July 9, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

What the hell happened to us?

Children are running away from war. Children. They are coming to us, seeking comfort and help.

And Americans are yelling insults at them and demanding that they be turned away.

It’s more of the Know Nothings who hate all immigrants (especially non-white ones). I just stare when I see the anger in their faces as they scream at the scared children. What is wrong with us that we are turning away children who need help? What does that say about our humanity?

Many (if not most) of these protesters down in Texas will go home tired after screaming at these kids and then spend their Sundays at Church, ignoring every single thing the preacher tells them Jesus said.

“If we can afford two goddamn wars, a trillion dollar tax giveaway to the 1%, and more money spent investigating Benghazi than the failure of the VA — then we sure as hell can afford to take care of a few buses of refugee children. ” – David Gerrold

Editorial cartoon: Prey

July 7, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

Obama worst President since WW2?

Conservatives are jumping with joy over a recent poll wherein people said Obama was the “worst President since WW II.”

Let’s put this into perspective:

1. Whoever is President at the time wins this. When this poll was done in 2006. George W. Bush won it. It’s kind of expected and comes with the territory; the current President is always the worst, and then the longer they are away from office, the better they get. We Americans have short memories.

2. 33% said Obama was the worst, which is certainly not a majority. George W. Bush was second, followed by Nixon. (If the question had been “Worst President since the 70s, GWB would have won readily…)

3. Many of the respondents who took the poll were not even alive when some of these guys were President. Nixon? That’s ancient history to them.

4. Obama was rated 4th best President in the exact same poll, after Reagan, Clinton and Kennedy. (Hey, remember when this poll was done in the 90s and Clinton was the worst President ever?) So Obama is not only the worst President since FDR, but he’s also better than eight others. Go figure.

5. 64% of Republicans named Obama in this poll. Democrats and independents were more varied, and their numbers were not even half of the Republican number combined for Obama. The Republican hatred of Obama skewed the poll.

6. The respondents are not a true random sampling. It has more people from the South than any other region (and not proportionate to the population), and more white respondents than are represented in America overall.

7. According to Gallup (a more reliable pollster), Obama is doing better than George W. Bush was at this same point in his Presidency. And Obama is doing way better in the polls than Congress, and better than most of the possible 2016 Republican candidates. No one likes any politician right now.

Now, does that mean Obama is sitting pretty? No, of course not. His poll numbers are not good. But worst since WWII?

Editorial cartoon: Some are more equal than others

July 6, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

The War From Christians

A judge in Louisiana recently ruled that the school district was liable for allowing one of its teachers to demand that students answer the test question “_____ is great” with “God”. The teacher then insulted other religions in class, saying “You’re stupid if you don’t believe in God” and told a Buddhist student his belief was not real and if he didn’t like it, he should “move to a place where there are more Asians.” This is a public school, mind you.

The good news is that the judge is someone who has actually read the Constitution and knows that this is clearly not allowed. The judge ordered the school district leaders (who defended this awful teacher) to go through classes teaching them how to read.

You know exactly how these people reacted, right? “This is just another attack on Christianity!” they screamed. “It’s a War on Christians!”

I dare anyone to give me an example of anyone trying to keep Christians from practicing their religion in America. Double dare you. Every single “attack” on Christians is actually a defense (as American Atheist President David Silverman points out). Those Christians who whine that there is a “war” against their beliefs are upset that they are not being allowed to force their beliefs on everyone else. They complain when people want to include others and say “Happy Holidays” instead of highlighting their own personal holiday; they complain when people don’t want their Commandments posted in public places with public money; they complain when we don’t want their religion’s creationism beliefs forced on our schoolkids — and every one is a defensive action against their war on us. We didn’t fire the first shot.

Now clearly, there are many Christians who do not whine like this, so don’t go reading this to imply differently. But those who do claim that their rights are being violated because they are not being permitted to force their views on us should perhaps move to a country where there is no difference between government and religion — Iran, for instance.

Editorial cartoon: We didn’t really mean it!

July 4, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

What does it mean to be a patriot?

Many people claim to love America while hating the vast majority of people in it. They threaten to commit violence against our government if they don’t get their way. They moan about how immigrants and minorities are ruining our country and how, when whites become the minority, we will no longer be America. And they think that these positions make them patriots.

That’s not patriotic. That’s the opposite of what America is all about. Remember “all men are created equal”?

Patriotism doesn’t mean loving your country unconditionally. It’s not “love it or leave it” it’s “love it or make it something you love.” It means working to change it when you disagree with it.

Part of the problem we have these days is that there are many people who hate government. They love America and hate government. They have poisoned the minds of many people into thinking that the government is the enemy, while forgetting that we are the government. We, the people. Those guys in Washington are just there to represent us, and if we actually get out and vote and participate, we can change them.

Often the loudest complainers are the ones who never vote, never write their representatives, and never lift a finger to make things better. But when it comes to whining about how government doesn’t represent their interests, they’re right in front.

Other complainers are like religious fundamentalists — they are convinced that their interpretation of the (insert one: Bible / Constitution) is the only one and everyone else is not only wrong but evil. These people will often use violence to enforce their narrow views in the mistaken belief that they, and only they, are (holy / patriotic). They, too, are anything but.

Politicians will sometimes point to farmlands and small rural towns as perfect examples of our “heartland” where true patriotic Americans live. I feel patriotic when I walk down the streets of Manhattan, surrounded by people of all races, religions, and backgrounds, all living together in relative peace and harmony. Interracial and gay marriages aren’t a sign of the downfall of America — it is the best example of how the American dream is being achieved. Where all are created equal and treated equally and where we can set the stage for the rest of the world to see how it is possible to live together.

That’s patriotism to me. Bringing us all together is patriotic.

Those who want to divide us are not supporting America.

Editorial cartoon: The corporate religion

July 3, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

Whose benefits?

“Oh, you’re going to Vegas on your vacation? Well, I’m your boss and gambling is against my religion. Therefore, you cannot have a vacation this year unless I agree with it.”

“What’s that? You need a sick day? Don’t be silly; I’m a Christian Scientist and I believe in prayer and therefore you have to just pray. You don’t get a sick day unless I approve it.”

“Hey, what’s that you’re using your salary for? Did I approve of you buying alcohol? You know my God doesn’t allow that. I’m docking your pay that amount.”

Many people who cheer the power of your boss to limit what you can use your health care benefits for don’t seem to realize that the benefits are yours. They are not a gift from an all-benevolent employer. Your boss has determined that your value as an employee is worth a certain amount: Your salary plus all your benefits. Perhaps you negotiated through a union or an employee contract for those benefits. Perhaps the boss decided he needed to have benefits in order to attract good employees. Perhaps even the government mandated that the benefits be paid.

The point is this: those benefits are yours as much as your salary is. For the Supreme Court to decide that your boss determines what you can use your benefits for is astounding to me. This is especially true when the decision is about your personal health, which is supposed to be something only you and your doctor should decide. (This is why the American Medical Association — no great liberal group there — has come out against the Hobby Lobby decision, along with the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.)

But then again, should we expect anything more from Republicans (including Republican-appointed judges)? After all, their policy is to make government so small that it can fit into a uterus.