Bong Hits For Chocolate Jesus

So, let's get this straight. With the Supreme Court decision in Citizen's United, the Activist Judges of Conservative Persuasion want to allow corporations "Free Speech" rights when it comes election time. Corporations are "people" and money is "speech", or so they would have you believe, and Freedom of Speech is sacred, so let the spending begin!

But when it comes time for an individual, a high school student, to express religious beliefs during a field trip, the Same Activist Judges of Conservative Persuasion want to outlaw the students rights to Freedom of Speech!

Morse v. Frederick, 551 U.S. 393 (2007) was a school speech case in which the United States Supreme Court held that theFirst Amendment does not prevent educators from suppressing student speech, at a school-supervised event, that is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use...Majority opinion. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, concluded that the school officials did not violate the First Amendment. To do so, he made three legal determinations: first, that "school speech" doctrine should apply because Frederick's speech occurred "at a school event"; second, that the speech was "reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use"; and third, that a principal may legally restrict that speech—based on the three existing First Amendment school speech precedents, other Constitutional jurisprudence relating to schools, and a school's "important—indeed, perhaps compelling interest" in deterring drug use by students.

Apparently, all speech is equal except some speech is more equal than others.

"Commercial Free Speech" is a funny concept! How much money does Free Speech cost? There's your Zen Koan for the month. Speech sent over the public airwaves is regulated and censored everyday. Hello George Carlin! Some people find pornography obscene, and"Obscenity Laws" exist to restrict pornographers' Free Speech Rights. Let's just declare Corporations Spending Money On Political TV Commercials and Other Election Related Activities to be obscene, and prevent them from "Speaking" the same way you prevent Hustler Magazine from "Speaking" during the ABC After School Special time slot.

Comix, comics, comixx, comic strips, editorial cartoons, cartoons, comic books, underground comix, satire, parody, Republicans, political cartoons, John Poindexter, Ollie North, G. Gordon Liddy, John Bolton, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, Zappadan, Frank Zappa, Richard Nixon, Bible Study, Bill O'Reilly, Zippy The Pinhead
Zencomix

Pelosi Pushes For Senate Reconciliation

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC health care reform is not dead.

She continued, "Put it this way, the present system is unsustainable. We can no longer afford it. It's about the character of our country as Sen. Kennedy has said. We will make every effort to have a health care bill. But we will make progress whatever it is. One way or another we will go forward with that."

There is an even more interesting twist. The Nation's David Corn tweeted that Pelosi supports reconciliation. Pelosi wants the Senate to start the reconciliation process. After Scott Brown was elected to the Senate, Pelosi made it clear she was not going to make a last minute push to finish the health care bill. The majority of Pelosi's caucus feels to the health care bill is too corporatist and lacks true reform. The House Democrats would rather kill a bad health care bill than run on the current version. President Obama has used the 60 filibuster proof votes to masks his attempts to strip the bill of the public option. Max Baucus, Kent Conrad and Ben Nelson are faced with the unenviable task of either voting against reconciliation of siding with health care industry lobbyists. I do not feel their pain.

Update: Rep. Anthony Weiner tells Talking Points Memo the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are disorganized about how to go on the reconciliation process.

"The idea of doing the Senate bill and then doing the reconciliation on spec just to see what happens--I don't think anyone really thinks that's a good idea," Weiner said. "I don't know if the Senate literally has to move first, but at least they have to give us the high sign on what it is that they can do and can't do. And we're not getting much guidance from them, and we're also not getting much guidance from the mothership about what the White House really wants, and what they're prepared to push for, etc."

Weiner adds that Reid doesn't know from "issue to issue" if he has the votes. The White House and Reid continue to behave as if Democrats are in the minority.

Nicole Parker As A Singing Sarah Palin

Former MadTV castmember Nicole Parker was in the musical Wicked. She rewote the lrics to Defying Gravity and sang in the voice of Sarah Palin. The lyrics are hysterical.

"Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules of Alaska's game
I'm good at smiles and guessing
My background at this point is moot
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and shoot

It's time to try defying logic
I think I'll try defying logic
And you can't bring me down

I'm through with changing diapers
I'll leave that up to Todd
I'll shake things up in Washington with my sexy bod
Too long I've been a hockey mom
And I've just been in charge of just one state
But not for long, the presidency won't be that long a wait

I think I'll try defying logic (you betcha)
I think I'll try defying logic
And you can't bring me down

Limited
My knowledge, well, is limited
And I've just had a vision
Almost like a prophecy, I know
It sounds truly crazy, Katie Couric
And true the vision's hazy
But I swear someday there'll be
A celebration throughout America

I'm defying logic
...
I think I'll try defying logic
And you can't pull me down

It's me, it's me!
So if you care to find me
Look to the house of White
As I told someone lately
"There, you can see Russia to the right!"
And if I'm flying solo
That means I'm president!
I mean, that means McCain has died
And that would be sad, that is what I meant

Tell them how I am defying logic
I'm flying high defying logic
And soon I'll match them in renown
Hang on ... vamp a little more, so I can see what the f*cking words are ... oh!

And nobody can prove I'm sound
Or prove that the crazy earth is round
They're never gonna bring me down
A-a-a-men!"

Water

Litbrit's husband, Robert Tornello, is going green on his farm. The St. Petersburg Times has s tory on Tornello using solar panels, wind turbines and recycled water on his farm.

It has always bugged me that Tampa gets so much rain and there are constant water shortages. Local government poorly planned for population increases. Farms use a lot of water. Tornello's plan of using recycled water is something local government needs to explore.

Money quote:

"The fun part is that we are going to reuse the water and be an example for other farms," he said. "Traditional farms have just wasted water for decades."

The Southwest Florida Water Management District awarded Tornello a $50,000 grant. Hopefully, this idea will catch on.

Side note: I am not talking about sewage water for drinking.

Notes From Underground Comix

As part of an anniversary celebration, The Comics Journal did a series of "conversations" between cartoonists. The conversation between Ted Rall and Matt Bors struck a chord with something I've been mulling over in my mind. How to make any fucking money in the cartoon business.

About a year ago, I posted about the Print Comics Apocalypse and the increasing difficulties of trying to make a buck from creating art. Editorial cartoons have a short shelf life, and syndication is a shrinking outlet.I don't even try anymore with that avenue. You can tell from the archives when I stopped trying.I started drawing stuff like this Denny Hastert Cure for Republican Sex Scandals.



Only a handful of diehard fans will ever purchase a collection of single panel type editorial cartoons. But maybe one day I'll be motivated enough to put my favorites in a book, just for the hell of it.

If you check the archives, or have a copy of Grill Rats #1, you can also see where I stopped trying to create a strip that might be considered for syndication, or publication in a print newspaper, (Hello, Daily Iowan!). It's the point where I stopped using the "F@#K%$" type euphemism...



...For the actual word "Fucking".






I've kept Zencomix ad free for 5 years. It would seem pointless to start now as I don't generate enough traffic. Placing ads may even drive traffic down as pages will take longer to load. At Blue Gal's Salon the other night, we briefly chatted about ad revenues, and money from ads seems to have dried up. So, what's left?

Books. Ye Olde Graphic Novel. Comic books. Mini-comics. Cartoons with stories have a wider appeal in book form than the one shot editorial cartoons in book form, so that's where I'm headed. I've been drawing Grill Rats for the blog, and compiling it in book form, but I've decided to draw directly for the book. The only way to possibly make any money is to stop giving it all away for free on the blog. Giving it away for free on the blog is a great way to gain exposure, but there is no incentive for somebody to buy a book when it's all there for free on the blog.

I'll continue drawing the occasional one shot editorial cartoons, and posting them for all to see for free. I'll probably post some excerpts from the comic books also. One of the benefits of drawing for the book instead of for the blog will be the tightening up of the story. As the need for daily continuity has been disposed of, I can spend more energy on advancing the story, developing a character, or working more on backgrounds and layout of pages. Maybe develop a treatment for an animation series. Who knows? Freeing myself from my own blog shackles is the first step to advancing as an artist. It is more important for me to be a cartoonist than a blogger.

So, anyways, I'll still be around, still commenting at other people's blogs. Still posting cartoons occasionally, but it's time to stop acting like a dog pulling the sled that is zencomix and time to start acting like a cat hunting its prey. I'm going back underground with my comix.

McCollum Responsible For Repealing Glass–Steagall Act

SunSentinel.com columnist Stephen L. Goldstein takes Bill McCollum to the woodshed. The column pointed out McCollum for a nonprofit organization with a sleazy downpayment program. The orgazation's downplayment program was later made illegal by Congressional legislation. Even more damning is McCollum was a House co-sponsored of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The bill allowed insurance comanies along with commercial and investment banks to merge. The three were made into separate entities under the Glass–Steagall Act. Carter Glass and Henry B. Steagall sponsored the legislation in response to the financial collapse of Wall Street.

The reason for the Glass–Steagall Act is for investment banks not to make high risk investments with the savings or insurance policies of customers. Bankers turned naked credit default swaps into Vegas-style betting. The banks fell and the financial faith of America was put at risk. This is the kind of economic nonsense McCollum backs.

Daily Show Mocks Beck Meeting Palin

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Crazy Like a Contributor
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Blue Gal called Glenn Beck reading out of his diary to Sarah Palin the "creepiest TV moment in all of history." I am not about to argue against that point. Apparently, Jon Stewart was equally creeped out. Stewart compared the Beck/Palin meeting to the Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins scenes in Silence of the Lambs.

What Media Media: Adam Smith Lets Bilirakis Spread Gitmo B.S.

Gus Bilirakis: The conditions are unbelievable. Too good, as far as I am concerned. Flat screen TVs. They have a choice of seven meals... these terrorists. They play sports. If they are on good behavior they can be outside 20-hours-a-day. It's unbelievable.

It really is unbelievable. It is so unbelievable that I'm laughing. Detainees are outside "20 hours-a-day." If they are sleeping in makeshift tents I can believe that. Florida prisons have been known to house prisoners outdoors because of lack of space. There is no way military guards will just let detainees randomly roam the facility.

I can buy the TVs under Obama. State and federal prisons have televisions. The Hillsborough County Jail only allows prisoners to watch PBS. Occasionally, a guard will break the rules because he wants to watch a football game. The guard will tell the prisoners not to tell a soul. I know this because I have some interesting friends. Amnesty International reported Gitmo prisoners were put in isolation during the Bush years. Detainees then did not have the option of watching television. Conditions were so bad detainees were using a bucket for a toilet.

Detainees are confined for 22 hours a day to individual, enclosed, steel cells where they are almost completely cut off from human contact. The cells have no windows to the outside or access to natural light or fresh air. No activities are provided, and detainees are subjected to 24 hour lighting and constant observation by guards through the narrow windows in the cell doors. They exercise alone in a high-walled yard where little sunlight filters through; detainees are often only offered exercise at night and may not see daylight for days at a time.

What is really sad is Adam Smith actually agreeing with Bilirakis's fantasy assessment. So much for a tough follow up question.

Adam Smith: Maybe they be in worst conditions then a cold federal prision in Illinois.

Journalists like Smith is why I laugh when Republicans whine about the so-called liberal media. Conservatives have their own media to cover the Tea Party Convention. Republicans have talk radio and their own cable news network. It is shameful when Smith doesn't do his job as a journalist. Smith is more interested in gaining access to politicians than asking than setting the record straight.

More on Haiti

MSNBC's David Shuster tweets this disturbing piece of information about the Haiti crisis.

Everybody in Port Au Prince is wearing a scarf or something to help protect from the "smell." Bodies everywhere.

If you feel like giving, I have a page for organizations helping the relief effort.

Dear Diary With Glenn Beck

Blue Gal has a clip of Glenn Beck reading out of his diary to Sarah Palin. Glenn reads that he is worried that poor Sarah will lose her soul if she tries to leave. I thought Palin decided to stop leading Alaska so she could cash in on her 15 minutes of fame. Beck and Palin are two superstars of the conservative movement. Republicans must be so proud.

I wonder if Beck is going to read diary entries about doing 8 balls of coke during his Morning Zoo radio days. Now that would be entertaining.

Update: Sarah Palin can not name any of the Founding Fathers. The ignorance of this woman is staggering.

Magnapop - The Crush

The Crush - Magnapop

Kick the dog and you will die

I can see through the word
And it's not written
There's a chance and there's a start
I can see through the word
And it's not written
There's a chance and there's a start

Linda Hopper singing those words are one of my favorite vocal performances.

Magnapop on Myspace.

What Liberal Media

Conservatives love to complain about how liberal the media is. They fail to mention that the right-wing has their own media. Check out the only media outlets that have been giving press passes for the Tea Party convention.

Tea Party Nation has received hundreds of requests for press credentials to cover this convention. Everyone from a small town newspaper in Iowa to Fox News has asked for press credentials. We have had requests from Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Norway, Croatia and Japan. We have been hard pressed to accommodate all of these requests and do not have the space or resources to support the entirety of the press corp. Indeed, we have asked the hotel if they would be willing to provide a press room during the convention. However, given these practical limitations, we have approved the following press organizations:

Fox News

Breitbart.com

Townhall.com

The Wall Street Journal

World Net Daily

World Net Daily thrives in Obama birther conspiracy theories. Fox News hired George W. Bush's cousin John Ellis, whom was relaying election results to Bush on the night of the 2000 election. Ellis was involved in calling the election for Fox News. The conservative cable network was the first to call the election for Bush.

The Tea Party does not represent the American center. The fact that the Tea Party gave a media pass to World Net Daily over respected media services is proof.

Quote of the Day

"I take pride in one thing. I leave NBC prime time the same way I found it -- a complete disaster."

Jay Leno, during his monologue last night

Obama Wants Democrats to Run on Health Care

President Barack Obama told Congressional Democrats that health care is an issue they can use to slam Republicans.

"Let me tell you something, if Republicans want to campaign against something by standing up for the status quo and for insurance companies over families and businesses, that is a fight I want to have," Obama said.

"If their best idea is to return to the bad policies and the bad ideas of yesterday, they are going to lose that argument," he added.

Obama wants to portray Republicans as defenders as the status quo. Obama is a smart politician. The campaign he ran was groundbreaking for it's grassroots activism and use of the internet. The question is how is Obama and Democrats going to sell "change" now that they hold the White House and Congress.

Republicans have failed to present economic ideas be sides "tax cuts." Obama can point out Republican that they voted against the Make Work Pay tax cuts. The most likely scene is the Republicans won't have policy solutions. The Democrats will suffer with no immediate positive effects from health care reform and stabilizing the economy. Voter turnout for the midterm elections could be low.

Help Haiti

Via Jill: here is a list of relief organizations you can donate to. Haiti has been hit with an unimaginable earthquake. The Wall Street Journal reports the current situation could lead to the spread of infectious diseases.

Other diseases that can be fatal in vulnerable populations could spread. Respiratory infections are a threat, as are vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, Dr. Elder said. About half of Haitian children aren't vaccinated against measles, according to a 2006 Unicef report.

Even cuts and lacerations that become infected pose a serious risk. "These kinds of infections are a major cause of death" in the aftermath of a disaster, said Paul Garwood, a World Health Organization spokesman.

Access to essential medicines for chronically ill people will also be a problem. Haiti has the highest rate of HIV in the Western Hemisphere, and tuberculosis is common in the country. Failing to take medication regularly for those maladies can lead to the spread of drug-resistant strains.

Haiti needs help now.

CIDI.ORG
INTERACTION.ORG
GLOBALGIVING.ORG
PANAMERICANRELIEF.ORG
UNICEFUSA.ORG or call 800-4UNICEF
MERCYCORPS.ORG
REDCROSS.ORG
DOCTORSWITHOUTBORDERS.ORG
SAVETHECHILDREN.ORG
DIRECTRELIEF.ORG
OXFAMAMERICA.ORG
CRS.ORG
CHILDFUND.ORG
WORLDVISION.ORG
CARMAFOUNDATION.ORG

Is Mike Thomas Hot or Not

Someone please explain to me why Mike Thomas has a cloumn. Thomas has always portrayed a conservative streak. Unsurprising, considering the Orlando Sentinel is a right-leaning newspaper. I never read Thomas because he wasn't that interesting a columnist. I was web surfing and ran into his latest column. Thomas is annoyed that Bill McCollum and Alex Sink do not meet his charisma standard. This is the pot calling the kettle Michael Dukakis. What did strike me has strange is Thomas's sudden man crush on McCollum.

Bill's makeover is amazing. Gone is the geek. He is posed on top of the Web page, no tie, smiling broadly, wearing some seriously stylin' specs, coming darn close to looking sexy in a Republican kind of way.

I never thought the word "sexy" would be used to describe as Bill McCollum. Below is the picture of the newly sexed-up McCollum. You can make your own judgement.



In defense to Thomas, he wrote "darn close" to sexy. Still, it is a real hack piece of writing. It is unfair to McCollum and Sink to turn the gubernatorial race into a hot or not contest. That is why I have a problem with Thomas focused on the candidates looks and charisma. That is why is is only fair to do a poll on Mike Thomas's hotness. Readers, cast your votes.

Your title Is Mike Thomas Hot or Not Yes No view results

Alan Grayson Event

Congressman Alan Grayson will speak to the Hillsborough County Democrats. Other speakers will be Tampa City Council Member Mary Mulhern and potential Tampa City Mayor candidate Jim Davis. You can get more information on the Facebook page. A $50.00 donation is required.

Join us for an afternoon to honor

CONGRESSMAN ALAN GRAYSON
in Tampa on THIS Saturday, January 16

EVENT TIME & LOCATION:
Saturday, January 16th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

824 S. Orleans Ave.
Tampa, FL 33606

The Host Committee being formed. Hosts so far include:
Tom & Linda Scarritt
Tampa City Council Member Mary Mulhern
Larry Biddle
Aaron Smith
Congressman Jim Davis
The Hillsborough County Young Democrats
Pat Kemp

Guided By Voices - Runs Wild

Run Wild - Guided By Voices

Islation Drills is my favorite Guided By Voices album. There is not a bad song on the record.

Limbaugh Attacks Obama on Haiti

Rush Limbaugh is the last person to questions President Barack Obama's response to the Haiti disaster. Limbaugh went on a tirade about Obama responding too early to the Haiti crisis. Limbaugh laments that it took Obama 3 days to respond to the underwear bomber. Apparently, Limbaugh wants Obama to time his press conferences to his liking.

Obama discussed Haitian earthquake sooner than attempted Christmas bombing; "Did he apologize for America?"

Limbaugh has shown a lack of compassion for disaster victims. Limbaugh callously accused Katrina victims of "whining and moaning." Being stranded on rooftops gives people good reason to complain.

Limbaugh carried the Bush administration's water by mocking the laughable claim that Katrina was only to be a minor hurricane. The reason for this is Limbaugh defends FEMA providing a lack of food for the victims. Bush was forced to give a half-assed apology.

LIMBAUGH: I know they were told to go to the Superdome, but even then they had to walk to the Superdome. And they had to bring their own food and water to the Superdome. Why? Because even the local experts thought it was gonna be just a period of hours that they will spend shielded and protected from wind and rain and they'd come out and go home. We also know that when any level of bureaucracy fails, the first order of business is to point blame at some other bureaucracy. To try to take the heat off of the people who are directly responsible for the failure to enact already written, documented, and even tested evacuation plans.

These people didn't have food and Limbaugh wonders why they were complaining.

Are We Having Funk Yet?

Lagniappe:


Small Town TV News Anchor Segue Small Talk!


Comix, comics, comixx, comic strips, editorial cartoons, cartoons, comic books, underground comix, satire, parody, Republicans, political cartoons, John Poindexter, Ollie North, G. Gordon Liddy, John Bolton, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, Zappadan, Frank Zappa, Richard Nixon, Bible Study, Bill O'Reilly, Zippy The Pinhead

Zencomix

McCain Refuses To Answer

The Today Show's Matt Lauer asked Sen. John McCain about campaign sources, in the book Game Change, saying Sarah Palin was not properly vetted. McCain goes to great lengths to not answer Lauer's question. McCain shamefully attempts not avoid the question by touting his visit to U.S. troops. McCain will not answer the question because selecting Palin proves he is too irresponsible to be president.

Campaign manager Steve Schmidt told 60 Minutes that Palin did poor debate prep. Schmidt further says the campaign had to do damage control for Palin's repeated lies.

You Will Miss Me When I Burn - Soulsavers

You Will Miss Me When I Burn -...

This song is further proof Mark Lanegan is one of the best singers on the planet.

Quote of the Day

"It was standard practice not to pay for things. We were concerned about it, because it certainly added to the deficit, no question."

Orrin Hatch, on the Bush-backed Medicare bill that the Republican controlled Congress passed

Fiscal conservatism is a myth. The Bush years proved as much.

The Return of Harold Ford Jr.

Harold Ford announced in the New York Post that he is running for the U.S. Senate. Ford moved to Manhattan after losing his the Tennessee Senate race to Bob Corker. Ford is going to try again in New York. What is laughable is Ford remaking himself as a champion of women's reproductive rights.

I am pro-choice -- have always been since I entered politics almost 15 years ago. My cumulative grade with NARAL during 10 years in Congress was right at 80 percent. Any assertions to the contrary are false.

Someone forgot to tell NARAL Ford's position. NARAL released an ad slamming Ford's record on abortion.

"I was not pro-choice at one time," Ford told Alan Colmes. Ford has repeated his position on other media outlets.

"I'm pro-life, Tucker," Ford said to Tucker Carlson. "I don't run from that.

Ford is running from his abotion record now.

Bikini Kill - Anti-Pleasure Dissertation

Anti-Pleasure Dissertation - B...

Former Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna has donated her writings from her fanzines and other works to the New York University library. The collection will be called "The Kathleen Hanna Papers."

How Talking Points Replaced Policy

I loved MadTv when it was on. This skit perfectly captures how politician sound the same repeating the same talking points. The sketch takes the current bumper sticker slogan mentality to it's logical conclusion.

Quote of the Day

"It's such a cynical business, and most of the people in the business are full of shit and phonies, but I was real, man -- and am real. This guy, he was catapulted in on hope and change, what we hope the guy is. What the fuck? Everything he's saying's on the teleprompter. I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived. I saw it all growing up."

Rod Blagojevich, bragging about his (imaginary) superior blackness

My favorite Blagojevich moment is him introducing a Fabio impersonator and singing an Elvis song.

Meek Strikes Crist

Kendrick Meek makes some pointed attacks at Gov. Charlie Crist. Meek notes Crist's flip flop on the stimulus package.

"I've been consistent on the stimulus," he said, noting that it has prevented layoffs of teachers and state workers and has stemmed drastic state budget cuts.

Crist denied, to Fox-13 reporter Chris Chmura, supporting any stimulus bill. Crist, along with several other governors, signed a letter endorsing a stimulus bill.

""I didn't endorse it," Crist told Wolf Blitzer. "I didn't even have a vote on the darned thing."

Crist is now attempted to stand tough on backing the stimulus. His rhetoric rings hollow.

"Some people criticize me for going down to Fort Myers, being nice to the president of the United States of America. I do not apologize for it and I never will," Crist said.

Another point Meek attacked Crist on was the amount of days the Governor has taken off work.

We know about the governor's past as it relates to his schedule and his one-meeting days," he said. "I'm going to work every day. I'm going to be one of the hardest-working senators. ... I have one of the highest voting records, 98 percent."

The Orlando Sentinel found, in two years, Crist took off 62 weekdays. Could you imagine taking that much time off and not getting fired from your job?

King Jeb & Chang, the Mystical Warrior

I made mention about Jeb Bush reasserting his power over Republicans in Florida. The Herald Tribune reports Bush sent a video message to Florida's 67 Republican county parties, to urge support for John Thrasher as the new RPoF chairman. Greer was an active supporter of Gov. Charlie Crist. Bush annointed Rubio to be his Chang, the mystical warrior.

“Chang is a mystical warrior. Chang is somebody who believes in conservative principles, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism, believes in moral values that underpin a free society.

“I rely on Chang with great regularity in my public life. He has been by my side and sometimes I let him down. But Chang, this mystical warrior, has never let me down.”

Bush then unsheathed a golden sword and gave it to Rubio as a gift.

”I’m going to bestow to you the sword of a great conservative warrior,” he said, as the crowd roared.

Jeb relies on his imaginary friend. That might explain why education and health care policy was so screwed up during his tenure.

Bush is also backing Bill McCollum's campaign.

• Bush has become more aggressive in raising money and campaigning for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum, and has sent key policy advisers to work for McCollum, who raised $1.4 million in the fourth quarter, the best showing of his campaign.

Bush is an ideologue Republican. He wants to move the GOP farther to the right. Crist's policies of restoring the voting rights of felons and (early in his term) of combatting global warming were more moderate policy positions. The New York Times Magizine ran a article on how the Crist/Rubio Senate race may decide the future of Florida Republicans. In terms of winning elections it makes little sense. Florida Democrats have an 800,000 registered voter advantage. The Florida Democratic Party has a fundraising advantage. he Republican Party of Florida is essentially leaderless. As a Democrat, I absolutely love the disaster known as the Republican Party of Florida.

New CNN Poll Helps Obama on Terrorism

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds 65 percent of Americans have a favorable view of President Barack Obama's handling of terrorism. 24 percent have a great of confidence in Obama. 41 percent have a moderate amount in confidence in Obama's ability to keep America safe from a terrorist attack.

More interesting is 57 percent of Americans approve of Obama's performance, in handling the infamous underwear bomber. The no fly lists are a disaster and need to be revised. Many people who are not terrorists are on the list. Despite warning signs, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wasn't put on the no fly list.

57 percent approve of Obama's handling of the underwear bomber attack. I'm surprised by those numbers. The White House is probably estatic. Terrorism is no longer a hot button issue. The poll finds 63 percent of Americans either not worried or very little worried. In 2010 it is the economy. Civil liberties is another issue that is not big. 79 percent support airports using body scanners.

It is good to see voters starting to ignore the Republican talking point machine of all torture all the time. Since when did Bill O'Reilly become a national security and Middle East expert?

Pinellas County Health Care

Pinellas County, Florida offers through their Primary Care Services department. To qualify for Primary Care Services:

♦ Have no insurance
(This includes Medicare and Medicaid)

♦ Be a Pinellas County resident

♦ Be between the ages of 18-64

♦ Be a U.S. Citizen, Naturalized Citizen or
Refugee with I-94 status.

♦ Meet low income requirements. Bring pay
stub for proof of income

♦ Bring documentation* to prove the above
(*Examples: birth certificate, Social
Security number, rental lease or utility
bills)

This is a great idea by Pinellas County and more parts of the country should pick it up. You can learn more about Primary Care Services by calling 727-820-4242.

Gumby Man Dies, Dammit!

R.I.P., Gumby Man!

My Giuliani Blogging Addiction

I blog about Rudy Giuliani any chance I get. The man is comedy gold. Giuliani could pass for Bilbo Baggins. The fact that a crossdressing New Yorker with former gay roommates and an adultery problem thought he could get the GOP nomination is hysterical. The other great thing about Giuliani is he says the craziest bullshit that literally gets him laughed out of the room.

Giuliani claimed China would soon drill for oil off the coast of Florida. Sen. Mel Martinez quickly debunked that b.s. on the Senate floor. Giuliani also claimed, during his U.S. Attorney days, he used "intensive questioning techniques" (torture) to get information out of mobsters. Lindsay Beyerstein asked the New York Police Department and Justice Department about Giuliani's "intensive questioning techniques" claim. A former Justice Department official told Beyerstein Giuliani's statement was bogus. NYPD spokesman Reginald Watkins said, "It goes without saying, you can not touch someone to get them to tell you about a crime."

Giuliani tops himself with his latest piece of crazy. In his attempt to attack President Obama for being soft on terrorism, Giuliani said there were no terrorist attacks under President Bush's watch.

Giuliani: We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We had one under Obama.

Giuliani's entire campaign was based on repating the numbers "9" and "11." The fact that he forget a terrorist attack in a city that he was Mayor proves he is not fit for the White House. However, Giuliani would make a great guest host for the Colbert Report.

Softens Hands While You Do The Dishes...You're Soaking In It!

"We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We've had one under Obama."

Last Action Hero

Fox News apparently believes the best way for a President to fight terrorism is to dress up like an action hero. (Remember Bush in the flight suit.) We finally have a Barack Obama action figure to Fox News pundits can play with.

Quote of the Day

"President Obama is leading an extreme, left wing crusade to bankrupt America."

John McCain, in a fundraising e-mail to supporters.

If only McCain had a chance to stop Obama from being elected. Oh wait...

Ezra Klein on Colbert Report

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Drag Me to Health - Ezra Klein & Linda Douglass
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Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein and White House Communications Director Linda Douglass talk to Stephen Colbert about the health care bill. Douglass states Erick Erickson made up the quote about her calling health care reform opponents "brown shirts."

Why Lost is Still Lame

The last episode of Lost felt like a ripoff of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. The overriding theme of BSG's final season was if mankind and the Cylons could break the cycle of war. The hybrid child Hera was a symbol of that hope. The promotional photo for BSG was the main characters at the Last Supper. I wasn't the least bit shocked that the Lost producers would rip off BSG and do their own last supper. The makers of Lost do not have an original idea.

Latest Poll on Lieberman

The latest Public Policy poll shows Sen. Joe Lieberman has a 25 percent approval rating with Connecticut voters. Lieberman has a 81 percent disapproval rating with Democrats. For all of the pandering Lieberman does to Republicans, his disapproval rating with Republicans is 48 percent. Only 39 percent of Republican voters approve of Lieberman. Lieberman's numbers are traveling in Mel Martinez territory

Change I Don't Want to Believe In

I want President Obama to fire Tim Geithner, but this isn't what I call change.

Speculation has also begun about potential employment for Dodd in the Obama administration.

For instance, several Democratic Senate aides noted that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is an extremely unpopular figure in the Senate. Geithner has also taken the brunt of the criticism for the administration’s handling of the economy and, these sources speculated, if the country’s financial picture does not brighten before Election Day, he could be the first secretary to leave the administration.

Although Dodd would appear to be well-situated to take control of Treasury if the position were to open, it may not be smooth sailing for his nomination.

Dodd has been a recipient of the financial industry's generousity. Below is a list of the twenty organizations that been given the most money to Dodd's campaign. ActBlue is the only group that can be described as liberal. If Dodd does become Sec. of Treasury at least he will know all the lobbyists from the major banks.

1 Citigroup Inc
2 SAC Capital Partners
3 United Technologies
4 Royal Bank of Scotland
5 ActBlue $209,000 $209,000 $0
6 Bear Stearns
7 American International Group
8 Merrill Lynch
9 Goldman Sachs
10 Credit Suisse Group
11 Morgan Stanley
12 Travelers Companies
13 JPMorgan Chase & Co
14 The Hartford
15 Hartford Financial Services
16 St Paul Travelers Companies
17 General Electric
18 FMR Corp
19 Ernst & Young
20 Bank of America

Disturbing Sterilization Story

Tessa Savicki, a 35 year-old woman, is suing the Baystate Medical Center. Savicki claims the hosital sterilized her without her consent. The doctors were suppose to plant a implant an intrauterine device as a form of birth control.

Instead, she said, a type of permanent sterilization known as a tubal ligation was performed, leaving her mentally distraught and incapable of bearing more children.

“There was no medical reason for them to do this,” Savicki told the Herald. “That’s my choice. This is my body. I wanted the IUD so later if I felt I wanted more children, I could have more.”

The comments at Reddit has been unfairly harsh against Savicki.

cycophuk 10 points11 points12 points 21 hours ago* [-]

No matter how many times I read the article, I can't see how what happened was a bad thing. I wish I could give the doctors involved a medal for bravery.

muhnooer 0 points1 point2 points 13 hours ago[-]

If thats how it goes down, we should all go protest it and complain that some fat unemployed bitch shouldn't have the right to overload our welfare system with her suckling worthless piglets.

Real classy. Morons like this are far too common on the internet. Savicki has had 9 children. I knew a woman that had several children that were taken away by the state of Florida. She refused birth control and kept getting pregnant. The woman was irresponsible. However, I draw the line at doctors and the state sterilizing people against their will. That is a slippery slope I don't want to cross.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of the Reddit commenters were anti-abortion. Women should not have abortions and not receive welfare to feed their children. The pro-life attitude of many conservatives seems to end at birth.

Hat tip Womanist Musings.

Chris Dodd Retires, Blumenthal In

Good news for Democrats: Sen. Chris Dodd will not seek another term. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run in the Senate primary. Blumenthal has a 78 percent approval rating in the state. It is no secret Republicans were looking to puick off Dodd's seat. Blumenthal makes that task extremely difficult.

Public Policy shows that Blumenthal even polls well with Republicans.

Democrats - 71 percent

Independents - 60 percent

Republicans 37/35 margin

Are you on a first name basis with your bologna?

Today is the 5th year anniversary of Zencomix. Many Thanks to my sweet little angel, PenaLynn for helping to make it happen!

John McCain, Sarah Palin, Condi Rice, Mitt Romney, Joe Lieberman, Rick Santorum, David Vitter's diaper, Digger The Dog, Karl Rove, Rudy G., Bill OReilly, and George W. Bush walk into a bar...

Over the years,one of the themes I've worked on in my cartoons is the concept of politics as a product that is packaged and sold to the man with the petunia haircut. I still get lots of google image search hits from people looking for Denny Hastert's Cure for Republican Sex Scandals (Head On, apply directly to the foreskin, Head On, apply directly to the foreskin, Head On, apply directly to the foreskin!) The packaging and selling of "Iraq/WMD/9-11" went so well, there is still a sizable portion of the country that thinks Iraq was responsible for flying planes into the World Trade Center.


Comix, comics, comixx, comic strips, editorial cartoons, cartoons, comic books, underground comix, satire, parody, Republicans, political cartoons, John Poindexter, Ollie North, G. Gordon Liddy, John Bolton, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, Joe Lieberman, Zappadan, Frank Zappa, Richard Nixon, Bible Study

Zencomix

Quote of the Day

"From my own planet, no."

Florida State Sen. Ronda Storms

Storms was the lone vote against alcohol being sold at special events at the the Glazer Children's Museum. Sen. Victor Crist best summed up the silliness about Storms opposition.

"I doubt seriously that we're going to walk into the children's museum and see the Budweiser/Busch display for the children to interact with," said state Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa.

Storms quote does leave me with a question. What planet does Ronda Storms think she is from?

Sansom, Richburg and Odom Charged With Grand Theft

State Attorney Willie Meggs has charged former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, Jay Odom and former Northwest Florida State College president Bob Richburg with grand theft. The charge stems form Sanson allocating $6 million in the state budget for an aircraft hanger for the Destin Aiport. The city of Destin never had any interest in funding Richburg's hanger project. Richburg has private planes.

"It doesn't benefit him at all," Sansom said at the time. "He wasn't involved with me. I worked with the college." Odom told the St. Petersburg Times the hanger would not be used for Richburg's plane. That was contradicted by Airport operation manager Bill Blackford.

The shady deal worked like this: Odom leased a half acre to Northwest Florida College for $1 dollar. Sanson got a $110,000-a-year job at Northwest Florida State College. Richburg's school got $750,000 of start up funds. Odom got a remodeled hanger. The three men waged their plans in a series of emails. Richburg and Sansom had a private meeting to put the hanger in the budget. The hanger was (laughably) sold a classrooms.

My favorite thing about Sansom is him selling himself as a values candidate. This is the bill for a meal Sansom and Richburg at the University Center Club. Sansom charged the meal on his Republican Party of Florida American Express card.

Jim Greer Killing Dead Trees

Is it me or is it strange that Jim Greer has a paper shredding machine truck at the Republican Party of Florida headquarters the day he resigns as chairman? How many documents does Greer need to shed and is it even legal?

Jim Greer Resigns

Jim Greer has resigned as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Greer took parting shots at his political enemies.

"Over the last six months, there has been a very vocal group within our party that has become very active in seeking an effort to oust me as chairman," said Greer. "They have distorted facts. They have talked about misspending of money when the facts have shown over and over and over that it's not true. They have talked about my support of Gov. Crist for the U.S. Senate race.

Greer refused to open financial reports on what Ray Sansom and other Republicans were doing with their RPoF American Express cards. Sansom spent $1,953 on tuxedo rentals and $348 on babysitting. These can hardly be considered money used to help get Republicans elected.

Jeb Bush is backing John Thrasher to become the new RPoF chair. Thrasher has never met a delevoper he didn't like. Thrasher was part of the effort to keep the Florida Hometown Democracy amendment off of the ballot. Tge amendment would have let citizens have a say in whether new development would be approved. Thrasher sent out a misleading letter claiming the letter would help special interest. A hysterical charge from a man whom has spent his life working for special interests.

“The special interests (many of them out-of-state) have much to gain from passing this Amendment,” the letter says. He says the amendment would allow them to “turn our beautiful state into a dumping ground for special interests.”

Thrasher’s letter says the amendment “turns all power over use of Florida’s lands to certain ‘electors,’ ” without explaining that “electors” is the legal term for registered voters.

“Guess who the ‘electors’ will be,” it says. “The special interests and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies.”

The reaction from state Republicans has been positive. What King Jeb wants he gets.

Quote of the Day

"Our platform is one of the best political documents that's been written in the last 25 years. Honest Injun on that."

RNC Chairman Michael Steele, during an interview with Sean Hannity.

Steele once again inserts foot into mouth.

To Tweet Or Not To Tweet

Someone made a funny list of top ten things you should not write about on Twitter.

Write A Caption: Glenn Reynolds

Perhaps this is the imaginary bunny that helped Glenn Reynolds write his hysterically off-the-mark InstaPundit posts.

The photo came from a blog dedicated to analyzing Renolds' body language.

Derek Black is Back (Unfortunately)

Derek Black is the son of former Klu Klux Klan grand wizard Don Black. In 2007, The younger Black attempted to get himself elected to the Palm Beach County's Republican Executive Committee. David Duke is a supporter of Black attempting to gain access into the Florida GOP. Chair Sid Dinerstein cited Black's failure to sign a loyalty oath pledge and white supremist activities as reasons for being barred from the Committee.

"He participates in white supremacist activities," Dinerstein said. "We're the party of Lincoln. We're the party that says we don't judge anybody by the color of their skin."

Flash forward two years later: Black is legally fighting the decision that kept him from the Republican Executive Committee. Black is still losing.

The Aug. 26 ruling by the 3rd District Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s order that the Miami-Dade GOP seat 19 people who won elections but were disqualified by the loyalty oath requirement. The appeals court said the Miami-Dade GOP hadn’t given the candidates adequate notice of a new deadline for the loyalty oath.

Black’s attorney, Lee Levenson of Boynton Beach, contends the Palm Beach County GOP failed to tell Black and other candidates of a new Republican Party of Florida requirement that they sign the oath by June 20, 2008 rather than before taking office in December 2008.

Black should just become a Tea Party candidate and give up being accepted by the Republican Party. Tea Party activists, such as Dale Robertson, would probably welcome Black. The picture below is Robertson at a Tea Party rally.

Brit Hume: Spiritual Counselor

Brit Hume said the only way for Tiger Woods to redeem himself is to leave his Buddhist faith and become a Christian. Exactly when did Hume become Fox News' version of Billy Graham?

The extent to which he can recover seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So My message to Tiger would be, "Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."

The Christianity of Pat Robertson and James Dobson is the demographic Fox News is attempting to appeal to. The Christian Right, corporate anti-taxers, and conservative media have merged intro a bizarre twisted monster. It kills me when conservatives bitch about how liberal the media is. Imagine Katie Couric dissing the Buddhist with the same disregard as Hume.

It is hard to believe Hume was a rfespected journalist at ABC News.

Jim Greer Is Feeling the Love

Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer has earned the anger of conservatives for backing Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio, for the open U.S. Senate seat. Greer and Rubio have been engaged in nearly open warfare.

After national election cycle defeats, Republicans are purging themselves of moderates. Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin urged Republicans to support Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava. The result was Democratic Bill Owens winning New York Congression District 23. The district has been held by Republicans over over a hundred years. Republicans mistakenly believe that going further to the right will held their election chances. The GOP doesn't have policies. They have bumper sticker slogans of tax cuts and war on terror. Charlie Crist could easily beat Kendrick Meek and help the Republicans hold Mel Martinez's seat. A bloody Crist and Rubio fight helps Meek.

Former Republican House leaders are going after Greer. His leadership in the Ray Sansom credit card scandal was severely lacking. I find it hard to believe Republican would be angry at Greer about the credit card problem if Greer backed Rubio. House Republicans gave Sansom a standing ovation after the hints of scandal came forward.

House minority leaders and Speakers Jim Tillman, Bill James, Curt Kiser, Richmond, Dale Patchett, Jim Lombard, Sandra Mortham, Daniel Webster and Tom Feeney sent this letter out to the media. They are demanding Greer's resignation. Translation: these people are out of power and all they can do is issue press releases.

"...Several of us have spent years of our lives trying to make the Republican party of Florida the majority party in order to provide effective leadership for the betterment of the people of Florida. I, for one, spent many days and nights travelling throughoutin my car spending my own money to recruit candidates and to raise funds for the party. All of us have. Now, only to read that we have allowed expense accounts for some elected officials, chartered jets for party leaders, and other gross expenditures of funds not related to furthering the best interests of the party; ie. increasing party registration, filling the party cofferss, and recruiting good candidates, among other things. We are seeing what we were part of building deteriorating, and deteriorating rapidly. It is essential that the party change direction before it it too late to reverse the trend.

"To put it bluntly, the best interest of the Re[ublican Party requires your resignation immediately."