I think this is an appropriate comic for the times.

Someday we may look back and thank a bunch of high school kids for dramatically lowering the number of gun deaths in this country.

And that both makes me sad for our generation, and hopeful for what the country will look like when we are no longer in power.

Here is Donald Trump demonstrating all of that courage to protect others that he was bragging about.

Donald Trump boards Air Force One in the rain holding a large umbrella — wife and son trail behind pic.twitter.com/esWTEr7lvR

— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) February 27, 2018

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One tugging an umbrella close to protect himself from the intense wind and rain. 

Barron Trump, the president’s 11-year-old son, is seen just feet behind him, unprotected by an umbrella or a raincoat. Trump, seeing his son, continues to keep the umbrella for himself. 

Then, Melania Trump arrives on the scene a little behind Barron, and she, too, has nothing to shield her from the elements. The president stops for a wave to the crowd as the First Lady ducks swiftly onto the plane. 

What began as a moving picture of Man vs. Nature turns, in mere seconds, into a scene of a man who would seemingly rather ensure that his hair is kept firmly in place than guard his family from inclement weather.

Observe my friends that man who claimed that he would rush unarmed into a hail of gunfire to protect children, yet leaves his own loved ones exposed to the elements as he protects only himself.

And his hair of course.

By the way for those who have forgotten what it was like to have a real caring leader in the White House. It was like this:

Sums things up pic.twitter.com/rJMLzdQ2Ml

— Oliver Willis (@owillis) February 27, 2018

Cadet Bone Spurs claims that he would have rushed in to save those Florida school shooting victims even if he didn't have a gun.

Pres. Trump talking about police response to Florida school shooting: "I really believe I'd run in there even if I didn't have a weapon." https://t.co/n7TqA3VDnW pic.twitter.com/U0VYekRGeF

— ABC News (@ABC) February 26, 2018

Courtesy of Raw Story:

President Donald Trump, who infamously avoiding serving in the Vietnam War by citing “bone spurs” in his medical examination, said on Monday that he would have personally intervened to stop Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. 

“I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” Trump said during a meeting with the nation’s governors, according to Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller.

Trump’s remark came as part of a broader criticism leveled at Florida deputies who did not act to stop Cruz while he was murdering 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He said Monday that the deputies “weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners.”

He actually said this out loud.

This is the guy who lied about having bone spurs to get out of serving in Vietnam and who is frightened by the living symbol of America.

What an asshole.

We know this candy ass would have been lying in the fetal postion in a pool of his own urine if he had heard a single shot fired.

Ellen DeGeneres explains to Megyn Kelly, and her audience, why she would NEVER have Donald Trump on her show.

Courtesy of Truth Examiner:

Ellen DeGeneres spoke with Megyn Kelly today about her new morning talk show on NBC. During the interview, DeGeneres asked Kelly if she would have Donald Trump on her show. “Definitely,” Kelly said. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no to the sitting president of the United States. Absolutely not. Would you?” Without missing a beat, DeGeneres swiftly said, “Yeah.” 

As the audience began cheering, Kelly seemed genuinely surprised by DeGeneres’s response. An awkward silence ensued until DeGeneres explained, “He is who he is. He has enough attention. He has his Twitter account and he has ways to get his message across. There’s nothing I’m going to say to him that’s gonna change him.”

I think that Kelly's response proves that once a Fox News bimbo, always a Fox News bimbo.

She spent years spewing Right Wing talking points and outright lying to her audience, while flashing her legs in short skirts to attract the mostly male demographic and cloud their primitive little lizard minds.

On the other hand Ellen DeGeneres is a host who actually grew an audience based on her intelligence, compassion, and talent.

Her explanation is a good reason for ALL talk shows, and cable news programs, to keep Donald Trump at arm's length.

By the way I would not watch Megyn Kelly's new show with a gun to my head. 

Former President Obama to receive the Profile in Courage award. Just a reminder that we used to have a president worthy of accolades.

President Obama and Caroline Kennedy.

Courtesy of The Boston Globe:  

Former president Barack Obama will be the 2017 recipient of the Profile in Courage Award, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced Thursday. 

Caroline Kennedy, former ambassador to Japan, and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present the award to Obama at a ceremony at the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester on May 7. 

“President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country,” Kennedy said in a prepared statement. “With exceptional dignity and courage, President Obama has carried that torch into our own time, providing young people of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate in their own lives.”

I decided to post this because I just thought that this was a nice break from all of the terrible news we have been forced to cover lately. 

And also to remind us that we used to have a President with class, courage, and the highest of ethical standards.

President Obama represented the best that this country had to offer, and hopefully someday soon we will choose yet another leader with his admirable qualities.

President Obama won yet another award because, you know, he was the best President ever.

Courtesy of the AP:

Former President Barack Obama was named the 2017 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Thursday for carrying on his fellow Democrat's legacy. 

"President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country," Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, said in a statement. "With exceptional dignity and courage, President Obama has carried that torch into our own time, providing young people of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate in their own lives." 

Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present Obama with the award May 7 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Humbled to be recognized by a family with a legacy of service. Who's your #ProfileInCourage? Tell me about them: https://t.co/euYRxWcost https://t.co/HBgFiRcq9J

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 2, 2017

The award is presented annually by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. It is named for Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Profiles in Courage." The book tells the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers by taking principled stands for unpopular positions. 

"Faced with unrelenting political opposition, President Obama has embodied the definition of courage that my grandfather cites in the opening lines of 'Profiles in Courage': grace under pressure," Schlossberg said. "Throughout his two terms in office, he represented all Americans with decency, integrity, and an unshakeable commitment to the greater good."

Yes, yes he did.

I hear that Donald Trump is also up for an award from Russia.

I think it's something like "Most Easily Manipulated Russian Puppet" or something like that.

Just a video I found of Hillary Clinton being a bad ass while her Secret Service detail tackles a protester.

I had never seen this before, and I found it on this Newsweek story about the Secret Service response to Trump being found unfit to hold office.

So I watched it several times and I was just really struck with how cool and calm Hillary was while this guy is getting taken down by her security staff during a campaign rally.

And that then reminded me of this clip from back in August.

Secret Service agents walk on stage during Hillary Clinton rally https://t.co/Btp1na4Pxt

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) August 4, 2016

Once again she is essentially unflappable.

Now compare both of those to this:

Quite a difference isn't it?

It takes a certain kind of person to be the leader of the free world. And clearly it is a person very unlike Donald Trump.

The great George Takei takes on the anti-gay Tennessee Republicans as only he can.

"Takei pride" I love it!

George Takei really is a national treasure.

So this what it looks like when Hell freezes over.

Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch:

The Alaska Senate late Monday passed legislation converting the Permanent Fund into an endowment and setting dividends at $1,000, a move designed to help reduce the state's $4 billion budget gap. 

The 14-5 vote, which supporters described as a necessary step to head off a financial collapse, came quickly after months of discussion and debate about Senate Bill 128. The vote came about 8:30 p.m. on the same day the bill emerged from the Senate Finance Committee. 

The legislation still must pass a more skeptical House before it could head to Gov. Bill Walker for his signature. And a House vote is unlikely to come before next week, with lawmakers taking a five-day break from Juneau starting Wednesday, with most of the city's hotel rooms booked for a festival of Alaska Native culture.

I think the word to describe me right now is flabbergasted.

I don't think there is any way that I can adequately explain to those in the Lower 48, how jealousy Alaskans guard the PFD.

We refer to it as the third rail of Alaska politics, and those who suggested capping it or taking money from it to fund the government did so while packing their bags fully aware that their polticla career had just come to an end.

So for this legislation to have made it this far is a testament to the courage of Governor Bill Walker and our state senators.

Personally I hope that the House demonstrates the same courage, because this needs to happen. And in fact it really needed to happen over twenty years ago.

New study says that Atheists terrify believers because "they threaten the comforting narratives that make the thought of death bearable."

Courtesy of Pacific Standard:  

Even as an increasing number of Americans declare their disbelief in God, the nation as a whole continues to hold a dim view of atheists, in large part due to non-believers' perceived lack of morality. However dubious its premise, the assertion "There is no good without God" reflects a widely held mindset. 

But it turns out that's not the whole story. Newly published research finds another dynamic driving antagonism toward atheists: They threaten the comforting narratives that gives meaning to so many people's lives, and make the thought of death bearable. 

Humans instinctively search for ways of "mitigating the potential terror arising from the uniquely human awareness of death," writes a research team led by psychologist Corey Cook of the University of Washington-Tacoma. Atheists "pose a fundamental threat" to the belief systems that perform this vital function. 

Writing in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, the researchers report "hostility toward, and mistrust of, atheists is particularly pronounced when existential concerns are involved." Even more tellingly, they also find that "among believers, the mere contemplation of atheism can arouse intimations of mortality."

In other words the very idea that there are those who are living their lives fully aware of their own mortality, and requiring no comforting stories of an afterlife in order to function, anger and frighten those who require those comforts in order to get through each day.

I have actually seen this myself.

I have, at various times in my life, introduced myself to religious people as either an agnostic, an Atheist, or a Taoist.

If I say I am a Taoist they are usually put at ease and express interest in learning more about my "faith."

If I claim the label of "agnostic" they become parental and imagine that I have merely lost my way and suggest that if I read the "good book," or attend services, I will return to faith.

However if I mention that I am an Atheist, even in a non-threatening offhand manner, they immediately demonstrate suspicion and will often finish the conversation quickly and walk away, or aggressively challenge my "ignorance."

To be honest that last one has not happened in more than a decade. I am an excellent debater and can leave my opponents bloodied and mentally exhausted.

That of course is why I feel it so important to always identify myself as an Atheist.

Not only is it completely disconcerting to the faithful, but to do anything else would demonstrate a lack of courage on my part.

In my opinion the Atheist is the most courageous human on the planet.  A man or woman who walks through life fully aware that the sands of time are running out on their existence, yet rising each morning to greet day, not with despair for how little time remains, but with hope in their hearts for all they might accomplish before the end, is someone to be admired.

How can one argue that the Atheist soldier is not far more courageous than his Christian counterpart who believes that God watches over him, and that his death will merely usher in the beginning of a better existence?

Or that the non-believing firefighter who runs into the burning building, and knows if he is trapped will never see his loved ones again, is far braver than the man who believes his family will some day join him in heaven?

For every heroic person who has impressed us through the years, imagine how much more heroic they must have been to take such risks knowing that they were risking, and possibly losing, the only life they will ever know.

That is why I proudly stand up and claim the mantle of Atheist.

And if by doing so it makes the faithful fear for their mortality, that is no fault of mine, but rather a flaw in their own character.

This week's cover for Charlie Hebdo. Clearly not cowering in fear.

Courtesy of HuffPo:

Charlie Hebdo revealed their cover image for this week's issue, printed just days after two gunmen opened fire on the newspaper's Paris office, killing 12 people. Four of the Charlie's cartoonists were killed in the attack. 

The cover shows the Prophet Muhammad holding a "Je Suis Charlie" sign with the caption, "All is forgiven."

There will be over a million copies printed whereas usually the paper only prints 60,000.

You know because terrorism works so well.

President Obama. Sometimes it is just the small things that signify his courage.

Courtesy of Slate:  

Barack Obama displayed inspiring leadership on Friday. He also promoted public health, fought bigotry, and helped calm raging paranoia. His heroic act? He hugged somebody. 

Nina Pham, the first person to be infected with Ebola within the United States, had just been declared disease-free and discharged from the National Institutes of Health. Obama is a rational, science-friendly guy, so he knew she wasn’t any danger to him. It didn’t take courage to hug her. 

And yet, another modern president failed a similar test. Facing the greatest public health crisis of his administration, Ronald Reagan was not heroic. He was a dithering coward. 

The hateful, homophobic, racist response to the AIDS crisis is one of the most shameful episodes in recent American history. Within a few years after the first AIDS cases were reported in 1981, scientists knew the disease was transmitted primarily by sex, blood transfusions, and shared needles.

The article goes on to revisit the fear mongering and hatred displayed by the conservatives, while others worked diligently to provide accurate information to help put American minds at ease.

Sadly when the country needed a strong leader there were none to be found.  

But Ronald Reagan? He didn’t do a goddamn thing. He was president when the first cases were reported. He was president when Congress, the National Academies of Science, and anybody with a sick loved one or a conscience called for the federal government to do more to fight the medical and social crisis. 

Reagan could have spoken out against panic and called for compassion; the man knew how to give a powerful speech. He could have hugged an AIDS patient, or at least shaken hands. He knew (or should have known) that wouldn’t have been dangerous—just as well as Obama knew hugging a recovered Ebola patient wasn’t dangerous. It would have made a difference.

I love pointing out all of the ways that Barack Obama is a better President than Ronald Reagan. Partly because it drives conservatives crazy, but mostly simply because it's true.

Thankfully we have a leader like Barack Obama in these troubled times and not a "B" actor playing the role of a leader like we did back in the 80's.

Malala Yousafzai becomes youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Courtesy of the Daily Beast: 

Malala Yousafzai has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous, and near fatal, campaign to secure girls’ education. At 17, she is the youngest recipient in the century that the prize has been given. 

The Pakistani campaigner, who survived an assassination attempt at the age of 15, will share the award with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian activist who has dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of children. 

As the announcement was made Malala was in class at her school in England. She sought refuge in the U.K. after surviving a shot to the head from a Taliban gunman. She has made history today but she will remain in school until classes are out this afternoon, Eason Jordan of The Malala Fund tells The Daily Beast. 

It was Malala’s determination to get to class, despite the wish of extremists in the Swat Valley in Northwest Pakistan, that lead her to become one of the world’s most prominent education campaigners. Her refusal to cover her face and a willingness to speak out in defense of girls’ rights made her a target for the Taliban. Two years ago, a gunman boarded her school bus and fired three shots at her from close range. 

Somehow she survived, and after treatment in Britain, she has continued to campaign – now with a worldwide audience. Last year she spoke at the United Nations in New York, and continued to promote her positive message. “A Talib chose guns to solve [a] problem, we chose our voices,” she said.

Finally a positive story about a young woman making a difference in the world and being recognized for her contribution.

I think we all needed this. 

American comic book icon Archie Andrews sacrifices his life to protect his gay friend. Update!

Courtesy of ABC News:  

Archie Andrews will die taking a bullet for his gay best friend. 

The famous freckle-faced comic book icon is meeting his demise in Wednesday's installment of "Life with Archie" when he intervenes in an assassination attempt on Kevin Keller, Archie Comics' first openly gay character. Andrews' death, which was first announced in April, will mark the conclusion of the series that focuses on grown-up renditions of Andrews and his Riverdale pals. 

"The way in which Archie dies is everything that you would expect of Archie," said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO. "He dies heroically. He dies selflessly. He dies in the manner that epitomizes not only the best of Riverdale but the best of all of us. It's what Archie has come to represent over the past almost 75 years." 

"We wanted to do something that was impactful that would really resonate with the world and bring home just how important Archie is to everyone," said Goldwater. "That's how we came up with the storyline of saving Kevin. He could have saved Betty. He could have saved Veronica. We get that, but metaphorically, by saving Kevin, a new Riverdale is born."

This may seem trivial to some, and of no importance in the real world, but I beg to differ.

Archie comics have been around for several generations.

My mother loved Archie comic books.

I loved Archie comic books.

And my daughter loved Archie comic books.

To have such an iconic figure die is huge. And to have him die literally defending a member of a group who are constantly under attack by a certain segment of the population is incredibly powerful.

There have recently been a slew of comic book characters who have come out as gay, however that will undoubtedly pale in comparison to such an established character literally sacrificing his life to stand up to homophobia and intolerance.

Update: You know I was so focused on the LGBT part of this "death" that I totally forgot that it happens due to gun violence as well. 

Damn is this going to have conservative heads asploding all over the place.

After a day spent celebrating who we are, and all that we have achieved, perhaps this video will help to humble us again and put everything into perspective.

Though it may be comforting to believe that our mythologies explain everything that we need to know, only a child clings to that misconception for the feeling of safety that it provides.

The rational adult must stand naked in their ignorance before the mysteries that lay ahead, resolved to the fact that though what they learn may frighten and intimidate them, the knowledge will benefit the future of our species and help to ensure its survival.

Wayne LaPierre was wrong. What it takes to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with some pepper spray.

Jon Meis, hero of Seattle Pacific University.

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

On Thursday afternoon at half-past-three, a man walked into Otto Miller Hall at Seattle Pacific University, carrying a shotgun and a handgun. He opened fire, killing one person and injuring three more. 

When the shooter stopped to reload, according to police reports, an engineering student named Jon Meis sprayed him with pepper spray, incapacitating him, before grabbing him in a chokehold. Passers-by helped Meis hold the gunman until police arrived on the scene. 

"There are a number of heroes in this," assistant police chief Paul McDonagh said, according to the Associated Press. "The people around [the gunman] stepped up."

Now I am in no way attempting to suggest that a can of pepper spray is the best possible deterrent against a gunman. Every situation is different, and what works once, may not work the next time.

However it is worth noting that Mr. Meis did not accidentally shoot an innocent bystander while incapacitating this killer, nor did his efforts to stop him result in the shooter's death.

Years ago, during my initial training in martial arts, I asked my instructor why he would not teach me to use the Chinese sword that he wielded with such grace and power.

His answer in response was that weapons can malfunction, be stolen, or misplaced but a well trained body, fueled by courage, would never let you down.

I would say that in this case his words proved somewhat prophetic as they have multiple times during my own life.

This young man demonstrated something that many 2nd Amendment advocates seem to lack, the ability to overcome his fear.

Final thought for the day.

Even if you do not agree with us about religion, you do kind of have to admit that this is true.

When murderous intent meets calm compassionate courage. The Georgia school shooting that DIDN'T happen.

Courtesy of ABC News:

The suspected gunman who terrorized an Atlanta-area elementary school, firing in the front office and at officers, was armed with an assault rifle and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, police said today. 

Michael Hill, 20, the lone suspect, allegedly entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday carrying an AK-47 assault rifle and several magazines and ammunition, said Chief Cedric Alexander of the DeKalb County, Ga., Police. 

"He walked in with 498 rounds of ammunition. Fortunately, this came to an end quietly, without incident," Alexander said at a news conference. "I think we can all make a reasonable assumption he came here to do some harm."

Instead the 20 year old gunman encountered bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff, whose presence of mind and calm demeanor enabled her to reduce the number of deaths to zero.

Here is the 911 call you have to hear to believe.

I could not help but imagine what might have happened if instead of encountering this courageous, compassionate woman, Hill had encountered an armed guard or teacher with a concealed weapon.

How many would have died then?

Of course it is almost impossible to predict the behavior of somebody who is willing to enter a school with the intent to start shooting, but in this case an armed response would have definitely ended in at least one death, if not many many more.

This woman is my hero of the day.

Update: I think somebody needs to confront NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre and tell him that "The only thing that stops a bad man with a gun, is a good woman with a compassionate heart."

Once a mainstay of the White House Press Corps, Helen Thomas has died today at 92. Here is a reminder of why we should all mourn her passing.

Sadly Helen Thomas will be remembered for the controversial end of her carer, but watching that clip reminds me that she was once the MOST courageous reporter in the White House Press Room.

She had Bush dead to rights, and those of us who were not drinking the Kool-aid knew it.

You can read more about her amazing career right here.

National Atheist Party changes its name seeking greater acceptance. Good luck with that. Update!

Courtesy of HuffPo:

In a vote last week, members of the political group -- which supports secular government and the reinforcement of the separation of church and state -- selected the "Secular Party of America" as their new name. The change had reportedly been in the works for months, and over 75 percent of the party's members voted in support of the rebrand. 

Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Bernard “Flash” Kellish“ hailed the move in a statement. 

"We are certain that not only is the new name far more inclusive of a greater number of Americans that share our vision of true separation of church and state, but that it will open the door to those that may not have joined us if for no other reason than because 'Atheist' was in the name," he said. "We were created by atheists as a way to be a hereunto unrepresented voice in politics and have been very successful. We will miss the old name but now it is time to move forward and focus on being a viable and respected political party. We hope to make a worldwide network of secular organizations.”

First off I should point out that I do not belong to the NAP so I have no right to tell them how to move their agenda forward. As you know I'm not much of a joiner.

However I would like to point out that this smacks of the same kind of insecurity which inspired the Liberals to re-brand themselves as "progressives."  Personally I always thought that was a capitulation to the conservative forces which kept trying to vilify liberals.

My attitude was "Fuck them, they're not the boss of me!" And remains so to this day.

I have to say I feel much the same about this. I personally take great pains to point out that I am an Atheist and then, hopefully, give people the opportunity to see that I am not the evil, dangerous, immoral person that many religious people would have you believe that I am.

In fact I believe Atheists to be the moral superior of ANYBODY who claims to be a God fearing individual who lives a moral life due to their superstitious belief that by not doing so they risk being denied heaven and instead will be forced to suffer in agony for eternity.

In my personal view of Atheists I see us as intelligent individuals who have carefully investigated the claims made by the world's religion and found that none of them provided compelling evidence to support their claims, And who furthermore have made the choice to courageously advertise to a world filled with religious and superstitious people that we do not share your need to cling to unprovable dogmatic assertions about reality out of fear of being alone or death.

Caving to pressure from others is to deny who I am would be a betrayal of self, and an act of abject cowardice.

But hey, I wish the "Secular Party of America" great success.

Update: For those questioning my assertion that Atheists are the least trusted and most reviled group on the planet I suggest you educate yourselves by reading here, here, and here.