Florida

Tucker And The Pussycats

Today’s Comic Strip of the Day features a cartoon by Mike Beckom, who is a gaslighting MAGAt lacking critical thinking skills. His cartoon is a response to the revelation that Fox News knowingly lied to their viewers and presented The Big Lie that Trump won the 2020 election, it was stolen from him, and there was massive election fraud. The cartoon uses the tired cliché of the pot calling the kettle black, with the pots being MSNBC and CNN and the kettle being poor widdle innocent Fox News. The author of the blog, Mike Peterson, posted the cartoon in order to shoot it down, writing, “Nobody has produced any emails in which MSNBC or CNN declare, as Fox did, their intention of lying in order to preserve their ratings and stock prices.”

It’s a shame there can’t be fact-checks on the publication of every right-wing political cartoon.

I’ve seen Beckom’s argument posted by other righties, that CNN and MSNBC do the same thing Fox News does, knowingly lie to their viewers…except there’s no actual proof of it. The reason there’s no proof of it is that legitimate news outlets don’t knowingly lie to their viewers. The thing that bothers me with this is what bothers me with all conservatives in that they don’t base their opinions on facts, but then again…if you’re only watching Fox News, you won’t know the facts.

If you only watch Fox News then you are probably not at all aware that the Dominion lawsuit produced emails and texts between executives and hosts at Fox News revealing that they knew they were lying…and did so in order not to lose their viewers and to keep their stock prices up. There is not a text message in public of a host at CNN or MSNBC demanding that a fact-checker be fired, but there’s one of Tucker Carlson doing it.

So the same people who don’t know that Tucker Carlson knowingly lies to them probably watched him air footage last night gained from Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the Jan. 6 white nationalist insurrection, and calling it a “peaceful gathering.”

Tucker said, “The footage does not show an insurrection or a riot in progress. Instead, it shows police escorting people through the building.” This is cherry-picking. Tucker said the rioters were ” peaceful sightseers,” not “insurrectionists.”

This is why everyone was against Kevin McCarthy giving the unseen footage to Tucker because he would use it to create a lying narrative. I watched the attack live on January 6, 2020, and what I saw was an insurrection and riot committed by a bunch of white nationalist MAGAts. What I saw was a coup.

When McCarthy was struggling to become Speaker, losing vote after vote, Tucker said on his show, after the third loss, “First, release the January 6 files. Not some of the January 6 files and video… all of it… so that the rest of us can finally know what actually happened on January 6, 2021.” Tucker receiving this footage was part of the deal McCarthy made to become Speaker…that and giving Matt Gaetz foot massages every Tuesday.

McCarthy was fine with giving this footage to a liar who’d use it to harm the country. McCarthy doesn’t care how much damage this does to the nation, just so long as he has political power.

Now in Florida, where most bullshit happens, the legislature is about to begin its next session, and among the many dozens of bills to make DeSantis state emperor is one mandating that public schools and universities only teach the “right” history. You know, no black history. No history that can make a white kid feel guilty about the actions of white people in the past.

The party that wants to legislate how history from decades and centuries ago is taught is led by Tucker, who reconstructs recent history. These people can’t even get the history from last week right, and they want to mandate how the history of slavery and the civil rights era are taught.

If you want to learn history, don’t go to school in Florida… and don’t watch Fox News.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Dictator DeSantis

This isn’t really happening, is it? Florida isn’t really going to force bloggers to register with the state if they criticize state officials, is it?

It is if fascist-loving Republican state senator Jason Brodeur has his way.

Hey, Republicans, if you want people to stop accusing you of being fascists then maybe quit the fascism. Hmm? And make no mistake about it, this is fascism at its very core. Did you know that bloggers in Russia with over 3,000 readers must register with the state? That way it’s easier for them to find you when it’s time to throw you off a building.

This bill is titled “Information Dissemination,” which is bizarre coming from the party of election lies. The legislation states, “If a blogger posts to a blog about an elected state officer and receives, or will receive, compensation for that post, the blogger must register with the appropriate office within five days of the post.” The bill defines “elected state officer” as “the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer, or any member of the Legislature.” Florida’s cabinet officers are elected and included the Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Commissioner of Agriculture.

Failing to register your blog on state officials would result in a fine of $25 per day, capped at $2,500.

The bill also states the bloggers’ reports to the state “must include” the “individual or entity that compensated the blogger for the blog post, and “the amount of compensation received from the individual or entity.”

The state wants to know who’s saying bad things about officials and who’s paying for it. I guess that way, state officials can track down the financial benefactor and put the squeeze on them, if not the writer himself. Sometimes trying to pressure a blogger doesn’t work because I hear some of them can be crazy and out of fucks to give.

Several people contribute to this blog each month. They can vary from $1.00 to $15. There are not a lot of them but I appreciate each and everyone one of them for believing in my work so much that they want to contribute to it. They contribute to keeping it going. Now, imagine if I had to give the state a list of everyone who contributes. I would refuse, even if it became law.

The bill defines a blog as “a website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content,” but it says the “term does not include the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.”

I think WordPress, which hosts this blog and millions of others, needs to hire some lobbyists and lawyers to challenge this shit.

Ron DeSantis’ spokesgoon said the governor was reviewing the bill and, “As usual, the governor will consider the merits of a bill in final form if and when it passes the legislature.” That was the wrong response if the governor loves freedom and democracy. Instead of saying he was considering the merits of some fascist legislation, he should have said, “This legislation, if passed, will go straight from the legislature and straight into the governor’s trash can.” Not this governor.

Who believes the governor who has punished Disney for disagreeing with him will veto this bill? Who believes the governor who outlawed the word “gay” from classrooms will veto this bill? Who believes the governor outlawing black history being taught will veto this bill? Who believes the governor firing elected officials will veto this bill? Who believes the governor trying to take over a state college in order for it to give a “conservative” education will veto this bill? Who believes the governor who just created a board of homophobic religious zealots to oversee Disney’s content will veto this bill? Who believes the governor who proclaimed that Florida is “where woke goes to die” will veto this bill?

I don’t think Ron DeSantis will veto this bill.

You would also think this is useless legislation since it violates the Constitution, but considering all the goons Trump and Mitch McConnell have stacked in the courts, who says it can’t get survive court challenges?

Brodeur needs more than a civics lesson. He said, “Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn’t paid bloggers? Because in many cases, bloggers are journalists. A lobbyist has to file as a lot of their legislative efforts aren’t public. A blogger’s work is public. My cartoons and blogs are public and I rarely if ever talk to government officials. I don’t take government officials out to lunch or on fact-finding trips. I don’t play golf with congressmen. And what if a blogger isn’t paid?

Blogging is also speech. Freedom of speech is a constitutional guarantee. If I don’t register with the state, then I can’t say something about a specific topic? Republicans call themselves constitutionalists but it seems none of them have read the Constitution.

I haven’t read that this bill, if passed, would apply to bloggers outside of Florida. Maybe its author doesn’t understand he can’t legislate beyond his state’s borders. But I have half a mind to move to Florida just to challenge this bullshit bogus fascist legislation. But even without being in Florida, I need to care about this because Florida is still a part of the United States. Also, DeSantis is planning to run for president and I’m sure if elected, he’ll push his fascism nationwide.

Not in my America. When you go after bloggers and freedom of speech, you’re coming after me. You wanna fight? You got one. And if you think the mouse was tough, you haven’t tangled with a political cartoonist yet.

Frustrating blog note: I’m writing this at McDonald’s in Central Park. No, not the famous Central Park in Manhattan but the stupidly named Central Park in Fredericksburg which is not a park but a collection of strip malls with a neon design inspired by Las Vegas’ sunset strip. I’m not shitting you.

I came to Central Park to pick up my new eyeglasses. There were supposed to be two but apparently, I only bought one pair even though the salesman talked me into making sure the lenses for both frames were progressive, me handing him two frames, and us going back and forth about the lenses for both pairs. What really stumped me is that I paid the same price for this one pair that I paid for two last year. But OK, I bought one pair with a better set of lenses even though I wasn’t aware of that at the moment and they couldn’t compare to my last order because, for some reason, I have two accounts at America’s Best. Whatever. I have one pair now.

After picking up my ONE pair of eyeglasses, I walked over to Wegmans and got some rice and noodles from the buffet. I checked the notifications on my phone and realized I couldn’t read them because my eyes have not adjusted to my brand new ONE pair of eyeglasses at America’s Best, or they fucked them up. I had donated all my old pairs of eyeglasses to America’s Best to give to charity, but I decided to go back and retrieve the one I wore into the store. I did that, took a long walk to Starbucks to discover the lobby is closed, then walked back into the wind to write the blog at McDonald’s where I also ordered a mocha….and learned after paying that the mocha machine is done.

I also missed the bus to get down here so I had to order a Lyft. Quite frankly, the only thing that worked right today was the Lyft, the rice, and the noodles. Also, Madonna’s “borderline” is playing right now. “I feel I’m going to lose my mind.”

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Monkeying With Disney

After Disney opposed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Don’t-Say-Gay law, he and the GOP-majority state legislature took away Disney’s self-governing status. He claimed that he was removing “unjustified privileges,” but it wasn’t something he had an issue with until Disney had the audacity to criticize him. What DeSantis did was seek revenge.

In this special zone, Disney was covering the bill for government services, like water, roads, and other infrastructure maintenance, but by taking away the corporation’s special status, which it had for decades, he placed that tax burden on the residents. They took away the self-governing status before solving the problem of passing the buck to taxpayers. Instead of providing an answer to this at the time, Republicans just said “trust us.” Being that they’re Republicans, you can’t trust them.

Now, DeSantis has signed a bill that gives him control over the district. At a self-flagellation ceremony, DeSantis praised himself saying, “The corporate kingdom finally comes to an end. There’s a new sheriff in town, and accountability will be the order of the day.” This is odd, not just because of the chest-thumping but because Republicans are usually all about corporations. Listen to what Republicans are saying about the train derailment in East Palestine and you won’t hear one of them say “Norfolk Southern.”

The bill gives DeSantis the privilege of creating a five-person state board to oversee municipal services, such as fire protection, sewage, and road maintenance, where Disney World operates. This is an extremely horrifying development. I’ll tell you why.

Typically, government boards are bipartisan and appointments come from more than one source. For example, the Post Office Board of Governors has 11 members with nine being appointed by the president. But, they have staggered terms so different presidents have appointed the nine members. The Federal Election Commission has an equal number of members from the Democratic and Republican Parties. Most government boards, where the members are not elected but appointed, have input from more than one source. It’s rare to find boards that consist of members of just one party. Maybe they have them in places like Utah, but most are bipartisan or at least not appointed by just one person, which would give that one person monarchial powers. This new bullshit board DeSantis has created does just that. Remember, Ron DeSantis has fired elected officials.

Every member of this new board that will govern the infrastructure in the Disney zone was appointed by Ron DeSantis and only Ron DeSantis. Now before you start thinking he only appointed people who contribute to his campaigns, kiss his ass, and right-wing yee-yaw fuckers who he can easily control, let me assure you right now…yeah, that’s exactly what he did. He appointed nothing but goons.

The board includes Michael Sasso, president of the Federalist Society’s Orlando chapter, Bridget Ziegler, a staunch goose-stepping school board member who’s also the wife of the chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Ron Peri, a religious zealot in charge of the Christian ministry The Gathering USA, and two other right-wing lawyers.

The board has the power to raise revenue which they say will all come from Disney, but DeSantis fully intends to use this board and its revenue-raising power to influence Disney’s content.

Say Disney needs some improvement to the infrastructure around the park but the funding has to be approved by the board, but the board says no unless they put pants on Donald Duck. Shit like that.

DeSantis said, “When you lose your way, you’ve got to have people that are going to tell you the truth. So we hope they can get back on. But I think all of these board members very much would like to see the type of entertainment that all families can appreciate.” Who’s truth? DeSantis’ “truth?”

Do you really want a collection of DeSantis-appointed goons to decide what’s family entertainment? What if this board cancels Black Panther because it might make a white kid feel bad? What if they outlaw black mermaids? What if they try to punish Disney (spoiler alert) for including a gay character in The Eternals? Or go after them for the gay antelopes in Zootopia, or LeFou in Beauty and the Beast, or Ethan in Strange World? What if the board stops Disney from firing the white nationalist actress in The Mandalorian? What if the board of zealots says Toy Story can’t have a character named “Woody” because we all know what a woody is?

And in case you don’t know, a woody is what Ron DeSantis has for fascism.

Creative note: I can think of several cartoonists who wouldn’t have even tried to draw Rafiki. They would have traced him.

Also, one of my proofers told me to make the “e” in “DeSantis” uppercase, but tiny like his penis.

Music note: I listened to Third Eye blind.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Dragging the Narrative

Republicans have this obsession with drag queens. They’re more afraid of drag queens attacking this nation than Russia’s disinformation campaign and Chinese spy balloons. I’m probably giving them an idea with this cartoon. At the very least, I bet we can convince Lauren Boebert it’s real.

The latest Republican outrage over drag queens comes to us from the state of, you guessed, Florida.

Florida’s fascist governor Ron DeSantis is trying to revoke the liquor license of the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation. Why? Because he’s alleging the foundation violated Florida statutes on lewdness by holding a sexually explicit drag show in December in the presence of minors.

This is the second time he’s filed a complaint against a venue for hosting a drag show. Back in July, he went after a restaurant in Miami for hosting a drag show, claiming it was a “public nuisance.” Drag shows in Miami? Did nobody ever show this guy “The Birdcage?”

Who forced these minors to go to a drag show? Did drag queens run into the streets and kidnap them and then clamped their eyelids open à la “A Clockwork Orange” to watch men in dresses sing “Screwdolph the Red-Nippled Reindeer?” No, but I think we should do that to every Republican until they stop being so threatened by men in dresses.

The people who took children to these drag shows were their parents. Do you remember all that talk by Republicans that parents should be the ones to decide what type of education is good for their children? It’s the basis of DeSantis’ law “Don’t Say Gay” and his efforts to ban black history from being taught in the state.

I supposed only Republican parents know what’s best for their children and liberal parents shouldn’t have a say. What’s next? Will DeSantis report “woke” parents to child protection agencies? Will there be foster homes set up for kids taken away from their parents?

Maybe the government should decide what parents can’t allow their children to watch. When I was a teenager, my mom let me watch “Big Bad Mama” on HBO and I haven’t been right since. No child should have to see William Shatner in a sex scene.

The board of directors for the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation told the Orlando Sentinel that the venue is a “welcoming and inclusive establishment that operates in good faith and compliance with all applicable laws. That includes respecting the rights of parents to decide what content is or is not appropriate for their own children.”

Why should Ron DeSantis be the authority on what’s lewd? What I find lewd is using refugees, human beings, as political pawns. What I find lewd is DeSantis’ racism. Why should Ron DeSantis be the authority on what’s best for other people’s children?

We haven’t seen an Italian be this much of a fascist since Benito Mussolini.

I’m really not that concerned about drag queens being a bad influence on our children. If I could survive Bugs Bunny’s multiple drag performances as a child, then today’s kids can get past Ru Paul. Just keep them away from William Shatner.

Music note: I listened to Fastway and Lifehouse

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

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Great Scott!

During his State of the Union address this week, President Biden said, “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset.” Republicans booed and heckled him for this comment. Some, specifically Marjorie Taylor Greene, howled “liar” at the president.

From there, the president pointed out that since they claim it’s not true, then cuts to Medicare and Social Security are “off the table.” You could see Kevin McCarthy sink lower in his chair.

Republicans are still livid over this because President Biden told the truth. Some Republicans have proposed “sunsetting” Medicare and Social Security.

What is “sunset” when it comes to government programs? It means that at a certain point in time, a government program has to be reauthorized by Congress. Florida Senator Rick Scott’s plan details that every federal legislation has to be voted on again after five years. That means Congress would have to vote on programs like Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act every five years.

If you think it’s bad now that we have to fight for the debt ceiling every year, wait until we have to campaign for Social Security every five years. Do you really feel it’s safe with a Republican majority if there’s a law stating they can get rid of it? And in a sunset, would the program be abolished if Congress doesn’t vote on it every five years?

So when President Biden said “some” Republicans want to sunset Medicare and Social Security, he was right. The hecklers are wrong. Maybe Republicans should actually read their own policy proposals.

Scott doubled down on his plan after the president’s speech, saying, “In my plan, I suggested the following: All federal legislation sunsets in five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again. This is clearly and obviously an idea aimed at dealing with all the crazy new laws our Congress has been passing of late.” He claimed he wasn’t going after Medicare or Social Security and called the claim “a lie” and “a dishonest move … from a very confused president.”  

No, President Biden is not confused because he read Scott’s plan. If anything, Scott is confused by claiming he’s not after those programs while plainly stating his proposal will sunset those programs. He claimed Biden was “twisting” his words and that it was really Democrats who wanted to cut benefits, not Republicans, even though it’s his 12-point plan to do so.

Man, Republicans really hate it when you point out facts…or quote them. President Biden said “some” Republicans, not all, are proposing to do away with Social Security and Medicare. Rick Scott is not the only one.

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah said, “One thing that you probably haven’t ever heard from a politician: it will be my objective to phase out Social Security. To pull it up by the roots, and get rid of it.”

Republican Senator John Thune, the number two guy in GOP Senate leadership, said last November that Social Security and Medicare benefits should be slashed.

The Republican Study Committee, which includes a majority of House Republicans, released a formal budget including raising the eligibility ages for each program, along with withholding payments for individuals who retire early or had a certain income and privatizing funding for Social Security to lower income taxes.

In 2015, a majority of House Republicans, which included current Speaker Kevin McCarthy, voted to raise the retirement age to 70, which would cut Social Security benefits for tens of millions of seniors who paid into the system for years.

Former Vice President (sic) Mike Pence has suggested privatizing Social Security.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson doesn’t want to sunset Social Security and Medicare every five years. Nope. He wants to do it…wait for it…every year. He wants it to be an annual thing. Somehow despite this, Wisconsin reelected him last year.

Republican Lindsey Graham suggests raising the age to qualify for Social Security and Medicare.

Raising the age for qualifying for Social Security and Medicare does take benefits away from millions of Americans. The current retirement age is 66 for full benefits, but will eventually increase to 67. A lot of Republicans want to make it higher, like to 70. A lot of people won’t live to see 70 which means they’ll never collect Social Security which will make more money available for corporate welfare and tax cuts for billionaire assholes.

So, no. President Biden was NOT lying when he said there are some Republicans who want to take away Social Security and Medicare benefits from you. Republicans are lying when they say they’re not lying.

Republicans are all liars. It’s what they do. George Santos could tell you, except he’d be lying.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Bully For History

You don’t have to be a genius to know that if you give a bully your lunch money, he’s just going to bully you for your lunch money again the next day.

You don’t handle a bully by giving in to his demands. It only encourages him to continue bullying, you and others. You’re telling him that his bullying is successful.

So shame on the College Board for giving into the bullying of Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is a bully. He’s bullied Mickey Mouse. He’s a bully to educators. He’s a bully to anyone he deems is a liberal or “woke.” We’ve even seen him bully high school students, scolding them for wearing face masks and jabbing his pointy sticky finger at them. Right now, DeSantis is planning to ban state universities from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in hopes that they will “wither on the vine” without funding.

Florida rejected an AP African American course, claiming it was indoctrinating, political, and woke. The College Board says it didn’t revise the program because of this, but yeah. Just look at what was removed, lessons on Black Lives Matter and on reparations for the harms of slavery and racial discrimination, as well as suggested readings from left-leaning notables such as scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, an architect of critical race theory. 

Joshua Myers, an associate professor of Africana studies at Howard University, said, “This was pure cowardice. and it shows how far liberals will go to confront the creeping fascism in this country. And that’s not very far at all.” Myers is listed as an adviser to the AP course framework.

David Blight, a history professor at Yale University and author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on Frederick Douglass, said he withdrew an endorsement of the course plan on Wednesday after he heard about the revisions. He said “I thought, ‘No, no, wait a minute.'” Blight did not participate in the course development, but he said he wants answers. “This is all a matter of academic freedom.”

It’s funny that the people who claim they’re about freedom, such as Ron DeSantis, are quick to deprive it from people who don’t look like them. It’s like their support of free speech, yet Desantis tries to regulate it with his anti-woke law. DeSantis says “Florida is where woke goes to die,” but how do you ban a viewpoint?

The AP African American course is being tried out in about 60 high schools and will be available nationwide by 2024. But in what form? Other yee-haw states are now considering following DeSantis’ actions, states such as Arkansas which in its wisdom made Sarah Huckabee Sanders its governor, who’s seeking to be a bully in her own right.

Bullying is what Republicans do. Look at Kevin McCarthy trying to bully President Biden over the debt ceiling while he can’t come up with any specifics. He’s just bullying for the sake of bullying.

There’s another thing we know about bullies. They’re all cowards. Usually, all you gotta do is pop one in the nose and they go away. Bullies can only dish it out, but they can’t take it. When a bully challenges you to a fight, the only recourse is to kick its ass.

Creative note: I’m in Indianapolis. I wrote another version of this cartoon two weeks ago but put it aside for other ideas on the subject. But after reading about the College Board’s revisions, I thought of how to re-do the idea during my three flights and two layovers yesterday.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Aborting Bare Arms

Why do Republicans have a hang-up about women exposing their arms and shoulders? Unless it’s Marjorie Taylor Greene or sexy Green M&M, they don’t like women to go sleeveless.

During the Obama administration, they all flipped out anytime Michelle Obama exposed her toned biceps. New York Times columnist David Brooks referred to Ms. Obama’s arms as “thunder and lightning” and that showing off her arms at White House events was “ostentatious.” Rush Limbaugh called her “fat.” Seriously, Rush Limbaugh said that.

Now, as a Trump-appointed federal judge is looking at banning abortion pills nationwide next week (really), don’t look for the protection of women’s rights in yee-haw states where Republicans are instituting dress codes banning bare arms. You know, fucknut states like Missouri and Florida.

House Republicans in Missouri used their very first session to create a rule banning bare arms, requiring all women to wear blazers, cardigans, or jackets while on the house floor. They did not create any new rules for men.

And since Florida Republicans don’t like being out-gooned by other states (like when DeSantis shipped migrants from Texas to Massachusetts so he wouldn’t be out-viled by Greg Abbott), they too have created a new rule requiring women to wear sleeves in the state capitol building. To be fair, they also enacted a new dress code for men too, banning the showing of ankles.

Bare arms and shoulders, Green M&M, men’s ankles…what kind of fetishes are we dealing with here? I still don’t understand the foot fetish a lot of guys have, so I’m never going to understand any of these Republican turn-ons.

I do predict that like banning Critical Race Theory in schools despite the fact it’s not an actual thing, the word “gay,” drag queens, and “woke,” other GOP-led state legislatures will follow suit with their own rules banning bare arms and shoulders, especially if Tucker starts talking about it. Just make sure you don’t go after Green M&M. She’s special.

What all this comes down to is just another white conservative male attempt to control women. Now that’s a fetish.

Creative note: I knew I wanted to put these two subjects into one cartoon but couldn’t figure out how to do it. I spent last night and this morning trying to write but brain no worky good. I drew out three ideas before I found it. Me smarty after all.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Dragging On Black History

Did you know that February is Black History Month? In the future, no one in Florida is going to know because its fascist governor Ron Scumface DeSantis is attempting to outlaw black history from being taught in public schools, and you know private schools in that state aren’t going to teach it.

Republicans are more concerned about protecting children from things that aren’t going to get them or don’t even exist at all.

Ron McRacist DeSantis says Florida is where “woke goes to die.” What the hell is “woke”? Basically, it’s having a social conscience and trying to understand situations you’ll never be in. It’s trying to understand prejudice, racism, discrimination, and sexism. If you’re a white person and you know you have white privilege then congratulations. You’re woke. Republicans use “woke” like they used to use the word “liberal,” as a bad word. A lot of Republicans still use “liberal” to attack someone but as more of the public has come to learn the definition of that word and realized that being liberal is a good thing, more and more Republicans are now starting to use “woke” to attack liberals, despite the fact that “woke” is also a good thing. Anyway, Ron DeSatan DeSantis is trying to outlaw “woke” in his state and protect children from having a social conscience.

He’s also trying to protect children from Mickey Mouse and has waged war with Disney which you would think is a dumb thing to do in Florida, but whatever. You do you, Ron DeScumbucket DeSantis.

Republicans are trying to protect children from drag queens unless that drag queen is George Santos. Yeah, that’s weird…and the GOP thinks drag queens are the weird ones.

Ron DeStupid DeSantis also tried to protect kids from science. What he was protecting was the coronavirus. Florida is where the coronavirus goes to thrive.

Ron DeHumanTrafficker DeSantis is trying to protect Florida’s school children from immigrants…in Texas.

And now, Ron DeShithead DeSantis is trying to protect children from history, specifically, black history. Why? Because learning black history might make a little white kid feel bad.

White conservatives who don’t believe white privilege, racism, or discrimination exist and don’t understand why Colin Kaepernick was kneeling shouldn’t be the ones restricting any history lessons.

Now when it comes to protecting children from gun violence, Republicans refuse to do anything except accept checks from the National GoStickItInYourAss Rifle Association.

Ron GoFuckYourself DeSantis is doing everything he can to turn his state into a fascist shithole, believing it’s his route to the presidency. Those who know history will be those who don’t vote for Ron DeIhaveLessCharmThanAhoneyBadgerWithAflamingHemorrhoid DeSantis.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

Don’t Say “Black”

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If this cartoon looks familiar, it’s because it’s a sequel.

Ron DeSantis gave us “don’t say gay.” Now, he’s giving us “don’t say black.”

Officially titled the Parental Rights in Education law, the measure enacted last year bans Florida public school teachers from engaging in classroom instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which really triggers right-wingers when you say it. Don’t say gay, don’t say gay, don’t say gay, don’t say gay, don’t say gay. One of them should be along any second now.

Now, DeSantis’ administration is rejecting a course in African-American studies from being taught in Florida, where he says “woke goes to die.”

The course is an Advanced Placement Placement African-American Studies course which the goon administration claims “breaks the law,” though they’re NOT specifying which law it’s violating. The DeSantis administration sent a letter last month to the College Board Florida Partnership arguing that “the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.” I wonder if the letter was in all caps.

Do you know what really lacks educational value? Anything proposed by Republicans.

Florida Democratic state senator Shevrin Jones, the state’s first openly gay senator, lashed out saying, “Florida is doing its best to tilt the scales and shut down important, much-needed discussions of race, slavery, stolen lands, and undeniable history that have led to where we are as a society today. Governor DeSantis’ whitewashing of history and book bans are his latest assault on American history and our First Amendment rights. Horrifyingly, it is our vulnerable and underrepresented students who will suffer the most as a result.”

Ivory Toldson, the NAACP Director of Education Innovation and Research, said, “Ron DeSantis’ flippant dismissal of an AP African American Studies course is not only a dereliction of his duty to ensure equitable education for all Floridians, but shows clear disdain for the lives and experiences that form part of our national history.”

“Dismissing this important subject as lacking “educational value” defies centuries of evidence to the contrary. African-American history is American history, and failure to comprehend this very simple fact is un-American in and of itself.”

All signs point to the law that’s supposedly being violated is the Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act into law, which is commonly referred to as the “Stop Woke Act.” This ridiculous law, parts of which has been shut down by a court, prohibits any instruction that could make someone feel “personal responsibility” for historic wrongdoings because of their race, sex, or national origin.

It basically says you can’t teach anything that makes someone else feel bad which for me, would have been math class. What the goons are doing here is trying to ban black history or anything pertaining to it that could make a white kid feel guilty, such as the fact that white people in this country enslaved black people. The law is a free-speech ban.

DeSantis says the law against “wokeness” is to stop the racism being spread by Critical Race Theory, which isn’t being taught in any schools. Conservatives are arguing that this new Advanced Placement course is CRT, but it’s not. It’s black history which by the way, is American history.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The New York Times’s 1619 Project, tweeted, “Remember when we were told they weren’t opposing the teaching of Black history, just ‘CRT’? And how many dismissed those of us who said these laws were anti-history laws, and anti-Black? Perhaps one day folks will listen to those who know.”

She also said, “Our history has long been treated as illegitimate. It has always been contested.” In case you haven’t noticed, there are zero efforts in this nation to ban other aspects of American history, just the black parts. Hmm. It makes you wonder.

DeSantis’ spokesgoon said, “The course is a vehicle for a political agenda and leaves large, ambiguous gaps that can be filled with additional ideological material, which we will not allow.” You mean, ambiguous like saying it violates a law without specifying the law it violates?

During his inauguration speech to start the second term he hopes not to finish, DeSantis said, “Florida must always be a great place to raise a family…we will enact more family-friendly policies to make it easier to raise children and we will defend our children against those who seek to rob them of their innocence.” That sounds like some shit the White Citizens Council from the deep south 1950s would say.

Ron DeSantis is a racist. During his first campaign, he aired ads of his toddler building a racist border wall out of Legos. He signed a law making it legal to run over Black Lives Matters protesters. He’s shipped brown immigrants to sanctuary cities from Texas as a political stunt that scores points with yee-haw fuckers. Now, he’s banning black history. Teaching important parts of American history is now illegal in Florida.

Florida isn’t where “woke goes to die.” Thanks to Ron DeSantis, it’s where education goes to die.

Music note: I listened to Pete Yorn.

Facebook Suspension Update: My suspension is over and I want to thank everyone who shared my cartoons, blogs, and videos on the platform during my absence. Since I only had about ten days between 30-day suspensions, some of my readers are talking about having a pool on how long until my next suspension.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw:

FIFA Florida

When I started this cartoon, it was just a joke and creative license that the next World Cup will be held in Florida, but guess what. In 2026, the next World Cup will take place in Florida, at least part of the tournament anyway.

There have been a lot of protests against FIFA holding this year’s World Cup tournament in Qatar, a Persian Gulf nation with a horrid record on human rights, whether it comes to women, LGBTQ+, migrants, etc. Qatar is an autocratic regime that also suppresses a free press. Part of FIFA’s excuse for holding the tournament there is that all the nations in the Persian Gulf region are like this.

Some of the teams competing are displaying protests on their uniforms which has outraged conservatives here in the USA because athletes shouldn’t protest for equality. To them, athletes should only speak their minds when sharing conspiracy theories about Covid and vaccines.

FIFA announced that any athlete wearing a “one love” armband will receive a yellow card which I think is a penalty of some sort in soccer, oops, football.

In 2026, the World Cup will take place in 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. One of those cities will be Miami and in case you’re a Republican, that’s in Florida.

The governor of Florida is working overtime to make his state an autocracy, and in case you’re a Republican, that’s a government run by one person. Ron DeSantis has fired elected officials. He personally re-drew congressional districts in his state. He’s personally picking and choosing what books are allowed in public schools. He has attempted to outlaw “wokeness,” which is an attack on free speech. He’s punishing corporations that don’t agree with him. He’s banned teaching Critical Race Theory in schools which has never been taught in public schools. He’s the champion of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. He signed a law making it legal to hit Black Lives Matter protesters with your car. He’s deporting immigrants to sanctuary cities… from Texas.

Of course, DeSantis won’t be governor of Florida in 2026, unless he personally changes the state constitution which I wouldn’t put past him. The most horrifying outcome will be if he’s president in 2026.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are 19 copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw: