Cartoons: What in the world are they thinking?

Cartoonists are riffing on these news bites this week: ISIS is going broke, the world watches the U.S. presidential race with 'disbelief', and the GOP establishment is cozying up to Cruz.

Why ISIS is Going Broke.

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Tom Stiglich, The Week

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The world watches the U.S. presidential race with ‘disbelief.’

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Dana Summers, The Week

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The GOP establishment is cozying up to Ted Cruz. It’s not clear they know why.

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Mike Luckovich, The Week

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-- Marge

From hacker to #OpISIS

The Cyber Activists Who Want to Shut Down ISIS, Reuters / Paul Spella / The Atlantic

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Freedom of speech can be so tricky. If you're a hate-monger like the late Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church it's O.K. to say things like "Thank God for dead soldiers" at the funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq. But if you're whistleblower Edward Snowden releasing classified information revealing the extent of the NSA's snooping, you're a traitor. There is a Whistleblower Protection Act but it appears to be limited to "federal whistleblowers who work for the government and report agency misconduct." It didn't help Edward Snowden. WikiLeaks did.

Then there are hactivists. Many consider organizations such as Anonymous annoying, even dangerous. Not all agree. Author John Mellow at PC World quoted Yochai Benkler of Harvard Law School as saying "'Audacious' Hactivists Make Social Statement..." My apologies for not quoting directly from Hacks of Valor: Why Anonymous Is Not a Threat to National Security, but I chose not to sign up for my one free article a month at Foreign Policy.

But since the Charlie Hebdo shooting of Jan 2015 in Paris, Anonymous has taken on the new role of waging war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). Looking again at Foreign Policy, a most prestigious magazine published by the FP Group, there's the article Anonymous Vs. The Islamic State, an eye-opener (at least in my view). This from the article:

For more than a year, a ragtag collection of casual volunteers, seasoned coders, and professional trolls has waged an online war against the Islamic State and its virtual supporters. Many in this anti-Islamic State army identify with the infamous hacking collective Anonymous. They are based around the world and hail from every walk of life. They have virtually nothing in common except a passion for computers and a feeling that, with its torrent of viral-engineered propaganda and concerted online recruiting, the Islamic State has trespassed in their domain. The hacktivists have vowed to fight back.

Another article, this one in The Atlantic, describes The Cyber Activists Who Want to Shut Down ISIS.

About the online recruiting--it's beginning to look like we have to collectively work at bringing youth back from their isolation: Loneliness: a silent plague that is hurting young people most.


-- Marge

Cartoons: only the 2016 GOP presidential race is funny (and that not so much)

Today's comments include Bernie Sanders on climate change and terrorism, ISIS, a no-Syrians policy in America, innocent Muslim bystanders, and the 2012 vs. 2015 presidential races.

While some scoff, Bernie has a good point and doubles down on [the] climate change-terrorism link in a CBS news piece, which reported:

"If we are going to see an increase in drought, in flood, and extreme weather disturbances as a result of climate change, what that means is that people all over the world are going to be fighting over limited natural resources," the Vermont senator said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," elaborating on an argument he made during the CBS News Democratic debate Saturday night. "If there is not enough water, if there is not enough land to grow your crops, then you're going to see migrations of people fighting over land that will sustain them. And that will lead to international conflict."

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Chip Bok, The Week

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I must admit it feels good to reduce ISIS to cockroaches.

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David Horsey, The Week

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The New York Times reports: G.O.P. Governors Vow to Close Doors to Syrian Refugees. I take exception to the word 'prudent' in the video; sounds like doublespeak to me.

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Jack Ohman, The Week

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Molenbeek, a Muslim community in Belgium, is where Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected architect of the Paris attacks, lived. The residents of  Molenbeek are telling us, 'We are not terrorists'.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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I keep wondering, if I were to vote for a Republican candidate, who could I possibly vote for?

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John Cole, The Week

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-- Marge

Cartoons: the elephant in the room

Today's mix includes cartoonists' comments on the recent FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ruling on net neutrality, the Republican Party, jobs for potential terrorists, and pizza delivery via drone.

It's beginning to look like even some Republicans are unhappy with their party.

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Mike Luckovich, The Week

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Apparently, Americans are ready and waiting for delivery by drone.

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Chan Lowe, The Week

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Michael Tomasky at the Daily Beast admits: "Yes, I’ll Say It: Marie Harf Had a Point." Few in the news media appear to agree.

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Michael Ramirez, The Week

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In this cartoon the FCC is portrayed as antiquated. Lawrence Lessig says it's the internet in America that's behind the times:

Defenders of the status quo are now frantically filling the tubes with FUD about the FCC's decision. But as you work through this FUD, keep one basic fact clear. Relative to practically every other comparable nation, America's broadband sucks. Seriously, sucks. Even France beats us in cost and quality. And as the genius Yochai Benkler established in the monumental report by the Berkman Center commissioned by the FCC after Obama was elected, the single most important reason our broadband sucks is the sell-out regulatory strategy of the prior decade at least. Nations that imposed neutrality-like rules beat us, in cost and quality. They have more competition, faster growth, and better access. So for anyone remotely connected to reality-based policy making, it has been clear forever that America made a wrong turn in its regulatory strategy, and that we needed an about face.

BTW, FUD stands for Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

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Nate Beeler, The Week

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IMHO, with respect to net neutrality and many other federal issues, the elephant in the room is American worship of the almighty dollar.

-- Marge

Cartoons: Putin and the ice bucket, ISIS

At this point, I think it's safe to ask who has not heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge. This cartoon struck my funny bone hard. The New Yorker published an interesting read titled "A Quest to Understand What Makes Things Funny." (Note that it was published on April 1st.) In my view this cartoon is funny because it's a stress reliever (and somewhat slapstick).

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Marian Kamensky, The Week

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Talk about a situation that needs stress relief, how about ISIS?  They're demanding ransoms, then beheading their captives.

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Steve Breen, The Week

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This cartoon relates ISIS and crime in the US--a double whammy.

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Mike Luckovich, The Week

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Sometimes I wanna be an ostrich.

-- Marge

Cartoons: Carry a big Sharpie

Among the perpetual reports of unwelcome news: Iraq is back again. For extensive coverage, check out NBC's "Iraq Turmoil" page. As you have probably heard, ISIS is the new enemy. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross' article "Why Iraq's jihadists just keep on coming back meaner" is a good read on the topic.

Today's political cartoons aren't particularly funny (my apologies), but they do offer some good insights.

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Dana Summers, US News

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John Cole, The Week

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Walt Handelsman, The Week

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-- Marge