Category Archives: Cartoons

This is NOT a Day for Schadenfreude!

Who am I kidding?

There’s an old Zen koan, that goes like this:

”Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

Substitute “indictment” for “enlightenment”, and it might be the most proper motto for today:

As I write, the sun is coming up, just as it always has.

A neighbor is warming up his big pickup, as usual, before heading out to work.

The cat is mewing to be fed.

A credit card bill, open on the table, still needs to be paid.

And the New York City District attorney issued an indictment for falsifying business records, just as he is reliably reported to have done more than a hundred times since his re-election.

Which makes it time to celebrate. (I don’t usually chop wood here, enlightened or not; but I’ll carry some water later.)

The party was on before I got “woke” yesterday, this time from an actual afternoon nap. The Queens Daily Eagle gets the blue ribbon for the best headline:



And who could surpass the barbed sweetness of spirit that A. A. Milne brings?

Already, HRC, in her finest Methodist drab, is planning a mission of mercy . . .

Which reminds me, over at Rikers, 45’s bean counter Allen Weisselberg is already busy as his advance man.

They’re especially concerned about an inmate down the cellblock hallway, Dave Somebody. He’s doing a long stretch for reading “Mockingbird” to fifth graders, and now refuses to wear clothes.

Due to staff shortages, they’ve had to call in reinforcements, and the effort has been dogged by artistic differences:

The New York Story-reading Brunch look wowed some critics, but there were dissenters.

Personally I thought the hair was okay, but the gown —well, it showed a bit more leg than necessary.  Tho for Pete’s sake, the ensemble wasn’t so problematic that it justified calling in Bernie . . .

But look, count on a cranky independent Vermonter to skip the glam, stay warm, and get the job done.

And if that’s not enough to keep up 45’s morale, there’s always the chaplain, direct from the Greater Queens MAGA Tabernacle, who visits regularly, bringing messages from his old pal JC . . .

“No, Donald, there’s no ‘e’ — it’s spelled ‘p-A-r-d-o-n’. That’s better.”

Yes, like He said in his book, we must all enter the Kingdom like little children, or maybe undocumented migrants, so he’ll bring 45’s own special version, which goes something like this. . .

What more could I hope to add?

Maybe that, after breakfast, perhaps I’ll go out and chop some wood.

 

 

Disney & The Mouse Fool the Guvnor: DeSantis’s “Control Board” Has Lost Control

A Bulletin from the land where “woke” goes to, um, awaken again . . . ?

DeSantis’ board says Disney stripped them of power

The Associated Press
Board members picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World said Wednesday that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers.
The current supervisors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said at a meeting that their predecessors last month signed a development agreement with the company that gave Disney maximum developmental power over the theme park resort’s 27,000 acres in central Florida.
Florida's Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis takes to the stage opposite his Democratic Party challenger Charlie Crist, a former governor, at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S. October 24, 2022.
Florida’s Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis takes to the stage opposite his Democratic Party challenger Charlie Crist, a former governor, at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S. October 24, 2022.
Crystal Vander Weiter | Reuters

The five supervisors were appointed by the Republican governor to the board after the Florida Legislature overhauled Disney’s government in retaliation for the entertainment giant publicly opposing so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as well as lessons deemed not age-appropriate.

In taking on Disney, DeSantis furthered his reputation as a culture warrior willing to battle perceived political enemies and wield the power of state government to accomplish political goals, a strategy that is expected to continue ahead of his potential White House run.

The new supervisors replaced a board that had been controlled by Disney during the previous 55 years that the government operated as the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The new board members held their first meeting earlier this month and said they found out about the agreement after their appointments.

“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” board member Brian Aungst said Wednesday. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the district is prohibited from using the name “Disney” or any symbols associated with the theme park resort without the company’s permission, nor can it use the likeness of Mickey Mouse, other Disney characters or other intellectual property in any manner. The company can sue for damages for any violations, and the agreement is in effect until perpetuity, according to the declaration.

If the agreement is deemed to violate rules against perpetuity, it will be in effect until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of England’s King Charles III, the declaration said.

In a statement, Disney said all agreements were above board and took place in public.

“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” the statement said.

Separately, Disney World service workers on Wednesday voted to accept a union contract offer that raises the starting minimum wage to $18 an hour by the end of the year.

“Our cast members have always been at the heart of the Walt Disney World experience, and we are thrilled that, with the support of the union, they have overwhelmingly approved this new five-year agreement that significantly increases wages, alongside our leading benefits program that includes affordable medical coverage and more,” Walt Disney World Resort president Jeff Vahle said in a statement. “Frontline employees also have access to 100 percent paid tuition for higher education through the Disney Aspire program.”

The agreement covers around 45,000 service workers at the Disney theme park resort, including costumed performers who perform as Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, bus drivers, culinary workers, lifeguards, theatrical workers and hotel housekeepers.

Workers will see their hourly wages rise between $5.50 and $8.60 an hour by the end of the five-year contract, according to union leaders.

A contract approved five years ago made Disney the first major employer in central Florida to agree to a minimum hourly wage of $15, setting the trend for other workers in the region dominated by hospitality jobs.

Pope Francis: Wanted Dead, Or If Alive, Then Retired & Silent

 

I wonder: what’s it like to be Pope Francis, waking up each morning in the Vatican knowing he’s surrounded by people praying fervently, and that many of them are begging God to make him die before noon?

Not everyone around him wants him dead, of course. Francis has fans and supporters too. And even some harsh Continue reading Pope Francis: Wanted Dead, Or If Alive, Then Retired & Silent

The Scheme: The “Captured” Supreme Court Is Stealing Our Right to Jury Trials

 

Sheldon Whitehouse, in The Scheme:

Beyond protecting polluters, the [Supreme Court’s] Roberts Five have weakened antitrust protections, shielded corporate executives from shareholder suits, protected drug manufacturers from state tort laws, taken away fair pay protections from entire categories of workers, restricted class actions that redress low-dollar mass frauds (like adding a small wrongful charge to a million customers’ bills), and made it more difficult for individuals to sue companies that harmed them. Continue reading The Scheme: The “Captured” Supreme Court Is Stealing Our Right to Jury Trials

It’s Law! Dred Scott’s (In)Justice Taney is headed Outta the Capitol

Washington Post:

Biden signs bill to remove bust of Dred Scott decision author from Capitol

A bust of Chief Justice Roger Taney at the U.S. Capitol in March 2020. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

By Amy B Wang and Marianna Sotomayor Continue reading It’s Law! Dred Scott’s (In)Justice Taney is headed Outta the Capitol