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Friday May 26, 2023

May 26, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 26, 2023

DeSantis’ Presidential Spectacle: From Twitter Chats to Dewoke Rats

November 10, 2022

Political journalists and pundits spent a significant portion of Wednesday fixating on the unconventional method by which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his presidential candidacy. He chose to utilize Twitter Spaces for an audio conversation, accompanied by billionaire Elon Musk and David Sacks, a South African-born venture capitalist and Republican donor. Sacks had recently expressed his belief that continued military support for Ukraine could lead to a hypothetical “woke war III.”

The media engaged in rampant speculation about DeSantis’ decision to forgo an in-person event in his hometown near Tampa and pondered the level of attention he would receive from Fox News, which has a tumultuous relationship with the governor, vacillating between support and disillusionment. The spectacle resembled a Disneyworld parade with its satirical mascot, “Ron Dewoke Rat,” a twisted caricature of Mickey Mouse.

Certainly, the choice of Twitter as the platform for the announcement is intriguing, as it indicates DeSantis’ alignment with influential right-wing financiers. The message to other affluent Republicans is clear: even if you distance yourself from Trump, DeSantis will still advocate for your interests regarding tax policies, wages, and similar matters. It is akin to displaying a bumper sticker on your luxury car that assures you of safety under DeSantis’ leadership in the digital age.

Analysis: How DeSantis Allies Plan to Beat Trump in the 2024 Presidential Election 

November 12, 2022

However, the rollout of the announcement was marred by embarrassing technical issues, which is unsurprising given Twitter’s frequent glitches under Musk’s ownership. It is ironic that a governor who touts his technological savvy would stumble on such a platform.

Beneath DeSantis’ incessant culture wars lies a distressing reality of policies that disregard the majority of Florida’s non-wealthy citizens. While he wages his crusade against what he perceives as “wokeness,” which translates to opposing equal and fair treatment of Black, gay, and transgender individuals, he has also fostered an environment of censorship. Florida schools have removed books like “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, a young Black poet whose powerful recitation captivated audiences at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Although it is unlikely that DeSantis personally made these decisions, his relentless campaign against perceived wokeness has laid the groundwork for such acts.

June 24, 2022

DeSantis has also enacted policies regarding women’s reproductive rights that ban abortions after only six weeks of pregnancy, often before women even realize they are pregnant. He takes pride in legislation that restricts gender-affirming care for minors, targets drag shows, limits discussions of personal pronouns in schools, and enforces discriminatory bathroom policies. These actions are based on narratives that experts from major medical associations have debunked, yet DeSantis persists in spreading misinformation, such as falsely claiming that children are routinely subjected to “mutilation.”

In addition to his divisive tactics in the culture war, DeSantis has resorted to attention-seeking and destructive stunts, such as transporting plane-loads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and engaging in public feuds with Disney, a prominent employer and tourist attraction. Internationally, he infamously referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a mere “territorial dispute,” only to backtrack when his statement did not resonate well within his own party.

Analysis: Will Ron DeSantis’s culture war with Disney threaten his White House run?  

March 22, 2023

Unfortunately, the media pays less attention to the fact that while DeSantis proclaims Florida to be “where woke goes to die,” the state has also become a place where its residents suffer in various ways. Florida ranks poorly in healthcare, school funding, and long-term care for the elderly. Teachers’ salaries are among the lowest nationwide, unemployment benefits are inadequate, and the governor actively opposes efforts to raise the minimum wage, which remains low in the state.

The regressive tax structure of Florida explains why wealthy individuals are flocking to the state. With no individual income tax and an exceptionally low corporate tax rate, it becomes an attractive haven for affluent Americans seeking to evade their fair share of taxes. However, this burden falls disproportionately on the poor and middle class, as the state heavily relies on sales and excise taxes for revenue. Consequently, Florida ranks worse than comparable northern states in areas such as diabetes, cancer mortality, teenage birth rates, and infant mortality.

Beneath the flashy distractions of DeSantis’ culture wars lies a grim reality of policies that neglect the majority of Florida’s non-wealthy citizens. If Florida sets the tone for the nation, electing Ron DeSantis as president could result in unfortunate repercussions stemming from his governance. (AI)


Letter to the Editor, The Hamilton Spectator, May 29, 2023 

Letter to the Editor

WOKE must die at Spec

I fail to understand why The Spectator would stoop so low as to publish a cartoon (May 25) of this nature. Only a small percentage of the population support WOKE. DeSantis famously stated “Florida is where WOKE comes to die” and many support him. As owner of a small USA business I follow U.S. politics closely. WOKE needs to die at The Spectator, too.

John McGrath, Dundas


‘Don’t say gay’ could lead to mass clear out of libraries (The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday June 3, 2023)

A recent letter writer (May 29) complained about an earlier Spectator cartoon. It showed “Ron DeWokeRat” (a caricature of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis) burning literature labelled “Filth” (including The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Hill We Climb, the poem read by Amanda Gorman, a young black woman, at President Biden’s inauguration). The letter writer approvingly quoted DeSantis as saying “Florida is where WOKE comes to die” and then went on to argue that “WOKE needs to die at The Spectator, too.”

June 3, 2023

I couldn’t tell what the specific objection to the cartoon was but it seems that the writer supports DeSantis’ policies. These include letting parents force the removal of books they don’t like from public school libraries. I suspect the letter writer would like to see that policy replicated here.

But I wonder if the writer has thought through what would happen if it were combined with the DeSantis ban on the word “gay.” All sorts of books would disappear from the shelves, including many of the English classics.

For example, in A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens wrote of “gay crowds.” In George Eliot’s Middlemarch, we can read that “Mr. Bambridge was a man of pleasure and a gay companion.” I assume that Governor DeSantis would agree that our children shouldn’t read this, especially when you remember that the book was written by a woman pretending to be a man. Was she (horror!) transgender or did she simply cross-dress?

No doubt DeSantis would also want to remove Pride and Prejudice from the eyes of the young and impressionable. Jane Austen wrote about “the streets of that gay bathing-place.” While the book has been read by many generations, its unsuitability should have been obvious simply from its title, which includes the word “Pride”! Austen even had the gall to suggest that anyone who objected was guilty of “Prejudice.”

And don’t try arguing that the word “gay” used to mean something different. “Don’t say gay” means “Don’t say gay.”

Seriously, do those who rail against “woke” even know what it means? Merriam-Webster defines it as: “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” In other words, woke means learning things, being sensitive to others, and paying attention to various forms of discrimination. What’s the problem with that? Surely we don’t want to raise a generation of ignorant, selfish bigots. By Harry Shannon, Harry Shannon lives in Dundas and blogs at PROBABLYMAYBE.NET  


Woke must stay alive – Letter to the Editor, The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday June 10, 2023

Concerning ‘Woke must die at Spec’, I believe the cartoon the author complains about is right on the money.

Woke describes people who are against racism and bigotry. Ron DeSantis and others have twisted Woke into a bad thing and they use it as an insult to those who do not share their beliefs.

The author goes on to say that only a small percentage of the population support Woke. Actually, it is fair and decent minded people who support Woke. I hope and pray that they are more than a small percentage of the population.

Jesus said: “love your enemy.” He was the most Woke person who ever lived. The author is right about one thing: Many do support DeSantis. They are all phoney Christians just like him. His restrictions of LGBTQ rights, his dictating what books people are allowed to read, and his entire platform is the roots of fascism.

Woke needs to stay alive and well at The Spectator and everywhere!

Douglas Doede, Burlington

Posted in: USA Tagged: 2023-10, article, Conservative, culture war, disney, Donald Trump, Feedback, identity politics, Mascot, Presidential, Printed in the Toronto Star, Republican, Ron deSantis, USA, woke

Saturday December 11, 2021

December 12, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday December 11, 2021

Fans feeling the love, excitement as CFL’s premier game set to kick off

Chants of “Oskee Wee Wee” are echoing through Hamilton, the streets flooded with CFL jerseys from across the country and rival fans are taking part in some good-natured ribbing.

It’s Grey Cup Sunday and the energy surrounding the biggest game in Canadian football can be felt around much of the city.

“The excitement, the fans, the crowds. It’s just going to be an amazing game,” said Pam Broadley who’s been cheering for the home team, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, for two decades.

The Ticats take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 6 p.m. ET.

It’s a rematch of the last time the Grey Cup was awarded in 2019, in Calgary, after last season was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (CBC) 

 

Posted in: Canada, Hamilton Tagged: 2021-41, blue bombers, cfl, football, Grey Cup, Hamilton, Mascot, Ticats, tiger-cats, Winnipeg

Thursday June 18, 2020

June 18, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 18, 2020

Grocery chains play the Grinch in springtime

What was going through the minds of Canada’s big grocery chains when they decided, pretty much simultaneously, to end premium pandemic pay for front-line staff?

May 22, 2019

One thing for sure, it wasn’t positive PR or corporate image messaging. Loblaw, Empire Co. Ltd. (Sobeys) and Metro are all getting hammered for the decision. And they deserve the pounding. 

The three grocery giants had been paying their employees a premium for continuing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping shelves stocked and people fed despite the personal risk. The so-called “hero pay” plans differed somewhat company to company, but they were all intended to convey the message to the public and staff that front-line grocery workers were heroes of the pandemic and deserved recognition.

Coronavirus cartoons

So what happened? Did the pandemic quietly end? Is the elevated risk gone?

Here is what Loblaw hair Galen Weston said about ending the $2 two dollars per hour premium: “As the economy slowly reopens and Canadians begin to return to work, we believe it is the right time to end the temporary pay premium we introduced at the beginning of the pandemic. Things have now stabilized in our supermarkets and drug stores. After extending the premium multiple times, we are confident our colleagues are operating safely and effectively in a new normal.”

Genevieve Gregoire, Metro’s communication manager, said: “We are no longer working under the crisis conditions that prevailed from March through May as grocers were amongst the only retailers open to the public. Demand is stabilizing as other business are reopening.”

Sobeys CEO Michael Medline put it this way: “As provinces execute their reopening plans and customer behaviour shifts, we felt that this was a natural time to end our Hero Pay program.”

Here’s the thing though. Ontario, for example, is still seeing new cases every day. Yes, the numbers are down, but we still saw 184 new cases between Tuesday and Wednesday morning. There are still new outbreaks at LTC facilities. The public and store staff are still advised or required to wear masks. 

Grocery execs and analysts will be quick to point out that most staff are second-income earners, or young people working part-time, as if that somehow means they shouldn’t be paid a living wage. They should and not just during a pandemic. 

We are not through this yet. Nearly everyone expects a second wave, which could bring consequences not unlike the first wave. Will grocery chains again decide their staff are heroes and pay them a premium? Will they again take out expensive TV ads thanking those heroes?

And what about the provincial government? It has been full of praise for front-line workers of all stripes. Wouldn’t you think it would reconsider its decision to kill a minimum-wage increase? Or is all Premier Doug Ford’s rhetoric, like that of the grocery store chains, really just a gimmick? (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2020-21, Canada, Coronavirus, covid-19, Galen Weston, grocery, labour, Mascot, Mr. Monopoly, pandemic, PC, Pennybags, President’s Choice, supermarkets, wages, wealth

Wednesday March 4, 2020

March 11, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday March 4, 2020

Ex-PM Joe Clark campaigns for Security Council seat in Africa, Persian Gulf

Former prime minister and foreign minister Joe Clark faces a tough slog during his travels to the Persian Gulf and Africa to campaign for Canada’s bid for the United Nations Security Council, analysts said Monday.

Joe Clark

Clark began a one-week trip Monday as “special envoy” to Algeria, Bahrain, Qatar and Egypt to campaign for Canada’s bid for a temporary two-year seat on the UN’s most powerful body.

If elected, the Trudeau government says Canada will continue to work to strengthen multilateralism, foster peace, address climate change, promote economic security and advance gender equality.

Bessma Momani, an expert in Middle East affairs at the University of Waterloo, says Clark may not get a very receptive audience to Canada’s push for women’s rights among some of the government representatives he will be meeting.

“The people certainly hold Canada in high regard, regardless of what the governments may think,” Momani said. “People are still queuing to immigrate here so clearly we are still doing something right.”

“Certainly our recent emphasis on human rights and women’s rights is probably not received that favourably in that part of the world, which tends to have more conservative values and are part of the global autocratic turn.”

February 8, 2020

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ethiopia and Senegal in February as part of his government’s campaign for the council seat. Several cabinet ministers have also been visiting countries across Africa in recent months.

The secret ballot at the UN General Assembly takes place in June for a two-year term starting next year.

Africa, with its 54 voting countries, is a key voting bloc in the tough fight that pits Canada against Norway and Ireland for two available seats. Both countries spend more per capita than Canada on foreign aid, which is seen by many analysts as an impediment to Canada’s chances to winning the competition.

December 10, 2003

Clark is an appropriate choice to campaign in the region, but he will have his work cut out for him, said Fen Hampson, a Carleton University expert who wrote a recent book on the foreign policy of the ex-prime minister Brian Mulroney. Clark served as Mulroney’s minister of external affairs.

“African leaders with long memories will recall the important role Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney played in the Commonwealth in helping to bring an end to apartheid in South Africa and also stepping up to the plate in the Ethiopian famine crisis,” said Hampson. (CTV News) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2020-08, Canada, diplomacy, Joe Clark, Justin Trudeau, Maple Leaf, Mascot, security council, seminar, U.N., U.N. Security Council, United Nations

Tuesday October 16, 2018

October 15, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 16, 2018

Worried You Reek Like Weed? Prelam Has An ‘Odour Eliminator’ For You

The makers of Just’a Drop odour eliminators are stepping into the recreational cannabis market when it becomes legal October 17. Prelam Enterprises will launch the LUKY8 spray that day, which it claims will eliminate, and not just mask, the odour that comes with marijuana smoke.

June 22, 2018

“My goal was to give privacy to those people who will want to experiment because it’s legal all of a sudden,” said Prelam co-founder Luc Jalbert. “I figured there’s going to be millions of people trying it. There’ll be a lot of people buying it in the store because it’s legal, but they don’t want to advertise it, they don’t want their kids to know they had a puff.”

Jalbert said people who don’t traditionally use the substance may want to try it, including Baby Boomers. But as most people know, marijuana has a distinct smell that many may find too strong and obvious.

“Sometimes I’ll be in line at a bank or something and I can smell the cannabis on the guy behind me, it’s like, ‘wow, that’s a very distinct smell’,” Jalbert said. “My objective was to remove that taboo feeling that you could have a joint but you don’t have to advertise it.”

Jalbert said the LUKY8 is unlike other odour elimination sprays in the market because it “encapsulates the molecule [that creates the odour] and actually knocks it out.”

He used a formula aimed at the agricultural sector, he said. The product was researched, designed and manufactured in Moncton.

Users of the product just need to spray the air around them, their clothes or their furniture after consuming marijuana. Once sprayed, the LUKY8, which is safe for pets, will leave a light berry scent. (Source: Huddle Today) 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: cannabis, legalization, Marijuana, Mascot, Ontario, police, policy, pot, skunk, smell, workplace
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This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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