shut up and sing

While I haven't seen that film yet, I know what the Dixie Chicks mean. The corporate world is telling us to be good little boys and girls, keep working and don't question anything. Well, I can't always do that as an empowered woman and an intelligent adult.

first edit cartoon

This is my first editorial cartoon at my new job. :)

update

Long time, no blog. My apologies. After serious cramming for the two PRAXIS tests on Nov. 17 and a rush at work, I have been too busy to post, but later this week I will have two new drawings to post.

innocence lost

While watching Before You Enlist: The Real Deal on Joining the Military on Free Speech TV (available on Dish Network), I couldn't help but think of my brother in Egypt. He joined the National Guard this year against my family's objections. We exchanged letters while he was in training, and I worried even more. He acts like going to war will be a video game. Recruiters even use video games at events to help the cause. Former recuiters also have said they are told to do whatever it takes to make their numbers.

The best advice from this film was that potential recruits should talk to veterans, around town, in the VA hospitals, on the street and get the real story of serving in war. You can find a VA hospital near you here.

Today, on Veteran's Day, I feel it's more important than ever to speak up and question why we are putting these men and women whom we respect so much into harm's way.

Are we in Iraq to perpetuate unrest so corporations can profit and steal from the Iraqi people and the American taxpayers? It seems that way when BlackWater independent contractors (or mercenaries) can kill without fear of retribution. My America doesn't stand for that. My America is based on the rule of law. The Constitution. Not profiteering. Not torture. As the network news extolls the heroes of the World Wars, where everyone had to serve and sacrifice during the war, they omit the veterans who would say don't to volunteer. Not now when America stands on the precipe of fascism where corporate interests rule, and the people dare not speak. Lest they be swept away, totured until they no longer know who they are.

And as I consider all this, I remember playing Nintendo, Sega Genesis and Atari games with my brother and cry.

photography in Savannah

Beautiful art, criss-crossing alleys, pockets of nature and the industrial edge at the fringe of the strip mall of bars. Feeling small in a big world, a shaking furry creature wanders through the city's maze and sees two sides to Savannah. A city that appreciates art and nature, sits at the mouth of the river as the "Hostess of the South" and struggles.

Texture and history are everywhere. There are too many stories here to tell or hear in one lifetime. Who lives here? Beyond the riverfront. Who carries the burdens of the city?

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On a lighter note,

Parallel parking for cranes.

My brother leaves for Egypt today

The Decider Destroyed My Country, 16 x 20, Acrylic and paper on canvas