It’s not news to anyone who follows editorial cartoons that the art form is going through some tough times here in the US. Because of newspaper closings and the fact that more people are getting their news online, editorial cartoonists are finding it hard to find jobs and decent pay for reprints. However, It’s also doesn’t help the profession when a cartoon syndicate starts offering the same editorial cartoon with two completely different viewpoints. 
This is a clear case of a cartoon syndicate trying to maximize profits by offering the same artwork but changing a few words to address both ideological sides of an issue. An editorial cartoon is supposed to have a clear point of view. Let me repeat that: an editorial cartoon is supposed to have a clear point of view; it should reflect the opinion of the creator. Otherwise, it’s not an editorial cartoon but just a cartoon. Distributing this kind of work demeans and devalues the profession.
Author: Ann
Shame
The US Senate rejects gun background checks and the Americans they claim to represent.
2 bombs explode at Boston Marathon
Terrible news- 2 bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon yesterday, killing 3 and injuring over 100 people. Events like this send the television media into overdrive, filling airtime with speculation rather than actual news and facts. Let’s hope the coverage doesn’t spiral into non-stop, emotionally driven, 24 hour reporting. I’m not hopeful, though.
Republicans plan to filibuster gun bill
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is joining Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio to prevent a vote on gun background checks. I guess “We the People” and polls showing 90% of the American public support background checks doesn’t matter with these guys.
Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013
I’ve always envied the editorial cartoonists from the UK. Their cartoons generally are much more biting and the tolerance by the UK press (and public) for pushing the envelope higher than here in the U.S. Here’s Steve Bell’s obit cartoon of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; you can find his other cartoons here:
Thomas Jefferson and the Separation of Church & State
C-Span opened its Washington Journal program this morning with the question “Should religion play a role in politics?”,which led me to think about Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists and the issue of Separation of Church and State. Several years ago I was fortunate to see at the original at the Library of Congress:
Very cool.