Lighten up, Lutherans

I've never seen a happy or friendly looking portrait of Martin Luther. But if you've read much Luther, you realize what a great sense of humor he had. My wife and I wanted to make something for our pastor for Christmas this year. As much as I thought that he'd appreciate one of those "suffer the little children to come unto me" pictures of Jesus- I just couldn't bring myself to do it, they're SO many of them. And I don't know whether I could capture either Jesus or a bunch of children successfully. I'm not saying that they should re-make the 2003 movie "Luther" and replace Joseph Fiennes with Jack Black in the role of Luther or anything, but I don't see why he can't be portrayed as a jovial and approachable paternal or even grandfatherly type. Why must he always be so stern and sober?

"You have as much laughter as you have faith" ~Martin Luther

"If you are not allowed to laugh in heaven, I don't want to go there." ~Martin Luther

"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." ~Martin Luther

Mal•Adjusted

Woof!

Mal•Adjusted

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb

Seems like it's been a long time since I posted anything here. I really need to try to do some cartooning. Seems like between school and family and the holidays, there's just always something more important or more urgent or both. Or maybe I've been more on an even keep emotionally/psychologically so I haven't felt the need to do this as an outlet? Wouldn't THAT be nice, to be so well adjusted that I'm not repressed in any way shape or form, therefore I don't have the urge to express myself through cartoons or collages? Yeah right, I'm WAAAY to neurotic for that to ever happen. I think I've just been too busy.

"...intrinsically and ultimately man, Occidental man at least, is permanently subject to the dictate of values which he must realize creatively. This is not to say that he cannot intoxicate himself in his own creativity, that he cannot use creativity to drown his sense of obligation." ~Viktor Frankl

In other words, we all think we have to do what we're supposed to do all the time and sometimes we just want an escape or at least to blow off a little steam. Other people drink or smoke dope, I blog or cartoon, and I keep trying to cut back, but I have this tendency to fall off the wagon every now and then. Well, if you're going to self-medicate, cartooning and collage are a lot cheaper than booze. But I don't recommend driving while using Photoshop.

You are what you listen to

The editor of La Prensa asked me to try coming up with some cartoons targeted at youth issues.

So this is my first stab at that.

I asked a Mexican businessman in Miami, a Puerto Rican graphic designer in Chicago, and our school's Spanish teacher for help with my translation.

Miami gave me the top version, the Spanish teacher just gave me some tweaks for this bottom version, and Chicago thought I had hit it right on the first time. I don't know if she'll use either, let alone which one- (editors are always too busy to anwer their email,) but I like them well enough to go ahead and post them here.

Here's, roughly, the English translation:

"Hey Kids! I've got everything you want-
Heavy metal with anger, hate, and violence
Gansta rap with sex, drugs, violence, and greed
And of course Mexican border drug smuggler ballads with drugs, guns, violence, and accordions!"

Who doesn't love accordians?

Here in Western Iowa, a lot of the farmers listen to "Polka Party" on the AM radio at Noon. Funny story, once we were driving home to Phoenix from Iowa for Christmas. We were somewhere West of Gallup on I-40 (near old 66) and my farmer-in-law found a station playing some great accordion & "oompa" music.

When the song ended, neither of us could understand what the DJ was saying. I couldn't even make out any Spanish. Turns out it was Tejano (Mexican border) music (not German Polka), but it was being played on the Navajo Nation (reservation) radio station.

Just goes to show you that accordians know no borders.

Mad as a hatter

These are three of Glenn Beck's actual quotes. What a nut! And he loves to throw "tea-parties."

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?
— The Mad Hatter"
— Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass)

Paradoxical

Just dumb idea that came to me

be sure to wear it with a bandanna, stocking cap, feed, seed or trucker cap.

Historieta Política

¡Viva Posada!

I've been on the phone with the editor of La Prensa, Iowa the Spanish language newspaper. They publish in, Carroll, Storm Lake, Spencer, Perry, Ames, and Des Moines. If she likes my calaveras cartoon, this could be a bigger market than the Mapleton PRESS was. Of course, I barely know much "Spanglish," so I'll need her help translating, but that may force me to use far fewer words so that the images carry the joke. Who knows. We'll see how this goes.

This one has been corrected for better Spanish.

Here is the English:
The Mexican skeleton asks, "We're all the same under the skin, right Mr. King?"
Rep. Steve King replies, "Get away from me with your drugs and diseases!* We should've kept you out with electric fences like cattle!"

*April 27, 2006, the Des Moines Register published an op-ed piece by Steve King regarding the planned May 1 "Day Without an Immigrant" rallies.

King said "(without immigrants) Our hospital emergency rooms would not be flooded with everything from gunshot wounds, to anchor babies, to imported diseases to hangnails..."

Happy Editorial Cartoonist's Day y Feliz Dia de los Muertos.

Don't mind me

I was teaching 7th graders about complimentary colors and how they can both contrast and neutralize. Thus an oil pastel self portrait. I think I kind of look a little like David Alfaro Siqueiros- but I have been researching Mexican art for a special Dia de los Muertos lesson this week.

Happy Holidays

Maybe they're macabre, or secretly in league with the Devil, maybe they're all huge fans of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," maybe it has something to do with Mexican revolutionary editorial cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada who's famous skeletons of rich dandies make Ddia de los muertos so much fun- whatever the reason, this great American combination of cynicism, satire and silly pictures should be celebrated and remembered on Oct. 31 each year.

I suggest writing your local newspaper editor and demanding that they hire one. If they have one, write them and demand that they keep him/her. Perhaps write a letter to an editorial cartoonist and let them know that you enjoy and appreciate what they do- even when you disagree with them. The best thing you can do is to send them a card or some cookies!

Seeing as these days, everyone with a keyboard thinks of themselves as a reporter and everyone with a cell phone thinks of themselves as a photojournalist- what the hell, if you have a scanner, why not try some political cartooning for yourself?

Not sure you're up for it? Whatever, the very LEAST you can do is to buy a newspaper just for the editorial cartoons. Maybe clip one out that you like a post it on your door/cubical/bulletin board/fridge. If nothing else, you may as well explore some great editorial/political cartoons. Use these links to help you find some.

Editorial Cartooning

• Ted's Political Cartoons

• Alex Raffi, Southern Nevada's very own
  
• American Assoc. of Ed. Cartoonists
• American Political Cartoons: an Introduction
• Ann Telnaes, animated editorial cartooning goddess
• Comics on Slate
• Daryl Cagle's Pro Cartoonist Index
• Dirksen Center Collection
• Jose Guadalupe Posada, Mexican hero
  
• Keith Tucker, Tabloid Liberal
• Mark Fiore's animated editorial cartoons
• Mike Luckovich, one of my all time favorites
  
• Mr. Fish, of Harpers (a certifiable genius in my humble opinion)
• Neal Obermeyer, Of Lincoln, NE and San Diego, CA
• Pulitzer Prize Winners
• Stars of Political Cartooning
• Tim Eagan, another Genius
• Tribune Media Services
• Walt Handelsman, Chicago Tribune
• Washington Post Writer's Group

Mal•Adjusted; Happy Holiday!

October Surprise

I think I'm about finally to a point where I don't really miss writing a weekly column. But if YOU still miss reading my weekly column- HERE ARE SOME HALLOWEEN RE-RUNS from years gone by, Halloween, Reformation and Dia de Los Muertes columns, some spooky pictures, and even some surreal Lutheran images!

Have fun but 'don't eat so much candy that you go into a diabetic coma!

Happy Holiday!

Most of our problem

Exterminate!

More fun with Dr. Who's Daleks.

Hurricaine Love

Here at looong last, is the latest Mayor Gonzo cartoon, illustrating one of the wild stories by West Florida's own gonzo journalist and honorable mayor of Key West- Sammie Mays. With any luck, these will show up in a book by her one of these days. Look for it at an Amazon.com near you.

New PhotoBucket Account

See all my Cartoons at once, organized in to handy albums at Photobucket!

You Bet Your Life

Teaching my 7th graders about pointillism. About as much fun as you can have with a Crayola Washable Marker without having to take a shower.

Just for the fun of it

Only true Dr. Who geeks will get this one, but I thought it was funny when the idea came to me. Feel free to share (if you actually know someone who's even familiar with this British sci-fi.

I have no idea what it means, just having fun with words and images. Contrary to what some right-wingers may think of me, Che is not a hero of mine, on the other hand, I really haven't researched him enough to feel the need to make fun of him specifically- I'm just having fun with a pop-icon. Pretty sure someone's already blended the Che poster with something from Planet of the Apes. Whatever. Just messing around.

Buffalo Buzz

Lies (and the lying liars who tell them)

lies- canned lies - talking points - inflammatory lies - distortions - mischaracterizations - propaganda - genuflection to the base -more lies - horror stories -misrepresentations -towing the party line -little white lies - fear mongering -hyperbole -

Ya know, I used to kinda like Chuck Grassley. He's always been a sightly more reasonable than Congressman Steve King, but Geez- he's just gone off the rails with this one.

Happy Holidays

"I love sweet corn. It truly is better than sex! I'm not lying! All across the Midwest tonight, a husband and wife will finish what husbands and wives do, and the wife will ask the husband: 'How was that?' And, if the man is honest, he'll say 'Well, it wasn't sweet corn, but it was nice.' It's a fact! Sweet corn is better than sex!...fresh sweet corn!...Store bought sweet corn, yes, sex is definitely better than that!" -Garrison Keillor

Okay, seriously, mustard and corn are two great tastes that do not taste great together. Save the mustard for the brats, but I have to tell you, I live in Iowa and this week the sweet corn is just coming on. Only home grown tomatoes can compare. If you don't "get" the humor of Garrison Keillor's quote, then either you are the world's greatest lover or you have obviously never had fresh Iowa sweet corn direct from the farm. MMMMMMmmm, ecstasy.

Facebook, Blogger, same WWWeb. This was hard to execute because I can't get my scanner to work. I had to shoot the drawing with a digital camera and then upload it. Happy WWWeb Day

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