Cartoon Saturday

And April's off to a flying start ...

The Artemis II spacecraft launched spectacularly and successfully from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday, marking mankind's first return to the moon since the 1970s; Der Furor defenestrated Attorney General Pam Bondi, frustrated over her handling of the Epstein Files and her inability to follow through on revenge prosecutions of his enemies; a Federal judge ordered work on Der Furor's White House ballroom to cease until the project has been reviewed and approved by Congress and its sources of funding clarified; a U.S. F-15 fighter was shot down over Iran on Friday - one crew member was rescued and the other is still missing; Secretary of Defense (Not War) Pete Hegseth fired the Chief of Staff of the Army in the middle of a war, apparently because he refused Hegseth's order to remove otherwise qualified officers from promotion lists because of their race or sex; and in China, a law has been introduced to stop people storing the ashes of their dead relatives in empty high-rise apartments converted into ancestral shrines rather than paying for more expensive and increasingly scarce cemetery plots.

This week, in honor of the "No Kings" rallies around the country in opposition to the self-proclaimed king in the White House, a collection of cartoons about royalty ...

Pun of the day ...

It looks like Der Furor isn't the only monarch given to changing his mind on a moment's notice ...

There's funny as in ha-ha and there's funny as in bring me a strait jacket. I know which one applies.

That's not how Der Furor reacts to comedy he doesn't like ... he cuts off their licenses rather than their heads ...

It's only an interview if the questions actually get answered ...

Remind you of anyone? ...

Whatever works ...

Ah, the Royal "We" ...

I think you may want to consult your intelligence analysts ...

No, he's definitely not ready ...

And that's it for the first Cartoon Saturday of April and our squinty-eyed salute to the kings we used to not have in this country. I hope you had a much chuckle in the midst of war and creeping authoritarianism.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for Musical Sunday and a look back to a song parodying another dictator. More thoughts then. 

Bilbo

The Right-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026

Two weeks ago, in a comment on my Facebook page about the Left-Cheek Ass Clown Award announced earlier that day, my old friend Dave wondered how many people had won back-to-back awards over the years. I did the research and discovered that there have been three instances over the years: Dick Cheney was the final winner in December of 2014*, and won the Ass Clown of the Year (ACOY) for 2014 a week later; Texas Governor Greg Abbott was the On-Crack Ass Clown for December, 2022, and won the 2022 ACOY the following week. Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth was the third, having shared the Right-Cheek Award for March, 2026, followed by winning the Left-Cheek Award for the month two weeks later. Mr. Hegseth, being an overachieving MAGAt of the highest degree, seems intent on making his mark not just on the wreckage of the Department of Defense (not War), but on the history of my Ass Clown Awards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, it is with no small degree of shame and regret that I award the tinfoil and toilet paper crown, fourth poison ivy cluster, to

The Right Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026

and the winner, for an unprecedented third straight time (one shared) is

Secretary of Defense (not War)

Pete Hegseth

It's not easy to get the Pope to condemn you, however obliquely, but the clownishly belligerent Mr. Hegseth managed to make it happen after delivering a bizarre address at a "Christian Worship Service" at the Pentagon, when he exhorted his listeners

"Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

There is, of course, a long history of invoking the blessings of (insert preferred deity) on military undertakings. Indeed, the stirring Order of the Day to the troops issued by General Dwight Eisenhower before the Normandy landings on June 6th, 1944, ended with the words, 

"... let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking."

And imperial and Nazi Germany famously emblazoned "Gott mit uns" ("God is with us") in their military heraldry.

Pope Leo XIV has pushed back against Mr. Hegseth's use of religious, specifically Christian, endorsement of war and violence. In his homily to crowds on Palm Sunday, without mentioning the Secretary of Defense (not War) by name, he said 

"Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: 'Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.'" (Is 1:15).

When the Pope calls you out, you may want to rethink your rhetoric.

In his angry, bloodthirsty calls for extreme violence, Pete Hegseth has revealed himself to be an unserious, morally bankrupt man in a job which - paradoxically - requires both a willingness to use lethal force and a thoughtful weighing of the morality of such use. Writing in The Atlantic, Peter Wehner succinctly observed that

"We need people in government and in the military who can lead the nation to victory in times of war, but that is quite different than having people in leadership who indulge in bloodlust ..."

Sadly, we do not have them. And it is a terrible loss for the nation and the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Right-Cheek Ass Clown for April, 2026, is Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth - yet another example of the toxic mediocrity that has replaced competence,  morality, empathy, and simple humanity in Der Furor's government.

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

P.S. - after I wrote this post earlier in the week, Mr Hegseth removed two black men and two women from the list of officers recommended by the Army for promotion to Brigadier General. He did not give a reason for their removal, but it's pretty clear that they ran contrary to his version of senior military command as a meritocracy based on white "Christian" male leadership. And he wasn't done yet ... on Thursday he fired - without stating any reason - the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy George, in the middle of the undeclared war against Iran. I can't make this stuff up.

* Before I started the Right-Cheek/Left-Cheek/On-Crack system.

Poetry Sunday

Spring has sprung, as they say - the sun crossed the celestial equator to mark the vernal equinox back on March 20th, giving us hope that we can at least enjoy better weather if we can't enjoy better political leadership. This short poem by Tom Hennen brings the warm feel and smell of the season of new growth and experience ...

Spring Follows Winter Once More 

by Tom Hennen 

Lying here in the tall grass

Where it’s so soft

Is this what it is to go home?

Into the earth

Of worms and black smells

With a larch tree gathering sunlight

In the spring afternoon

And the gates of Paradise open just enough

To let out

A flock of geese.

Lie back in that soft grass, watch the clouds go by, and putter in your garden. Spring's good for all those things that make life more bearable.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

It would be nice to think that the news will be better once April shows up in a few days, wouldn't it?

Continuing the tradition of confirming the appointment of unqualified sycophants to important positions, the Senate approved Der Furor's nomination of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to be the Secretary of Homeland Security; a Secret Service agent assigned to former First Lady Jill Biden accidentally shot himself in the leg at Philadelphia International Airport; the Treasury Department announced that - for the first time in history - Der Furor's signature will appear on US currency "to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump;" Secretary of Defense (not War) Pete Hegseth has removed the names of two black and two female Army officers from the list for promotion to Brigadier General; Iranian-affiliated hackers are reported to have hacked the personal e-mail account of FBI Director Kash Patel; and in Daytona Beach, Florida, a man described as "highly intoxicated" drove through an airport gate and attempted to board a running airplane ... not an approved way to avoid long lines at security checkpoints, but I can understand.

This week, in honor of the random chaos of the current administration, a collection of random cartoons, because why not?

I can think of several notable figures to whom this applies ...

Well, it's true ...

Odd to think war can work that way, isn't it? ...

Sometimes, that's all it takes ...

That's true. Just ask Der Furor - you can blame just about anyone or anything but yourself ...

There's another version of this cartoon in which the crest is a bulls-eye, but I rather like this one ...

Well, yes, that would do it ...

Sometimes, "it sucks" is the best possible comment ...

I think this is the way the current administration wants to deal with numbers it doesn't like ...

I can sympathize with him. And with people who dream-debate vaccine deniers, election skeptics, and other MAGAts ...

And that's it for our last collection of cartoons for the month of March ... I hope they helped you to get over the suckitude of the last week.

Have a good day and a great weekend, and come back tomorrow for a Poetry Sunday salute to Spring. More (and happier) thoughts then.

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

Last collection for the month - get 'em while they're hot ...

Exhibit A ...

I'm not sure this headline writer still has a job ...

Wait, what? ...

Let your favorite cannibal know ...

Nowadays, this seems like a pretty good deal ...

I think a particular writer was not breast-fed ...

I sort of thought that was the whole point of brakes ...

Perhaps this wasn't the best choice of name for a salad restaurant ...

Thanks to Mike for this one ... I'll remember it if I'm ever lost in Michigan ...

I know most of you don't speak German, but I just had to include this one: a man mistook a singer practicing an operatic aria for a woman screaming in distress and called police  ...

And that's a wrap for Great Moments in Editing and Signage for March - I hope you've enjoyed today's collection. Remember that I'm always accepting your donations - email them to der_blogmeister@yahoo.com, and I'll see that you get a mention of thanks when I use them.

Have a good day and be sure to come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday, when we'll serve up a collection of random cartoons from my bottomless collection ... naturally, with my own commentary. See you then with more thoughts.

Bilbo 

NPCs

If you are into online role-playing games (full disclosure: I'm not), you are probably familiar with the concept of the non-player character, or NPC - a character controlled by the master of the game or by a referee, rather than by a live player. The purpose of an NPC is, essentially, to provide background noise or flesh out a scene, much like the extras in movies who fill out crowds. The NPC has no effect on the game itself.

We are NPCs in the game Der Furor and his cronies are playing with the nation.

We have no input into the game other than by casting our votes*, and the next opportunity to do that won't come until November ... by which time the game controller will have, with no input from us or from the other NPCs we seem to have elected to Congress:

Destroyed our economy, once the envy of the world;

Undermined trust in our elections ... and in each other; 

Stacked government agencies with unqualified ciphers whose only qualification for their positions is obsequious devotion to Der Furor;  

Brought about the return of diseases once eliminated or, at least, under control; 

Ruined our standing in the world and eliminated the support of one-time allies who now view American leadership - once the gold standard for reliability and competence - as a laughingstock; 

Wasted hundreds of billions of our tax dollars on a completely unnecessary war against Iran ... which, although a loathsome regime, posed no immediate threat to us; 

Subordinated our national interests in the Middle East to those of Israel; 

Demolished part of the White House to make room for a ballroom for which there was no need;

Turned the stately and dignified Oval Office into a cheap imitation of a gaudy whorehouse; 

All but ruined the Kennedy Center as a focus of culture in the nation's capitol; 

Put us under attack by a private army answerable to no one; 

Attacked our treasured freedoms of speech, assembly, the press, and religion; 

Turned the Department of Justice into a juggernaut focused on vengeance against Der Furor's enemies, real and imagined; 

Utterly ignored the Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom in an attempt to transform the United States into a theocracy**; and,

Hugely profited - openly, blatantly, and shamelessly - from the abuse of public offices for personal gain, ensuring that the rich get richer and the rest of us get ... what's left.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Hope you enjoy being an NPC in a game run by Der Furor and a bunch of entitled billionaires.

Have a good day. Be sure you are registered to vote and that you actually do vote in every upcoming election. Turn out for a No Kings rally this weekend. Now - more than ever - the nation needs your voice. Make it loud.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* We can also badger our elected officials to find their spines and stand up for country rather than party or self-interest, but the degree of susceptibility to badgering depends on the degree of fealty to Der Furor.

** Look how well it's worked out for Iran.

Musical Sunday

At the risk of being accused of making a racist comment, I'd like to note that Der Furor has well and truly punched the tar baby*. Aided and abetted by his incompetent Secretaries of Defense (NOT War) and State, he has dragged the United States into a useless and incredibly dangerous and destabilizing war against Iran. What comes after the bombs and rockets stop flying and the drones run out? What happens after this war? ...

Here are the lyrics, by Julie Wornan ...

After the war is over, after we reach the Peace

Oh, will we all relax then, will we find some release?

No, but we'll find new enemies, we'll hate them more and more.

Don't think the world will change much, after this war.

There is a child who's screaming

Fearing the rocket's roar

And there's a homeless family

Well, that's just war.

We have some super war toys

Deadlier than before.

Don't think we will not use them

In the next war

After the war is over, after we reach the Peace

Oh, will we all relax then, will we find some release?

No but we'll find new enemies, we'll hate them more and more.

Don't think the world will change much, after this war.

No, I'm afraid the world won't change much ... at least until people like Der Furor, Netanyahu, Putin, Hegseth, and the like are gone.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* A reference to the story of Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby, by Joel Chandler Harris.

Cartoon Saturday

There are 962 days until the presidential election. Give me strength.

Der Furor loyalist Joe Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, became the first major administration official to resign, saying he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran;” Secretary of Defense (NOT War) Pete Hegseth will ask Congress for an additional $200 billion for the war in Iran, on top of the huge plus-up to the Defense budget in last year's "Big, Beautiful Bill;" famed union leader and champion of farmworker rights Cesar Chavez has been accused of sexually abusing Dolores Huerta, with whom he co-founded the United Farm Workers, as well as two young girls in the 1970s; Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said more than 400 people were killed and hundreds were wounded after a Pakistani attack on a major drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul; and in Texas, a woman faces federal drug charge after troopers conducting a routine traffic stop found 480 pounds of meth and 40 pounds of heroin in her car.

This week, in honor of having a government that's for the birds, a collection of cartoons about birds.

I think this one's a classic ...

Yeah, I don't think they'll be eating tonight ...

Ouch!! ...

If Der Furor has a bird he relies on for advice, it's probably a dodo ...

I wouldn't, either ...

There are a lot of heads buried in a lot of sand, lately ...

Uh, oh ...

When the ducks get wise to the trick ...

VR for geese? ...

Nowadays, that's just about a certainty ...

A little birdie told me you'd like this week's collection ... I hope he wasn't robin me of a better idea.

Have a good day and a great weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday considers what will happen after the war.

Bilbo

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2026

Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, it's finally happened - for the first time in a long time, I have had absolutely no trouble selecting this week's award winner. Without the least shadow of a doubt, and with the greatest of sorrow for what might have been in better times, I announce presentation of the tinfoil and toilet paper crown for 

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2026

to

Secretary of Defense (NOT War)

Pete Hegseth*

Pete Hegseth, Fox and Friends weekend anchor turned Secretary of Defense (not War) is beyond any doubt the most utterly unqualified and dangerous person ever appointed to the position. In a cabinet filled with useless ciphers whose only qualification is slavish devotion to Der Furor, Mr Hegseth stands out by virtue of the vast level of damage his incompetence has enabled his boss to unleash.

Because he has only the crudest kill-people-and-break-things idea of his position, he lacks the maturity and intelligence to advise the president (who, of all people, needs mature and intelligent guidance on most things). He fails to realize that raw military power is only one aspect of national power, and that it must be judiciously employed. 

Mr Hegseth has complained bitterly about complained about CNN's reporting that Der Furor and his advisors had underestimated Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil traffic by closing the Strait of Hormuz, calling the report "patently ridiculous" ... even as Iran has, in fact, closed the strategic strait and sent oil prices skyrocketing. And indicating that his willingness to make war extends to those who dare to use their First Amendment rights, he grandly announced that “the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

Mr Hegseth utterly failed to ensure that the war his boss insisted on launching had a strategic goal that would allow him to determine when those goals had been achieved. "Just bomb them back to the Stone Age" is not an especially useful strategic aim.

Having already received a huge increase in the Defense budget in last year's "Big Beautiful Bill," Mr Hegseth has announced he will ask Congress for another $200 billion to fund Der Furor's war of choice in Iran.

Mr Hegseth also displays a shocking lack of understanding of the laws and responsibilities of war. In a recent press briefing, he said the U.S. military “will keep pressing, we will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies” in the operation against Iran. The phrase “no quarter” actually means killing enemy combatants instead of accepting their surrender ... which is a war crime. 

Pete Hegseth is a dangerously cartoonish figure who, when combined with the current president, represents a terrible danger to the United States military, the United States government, and our moral standing in a dangerous world. He deserves complete and total condemnation, and I regret that I can do no more than present him with this award.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, your Left-Cheek Ass Clown for March, 2026, is Secretary of Defense (NOT War) Pete Hegseth - truly one of the most dangerous men in the world today.

Have a good day and remember this abominable creature when you vote in this year's midterm elections and the 2028 Presidential election. The nation and the world deserve better ... assuming we survive the next two and a half years of this administration.

Come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday - more thoughts then.

Bilbo 

* This is Mr. Hegseth's fourth award, entitling him to the third Poison Ivy Cluster on his original tinfoil and toilet paper crown. His previous awards were: the April, 2025 Right-Cheek; September, 2026 Special Award (shared with Der Furor); and March, 2026 Right-Cheek (shared with the other six members of the Seven Deadly Horse's Asses of the Political Apocalypse).

Poetry Sunday

I think we could all use this prayer every day, and twice on Fridays ...

Prayer for Uninteresting Times

by Brian Bilson

Send me a slow news day, 

a quiet, subdued day,

in which nothing much happens of note, 

save for the passing of time, 

the consumption of wine,

and a re-run of Murder, She Wrote.

Grant me a no news day, 

a spare-me-your-views day,

in which nothing much happens at all, 

except a few hours together 

some regional weather, 

a day we can barely recall.

I'm soooooo ready ... maybe we can have a Brownsville kind of day for once -

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo