Tag: Current Affairs

I’m having a great time following the story of Jimmy Carter’s new book – Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. I haven’t read it yet, but I plan to. The part that amuses me is watching a beloved ex-President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, champion of the poor, try to barbecue a sacred…

NASA announced plans to work with other countries to put a permanent base on the moon by 2024. This raises an interesting question: Who owns the moon? Apparently there’s a legal agreement called The Outer Space Treaty that says no one can own any part of space, including the moon….

It’s time again for a serious Sunday post. According to the news, the so-called bipartisan Iraqi Study Group headed by Baker and Hamilton will be announcing their recommendations soon. Those recommendations are roughly the same as the ones I made in this blog on October 23rd. I assume that Baker…

As a professional humorist, I read the news differently than you do. I’m mining it like the old guy on the beach with a metal detector. You see miles of sand and sea shells and used condoms, but I see a potential windfall of 35 cents in coins plus half…

Of all the controversial topics I’ve raised on this blog, free will is the one that seems to most grab people by the nuts and/or teats and twirl them around. I understand why. Belief in free will is the reboot button for civilization. Don’t read any further until you have…

In my Thanksgiving post I said, “Bring them home.” I meant the troops in Iraq, in case that wasn’t clear. Some people were puzzled that I have an opinion on this subject. Your puzzlement is justified, given that I often say I don’t understand complicated situations. And Iraq is clearly…

Bring them home.

When I first started cartooning, my job was to make funny comics. That was it. Over time, as Dilbert grew to 2,000 newspapers and became a cultural icon, I picked up some extra duties without realizing it. Now my job includes signaling changes in the way society views things. I…

Is it my imagination or have the atheists come out of the closet (in the United States) since 9/11? Prior to 9/11, it would have been career suicide for a public figure to come right out and say God is a fairy tale. Now it’s a feature of popular culture….

In prior posts I’ve mentioned how much I’d like to see political polls that are limited to the smart, well-informed people. I have to confess, I thought I was stating a universal truth along the lines of “it’s better to have good health than poor health.” It seemed to me…

Many Americans want a fence on the Mexican border to keep out illegal aliens. Israel is building a fence to keep out terrorists. Saudi Arabia is considering a fence to keep out Iraqis. How do I invest in fences? It seems to me only a matter of time before someone…

[Sorry this is late. Get your flu shots. Don’t be like me.] I read that President Bush’s approval rating is less than 1 in 3. Nancy Pelosi, the incoming majority leader for the opposition party is in the same range. In other words, two-thirds of the citizens of the United…

I remember one day in sixth grade, our teacher asked us to go to the blackboard, one at a time, and write down something we would be willing to die for. The first few kids wrote down answers such as “cancer” and “hit by car.” Our teacher informed us that…

As regular readers know, I am too ignorant to have opinions on most big issues. That’s why I don’t vote. This makes me feel inadequate because everyone around me has complete clarity and has taken sides. I want to be like that. I’m tired of being confused and uninformed. For…

Do you know who Steve Bing is? He inherited $600 million from his dad when he was 18. He produced some famous movies, most recently The Polar Express. He also knocked up Elizabeth Hurley. He really doesn’t need to do anything else for the rest of his life. Ferchrissake Steve,…