Today's Tomorrow Cartoon - Home Of The Brave

(click on image to enlarge)

(Tom Tomorrow, via Daily Kos)

The party of fear and loathing.

Biden "Sets The Record Straight" On Refugees, ISIS And American Values

With President Obama wrapping up his overseas trip, it was left to Vice President Biden to do the Weekly Address, and we must say "way to go, Joe!"

Right-Wingers Playing Into ISIS' Hands

As we hear the hysterical, reactionary drumbeat from the usual, arrant fools on the right both here and abroad, let's see what intelligent people have to say about ISIS' strategy and how to defeat it.

Here's Fareed Zakaria (h/t Crooks and Liars):

It's worth asking, what does ISIS want? By most accounts, it wants all of this, a world divided between Muslims and non-Muslims. Its propaganda stresses that the West is intractably anti-Muslim. It has always openly tried to draw Western forces into Iraq and Syria hoping to make itself the great army of believers fighting the crusaders. (our emphasis)

 Here's Shadi Hamid:

“Anti-Muslim and anti-refugee sentiment really play into ISIS' hands," Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an author on Islamist politics, told The WorldPost. “The more that happens, the more French Muslims feel alienated and are susceptible to extremist recruitment.”

“France has long had a problem with integrating its Muslim population, and France does have a disproportionately high contribution of foreign fighters to ISIS,” Hamid said. “So there’s a deeper issue here and it hasn’t gotten better, it’s only gotten worse.”  [snip]

"You hear Republicans saying clash of civilizations and civilizational war, and they don’t realize that’s exactly what ISIS wants us to be saying," Hamid said. "It’s remarkable to me, and just shows a very basic lack of understanding of the threat that we face." (our emphasis)

In the aftermath of the horrific attacks in Paris (and, if confirmed, the downing of the Russian airliner by a bomb over the Sinai, killing 224 people), the response must of course target the vicious, soulless perpetrators.  We must not let this crime be used by right- wingers to set citizen against citizen in order to fulfill their xenophobic, authoritarian agenda.  That would make us allies with ISIS, a role currently being played by right- wing extremists.

UPDATE:  See also this piece by Harleen Gambhir on the same subject.

Scott Walker Thinks Fighting ISIS Is Like Fighting Labor Unions

Koch brothers employee of the year and Wisconsin Gov. Scott "Kochhead" Walker (R-Kochland) is demonstrating once again why he isn't (and really never will be) ready for Prime Time.  At the Circus Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday, the man whose bald spot has its own Facebook page was asked how he would deal with ISIS.  After summoning his mental Rolodex to remember his talking points, he said this:

“We need have someone who leads and ultimately will send a message that not only will we protect American soil, but…freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world. We need that confidence,” he said. “If I can take on a hundred thousand protesters, I can do the same across the world.” (our emphasis)

Well, even some conservatives thought Walker might have gone a bit far in likening his union-busting in Wisconsin to fighting a terrorist organization.  So, let his hemming- and- hawing commence:

"Let me be perfectly clear, I’m just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling this difficult situation is the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with," Walker said. [...] 

"You all will misconstrue things the way you see fit," he said. "That’s the closest thing I have in terms of handling a difficult situation, not that there’s any parallel between the two."

Still not good enough?  Maybe you should let one of the spinmeisters the Koch brothers you paid for try to straighten things out for you:

"Governor Walker believes our fight against ISIS is one of the most important issues our country faces. He was in no way comparing any American citizen to ISIS. What the governor was saying was when faced with adversity he chooses strength and leadership. Those are the qualities we need to fix the leadership void this White House has created." 

"Governor Walker" doesn't have the slightest clue about ISIS or any other foreign policy issue.  He's a small bore functionary in the Koch brothers operation aiming to turn America into a plutocrat's Utopia.  Of course he intended to compare labor unions with ISIS.  Union-busting is what made his career (besides campaign fraud and irregularities, that is).

The dishonest little weasel has made enough unforced errors in recent weeks to fill up an entire campaign season.  There was the evolution question.  Then there was the "Is Obama a Christian" question. Then there was the "Do you think Obama loves America" question.  Then there was the clumsy attempt to slash funding from the University of Wisconsin (and trying to change its mission) while funding a plutocrat's new sports arena.  And his eagerness to sign a "right to work" law that he claimed while campaigning he wasn't all that interested in? And his proposal to slash public education funding in the State?  Oh, did we mention he wants to skip a State debt payment because his tax cuts for the rich haven't panned out so well?

Of course, this recitation of stupidity and shilling for the plutocrat class endears him to the mouth-breathers on the right.  It may not go down so well with the general electorate if he ever gets that far (current polls notwithstanding, he won't).

BONUS:  Be sure to read Mr. Pierce's takedown of Walker the Warrior.

(h/t to Wisconsin cousin Nancy)

Today's Cartoon (and R.I.P.)

(click to enlarge)

If only ...

(Ben Sargent, Austin (TX) American-Statesman)

We also wish to note the passing, on September 14,  of the great editorial cartoonist Tony Auth.  His integrity and insight will be missed.