Two cartoons: bad news vs good news

With all the vitriol in the air, I'm reluctant to add to it.  So here's a comment on the bad news and one on good news.  Take your pick.

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Gary Varvel, The Week

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Joe Heller, Cagle

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-- Marge

Cartoons: fools and posers

News from the war front at the US-Mexico border verges on delirious.

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Pat Bagley, the Week

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Drew Sheneman, the Week

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David Fitzsimmons, the Week

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Meanwhile, at the war front in DC, it verges on insane.

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Steve Sack, Cagle

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Seems to me these guys in Washington were elected to represent their constituents. They're supposed to be adults.

-- Marge

Cartoons: airport security, national security, and the VA waiting list

If you're a traveler and have been cleared by security, don't walk back through the exit lane or you'll be arrested.  The Washington Times tells the whole story, here's part:

Thousands of travelers were left in delayed mode when a passenger walked into a secured area of Detroit Metropolitan Airport without first receiving a proper security check.

The passenger, who was taking a connecting flight, had already been cleared in the departure area of the airport, NBC News reported. But he then walked back through an exit lane and returned to the secured side without going through the security check again, airport agents said, NBC News reported.

Here's a cartoon riff on airport security.

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John Trevor, Cagle

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Daryl Cagle, Cagle

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David Horsey, US News

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Also in the news is this, "White House mistakenly identifies CIA chief in Afghanistan."

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John Cole, The Week

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Lastly, here's a copy of the VA waiting list:

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Gary Varvel, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: Benghazi 2.0

It seems the Republicans just can't let the Benghazi attack go and are launching another investigation.  However, according to the Daily Beast, "New Benghazi Investigation Spooks GOP Leaders."  The article begins:

It’s not just the Democrats who are opposed to a new select committee looking into the Benghazi attacks. Many top Republicans are uneasy, too.

A number of editorial cartoonists have something to say about this and the previous investigation.  Cartoonist Daryl Cagle describes the situation as beating a dead camel.

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Daryl Cagle, Cagle

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Pat Bagley, Cagle

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Steve Breen, US News

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Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

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Daryl Cagle, Cagle

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-- Marge

Cartoons: We the *rich* People...

Senate Republicans have once again asserted their right to be naysayers: "Senate Republicans block Obama bid to hike minimum wage." The debate about raising the minimum wage pushes the point that an increase in the wage will cost jobs.  The North Carolina Policy Watch (NC Policy Watch) has published a comparison of changes in employment levels between states that have increased the minimum wage and those that have not. Generally "...States that raised minimum wage experiencing faster job growth."

These cartoonists have some valuable insights into Republicans, Obama, and the minimum wage controversy.

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Chan Lowe, US News

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Milt Priggee, Cagle

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Milt Priggee, Cagle

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Steve Sack, Cagle

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-- Marge

Cartoons: Paycheck fairness

On April 9th, the Huffington Post ran this article:  Senate Republicans Block Paycheck Fairness Act For Third Time. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (Wikipedia version) was the first effort to make pay levels more fair.  So what's taking so long?

Cartoons seem almost inappropriate here, but sometimes humor helps us see more clearly.

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Pat Bagley, Cagle

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Bill Day, Cagle

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Rick McKee, Cagle

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Dave Granlund, Cagle

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Bill Day, Cagle

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-- Marge

Cartoons: Net what?

Frankly, I gave up on net neutrality years ago. In this polarized world increasingly ruled by greed, both corporate and individual, and big-money power, a delicate thing like neutrality doesn't have much of a chance. Of course this is just my point of view. For a survey of what's happening in net neutrality, take a look at the Huffington Post section on the topic.  CNN recently reported in "New chapter begins in net neutrality fight:"

The Federal Communications Commission faced a big setback on this front in January, when a court struck down its "Open Internet" rules. The FCC had barred ISPs from blocking or "unreasonably discriminating" against Web content, but Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) successfully challenged the regulations on the grounds that the so-called "net neutrality" rules had overstepped the commission's legal authority.

Interesting that this was reported in CNN's money section.

Here's how some leading editorial cartoonists view the topic.

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John Cole, Cagle

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Nate Beeler, Cagle

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Milt Priggee, The Week

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--Marge

Cartoons: Veer left! There's a pothole.

Cities and drivers in the U.S. are reporting an epidemic of potholes, due to the extreme weather (yep, more about weather) this winter.  Here's a story from NBC:  "Harsh Winter Breeds Costly Pothole Pain."

Here's what some cartoonists have to say about this winter and potholes.

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Gary Varvel, Cagle

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Randy Bish, Cagle

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Rob Rogers, robrogers

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Steve Breen, The Week

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-- Marge

The flu: is it going around now?

My son's not feeling well today, he may have a cold or it may be the beginning of the flu. And I'm wondering whether, considering the cold weather the U.S. has had this winter, if the number of people experiencing seasonal flu is greater this year.  The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says:

Flu activity is widespread in most of the country. High flu activity is likely to continue for several weeks. If you have not gotten your flu vaccine yet this season, you should get one now. And remember that flu antiviral drugs are a second line of defense to treat flu illness. People at high risk of serious flu illness should call a health care provider if they get flu symptoms.

A small chart on the CDC page about seasonal influenza (flu) shows that activity is highest in Texas  and adjacent states to the north.  This chart shows the number of people who went to the doctor for treatment of the flu, this year and selected previous years:

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Reported flu-like illnesses, CDC

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Note that 2012-2013 was higher.

Worldwide, people in Japan are most worried about the flu, according to Google's aggregated search data. Looking deeper into searches that originated in Japan, here are Google's statistical flu trend estimates for that country.

If you're not feeling well--rest, drink plenty of fluids, and cheer up.

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Kirk Walters, Cagle

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-- Mama Marge

Cartoons: Extreme weather and El Niño

Believe it or not November 2013 was the warmest year on record globally, according to a TIME magazine article (subscription needed to read the full item), "El Niño Is On Its Way:"

For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold snap. Late November and December saw early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when--for the first time in two decades--record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U.S. was the exception: November was the warmest ever globally, and the provisional data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth-hottest year on record.

Enjoy the snow now, because chances are good that 2014 will be even hotter--perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That's because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an El Niño year.

With the coming heat in mind, here are a few cartoon celebrating (sort of) cold and snow.

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Dave Granlund, Cagle

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Jimmy Margulies, Cagle

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Randy Bish, Cagle

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Had enough?

-- Marge

Cartoons: Groundhog Day, more winter or no?

Sunday is Groundhog Day, a venerable American tradition.  The Patriot-News has published a "Groundhog Day 2014 Guide" with interesting info about the groundhog seer, Punxsutawney Phil, and the town where he resides.  In a nutshell, if it's cloudy when a Phil emerges from his burrow, spring will come early, otherwise winter continues for six more weeks.  No shadow, then spring. No comment on how accurate he's been.

Here are some cartoons celebrating the little guy and his day (hopefully not sunny).

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John Cole, Cagle

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Gary Varvel, Cagle

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Jeff Koterba, Cagle

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Bill Schorr, Cagle

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-- Marge

Cartoons: If it's cold, no global warming, right?

For some interesting insights into the recently reported polar vortex, check out this Huffington Post article, "Sh*t Got Weird During The Polar Vortex."  Meanwhile, here are some cartoons centered on the recent cold spell and climate change denial.

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Steve Breen, US News

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Chris Britt, US News

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Drew Sheneman, US News

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Nate Beeler, Cagle Post

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Pat Bagley, Cagle Post

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Brrrr!

-- Marge

Cartoons: TSA

I don't know about you, but I find this scarey: "T.S.A. Expands Duties Beyond Airport Security."  Visions of a police state come to mind.  According to the article, I'm not the only one alarmed:

With little fanfare, the agency best known for airport screenings has vastly expanded its reach to sporting events, music festivals, rodeos, highway weigh stations and train terminals. Not everyone is happy.

T.S.A. and local law enforcement officials say the teams are a critical component of the nation’s counterterrorism efforts, but some members of Congress, auditors at the Department of Homeland Security and civil liberties groups are sounding alarms. The teams are also raising hackles among passengers who call them unnecessary and intrusive.

This meme, popular with bloggers and originator unknown, sums it up well.
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According to this article and slideshow by Glenn Mcdonald (he has a website, too) -- "10 Signs You're Living in a Police State" -- we're not quite there.  While we're waiting, here are some cartoons about the TSA for your amusement.
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Jeff Darcy, Cleveland.com

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Michael Ramirez, Cagle.com

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John Darkow, Cagle.com

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There's some excellent artwork here.

-- Marge