Trump Knew

Trump knew. We learned that from yesterday’s very compelling testimony at the January 6th Committee hearings.

A person with direct contact to Trump’s top administration officials and Trump himself helped connect several dots.

Trump KNEW he lost in November 2020.

Trump KNEW there was no election fraud. And when he learned his Attorney General wouldn’t go along with his lies he threw his lunch at the wall, leaving staff to clean the ketchup dripping down the wall.

Trump KNEW there would be violence on January 6th (with his Chief of Staff saying ahead of time that it could get “real, real bad” on January 6).

Trump KNEW the rioters were armed and ordered his people to remove the metal detectors at his rally since, “They aren’t here to hurt me…. Let them march to the Capitol.”

Trump KNEW these armed people would march on the Capitol.

Trump KNEW they were chanting to hang Mike Pence and felt Pence “deserves it.”

Trump knew this was all going to happen and encouraged and invited it.

Trump knew. The writing is on the wall.

Pride, Progress, & Protest

Rainbows bring joy, happiness. They instill a sense of wonder and appreciation of the world around us.

Yet the rainbow flag didn’t start that way. The Pride flag was flown as a symbol of protest, by those demanding to be accepted, demanding they have equal rights to those around them.

Today, many cities are celebrating Pride with parades and the revised Progress flag. Celebrating the progress we have made as a society for acceptance. But remember that it wasn’t always about joy. It was about protest.

And these days, as more states try to strip away rights and deny the existence of LGBTQ+ citizens, protest is what we need.

Empathy and acceptance. Equal rights for all.

Clarence Thomas

In overturning Roe v Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas argues that the Court should also revisit other previously-settled laws that affect the rights to contraception, same sex relationships, and same sex marriage, all of which are based on the 14th Amendment.

He did not address Loving v Virginia, which set the precedent that the 14th Amendment’s due process and privacy clause give the right to interracial marriage.

We’ve all become acutely aware of his wife, Ginni Thomas - a white woman - from the release of many of her text messages to Mark Meadows and other White House staff in trying to overturn the 2020 election and supporting the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Perhaps he’s ok with revisiting that one after all, though?

C’mon, it’s satire.

Time to Fight

Time to fight. State by state. Don’t like your state’s laws? Vote in new people who will change them.

And this isn’t just about women’s rights. Justice Clarence Thomas is calling to revisit gay marriage and rights to contraception.

Don’t like the way the country is going? Let’s work to change it. Hold on, it’s going to be a long fight.

January 6th Committee

While I doubt it will result in important indictments or change the minds of many Trump supporters, we should all pay attention to the January 6th committee hearings. They’re laying out all the ways in which Trump and his people knew they were undermining American democracy.

Yesterday’s testimony included retired Judge J. Michael Luttig. Luttig served as counsel in the Reagan White House, Assistant Attorney General under George HW Bush, and was appointed by Bush 1 as a Judge on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. I’ll let his words speak for themselves:

“A stake was driven through the heart of American democracy on January 6, 2021, and our democracy today is on a knife’s edge… Knowing full well that he had lost the 2020 presidential election, the former president and his allies and supporters falsely claimed and proclaimed to the nation that he had won the election, and then he and they set about to overturn the election that he and they knew the former president had lost… The treacherous plan was no less ambitious than to steal America’s democracy.”

“Donald Trump and his allies are a clear and present danger to American democracy. To this very day, the former president, his allies and supporters, pledge that in the presidential election of 2024, if the former president or his anointed successor ... were to lose that election, that they would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way that they attempted to overturn the 2020 election. I don't speak those words lightly. I would have never uttered one single one of those words unless the former president and his allies were candidly and proudly speaking those exact words to America.”

But Trumps supporters will just blow it off. After all, it’s not as bad as Hillary’s emails, right?

Pardon List

In the January 6 Committee hearings, it was revealed that John Eastman, Trump’s lawyer who worked alongside Trump to champion the theory that VP Pence could unilaterally reject electors, sought a presidential pardon in the aftermath of Jan. 6.

Eastman sent an email to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani "a few days after" Jan. 6 seeking a pardon. "I've decided that I should be on the pardon list, if that is still in the works," Eastman wrote.

More evidence that Trump and those around him were aware of the illegality of their plans to subvert American democracy.

Allowing for a quick repurposing of an old cartoon.

Shocking Twist /sarcasm

There’s hand wringing online about Elon Musk announcing he will be voting Republican.

Is anyone really surprised at a billionaire voting Republican? Mr. Sarcastic is not surprised.

As The Simpsons once had Bill Gates say, “I didn’t get rich by writing a lot of checks!”

Empathy

America is severely lacking in empathy. The ability to feel a situation from another’s viewpoint. The ability to care about the impact on others.

A pandemic that killed over a million Americans (and counting), exacerbated by people who won’t take simple steps to slow the spread.

Legislators who are so fearful of whom others love that they push to remove LGBTQ representation from available books and punish families who live that way.

People who want to control a woman’s right to choose.

Voters clinging so tightly to their dollars they can’t see that the crumbling infrastructure around them needs more funding.

People who accept the level of gun violence far out of line with any other rich, developed nation in the world because they can’t imagine any limitations on their toys designed only for killing people quickly.

People who demonize immigrants trying to find a better life, and cast them as hordes coming to replace white people.

Those who want to be “tough on criminals” and increase policies that don’t seem to be working and have led to America having 5% of the global population yet 20% of the globally incarcerated people.

People dismissing the effects of the climate catastrophe on communities all around us, trying to defend a status quo.

America needs a shot of empathy. To think beyond only ourselves. Remember, we’re in this together.

It’s an addiction

Since Uvalde, there have been 33 mass shootings in the US, with a mass shooting defined as 4 or more shooting victims.

157 days into 2022, the US has seen 246 mass shootings; more than one per day.

There were almost 20 million guns sold legally in America in 2021.

America clearly has a problem, and this addiction to guns and violence is not going away any time soon.

Leaked Republican memos tell the GOP party members and pundits to, “ignore guns, talk inflation.” They offer no solutions. Just telling people to buy more guns and more hardened doors. Apparently that’s their only answer to protect schools, churches, grocery stores, hospitals, medical clinics, parties, private homes, etc., where these mass shootings keep happening and happening. They expect the furor to die down and people to move on.

Let’s not let them ignore the problem.

Public Schools

Public education is the greatest tool for social mobility we have as a country. An educated populace benefits all of us, both in ways material and immaterial.

Yet public education in the US has been under attack for decades, by criticism and mistrust, crippling budget cuts at the K-12 levels, and unduly soaring costs at college levels.

So it’s unsurprising to see hot button issues used against it to tear down public education. In the wake of Uvalde, I’ve seen several commentators saying this is why homeschooling is better than public schools, this is why schools should be privatized, and questioning public schools’ ability to keep kids safe. It starts to sound like the calls for privatization of education, like we heard when Betsy DeVos was Secretary of Education under Trump.

According to statistics online, 10% of US K-12 students attend private school, yet 6% of school shootings 2000-2018 occurred at private schools. Clearly there are many reasons, some correlated and not a cause.

The conservative/ libertarian Cato Institute (founded by one of the Koch brothers) said in 2018, “Anytime you write about a tragedy and point to your favorite policy reform as the solution, it can seem opportunistic and, frankly, a little callous. But it is not groundless to think that school type could matter, and nothing should be off‐ limits for discussion to end these sorts of tragedies.”

I might actually believe they were honest about nothing being off-limits if they honestly considered and tried popular aspects of gun control. Instead, we just get more attacks on public education.

Pride Merch

June is Pride month! And it’s becoming more commonly accepted and celebrated across America. Which, of course, means that many companies are looking to cash in via their special Pride merchandise.

Of course, these companies also donate huge amounts of money (thanks, Citizens United) to politicians of all stripes. Including those who promote and vote for anti-LGBTQ legislation.

So, while I applaud those who wear their Pride publicly, when you buy that merch, try to check on where your money is really going.

Fund the Moms, Instead

As the horror unfolded in Uvalde, a mother was handcuffed outside the school for “interfering,” as she pleaded with law enforcement officers to enter the building and save the children. Her children.

As a parent I can imagine the frustration, fear, and anger as the seconds and minutes ticked by, knowing a gunman was in that school with her kids.

So she did what the law enforcement officers hadn’t done. She went in and saved her kids. Alone. Unarmed. Brought her children to safety.

We’ve seen the Uvalde SWAT team photo. Dressed up, playing soldier. We know the armored tanks that many of these police forces have. It’s been reported that Uvalde spends ~40% of its municipal budget on its police force. And those police stood by for 90 minutes as children and teachers were slaughtered. What a waste of money. And it contributed to wasted, innocent lives.

Many want us to hold up police as heroes. It’s a dangerous job, undoubtedly. But they do too many jobs for which they aren’t suited. And this one, for which they’ve been outfitted, trained, and paid, they didn’t do. It’s not a problem unique to Uvalde.

Remember that when politicians tell us they need more money for police. Instead, we need better solutions than police.

Because in this one instance, a single mother did more than most of the police there.

Follow for more cartoons.

Empty Promises, We Need Action

Politicians posture and bluster, some promoting real solutions to gun violence, some suggesting it’s all a problem of doors (Ted Cruz is an idiot), some sucking up to the gun industry at the NRA convention today (addicted to that gun lobby money).

But none of them do anything. Empty promises.

When will we see real action?

Isn’t it Ironic? Don’tcha think?

On Friday, Trump is scheduled to speak at the NRA convention in Houston, TX. In an open carry state. And no firearms will be allowed. Because that just seems sensible, right? Don’t allow a bunch of people to bring in guns to a speech from the former President. Cuz a room full of people with guns might be dangerous.

Hopefully the irony is not lost on you.

Undoubtedly the NRA will be raising tons of money from the latest shooting and calls for sane gun control. And Wayne LaPierre will keep lining his own pockets- maybe for another house or another trophy hunting safari.

Sane Gun Laws or Guns Everywhere?

With each mass shooting there’s an outcry for more gun control. And an inevitable backlash from those who stubbornly oppose any actions. Instead, many say we need MORE guns.

Ted Cruz called for more armed guards in schools. More “hardened targets.”

Of course they won’t research the effects that might have. In fact, some research shows, “armed guards were not associated with significant reduction in rates of injuries; in fact, controlling for the aforementioned factors of location and school characteristics, the rate of deaths was 2.83 times greater in schools with an armed guard present.”

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776515

Some politicians think it will hit a point there are so many shootings the people will rise up and demand gun control. But instead we get more stalling for any research or changes, and more guns in more places. Which only benefits the gun makers. And paints an awful picture of the future.

Want to do something? Contact your Senators and tell them to pass H.R. 8- Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and H.R. 1446 - Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021.

Follow for more cartoons.

CPAC’s Authoritarian Hero

CPAC, the prominent conservative political conference, was held this week in Hungary. Setting aside the irony of the “America First” crowd taking their money and convention jobs to another country, what’s most disturbing is the way they’ve cozied up to the authoritarian leader of Hungary, Viktor Orbán.

Orbán provides a template for authoritarian rule, being called a modern dictator in Europe. Several groups have looked at the ways he’s gerrymandered voting districts and limited voting rights for those who oppose him. This is on top of his control of the media, cracking down on free press, limiting religious freedom of non-Christians, removing rights for LGBTQ people, and demonizing immigrants.

Oh yeah, and he’s very cozy with Putin.

The quotes you see in the cartoon are all real from the sources noted. The alarm bells have been ringing for years about Orbán. He’s made Hungary into a country that some NGOs now dub, “partly free.” The Economist (hardly an alarmist, leftist magazine) has said Orbán has hollowed out Hungary’s democracy.

And this is the hero the conservative action committee holds up as an example.

Don’t be surprised when the conservatives and GOP try to bring these tactics to the US, undermining freedoms for anyone “different” than them and eroding democracy. They’re telling us what they value. We know what they want to do.