asked.

That's how it started in Iran. That's how it started here in America and we still have our own political prisoners eight years later in legal limbo because we don't have enough evidence to charge and try them in closed or open court. Going down this road is a real mess and Malaysia continues to step squarely into the same stink. What has changed is the people's position and the desire to do something about this old law.

The protestors call themselves the Reformasi and by several news accounts they are about 20,000 strong today. The riot police used not only tear gas but also chemical-laden water to disperse the crowds. So far about 150 - 200 people have been detained by police since the protests began - by both the opposition and police accounts. "Undermining public peace" is the official reason the Prime Minister gives for not allowing the protests and giving police permission for a brutal crackdown.

Over the years small human rights groups within the country have challenged this law but never drawn the protest level until today when opposition parties' leaders sent out a call to their supporters to come out in force and the people responded forcefully.



Malaysia, Middle East, Iran, Kuala Lumpur, Breaking News, Prime Minister, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Society and Culture, international politics, protestors, Supreme Leader

Video: 3 American Hiking Tourists Detained in Iran

From Denny: Three Americans were hiking in Turkey and crossed over the Iranian border inadvertantly. A fourth member of the party was too sick to hike and remained behind and so did not end up arrested in Iran.

This comes at a delicate time. The opposition party protestors are on trial in Iran. Holding these Americans can be a bargaining chip with the West, a real victory lap for the harsh regime and a way to shut up America about how the trial turns out. It will be interesting to see how this new subplot to the ongoing drama plays out.

Three Americans have been arrested after they strayed over the Iraqi border into Iran. CNN's Arwa Damon reports

Video: Mideast Conflict of Israel and Palestine

From Denny: While this may be a simplistic overview with an interesting twist - it really is a good video to familiarize you with the focus of what people are thinking and feeling in the Middle East. As someone who grew up in the American intelligence community it did give me an ironic smile to see they used the demographics from the CIA's World Factbook. Well, the CIA has been the clearinghouse for world statistics for decades now and practically invented the discipline of demographics.

Demographics is a good way to track trends and that is what these reporters are talking about: How the population trend among the Palestinians can possibly push the Israelis to a new stance on the two-state solution. Of course, what no one mentioned as to the reason for the Palestinian uptick in population is that they tend to die young - and violently - therefore creating greater fertility.

Any time a population, human or animal, faces a harsh march to achieving adulthood or a long life, they tend to have a lot of offspring - in the hopes some of those offspring achieve full flower. Let's hope and pray both sides get their heads screwed on straight, their hearts emptied of hate and revenge and get truly serious about a lasting peace effort.


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CIA demographics Israel Palestine CBS Two-state solution Middle East statistics America population trend World Factbook