Cartoon #242: “Bush-Abramoff Photos”

The Bush administration refused last week to publicly release five White House photographs showing Bush posing with Jack Abramoff and his family. Abramoff peaded guilty to bribing Republicans in Congress. Though Bush denies knowing him, suspicions remain that Abramoff was as chummy with Bush as he is with several other administration officials.

Yes, I know this cartoon would be funnier if Abramoff was presenting Bush with a giant check. But Al Franken thought of that joke first.

Cartoon #241: “Hamas”

The Palestinian elections resulted in the landslide election of the radical militant group Hamas. The Bush administration called them a terrorist group and threatened to cut off financial aid unless Hamas renounced armed violence and the destruction of Israel. The Bush foreign policy has again shown that democracy in the Middle East is a simplistic policy at best.

Cartoon #240: “Google Privacy”

Today’s google editorial in the Austin American-Statesman said it best: “In short, government lawyers aren’t looking for specific instances of wrongdoing or even suspected wrongdoing, they just want to poke around in Google’s electronic desk drawers to see what’s there. That’s a classic example of a government fishing expedition and a most inappropriate use of subpoena power.”

Cartoon #182: “Rare Bird” (Bin Laden)

Heeeeee's Baaaaaaaack... and so is this cartoon

Cartoon #239: “Perry Intelligent Design”

Texas Governor Rick Perry announced on Jan. 5, 2006, that he supports teaching Intelligent Design (ID) in Texas schools as an alternative to scientific evolution. You’re not fooling anybody, Rick. In 2003, Perry called for Texas to help finance the decoding of the bovine genome because it would benifit the Texas cattle industry. When he needs to be a Darwinist, he’s a Darwinist. When he needs to push ID, he’s an IDiot. It’s really about money and power. But there is one thing Rick Perry will always be: an Aggie.

Cartoon #238: “Strayhorn Switch”

Republican Texas Comptroller Carole Strayhorn (her latest married name), former Democratic mayor of Austin, announced Monday that she was switching political affiliations again. This time she is running as an independent candidate. She announced last September that she was a gubernatorial candidate. Carole is the mother of Scott McClellan, President Bush’s press secretary, and Mark Barr McClellan, Bush’s head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health & Human Services. Their father was her first husband, Barr McClellan, who wrote the book, “Blood, Money and Power: How L.B.J. Killed J.F.K.”

Cartoon #237: “National Champion”

In a 41 to 38 victory at the 2006 Rose Bowl, The number two ranked University of Texas Longhorns defeated the number one ranked University of Southern California Trojans and won the national championship of college football.

In doing so, Texas prevented USC from winning an unprecedented third straight national championship, ended the Trojan’s 34-game winning streak, and achieved vengence for UT quarterback Vince Young, the game’s MVP, who was recently beat out for the Heisman Trophy by USC running back Reggie Bush.

As an alumnus of the University of Texas, and the Longhorn Marching Band — The Showband of the Southwest — I say, Hook ’em Horns!

Cartoon #236: “Southwestern Wildfires”

Wildfires continue in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, all states with ‘panhandle’ regions. Fueled by dead and dormant winter foliage and grass, in addition to extreme drought, wildfires are destroying small towns and killing people. State governors have declared emergencies and disaster areas. Burn bans are in effect, but are not idiot proof. Hopefully, this cartoon will burn warning images into the minds of the ignorant and uninformed.

Cartoon #235: “Patriot Acts”

The Patriot Act, which gave dictatorial powers to top U.S. officials after 9/11, has been extended for six months. That was a compromise between those who wanted it to expire and those who wanted to make it permanent. Citing the act, in defense of his illegal, unwarranted, domestic spying, Mr. Bush repeated his rationalization that the safety of U.S. citizens justifies the suspension of civil liberties. Founding Father Patrick Henry, a true patriot, would disagree.