Political Memes, Comics, and other Shenanigans, Part 49

[47of74]

Back in 2017 when I was considering buying a Model 3 I thought Elon was a little out there but otherwise harmless. But seeing him now there’s no way I’d buy a Tesla now. 

[47of74]

[fraurosena]

2 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Back in 2017 when I was considering buying a Model 3 I thought Elon was a little out there but otherwise harmless. But seeing him now there’s no way I’d buy a Tesla now. 

When we were deliberating on which electric car to buy earlier this year, I told DH: No matter what, it's absolutely not going to be a Tesla, that asshole is not getting any of my money if I can help it.
For the curious: We ended up buying a BZ4X.

Spoiler

 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

Random unsolicited opinion: I think Teslas are ugly. There's something weirdly chunky and ...fat? about them that does not make me think sleek modern car. I don't usually have strong car opinions but if I was paying for some sort of avant garde hi tech thing - I guess I just expect to be more visually impressed. 

[GreyhoundFan]

 

"Egad Gadsen"

Quote

This is why we can’t have nice things.

A school in Colorado Springs (in case you’re a Republican, that’s in Colorado) reversed course and said a 12-year-old male student can continue displaying a patch on his backpack of the Gadsden flag.

The school, The Vanguard School, is a private school, and it told the boy and his parents that the patch couldn’t be displayed because of “its origins with slavery.” After footage of the child being told he had to remove the patch went viral on X/Twitter, racking up more than nine million views, and instigating right-wing fucknut yeehaw fury, the school said, “Never mind.”

Even the Democratic governor of Colorado, a blue state despite Lauren Boebert, came out in support of the Gadsden flag.

The teachers were wrong to remove the flag because while it was created by a slave-owning delegate to the Constitutional Congress, Christopher Gadsden, it wasn’t a pro-slavery flag. It was a revolutionary flag designed from a political cartoon created and published by Benjamin Franklin in his publication, the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, during the French and Indian War (which was over the French forcing powdered wigs on Native Americans who said “no”). Most colonists did not see the cartoon however because of a paywall (that’s an inside newspaper industry joke). Franklin was also a slaver despite being from Boston, but it’s not like he was a Tom Brady fan. He later opposed slavery, at first, writing against it anonymously and later, at the age of 81, opposing it publicly. Good timing there, Ben.

Gadsden created the flag “as a nod (plagiarism)” to Franklin’s cartoon in 1775. He later became a brigadier general because, let’s face it, the Constitutional Army was taking just about anybody. Betsy Ross created a flag during this time and they tried to put her in charge of the civil defense of Woonsocket. (I made that up, but I do like saying “Woonsocket”), and the flag was flown by American warships and the newly formed United States Marines before they ever went the halls of Montezuma or the shores of Tripoli.

The teachers were wrong, which is bad when you’re supposed to be teaching. But, nobody should ever stop learning. For example: today, you learned the cause of the French and Indian War. You’re welcome. The flag does have some roots in slavery, but it was not a slavery flag. Every flag created during that period has roots in slavery, including Old Glory, which I’m sure the Vanguard School is flying above its grounds. Oops! Our national anthem, the one Colin kneeled during, had to have racist lyrics deleted from it which were, “Oh say can you see, the Blacks over there…let’s put them in chains, and wear ribbons in our hair.” That’s racist.

The Gadsden flag was created to inspire people to oppose and wage war against the British, declaring, “Don’t tread on me.” The colonists felt they were being treaded on by the British by being taxed without representation. You know, like current residents of Washington, D.C.

Over the past 246 years, the flag has been adopted by various groups who felt treaded on, even white slavers in the South during the Civil War who were actually treading on Black people by enslaving them. Just like Republicans and racists today, they didn’t catch the irony.

And this is where the school’s confusion comes in. The flag has been co-opted by hate groups, In fact, it was seen flying on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol during Donald Trump’s white nationalist insurrection. It was flown by people attacking our nation and trying to overturn a free and fair election. It was displayed by members of the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters, Oathkeepers, Qanon fucks, and assorted MAGAt racist fucknuts. It was being flown by traitors. And, I’ve seen it at all four Trump arraignments.

The people who were attempting to violate the civil rights of every American citizen who voted for the winner of the 2020 election, Joe Biden, were screaming “Don’t tread on me.” Again, right-wing yeehaw goons are really bad with irony.

The Gadsden flag has been hijacked by the hate groups. Even Nazis are flying it. It’s like the word “patriot.” For a lot of people, “patriot” means Trumper, which again, IRONY!!!! Patriots do NOT attack the United States of America. Duh. Describing yourself as a patriot now kind of implies that you’re a Trumper even if you’re not. It’s like when I went to Trump arraignments in New York City, Miami, Washington, and Atlanta, the Trumpers saw my skin color and just assumed I was one of them, even though I was wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt at three of those things (I wore a Yankees shirt in NYC. If Trumper’s steal the Yankee logo, I’m gonna be so pissed). Irony and reading are not Trumper’s forte.

I am so white that when I covered the jury selection for the trial of white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith’s murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (the last one in the 90s, not the first two in the 60s), Beckwith’s wife sat down next to me, told me everything (but it was all conspiracy theories and an entirely other story), and invited me to visit them at their home in Tennessee as soon as that “witch hunt” was over. She was going to make biscuits and gravy which I still don’t get because it’s just wet flour on top of dry flour. I didn’t say anything to her that implied I was on their side or liked biscuits and gravy (bleah). She just assumed I was on their side. Not only am I very white, but my hair was also a lot lighter in 1994. I bet Beckwith owned a Gadsden flag.

So, do we allow hate groups to hijack what is otherwise an innocent snake-adorned flag? Have they already taken “Patriot?” When Virginia removed “Jefferson Davis” as the name of Route 1, my city, Fredericksburg (I can’t afford to move), replaced it with “Emancipation” but Red Stafford County chose, “Patriot.” Patriot Highway turns into Emancipation Highway after crossing the Rappahannock River.

I don’t want to let the goons have the Gadsden flag but at the same time, I am afraid of displaying one because people might mistake me for a racist. And I highly suspect that the child displaying the Gadsden flag on a patch on his backpack comes from a right-wing Trumper household. Ask him who his parents voted for.

Are all Trump voters racist? At the very least, racism is not a dealbreaker for them. Do all racists vote for Trump? Yes, at least the ones that haven’t lost their voting rights from convictions.

Previously, my biggest issue with the Gadsden flag is that it’s a yellow snake on a yellow background. That just screws with my eyes. Gadsden could have at least made the snake a darker yellow but he was probably too busy buying and selling slaves.

Creative note: I drew this cartoon last night so I could focus on my CNN cartoon today, but here I am writing a blog. Also, that snake looks good. Right? Yeah, I had to draw it about 50 times before I was happy with it. Ya know, some other cartoonists would have just copied and pasted that snake in there.

 

[ADoyle90815]

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

[47of74]

[47of74]

6 hours ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

Random unsolicited opinion: I think Teslas are ugly. There's something weirdly chunky and ...fat? about them that does not make me think sleek modern car. I don't usually have strong car opinions but if I was paying for some sort of avant garde hi tech thing - I guess I just expect to be more visually impressed. 

I don't think Teslas - with the exception of that monstrosity Qelon has for a pickup - look all that bad.  If he wasn't a complete asshole or he got publicly pushed totally out of Tesla when it was shown he was I'd probably still be willing to consider that.  But Tesla wants to be associated with a total douche.  So be it.

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

 

"Florida Disaster Area"

Quote

President Biden is visiting Florida today to survey the damage left by Hurricane Idalia. He’s probably going to skip the real disaster of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign. But now comes the awkward part for DeSantis.

DeSantis should be seen with President Biden, a man he’s been verbally attacking and whose job he’s trying to get. Now, DeSantis has to ask President Biden for federal money, which is also awkward because Republicans are supposed to be against socialism and big government interference. Fortunately for DeSantis and everyone who lives in the Sunshine State, President Joe Biden is a better person than Ron DeSantis because Ron DeSantis doesn’t have to ask for federal money to deal with the hurricane. President Biden is going to give it to him. President Biden said, “We’re going to take care of Florida.” Then, he invited Ron DeSantis to meet with him and tour the affected areas together. Guess what. DeSantis has refused the meeting.

The President of the United States will tour areas hit by Hurricane Idalia today without the governor of Florida with him. DeSantis’ office said, “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.” As Sarah Marshall said in the great movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, “Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.”

After Hurricane Ian hit Florida last year, Ron DeSantis did accompany President Biden to tour the affected areas. What changed since then? What changed is that Ron DeSantis is running for president and he feels he can’t afford to be seen with President Biden. If he is, the other Republicans will attack him. Don’t believe me? In 2016, they all piled on Chris Christie for touring disaster areas with President Obama.

You may think, “Well this is beyond politics and it’s time to come together. They can verbally shit at each other later.” But that’s not how Republicans operate. Sure, they’re really good at asking for money but not so good at dispensing it when there’s a disaster. Look at Donald Trump. When he was president (sic), he whined that he wasn’t getting enough credit for aid that was going to Puerto Rico after a hurricane hit it. Republicans are attacking President Biden for the way he’s handled the wildfires in Maui (which is nonsense), but you don’t hear the president whining that he’s not getting enough credit.

After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Donald Trump withheld aid for the territory all because his feelings were hurt. Later, he tried to trade the island (which he had just found out was an island) for Greenland. And when Denmark (who owns Greenland) said no, he attacked their prime minister and called her a “nasty woman” which is something he also called the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

You don’t see President Biden calling to trade Florida for something like French Guiana. I was going to make a joke about Florida being the one state we could probably get rid of and not miss, but then I thought of Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, West Virginia, Utah, etc, etc… Plus, Miami is OK.

And Ron DeSantis should be using state funds on hurricane relief instead of spending it to deport refugees from Texas.

And as if President Biden hasn’t been treated unfairly already, he’s going to be accompanied today by Florida Senator Rick Scott.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

[GreyhoundFan]

 

 

Continued here: