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Wednesday December 21, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday December 21, 2022

Impeachments, Criminal Referrals, and Trading Cards

The criminal referral of Donald Trump to the Department of Justice by a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack is largely symbolic – the panel itself has no power to prosecute any individual.

February 11, 2021

Nonetheless, the recommendation that Trump be investigated for four potential crimes – obstructing an official proceeding; conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to make a false statement; and inciting, assisting or aiding or comforting an insurrection – raises the prospect of an indictment, or even a conviction, of the former president.

It also poses serious ethical questions, given that Trump has already announced a 2024 run for the presidency, especially in regards to the referral over his alleged inciting or assisting an insurrection. Indeed, a Department of Justice investigation over Trump’s activities during the insurrection is already under way.

But would an indictment – or even a felony conviction – prevent a presidential candidate from running or serving in office?

The short answer is no. Here’s why:

The U.S. Constitution specifies in clear language the qualifications required to hold the office of the presidency. In Section 1, Clause 5 of Article II, it states: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

These three requirements – natural-born citizenship, age and residency – are the only specifications set forth in the United States’ founding document.

January 8, 2021

But in case of insurrection, the Constitution includes no qualification regarding those conditions – with one significant exception. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies any person from holding federal office “who, having previously taken an oath … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

The reason why this matters is the Department of Justice is currently investigating Trump for his activities related to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And one of the four criminal referrals made by the Jan. 6 House committee was over Trump’s alleged role in inciting, assisting or aiding and comforting an insurrection.

Even in the case of conviction and incarceration, a presidential candidate would not be prevented from continuing their campaign – even if, as a felon, they might not be able to vote for themselves.

History is dotted with instances of candidates for federal office running – and even being elected – while in prison. As early as 1798 – some 79 years before the 14th Amendment – House member Matthew Lyon was elected to Congress from a prison cell, where he was serving a sentence for sedition for speaking out against the Federalist Adams administration.

Eugene Debs, founder of the Socialist Party of America, ran for president in 1920 while serving a prison sentence for sedition. Although he lost the election, he nevertheless won 913,693 votes. Debs promised to pardon himself if he were elected.

And controversial politician and conspiracy theorist Lyndon Larouche also ran for president from a jail cell in 1992. (The Conversation) 

 

Friday April 12, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 12, 2019

Ontario tightens purse strings, PCs don’t plan to balance books until 2023-24

May 17, 2018

Ontario’s books won’t be balanced within the Progressive Conservatives’ mandate, but the government’s first budget serves up an era of gradual belt-tightening with a side of booze.

The Tories peg the current deficit at $11.7 billion, and they don’t expect to eliminate the red ink until 2023-24. Drastic and widespread cuts that many had feared did not materialize in this budget, but the path to balance shows that much of the heavy lifting comes at the halfway mark to the next election, and after it.

March 27, 2009

The budget constrains spending growth – and shows cuts in post-secondary and social services – but is still nearly $5 billion larger than the last budget from the previous Liberal government, who the Progressive Conservatives often slam for their spending habits.

“We have developed a reasonable path to balance,” Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said. “Our path to balance in five years is a thoughtful and a measured approach to take … Our entire premise is to protect what matters most.”

The budget contains no new taxes. In addition to tackling the deficit, the government is also taking aim at the net debt – currently pegged at $343 billion – through ensuring surpluses and unused reserve or contingency funds go to paying it down.

March 20, 2004

As well, planned legislation would require the government to develop a debt burden reduction strategy, and make the premier and finance minister pay 10 per cent of their salaries for each missed reporting deadline for documents such as the budget and quarterly economic accounts. (Source: Global News)  

 

Tuesday March 5, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 5, 2019

Jane Philpott resigns from cabinet, citing loss of ‘confidence’ over government’s handling of SNC-Lavalin

February 9, 2019

Jane Philpott, one of Justin Trudeau’s most trusted ministers, announced today she has resigned from cabinet as the Liberal government’s crisis over the SNC-Lavalin affair deepens.

“I must abide by my core values, my ethical responsibilities and constitutional obligations,” she said in a written statement.

“There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them.”

Trudeau later praised Philpott for her diligent work on crucial government files.

Philpott, the MP for Markham-Stouffville, said she has been considering the events that have shaken the federal government in recent weeks and, after “serious reflection,” concluded she must quit.

She said the constitutional convention of cabinet solidarity means ministers are expected to defend all cabinet decisions and other ministers publicly, and must speak in support of the government and its policies.

August 20, 2016

“Given this convention and the current circumstances, it is untenable for me to continue to serve as a cabinet minister,” she wrote.

“Unfortunately, the evidence of efforts by politicians and/or officials to pressure the former attorney general to intervene in the criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin, and the evidence as to the content of those efforts, have raised serious concerns for me. Those concerns have been augmented by the views expressed by my constituents and other Canadians.”

Andrew Scheer Gallery

Philpott is a close ally of Jody Wilson-Raybould, the former justice minister and attorney general at the centre of the SNC-Lavalin scandal. Wilson-Raybould testified before a Commons committee last week that 11 officials in the Prime Minister’s Office and other offices inappropriately pressured her to override a decision to prosecute SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya. (Source: CBC News)  

 

Hearing from the Lawyers

Willie Nelson | By Graeme MacKay USA, United States, America, Americana, music, country, western, cartoon, caricature, Willie Nelson, musician, singer, songwriter, author, poet, actor, activist, marijuana, folk, trigger, guitar For sale at the mackaycartoons boutique Redbubble has been authorized a non-exclusive royalty free license to use this illustration for display on a one time basis. Unauthourized duplication of this image is strictly prohibited. Please refer to contact information through http://www.mackaycartoons.net for re-use rights. By Graeme MacKay Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Illustrated between 1994-2015

Through my website I offer for sale some of my cartoons on a variety of products from t-shirts to coffee cups. It’s mainly a means to get my work out beyond the newspapers and put a few coins in my pocket. To do this I use the company Redbubble.com to manufacture and send out the swag. All I have to do is upload images, adjust how they’ll appear, and add relevant descriptions and keywords. Every month, I get a tiny royalty knowing which images sold, on what products, and on which continent.

It’s all quite fun until work is removed due to a charge of violating Redbubble’s IP/Publicity Rights Policy. Which happened to me when the Content Team sent the following email informing me of a complaint received by WN Music Company, LLC, regarding my caricature of Willie Nelson:

legalese

It’s a form letter so I’m not sure if the violation is using the lyric “Always on my mind”, or merely capitalizing on the Willie Nelson brand. Whatever the case I sense a mixture of emotions ranging from feeling like a criminal for looting Willie Nelson’s stash and besmirching his reputation, to being oppressed by big Music for freely expressing my admiration for a legend in a whimsical little doodle.

After a bit of reflection the position I find myself feeling is somewhere in the middle. As a cartoonist, I’ve had my own experience of others taking my work and repurposing it for their own benefit. I’m assuming the lawyers don’t like my use of the lyric, and the image was just the kicker in its eradication from the Redbubble site. The same sort of thing happened to another swag creator when lawyers for Taylor Swift sent a cease and desist letter for using her song lyrics on a coffee cup

The legal department at Redbubble.com must deal with a horrendous amount of copyright infringement complaints and a casual look through will find blatant rip offs of other artists and brands. It’s impossible for Redbubble to properly regulate until complaints are filed, and when they are it’s way easier for them to remove the offending item and not get involved in the legal wrangling that might ensue between the two parties.

While the free speech/expresionist instinct kicked in and I thought about removing the lyric and reposting the caricature as “Nillie Welson”, it’s not a sword I’m willing to fall on. It’s one thing to use the caricature of public personality in an editorial cartoon printed in a newspaper, and quite another to make money on that personality’s image.

Victory for the Willie Nelson brand, I suppose, and I’ll still enjoy his music.

Saturday July 12, 2014

Saturday July 12, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 12, 2014

Killing two birds with one sign

For SaleIt turns out a block-letter “Hamilton” highway sign faces some pricey road blocks.

City councillors officially pulled the plug Monday on a fast-tracked, $230,000 effort to build a “civic gateway” along Highway 403 that would be ready in time for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

Cost-leery councillors learned fabricating the metal sign would probably only cost $40,000. But design and archeological studies, road-building for access, utilities and traffic management could pump the total beyond $230,000.

City manager Chris Murray also said it isn’t worthwhile soliciting donations for the project until detailed cost and design information is available.

Gobsmacked councillors referred the report to the 2015 budget debate, but gave staff permission to use up to $36,000 in reserve cash to do geotechnical and design studies on a Highway 403 site near Old Guelph Road.

Detailed project costs will be considered as part of 2015 budget discussions.

Councillors initially supported an online “#time4sign” campaign spearheaded by local pundit and public relations expert Laura Babcock, but later balked at the high price.

A similar block letter Stoney Creek sign erected years ago cost close to $300,000, noted area Councillor Brad Clark.

“We can’t rush this,” said Clark, who suggested council has been “flying by the seat of our pants” in pushing the project for a Pan Am deadline.

“I appreciate the desire to get it done quickly, but I’m not sure we can.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday, June 14, 2013Meanwhile, the storied City Motor Hotel sign has come down — for now.

The city will dismantle and store the tarnished, towering sign “with the hope of resurrecting it sometime down the road,” said ward Councillor Sam Merulla.

Merulla said the vintage sign is an important piece of Hamilton’s history, but added it will take some work — and possibly up to $50,000 — to restore.

There are no concrete plans to reuse the sign, he added, “but we’re looking.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

LETTERS to the EDITOR

Hamilton welcome sign (Editorial cartoon, July 12)

Graeme MacKay’s cartoon is just plain brilliant. Thank you to him for thinking outside of the box and for the great suggestion for the use of the old City Motor Motel sign.

Why not restore the sign at a cost of $50,000 instead of the proposed $200,000 plus, plus for a Welcome to Hamilton sign? A welcome sign has been needed for years and we still do not have one. How difficult can it be?

Hamilton is a unique city and this sign would be perfect. As shown in the cartoon, it looks like the right size, and positioned on the pillars, it looks like a big H. I love the arrows directing tourists to our wonderful city.

Hey, City Council, you gotta love it. Look at the money you would be saving the taxpayers and actually recycling for better use.

I can’t wait!

J. Campbell, Hamilton

 

City Motor Hotel sign (Editorial cartoon, July 12)

We know the City of Hamilton has other challenges, yet Graeme MacKay’s editorial cartoon offers a bright idea, one not so far-fetched — the maintenance, preservation-in-place and reuse of the city’s neon signs as 20th-century historical artifacts and pieces of art. Consider Hamilton’s neon signs as a reflection of a modern “coming-of-age” for the city.

In Colorado, Denver’s 26-mile long Colfax Avenue, known as one of the longest commercial streets in the U.S., has a glimmering array of neon signs, the earliest installed in the 1930s. Advertising local businesses such as motels, auto shops and ice-cream parlours, 12 of them are on Colorado Preservation’s list of endangered places.

The city of Burnaby, B.C., has purchased and restored several neon signs considered “rare civic heritage landmarks,” including one from an iconic hamburger stand. My guess would be that many area residents would miss the Hutch’s-on-the-Beach neon sign if it was changed to a different style. Recently it was announced that the Sam the Record Man sign will be reinstalled on the side of a university building in downtown Toronto.

Here’s a thought — maybe the City of Hamilton could use the City Motel’s neon sign as a welcoming sign where it is currently located or a new development or business could reuse the sign. By considering such signs in a different light and frame of time, we can create ways that existing businesses could keep them in use and new businesses can coexist with these “old” signs rather than lose such signposts from the urban landscape.

 Marsha Paley, Burlington

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

 

From Scott Thompson, CHML, July 14, 2014

We all know the history involving the saga of the Welcome sign for Hamilton.

Some well-meaning movers and shakers in town thought it would be a good idea to have a sign ready for the 2015 Pam Am games.

Little did we remember this was all dealt with over a decade ago but nothing was ever done by council to complete the project. Surprised?

Now the mad dash to get something up in time, may prove fruitless as more consultation has to be done.

Forget about a stadium, we can’t even get a sign up in time for the games.

Although one aimless councillor thought the old City Motor Hotel sign was worth saving so it can be restored.

The councillor lamented it’s a piece of Hamilton history and wants it stored to be resurrected again.

Really, I thought we were trying to rid ourselves of the run down, derelict, backwards city image.

Seems some at council still refuse to get out of the past.

Perhaps like Spec cartoonist  Graeme MacKay captured in his weekend drawing, maybe the City Motor Hotel sign can be retrofitted and used as a Welcome to Hamilton sign.

 I’m Scott Thompson.

Well said Scott, it really makes you wonder where the Council’s priorities are when we see this type of thing happen and the cartoon that reveals what a laughing stock our Council is when they make these types of statements. I was laughing so hard when I was this picture in the Sat Spec, my wife thought I was loosing it….. Election time is around the corner, lets hope we get some needed changes at City Hall to move forward as you say.

Like Alan, I was nearly spitting up breakfast with my laughter…what a great cartoon and how fitting. When the article said about restoring the sign at $50,000, I nearly spit up my coffee too. When O WHEN is this City Council of ours going to do something Right, for a change ? Worse than Mr. Dithers from the Dagwood comic strip. They debate a simple issue to death and nothing gets done until it’s too late. No wonder we have so much voter apathy and little faith in those who are supposed to be running this Town with some vision….anyways it was a great cartoon. I wonder if anyone on City Council “got it”