Do you have to fill out any forms to join the Tea Party?

Some jailbirds fantasize about women in prison. Others dream about what political party would make them happy.

I hope everyone knows that felons (prisoners) can’t vote.

Oops. In some states, now, apparently felons can vote. (Maine and Vermont, at the date of this article, 2008).

A loose-knit group of national organizations working to restore voting rights includes the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN (Bell’s employer); the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and the Brennan Center for Justice.

Last month, Obama campaign workers took down a sign at their headquarters in Pottstown, Pa., that said “Felons can vote,” because it might have sent the wrong message.

Hysterical! I guess Obama didn’t want to be the candidate of former inmates. :) Inmates are predominantly black and Hispanic in most states, and the article goes on to say that people who have committed felonies (jailbirds), are young, with a poor education, and “these demographics are traditionally Democrats.”

Oh, my. :)

Interpretation of the cartoon

In any case, I knew a former inmate very well, but I think most people know, anyway, that felons can’t vote or own guns, which is part of the joke here. Of course, he could join the Tea Party anyway…

I wanted to make the point that the Tea party thinks of themselves as so uber strong and sexy now, so that even a hardened criminal is impressed with their creds, like they’re a gang.

Part of the caption, though, has to do with a Twilight Zone episode that I never saw, bu

When Republicans turn into rogue elephants.

Kind of a funny situation in California now.

Jerry Brown wants to hurry up and put a proposition on the ballot in June for voters: can he set up a special election to extend higher tax rates on sales, vehicles and income for five years. It’s not exactly raising taxes, but doesn’t lower anything. (Our sales tax is almost 10%, outrageous.)

From the Sacramento Bee:

Brown is negotiating with a splinter group of five GOP lawmakers, whose wish list contains issues that have divided the Capitol for decades.

Republicans want to curb union power and demands, and put a hard cap on spending.  So why are these 5 Republicans acting like rogue elephants (dangerous when separated from their herd!) and acting beguiled by Governor Brown’s tax increases? Beats me.

Business Week says:

Republicans are seeking rollbacks of public employee pensions, a cap on state spending in future budgets and business-friendly regulatory changes…

Steinberg and Brown have complained that Republican lawmakers have not been specific about what they are willing to trade for their votes on a special election.

However, 2 of the Republican runaway leaders said they gave Brown a “wish list.” Oh, Amazon.

Even John and Ken, some of my favorite hosts on  California, here I am, Pick a Political Party!

National Velvet carried Elizabeth Taylor to stardom.

At least, that’s my take on it.

Why did she die at a fairly young age, 79? I looked it up in several sources, and it was congestive heart failure. That can slow you down. As I understand it, your heart becomes this squishy thing, not like a strong muscle, so your blood kind of swishes around, instead of squirting properly all over. Your legs are what the medical profession calls a “second heart.” That is, when you walk, they push the blood back up to your heart that gravity has let fall down to your feet. So, it’s healthy to walk. And not so healthy that she was in a wheelchair the last few years.

Turns out I’ve hardly seen any of her movies. Mostly, I admire her for being outspoken, and for appearing in public without much (any?) plastic surgery. You have no idea how hard it is for older women in Hollywood. Hell, even a good number of the girls on The Bachelor have had things done, even at 25! (although it’s mostly boob jobs.)

My Elizabeth Taylor filmography:

Jane Eyre – I think I saw it. I read the book, great girls book.

National Velvet – Yes, read the book (all the horse books I could find) and saw the movie. There may have been some tears.

Little Women – probably. I saw one version, and liked it a lot. Who was she, Jo?And I read the book several times.

Ivanhoe – I think I had to see it in high school. But I might be getting it mixed up with the Ivanhoe Reservoir I see every day.

Cleopatra – Yes. I remember thinking she didn’t look that beautiful to me. She and Richard B. had some chemistry, though.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – I hate this play. It was originally a play, then a movie. A married couple battle it out, and they’re not as clever as they think they are, but they sure are mean. It makes you squirm. If you saw the Emmy- nominated episode of The Office where Michael and Jan give a dinner party (the only dinner party) — like that.

A Little Night Music – I love this movie! Saw it as a play, too. It’s kind of like Glee for theater-goers, romantics, and sophisticates.

Cartoon after the jump. 

Not what you expected for Ms Taylor’s eulogy?

Rob Tornoe, a talented cartoonist out of NJ,  posted on Facebook:
Who’s going to draw the first political cartoon of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra being carried to the pearly gates?

Which was funny because so many cartoonists will do/have done that. It looks weird to me to have editorial cartoonists draw heaven, just like gag cartoonists do, but I think death is hard to do well.

Daryl Cagle has several blogs, which is very confusing, but I managed to find his collection of Elizabeth Taylor cartoons. I’m not going to name the cartoonists, because there are 3 or 4 of the most hideous portraits I’ve ever seen there, and 4 have the SAME drawing of just her eyes! Poor Liz. You can make up your own mind whether <

I’m not Elizabeth Taylor.

Although my cartoon on her is coming up.

Just an amusing note that I know men, though not as many as she, and particularly 2 men on the front page of Daily Caller today! No, not Obama and Gadhafi!

These are guys I know from LA Press Club wild parties. Actually they weren’t very wild, but these men are seriously entertaining.

Andrew Breitbart is being called out for being racist on the Huffington Post – what else is new. I still have to write about that non-racist cartoon he published on the other day. He absolutely is not. And since he worked with Arriana Huffington long before she became the liberal icon she is today, when he was taking a break from the Drudge Report, and he actually helped her start the HuffPo, I have a feeling she doesn’t care about the charges against him. (But who would know her thoughts? Her unpaid writers do all the grunt work, anyway.)  Daily Caller reports:

Breitbart’s post about NPR and the Tea Party infuriated Color of Change. In a Wednesday alert to supporters, the organization said that its prominent placement on The Huffington Post “shows a lack of journalistic integrity, and it’s frankly an insult to our communities.”

I’m not familiar with Color of Change, but I did

Japanese Stock Exchange teeters after the earthquake, too.

bank of japan throwing money into the country to stabilize the stock market
bank of japan throwing money into the country to stabilize the stock market

The Bank of Japan dumping yen into the economy to try to stabilize the stock market (and, oh yeah, our market as well.) (That is the first time I’ve ever used yen in a sentence.)

Of course, I may have the entire scenario wrong, but I got a nice colorful cartoon out of it, with a red Japanese sun on top. (Some of the editorial cartoons I saw on Japan had only the sun!  Oh, well, I took the path less trodden.:))

Nuclear radiation from Japan!!!!!!

nuclear radiation from map of japan falls into school
nuclear radiation from map of japan falls into school

Because we believe all the headlines, right?

Also, schools will be the first to get hit by radiation, if I remember classroom drills right

I think we all knew that the media was exaggerating any danger from radiation. The brave Japanese workers who kept cooling down the factories kept most of the damage under control. (gulp)

People in LA got vaguely more interested in the idea that radiation might sail across the ocean and affect the west coast. Vaguely. But this post in LAist made me laugh out loud! They call Ann Coulter a nuclear physicist, who says radiation is “good for you”. read more