prisoner wonders if the tea party is the right party for him

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, but a friend in school had, and she used to terrify me with the words. It was about an airplane flight (scared already?) almost full up and the creepy flight attendant said to one of the passengers, “There’s room for one more, honey.” She doesn’t get on, and of course the plane crashes.

Apparently that’s a line in a lot of scary stories, however!

Cartoon caption: 2 prisoners are in their cell watching TV, and one says to the other, I wonder if the Tea Party has room for one more.

More cartoons:

1. The White Rabbit Cancels the Tea Party.
2. Lysistrata is about withholding sex for peace.

charlie sheen behind bars - at least, in my fantasy

I mean, really. I’ve never watched Two and a Half Men, and don’t plan to now. Way too much bs, and the silly, silly media for encouraging this public breakdown!

Phil Hendrie (KFI) said the other night that he knows for sure that Charlie Sheen has been diagnosed with grandiose disorder hypomania, says Phil, or some “clinical” term like that. Maybe he’s back on cocaine, I don’t know.

But I know lots of actors, and they’re different from you and I – and they experiment with their own self, which is kind of neat. Maybe he’s just trying on the crazy mask, or the grandstanding one this month. I wish him luck in his 2 upcoming live speaker gigs in Detroit and Chicago, which are sold out.

No details about the show have been disclosed, but it’s being billed as “Charlie Sheen Live: My Violent Torpedo of Truth.”

Cartoon caption: The Prison of Public Opinion. Charlie Sheen: Two and a half years for harassing and grossing us out.

Image via Wikipedia - Charlie in March, 2009 What's that star thing on his lapel? I thought he was Jewish.

More cartoons:

1. Farewell to Lost cartoon.

"Some beehives suffer from "colony collapse disorder." Be careful, Mr. President." ©D.Barstow

When I was little, I remember lying on the living room couch with a sore throat and an upset tummy, miserable as only sick children can be. My grandmother was playing cards with a few of her friends, and I couldn’t have felt less festive. One of her friends, Aunt Rita, made me honey toast. I didn’t even want it, but I ate some, and I was instantly healed.

No one pointed at me as if it was a miracle, but that was okay- I was pretty shy, so I just sat up, got dressed properly, and went to play. Even having experienced this, and having read that honey was used in World War 1 as a wound healer in the battlefield, because of its antibiotic qualities, and other good things that bees put in honey, I don’t eat it all that often. But I do collect honey cookbooks or pamphlets I come across, and I like to buy local honey from any place I visit, as a souvenir!

That’s about all I know about bees or beekeeping, but a few months ago, when I investigated the whitenose syndrome that has been killing off bats,  I read in several sources that scientists suspect it’s related to the devastating die off of bees, which syndrome is called, “colony collapse disorder.” This affects pollination and crops even more than bats do.   Treehugger writes about it here.

The cause or causes of the syndrome are not yet fully understood, although many authorities attribute the problem to biotic factors such as Varroa mites and insect diseases (i.e., pathogens including Nosema apis and Israel acute paralysis virus). Other proposed causes include environmental change-related stresses, malnutrition and pesticides (e.g. neonicotinoids such as imidacloprid), and migratory beekeeping.

Quote from Wikipedia, so, um, not much homework there, Treehugger. Wiki also suggests cell phones might be a factor. Hmm.

So I’m not sure whether it was the name of this syndrome, with the word colony in it (as in, penal colony like Gitmo), or the fact that I was browsing the New York Times online and discovered that they have a whole blog on beekeeping (!), that made me think of Barack Obama as a beekeeper. Hey, if it’s good enough for the Times, it’s good enough for me! And he surely does have a potential big bee sting on him from the fallout of closing Guantanamo. (Or is it called Gitmo? All mixed up.) I love how they call the prisoners “detainees.” I guess it’s legally correct, but these are dangerous people, not guests at a hotel.

The LA Times had an interview with Cheney, who said only 3 of the prisoners (“detainees”) were waterboarded. I have to say, I hate torture of any kind, and personally, I think it’s worse than killing someone. So it’s not okay. But one of these 3 men boasted that he beheaded Daniel Pearl. Beheading is trying to take someone’s dignity, as well as their life, and I guess the Mideast thinks that’s hunky-dory. I find it revolting and inhuman.

So President Obama has a full plate trying to be “sensitive” towards the prisoners, yet not allow any bees loose to sting this country.

The drawing: very soft colors, with that lime green that I love so much. The trees are lined up with the symmetry and plan of an 18th century English garden. Here’s to you, Jane Austen, and your very civilized world.

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