Costa Rica

Angry Mob In Costa Rica

crsta10052018

This cartoon was first published in The Costa Rica Star October 5, 2018.

The strikes are winding down in Costa Rica and this week’s cartoon may be the last on the subject…maybe.

I did this cartoon before the “angry mob” narrative was started in the U.S. by Republicans. In Costa Rica, there actually were angry mobs threatening the life of the president as he was at a theater. You might need to know a little about U.S. history to get this cartoon.

Here’s the video.

Be Complicit
What kind of person would want to be part of something that disparages, slanders, and disrespects Dear Leader and his sycophantic followers? Hopefully, you. 
Making a contribution supports my work and keeps the cartoons, columns, and videos coming. My income is from newspapers that subscribe to my work and small contributors. George Soros hasn’t sent me a million dollar check in weeks. Making a contribution of any amount, or buying a print for $40.00, makes you part of this specific resistance, and a member of Team Claytoonz (we’re still working on the name). You are complicit, an accomplice, and in cahoots (and whatever gangster terms we can think of) with this political satire pointing out that the stupid emperor has no clothes. Contributions can be made through PayPal, checks, and wads of cash exchanged in back alleys.
Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!! 

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Advertisements

Striking Boobies In Costa Rica

crsta09282018

This cartoon was first published September 28, 2018, in The Costa Rica Star.

Strikes protesting the new tax system in the nation have been continuing for several weeks, despite the courts ruling them illegal. Last week, some strikers took over operating rooms to prevent oncology patients from receiving scheduled surgeries.

From an article written by Laura Alvarado for The Costa Rica Star; “members of the labor union were upset because the hospital arranged to get assistance from surgeons and professionals from the Puriscal clinic to handle some of the surgeries that have been piling up for patients in the areas of oncology and orthopedics; the plan was to go through with several surgeries this Thursday.”

For such a serious subject that everyone has a right to be outraged over, we decided to go with a boob joke. Thankfully, my editor is as juvenile as I am.

Be Complicit
What kind of person would want to be part of something that disparages, slanders, and disrespects Dear Leader and his sycophantic followers? Hopefully, you. 
Making a contribution supports my work and keeps the cartoons, columns, and videos coming. My income is from newspapers that subscribe to my work and small contributors. George Soros hasn’t sent me a million dollar check in weeks. Making a contribution of any amount, or buying a print for $40.00, makes you part of this specific resistance, and a member of Team Claytoonz (we’re still working on the name). You are complicit, an accomplice, and in cahoots (and whatever gangster terms we can think of) with this political satire pointing out that the stupid emperor has no clothes. Contributions can be made through PayPal, checks, and wads of cash exchanged in back alleys.
Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!! 

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.

Two Tickets To Paradise

crsta09212018

This cartoon was first published in The Costa Rica Star, September 21, 2018.

The United States State Department was warning citizens in and planning to visit Costa Rica of the strike, warning that it was causing delays in traffic and at airports, and that there were even accounts of violence.

Expats in Costa Rica initially said the strike wasn’t a concern to them at all, and they weren’t even seeing that much from it. By last week, many were changing their tone and complaining about strikers. My editor told me it was definitely hurting tourism and travel. Now, the courts have ruled the strike as illegal.

There’s a new cartoon up this week. Go check it out. It’ll be posted here next Sunday.

Your support in the form of donations is appreciated. I am fully independent as I’m not employed by a newspaper or with a major syndicate (leaving one to be independent). It does take a lot of work to provide you with cartoons, columns, and videos almost every day (more than any other political cartoonist), and I don’t charge my clients much at all. If you can, please consider making a financial contribution to keep the fun flowing, or purchase a signed print for $40. Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.

Baby Strikers

crsta09142018

This cartoon was published Friday, September 14, 2018, in The Costa Rica Star.

When I drew this cartoon, I knew a lot of the country wasn’t really being affected by the strike. Most of the attention was in the capital and other larger cities. That may have changed this week, and I think I kinda hit it with my latest cartoon (which I’ll post here next week).

I can commiserate with strikers. I believe in the U.S. labor movement. A lot of the laws we have today for workers are because of unions. But, I’m not sure they’re going about it the right way in Costa Rica where they’re arguing against more taxes in a nation that’s deep in debt.

Your support in the form of donations is appreciated. I am fully independent as I’m not employed by a newspaper or with a major syndicate (leaving one to be independent). It does take a lot of work to provide you with cartoons, columns, and videos almost every day (more than any other political cartoonist), and I don’t charge my clients much at all. If you can, please consider making a financial contribution to keep the fun flowing, or purchase a signed print for $40. Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.

Strike In Costa Rica

crsta09072018

This cartoon originally ran September 7, 2018, in The Costa Rica Star.

When I drew this cartoon, Costa Rica was preparing for a labor strike. Now, they’re several days into it. This week’s cartoon also touches on it.

Costa Rica is well known as a place where it takes forever to get anything done. People in the nation operate on what is known as “Pura Vida Time.” Expect slow responses, people are rarely on time, and you’ll get stood up a lot. When a contractor or government service gives you an estimate or an actual time to expect what you need, it’s never true. It’s like that Tom Hanks Movie, The Money Pit, where every answer is “two weeks,” yet it’s never two weeks. So, how will anyone notice there’s a strike going on? A lot of people aren’t.

In fact, the only people who’ve noticed or have actually been inconvenienced by the strike are the people in the larger cities, like the capital, San Jose. And, most of that inconvenience has been the strikers getting in their way by blocking traffic.

What is the strike over? It’s opposition from labor unions and government employees against a proposed tax reform. The project is called the “Law of Strengthening Public Finances”, like 2% in basic foods products and 4% for education and private health system. They are mostly upset at the value added tax, which is 13% and will remain so, but the government wants to add more products and services.

The nation is in serious debt and something has to be done. The unions and government employees may need to give a little. The nation could start by stop paying state bank presidents over $25,000 a month.

Your support in the form of donations is appreciated. I am fully independent as I’m not employed by a newspaper or with a major syndicate (leaving one to be independent). It does take a lot of work to provide you with cartoons, columns, and videos almost every day (more than any other political cartoonist), and I don’t charge my clients much at all. If you can, please consider making a financial contribution to keep the fun flowing, or purchase a signed print for $40. Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.

Ortega Wants Names

crsta08312018

This cartoon first ran Friday, August 31, 2018, in The Costa Rica Star.

What is it with strongman-type leaders, dictators, and dictator wannabes that they feel they can force their will on people who don’t have to bend to their demands?

Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua whose wife is vice president, is demanding Costa Rica to supply him with the names of each of the over 20,000 Nicaraguan refugees currently in that nation. He wants “a list of people seeking asylum,” to point out who committed crimes during protests and should face justice.

Ortega promises they won’t be harmed, and he’s only looking for the lawbreakers. Yeah, sure. You really don’t want someone of the likes of Ortega to define lawbreaking.

During his press conference with Donald Trump in Helsinki, Russia’s Vladimir Putin told members of the American press not to “disregard these issues and don’t think about this anymore again,” when asked if he had anything on to hold over Trump. The U.S. press doesn’t take orders from U.S. politicians, less enough one from Russia.

Turkey’s Recep Erdogan has demanded the United States extradite a Turkish cleric he’s accusing of engineering a coup against him. The United States doesn’t typically deport people to face death sentences.

Donald Trump is demanding that The New York Times provide him with the name of the anonymous writer of the op-ed from his staff, accusing him of being incompetent. He’s floating the idea of the Justice Department going after the free press to find out sources, without identifying any laws that were broken other than it was “treason” to criticize him.

Ortega, Putin, Erdogan, and Trump aren’t interested in what’s best for their people, only their self-interest. The world would be a better place without any of them.

The U.S. will not be turning over any clerics to Turkey, the American press isn’t going to take journalism advice from Putin, and The New York Times will never give names to Trump (not sure about the Justice Department thing). And, Costa Rica is not going to any names to Ortega. That would go against international law.

When authoritarians start asking for names, that’s when they need to be told to sit and spin.

Your support in the form of donations is appreciated. I am fully independent as I’m not employed by a newspaper or with a major syndicate (leaving one to be independent). It does take a lot of work to provide you with cartoons, columns, and videos almost every day (more than any other political cartoonist), and I don’t charge my clients much at all. If you can, please consider making a financial contribution to keep the fun flowing, or purchase a signed print for $40. Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!

Watch me draw.

Costa Rica Nazis

crsta08242018

This cartoon was first published August 24, 2018, in The Costa Rica Star.

There were several protests in Costa Rica by white nationalists and even a few Neo-Nazis protesting against refugees coming to their country to escape the violence in Nicaragua. Most people in Costa Rica are welcoming the refugees and trying to help them. They know they don’t want to be there sleeping in a park permanently. Most people want to go home.

Donald Trump’s rhetoric has encouraged racists to come out into the open in the United States. Now, I believe it’s happening internationally.

Donald Trump is a vile and horrible person. Don’t be like Trump.

Your support in the form of donations is appreciated. I am fully independent as I’m not employed by a newspaper or with a major syndicate (leaving one to be independent). It does take a lot of work to provide you with cartoons, columns, and videos almost every day (more than any other political cartoonist), and I don’t charge my clients much at all. If you can, please consider making a financial contribution to keep the fun flowing, or purchase a signed print for $40. Whether you can help support, can’t, or just choose not to, please continue to enjoy and keep reading my work. Thank you!!!

You can purchase a signed print of this cartoon.

Watch me draw.