Cartoon Saturday

Big Brother is alive and well in China, where Internet censors are furiously working to blank out online reporting of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo; young people's role model Kim Kardashian says she's fine after being involved in a bar fight in New York; the midterm election sale is in full swing as the GOP pours money into races across the country in an attempt to buy its way back into power; walls holding back a reservoir of toxic sludge in Hungary are cracking, threatening another deluge of poisonous muck even more noxious than the US midterm elections; and Lady Gaga and the cast of Jersey Shore are this year's top Halloween costumes.

It may be too early in the day to drink, but Cartoon Saturday can help you adjust your attitude in the face of the environment of lunacy.

With the way some people talk nowadays, we may need to revise how we stage some of our traditional contests...


The Republicans are intent on repealing President Obama's health care reform legislation if, as many fear expect, they regain power in the midterm elections. How would a Republican health care plan differ from what we have now...?

There are many approaches to campaign reform. I rather like this one, which is about as good as any other, and more likely to pass...

Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the almost-right word was like the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug. This fellow would probably agree...

This one is blindingly obvious, but still funny...


And finally, I hope nobody ever decides to remake the classic film Casablanca. Not only could nobody but Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman ever play Rick and Ilsa, but there's no telling what elements of the story they might "update" ...


It looks like it's going to be a beautiful fall day here in Northern Virginia...it's a bit cloudy at the moment, but warm and pleasant after a chilly early morning. A good day for yard work, dog walking, and generally enjoying not having to go outside in 47 layers of warm clothes.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo