Recent Comments

1. 12 days ago on Gary Varvel

   Varvel’s God takes the trouble to protect Trump but not to protect three others in the crowd. Looks like a Divine Ooops.

2. 20 days ago on Clay Bennett

   It’s called hypophora—a kind of rhetorical question in which the speaker asks a question and then answers it. It’s often used by politicians.

3. 26 days ago on Clay Bennett

   Worried. Sad. And we’ve got our own problems.

4. about 1 month ago on Michael Ramirez

   Sometimes it’s harder to predict the short term than the long term. I don’t know for sure what I’ll be having for dinner next Tuesday, but I can say with a high level of confidence what I’ll be having for dinner a hundred years from next Tuesday.

5. about 1 month ago on Jen Sorensen

   I’m progressive. I’m so progressive I progressed right out of the Democratic party. And I’m supporting Biden for president. Not because he would be my first choice, but because it’s really important not to let Trump win.

6. about 1 month ago on Mike Luckovich

   FDR couldn’t stand for 5 minutes, and yet he was a great president.

7. about 1 month ago on Ted Rall

   I just voted in the Canadian Federal by-election in my riding. Our long-time MP (liberal) retired and had to be replaced. The general election won’t be for another year or so. So there was just the one office to be filled. There were eighty-four candidates for the single seat. The ballot was enormous. There are only three candidates who will get many votes: Liberal, Conservative, and NDP (New Democratic Party—a left of centre party). I know Rall wants a lot of candidates, and that’s fine, but the number doesn’t matter if people won’t vote for them. Voting, by the way, was easy. I had to have one piece of ID with my photo and address (such as a driver’s license) or two pieces: one with a photo (such as a passport) and one with my name and address (such as a utility bill or a tax notice). There are lots of kinds of ID that will satisfy the requirements. Registration is automatic. The poll was in a local school, a ten minute walk from my house. There are lots of polls, so no one is very far from where they have to vote. I went at lunch time, and I didn’t have to wait. My wife (who has a different last name) had to wait for one person ahead of her in her line. I can be pretty cynical about electoral politics, but it felt good to vote.

8. about 1 month ago on Joey Weatherford

   One of his best.

9. about 1 month ago on Pearls Before Swine

   I’m not sure about the right tactics for the climate crisis. To some extent we have to see what develops.

10. about 1 month ago on Pearls Before Swine

    But different situations call for different tactics. Disruptive actions, such as blocking traffic, can be effective IF you have really widespread support in the community. I was in NYC at the time of the Cambodian invasion (remember Kent State?) and there was a quite spontaneous student strike. There were thousands of students in the streets, in various parts of the city. I was with a group that shut down Union Square. I think that was a good action. Note that it wasn’t planned by any group, it just happened, it grew out of the situation.