Links to the best of the original art on All This Is That

Collage: Happy New Year, Republicans!
Painting: The balance of power tilts
Painting: The President's Head Explodes During A Press Conference
Drawing: Teaching a horse the missionary position
A Company Photograph
Photograph collage: Donald Rumsfeld
Flag No. 16
Painting: W
Drawing: Lines
Sixteen Panels

Collage: Five Presidents
Painting: The Grey landing party
Painting: The nudist beauty pageant
Easel painting: A Jury of your peers
Painting: The spooks from the C.I.A.

Painting: The missing link
PaintingL The tyrannosaurus steps into history
All This Is That Poster
Painting: Cyclops
Painting: The 28 men who run the world

Painting: Self portrait
POTUS 28: President Woodrow Wilson - The President Who Short-Circuited & POTUS 28A: President Edith Wilson - An Alternate Portrait
Painting: Movie Love scene
All This Is That: Jack Drawing: Faces No. 467
All This Is That: Hobo Signs
Painting: Cyclops 2
Faces No. 407
Painting: Abduction
Another All This Is That Poster

The Grey
Priest Cartoon
Poster for The Seattle Sledgehammer Murder Movie
Chou En Lai collage and painting
New Years
Painting: General Douglas MacArthur
Heroes And Villains No. 20--> Two More Catholics--> Keelin Curran & Pope Alexander VI a/k/a Rodrigo Borgia a/k/a "The Bad Pope"
Heroes and villains no. 10 --> Ma Barker and Elizabeth Gaskell
Heroes And Villains No. 7---> Two Bald Guys--> Hideki Tojo and John Glenn
Heroes And Villains No. 6--> Jerry Garcia and Tokyo Rose (aka Ikuko Toguri)
Heroes and villains no. 4 --> Jeffrey Dahmer and Daniel Boone
Heroes & Villains No. 18--> Joni Mitchell and Maier Suchowljansky (a/k/a Meyer Lansky)
Heroes and villains no. 1 --> Adolph Shcikelgruber Hitler and Lyndon Baines Johnson
Flag No. 19

POTUS No. 9 - Wm. Henry Harrison, The drive-by President
POTUS 34: Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower - A Most Detached President
POTUS 38: Pres. Gerald R. Ford - Pardon Me, Mister President!
POTUS 16: Pres. Abraham Lincoln - The Most Beloved President?
Painting: Lines 2
POTUS 42: Pres. William Jefferson Clinton - The Comeback Kid
POTUS 35: Pres. Jack Kennedy - Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye
The peacekeeper robot
Heroes and villains No. 49: Mario Cuomo and Ann Coulter
Heroes And Villains No. 40--> Larry Rivers & Lucrezia Borgia (a/k/a The Duchess of Ferrara), Daughter of Heroes And Villains No. 20, Pope Alexander VI
Painting: The UFOs approach warp speed
Painting: Judge Alito
Heroes and villains no. 38 - Eleanor Roosevelt and Lee Harvey Oswald
Painting: Alien Landing part No. 2
Painting: Bipolar
Painting: Meet the new boss
Heroes and villains no. 35 - Doris Lessing and Typhoid Mary
Heroes and villains no. 34 - Mata Hari and Dr. William Carlos Williams
Heroes and villains no. 32 - John Lennon and Carrie Nation
Heroes and villains no. 31 - Nina Simone and Lynette Squeaky Fromme
Painting: The Wheel of progress
Heroes And Villains No. 29--> Phyllis Schlafly & Peter Jackson
Heroes And Villains No. 26--> Two People born in 1893--> Anita Loos & Joachim von Ribbentrop
Heroes And Villains No. 25--> Congresswoman (and 1972 Presidential Candidate) Shirley Chisholm & Senator Joseph ("tailgunner Joe") McCarthy
Painting: A Grey Visitor
Painting: Grey Alien No. 7
Painting: The battle for Rohan
Heroes and villains no. 23 - J. Edgar Hoover and Billie Holiday
Potus No. 33 - Harry S. Truman (The buck stops here)
Potus No. 17 - Andrew Johnson - The Worst President Ever?
Potus No. 39 - James Earl Carter
POTUS 15: President James Buchanan, The Man Who Left A Divided Country And War For Pres. Abraham Lincoln

Painting: U.S. Flag
Potus No. 8 - Martin Van Buren
Potus no. 21 - Chester Alan Arthur
Potus No. 2 - John Adams
Painting: The return of the king
Potus No. 43 - George W. Bush
Mosaic of George W. Bush
POTUS 13 - Pres. Millard Fillmore: Another Partial Term President
Potus No. 37 - Richard Nixon and the comedy of errors
Potus No. 10 - John Tyler, the first accidental president
POTUS 12: Pres. Zachary Taylor - The President Who Mostly Closely Resembled Mel Brooks
Seven Year Art Project - No. 12
Painting - The Invasion

Seven year art project no. 10
Seven year art project - no. 9
Easel painting: The flash
Easel painting: Bluehead
Easel painting: I read the news today
POTUS 32: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - The Man In The Wheelchair Who Lifted The Country On His Shoulders; The Only POTUS To Win Four Terms
Painting: grey alien from Zeta Reticuli
Painting: Adam and Eve
Painting: Gomorrah
Mosaic
Painting: Chancellor Hitler
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Tom DeLay turns tail and steps down as Majority Leader

It seems fitting, somehow, that the guy who used to make his living as an exterminator ended up as the exterminated. Tom DeLay has been taking a lot of point blank shots from people he prevously wouldn't have deemed fit to kiss his boots. Those shots have escalated into jarring body blows. In the end, the ex-Majority Leader admitted the inevitable and abandoned his battle to hold on to the House leadership. Heh heh. You can read a less partisan version of the day's events here, on MSNBC.COM.

Facing an apparent sea change in Republican politics, DeLay, the one-time poster boy for the conservative revolution, threw in the towel yesterday under intense pressure from a Republican Party bitch-slapped, ambushed, and hamstrung by an unending parade of devastating news that continues unabated in 2006--an election year for every member of the House!

"I have always acted in an ethical manner within the rules of our body and the laws of our land," the Texas bad boy told fellow Republicans in a letter. There were shouts of jubilation from the Republican side of the aisle when they read the news. Not from us: Democrats hoped he'd continue his pointless and factionalizing fight until election time.

Delay went on in his letter to say "I cannot allow our adversaries to divide and distract our attention." The royal we is in operation here. "Our adversaries" are merely the prosecutors vying to put Delay behind bars.

Until yesterday, Tom DeLay insisted he would reclaim his rightful position after clearing his name. And then Black Jack Abramoff turning state's evidence drug him even further into the mud.

Reps. Roy Blunt of Missouri, the GOP whip, and John Boehner of Ohio, a one-time member of the leadership, want the job, along with two or tree others.

Speaker of the House Hastert said he expects elections to be held when lawmakers return to the Capitol the week of Jan. 31. Congress had put off resuming until late January in hopes Delay could put his troubles behind him. Heh heh.

Democrats, poised to take control of the House in November, twisted the knife around a bit:

"The culture of corruption is so pervasive in the Republican conference that a single person stepping down is not nearly enough to clean up the Republican Congress," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader.

Democrats must gain 15 seats in November to win control of the 435-member House. A year ago that seemed like a hopeless pipe-dream. Today? It seems inevitable.
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Ir's not fascism when we do it

click to enlarge

In "Fascism Anyone?," Laurence Britt identifies 14 characteristics common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 "identifying characteristics of fascism." Click here to read or download an interesting PDF pamphlet on the 14 characteristics and their current analogues... It's just a little spooky!

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
4.) Supremacy of the Military
5.) Rampant Sexism
6.) Controlled Mass Media
7.) Obsession with National Security
8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined
9.) Corporate Power is Protected
10.) Labor Power is Suppressed
11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment
13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14). Fraudulent Elections
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D.C. Bar disagrees with rules on sex with customers, considers masturbation and other alternatives

The leadership of the Bar Association in Washington, D.C. objects to rules barring sex with clients outright, according to a news story from The Associated Press.

The bar insists their objection to a rule proposed for D.C.'s 80,000 lawyers doesn't mean they approve of lawyers engaging in sex acts with their customers. No, no, no!

Instead, of an actual rule, the bar would like a warning that sleeping with clients could create a conflict of interest.

"At the very least," one spokeswoman said "sleeping with the clients can lead to problems with billings. It's hard to perform aggressive billing on a company when you've been thrashing around naked all night with one of the principals. Or their husband or wife!"

Another spokesman insisted off the record that the bar was considering urging its attorneys to use masturbation as a first line of defense. "It may not solve the problem, " the spokesman said, "but it takes the heat off for a while." "We've also asked our attorneys to make wider use of the many commercial escort services available in the Washington-area. "
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The Republicans begin to eat their young, self-immolate, and rat out their brethren

According to Time Magazine, convicted Congressman Duke Cunningham wore a wire when talking to friends and associates. . . He agreed to wear a wire after agreeing to cooperate with a corruption probe. Click on the link for details...
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Johnny Cash: lyrics for "What Is Truth?"

When this song came out, in 1970, it was an inspiration and a shot in the arm. After Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" in 1969, that AWFUL "An Open Letter To My Son" (click here to hear that tune in a previous post) and tunes like Barry Sadler's "The Green Berets," it was a relief to hear a song like this, from the "older generation." During those dark Nixon war years, with J. Edgar Hoover running wild, where hardhats and Hells Angels beat up hippies and other peace marchers, it was good to hear one of the country stalwarts defend "the kids." Johnny was on our side.


What is truth?
by Johnny Cash, 1970

The old man turned off the radio
Said: "Where did all the old songs go?
Kids sure play funny music these days!
And they play it in the strangest ways
Everything seems so loud and wild
It was peaceful back when I was a child."
Well, man, could it be the girls and boys
Are tryin' to be heard above your noise
And the lonely voice of youth cries:
"What is truth?"

A little boy of three sittin' on the floor
Looked up and said, " Daddy, what is war?"
"Son that's when people fight and die."
The little boy of three says,"Daddy, why?"
A young man of seventeen in Sunday school
Is being taught the golden rule
By the time another years gone around
It may be his turn to lay his own life down!
Can you blame the voice of youth for asking:
"What is truth?"

A young man sittin' on the witness stand
The man with a book says, "Raise your hand!
Repeat after me, I solemnly swear"
The judge looked down at his long hair
And although the young man solemnly swore
Nobody seemed to hear anymore
And it really didn't matter if the truth was there
It was the cut of his clothes and the length of his hair!
And the lonely voice of youth cries:
"What is truth?"

A young girl dancin' to the latest beat
Has found new ways to move her feet
A young man standin' in the city square
Is tryin' to tell somebody that he cares
"Yeah, the ones that your callin' wild
Are gonna be the leaders in a little while
This old world is breakin' to a new born day
And I solemnly swear that it will be their way!
You'd help that voice of youth find:
'What is truth'!"

And the lonely voice of youth cries:
(Spoken)"What is truth?"
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An Open Letter To My Teenage Son

No wonder we were crazy in the 60s. This "song" was a big hit on AM radio. A lot of parents thought it was a smart piece of writing (as opposed to, say, smarmy, reactionary claptrap). It was just flat depressing. But then that's the way it was. I remember a lot of heated arguments with angry adults, and teachers and Sunday school teachers over the war and protesting and burning draft cards. I even witnessed an actual father-son fight over the war. I tracked the song down to http://www.fugly.com. You can listen to it on your PC, or download it... Click here to listen.


An Open Letter To My Teenage Son
by Victor Lundberg

Dear son:

You ask my reaction to long hair or beards on young people
Some great men have worn long hair and beards
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
If to you long hair or a beard is a symbol of independence
If you believe in your heart that the principles of this country
Our heritage, is worthy of this display of pride
That all men shall remain free
That free men at all times will not inflict their personal limitations
Of achievement on others,
That demands your own rights as well as the rights of others
And be willing to fight for this right, you have my blessings

You ask that I not judge you merely as a teenager
To judge you on your own personal habits, abilities and goals
This is a fair request and I promise that I will not judge any person
Only as a teenager if you will constantly remind yourself that some of my
generation judge people by their race, their belief or the color
of their skin and that this is no more right than saying all
teenagers are drunken dope addicts or glue sniffers
If you will judge every human being on his own individual potential
I will do the same.

You ask me if God is dead
This is a question each individual must answer within himself
But a warm summer day with all its brightness
All its sound, all its exhilarating breathiness just happened
God is love. Remember that God is a guide and not a storm trooper
Realize that many of the past and present generation
Because of a well intended but unjustifiable misconception
Have attempted to legislate morality
This created part of the basis
For your generation's need to rebel against our society
With this knowledge perhaps your children will never ask
Is God dead?
I sometimes think much of mankind is attempting to work Him to death

You ask my opinion of draft card burners. I would answer this way
All past wars have been dirty, unfair, immoral, bloody and second-guessed
However, history has shown most of them necessary
If you doubt that our free enterprise system
In the United States is worth protecting, if you doubt the principles
Upon which this country was founded, that we remain free to choose our religion
Our individual endeavors, our method of government
If you doubt that each free individual in this great country
should reap rewards commensurate only with his own efforts
Than it is doubtful you belong here

If you doubt that people who govern us
Should be selected by their desire
To allow us to strive for any goal we feel capable of obtaining
Than its doubtful you should participate in their selection
If you are not grateful to a country
That gave your father the opportunity to work
For his family to give you the things you have and you do not feel pride
Enough to fight for your right to continue in this
Manner than I assume the blame for your failure
To recognize the true value of our birthright

And I will remind you that your mother will love
you no matter what you do, because she is a woman
And I love you too son
But I also love our country and the principles for which we stand
And if you decide to burn your draft card
then burn your birth certificate at the same time
From that moment on, I have no son
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Disaster: Explosion Rocks The White House and Capital Hill

click image to enlarge

An explosion named Jack Abramoff rocked The White House and Capital Hill yesterday, causing extensive damage with more to come. Much much much more.
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The Abramoff virus spreads, multiplies, and mutates - is this the big one?

"The octopus of mayhem," Chris Matthews called the Abramoff scandal-crimewave-disaster tonight. Everyone complains that nothing sticks to this Administration. And with every new outrage it kind of seems like they're right. Here we go again. This one seems to be heating up with a little more intensity and butt-puckering fear among, possibly, scores of largely Republican congressmen. Huh huh huh. Delay, Hastert, and The President have even returned some money. Not all, but some.
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President Bush unloads Abramoff contributions

Like many other politicians today, The President's re-election campaign is unloading the (now) dirty money they received from Jack Abramoff.

President Bush's re-election campaign is giving up $6,000 in campaign contributions connected to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who faced more guilty pleas as part of a broad-ranging political corruption investigation. Even that dirtbag Tom DeLay hucked his Abramoff money over the fence to a charity.

I do note, however, that the Bush campaign is keeping more than $94,000 that Abramoff "raised." Only the $6,000 came directly from Jack; the rest of the money came from his organization. And they talked about Bill Clinton parsing words. . .

Click on the title of this post to read the entire sordid story...
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Tom Tomorrow nails it on the head

click cartoon to enlarge for legibility...


This is Tom Tomorrow's take on corruption. He could have written it today, or fifty years ago... could anyone nail the Abramoff and DeLay fiascos any better than this (in only two panels out of the eight)with a couple of drawings and a few words?
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The West Virginia Mine Disaster

I watched MSNBC last night, flipping off and on to other news channels. The last I'd heard about the miners in West Virginia was that there was little hope. Probes sent into the mine showed it was highly toxic with carbon monoxide. The rescuers had found one body, which gave a little more hope, perhaps, that the others had escaped. The Governor was at a church with the families of the miners. And incredibly, word came to the church that 12 of the remaining miners were rescued. A cheer went up. They sang a hymn of thanks. The church bells rang.



A couple hours later word came again. The last call was wrong. It wasn't one dead and 12 alive, it was 12 dead and one alive. And then the recriminations began over how someone could do that to the families (when it was clearly a terrible mistake).

The Governor was grilled by the press in an endless press conference, although he didn't seem to have anything to do with the false news reports. Apparently someone misunderstood communications between the rescuers and their command center, and, of course, the cell phone network was activated and the familes were told that unconfirmed story. I had flipped off the television, thinking "well, that's pretty cool. This doesn't happen very often." And when I turned it on later, the new news was that the miners has perished.

You always feel for the families, in these all too public tragedies, but this was especially painful. . .those moments of hope have to make the other moments even worse. It also reminds me of the enormous changes cell phones have had on our society, and world. You can't really analyze this; it just sucks. I never did like the Bee Gees or U2 songs about mine disasters either. . .


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