The Extreme Court of the United States
So many choices this week!
I wanted to post this diary on Sunday, but have been a bit under the weather the past couple of days. As a bonus, many more cartoons were posted online after the SCOTUS decision yesterday morning on presidential immunity. So, you also get Part 2 of this diary, which I’ll try to post at some point tomorrow.
I’ll try to post additional editorial cartoons either as manual updates or in the comments section of the diary.
Thanks for your support.
If you missed my recent diaries, here are the links.
Protecting the King
Playing With Fire
This Guy Needs To Be Impeached
An Avalanche of Lies
Michael de Adder’s Homage to a Famous McCarthy-Era Cartoon by Herblock, Washington Post
Herbert Block, or Herblock, was the longtime and brilliant editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post. A supporter of FDR and the New Deal, Herblock won three Pulitzer prizes.
You can see many more of his classic cartoons with commentary about McCarthyism, the Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon, the Vietnam War, and other issues in this LOC Exhibit — Herblock's History: From the Crash to the Millenium.
“Fire!”
In this climate of fear and suspicion, the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which Herb Block had opposed since its inception in the 1930s, became active. And in 1950, a young senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, seeking political gain, began a well-publicized campaign using smear tactics, bullying and innuendo to identify and purge communists and "fellow travelers" in government.
Herb Block recognized the danger to civil liberties posed by such activities and warned of them in his work. He coined the phrase "McCarthyism" in his cartoon for March 29, 1950, naming the era just weeks after Senator McCarthy's spectacular pronouncement that he had in his hand a list of communists in the State Department.
His accusations became headline news, vaulting him into the national political spotlight. For four years McCarthy attacked communism, while in his cartoons Herb Block relentlessly attacked his heavy-handed tactics. In June 1954, McCarthy was censured and in December condemned by the Senate.
— Herblock’s History, “Fire” — Library of Congress Exhibit.
Manual Updates Posted Here
Help is On the Way
Help Just Arrived
Damn SCOTUS!!!
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
SCOTUS Corruption
Outrageous doesn’t even begin to characterize the latest United States Supreme Court ruling just yesterday. Are the justices beholden to Trump, or should they act as impartial arbiters of the law? The answer couldn’t be more apparent after this horrendous ruling.
It’s been almost 250 years since we ditched a king from Great Britain to start this journey called “America.” Do we need another one? Most people would say no way!
We Know It All Too Well
New York Times: “As Justice Sotomayor’s appalled dissent makes clear, this ruling is a dramatic expansion of presidential power — not just for Trump but for all presidents.”
Citing the notorious World War II ruling that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans: “Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding. This new official-acts immunity now ‘lies about like a loaded weapon’ for any president that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the nation.”
Where Do They Find This Mediocre Lot?
With An Assist from SCOTUS
It’s His Divine Right, Says SCOTUS
Attribution: Editorial & Political Cartoons, @DaveWhamond
You Need to Resign, Sam
The King’s First Act
Returning to the Scene of the Crime
The Dangers Ahead
SCOTUS/MAGA Logic
Whatever Happened to Just Calling “Balls and Strikes?”
Rats
A Face Only Trump Could Like
Yes
Before The Debate from Hell
Are They Prepping for the Same Debate?
Be Prepared
Uh Oh
Debate Break
Diary Poll
What did you expect from a grifter?
Ps: Post-debate editorial cartoons are in Part 2 of this diary.