My First Ever Political Cartoon

I have managed to avoid getting political up to this point; however, my students are reading 1984 right now...so I have government and politics on the brain nonstop. To counterbalance the anger and confusion the political world gives me, I usually run it out and am good to go. However, since I decided to take the full month off to heal the hip, I had to find some other way to keep the blood pressure down. I opted for books on tape*.

And then they ended... yesterday. So today I listened to NPR on my way to work and was immediately reminded why I had switched to audio cds. One phrase from 1984 kept leaping to mind, "Ignorance is Strength." And in the case of this country, strength often means shouting bigotry and violent language at one another, using physical violence, or picking up a gun...(or a brick--as was the case recently).

The healthcare reform has caused such an outpouring of ignorant hatred that I am ashamed to claim it as a part of the country in which I live. When I heard about the bricks that were thrown through the glass doors of two Democratic Headquarters in New York the other day, the following political cartoon came to mind.



I've never made a political cartoon before... and I definitely did not inherit my grandmother's artistic abilities. I do not understand why calm, rational discussions are so difficult, and why when things get too "progressive" the opposition becomes violent and someone gets assassinated...usually by one who happens to be a member of a certain pachyderm-related party. The poisonous words and actions of late have forever rooted me against rejoining such a Party (should I have ever considered reconsidering.)

Sorry for getting political here. I promise it won't happen again. But without my roads and trails for the last two weeks I have had no way to release the disappointment and hurt over the amount of hate that's out there.

Everyone just needs to go for a jog...

*The books on tape that I listened to and thoroughly enjoyed were: From a Buick 8 by Stephen King, Locked Rooms by Laurie King, and Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann. Currently listening to The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.