Revenge of the Cartoonist

  The world's editorial cartoonists came out in a show of worldwide force, today.

Daryl Cagle runs a syndicate service for several good illustrators. He writes about his personal connections with the French cartoonist fraternity...

"There are cartoon festivals all over France – the best one for political cartoonists is in the small town of St Just le Martel; I’ve been attending for years, along with other cartoonists I syndicate. The townspeople pitch in to throw a festival for the editorial cartoonists every year; villagers put cartoonists up in their homes, and they award a live cow to the “Humor Vache” cartoonist of the year. One greatly respected winner of the cow was Georges Wolinski, a brilliant cartoonist with a masterful loose, swishy, wordy style, highly respected by the French. We were fellow cow winners, having a beer together last October; it is hard to imagine that he is gone.  The Charlie Hebdo cartoonists are a diverse group of charming characters; they are the heart of the French cartooning community. There are not a lot of editorial cartoonists. We get to know each other; the murders are a blow that strikes close to all of us."

Here's a taste of today's work.

David Van Risseghem

Political Panhandling for 2016

Need money for political comeback

The Presidential Candidates Are Looking For Money

  Make that lots of money. And they hope to raise over $100 million this year. Some say this is the year when real campaign platforms are set. Not by polling; oh no! But by whoever has the deepest pockets and most ambitious plans to roll Washington to their liking.

  While it doesn't look exciting to most U.S. voters, the reports on campaign financing will tell us very much about who the real front runners are. Several will keep their candidacy in the 'exploratory' phase until they reach a predetermined milestone.
 

  But others have had fairly good success in moving ahead into the primary months while "living off the land". Buchanan, Huckabee, Ron Paul, and Santorum have demonstrated staying power simply off their populist movement appeal. But none of them have ultimately won a GOP presidential nomination. Good campaigns require national organizing, and that costs massive amounts of money. By this fall, if a candidate doesn't have competent leaders organizing every state primary, he won't find his name on many of the state ballots in the early 2016 primary voting.

David Van Risseghem

  So if you're already set on whom you'll campaign for a year from now, you probably would do well to start this winter. Money is the mother's milk of politics and without the help of real grassroots support, your hero will either sell out to shadowy influences, or give up before the balloting begins.

Mister Speaker!

Boehner Faces Challenge From A Real Conservative 

 Representative, Louis Gohmert, of Texas; is now a candidate for the high office of Speaker of the House. We couldn't be more relieved.

  In just 2 months, the euphoria of electoral relief has been devastatingly hampered by the neutered behavior of a greatly diminished John Boehner of Ohio.
  Gohmert has comported himself with distinction in his consistent stand for economic growth, integrity in foreign affairs, government oversight, limited federal powers, national security, and separation of powers.
  For this reason, the editorial review of SoonerPolitics fully supports this wise and reasonable alternative to the capitulating demeanor of a whipped puppy from the Clinton era.
 We congratulate the great conservative leaders who have boldly stated their opposition to yet another session of disappointment and embarrassment.

David Van Risseghem

No! I Don't Want My Picture Taken

Covering your face Will Soon Be Illegal

Cloaking Grief In Oklahoma (while we can)

   A grieving woman's attempt to cover her sobbing face could become an illegal act, in Oklahoma.  The chairman of the Oklahoma Senate Public Safety Committee wrote legislation and is preparing to push for passage. 

  Chairman Don Barrington's bill [ http://goo.gl/FjFyR1 ] will only allow covering one's face in public if it meets 1 of the 10 stated reasons.  While KKK parades will still be allowed, distraught widows will not be allowed to cloak their grief.

  The Bill's language carves out only the listed approved activities [of good Americans]:

Oglers celebrate the right to intrude.

"To intentionally conceal his or her identity in a public place by means of a robe, mask, or other disguise. Provided, the provisions of Section 1301 et seq. of this title shall not apply to:

1. The pranks of children on Halloween,
2. To those going to, or from, or participating in masquerade parties, 
3. To those participating in any public parade or 
4. Exhibition of an educational, religious or historical character,
5. To those wearing coverings required by their religious beliefs,
6. For safety or medical purposes, or incidental to protection from the weather,
7. To those participating in any meeting of any organization within any building or enclosure wholly within and under the control of said organization,
8. And to those participating in the parades or exhibitions of minstrel troupes, circuses, sporting groups,
9. Mascots or 
10. Other amusements or dramatic shows."

These cameras want you to stay identifiable at all times

  By inserting the phrase "or other disguise" the law would determine anything to be a disguise if it disguises you. Whether it's your hand, an umbrella, a veil, or sunglasses.
   Oklahoma already has a statute in the books which states that it is illegal to conceal one's identity in the commission of a crime. This new legislation is seen as a way to allow the ever expanding network of public surveillance cameras to readily identify every individual and keep a detailedjournal of the daily interactions and habits of every person.
  One now does not have to be a chronic paranoid to begin wondering if George Orwell's "1984" or an East German cold war era government isn't becoming a very real American experience.

   Tell Don Barrington to withdraw his bill immediately.

_

 Senator Don Barrington
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 232
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405.521.5563
barrington@oksenate.gov
http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/biographies/barrington_bio.aspx
Executive Assistant: Sandra Shelton 

David Van Risseghem

How To Spot Two-Faced Politicians

  Rep. Jason Murphey enjoys (okay, maybe 'enjoy' is the wrong word) a unique vantage point for ascertaining the true nature of some of his colleagues at the Oklahoma state capitol. This week he shares some insights for the sake of constituents who think a lawmaker' word is his true bond.

  His article is illustrative of the brazen hypocrisy and double-dealing ways of the halls of the legislative building.

          How to spot a 2-faced politician...     ©2014 Netflix

Murpheys Law: Two-faced Politicians

..."The large, faith-based group gave their attention to their speaker, an elected official, who to the casual observer appeared to be an individual of faith, motivated by the right reason and representing the important values for which this group spends much time and energy advocating.

But, those of us who are positioned to carefully observe the day-to-day activities of the political class knew the truth. This particular speaker is an extremely intelligent, shrewd politician who is one of Oklahoma's best at playing the taxpayer-funded political game...

As the chairperson of an important legislative committee, this person isn't content to just raise campaign contributions from one side of the issue, but is instead one of the most skilled politicians at perfecting the art form of shaking down lobbyists from both sides of a given point of view. I suspect few if any of those who attended the faith-based event on that day had any idea of the facts described herein. They likely returned to their homes convinced of the politician's faith and support for issues of importance to them, completely unaware of the complicated taxpayer-funded game played by this person. But, in reality, they had just witnessed the work of one of Oklahoma's most clever politicians."

Read more at Murphey's Law 

David Van Risseghem