Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 18, 2011

Opps! The Red Rascal is still in the palace?

Have to say, Duke’s punchline made me laugh

I suspect Overkill’s intention was to leave him behind. But he’ll be sorry when he faces the wrath of SORKH RAZIL!

Or not.

Looks like Berzerkistan just got a new leader.

You may be on to something FriscoLou - Sorkh Razil, Afghani Freedom Fighter frees Berzerkistan of a tyrant!

I bet Duke does not know the operative left behind is his own kin (not that he’d care)

By Trudeau’s cartoon logic, Triffbumfartz is now in the capable hands of Zipper–-who will follow the plan to take their hostage to Zipper’s dorm. Nice Doonesbury symmetry here: Triff lectures at Walden while Sorkh Razil restores order to Berzerkistan.

I’m confused, does this mean France will pledge Red Rascal millions in foreign aid the American taxpayer will end up paying?

Nah, Lewreader. Remember? No Republican chickenhawk appeasers in the White House this time out.

^SueB1863, I think that’s what Chrisnp was saying. Since Zipper now has the ex-dictator whose name is unpronounceable, he can take him to the dorm. Jeff is on his own in Berzerkistan, and now he must make the best of things. Fortunately for him, he is delusional and, as others have suggested, probably will become the new dictator.

^cdward, Wow, this kid’s got talent to move up like that!

I cannot wait to see the reaction of Rick and Joanie when they discover their son is the new leader of Bezerkistan! That should be a riot.

I can see the story line now, the Red Rascal is hailed as the savior of Beserkistan (sp), and installed as their new leader.

The President of the US immediately visits and bows in submission to superior intellect.

The American Taxpayer subsequently is left on the hook for billions in aid, which gets funneled directly to Overkill.

No, wait, that’s real life.

I don’t think that the package will end up in the dorm.

What I’m not clear about is why those fighters didn’t toast the chopper on sight, but instead showed up to provide escort service in getting the package out.

Then again, in our magical realism Libya scenario, it actually makes a lot of sense when one considers the major players involved.

Now that Overkill is getting his $50 Million reimbursed, he can now afford to face the wrath of the Red Rascal’s mother.

Or not.

TexTech: “I cannot wait to see the reaction of Rick and Joanie when they discover their son is the new leader of Bezerkistan! That should be a riot.”

Rick will probably say “Well, Jeff finally got a real job!”. Joanne says something like “Eh” and go off on a show shopping trip to the mall.

SueB1863 said, “I’m pretty sure that the ground operative left behind was Jeff Redfern, not Zipper who was on the plane. I don’t think Jeff’s related to Duke, or is he? Sometimes I lose track!”

I did loose track! Your are right

His body is paying interest on the 50 million he lost and regained.

Trudeau’s magic realism shows us Libya Through-the-Looking-Glass. When Qaddafi heard about the U.N. resolution, he told his Foreign Minister to call off the assault on Benghazi. In Moussa Koussa’s words, it’s

‘“strange and unreasonable” that the resolution authorized the use of force against the Qaddafi government, “and there are signs that this may indeed take place.” Mr. Koussa called the resolution a violation of Libyan sovereignty as well as of the United Nations charter, and repeated a call for a “fact-finding mission” to evaluate the situation on the ground.’ (NYT)

Maybe the fact-finding mission will explain that Fiery Ball of Death. Or maybe Koussa is Roland Headley’s alter ego.

When it comes to writing history, Doonesbury and Fox News are two peas in a pod. They both practice New Historicism, where history is not what happens but what gets reported as happening.

Of course this just means that Jeff Redfern aka Sorkh Razil will now be the man who freed Berzerkistan from the grips of the tyrant Triffbumfartz.. Jeff has already shown a Forrest Gump like ability to always fall up.

palin drome,

There’s a major difference between the two: One’s a cartoon! You decide which is which.

palin, would you not put a news source whose motto is “All the News That’s Fit to Print” into that same peapod? All news, and all history, is viewed through lenses, and always has been. Rather than single out a couple sources whom you feel document “not what happens but what gets reported as happening”, it would be much more interesting to see your list of sources - or even individuals - whom you feel do not.

I think the “fiery ball of death” was more of a mechanism to rescue GT from the story line, not really related to rescuing the package.

As Badto Thebone suggests, one thing that’s being overlooked is that our man Jeff is now an international hero, and no matter how things turn out, the legend of the Sorkh Razil is legnd no more.

The rational world thinks Sorkh Razil is a fictional character from a blog, and will be very confused when he’s hailed as the new leader of Berserkistan.

“Hillary, are you saying he’s real? Next you’ll be telling me Santa Claus wants a seat at the U.N.!” “Um, sir…”

Nemesys,

To say that “all history is viewed through lenses” is to fall into the New Historicist trap of confusing an event (what actually happens) with the evidence for an event.

That’s where judgment comes in. Hegel coined the term “critical history” to distinguish history-writing that analyzes and verifies its sources (as the NYT does) from history-writing that merely reports gossip and myths (as Fox apparently does; I only watch NPR).

In my profession, I often run into publications by the New Historicists. Fortunately my critical (criticize is from Greek krinein = to judge) judgment tells me from the first paragraph if I’m reading serious, critical history. (These New Historicists are adept at citing irrelevant sources, so you’ve got to decide whether they’ve made an analytical judgment themselves).

palin, that was a very long way of saying that you can’t cite any news sources that do not do what GT and Fox do.

If your prefer the NYT and NPR, fine. I read and listen to them also. But if your judgment is that NPR and the New York Times do not present news events through their own dirty lenses, then your judgment is questionable. The Times may verify its sources, but then it only reports what it believes is fit for you to know. Viewing history as reported only by the Times would leave huge gaps in the historical record, not to mention several deliberate falsifications and distortions. I can itemize them if you like.

All you are actually saying is that because you prefer the news that NPR and the NY Times presents to you that you feel that they are the most valid of sources. The very same can be said of Fox viewers, although since you censor yourself and do not watch Fox, I admire your ability to comment in such depth and detail about them. Methinks that Hegel would have advocated first-hand knowledge of a topic before creating one’s own historical context of its nature. Good judgment will never replace good data.

While I also admire the egocentricsm implied, I can only remind you of the wise words of Fat Bastard: “Everyone likes their own brand”.

It’s a successful operation all the way around, including Overkill dumping Jeff. Now someone, known to have given $50million to Karzai’s brother, with ties to the CIA & it’s shadier subcontractors, is in the palace of neighboring Berzerkistan. Red Rascal, indeed. Zipper makes a mint off the video game & buys back Zonkers castle in time for them all to attend the prince’s wedding.

Nemesys,

By insisting exclusively on the subjective aspect of knowledge, you merely abdicate our responsibility to criticize/judge. Reality is bigger than your ego or mine, but we can’t even see that fact without the help of judgment.

Without judgment, we could not decide how one course of action is better than another, much less how one newspaper excels another. Moral right and wrong would be leveled to egocentric preferences and laws would make no sense—and my students could grade themselves!

Unlike Fox News and Doonesbury, actual history affords us no holiday from judgment. To quote Hegel again, history is a slaughterbench. That’s why most persons, quite understandably, welcome diversions like The Fiery Ball of Death.

Ps. You seem to find some difference between “good judgment” and “good data.” I thought I made it clear that interpreting the data—as opposed to just selecting them and repeating them uncritically—is the main function of our judgment.

Historical writing will obviously “leave gaps in the historical record” because history is never complete. Our judgment should aim constantly to correct the record. And by the way, does Fox News (you watch it more than I can) publish corrections of its mistakes, the way NPR and the NYT do?

Pps. (to below) Your Jesuit professor was wise with the knowledge of the serpent, and you—in being hard on yourself—showed the innocence of the dove.

palin,

I do not claim that knowledge is not subjective, only that all providers, consumers, editors, and critics of it are. That goes for me when I grade papers as well, in that I must conciously adhere to the agreed rubrics. Try as we might, we are not immune from subjective judgment, and I think that the first indication of being subjective is to believe that there is no possibility that we are not.

While attending a Jesuit graduate school, I had a Jesuit Father professor (of Educational Morality) who insisted that we grade ourselves. The process was educational in itself,and I gave myself a lower grade than I believe he would have. Was my judgment more knowlegable than his? I still ponder the question.

Did anyone besides me notice that Duke’s combover changed direction between panels 1 and 3?

I thought it was an oscillating fan k_sera, look at the smoke.

I’m a little surprised at the draft Jeff Redfern movement. The logic of his various arcs - although this one is something of a departure - dictates that whatever he does or doesn’t do, Jeff and Joanie will remain ignorant and/or dubious of his (mis)adventures.