Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for April 04, 2012

Thank you. We will call you for a second interview.

We need more Toggles and fewer warmongers, propagandists, fear merchants and war pornographers.

Not a beefy T with ink?

Probably something along the lines of “if you dress decent people will have more respect for you and your abilities”. More importantly here for the future story line he notes that Alex was correct. Meaning he might start taking her advice more, or at least seeking it more often.

All to impress Grams at this big meeting. It’s touching to see how ditsy Joanie from the 70s has become a polestar of stability for Alex’s generation.

..is there a rest of the world outside of the US?

I love this strip.

Dukedoug, a lot of us are as appalled and disgusted as you are.

King Shark — hear hear!

“Alex right”? I understand that Leo talks like Tarzan because of his injury. But I didn’t think he thought like Tarzan. I figured he thought in actual sentences, like “Alex was right.” On another note, I’ve read just enough about the Trayvon case to know that I don’t really know what happened, in spite of all the hoopla. Zimmerman stalked Trayvon, and apparently had paranoid delusions about what constituted ‘suspicious behavior’. But let’s say he provoked a confrontation with Trayvon, the two got into a scuffle, Zimmerman lost the fight and his nerve, was convinced that Trayvon (who was taller than Zimmerman and no longer the cute little kid shown in some two-year-old photographs) was really about to hurt him: and pulled out his gun and shot him. Somebody was yelling for help just before the shot. Zimmerman claims it was him, not Trayvon, that was yelling for help. This is the kind of thing that happens when would-be heroes, untrained and unthinking, create situations they don’t know how to handle. If Zimmerman had threatened Trayvon with his gun when Trayvon was still yards away, there could not have been a scuffle. Was Zimmerman clever enough to provoke fight with his gun carefully hidden just so he could claim self-defense when he planned the murder of a stranger? In other words, Zimmerman may be a jerk but he did not necessarily break the law. I’m not saying he did not, I’m just saying I don’t know. In any case, he’s a good argument for not having armed amateurs roaming around ‘protecting’ the neighborhood.

“Collared shirt,” to people even older than me, means a woven shirt you actually have to hang on a hanger and/or iron.

You can’t just pull it from a pile or a duffel bag, so it implies respectability. I had a stupid job with a written dress code specifying a “white, cotton, collared shirt.” I wore a white knit polo shirt the first day, and I was told it was unacceptable.

Yes, they all think we’re still a bunch of wild west cowboys.

It never ceases to amuse me: Ask a young person in his own country how he thinks about America and he will answer with some derisive comment.

After he stops ranting, ask that same person where he would like to live other than his own country, and the answer is always the same: America!

The reaction is always the same; whether it’s in France, Niegeria, China, Iran or any Arab or Muslim country. Yes, our image abroad is a “bunch of wild west cowboys”, but oh, do they love the idea of being a cowboy!

I shouldn’t be, but I’m amazed by how quickly people have devolved over this Trayvon Martin case. No matter the outcome somebody is going to feel cheated out of justice in this case.

We have been appalled and embarrassed by worse than this – The George W. Bush years, notably, Rush Limbaugh, notably, the religious right, notably, and yes, we are very aware of how it looks. No need to rub it into the skin of those of us who abhor such stuff. Please be aware that there are great numbers of us who feel the same – we just don’t constitute a sexy news story.

Drat. The frickin Treyvan case is keeping us from discussing a very cool Doonesbury plot.

Joanie is softballing the engagement interview? No more Jeff v Toggle contrast?

Sorry, I should have said grandmother-in-law. The Doonesbury family trees have a lot of tangled branches.

Yes. Class will tell.

It sounds to me as if you have also made up your mind and tried the case without the facts. No one but Zimmerman knows what happened in the last 60 seconds, no one knows if both or either of them were beaten and threatened with death. We still don’t know for sure who was screaming. All we know is that someone was killed. If you want liberals to keep an open mind, then you should do the same.

“Of course the facts of the case do not matter. Like that Mr. Zimmerman was beaten and threatened with death. "

You know this to be true? Were you there? Did the police do a thorough investigation? Or was this a case of dead black person, live white (enough) guy with a father that is a retired judge influencing the police?

According to this “stand your ground” law pushed by gun nuts, ALEC, the Koch brothers, and the NRA, had Treyvon killed Zimmerman, he could claim it was justified, as he was in fear of his life.

What would YOU think if someone got out of a car and started chasing YOU? They want to be your friend?

I was puzzled too, at first until I checked back and noted that Jeff was wearing a T-shirt so, maybe, GT is comparing the more appropriately (for the occasion) dressed Toggle with “supercasual Jeff.”

“Collared shirt” means he’s NOT a “red neck”!

I hold to the tenet of “innocent until proven guilty”, but George Zimmerman has admitted to killing Trayvon Martin, and Zimmerman’s story doesn’t match the released evidence.The worst part of this killing, however, is that Orlando’s police have not arrested Zimmerman. He has admitted killing another human being. He must be arrested so that we can hold a trial and determine all the facts. Zimmerman, Martin, & all of us deserve due process.Alex points out Leo’s “collared shirt”, what I call a button-down shirt, to highlight a contrast between him and too many people, who have trouble dressing to even the lowest standard. I keep seeing people out in public in their pyjamas, shuffling around in flip-flops or slippers, dressed in clothes that are wrinkled & filthy, unbuttoned & untucked. It is an insult and a cry for help.(Also, Jeff always wears a black t-shirt, so Alex gets to make that contrast, too.)I agree that Leo should’ve thought in full sentences in the last panel, but note how Trudeau increased his stammer to show that he’s a bit nervous meeting Joan. He doesn’t stammer as much any longer when he & Alex are alone or when he’s in the studio.

Zimmerman was arrested, taken into custody. He was then let go, not declared innocent. What is wrong with that? He was known to the police and the community. Punishing a crime is for after the trial, if he is found guilty. The only reason to put him in jail now is if they are scared he will run. He would have to be a special case, put in a solitary confinement situation, for his own safety. Why should we spend that money?

Maybe Jeff and Leo will go out drinking for the bachelor’s party.

Too many comments. By the time I finished reading them I forgot what I was going to say.

"Like that Mr. Zimmerman was beaten and threatened with death. "Those are not known facts. That’s why we need cops who do their jobs and investigate.

No – we really don’t give a damn anymore! And do you realize that “realise” is spelled with a “z”? It’s the AMERICAN way!

You can accurately access the view of the world about the United States from the dreams of the 12 to 20,000,000 immigrants risked their lives and spend thousands of dollars to come here illegally.

Makes you wonder why the people who know better don’t stand down by the border and warn them away before they get here. "Run away while you can. " “You’ll be sorry.” “You don’t know what you’re getting into.” “You don’t know what’s good for yourself.”

Do you realize how snotty that makes you look to the readers?

Sixty six roiling comments all started by lwp, as usual. Well leftwing since today’s opening day for MLBB, are you still a Giants fan?

Oh yes!!

One of my favorite bumper stickers is “America: Love it or FIX IT!” in reply to the ‘leave it’ bumpkins. We’ve got a lot going for us, but it takes constant vigilance (NO, not that kind!) and effort to make mid-course corrections. And don’t confuse your Newtons with Foot-Pounds (OOPS!)

“At least it’s not a hoody !!

(Do you Americans realise how that incident makes you look to the rest of the world ?)"

We didn’t ALL do it, you know. Actually, Jack the Ripper made all of you look pretty bad to the rest of the world. You should apologize.

OH COME ON, why are you so eager to hate on America? Remember that psycho Norwegian who killed a bunch of kids a while back? Nobody was going around saying “Oh, that reflects badly on Norway,” were they? Why must a much larger country be blamed for the actions of an equal number of its members?