BARTHOLOVIEWS CARTOONS
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Caricature: Molly Ivins
Kathleen Turner will star this spring as columnist Molly Ivins in the one-woman show Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, by Margaret and Allison Engel and directed by David Esbjornson. The world premiere, presented by the Philadelphia Theatre Company, will run March 19 to April 18.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Caricature: Lyndon B. Johnson
BARTHOLOVIEWS CARTOONS
Lyndon B. Johnson
By: Richard Bartholomew
"Johnson Space Center is home to the United States astronaut corps and is responsible for training astronauts from both the U.S. and its international partners. The center, originally known as the Manned Spacecraft Center, was constructed on land donated by Rice University and opened in 1963. On February 19, 1973, the center was renamed in honor of the late U.S. president and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson_Space_Center
Cartoon: Texas and Evolution
Meet the Flintstones
by Ross Ramsey
February 17, 2010
"Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll." http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2010/feb/17/meet-flintstones/
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Caricature: Jim Garrison
This month marks 41 years since the conspiracy trial of CIA contract agent Clay Shaw. Jim Garrison was the New Orleans District Attorney whose investigation into President John F. Kennedy's assassination led to the trial. Despite overwhelming evidence brought to light since, Shaw remains the only person brought to trial in connection with the conspiracy.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Cartoon: GOP Figure Skating
BARTHOLOVIEWS CARTOONS
GOP figure skating long program spells 'No
'
Richard Bartholomew
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ken Starr, Baylor University President
BARTHOLOVIEWS CARTOONS
Ken Starr named president of Baylor University
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Cartoon #276: “Mel Gibson”
Mel Gibson was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early Friday, July 28, 2006. He asked the arresting officer if he was Jewish, then antisemitically blamed the “F---ing Jews” for starting all the wars in history. Gibson, who directed the controversial movie “Passion of the Christ” apologized the next day. That statement was followed on Monday by news that he had checked into an alcohol rehabitation center. Critics soon pointed out that Gibson had not apologized to Jews specifically. Gibson did that Tuesday. By then, however, ABC announced it was stopping development of a miniseries in partnership with Gibson about the Holocaust. Gibson, whose father is a Holocaust denier, is a member of a Catholic fringe sect that believes all Jews will burn in hell.
While Gibson’s power was self-destructing in the entertainment industry, news broke on July 31, 2006, that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was having intestinal surgery and had turned over power to his brother Raul temporarily. Spontaneous street celebrations broke out among the Cuban exile communities of Miami, along with rumors that Castro was dead. Consider the comic possibilities of having Raul take over for Gibson as well.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Cartoon #275: “MySpace”
The parent company of MySpace.com announced last week that it is launching a new safety campaign featuring Kiefer Sutherland, star of the hit TV series “24”.
Sutherland’s 20-second ad urges parents to monitor their children’s online activity. This comes in response to recent media hysteria about the dangers of sexual predators at social-networking sites like MySpace.com.
Last month, a 14-year-old Travis County, Texas girl and her mother filed a $30 million lawsuit against MySpace. The suit claims MySpace.com did not take sufficient steps to protect the teenage girl from being sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man from Buda, Texas.
In the same week, it was reported that MySpace has received more page visits than all other domain names, according to Hitwise, a company that tracks internet use.
Cartoon #274: “Patricia Pickles”
The Pflugerville, Texas, School District’s superintendent, Patricia Pickles was officially “resigned” last Monday, after only a two-years on the job. She was the districts fourth superintendent in 30 years. In a unanimous vote, the school board accepted her resignation, but board members refuse to say why. Charles Dupree was picked to serve as acting superintendent until a new one is named.
Cartoon #273: “Hutto’s Grid Route”
The fast-growing City of Hutto, Texas, is on the preferred route for a major addition to Texas’ power grid. The affected property owners claimed they were not properly informed by those selecting the route, Texas Utilities, and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Cartoon #272: “Redistricting Plans 2006”
The 2003 Texas redistricting was a highly controversial congressional redistricting plan. It was appealed to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the statewide redistricting as Constitutional, but struck down Congressional District 23 as racial gerrymandering in violation of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act. On June 29, 2006, a U.S. District Judge as part of a three judge panel, under an order from the U.S. Court of Appeals, overseeing the redistricting ordered that both sides should submit proposed maps by July 14, respond to their opponents’ maps by July 21, and that oral arguments will occur on August 3.
Cartoon #271: “Frequent Redistricting”
The 2003 Texas redistricting was a highly controversial congressional redistricting plan. It was appealed to the United States Supreme Court in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry. On June 28, 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the statewide redistricting as Constitutional, but struck down Congressional District 23 as racial gerrymandering in violation of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act. The Court also ruled that states are free to redistrict as often as they like, instead of the traditional wait until after the census every 10 years. The consequences of frequent redistricting are yet to be seen. After the confusion and legal wrangling caused by Tom Delay in Texas, the effect on voters does not look good.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Cartoon #270: “Campaign ’06”
Good fortune is smiling on Texas cartoonists. As of last week’s certification by the Texas Secretary of State of voter signatures submitted by two independent candidates, the race for Texas governor officially became a wacky five-person contest between Rick Perry, the Republican incumbent with poor poll ratings but strong party support; Carole Keeton (McClellan, Rylander) Strayhorn (aka “Grandma”), the Republican state comptroller challenging Perry as an independent bypassing the Republican primary; Kinky Friedman, a cigar-chomping, popular fiction writer and country music singer, also running as an independent; Chris Bell, the Democratic Party candidate, facing the difficult task of winning in a strong Republican state; and James Werner (not shown in this cartoon), the Libertarian Party candidate, who has the least chance of garnering “free” media coverage that the other candidates are getting in abundance.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
Cartoon #269: “Gas Prices”
As gas prices and concerns about them continued to rise, the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars” generated the most box office sales for two consecutive weekends after its nation-wide release June 9, 2006. But its second weekend percentage drop was one of the highest in Pixar history. Compared to its debut, Cars grossed $31.2 million from 3,988 theaters — a loss of 48%. One reason could be that, as critics pointed out, the story runs out of gas. Still, moviegoers drove to theaters to experience the movie’s escapist fantasy of affordable gas.
Cartoon #268: “2500 Iraq Milestone”
The death toll of U.S. soldiers hit the 2500 milestone last week, while Congress debated withdrawl from Iraq. At a press conference upon his return from a surpirse visit to Baghdad, President Bush again said he disagrees with those who are calling for a timeline for the withdrawl of U.S. troops from Iraq. Last November, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel raised the question: If Iraqis can discuss a date, why can’t we?
Bush is sticking to the same default exit strategy used in Vietnam from 1964 through the end of that undeclared war. The majority of U.S. citizens, however, want a strategy that brings home all of our troops alive, and whole mentally and physically
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Cartoon #267: “Rove Unindicted”
After five appearances before the grand jury, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove will not be indicted in the CIA leak investigation, according to a statement his attorney made Tuesday, June 13, 2006. Mainstream news reports claim this decision by Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald signals that his probe is not likely to target any other Bush administration officials.
But according to the alternative news blog The Raw Story, lawyers directly involved in the case told Raw Story that Fitzgerald is extending his probe and pursuing much more serious charges against senior White House officials.
“The lawyers said that in the past month Fitzgerald has obtained explosive information in the case that has enabled him to pursue broader charges such as conspiracy, and civil rights violations against targets like Rove. Rove could also provide information that would allow Fitzgerald to target additional officials,” Raw Story reported.
Whether or not Rove is off the hook, his ultimate legacy will be his role in lowering the bar for occupants of the White House.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Cartoon #266: “Flag Desecration”
The eternal flag desecration proposal is being debated again this week by the U.S. Senate. It is the second of two “wedge issues” debated this month to distract citizens from President Bush’s low approval ratings. A proposed amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage failed last week.
Opponents of the proposed “flag-burning” amendment, including civil liberties groups and first amendment defenders, point out the rarity of flag desecration in the United States, and assert that the proposed amendment is the epitome of “a solution in search of a problem”.
They also say that an amendment making such activity illegal would undermine the very principles for which the flag stands; jailing protesters of dissenting opinion — such as those who burn national flags — is common under authoritarian regimes.
Another argument stems from the fact that groups such as the American Legion and the Boy Scouts of America regularly burn flags as a way to dispose of them in a respectful manner in keeping with the United States Flag Code. According to this argument, the amendment would single out people who committed the same act with different intentions — thus, the amendment would regulate free thought, in contradiction to the First Amendment. Read more.
Cartoon #265: “Unemployment”
Almost a year has passed since Hurricane Katrina, and displaced families are still struggling.
Last Sunday, their unemployment benefits ran out. About 29,000 workers
in Texas got Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits. Nationally, about 83,000 were cut off. Now it can be said that they are on the “Bush Jobs Program”: pray you’ll find a job soon.
In another story, Albertson’s grocery store chain is closing 10 Central Texas stores. With its purchase by a group of investment firms completed June 2, the
newly formed Albertson’s LLC announced Tuesday it would close 30 stores
described as “under-performing” in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma,
including 10 in Central Texas.
Then there are those with really bad luck — Katrina evacuees who had jobs at Albertson’s.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Cartoon #264: “Inconvenient Truth”
When Al Gore’s documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”, debuted the weekend of June 2, 2006, media pundits used it not to educate news consumers on weather, but as a forum on whether Al Gore was considering running for president in 2008. The same week, the article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., “Was the 2004 Election Stolen?”, debuted in Rolling Stone magazine. Kennedy’s article comes on the heals of the book “Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them)” by Mark Crispin Miller.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Cartoon #263: “Enron Verdict”
Former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were found guilty by a Houston jury today of multiple counts that resulted in the collapse of their former company. Former Chairman Lay was convicted of all six counts against him. Former CEO Skilling was convicted of 19 out of 28 counts. Sentencing was scheduled for September 11th.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Cartoon #262: “Clifford Antone”
Clifford Antone died Tuesday of an apparent heart attack. An all-night jam session by some of the world's greatest Blues musicians will honor him at his namesake club in Austin beginning at 4 PM.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Cartoon #261: “Nazi Archive”
Fifty million files in a vast archive in the German town of Bad Arolsen will be opened for the first time to researchers according to an agreement on May 16, 2006. The decision was made by the 11-nation International Commission that oversees the archive. The panel has kept the archive locked away since World War II. The files are expected to be available by the end of the year.
An example of documents in the archive was shown to reporters in April. It was the the camp’s Totenbuch, or Death Book, for 1942 and 1943 at the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Three hundred prisoners were executed in just a few hours on April 20, 1942. The camp commandant did it as a birthday gift for Adolf Hitler.
On the same day, the Department of Defense released a video tape allegedly showing American Airlines Flight 77 striking the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Judicial Watch brought a lawsuit that resulted in the release. The legal action followed a 2004 Freedom of Information Act request by Judicial Watch that was refused by the Pentagon. Judicial Watch, a self-described public interest foundation and legal watchdog, is an extreme right-wing group hoping to put Flight 77 conspiracy theories to rest. Are they joking?
At Nuremberg, General Franz Halder stated in an affidavit that Hermann Göring had joked about setting the Reichstag fire. The “joke” was heard at a lunch on April 20, 1942 — Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Cartoon #260: “Da Vinci Pfest”
Pflugerville’s Deutschen Pfest, an annual festival in Pfluger Park, happens every third weekend in May — the same weekend that the biggest blockbuster movie of the summer hits theaters, usually. This year is no exception. The nearest movie theater to Pfluger Park is about four miles away.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Cartoon #259: “Pflugerville Wal-Mart”
Mayor Cat Callen and other muckety-mucks broke ground last Thursday for the Pflugerville, Texas version of Wal-Mart.
In this local cartoon, we revisit the oft repeated story of the small town in financial trouble, courted by the latter-day robber barons of Wal-Mart.
Pflugerville’s lawmakers are certain, however, that their town will not meet the fate of so many others left high and dry — and back in financial trouble — when Wal-Mart decided it no longer needed them, left an abandoned building too large to sell at a profit, and unemployed residents.
Cartoon #258: “English Anthem”
In April, a Spanish song inspired by the national anthem heated up the debate over illegal mexican immigration.
“I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English,” Bush said at an April 28 news conference in the Rose Garden. “And I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English.”
It was soon remembered by some in the media that Bush’s scripted 2001 inaugural ceremony featured the national anthem sung in Spanish by Jon Secada. It was further reported that Secada sang the anthem in Spanish as a regular feature of the Bush campaign.
To that we simply say, “E Pluribus Unum.”
Cartoon #257: “Illegal Immigrant”
As national lawmakers debate the immigration bill, the summer movie season begins, and the much anticipated “Superman Returns” hits theaters nationwide June 30. The latest Superman movie reminds us that as a baby, Superman arrived from his home planet Krypton in a rocketship, crashed in a field, and was found and “adopted” by a childless farming couple, Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark. Superman became a hero by living a secret life, doing low-paid work that most could not, or would not do. As a hero, he is not like stereotypical illegal immigrants, who face racist abuse at the hands of their “adopted” country.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Cartoon #256: “Mission Accomplished 3”
May 1, 2006 was the third anniversary of President Bush’s photo-op on an aircraft carrier, wearing a flight suit, in front of a huge banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” Today, another suicide bomber blew himself up. The attack was aimed at a line of recruits outside Fallujah’s police headquarters. The bomber killed at least 15 people and wounded 30. The purpose of the attack was to discourage Sunni Arabs from joining forces controlled by U.S. occupiers and their puppet government.
Cartoon #255: “PISD Dress Code”
This is another local cartoon. What happens in Pflugerville stays not in Pflugerville.
An article in the Metro section of the April 26, 2006 Austin American-Statesman detailed the 6-1 vote by the Pflugerville School Board trustees to allow stricter dress code policies if individual schools desired them.
The trustees had voted down strict dress codes a month earlier. With this second vote, they caved in to totalitarian voices calling for less freedom for public school parents. School leaders who make allowances in favor of repressive dress codes are clowns, and should dress accordingly.
The editorial accompanying this cartoon in the May 4th Pflugerville Pflag, which favors a universal, strict dress code, creatively spun the second vote as having unfortunately caused the death of a system-wide, strict dress code for the 2006-2007 school year, but leaving hope alive for the possibility of such a dress code next year.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Cartoon #254: “Blanton Museum”
Less local than the previous cartoon, this is somewhat of a Texas story, from the standpoint of Texas’ status in the world of art museums.
This Saturday, April 29th, is the grand opening of the Blanton Museum of Art on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It could have been a cutting-edge piece of architecture, but former Gov. Bill Clements, and other provincial Texans on the UT board of regents couldn’t get their minds around anything as radical as modern architecture. So much for keeping Austin weird.
So we ended up with a so-so art collection in a so-so building. In keeping with the rest of campus, the parking situation is best described as Byzantine. As the Blanton’s parking web page euphemistically puts it: “Here are a number of ways to easily park when visiting the Blanton.”
Cartoon #253: “PISD Track”
This is a local cartoon. Nobody ever said, “What happens in Pflugerville stays in Pflugerville.”
The April 27th Op-Ed in the Pflugerville Pflag will focus on the fact that PISD residents voted for $2,102,911 in bonds to redo the turf and tracks at three high schools, and now the public is not allowed to use the tracks nor the football fields for local events or just waking for fitness.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Cartoon #252: “McClellan Resignation”
President Bush announced the resignation of his second press secretary, Scott McClellan, this morning. During his tenure, it became obvious that McClellan was either lied to by his superiors in the White House, or that he willingly voiced the Bush administration’s lies to the press. That is... when he would answer questions at all without saying he “can't comment on an on-going investigation.”
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cartoon #251: “Special Session 2006”
Gov. Rick Perry’s latest legislative special session started on April 17. The session will be the third called session in two years in addition to the regular session. All ended in gridlock on school finance. Now the legislature is up against a Supreme Court deadline of June 1 to finally pass a school finance plan that is constitutional.
“Scary Movie 4” came in first in the weekend box office. Given the history of the Texas Legislature’s recent failures, this session looks like a sequel:
Perry appointed former state comptroller John Sharp, a Democrat, to draft the Governor’s new plan. Current state comptroller Carole Strayhorn, who is running against Perry as an independent candidate, has been publicly critical of his plan. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Tom Craddick, both Republicans, have disagreed with each other, and with Perry, on how exactly to lower property taxes while raising money for schools. If lawmakers do not meet the June 1 deadline, the state will be legally prevented from sending money to its 1,037 public school systems until lawmakers come up with a new system.
Called sessions last 30 days. That leaves time for a 5th attempt before the deadline. Scary.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Cartoon #150: “Rumsfeld Nuts”
I did this cartoon for the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, which produced the famous quote by General Anthony McAuliffe in answer to German demands that he surrender.
As of April 13, 2006, a total of six retired generals had called for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to resign. Major General Charles Swannack, commander of the 82nd Airborne in Iraq, and Maj. Gen. John Riggs joined the calls for Rumsfeld's resignation.
As of April 9, 2006, four retired U.S. generals had called for Rumsfeld’s resignation. Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni first criticized Rumsfeld in April 2004. He was joined in recent weeks by retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, and Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who commanded the Germany-based 1st Infantry Division in Iraq. Opinion polls show public support eroding for the illegal U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Cartoon #250: “Leaker-In-Chief”
Scooter Libby said U.S. President George W. Bush okayed leaks of secret CIA intelligence material. The statement from Libby, former senior aide to Vice President Cheney, came in a filing Wednesday by prosecutors in his perjury case. The statement puts the president for the first time at the center of the case that until now focused only on senior aides and Cheney.
The President has repeatedly denounced leaks and kept his distance from the scandal. Bush told reporters in 2003: “I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I’d like to know it, and we’ll take the appropriate action.”
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Cartoon #249: “DeLay is Done”
Just before the late local news broadcasts of April 3, 2006, news broke that former Majority Leader Tom DeLay would not seek reelection. The following morning, DeLay announced his resignation from the United States House of Representatives. On September 28, 2005, a Travis County grand jury operating under Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle indicted DeLay for conspiring to violate Texas state election law stemming from issues dealing with his involvement in Texans for a Republican Majority.
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