I’ve been sketching a few years now; it’s good therapy and exercise of free speech. Don’t let anyone take that right from you. If you want to use one, just email me. I recommend visiting the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists’ website for viewing cartoons, using them and information on defending a free press at: www.editorialcartoonists.com
March 15: I’ve been working with taking snippets of my drawings and putting them together; and it’s a good thing. The original idea was to put up all of our society’s ills up on a panel and have a couple kids look at it, but then I started getting depressed. :O I’ll work on it some more, but for now, I will – once again – capsulize the manifestation of so many of our nation’s ills; not to mention the cultish, damaging and destructive influences of this man. The next time someone bitches that ‘people don’t respect the law anymore’, look no further than the orange cheezus for the source of their inspiration.
March 14: Ever had a “check engine” light and was told it’d be $175 to have it “diagnosed”? And that an authorized dealer was the only one who could do it? Expand that a bit, where manufacturers create closed-loop access to repairs – at their rates – and you have the “right to repair” movement. It’s drilling down to the absurd, but after Jack’s visit by a corporate lawyer, he may be willing to sign up. Google “Right-to-Repair” and you’ll see.
Archived cartoons (prior to June 2020) can be found here: http://dennistownsend.org/editorial-and-political-cartoons-archive
March 10: A cautionary tale to the GOP. You’ve just handed the keys to the purse to a con-man, liar, mob boss and rapist with a host of legal issues, and put his daughter-in-law in charge. Proceed at your own peril. I privately hope he ruins your party, it’s finances and reputation (the last one has already taken place).
March 9: A friend of mine saw this and asked “Why do you hate churches?” I answered that when they’re extensions of cults (in this case a dangerous one), they’re no longer a church. Fair game.
March 7: Alabama continues to contaminate theology with democracy; their Supreme Court’s decision read like a sermon more than case law. But some may try to take advantage of it.
March 5: Covid fog sets in. It’s a quandary, having to sit inside and also trying to function.
February 26: I was never very religious because I was never very good at it. I’m happy about that now, as it seems most churches have lost their way down the rabbit-hole-cult of Trump and an insatiable need to control peoples’ lives. Sorry – not that I’d be back, because I never was there in the first place. What’s that saying about Jesus wept? Must be a boatload of tears now.
February 26: The once-behemoth NRA is broke, is left with a whimper and some graft and corruption from within, with the executive director and two others guilty of living the high life off gun-totin’ members. Not surprising; drum the members into a froth with grievance, paranoia and half-truths, act as a savior and send money. Sounds like a current presidential campaign. 😀
February 20, 2024: After a well -deserved winter vacation to warmer climates, I managed to get a few cartoons put together. Do you think the $83M will kick him in the groin enough to change? Doubtful. Will the Half-a-billion get him to straighten up? Doubtful. The arrogant, dolt knows no other way. Maybe prison bars will help.
January 17, 2024: I’m becoming convinced that the average white, Texas Republican male (and maybe female) think of themselves as being a “‘little closer to God'” than those brown-skinned criminals trying to invade our country” – even so much as to let them drown by blocking the help to rescue them. Abbott and his ilk have lowered themselves to below scum after their stunt; the Texas Dept. of Public Safety aren’t far behind.
January 15, 2024: According to PEN America; over 1,600 books have been removed from Florida school and library shelves, including most recently, encyclopedias and dictionaries. While PEN calls it a “ban”, Escambia County S.D. and others call them “under review”, with no known time for them to return to the shelves. It’s going to be amazing to see how these kids can read and write, but then again, Trump said he loves the “uneducated”. Maybe they’re just trying to get more Trump voters. (I’ve always thought the kids are all right, it’s the adults that have gone bonkers. If I we’re an educator, I’d be getting the heck out of Florida.
January 10, 2024: Dion Lefler, columnist for the Wichita (KS) Eagle, is miffed; I don’t blame him. Peacock, NBC’s streaming “service”, has decided to make everybody (except those in Miami and Kansas City markets – Wichita is not close enough) pay $5.99 (ok, six bucks with tax) to watch. Admittedly, having Taylor Swift there, with occasional cameo appearances during the game, is part of the motive – Swifties will pony up six bucks, too. Interesting how this may play out – football fans ticked after already paying for cable, and Swift allowing her likeness to be a draw. But is she doing it for free? Or getting a cut? Peacock paid the NFL $110 million – yes, $110 million – to get broadcast rights to the game.
January 8, 2024: What with the rage of the themed-Stanley cups? Several news outlets make a point to differentiate it from the championship of the National Hockey League. I needed some humor, so here’s an example of Vicki’s first date with Dimitri:
January 6, 2024: I was angry as I heard it happen then, I’m still angry now. If you want an authoritarian who wants to enrich themselves through our country’s blood and treasure, don’t give a damn about your freedom and want to control your conduct, just stand idly by. “Nobody is a bystander in this fight.” ~ paraphrasing Liz Cheney.
January 1, 2024: From reckless abandon to cautionary protection, I suppose welcoming the New Year is all of matter of perspective. 😀 Happy New Year!
December 30, 2023: The arrest, prosecution and convictions of the January 6 insurrectionists continue, over 1,200 have been snagged in Trump’s attempt at a coup. Apparently, one of them is the son of our local County Council member’s administrative aide. That’s news in itself, but additionally, the charged perp’s father (the administrative aide) is now using a “GoFundMe”-type page to raise money for his son’s defense. It certainly raises the ethical question on whether public salaries, resources, or time/pay should go to it – if it is, it certainly raises larger issues.
The noise of culture wars and conspiracy theories sometimes drown out pocketbook issues. Yes, I’m poking at both sides here.
The Supreme Court rulings have taken us back over 50 years, however, some may embrace their decisions.
(7/1/2022): Big Brother (in the form of the right-wing) starts to flex it’s muscle.
(3/22/2022): The “blame Biden” crowd is usually the one on the left.
(3/15/2022): You wonder why our kids act out the way they do.
(3/2/2022): When you’re angry, you’re usually stupid, as the old saying goes. There’s a reason they call it the “freedumb” convoy, as the subject is now strangely irrelevant.
(2/1/2022): Trump-drunk trucker insurrectionists, bankrolled by anonymous U.S. interests; work to insure the spread of disease. Here they discuss “legitimate political discourse”. 😀 What’s with the right-wing fascists and bodily fluids, anyway?
(1/1/2022): Representing the intellectual level of a political wing with a sweatshirt adorned with an epithet. Stay classy, Republicans. What was your platform again?
(12/5/2021): Coronavirus variants are always a cause for concern; of course in any crisis, folks run for the toilet paper. Ed thought he’d take advantage of it:
(6/1/2021): QAnon goes camping. They must have been inspired by Marjorie Taylore Greene.
It’s been a while since I posted cartoons, but the one below may just be a rerun next month.
(2/21/2021): The deep freeze in the heart of Texas. Texas may be proud of their independent power grid, but it doesn’t make them any more competent at running it.
(2/18/2021): So Rush Limbaugh died. So what. May his motif die with him. What a sorry, crass pile of excrement, as well as those who hitched their ideological wagon to his vomitus.
(2/2/2021): Weary of the pandemic and all of the proclamations, directives, etc. on how to keep it in check, the GOP wants a place at the table to put a “check” on the governor. Yeah, right, let’s replace executive decision-making with a committee that’s fundamentally at cross purposes. The law, at least in Washington State, is clear; the buck stops with the governor, and if you don’t like him, vote him out (he won by over a half million votes in November). In the latest iteration of the GOP, heck, they’re not even fit to govern.
(2/3/2021): Our little town on the Olympic Peninsula made national news with our “Q” obsessed mayor. My heart goes out to my friends that live there and other that have managed to put this screwball cult in power. At least CNN pronounced it’s name right.
(1/7/2021): The legacy of Donald Trump.
(1/7/2021): Welcome to the Capitol.
(12/30/2020): Meanwhile, in Salem…
(12/31/2020): I read in local media that my little piece of suburban sprawl, with it’s litter-lined streets, homeless encampments on vacant lots and endless strip malls is now the hottest real estate market in the U.S.! Even the street corners command a high price.
(12/4/2020): Our local Trump farm-team gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp is still refusing to concede and demanding investigations into “irregularities”, even though he lost by over a half-million votes. How soon will it be that anyone still cares?
(12/4/2020): The political shenanigans are local, but the short story is that the term-limited County Council members (all Rs) have decided to drop a bomb on our local jointly-operated for nearly 50 years Health Department, dropping in an ordinance proposal to eliminate it at the 11th hour. Yes, in the midst of a 100-year health crisis. A solution for a problem that doesn’t exist; stupid is stupid does.
(11/25/2020): Hope you’re all keeping safe and healthy, and here’s to a Happy Thanksgiving! It’s a little different this year, especially for the Turkey Guild.
(11/20/2020): After watching the GOP and Trump’s minions try to subvert the will of the people, the targets of the recounts make the tactic significant, and obvious.
(11/20/2020): Disclosure: I worked in telecom for 42 years before retiring several years ago; it was a great career that was always subject to significant change. Each change usually reflected a name change, including our local football stadium.
(11/18/2020): Rumors have been spread in different ways over the years; the first three I heard personally in elementary and secondary school and in the 80s; the last you can find on any QAnon site. They used to be spread word-of-mouth, now millions of keyboards propagate them – with thousands of fact-checkers keeping them in line. Ahhh, for the old days…. 😀
(11/14/2020): Well, as expected our incumbent governor defeated the wholly-underqualified right-wing Trump supporter here by over a half-million votes. You’d think he’d concede, but like his protege, he’s probably bad at math and finds things “highly irregular.”
(11/12/2020): It appears there are new social media platforms that may start to divide into ideological camps; if you want to see a “safe room” for the goofball right, visit Parler. I recommend going incognito, though.
(10/30/2020): Well, the GOP got their guy (or girl). Amy has the baked-in bias of the conservative urge to control people; it will begin to manifest itself in decisions soon. Expect jailed doctors, public shaming and the lot – hell, why not just test every female every three months, if they’re pregnant, hold them in a government cell until government can make a determination of the birth?
(10/29/2020): Our local GOP governor’s candidate doesn’t have much to offer, perhaps the GOP can get their bench deep enough to have a viable candidate with an inkling of executive experience. Until then, all we have is a small-town police chief with a penchant for spreading disease with mask-free rallies.
(9/9/2020): A bit dated, but the Seattle City Council, via a confused Zoom meeting, made some draconian cuts to their budget. Mayor Durkan, in a fit of sanity, vetoed it; now perhaps cooler heads will prevail.
(9/7/2020): Perhaps the least-qualified gubernatorial candidate the GOP have put forth in years; Culp’s platform seems to be spreading of disease.
(9/7/2020): Our local County Executive election had been pretty sedate until a staffer with the incumbent was fired for filing a whistleblower complaint; she has since turned their allegiance to the challenger. Answer: throw mud at the challenger.
(9/7/2020): The leader of the GOP in our State Legislature complains about “one-party” control in Olympia. Well, between you and me, they may want to broaden their base to appeal to a “less-fringey” constituency.
(8/29/2020): The Puyallup River is a major fish habitat that runs through Pierce County and Tacoma, and has particular significance to the Puyallup Tribe. Someone was asleep at the switch in permitting and a bad decision was made to use Astroturf to line the riverbed for work at the Electron Dam upstream. As a result, thousands of rubber pellets, that contain toxic chemicals, have washed down the Puyallup. This is a cautionary tale (a microcosm, perhaps) of the dangers Bristol Bay faces with the Pebble Mine, should it ever be approved.
(6/13/2020): Jesse thought he’d drive into town to see if he’d either overdosed on Fox News, or the cause had been lost.
(6/13/2020): The Coronavirus is speculated to make a comeback this fall, loosening up quarantines and “re-opening the economy” will be the cause if we’re not careful. Wash your hands. Wear a mask. Stay apart – together. Or we’ll be pulling another metaphorical truck out of the ditch.
(6/12/2020): Fox News is dubious in content and bias, but the Seattle Times called them out on using manipulated images during the Capitol Hill “Autonomous Zone” protests this week. At least someone’s got journalistic integrity, and it ain’t Fox.
For my cartoon archive (June 2020 and earlier), click here: