This cartoon was originally intended to run in The Union on Tuesday, but just as I was about to turn it in last Wednesday, I opened up the paper and, to my horror, there was a cartoon on the op/ed page that was almost identical. Damn. Scooped again! I had to go back to the drawing board and conjure up another scurrilous scrawl to replace it. In addition, I was in the middle of searching for cartoons and clean socks to pack for a trip out of town, and dealing with a dust up on the blog between the usual progressive and conservative factions that regularly comment here.
One of them (Chris) announced that he was taking his marbles and going home because another (Todd) wouldn’t stop criticizing every comment he made. In my anger and frustration, I told Todd to “go fuck himself”, in part because I was losing another voice (It’s not easy to find people willing to post their opinions and use their real name) and the horrifying prospect of how boring this blog would be if Todd was able to run off every opposing viewpoint.
In hindsight, it was wrong of me to single out Todd for self-immolation. Being the wishy-washy, libertarian-leaning centrist that I am, I should have included the pontificating progressives as well. It just happened that Todd was the only one there at the moment, so he bore the brunt of my anger.
Now get ready, because I’m going to say something that you are unlikely to see on the blogosphere… I am fallible. I am subject to the whims of human nature and I am not always right.
Wow. It’s such a liberating feeling to know that, unlike most of my bloggy brethren, I have not been given golden tablets from above that anoint me as the sole arbiter of righteousness and reason. I can only challenge those who do, and I plan on continuing that journey. Be advised.
And in that spirit, let’s go back to my crude rendering of Big Smokey. I find it amusing that my progressive friends, who are always going on about the need more federal government control of our lives, can justify the recent shuttering of parks, monuments and even the Cliff House restaurant. In the past few weeks we have seen our friendly park rangers transformed into armed border guards, protecting us from ourselves. You will counter that it’s the Republicans fault for shutting off the flow of money that keeps the geysers from scalding our ignorant hides, but it has only shown that if we defy the government, we will be punished accordingly.
The same logic applies the the plight of Pascale Fussheoller, a human being that we’ve grown to love during her illegal occupation of our fair country. There is no middle ground, no reasoning with the lumbering monolith as it scoops her up into the system. It’s all done by the book. She is no longer a human being, just a statistic. Maybe someday those dumbass Republicans will get off their high horse and help fix our broken immigration laws so that these kind of situations can be resolved in a reasonable manner that recognizes human dignity.
Again, progressives will counter that it’s not the government’s fault. It’s just that, in this case, they are aiming at the wrong target. We’ll get it right eventually, and direct the monster to fuck with the surly conservatives and the rich bastards. Then the system will be working for the people.
Like Pogo Possum told us all those years ago, we have met the enemy, and he is us. As an unrepentant dissident member of the people I can only say… Go fuck yourself.
Bob~ This is a great post and major kudos for your multi-tasking aplomb. The fact that the loser Juvinall has been ousted is such good news. He seems to live to raise hackles. He’s outdated and boorish and good to be gone.
The fact that Chris would depart would be sad indeed. He is as sharp as a tack and his well thought out comments are always such great food for thought…the literal antithesis of whats-his-name.
Carry on Bro’.
> we have met the enemy, and he is us.
Yes. And William Oster, who lives at 1453 Bedford Lane, Oroville, CA. He’s a jerk.
> As an unrepentant dissident member of the people I can only say… Go fuck yourself.
Thank you. Thank you very much. I undoubtedly deserve this for something I’ve done or not done.
Cheers, and thanks for posting this.
Glad I checked back to see if you had come out unscalded, Bob.
Just a couple of points, to set the record straight:
1. I didn’t say I was “going home because Todd wouldn’t stop criticizing every comment” I made. I said I was leaving because I found myself devoting all of my time, (to no avail), trying to counter his every comment. It was a fool’s errand and, as I said, it detracted from your great work. Todd’s got every right to his opinion; that’s something I never questioned.
2. I didn’t “take my marbles and go home.” I am home, and I still have all, (or most), of my marbles.
I, too, have had time to rethink my rash decision to deny myself the company afforded by your blog. Yeah, it was a bit childish on my part, but my golden tablets seem to have been misplaced from time to time, also. My sole concern was that I was a party to ruining your blog. Nothing more, nothing less.
Lastly; I signed Ms. Fussheoller’s petition the first day, I do not approve of the park rangers’ actions, (they’re like the armed forces in that they get their orders from somewhere), and seeing our government as a safety net for the sick and hungry does not mean I think we “need more government control in our lives.” I’m pretty sure we can give them a hand without giving up our freedoms.
The world no longer sees us as a compassionate, peaceful nation of unbridled liberty, and there’s good reason for that. The people of our nation are not blamed for that but, then again, WE are not doing anything about it, are we.
Speaking of entitlements; liberty is not one of them. We fought for it, and if we don’t continue that fight, we lose it. We can start by retaking OUR parks and monuments. I’m headed down to Sand Island, a small local park under siege by the feds. I’ll probably be arrested, and my boat impounded, but hey, what a small price to pay for my conscience. I’m trying to raise a flotilla because I figure if it’s 50 to 1, we’ll win the day. (Film at 11.)
How ’bout y’all? Got parks? Let’s get this party started!
By the time you get to the park, they’ll probably have opened it. While we were in SF over the weekend, they announced that the historic Cliff House restaurant had been allowed to serve the hungry hoards again, despite the fact that it is located on Federal property. Isn’t it amazing how they somehow magically found the funds to allow this, despite the shut down?
Welcome back, Chris. Look forward to more spirited disagreements.
I just took your advice Bob, and called the local ranger station just up the road. I found out that there is no ranger on Sand Island, and no one is monitoring the site. (Guess I can take off this camo shirt and face paint.)
He did warn me, however, that the porta-potties had not been pumped out in a week, so I might want to make other plans. I’ve already got the boat hooked up, and I’ve got a head in the cabin, so I think I’ll just go for a cruise. The salmon are running, so maybe I’ll try my luck although, they’re federally subsidized, so I’ll probably be breaking some law there, too. (Hey, good idea for a strip. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you do a fish character before.)
Cheers.
“Maybe someday those dumbass Republicans will get off their high horse and help fix our broken immigration laws so that these kind of situations can be resolved in a reasonable manner that recognizes human dignity.”
RL, those dumbass Republicans might be more amenable to making immigration easier if those crafty progressives weren’t mostly pushing for a fast track to citizenship for millions of currently undocumented Democrats.
I agree, Greg! The last thing we need right now is those damn democrats pulling a Reagan on us.
“I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally,”
Ronald Reagan, 1984
And, if a republican made them all citizens, why did the majority become democrats? (Hint: It’s like Lincoln and the slaves; there’s just something fundamentally wrong with today’s republican platform.)
Then again, whenever some piece of equipment gets screwy on me, I just shut it down, and when I turn it back on, everything’s fine. Let’s wait and see if the illegals are all still here when they turn the government back on.
You just can’t let the snark go, can you, CP?
I didn’t vote for Reagan, either time. Sorry.
Easy, my friend; it’s only history. Nothing snide about it.
If, on the other hand, you mean Lewis Carroll’s snark, which was a most unimaginable creature, it is never wise to release a snark unless one is assured of a safe exit.
Checking the numbers, the Reagan deal was amnesty for secure borders and real employer sanctions. About 3 million got legalized, borders remained virtually open and sanctions never got teeth, though everyone started getting trained that for any job, no matter if you were born here, you had to prove you were here legally.
Now the numbers of illegal immigrants is estimated at 11 million, some say many more. The GOP position seems to be along the lines of “let’s get the unfilled promises of the last deal in place first and secure the border”. CP, if you can stay away from snark, try making a case against the GOP’s position that would be seen as reasonable by average center-right voter.
Personally, I prefer dismantling the welfare state and having fairly open borders but that’s become very unpopular post 9/11. Most want to trade liberty for security and haven’t figured out they’re getting neither.
I can’t argue with you, or Ben, on that last comment, but it strikes me that to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, you have to address the reason they’re coming here in the first place. In that regard, all roads point to NAFTA, a bold move by a Democratic President and a Republican Congress which, in effect, decimated centuries of Mexican farming. Just as American rice in Haiti destroyed the Haitian rice farmers, the farmers of Mexico could not compete with the subsidized corn of our industrial farms. What would you have them do? What you have done had you not been fortunate enough to be born on this side of the border? Starve?
Our country has a long history of exploiting labor; from the earliest slaves to the Chinese and Mexicans. If they lived here; we killed ’em, and then imported others to do our labor. Personally, if I had a lot of hard work to be done, I’d hire a Mexican over a white guy any day of the week.
But back to the subject; what to do now that we have caused this fiasco. My thought is plain and simple; enforce the law as written; demand that every worker prove citizenship. No work? No stay. And no splitting families up, or hardcore, strong-arm tactics needed. People, (and make no mistake- they are people), will go home of their own accord, and your kids and grandkids can pick their own dinner, clean their own rooms, serve their own food, build their own houses.
But like most, I think you don’t want to eradicate cheap, hard-working labor completely, you just want to control it at some comfortable level. Obama has strengthened border security more than any of his predecessors, and expelled more illegals while in office than any of them, also.
Bottom line; they, (Congress), don’t want it fixed. They want the illusion, with the ability to bring it up when it’s in their interest to do so as a wedge issue, because many people are stupid enough to believe the crap their being handed… that the ones at the bottom are the ones to blame for our problems, which makes the real scoundrels at the top very, very happy.
Oh, and along with proof of citizenship, the fines on employers who hire illegal aliens have to be so big as to preclude them even imagining it. I’m talking 1/3 of last years’ profit. That way, even the big boys don’t get off with a slap on the wrist, which is computed today into the cost of doing business.
I have a confession to make. My real name isn’t Robert Lovejoy. Robert is my hated brother who treats opossums and orphans terribly. Talk about a true scoundrel. A beast he is, a genuine brute and loot.
My real name is Lawrence Oscar Lovejoy. I feel so much better and healthier now. What a weight that has been lifted from me weary shoulders. This warms the cockles of me weary heart as well.
RL Crabb, I am sorry for my deceit and I apologize to all the fine lot who frequent your site. Please accept my humble cow eating with sincerity. You need not refer to me as Robert Lovejoy in the future as my confession is real and the name is false.. On top of that, I never like my initials RL. Kind of sucked being known as RL. I prefer to be referenced by my birth initials LOL. Keep up the good fight. May the wind always be at your back and may the bluebird of happiness nest upon your head. Sincerely, LOL.
I sense a change in the … air. Like you waved a wand or something. A fresh new mojo has been brought to the table. This shit is getting interesting.
So you’re willing to admit you’re fallible. That will differentiate you from the other bloggers, but you’ll probably be tossed out of the guild.
I apologize for popping off. Please forgive me.
I’m keeping the blog open for anyone to comment, as long as it doesn’t wander into petty personal attacks. That goes for you too, Todd. Let’s recognize that we all have different opinions on the role of government and that we’re not going to agree on the solutions. I see enough stupidity in the comments sections of various sites, from the sock puppets on left and the right. Don’t we see enough of that from Washington?
I wish I had Jon Stewart’s insult budget…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucLWjduzBeo
Oh come on now, you had “Skull Love”. I’d put that right up there.
By the way, the Portland Trailblazers have now announced that they’re switching to ticket prices based on the caliber of the opposing team.
Any chance at using that model for a new tax plan?