Pardon me, folks, but I'll be away for a few days...

...will be back soon.

"A matter of emphasis"
Suprise, surprise: Bush didn't bomb the hell out of Baghdad because he was worried about weapons of mass destruction

It's not shocking, just disgusting: now that they got what they wanted, some Bush admin officials are admitting that they didn't kill thousands of Iraqi civilians to protect the world from Saddam's supposed weapons of mass destruction after all. From the ABC report (found via Xoverboard):

To build its case for war with Iraq, the Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but some officials now privately acknowledge the White House had another reason for war — a global show of American power and democracy.

Um, wait a minute. Global show of democracy? Global show of power, yes. But invading a country against the wishes of most of the world (and much of the U.S.) on false pretext just to show how big and tough America's military is, how is that, uh, democratic? And what happened to all that self-righteous crap about how the U.S. was protecting the world from Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction?

Anyway, Paul Krugman has the lowdown on why this matters (read the whole thing, "Matters of Emphasis"):

Does it matter that we were misled into war? Some people say that it doesn't: we won, and the Iraqi people have been freed. But we ought to ask some hard questions — not just about Iraq, but about ourselves.

First, why is our compassion so selective? In 2001 the World Health Organization — the same organization we now count on to protect us from SARS — called for a program to fight infectious diseases in poor countries, arguing that it would save the lives of millions of people every year. The U.S. share of the expenses would have been about $10 billion per year — a small fraction of what we will spend on war and occupation. Yet the Bush administration contemptuously dismissed the proposal.

Or consider one of America's first major postwar acts of diplomacy: blocking a plan to send U.N. peacekeepers to Ivory Coast (a former French colony) to enforce a truce in a vicious civil war. The U.S. complains that it will cost too much. And that must be true — we wouldn't let innocent people die just to spite the French, would we?

So it seems that our deep concern for the Iraqi people doesn't extend to suffering people elsewhere. I guess it's just a matter of emphasis. A cynic might point out, however, that saving lives peacefully doesn't offer any occasion to stage a victory parade.

Meanwhile, aren't the leaders of a democratic nation supposed to tell their citizens the truth?

Yeah, that'd be nice. More:

One wonders whether most of the public will ever learn that the original case for war has turned out to be false. In fact, my guess is that most Americans believe that we have found W.M.D.'s. Each potential find gets blaring coverage on TV; how many people catch the later announcement — if it is ever announced — that it was a false alarm? It's a pattern of misinformation that recapitulates the way the war was sold in the first place. Each administration charge against Iraq received prominent coverage; the subsequent debunking did not.

Sigh...

Ashcroft claims Haitian refugees are actually Middle Eastern terrorists...

... the Bush admin's latest excuse for locking Haitian refugees up and/or letting them drown, I guess.

As you may recall, I've done quite a bit of blogging on the Bush admin's disgusting, discriminatory and inhumane treatment of Haitian refugees. The latest excuse for locking up Haitian refugees seeking asylum? They might be Middle Eastern terrorists! From the Miami Herald ("Diplomats puzzled by claim migrants use Haiti to enter U.S."):

U.S. consular officials are ''scratching our heads'' over U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's claim that Pakistanis, Palestinians and others are using Haiti as a staging point for trying to get into the United States.

Ashcroft made the claim in a ruling Wednesday that Haitians need to be detained while they seek asylum. Among other reasons, Ashcroft cited national security concerns. A State Department declaration, he said, 'asserts that it has `noticed an increase in third country nations (Pakistanis, Palestinians, etc.) using Haiti as a staging point for attempted migration to the United States. This increases the national security interest in curing use of this migration route,' '' he wrote.

A spokesman for the State Department's Consular Service said his agency is puzzled by Ashcroft's comment. ''We all are scratching our heads,'' said spokesman Stuart Patt. 'We are asking each other, `Where did they get that?' ''

Good question. More:

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, who is on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he has not heard any evidence, testimony or briefing from the CIA or FBI indicating Haiti harbors or promotes terrorist groups or activities. ''This is outright discrimination and racism by this Bush administration. There is justice in America for everybody but Haitians,'' Meek said.

I certainly wouldn't go that far. I don't think there is justice in America right now for plenty of immigrant (and non-immigrant!) groups, especially with the USA Patriot Act and the upcoming Patriot Act II (subject of my next cartoon, I think). But Haiti is the poorest country in the hemisphere, thanks in no small part to the economic and political manipulations of the U.S., and the U.S. has a history of treating Haitian refugees like dirt. Again from the Herald:

Miami Immigration attorney Ira Kurzban, who represents the Haitian government in the United States, said the ruling ``is part of a concerted plan involving the destruction of the Haitian people by creating the chaotic economic conditions in Haiti while forcing people to go back there.'

and

Current U.S. policy calls for the detention of any foreign national -- except Cubans -- who arrive by sea without proper documents. Cubans are an exception because of the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows Cubans who reach the United States to apply for residency one year and a day after their arrival.

One final point: part of what is so puzzling about the claim that immigrants from the Middle East would try to use Haiti as a route into the U.S. is... it's a pretty dangerous and generally hopeless route. As the article notes:

A source close to the Haitian government, dismissing Ashcroft's claims, noted there is a long-standing Lebanese community in Haiti. The source did say, however, that Haitian government officials have received inquiries from Pakistanis asking how they can get visas to come to Haiti.

Some may want to go on to the United States, but they aren't terrorists, the source said.

``They are just people like the Haitians, looking for increased economic opportunity and to improve their lifestyle. Why would a terrorist want to go through Haiti when chances are great they've got relatives in Dearborn, Mich., home to one of the largest Arab communities outside the Middle East?''

Sigh... In other words, even if migrants from the Middle East want to get to the U.S. through Haiti, how does that make them terrorists?

Art During Wartime Opening
A rare joy for cartoonists: watching people read your work

As much as I love cartooning, one thing that always frustrates me is the difficulty of getting feedback. Do my cartoons make sense? Do people like them? Do they even read them? Standup comedians don't have this problem--as painful as it probably is, they get instant feedback from their audiences. But my cartoons are generally read when I'm not around. This is why one of the most satisfying moments in my brief cartooning career was finding a copy of the Boston Phoenix on the subway with my cartoon carefully clipped out. And this is why I appreciate emails like the following from John B. so much:

I just came upon your archive through visiting Bay Windows. I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your poli-toon. I am a big fan of intelligent irony and sarcasm. So here I am, waltzing through the archives when all of a sudden I get to "Shallow Grave" and begin crying. How respectful and poignant. Thank you for using this medium and your talent to shed insight on this horrible incident and the attitudes that surround this type of "margin" crime.

All I can say when I get an email like that is ... wow. I guess I'm in the right profession. Anyway, the above photo is of folks reading my cartoons at the Art During Wartime art show opening Saturday night. If you're in the NYC area and you haven't been, it's open all week (see previous post for info/hours) and there's some really amazing work (those Do Not Enter signs above my cartoons are one example).

Cartoons About Senator Santorum, Among Other Things
Plus: Can men be feminists?

I think it's safe to say that I can't think of a single cartoonist I completely and totally disagree with more than Chuck Asay. Sure, there are plenty of cartoonists who are usually so right-wing they make me want to bang my head against a wall in frustration (Glenn McCoy and Bruce Tinsley come to mind), but Mr. Asay takes it to a whole other level. For example, take this ridiculous cartoon about the Santorum flap--if I'm not mistaken, he's making the same stupid slippery slope argument as Rick "if we allow gay sex we might as well allow incest" Santorum. Argh. The funny thing is, Mr. Asay seems to be a little more consistent than those who think heterosexual sex is OK but gay sex isn't--he doesn't approve of sex before marriage, either.

As for cartoons I don't disagree with about Santorum, see Amptoons and Tony Auth.

I didn't blog about Santorum before because I figured my opinion on the man was pretty obvious--he's a bigot, and he should go. But as with the Trent Lott mess, I find myself amazed by all the people (especially gay Republicans) who seem to imagine Santorum is the only homophobic bigot in the GOP. If we're really going to get rid of bigots, could we please start with Ashcroft, who is as racist as Trent Lott, as homophobic as Santorum, and just as powerful (or MORE powerful) than either? (Patriot Act II, anyone?)

In other cartoons worth reading...

Ted Rall explains why the U.S. hasn't found any of those weapons of mass destruction: they're concealed by a Romulan cloaking device, of course. And he also has this depressing cartoon about Bechtel. Scott Bateman on how cutting dividend taxes helps the little people. Lloyd Dangle wonders how much more brazen Bush and Co. can get. Stephanie McMillan on objectivity in journalism. Ward Sutton on patriotism, and Laura Bush (be warned that this one is really gory). David Rees has a new "Get Your War On" page (this one is MANDATORY, people). And Tom Tomorrow has a short history of Bechtel, Republicans and Iraq.

Can men be feminists?

My feeling is: yes. But do check out the post and discussion on the topic over Amptoons.

My first poster sale!

A big thanks to Susan over at sooz.com for being the first customer (besides my mom) at Mikhaela's Cartoon Depot.

Editorial Cartoonist Kirk Anderson Laid Off
Publisher kills his farewell cartoon; Knight Ridder cares more for fancy plants than newspaper staffers

So the pool of daily newspapers with actual local cartoonists shrinks yet again (less than 100, and counting). Despite union and staff protests, The St. Paul Pioneer Press refuses to reinstate fantastic lefty cartoonist Kirk Anderson. The following is from his goodbye memo ("People not plants!") at Poynter.org:

Getting canned sucks. But I understand that difficult business decisions must be made in difficult times, and I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make those difficult decisions. But if I was... I'd probably cut the private service that comes in to water and dust and turn the plants in the publisher's office, before I'd cut a local cartoonist. In other words, I'd cut something only the privileged few who enter the publisher's office see, before I'd cut something 190,000 readers see. Is the position of local cartoonist really valued less than office plants? I could've watered 'em, and I don't even have a PhD in horticulture.

I hope seeing my rolling bloody head bobble down the stairs doesn't frighten anyone, I hope it just makes you cheesed off about the mess it leaves behind. I hope job cuts don't make anyone feel resigned to their fate and lucky merely to have a job; they should make us all fight harder for what we've got, and fight harder to build on it. Strong journalism doesn't come from frightened workers. Strong journalism comes from empowered employees who believe in themselves, in their mission, and who know that their company supports and cares about them and their mission too.

I know a few folks are nervous about guild activism. I know it's easy for me to talk, I've already lost my job. But I think about this the same way I thought about posting this e-mail: I don't want to live in a world where someone's money keeps me from talking openly. I won't live as if my silence can be bought. My principles do not have a price. I will say what I believe. Our profession believes in the freedom of speech more than any other; our industry prides itself on protecting the right to free speech. Let us follow in that honorable tradition and speak freely, speak often, speak loudly, speak, shout, sing, laugh, knowing it's not just what our gut calls us to do, it's what our business' highest principles of protecting free speech call us to do. Do it for Tony [Ridder]!

Our business demands openness of others, smells their dirty laundry and expects quotes on it. Were we not hypocrites, we would honorably hold ourselves to the same standard. Instead, when the media ask our publisher for facts about my departure, he responds with "No comment." When the media ask Tony Ridder about a quote of mine regarding his stewardship, he responds by trying to get the article killed. I believe our company can do better. I believe our company can better reflect our public principles. I believe our company doesn't need to lower employee value to increase shareholder value. PEOPLE NOT PLANTS! PEOPLE NOT PLANTS!

To add insult to injury, the publisher not only killed Anderson's farewell cartoon, they didn't even run a note to say he was leaving.

This isn't just mean and greedy--it's stupid. From Editor and Publisher:

In a statement, Association of American Editorial Cartoonists President Bruce Plante said: "We at the AAEC are aware of the financial realities of the newspaper industry, but our industry leaders must realize that by laying off an editorial cartoonist of Kirk Anderson's stature, they are contradicting their own stated goals. Readership surveys have told us readers want more local content, more local commentary, and more visual elements. Editorial cartoonists provide all three. If our industry leaders are truly concerned about readership, laying off cartoonists like Kirk Anderson is the last thing they should do." Plante, editorial cartoonist at the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Times Free Press, added that the AAEC intends to "pursue" the Anderson situation in some way.

Sigh... Anyway, I was going to send him an email thanking him for speaking up, but I don't really know how much of a comfort I can be. And since his email address was at pioneerpress.com, I doubt he'd even receive the message.

Update! Found a different email address for Kirk Anderson. Please send him your condolences and such, he really rocks.

You are cordially invited to the grand opening of...

So I've been getting a lot of requests for prints of Wartime ABCs, but wasn't sure what to do about them as I don't really have the printing facilities or the time to produce and ship my own posters. But after visiting Tom Tomorrow's House of Shopping Fun, it all became clear to me: on-demand printing. Amazing! Of course, Cafe-Press gets 70 percent of the money from Mikhaela's Cartoon Depot, but so would Kinko's if I was printing them myself.

Now, it's a really SMALL cartoon depot at the moment (just a Wartime ABC's poster), but don't worry, you'll be able to get your Roving Reporter coffee mugs and Practical Uses for Sodomy Laws thongs any day now.

Art During Wartime Gallery Opening, this Saturday!
Featuring yours truly (among many others) and running from April 26-May, 3

Now you know why I've been so busy--I'm trying to color my anti-war cartoons in and make them frameable. If you're in the New York area, please come check it out. Here's the official message from the organizers, feel free to copy and forward widely!

Art During Wartime
April 26-May, 3 2003
Opening reception Saturday, April 26 8:00 - 10:00 PM
IT Space, 21 Mercer St, 3rd Fl (Between Canal & Broom in New York)

"Art During Wartime" is an impassioned and rapid gathering of artists, eager to reflect on and change this moment in history. It is an un-curated collective coming together with each artist taking responsibility for bringing work that speaks to the times.

This exhibit is being mounted as part of "Operation How, Now, Wow" A Festival of Dissent. http://www.operationhow.org

Between April 25-27 the Festival will be taking place in numerous citiesand places. In each location, artists and other cultural workers are organizing events, activities, actions that address, consider and contest the ongoing "war on terror," attacks on civil liberties and human rights violations at home and abroad.

The growing list of artists exhibiting includes: David Adamo * Carole Ashley * Perry Bard * Beckett Bowes * Donna Cameron * Jim Costanzo * Emilio Cruz * Sheila Levrant de Bretteville * Donelle Estey * Johan Grimonprez * Nadja Groux * Guerilla Girls * Rebecca Hackerman * Anitra Haendel * Robin Holder * Pamela Hovland * Jerry Kerns * Joyce Kozloff * Marc Lepson * Robyn Love * Tereza Mazur * Matt McGuinness * Arnold Mesches * Ann Messner * Calos Motta * Jenny Polak * Mikhaela Reid * Dread Scott * Peter Scott * Jessica Segall * Greg Sholette * Jose Urbach * Kevin Walz * Barbara Weissberger

Please come and join us at the opening reception, Saturday April 26, 8-10pm.
Hours after opening: Monday - Friday 12 -6, Sat May 3, 12-4

PLEASE FORWARD this e-mail. Spread the word.

Questions:
Dread Scott: e: dreadscott@mindspring.com, p: (718)791-5401 in evenings.
Marc Lepson: e: pauperprints@earthlink.net, p:(917)623-0772

How exciting is it that I get to be in a show with the Guerilla Girls? Big thanks to Dread Scott for thinking of me!

New Cartoon: Boston College Makes Progress, Sort of
Plus, tea with Scott Bateman

Click the above panel to see the whole cartoon, of course.

I'm sorry I haven't really been blogging, but I'm preparing some work for an antiwar art show (more details to follow) and a book (yes, a book... I'll tell you all about it soon, but I'm going to be in a real, honest-to-goodness book kind of book). But never fear, Robert's Virtual Soapbox is back, so go check it out. Ruben Bolling has more Lucky Ducky fun. And Gina Kamentsky has a new cartoon over at t-gina.com.

Also, I forgot to mention Scott Bateman has been in town lately, and he was nice enough to invite me to have tea with him during my lunch break from the Wall Street Journal, so we went to the Starbucks by Ground Zero (I work in the building next to the WTC site, sigh...) You can read all about it (and see a cute little kitten) in Scott's blog, but the main thing I have to say is that the man has the coolest sketchbook I've ever seen, and I'm totally jealous. If you ever meet him in person, you MUST ask to see the sketchbook--what he has on his website is just a tiny sample.

New Cartoon: Celebrating Victory in Iraq!

Click the above panel to see the whole cartoon, of course.

My new excuse for not blogging: cartoon deadlines. I'll have a new one up tomorrow.

Sorry for the silence, folks... ... I'm doing my taxes. Not that I make enough money to pay any, but if I did, I'd take a moment to feel really sad about the bombs they went to build when they could have gone to schools and healthcare and such. Sigh...

New Cartoon!: Letter of the Law
A Don't Ask, Don't Tell Production

My two cents on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," in this week's Bay Windows. For more on the pain faced by the loved ones of gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers deployed in the Gulf, see Scott Giordano's piece in this same issue ("Partners silenced under 'Don't ask, Don't tell': For same-sex couples, military service in a time of war brings unique hardships").

My favorite cartoonists say nice things about me, updated

First, I'd just like to note that I've probably read every one of Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For book collections like a gazillion times (well, more like 20 times each, but whatever). That might give you an idea of what Alison's praise means to me.

"Mikhaela Reid's cartoons are right *$%@ing on."
--Alison Bechdel, "Dykes to Watch Out For"

"Mikhaela Reid has what every great editorial cartoonist needs most - passion. Her work is insightful, inventive, and unambiguous. She is way too good to be so young."
--Clay Bennett, Editorial Cartoonist, The Christian Science Monitor

"Mikhaela Reid rocks!! She's where i steal most of my ideas from!!"
--Keith Knight ("the K Chronicles", "(th)ink")

"Mikhaela Reid is easily the best and brightest new editorial cartoonist since, well, me."
--Scott Bateman

Also, Tom Tomorrow gets a big thank you for mentioning me in his blog, as do all the nice people who visited me as a result. You all rock and you've totally made me feel that cartooning is worth doing on top of my day job, despite the lost sleep and the fact that I'm still spending more money on art supplies and computer equipment than I've actually earned cartooning. So I'm hugely grateful.

Finally, that HUGE new cartoon I promised...
Do you know YOUR Wartime ABCs?

Watch out, it takes a little while to load if you're on a modem... I swear, it's worth it! I worked on it for days and days and stuff.

Even more reasons to go to MOCCA!
If you haven't already, please mark your calendars for the fabulous Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Second Annual Art Festival, June 22, 2003

A while back I mentioned that MOCCA was your chance to meet and buy stuff from Howard Cruse, Megan Kelso, Keith Knight, Peter Kuper, Jason Little, Ted Rall, David Rees, and, um, Mikhaela Reid, among many many others. Well, now you can also meet and buy stuff from Scott Bateman, Car-buster Andy Singer and Lance Tooks. This is an offer you can't refuse!

Bloggedy Blog Blog

I'm still plugging away at my giant cartoon for Monday (well, giant compared to any others I've done--it's a full tabloid newspaper page), so I kindly direct you to Tom Tomorrow, Atrios, Xoverboard, Body and Soul and Amptoons for education and enlightenment.

My favorite cartoonists say nice things about me...

"Mikhaela Reid has what every great editorial cartoonist needs most - passion. Her work is insightful, inventive, and unambiguous. She is way too good to be so young."
--Clay Bennett, Editorial Cartoonist, The Christian Science Monitor

"Mikhaela Reid rocks!! She's where i steal most of my ideas from!!"
--Keith Knight ("the K Chronicles", "(th)ink")

"Mikhaela Reid is easily the best and brightest new editorial cartoonist since, well, me."
--Scott Bateman

Man, I'm blushing. These guys rock.

This is what democracy DOESN'T look like
... aka more on racism and fraud in Florida

Last week my boyfriend Yves came across the following bit of required reading in Boston's Weekly Dig, an interview with Greg Palast called "Winning the Election - the Republican Way: Racism, Theft and Fraud in Florida." Below, Yves's thank-you letter to the Dig, in case they don't print it:

Hello Dig,

I just wanted to praise you, and reporter Liam Scheff, for your interview with Greg Palast last week. It sickens me that most Americans -- liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican alike -- have no concept of what Bush and the Republican Party did to black voters in the 2000 election. Whenever I bring up to people what has to be the most egregious violation of the Civil Rights Act in decades (commited by our sitting president and his cronies, no less), I'm usually met with silence or shock. This HAS to be made known, made vocal, circulated, and brought into the light of popular discourse, because it wasn't Nader that cost Gore the election (a myth most Democrats, including columnist Dan Savage, seem to be fixated on), or silly old people in Dade County, or hanging chads, or anything else that became fodder for late-night comedians' jokes -- it was the indisputable, Jim Crow-era trampling of civil rights by the two governors Bush and their cronies, without fear of retribution.

Thank you for helping Palast in his quest to spread the truth.

-- YH

Now if only we can stop Bush from getting elected for real in 2004...

War Cartoon Roundup, part 3

Cartoons I like (and some articles, too)

On civilian casualties and liberation: see The Boondocks, Keith Knight's th(ink), Stephanie McMillan's "Slaughter for Peace" and Jeff Danziger.

On war demonstrators, for and against: see The K Chronicles (this one is MANDATORY) and Ted Rall.

On journalism, fair and balanced: see The Boondocks, David Horsey, Rob Rogers and Ted Rall (this last one is required reading).

On George W.'s unwavering faith: see Ward Sutton.

On Dubya simultaneously sending American soldiers off to die for oil and CUTTING VETERANS' BENEFITS. You heard me. See Dan Wasserman and The American Prospect. And most especially, see Michael Bronski on supporting our troops ("Being There: Supporting our troops, short of bringing them home, begins with families, lovers, and friends who take the entire measure of soldiers’ lives. It also means reversing the US’s dismal record on meeting veterans’ real needs.")

On war and greed, among other things: see Ruben Bolling's Super-Fun-Pal Comix and Jeff Danziger.

On "we, uh, never said this war would be easy" even though they did: see Tom Tomorrow and Scott Bateman.

Cartoons that annoy the hell out of me

I'm not even going to bother with all the cartoons of Peter Arnett with his foot in his mouth (literally) or in bed with Saddam Hussein (literally). Not even worth reading.

Cartoons that incorporate racist caricature and non-existent connections between Saddam and Osama: see "Me and My Shadow." For an intelligent antidote to this cartoon, see Scott Bateman.

New Cartoon! Return of the Roving Reporter...
... regarding the government's continuing policy of forcing men from the Middle East to register with the INS.

Fun Mikhaela fact: the guy with the dry sense of humor in the above detail is my boyfriend, Yves.

If you're wondering why I haven't been blogging a lot...

... it's because I've been busy cartooning a lot. I'll have a new one tonight and TWO new ones next week (one will be more than twice the usual size, too). No worries, I'll be back.