CSotD: Things that require an explanation
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Jack Ohman's local cartoons are often more fun than his nationals, because he uses a multi-panel approach to eviscerate somebody on a topic his readers in Sacramento are familiar with.
In this case, the topic is that a protestor smashed a pie into the face of Sacramento Mayor and former NBA star Kevin Johnson, and I mention the NBA part because apparently being a professional athlete gives you different reaction times than does being a frequent Occupy protestor, and the fellow ended up on the ground with a mayor on his chest and a bruise on his face.
And if you try to find the original story, you'll find speculation and debate about whether it is correct to punch someone who has just punched you, if he had been holding a pie between his hand and your face, which in and of itself is enough foolishness to justify Ohman's further extenuation of What It All Means.
Which in turn brings up one of the dominant themes of the election, and brings us to our
Juxtaposition of the Day
This is the opposite of the pie-smashing incident, in which a small incident gets blown out of proportion, and is, rather, a case of a substantial matter continuing to float under the radar.
There are complex issues, or at least issues that require some experience and background, floating around the Clinton Foundation, such as (A) why you would start that sort of thing when only one of you is retired from public life and (B) how often major donors request favors and how you handle those requests.
I can't answer (A) and it troubles me, but I don't consider it disqualifying, at least now that primaries are over.
(B) is easier to deal with: You smile and say "I'll see what I can do" and maybe the result is a smile and a handshake and nothing more and sometimes it isn't that much. And, yes, it could be more but I haven't seen the evidence and the Foundation has a spotless record of taking money from here and putting it to good use there.
Meanwhile, the self-dealing of the Trump Foundation is only one element of that phognus-bolognus organization that screams for outrage and, instead, inspires crickets. (See Scott Bateman's chart here, from the Nib)
Setting up a non-profit requires jumping through some hoops, and, while they aren't major or insurmountable, they sure are there and they sure are obvious and clear, particularly on topics like where the money can come from and where it can go and who can be in charge of deciding that.
We have a couple of things going on here:
1. This falls under the umbrella of things we'd know more about if Trump would release his tax returns. And, if it seemed to be on the square, that wouldn't matter, but, since it appears there is at least abuse, if not deliberate fraud, involved, it increases the importance of letting us look inside.
2. The rules for charitable giving are not impenetrable, and anyone setting up a foundation quickly knows the basics. If you are using a foundation for fraudulent purposes, it may be possible to make a few missteps, but you can't innocently spend money as the Washington Post's investigations suggest this foundation has.
3. That means either Trump is in on the fraud himself or his ability to police his own business organization is so low as to be non-existent.
This puts him in a Presidential category along with Warren G. Harding, who died before we really found out how much he knew about Teapot Dome but who is generally considered to have not been an innocent bystander, if only because you can't be both President of the United States and an innocent bystander.
So the question is, are we going to drag these questions out into the light? Because they aren't going to dance out there on their own.
Check back after Monday's debate. I wouldn't expect this particular thing to come up then, but I think we'll have a better idea of whether we're going to hash it all out based on the facts, or just on the commonly accepted memes.
I can't explain this either
Francis is a decidedly Catholic comic strip, and bringing in the Muslim woman, Gabriella, is a good move, because both the Pope and Brother Leo have to explain things to her that then remain delightfully unexplained, like this.
The scene of the chaplain blessing the Jeep in MASH dances over the duality of "What you must believe" and "What you may use to enhance your belief," because you can bless anything, but, while I think having an actual prayer for Jeeps is probably fiction, you'd be surprised at the specific prayers you can dig up in the back of a really thick missal.
The "communion of saints," the idea that the dead and living are united in a community, goes back nearly to the beginning of Christianity, but it diverges from there.
Saints are, fundamentally, a list of people we are sure made it to the next level, and coming up with specific names should provide models for behavior, though it can also provide a few semi-dubious St. Louis's here and there, as well as some Valentines and Christophers that you really must sweep under the carpet later.
But before I offend half my family, let me provide the simple answer: Holy cards are like baseball cards, only your mother isn't going to throw them away and will be deeply upset if you do.
You get them at funerals and on some other occasions, and you're supposed to stick them in the back of your missal and keep them forever.
If you touch the American flag to the ground, or it just gets worn and tattered in respectful use, there is a special ceremony where you can burn it.
I have no idea how you dispose of a holy card. I think you just put it in a drawer for your survivors to deal with.
Finally …
Seeing Mike Cope's photos of the Kenosha Festival of Cartooning really made me wish I'd been there, but one thing, on a personal note, that I observed was that Wiley Miller looks great. I knew he went vegan some time ago and had dropped a bunch of weight, but I haven't seen him since then. So I wondered if he were still on the diet and today's Non Sequitur seems to confirm that.
Go see what you — and I — missed.
Here's a quick cheat sheet, which doesn't help much with Wiley, but he'll be the slim guy in the other pics.
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