Here are a couple ideas I was working on today.

This Washington Post Editorial entitled "Fantasies on Iraq" gives a thorough whipping to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's position on Iraq.

"Barely acknowledging the reduction in violence, the Democratic candidates insist that U.S. troops are, as Ms. Clinton put it, "babysitting a civil war." In fact, the surge forestalled an incipient civil war, and U.S. commanders and diplomats in Iraq don't hesitate to say that if American forces withdrew now, sectarian conflict would probably explode in its full fury, causing bloodshed on a far greater scale than ever before and posing grave threats to U.S. security."

Ouch. Read the whole editorial, it's much worse.

Well Clinton and Obama supporters, and there are plenty of you around here, what do you think of this? This is where McCain is the strongest and this is exactly where he will hit either of the democrats the hardest.

Some people just don't know when to quit...

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times

Last week I did a cartoon and blog post that strongly criticized the tactics of The Earth Liberation Front or ELF. Since then I've received quite a few comments and email. One particular bit of correspondence from someone who is obviously sympathetic to ELF's methods had me arguing. I thought the exchange was too interesting not to share. The debate took place in two separate email exchanges. The first email exchange starts below the cartoon.

Here's the cartoon, in case you missed it.

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times

Sympathizer:
Antagonistic Ink | E.L.F. Members are Terrorists | Seattle Times Newspaper Blog

Actually, they aren't. Terrorists kill people. E.L.F. does not.

Devericks:
If someone threatens to burn down your home if you don't do what they want, you are telling me that that isn't terrorism. I don't think someone has to kill to be a terrorist. Somehow I don't think you would say this if it was your home they burned down.

Sympathizer:
Look, my home is not the issue. Nor your home. Nor the homes on Street of Dreams. The issue is this: We had better begin to get wise in this country as to who the real terrorists are: the greedheads and landrapers otherwise known as "developers", the warmongers, fearmongers, and Godmongers. The imperialists, neoconservatives, fascists, and Republicans. I could go on and on but I think you catch my drift.

Devericks:
Your home and my home are most certainly the issue. Because when you excuse this kind of behavior in the name of whatever cause, inevitably, somewhere down the road it's you they come after. I say fight for your cause, but do it without threatening violence to other people or their property.

Sympathizer:
The behavior that needs to be excused is the building of McMansions. That is the real violence and the real terrorism. Your problem is that you consider property sacred. It isn't. And property built heedlessly and needlessly in ecologically sensitive areas will be destroyed.

Devericks:
Great. Work on getting the zoning laws changed, protest, don't terrorize people by burning their homes and cars.

Sympathizer:
Yeah, "work within the system." We've heard it before. It's bull****. It's the System that's driving the Earth's ecosystems to collapse. The System favors the wealthy and powerful, the rapers and destroyers. As you well know.

Last week I did a cartoon and blog post that strongly criticized the tactics of The Earth Liberation Front or ELF. Since then I've received quite a few comments and email. One particular bit of correspondence from someone who is obviously sympathetic to ELF's methods had me arguing. I thought the exchange was too interesting not to share. The debate took place in two separate email exchanges. The second email exchange starts below the cartoon.

Here's the cartoon, in case you missed it.

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times

Sympathizer:
Eco-Terrorism: There's No Such Thing | The Smirking Chimp

Devericks:
Tell Rall said in his column to terrorism involves killing people, look it up. I did, and he's wrong.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism

Sympathizer:
You don't need to look anything up to know that terrorism involves deliberately targeting people as opposed to property. The E.L.F. does not target people.

Devericks:
ELF targets property. Those who have to risk their lives to put out the fires be damned. I suppose that's not their problem.

Sympathizer:
You have a firm grasp of the obvious. Yes, when firefighters fight fire they do put their lives in jeopardy. But E.L.F. does not deliberately target firefighters or anyone else.

Devericks:
ELF does not deliberately target firefighters? Who do they think is going to protect people from their reckless arson? It's not rocket science to know that when you start a fire with explosives, firefighter are the ones who have to show up to protect the rest of us. They may deceive themselves and you that they don't target firefighters, but they're not fooling me.

Sympathizer:
Maybe if I put it in caps you will eventually grasp it: E.L.F. DOES NOT TARGET PEOPLE. Either firefighters or anyone else. People who fight fires for a living choose to accept the risks of the job. Developers who put up these McMansions choose to destroy or damage ecosystems. E.L.F. chooses to destroy property which has no right to exist. It's all about choice, man.

Devericks:
Put it in caps all you want. Just because you say something repeatedly, loudly or in all caps, doesn't make it true. Let me speak your all caps language: USE SOME LOGIC. ELF's "goal" of not targeting people DEPENDS ON firefighters keeping people safe from their reckless arson. That puts their lives in danger. I guess by your logic, if a firefighter dies in a fire set by ELF he had no right to exist.

What right does ELF have to choose what property or people have the right to exist?

Sympathizer:
If firefighters choose to risk their lives defending McMansions...well, that's a choice, isn't it? Just as you are choosing to uphold the sacredness of property over living natural systems. It is a pity that your concern for the lives of firefighters does not extend to land, water, and species other than your own. And "reckless arson," you say? What about the extreme recklessness of building these McMansions in RCDs in the first place?

I love this cartoon by Nate Beeler. Nate is the cartoonist for the Washington Examiner and a friend of mine. Check it out, really it's a great cartoon.

"The state Supreme Court says that random drug testing of student athletes is unconstitutional."

From David Postman's blog:

Justice Richard Sanders wrote:

No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his
home invaded, without authority of law.

As much as I think there is a need for this in schools, I tend to agree with the State Supreme Court on this. Tell me where I'm wrong?

Something I'm working on...

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times

Not that he had much of a chance to carry Washington in the general election anyway, but McCain's involvement in the loss of the Air Force tanker contract certainly didn't earn him many friends here. Seems to be a possible thorn in his side around the rest of the country as well. Did this change any of your minds about McCain? I'm curious to hear from anyone who's opinion of McCain has drastically changed because of this.

Despite his efforts to get cuddly with conservatives, I think McCain really is the maverick he is often portrayed to be. How many politicians do you know that would speak out against ethanol in Iowa?

President Bush says we are in a "slowdown," not a recession. Something is slow alright, something besides the economy.

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times

Obama's raising loads of cash and he's ahead in the delegate count. Hillary is going negative, getting nasty and pushing hard for Michigan and Florida delegates to count. Meanwhile, McCain is officially the nominee and is gearing up for the general election while they duke it out. How do you think this is going to end up? Click on the comments button and give your predictions.

A reader sent this YouTube video to me (the second one down) in response to Hillary's 3am phone call ad and it's too good not to share. Make sure you watch both videos, they are about 30 seconds each.

I find the impact that YouTube is having on this campaign fascinating. Every ad that a candidate puts out is followed by 10 spoofs within hours. Every contradicting or hypocritical thing they have ever said inevitably gets posted to YouTube for all to see. It puts a whole new level of power in the hands of voters.

Earth Liberation Front members are no better than Al Qaida terrorists. In my opinion, they are terrorists. They have and established pattern of using destruction and fear to bring about a change in behavior. Terrorism. When this tactic doesn't work, how do they escalate it? Is it really such a stretch to imagine one of these cowards targeting those they consider the most egregious environmental offenders for death. According to the Seattle Times story, "Explosive devices were found inside the homes." So, they certainly don't care about the lives of firefighters. Maybe they'll decide your house or your SUV is too big and that you are killing the earth. Maybe they'll burn it next. And maybe next time, they won't care if you are in it.

Eric Devericks/The Seattle Times