Hillary Clinton Recounts, err, Recants

IT is really strange how a simple idea can change, can morph into something completely unexpected. The latest comic posted about Hillary is one such creature. The original idea (and drawing) contained the image of Hillary running across the page, fleeing what where originally arrows that said OBAMA upon the arrow shafts. And the tag line at the top was, "I'M THE BATTLE TESTED CANDIDATE."

Well, a lot can happen over the course of 24 hours. Now As I was drawing the cartoon for the second time, because Hillary looked like she was walking like an Egyptian more than running away I was struck by the recent furor of her recounting then recanting herstory about her trip to Bosnia back in 1996.

A challenge for my fellow pedicabbers (and non-pedicabbers)

I wanted to offer a challenge to my fellow pedicab drivers. You can think of it as the ultimate karma ride and you don't even have to turn a single pedal stroke. What is it? I want to challenge you all to donate a pint of blood, plasma or donate platelets.

I started out donating whole blood when I was in my late 20's to my local blood center, the Central California Blood Center. I was first motivate to donate because a family friend was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 6. After donating over 6 gallons (yes, 6 gallons) of whole blood over the years (I have met others who have surpassed 6 gallons) I was told about Platelet Apheresis, the process of donating platelets.

Well, it has been several years since my first apheresis donation. And there is one question that I am asked most often, and that is how much do I get paid. Well folks, I don't get paid. I give of myself freely and in return I receive the occasional free t-shirt, or a coupon to Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. I even have a few plastic displays that proclaim just how much of this (blood) or that (platelets) I have donated over the years.

So, once again I challenge all my fellow pedicab drivers, to donate whole blood, plasma or platelets. When you donate you give the "gift of life." If you are willing to take up this challenge you should consider registering with the National Marrow Donor Program. Here is one more interesting fact for those that aren't aware, "only 5 percent of the eligible population of blood donors actually gives blood."

What I'd like to find out is, how many of those that donate regularly ride a pedicab?

I'd like to extend this challenge to anyone and everyone that reads my blog to go out and donate!

Cross posted over at Pedicab Blog.

Geraldine Ferraro, victim of reverse racism.

Like Hillary Clinton, Geraldine Ferraro plays the victim when she is the perpetrator of some pretty vile statements. She repeatedly states that Obama is where he is because he is black, and for no other reason. Then she says that Obama should thank her for what she has said. She wasn't trying to denigrate what he has accomplished, she was paying him a compliment. And now, well now she is the victim of what I would best describe as reverse racism from the Obama campaign.

Thanks to Geraldine Ferraro and Keith Olbermann for the inspiration.

Calling John McCain at 3 am

If experience is the measure by which we are to select our preferred presidential candidate in the 2008 election cycle then all I can say is: We are fucked! Let's face it the candidates with the most experience are Hillary Clinton (according to her) and John McCain. Now we should remember that the experiences of both of these candidates led them to vote in favor of abdicating their constitutional role to declare war against Iraq and allow Bush carte blanche to do whatever he has seen fit as it pertains to the invasion and occupation of Iraq. (Bush has seen fit to interpret the same abdication as giving him the authority to attack Iran. But that is another cartoon and another post.) Neither Clinton or McCain have the wisdom to be the President of the United States. Of course Bush didn't have either wisdom or experience and look what he has done to make the world more unstable.

Experience...Red Phone...3am...

The inspiration for this cartoon came after I came across this! Who would have thunk it...being inspired by Tom Daschle. It certainly wasn't divine inspiration. I have yet one more cartoon in the works (I just need to draw the damn thing) stemming from the 3 am phone call...

In a strange way I suppose that I should be thanking Hillary for providing me the material that I have been using to hoist her upon her own petard.

Thanks Raw Story.

The Red Phone

It's 3 am and the red phone in the White House on Pennsylvania Ave. is ringing. Who is going to answer the phone? If you want someone with experience then you'll have to accept that between the Hillary Clinton and John McCain, then McCain is the candidate for you. After all, McCain has more experience than either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

Of course, the same experience that Hillary claims would make her a better commander-in-chief is the same experience (when her husband was the president) that led her to vote in favor of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Her experience was surely lacking when she voted to support Bush's personal vendetta against Saddam Hussein cause he tried to kill his father. Why should her experience be any more valuable now then it was back then?


An aside: If Hillary is the DNC candidate it will be interesting to see her try to out-hawk McCain on Iran. Oh boy I can already imagine the cartoons...

The Call at 3 AM

I was watching the news, and Hillary was talking about her victories in Rhode Island and Ohio. Her first victories after losing 12 states in a row to Obama. She was on the stump throughout her "victory" speech while in Ohio. Hillary began touting her commercial and her argument that Obama doesn't have the experience necessary to take the call at 3 am. To Hillary's way of thinking, she has the experience (most of it her husband's) to answer the "red phone" if there were an emergency at 3 in the morning.

Now, as she spoke I got to thinking about if Hillary does become the Democratic Party presidential nominee and faces John McCain in a presidential debate. I started to wonder about the intellectual honesty of Hillary Clinton. Imagine that while in a debate with McCain the moderator asks Hillary Clinton:

"During the Democratic Primary you ran a commercial that accused Barack Obama of lacking the experience it takes to respond in a moment of crisis should the call come in at 3 am. Now, your opponent is a former POW, a decorated military man who has served his country for the better part of 30 years. If the phone rings at 3 am, do you still want the person in this debate with the most experience to take that call? And is that person you?"

If Hillary Clinton is "intellectually honest," then she would have to defer to John McCain. Let's face it, if you want the person answering the phone at 3 am to have the most experience, then McCain wins hands down against either Democratic Party candidate.

It was funny that Bill Bennett said on CNN that McCain would be able to use the Hillary "3 am" commercial against Obama by changing the ending that showed McCain answering the phone. Bennett was right. But Bennett was also short-sighted. McCain will be able to take Hillary's vaunted commercial and use it against her. And she won't have her experience to stand on.

Pedicabbing at the Rogue Festival

Finally, a video of pedicabbing in Fresno. The Rogue Festival is an annual event that draws local artists and artists from various locations across the planet for the Tower District in Fresno California.

Better still, I can now be found on YouTube! If I die tomorrow, my life will be complete.

It's probably just me, but there is something inherently ironic in the song playing throughout the video. If you haven't picked up on it, the title is "Kicked in the head by a stripper."