Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for December 11, 2010

The end of a brilliant career?

“Mom I want to come home.”

“oh and I need fifty million dollars.”

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton just sent out an email blast asking for money for his Hillary’s campaign debt. This July his daughter Chelsea’s wedding cost over 22 million dollars. They didn’t seem to have any trouble paying for that. Then he goes and sings kumbaya with Obama about maintaining the Bush tax cuts for the nation’s most wealthy.

If Trudeau is “teaching” anything with these strips it’s how to giggle at trivia and propaganda while the power elites rip you blind.

I didn’t know that FOX was auditioning, for a new “talking points” person.

I always suspected that Jeff would wind up in Mom’s basement.

For anyone interested, here are the tax facts:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/250.html

Not caring really does begin with them not caring about you. Children learn what they’re taught. So hurry up with the “not caring about people who don’t care about you” part, Jeff, it’ll make you fit into Not Mom’s world a LOT better and make you look a lot less foolish to some others.

A mixture of Clonazepam, Citalopram and Divalproex does wonders to forget the ,um, everything. You do need a prescription.

Perhaps we have all been taken for a ride by Trudeau. It’s beginning to appear that the whole “Overkill” story was just a delusion of Jeff’s. Was Jeff ever actually in Afghanistan as a part of Overkill’s organization? As “Doonesbury” goes to another storyline, I guess we’ll have to wait at least another 3-4 weeks to find out.

You sound like you have a lot of experience with that, Larry.

12 years.

I see this as a true crisis of character in Jeff. Were his intentions as the Red Rascal to truly help people or be the center of attention to satisfy his own ego. The smaller people are crying out for help here. Will he continue to feel sorry for himself or will he overcome and realize that it doesn’t matter if he failed a mission…. it is about the people needing him…. not him gratifying his own ego. Will he run back home to momma or will he grow up?

Alcohol works pretty well, too (“those drinking to forget, kindly pay in advance”), but Clonazepam, Citalopram and Divalproex might be easier to get in Afghanistan.

I Googled “Clinton Wedding Cost” and it ranged from 2 to 5 Million dollars. RANDGRITHER must have been taking those medications you are writing about. Or he watches Fox News. Where on earth would he come up with a 22 million dollar estimate???

Lest anyone be snookered by Sandfan’s tax foundation link, just be aware that it’s staffed by Heritage Foundation, Federalist Society, George Mason-type philosophers.

Founded in 1937 ought to be the first tip-off – five years into the New Deal and founded by Roosevelt-haters – people with lots of money and not a nickel’s worth of concern for others.

If it were up to the Tax Foundation, we would have no Social Security, no Medicare, and most of us would be plantation workers living in unheated huts.

@ Mythreesons,,,, The $22 million was in an e-mail sent around by Republican supporters. It was also reported as anything from $30,000 to $100 million. My Republican friends made sure i knew how extravagant the Clinton’s were.

Oh, Yes, The taxpayers paid for it too.

The old “Folks I just got busted” is always a tough call to make, and who among us hasn’t been in Jeff’s shoes before? Aren’t we supposed to lose a little cynicism and be more compassionate during the holiday season?

At least some people have the same aspirations for their children as Joanie does.

The only reality Jeff discovers is his “self,” which immature persons commonly equate with their soul. For reality, you have to look beyond comic strips to historical legends like Elijah.

When Jezebel persecuted Elijah because he’d killed all her priests of Baal, Elijah fled south to a cave on Mt. Sinai. Like Jeff, he despaired and asked Yahweh to take his life, since he’d lost the battle with YHWH’s enemies. Yahweh tells him to go out and stand on the mountain.

What Elijah experiences next is not a cell-phone call. “And behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks, but Yahweh was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still small voice.

“When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, the voice said to him, ‘What dost thou here, Elijah?’”

It will do Jeff no good to hear from his mother or even from his creator (Trudeau), because he’ll never ask himself the real, adult question: What dost thou here, Redfern?

“Gee Mr. Wizard, looks like I made a mess out of things again.” Heh, Heh, Alvays, Alvays, I tell you Tutor: “Be just wot you is, Not wot you is not, Those that do dis, Are the happiest lot.”

Well, since we’re quoting verses;

Oh father high in heaven – smile down upon your son Whose busy with his money games – his women and his gun. Oh jesus save me! And the unsung western hero killed an indian or three And made his name in hollywood To set the white man free. Oh jesus save me! If jesus saves – well, he’d better save himself From the gory glory seekers who use his name in death. Oh jesus save me! I saw him in the city and on the mountains of the moon – His cross was rather bloody – He could hardly roll his stone. Oh jesus save me!

Hymn 43

The remarkable thing about the words of Tull was that, they were written before RR was Prez. It’s almost as if Ian Anderson is a prophet.

Bonus lesson

If Jeff feels depressed now, wait until he gets home…and has to face his father.

You know… The one who already thinks of his son as a screw-up?

Funny thing is… I remember when Jeff was a little boy asking Mom for a ride to school, because his father was too busy playing - are you ready for this? - VIDEO GAMES!!!

I distinctly remember Jeff telling his mom, “I don’t want to be late again.”

And one day, when Dad was meeting Jeff’s teacher, Dad still had video games on the brain.

So…. How did Jeff become such a screw-up? GUESS!!!