Cartoons: cots, bathrooms, and beer

This week's cartoons talk about the TSA (US Transportation Security Administration); "perverts" in public bathrooms; and Budweiser's new name.

According to the Business Insider, The TSA is in a full-blown crisis. More than 450 American Airlines passengers stranded in the terminal overnight due to long lines is not good. And what does the TSA have against mother's milk?

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John Darkow, The Week

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So who are the "perverts"--the transgenders or those pretending to be transgender in your local bathroom? Time Magazine discusses the issues in Everything You Need to Know About the Debate Over Transgender People and Bathrooms.

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Drew Sheneman, The Week

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And for frothier news, how about the fact that Budweiser Will Call Its Beer 'America' Through the Election.

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Steve Breen, The Week

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--Marge

Cartoons: smoke and mirrors

Under the Patriot Act the NSA gathers too much data, much of it using phone company and social media records. This week Congress partially renewed the Patriot Act with passage of the Freedom Act. As a side note, China hacked the federal Office of Personnel Management. Looks to me like privacy is an illusion.

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Drew Sheneman, The Week

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Meanwhile, Edward Snowden spoke out in the Washington Post.

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Pat Bagley, The Week

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The TSA has been found to be 95% ineffective. According to the Washington Post,

This week, the acting head of the Transportation Security Administration got bounced from his job because in 95 percent of test cases, real guns or fake bombs made it past the TSA.

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Steve Sack, The Week

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Because of the extended drought in California, the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere is being brought online. Hopefully this cartoon will prove to be a false prediction.

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Steve Breen, The Week

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-- 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