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New Years Eve Lebanon Vs the World!
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History, Rhyming
The title is a reference to an aphorism that’s often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain: “History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.”
Like many people, I found myself reading a lot of analysis, and squinting at blurry videos, after the murders of Renee Good and, just eighteen days later, Alex Pretti. Both were shot to death by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents while multiple people recorded it on video. In both cases, the Federal government baldly lied about what had happened, vilifying both victims as attempted murderers who were stopped just in time by heroic agents acting in self-defense.
The brazenness of the lying was, in the way, the most shocking part. If this is how much they lie when they know there are multiple videos, how much do they lie when there are no recordings to contradict them? (Renee Good and Alex Pretti aren’t the only people killed by DHS agents this year, but as far as I know none of the other deaths were so thoroughly filmed.)
I don’t remember why I started reading about Jonathan Daniels. But I began fixating on the similarities between his murder and Pretti’s. I wouldn’t say nothing’s changed since 1965, but too much remains tragically the same.
The end of this strip troubles me a bit. I believe that when we die, we cease to exist, except in the memories and thoughts of people still living. So I went back and forth a bit on the final panel, which can be easily read as implying I believe in an afterlife.
But I do take comfort imagining Alex Pretti and Jonathan Daniels meeting, as impossible as that is, and finding a lot to talk about. I know that’s just my imagination, but if others take comfort from believing these two heroes are in Heaven, that’s fine with me.
I couldn’t find any good photographs of Arthur Gamble as he would have appeared in 1965, so his face is almost entirely made up. And I didn’t bother looking up the faces of Pretti’s murderers, since I’d decided to draw them masked. The other four caricatures here – Bovino, Coleman, Daniels and Pretti – are my best attempts, as limited as they are. I hope I did them justice.
This is obviously a motivated judgement on my part, but I searched out photos I found that both Pretti and Daniels had great smiles – not toothpaste commercial smiles, but welcoming smiles that made me wish I’d been friends with them.
Bovino’s face wasn’t as beloved by me, but I did find him fascinating to draw.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has six panels. A caption at the top says “History, Rhyming.”
PANEL 1
A close up of someone’s hand lying limply on the ground, in sepia tones.
CAPTION: August 20, 1965: Civil rights activist Jonathan Daniels put himself between a deputy sheriff and the black teen the deputy was attacking. The deputy shot Daniels to death.
PANEL 2
A close up of a gloved hand lying limply on snowy pavement, a cell phone lying nearby. Drawn in blue tones.
CAPTION: January 24 2026: Anti-fascist activist Alex Pretti put himself between border protection agents and the woman the agents were attacking. The agents shot Pretti to death.
PANEL 3
This panel is divided in two, sepia on the left and blues on the right. On the sepia side, a man inn a suit sneers. On the right side, a man in a border patrol uniform sneers.
BOTH (in unison): He was intended to commit a massacre!
CAPTION (sepia side): Arthur Gamble: Corrupt prosecutor who threw the case.
CAPTION (blue side): Gregory Bovino: Border Patrol Commander.
PANEL 4
Another panel divided into sepia and blue sides. On the sepia side is a cheerful middle-aged man in a suit. On the right side are two masked Border Patrol agents.
ALL THREE (unison): I was in fear for my life!
CAPTION (sepia side): Tom Coleman, Daniels’ murderer.
CAPTION (blue side): Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, Pretti’s murderers.
PANEL 5
On the sepia side, three people with 1960s haircuts are angrily yelling. On the blue side, same thing except with current-day hair and clothes.
ALL (unison): If he hadn’t put himself where he didn’t belong he’d still be alive! Cops have to make split-second judgements! Law! Order! Bark bark bark bark woof!
CAPTION: Boot-licking stooges.
PANEL 6
In a clearing, surrounded by grass, trees, and shrubs, two men talk to each other. The men are distant from us. One, dressed in black and wearing a clerical collar, is identified as “Jonathan Daniels, 1939-1965.” The other, wearing a comfy looking winter jacket and baggy jeans, is identified as “Alex Pretti, 1989-2026.”
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is obscure cartoonists’ lingo for little details hidden in the art. I drew almost no chicken fat here – the tone of the strip felt wrong for it – but in panel five, two of the modern day people are wearing MAGA hats that say “Make America Dicks Again.” One man’s t-shirt shows a teddy bear saying “FU.”
Before and After Smart Phones!
Centrist Dems Pre and Post Election
When Kamala Harris lost the election, a lot of centrist Democrats blamed progressives (as they did when Hillary Clinton lost in 2016), and it’s been a constant drumbeat of recrimination ever since. I’m talking about folks like Quentin Fulks, who blamed Harris’ loss on activists forcing politicians to apologize and “men don’t like people who apologize.”
Personally, I blame Trump’s election first and foremost on Trump voters. Wacky of me, I know.
A lot of people (including me) have blamed 2024 for being a terrible year for incumbent parties worldwide – but I just read an argument that the popular wisdom is wrong about that one.
A lot of people blame stay at home voters – but the problem with that is, stay at home voters would probably have voted for Trump.
(I’d definitely blame the press’ determination to sanewash Donald Trump, but that’s a subject for another cartoon).
But if I had to blame Democrats, I would blame the people who actually ran the Harris campaign. People like Quentin “men don’t like people who apologize” Fulks, who was Harris’s deputy campaign manager.
Progressives didn’t select Clinton, Biden, or Harris (all of them centrists). Progressives didn’t decide to have Biden run for a second term – or for Biden to drop out less than four months before the election. Progressives didn’t select the very centrist Harris, didn’t decide on her campaign strategy, didn’t write her speeches or choose her issues.
I don’t really blame the centrists for Harris’ loss. Maybe there was no way for Harris to win. She had less than four months to go, and swing voters seemed really down on the Biden administration.
But the self-serving pretense by centrists that progressives are to blame – when they themselves made every decision in the Harris campaign – is ridiculous.
Man, the dude’s office in panel three was a pain to draw. But it gave me a lot of opportunity to put in chicken fat.
The most fun bit? Probably the woman’s tattoos. Frank Young did a bang-up job coloring them, too. (One reason I enjoy drawing fat characters: More room for tattoos.)
What’s the origin of the idiom “bang up job”? I wasn’t able to find it. But it’s been in use since the early 1800s.
I don’t have a cartoon syndicate and I’m not in newspapers. But I get to do this for a living because lots of readers support my Patreon with mostly small pledges! I also have prints and books for sale.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four regular panels, plus a tiny “kicker” panel under the bottom.
PANEL 1
A large caption says “PRE-ELECTION.”
Two people, a casually dressed woman and a more business-dressed man, are talking in an office. The man makes a dismissive gesture.
WOMAN: Progressives have some ideas for this election…
MAN: Here’s my idea. Step one: donate to our campaign. Step two: you get lost.
PANEL 2
The man pushes the woman out of the office.
WOMAN: Hey!
MAN: No insult, but you woke special interest social justice freaks repel normie voters. Leave us in charge of this election so we can win!
PANEL 3
The man sits behind his desk, looking very pleased.
MAN: Good riddance! Now we can run a winning campaign – a centrist campaign with a centrist candidate and centrist strategies!
PANEL 4
A large caption says “POST-ELECTION”.
The same man and woman are in a hallway. She glares at him, while he yells at her, jumping with fury.
MAN: WE LOST AND IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!
KICKER PANEL
The man smiles as he talks to Barry the cartoonist.
MAN: Centrist Democrats can’t fail! We can only be failed.
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is archaic cartoonist-speak for fun little details that don’t matter.
PANEL 1: On the shelves in the background: A book called “Really Big Book.” A framed picture of Tintin. There’s a framed picture of Amy from “Futurama” on the wall. The woman’s shirt says “Woop Woop.”
Her arms are covered with, well, random doodles, including a Rubik’s cube flying on angel wings, a cloud that says “meh,” a sake, and a explosion with a “BOOM” sound effect.
PANEL 2: The snake tattoo has moved to her other arm, which also features a hand hatching from an egg and a paper saying “8675309.” Her shirt now ways “Hi Mom!” There’s a framed picture of Groucho Marx on the wall.
PANEL 3: There are framed photos on the wall of Kermit the Frong, Marcie, Peppermint Patty, the Mayor from “Nightmare Before Christmas,” and Mayor Quimby from The Simpsons.
On the shelves are: A globe with a goldfish-shaped continent; a stack of three books: Really Big Book, RBB Strikes Back, and Return of the RBB. The photo of Tintin has been replaced with Tintin’s dead, decapitated head. A photo of a seagull with a fish in its beak. A mouse with a bow and arrow, taking aim at an apple on the head of another mouse. A mouse painting a picture of cheese. A napping cat.
On the desk: The book says “Scary” on the spine and “Boo” on the front cover. The icon on the back of the laptop is a cracking egg.
Finally, a mouse or rat is clinging to the arm of the chair in the foreground.
PANEL 4: The snake tattoo is back! Now looking at a tattoo of a mug of steaming liquid. There are framed pictures of Popeye and Olive Oil.
Why I HATE these jeans
Lebanese Abroad vs At Home
False Advertising!
