Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for July 11, 2012

Pakistanis make lousy burgers.

I love Leo’s droll sense of humor and self-deprecation. That boy will be all right, eventually.

Ain’t the food, it’s the service? A sense of humor is the best defense, and medicine. (But slow-moiving lines will always suck!)

She’s been dating him for quite some time and knows what she’s getting into. She’s probably more committed to him BECAUSE of his PTSD, to be there for him.

@SUSAN NEWMAN

Agreed. Worth pointing out to new readers that all his allegations are ‘asked and answered’ in previous days, he just takes no notice of the refutations. Hence the ‘no feeding’ proposal.

GT loves to express his chauvinism

Would you care to expand on that, Gladly?

Gladly is another troll, another no feeding zone.

See? when he stays away from politics, Doonesbury can be very funny. Yeah, I actually said something good about him.

Hope the waiter doesn’t trigger another bum trip-out…

I got lucky once with a great nubile nurse who bought and tacked up a surplus ’chute on my ceiling…and i slept good for a LONG time after that.

You obviously don’t understand how a flash “back” works.

It’s Jim Crow, you morons, not ‘Jim Crowe’. If you did more reading and less TV watching, you might learn how to spell.

I am not responding to anything opined but merely making an observation for what its worth. It seems to me, particularly here in Florida, that the Republican party is spending an awful lot of time and money trying to restrict the voting rights of citizens by jiggering the voter registration process, illegally striking validly registered voters from the roles, gerrymandering voting districts, placing onerous requirements for proof of identity and residency etc. etc. etc..If this is not a resurrection of Jim Crow , I don’t know what is. The Republicans are specifically targeting minority groups who traditionally vote Democratic, in order to gain a voting advantage. This is not just political dirty business, it’s an affront against American voters and the constitution. Lawsuits notwithstanding, this is happening nationwide.

Guard SGT’s point about the US “not wanting to be the home team” has me thinking: if Bush had framed the “War Against Terror” solely by saying better we take it to “them” (substitute non-Aryan race here) than be victims in our own “homeland”…I wonder whether America would have endorsed the insanity simply on those grounds………fear of further incoming.

“T. Kerby Neill argues in his chapter entitled ‘War and the Human Psyche’, for a more exact language,’ (re. the ‘hidden wounds’)‘Post Traumatic Stress Reaction (PTSR) as opposed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which he contends stigmatizes sufferers. When a soldier suffers a gunshot wound to his leg, we do not say that he has a ’leg disorder’” – book review by Bill Griffin of BINDING THEIR WOUNDS: America’s Assault on its Veterans" by Robert J. Topmiller & T. Kerby Neill, Paradigm Publishers, Boulder CO 2011. – in the June-July 1012 Catholic Worker

You are a world class crybaby. No one is stopping you from saying anything you want. Your opponents say that you are full of nonsense. You say the same about them. Good for both of you. But you go a step further and take criticism as an attempt to stop you from speaking. You can say anything you want, but no one has to listen.

They should go buy BBQ. Unlikely to be many Pakistanis working in a pork joint.

gmartin997 said,`“I’m afraid she’s going to start thinking the marriage wasn’t such a good idea; . . . .”`I thought that from the beginning; it’s from a “real life” prospective. The flashbacks are just one more complication of this marriage. Alex is an MIT educated woman from an evident affluent upbringing who married someone from, shall we say?, a somewhat lower social-economic strata of society. I sometimes considered that Alex was marrying Leo with close to the same mindset as if she was acquiring a cute puppy for the household. Of course, in the Trudeau universe anything is possible, but if this was a real-life I would have some very deep concerns regarding the long-term viability of this marriage. Their very diverse economic and cultural difference will eventually start to assert itself.

Sure thing, their site is a bit on the edge of sanity, but that article at least is informative. More interesting tidbits can be found at “The Vile Plutocrat: Exposing the Excretions of the Entitled Class.”

I know several people who are blind in one eye but can drive just fine. Also, the Registry of Motor Vehicles would be reluctant to reject a wounded veteran. I hope.

I know several people who are blind in one eye but can drive just fine. Also, the Registry of Motor Vehicles would be reluctant to reject a wounded veteran. I hope.

We had Pakis at the palace chow-hall in the green zone, which had the best grub. At our chow hall we had nepalese (I think) and our food was re-heated pre-packaged grub.

Some people should get their facts straight before opening their big mouths and making inane statements. Republican Jeb Bush ( remember him ? ) was Governor of Florida and the Republican party controlled both the state house and senate. Hanging chads aside, I do believe that Kathleen Harris, who was Secretary of State for Florida was in charge of ballot counting. Oh yeah, she was a Republican, also.!

Wrong, the purge of the voter rolls is purging many valid voters, INCLUDING vets, the elderly and minority American citizens. If you watched more than Faux Snooze you’d have seen that already. But then, elderly, minorities and the young that might vote Democrat, why would the GOP want to stand up for their rights? They might lose power!

Leo and Alex have a good thing going, I know, been there. Likewise, while “accepting” means taking the hard with easy, bad with good, but “stupid is stupid”, and can be ignored, if it does NO HARM! The JBS/KKK/“radical” TEA party/dittohead/radical religionists-of ANY stripe! pander and blather HAS become extremely dangerous in our society.

Leo has only one eye, but sees twice as well as many bloggers(trolls), who create their own “reality”, and will NOT accept facts, no matter how often presented, and proven.

Flashbacks ARE a return to another reality, and for the moments they occur, ARE REAL! Dealing with them, pushing them back to their “rightful place”, takes training, and assistance, and well, love from others who can “accept”,even if they really do NOT “understand”.

It’s also interesting that those who feel the most true hate, try to mask it in verbiage of “understanding”, or “authority”, but it is in actuality a shower in a dry room, and we should NOT “fall for it”.

P.S. “Recovering from the War” by Patience Mason, while it’s about ’Nam, an excellent reference for anyone dealing with a family member with PTSD.

Re: Trolls. As I have said before, I stopped discussing issues with right-wingers in 21st Century America years ago. I can get a more intelligent (and coherent) conversation with a bag of hammers.

@SueB1863

In California one eyed drivers are OK as long as they can pass the eye test with the other eye. I’ve never heard of anyone being tested for depth perception.

@SueB1863 – The stock car driver Ernie Irvan competed in NASCAR races with only one eye back in the ’80’s or 90’s. He’d been badly injured and had double vision but was allowed to race with a patch over one eye. As long as one has good vision in the one eye I don’t believe there is any restriction on driving in the U.S.

“Willey (sic) Post had only one eye”

And Will Rogers died when Post crashed his plane, Sarge.

I thought Jim “JD” Crowe was a banjo player…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.D.Crowe

Re: driving with on eye – yes, you can get a license. I know a guy who has a CDL and is a heavy equipment operator. He was bummed though, he wanted to be a helicopter pilot and they drew the line there. That does require two functioning eyes.

My interest in this is minimal, since I see little, if any, difference between Romney and Obama. However, I do wonder why almost no one cares about you and your friends’ theories. Even Mitt Romney accepts that President Obama is eligible to be president. Has the “Corrupt Party” corrupted Mitt Romney? If so, your support of Mitt is pointless and futile, since your side has already lost.

It’s an out-and-out lie that in 2000, Dems blocked military ballots from being counted. Let’s revisit 2000 and recall just who stopped the count/recount. Not the Dems.

All the voter ID laws come out of the ALEC factory. Even in states like Minnesota, which has a trackable history of no voter fraud, is being solds this bill of goods—and it’s all LIES. How do we know these allegations are lies?

Because in 2008 and 2010, MN had two very visible recounts. Both parties had millions of dollars waiting to pursue claims of voter fraud if it could be found. It wsn’t. The Republicans admitted that voter fraud did not exist and could not be claimed and not be found. Now they’re trying to claim it’s everywhere.

Guard, you’re lying again. “Back then” I applied for my SS card by mail.

Keep banging that “birther” drum… How’s Joe Papiere Bitte Arpaio’s crusade going? How about serial bankruptcy artist Donald Trump’s “bombshell”? When are you birthers going to prove you’re anything but fringe lunatics?

Had a friend with one eye who drove regularly. Only had trouble when it was dark and rainy.

Actually, I did Google her. No wonder you like her. She’s another birther.

Now, for the other side of the story, follow the link I posted above. None of those websites you listed as your sources will ever dare carry that story, because it makes their “side” look bad. Here’s another:http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/04/24/the-myth-of-voter-fraud

Of course, Guard things the Democratic Party is in direct control of most of our media outlets, (I know, crazy isn’t it? They can’t even get legislation through when they hold both houses, but they somehow manage this vast empire of thousand of papers and stations) so this allows him to write off any news he doesn’t agree with as false.

My sister-in-law recently renewed her license. She had a cataract in one eye, and the examiner said, “That’s OK, you only need one eye to drive.” (We’re in California; may be different in other states.")

I haven’t commented on the eye issue for good reason. There is a meaning to my avatar. No, I was fortunate not to lose my eye in combat – was shot up, but that’s another story. I am however, functioning with only one eye, although, unlike Leo, there is a possibility that surgery may help correct the problem.The point is, that as human beings, we are remarkably resilient and adaptable. It is the key to our survival as a species. When I see how people have overcome such horrendous personal tragedy, such as burns, and loss of limbs etc. and have the courage to continue their daily lives with humor and humility. it gives me faith in mankind and makes me feel ashamed of grousing about my minor little physical infirmities. I agree with Gweedo Murray and dinkytown. Like them, I am a registered Independent voter and don’t much care for either political party but strongly believe that discourse and argument should be civil and rational. And done in a spirit of good humor and fellowship. Not acrimony and hate.

Actually, I can answer that question. From the SSA itself:“One should not make too much of the “geographical code.” It is not meant to be any kind of useable geographical information. The numbering scheme was designed in 1936 (before computers) to make it easier for SSA to store the applications in our files in Baltimore since the files were organized by regions as well as alphabetically. It was really just a bookkeeping device for our own internal use and was never intended to be anything more than that."

I have some experience with SSNs, and while most follow the pattern, I have seen numerous exceptions. So, it’s no big deal, unless you are looking for conspiracy theories.

SUSAN, they didn’t listen to you.

You can actually still get a licence. Also; If it were me, I would invoke a policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” so I could still drive. What they don’t know surely couldn’t hurt them.

“Now explain why she has found three birth dates with his. 8-4-61, 4-8-61, and 1890??? Something is fishy!”

Not sure what you meant. She found three birth dates with his what? Three dates associated with the same SSN? Where did she find this information, and how does she “know” it is reliable?

“She is highly qualified in this area.’ Huh? Qualified how? There are no “qualifications” for people who check out other people’s SSNs. And how does she know more about SSNs than the SSA that issues them?

The legendary Columbo drove his Peugeot and functioned as a police officer. Peter Falk the actor also had one eye.

This marriage is making for a lousy strip, too.

“Is that the best you can do is slander a person trying hard to get her own state to just follow the election laws that are on the books???”

So, it’s slander for me to call her a birther, something she freely admits, but you’re fine with her tweeting about supposed pictures of Obama’s mother in porn fetish magazines? (Of course, it wasn’t actually Anne) Sorry, “birther” is the commonly accepted name for you conspiracy theorists. I’m going to use it.

And if she ever turned up a significant number of real and verified cases of voter fraud, not just suspected fraud or bad registrations, I would listen. I have seen no evidence that she has.

“Now explain why she has found three birth dates with his. 8-4-61, 4-8-61, and 1890??? Something is fishy!”

Oh, come on you lot, surely you know that the US and UK write dates opposite to each other? There fore 8-4-61 is the same as 4-8-61.

Sammy Davis Jr. was another celebrity with one eye, he lost one in an auto accident, don’t believe he had any more accidents after. Driving a car is one thing, depth perception on landing aircraft is more “difficult” to adjust to.

My grandfather grew up with Will Rogers, and they were “best friends” wrangling cattle together as “youngsters”. My grandfather was killed in a truck accident within few days of when Will and Wiley were killed in Alaska. Sometimes links and connections between people, families, and friends, has “odd twists”.

“centrist Fox news”, IS a joke even Will wouldn’t have tried to get away with, however.

“Sounds like the way people quote tidbits from the bible …”

Normally I don’t think of the Bible when I read the comic forum, but I can see the connection with some of the crazy stuff people believe here.

I agree about the flaggers, Counter-free speech running dog reactionaries have knocked my posts off a couple of times and I hate it, but as I have said before,

“It’s not the # of times you’re knocked off the forum that matters, it’s the # of times you get your post back up that counts”

About the only thing I’ve seen worth flagging around here were those spam attacks for Chinese tennis shoes a couple of years ago. “Rhetoric not Flags!”

As far as the “Sarge problem” goes, DT would have known how to handle it … do you believe in reverse re-incarnation, Gweedo?

Interestingly, having an injury to one eye has just ended the career of a great cricketer for South Africa – Mark Boucher – only this week. Very unfortunate.

This post is not about the strip (unfortunately) but does pertain to some of the comments posted recently. This evening, I listened to a Radio programme (BBC Radio 4) on ‘scepticism in science’. The experts interviewed discussed the importance of being a sceptic when considering any scientific research (not matter how learned a journal the report appears). An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (for example) does not make the ‘facts’ or conclusions stated correct. They must be viewed sceptically with one’s own personal, scientific judgemental to decide how much to believe.Hence, we should also view sceptically any statements made by all politicians, media persons or anyone else who wants to influence are voting intention. Ask ourselves, ‘What grain of truth may lurk in these statements?’ supported by the no doubt carefully selected facts produced to convince the voting public. To do otherwise is foolish. Human nature is such that we tend not to apply sufficient scepticism to those views which agree with ours, but we should. Some posters clearly apply no sceptical thinking. Facts, are they ever as trustworthy as we are lead to believe? Here are two examples for you. Ten wage earners receive the following wage each month, 7 earn 1K, and the remaining three earn 3K, 10K and 100K. Total earned is 120K. My first two facts: the average wage is 1K; the average wage is 12K. My second two facts: 10+10=100; 10+10=20 (there are no typos in either addition). All four facts are correct. Think sceptically to ensure the correct fact is used in the correct context.

Of course, that’s not racist – grouping an entire race of people in one broad all encompassing sweeping statement!!

Below, you will find two links to the story I am refering to. I hope you will take the time to read both.

God no, I really am not interested. Just had to correct people being willfully blind stupid. I think the whole birth issue is dumb anyway, you’re an immigrant country, what does it matter where the President was born? Surely the most powerful job in the world should go to someone with the best qualifications regardless of place of birth?

I was actually waiting for the following reply, “the best cheese burger I ever had was in Karachi.”

I think she knew about the PTSD before guys. She knew what she was going to have to deal with. Like many people, I think it makes her feel important that she can be there for him.

Of course as a country all your decisions are always the correct ones and you have never made a mistake such as bombing…lots of places? It’s never your fault as a nation that you have angered other nations with stupid decisions that have cost thousands of innocent lives!! …and you wonder why sometimes people from other countries are angry enough to want to shoot at you? For God’s sake, get real!!

Where is the proof that he has earned any stripes except from his handle?

False statement #1 in the first WND article:“…the “042” number is reserved for for the exclusive use of individuals who register in Connecticut."While it is true that most of the people with that prefix will be from CT, the numbers are not “reserved” for them "exclusive"ly. That’s simply false, and I have personally seen other examples of such mismatches in SSNs vs. place of application. I’ll admit I don’t have time to fully research the in-person interview aspect, but maybe another poster can help. I’m close to Obama’s age, and I certainly don’t remember any interview, so we’ll call that a possible flaw for now. And none of this explains why the son of a girl from Kansas, born in Hawaii, would have any need for a fake SSN. There’s no way they knew he was going to be president when he was applying for his first job as a teen.

I’m finding the WND to be a bit slack in it’s fact checks.

And, from the second article: “one who lived in Connecticut between 1977 and 1979 and who was born in 1890”So none of you on the right are questioning why this person supposedly didn’t apply for a card until they were at least 87 years old?

And I have heard from other sources, though admittedly none that are quotable, who say the mandatory interview requirement didn’t exist. Can you prove that it did?

No, in the end, I see nothing at all to worry about, except all the crazies who still believe this junk. And no thanks for giving me two articles where one could have been copied from the other, or both copied from the same third source. This is actually one single story that has been picked up and repeated.

“We don’t have any official records from any college.”

This one I still find amazingly curious. What are you looking for? He was president of the Harvard Law Review, making him one of the most prestigious and well-known students in the entire country. Ginsburg, Kagan, Roberts, and Scalia are all alumni of the Review, though none were chosen president. The fact that he was also the first black student to occupy this position gave him a level of fame rarely reached by any college student in any year. Also, no one attains this position unless both their grades and their known personal life are both near perfect.

“he didn’t have US Citizenship. " Would you guys make up your minds?? I thought the problem was that he wasn’t a NBC, not that he didn’t have citizenship at all. Which is it?

Yes, misreading Minor is usually the first step many birthers take in reaching the wrong conclusion. That “s” on parents tends to get the Obama haters all excited. At least 11 judges have said it doesn’t apply, it doesn’t agree with British common law, and it doesn’t agree with cases that actually did address the question, namely United States v. Wong Kim Ark and Ankeny v. Governor of the State of Indiana.And for good measure, we’ll add in the words James Madison:“It is an established maxim, that birth is a criterion of allegiance. Birth, however, derives its force sometimes from place, and sometimes from parentage; but, in general place is the most certain criterion; it is what applies in the United States.”But, as you probably know, birthers are beyond stubborn. If anyone wants a very thorough run-down of this issue, here’s one: http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2012/06/leftovers/#more-18467

my cousin had an eye removed years ago because of a blastoma. he drives very well.