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The following is an interview with Jonathan Miller, who is a William J. Brennan Fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Mr. Miller is also an ACLU lawyer who was involved with the case of Jeff and Nicole Rank, who were arrested for trespassing while wearing anti-Bush shirts at a 2004 West Virginia event with an appearance by President Bush. The White House and the Justice Department just settled this case yesterday, by paying the Ranks $80,000.

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I don't get no respect. I played hide-and-seek, and they wouldn't even look for me.
-- Rodney Dangerfield

Wyoming Republicans must know how Rodney feels. They attempted to get some media attention (and some attention from the candidates) by passing an impossibility into law, but nobody noticed. No respect indeed.

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While America anxiously waits for General Petraeus to report in mid-September on the military situation in Iraq, Democratic and Republican politicians are honing the verbal knives they'll use in the upcoming congressional debate over the future of America's involvement with the war. But there are grim signs that regardless of the American political debate, Iraq may be headed for an extremely lethal short-term future. While many have already called the current situation in Iraq a "civil war," this future may soon be more accurately be described as "warlordism." And the debate in Washington may ultimately prove to be about nothing more than whether the warlords take over sooner, rather than later.

This is not exactly "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," but rather debating endlessly whether the lifeboats should actually be lowered or not, and when to begin lowering them. While the ship sinks below the waves.

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When President Bush announced that General David Petraeus was going to become the point man for the "surge" in Iraq, and that he was going to give Congress a progress report in September, most of the media were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

After all (so the story went) this was Bush's attempt to put someone with proven competence into the situation (Petraeus literally wrote the Army book on how to fight an insurgency); someone who could be trusted to speak the truth to power since he was non-partisan and trustworthy. The public image of Petraeus was very carefully spun to the media as someone who was not just a George Bush cheerleader, not just a cheerleader for success in Iraq; but rather someone who would take off the rosy-tinted glasses and tell Congress the truth about the situation on the ground.

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[Unlike the President, Congress, the Iraqi Parliament, and the entire workforce of France, I do not get a month's vacation in August. But I may occasionally write pieces like this one, so you'll just have to forgive me.]

This article should properly be titled "What's Wrong With Science Fiction Movies And Television," or even "Science Fiction Fan Bill Of Rights Should Be Imposed On Hollywood," or possibly "Chris Goes On A Rant." I rejected these for various reasons, but they more accurately convey my purpose.

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About the Cartoonist  |  Reprint Policy

Much appreciation to Harrison Smith for the original concept. But I, of course, take full responsibility if you don't like the drawing!

-- Charles W. Cunningham

Tomorrow is the date of the quadrennial celebration of silliness known as the Ames (Iowa) Republican straw poll. The mainstream media will be all over it, which is the entire point of the exercise. Much will be said, pundits will pontificate profusely, and perhaps a few presidential campaign dreams will wither up and die.

But don't kid yourself. It has nothing to do with democracy.

The Iowa straw poll started out as a fairly good idea -- take an early vote in Iowa (the first state to caucus) that didn't count. The purpose is the purpose of any "poll" -- to gauge public support of the candidates. Think of it as a telephone poll, just in person.

That was the idea, at any rate. What it quickly devolved into, however, is a showcase for how to run as corrupt an election as is humanly possible. Continue Reading »

Debates for everyone!

Tonight will be a landmark on the road of acceptance for gay rights, as the Democratic candidates (well, most of them) will appear onstage together to debate in front of the Human Rights Campaign and the television network Logo.

Chris Dodd and Joe Biden will not be appearing. HRC (that's the group, not the candidate) initially declined to invite Mike Gravel, due to his apparent lack of support. They wisely changed their tune when they found out he was one of only two candidates (the other is Kucinich) who fully support gay marriage (and also due to a ferocious online backlash). There will, of course, be no Republican gay debate, as none of the Republican campaigns expressed any interest in attending when contacted. No surprise there.

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[The scene as the curtain rises -- A young woman staggers into a police station. Her hair is a mess, her clothing is torn in places, and she is visibly bruised. One of her eyes is almost swollen shut. She is dragging an elegant handbag, but her grip on the purse strings is tenuous, at best. She staggers up to the desk sergeant.]

"Please, you've got to help me. I've been mugged."

"Certainly, Ma'am. Please follow me," the sergeant replies. He escorts her up a dingy flight of stairs to the detectives' area, and sees that she is comfortably seated. Because she's in such bad shape, he gets her a cup of coffee and introduces her to Detective Justin Farce, before returning to his post.

"What seems to be the trouble?" asks Farce gently.

"I think I've been mugged," she replies forlornly.

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