Blog

ON CORONAVIRUS
Sunday, March 22, 2020 (59 reads)

Aka covid 10

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TRUMP'S TWEETS
Friday, February 28, 2020 (158 reads)

Barr's sad complaint

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THE BRITISH ROYALS
Saturday, February 01, 2020 (237 reads)

More British royal problems

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DEADLOCK IN ISRAEL
Friday, January 17, 2020 (269 reads)

Election deadlock in Israel

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BORIS AND BREXIT
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 (389 reads)

A triumph for Boris: now comes the hard part.

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ACCORDING TO FOX
Monday, November 25, 2019 (467 reads)

More testimony on impeachment.

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THE PEOPLE, MAYBE
Saturday, November 09, 2019 (510 reads)

Democracy in trouble.

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"PERFECT"
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 (743 reads)

Impeachment -- then and now.

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ONE COUNTRY FOUR SYSTEMS
Wednesday, October 09, 2019 (714 reads)

Hong Kong v China

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Dumb
Saturday, September 21, 2019 (1048 reads)

He says he's really smart.

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WHY THE G7?
Sunday, September 01, 2019 (1255 reads)

Trump v. the G7

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MUELLER SPOKE!!!
Monday, August 12, 2019 (1377 reads)

Another Mueller disappointment.

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GOODBYE THERESA, HELLO BORIS
Monday, August 05, 2019 (1375 reads)

Will Johnson be a Winston or a May?

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RACIST TRUMP?
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 (1649 reads)

Is Donald Trump a racist?

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THE EMBASSADOR REGRETS
Monday, July 15, 2019 (1809 reads)

Farewell, British Ambassador

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DEMOCRATS DEBATING
Saturday, July 06, 2019 (1880 reads)

Too many debaters

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A BETTER TRUMP?
Thursday, June 27, 2019 (1737 reads)

Is a better Trump possible?

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A TIME FOR BILLIONAIRES
Friday, June 07, 2019 (2092 reads)

In America today it's not enough to be a millionaire.

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CLIMATE CHANGE: THAT'S FUNNY?
Saturday, May 18, 2019 (2040 reads)

Laughing all the way to extinction.

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IMPEACH OR ???
Wednesday, May 01, 2019 (2080 reads)

One way or the other.

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ARE WE FULL?
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 (2165 reads)

No, we're not nearly full

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NO COLLUSION?
Sunday, March 31, 2019 (2438 reads)

No collusion? And what about obstruction?

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THE SELLING OF HIGHER ED
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 (2544 reads)

The universities' admissions scam.

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WHO'S NOT LYING?
Friday, March 08, 2019 (2726 reads)

Who, if anyone, is not lying?

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EMERGENCY!!!!
Monday, February 18, 2019 (2770 reads)

What's The Emergency?

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BREXIT BLUES
Saturday, January 19, 2019 (3072 reads)

Almost as bad as us.

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SHUT IT DOWN!
Sunday, December 30, 2018 (2973 reads)

We're shutting down the government
Said Trump it makes me proud.

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MURDER MOST FOUL
Saturday, December 08, 2018 (2932 reads)

The Saudis join the 21st century.

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THE MID-TERMS
Friday, November 16, 2018 (3003 reads)

Definitely a blue wave.

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PITTSBURGH
Thursday, November 01, 2018 (3329 reads)

And now -- the Jews.

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IT'S OVER
Friday, October 12, 2018 (3153 reads)

Kavanaugh's appointed -- was there ever any doubt?

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WHAT A WEEK!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 (3395 reads)

An incredible week, even by Trump's standard.

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RACISM, BRITISH STYLE
Tuesday, August 21, 2018 (3586 reads)

Both British parties are caught up in charges of racism.

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FARTHER STILL BEYOND SATIRE
Friday, August 10, 2018 (3422 reads)

How do you satirize the already ludicrous?

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"INCREDIBLE"
Sunday, July 22, 2018 (3410 reads)

Putin's "incredible offer."

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TRUMP IN BRITAIN
Sunday, July 15, 2018 (3646 reads)

Trump in Britain was his usual diplomatic self.

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BEYOND SATIRE
Sunday, July 01, 2018 (3873 reads)

Satirizing Trump grows more difficult every day.

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GROUP OF SEVEN (MORE OR LESS)
Sunday, June 10, 2018 (3920 reads)

Should the group of 7 be 8? Or less?

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NEWS OF THE WORLD
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 (3675 reads)

A quick round-up of world news, mostly bad.

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TRUMP-OBAMA: THE LEGACIES
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 (4002 reads)

Trump's agenda: destroy Obama's legacy!

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TRUMP'S RULES
Thursday, May 03, 2018 (3235 reads)

Consistency for Trump is no virtue.

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JUDGING JAMES COMEY
Saturday, April 21, 2018 (3927 reads)

Comey v. Trump -- no end of satire.

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BOLTON
Monday, April 02, 2018 (3511 reads)

OH NO! NOT BOLTON!

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THERE GOES TILLERSON
Thursday, March 15, 2018 (4005 reads)

Almost everyone is feeling sorry for Rex Tillerson

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GUNS GALORE
Sunday, March 04, 2018 (3421 reads)

Is the mass murder of children a fit subject for satire?

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A THOUSAND LIES
Friday, February 09, 2018 (3818 reads)

Already they're claiming he's told a thousand lies.

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SHITHOLERY
Sunday, January 21, 2018 (3919 reads)

Suddenly the word is everywhere.

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STABLE GENIUS
Monday, January 08, 2018 (3808 reads)

It's official: Trump is a stable genius!

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TAX DEFORM
Monday, December 25, 2017 (4380 reads)

What this country needs -- tax cuts for the rich.

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ALABAMA!
Sunday, December 17, 2017 (3928 reads)

It really happened in Alabama!

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GROPINGS
Friday, November 24, 2017 (4183 reads)

Sex and politics, again.

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TWO COUPS
Sunday, November 19, 2017 (4552 reads)

Upheaval in Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.

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THE JIMMY KIMMEL FACTOR
Saturday, October 21, 2017 (4025 reads)

Obamacare and Jimmy Kimmel

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TILLERSON OR TRUMP?
Wednesday, October 04, 2017 (4137 reads)

Tillerson v Kim and Trump

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THE KIM AND DON SHOW
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 (5081 reads)

What do we do about North Korea?

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HASSLES OVER HARVEY
Monday, September 04, 2017 (4258 reads)

Angry controversies over Hurricane Harvey.

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EVEN-HANDED?
Friday, August 18, 2017 (5470 reads)

Here's the new, unbiased, fact-driven Trump.

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Weak!
Saturday, August 05, 2017 (4536 reads)

Call him anything -- but don't say he's weak!

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I LOVE IT
Wednesday, July 19, 2017 (5034 reads)

Donald Trump II said he loved it.

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SHOULD WE TONE DOWN THE SATIRE? 1-18-2011
Friday, February 04, 2011 (23497 reads)

SHOULD WE TONE DOWN THE SATIRE? 1-18-2011

The Arizona shooting has added more and more voices to the demand to restore civility to political discourse. Over and over we hear the demand to stop the vitriolic exchange of insults driven by mutual hostility.

What does this mean for political satire? By definition, satire is hostile and offensive. Even Art Buchwald, whose satire was relatively mellow and genial, said “Satire is malicious”. Holding people up to ridicule is not a friendly act. It doesn’t seem consistent with the proposal to lower the temperature of political discourse. So should satirists now blunt the edge of their wit when commenting on political issues and leaders?