Cartoon Saturday

At least eight people have been murdered and another 61 injured in riots in Afghanistan to protest the burning of a Koran by a wingnut Florida pastor ... conclusively proving that religious stupidity is not monopolized by any single religion; a crippled Japanese nuclear reactor is leaking radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean; savage fighting continues in Libya as pro- and anti-government forces prove unable to decisively defeat each other; Federal government employees are bracing for the loss of income as Congressional Democrats and Republicans scorn compromise and careen recklessly toward a shutdown of the government; and at least 800 people are reported dead in fierce fighting in the African nation of Ivory Coast.

I don't know about you, but after a week like this I really need Cartoon Saturday.

The giant, inscrutable stone heads on Easter Island have awed and mystified people for centuries. They're also good for the occasional cartoon, like these two ...

and,

The endless partisan rancor and political shenanigans pouring out of Washington lately are depressing and frustrating, but at least they provide the meat for plenty of good cartoons. There's Brewster Rockit's take on the meaning of democracy ...

And a pair of cartoons that look at the way we select political figures, from candidates ...

To clueless pundits ...

Republicans are convinced, with all the certainty of religious ultra-fundamentalists, that the answer to every problem is a combination of tax cuts and spending reductions. But what happens when you blindly reduce spending? Reductions to environmental regulations might result in ...

... while cuts in the regulation of harmful additives to our foods could have its own problems ...

Of course, the ability to make sound decisions relies on the ability to trust the data on which you base those decisions. This is the way it seems to work nowadays ...

And, of course, if you really want to do something about the improper influence of corporate money on political campaigns, you need to take action. One way or another ...

And finally, when I read this cartoon I was reminded somehow of Eugene O'Neill's classic play Strange Interlude (which makes a good deal more sense now than it did when I read it in high school) ...

Outside my study window, the sun is peeking through broken clouds, trying to taunt me into thinking I can go outside and start planting my garden. My sister Lisa sent me a box of onion bulbs to plant (along with a detailed diagram to make sure I do it correctly), and I'll soon be able to rake out my plots, fill my pots, and get this year's crop of herbs planted. I can't wait!

But for now, there are other things to be done, so I may as well get to them.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo