Blog

To Your Health!
Monday, May 25, 2020 (40 reads)

Great health care!

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DR. TRUMP
Monday, May 04, 2020 (126 reads)

Pharmacist-in-chief

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MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 (164 reads)

Coronavirus here and elsewhere.

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ON CORONAVIRUS
Sunday, March 22, 2020 (265 reads)

Aka covid 10

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TRUMP'S TWEETS
Friday, February 28, 2020 (357 reads)

Barr's sad complaint

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THE BRITISH ROYALS
Saturday, February 01, 2020 (486 reads)

More British royal problems

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DEADLOCK IN ISRAEL
Friday, January 17, 2020 (517 reads)

Election deadlock in Israel

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BORIS AND BREXIT
Wednesday, December 25, 2019 (586 reads)

A triumph for Boris: now comes the hard part.

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ACCORDING TO FOX
Monday, November 25, 2019 (767 reads)

More testimony on impeachment.

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THE PEOPLE, MAYBE
Saturday, November 09, 2019 (775 reads)

Democracy in trouble.

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"PERFECT"
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 (1117 reads)

Impeachment -- then and now.

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ONE COUNTRY FOUR SYSTEMS
Wednesday, October 09, 2019 (1031 reads)

Hong Kong v China

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Dumb
Saturday, September 21, 2019 (1461 reads)

He says he's really smart.

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WHY THE G7?
Sunday, September 01, 2019 (1642 reads)

Trump v. the G7

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MUELLER SPOKE!!!
Monday, August 12, 2019 (1762 reads)

Another Mueller disappointment.

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GOODBYE THERESA, HELLO BORIS
Monday, August 05, 2019 (1704 reads)

Will Johnson be a Winston or a May?

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RACIST TRUMP?
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 (1971 reads)

Is Donald Trump a racist?

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THE EMBASSADOR REGRETS
Monday, July 15, 2019 (2131 reads)

Farewell, British Ambassador

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DEMOCRATS DEBATING
Saturday, July 06, 2019 (2336 reads)

Too many debaters

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A BETTER TRUMP?
Thursday, June 27, 2019 (2127 reads)

Is a better Trump possible?

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A TIME FOR BILLIONAIRES
Friday, June 07, 2019 (2618 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 (2486 reads)

Laughing all the way to extinction.

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IMPEACH OR ???
Wednesday, May 01, 2019 (2555 reads)

One way or the other.

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ARE WE FULL?
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 (2655 reads)

No, we're not nearly full

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NO COLLUSION?
Sunday, March 31, 2019 (2989 reads)

No collusion? And what about obstruction?

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THE SELLING OF HIGHER ED
Wednesday, March 20, 2019 (3107 reads)

The universities' admissions scam.

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WHO'S NOT LYING?
Friday, March 08, 2019 (3290 reads)

Who, if anyone, is not lying?

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EMERGENCY!!!!
Monday, February 18, 2019 (3311 reads)

What's The Emergency?

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BREXIT BLUES
Saturday, January 19, 2019 (3579 reads)

Almost as bad as us.

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SHUT IT DOWN!
Sunday, December 30, 2018 (3543 reads)

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

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MURDER MOST FOUL
Saturday, December 08, 2018 (3446 reads)

The Saudis join the 21st century.

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THE MID-TERMS
Friday, November 16, 2018 (3526 reads)

Definitely a blue wave.

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PITTSBURGH
Thursday, November 01, 2018 (3874 reads)

And now -- the Jews.

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IT'S OVER
Friday, October 12, 2018 (3725 reads)

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

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WHAT A WEEK!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018 (3992 reads)

An incredible week, even by Trump's standard.

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RACISM, BRITISH STYLE
Tuesday, August 21, 2018 (4134 reads)

Both British parties are caught up in charges of racism.

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FARTHER STILL BEYOND SATIRE
Friday, August 10, 2018 (3971 reads)

How do you satirize the already ludicrous?

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"INCREDIBLE"
Sunday, July 22, 2018 (3945 reads)

Putin's "incredible offer."

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TRUMP IN BRITAIN
Sunday, July 15, 2018 (4137 reads)

Trump in Britain was his usual diplomatic self.

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BEYOND SATIRE
Sunday, July 01, 2018 (4499 reads)

Satirizing Trump grows more difficult every day.

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GROUP OF SEVEN (MORE OR LESS)
Sunday, June 10, 2018 (4484 reads)

Should the group of 7 be 8? Or less?

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NEWS OF THE WORLD
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 (4177 reads)

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

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TRUMP-OBAMA: THE LEGACIES
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 (4493 reads)

Trump's agenda: destroy Obama's legacy!

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TRUMP'S RULES
Thursday, May 03, 2018 (3542 reads)

Consistency for Trump is no virtue.

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JUDGING JAMES COMEY
Saturday, April 21, 2018 (4516 reads)

Comey v. Trump -- no end of satire.

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BOLTON
Monday, April 02, 2018 (3806 reads)

OH NO! NOT BOLTON!

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THERE GOES TILLERSON
Thursday, March 15, 2018 (4442 reads)

Almost everyone is feeling sorry for Rex Tillerson

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GUNS GALORE
Sunday, March 04, 2018 (3717 reads)

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

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A THOUSAND LIES
Friday, February 09, 2018 (4149 reads)

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

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SHITHOLERY
Sunday, January 21, 2018 (4330 reads)

Suddenly the word is everywhere.

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STABLE GENIUS
Monday, January 08, 2018 (4102 reads)

It's official: Trump is a stable genius!

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TAX DEFORM
Monday, December 25, 2017 (4732 reads)

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

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ALABAMA!
Sunday, December 17, 2017 (4267 reads)

It really happened in Alabama!

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GROPINGS
Friday, November 24, 2017 (4603 reads)

Sex and politics, again.

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TWO COUPS
Sunday, November 19, 2017 (5151 reads)

Upheaval in Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe.

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THE JIMMY KIMMEL FACTOR
Saturday, October 21, 2017 (4347 reads)

Obamacare and Jimmy Kimmel

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TILLERSON OR TRUMP?
Wednesday, October 04, 2017 (4472 reads)

Tillerson v Kim and Trump

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THE KIM AND DON SHOW
Tuesday, September 19, 2017 (5759 reads)

What do we do about North Korea?

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SHOULD WE TONE DOWN THE SATIRE? 1-18-2011
Friday, February 04, 2011 (24006 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?