Pat McCrory

Carolina Crying

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Though the NCAA and other organizations are boycotting North Carolina for their homophobic bathroom law that discriminates, at least Donald Trump still visited the state to hold a rally…where one of his supporters assaulted a 69-year-old woman. Nah, those people aren’t deplorable at all.

North Carolina governor Pat McCrory’s legacy will include losing his state million of dollars in tourism money because of his and the legislature’s bigotry of crafting a law that curbs the rights of gay and transgender people. Some would say enacting a law out of a fear of something that never happens is, well, deplorable.

Now basketball crazy North Carolina won’t have any of the NCAA’s postseason run through the state. Neither will championships in baseball, lacrosse, golf, soccer and tennis that were scheduled. With Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest, the state has hosted more NCAA tournament games than any other state. They won’t host any this year thanks to governor McCrory.

I’m sorry things are so shaky with NC this year as they have a hate law, condemnation of the nation, McCrory is still in office, no postseason basketball, referees aren’t calling fouls for each time Cam Newton takes a hit to the head, and guys, your vinegar-based barbecue sucks. Someone had to break it to you.

Hollywood, the N.B.A., and musicians led by The Boss Bruce Springsteen has punished the state for it’s discrimination and hatred. Proponents of the law say they’re being demanded to accept a gay agenda. No. You’re being demanded not to discriminate. Treating human beings like human beings is not accepting a gay agenda. It’s accepting civility. Giving people the same rights you have is not special treatment. Special treatment is not taxing churches.

McCrory is running for reelection this year and he’s in a tight race. It may not help that he has a hate law as his running mate and a hate-filled candidate in Donald Trump on the ballot with him.

My cartooning colleagues in the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists are not boycotting the state and will hold their annual convention in Durham in a week or so. Their plans were already set in motion when the hate law was enacted and since rounding up political cartoonists is like herding cats, it was too late to change the venue. Many of the more liberal cartoonists will use the opportunity to mock the state’s hate law and if they have any taste, the barbecue. The more conservative members who attend will probably grumble in a corner somewhere and draw the exact same cartoon because that’s pretty much what they do on a daily basis anyway.

Unfortunately I won’t be attending the convention, not out of any protest but because I’m really busy and I’m poor. I do wish my colleagues to have a great convention with a massive turnout.

Hopefully there won’t be any assaults with 69-year-old ladies. I’d hate for any of my colleagues to get beaten up.

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What’s In A Name?

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I got this idea a couple days ago but I held off on drawing it as I had already done a bathroom cartoon this week. I stored the idea in a folder I have for concepts I need to hold off on. Some of the ideas come to life while most wither away into obscurity. Some of the ideas get trashed as I have second thoughts on their quality or maybe for another reason. The folder is full of Trump ideas most of which I’ll never draw.

On Friday the Obama administration told public schools across the U.S. to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. Several states, such as North Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Texas are promptly freaking out.

The bullies say the measure is needed to protect women and children from sexual predators. The Justice Department and others argue the threat is practically nonexistent and the law discriminatory. This has become the Civil Rights issue of the day. Once again the conservatives are on the wrong side.

These conservatives would rather bully, intimidate, and punish kids and others over a nonexistent threat. This is a perfect example of the politics of fear. It’s easier to stoke the fears of the lower informed than to solve actual problems. It works as the more conservative voters are too distracted by the fear of men in dresses entering the little girls room than to ask politicians about funding for education and transportation.

The irony here is that the states are complaining about federal government overreach while the state of North Carolina tells local municipalities that they can’t enact tolerant laws. Conservatives are deaf to irony.

It seems the only jobs Republicans will create are for bathroom police. It’s funny they never lobbied for surveillance of churches where pedophilia has actually taken place.

Did you like this cartoon? Want to help a cartoonist make a living? Look to the right of this page and make a donation through Paypal. I need to buy pens, paper, sandwiches, and dog food. The starving cartoonist and his Beagle appreciates it. If you’ve donated in the past, THANK YOU!!!

North Carolina Educated

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I believe in this time of such turmoil over transgenders in North Carolina’s public restrooms we should all heed the words of North Carolinian Petey Pablo who sang “North Carolina! C’mon and raise up. Take your shirt off, twist it ’round yo head. Spin it like a helicopter.”

Actually, that doesn’t have anything to do with this. I’m just screwing with you.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch gave North Carolina a Monday deadline to promise not to enforce their discrimination law that targets transgenders use of public restrooms. The state asked for more time and Lynch offered a week if they would admit the law was discriminatory. The the state said no and promptly sued. The federal government is counter suing.

The Justice department claims the law violates the Civil Rights Act and that it is “state-sanctioned discrimination” against transgender people.

Pat McCrory, governor of North Carolina, said he has a different interpretation of federal law than the federal government. OK, then. See you in court. It’s going to be very expensive.

The Obama administration is threatening to pull education funding from the state which comes to $4.3 billion. The governor, who is backing a law bullying transgenders, says the feds are being bullies. Go figure.

Lynch, who like Petey, is from North Carolina said states should not be in the business of “legislating identity” and force transgender people to not be who they are. She compared this fight to others over civil rights and human dignity. So many have forgotten the battles over the Jim Crow laws that came after the Emancipation Proclamation; the widespread resistance to implement the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that found segregated schools unconstitutional; and the state laws that prevented same-sex couples from marrying in much of the country until last year. The people who fought for change were on the right side of history. The people supporting this very stupid, idiotic, law in North Carolina are on the wrong side.

When people support legislation today that promotes discrimination and hatred, they show which side of the line they would have stood during the 1960’s.

Loretty Lynch laid down the law Monday with grace, class, and dignity, something the Republican leaders in North Carolina seriously lack. Do you remember when Republicans were ecstatic over Eric Holder leaving the Department of Justice?

They should just toss this law and spin it around their heads like a helicopter.

Did you like this cartoon? Want to help a cartoonist make a living? Look to the right of this page and make a donation through Paypal. I need to buy pens, paper, sandwiches, and dog food. The starving cartoonist and his Beagle appreciates it. If you’ve donated in the past, THANK YOU!!!