Free JC – Nov 10, 2008

from the Omaha Reader

jesus god war torture capital gains taxes judge obama mccain

UPDATE: I just got around to reading Sunday’s paper, and Cal Thomas had a great column on the role of religion in politics, which was refreshingly pluralistic for a Christian conservative.

Too many conservative Evangelicals have put too much faith in the power of government to transform culture. The futility inherent in such misplaced faith can be demonstrated by asking these activists a simple question: Does the secular left, when it holds power, persuade conservatives to live by their standards? Of course they do not. Why, then, would conservative Evangelicals expect people who do not share their worldview and view of God to accept their beliefs when they control government?

Read the rest at CalThomas.com.

Lincoln and Obama: The cartoonists speak

So many of Daryl Cagle’s syndicate cartoonists went to the Abraham Lincoln well that he created a separate category on his site — Lincoln Likes Obama.

You can get the “Crying Lincoln” from David Fitzsimmons; the “Smiling Lincoln” from Steve Breen and Clay Jones; the “Fist Pumping Lincoln,” also from David Fitzsimmons; the “Thumbs Up” Lincoln from Mike Keefe, John Darkow, Scott Stantis and Mike Luckovich; the “Giant Lincoln Holds Tiny Obama in His Hand” from Vince O’Farrell and Bruce Plante; and my favorite, the “Terrorist Fist Jab Lincoln” from Jeff Darcy.

There are a few others in the roundup, but Cagle forgot to include “Obama Contact Lenses Lincoln” from Jeff Koterba.

Life imitates art!

A sketch I submitted to the Journal Star on Friday, seen only by my editor and me:

kent seacrest jon camp conflict of interest

From the Journal Star coverage of Monday’s city council meeting:

Before voting on the projects, Councilman Ken Svoboda turned the tables on Seacrest, asking him to clarify who he was representing, since he represents many entities, such as the private business group 2015 Vision, Antelope Valley and the Downtown Lincoln Association.

Svoboda said “the whole conflict of interest thing has really bothered me” and asked Seacrest whether there is a “fuzzy gray line” when it comes to whom he’s representing.

Election day

Sara and I voted Friday morning, so I really have nothing to do today other than fret. The line was long, the wait was about 90 minutes, but the crowd was in good spirits. I was actually surprised at how pleasant everyone was and how tolerant they were of the delay.

Over at the Daily Dish, Andrew Sullivan has shared a Nebraska voter’s report. It’s kind of fun to see fellow Nebraskans popping up there.

Any of you readers want to share your voting experience?

UPDATE: Another Nebraskan chimes in at the Dish.

Ahead of us in line was three-generations of an African American family. It was the first time voting for all three of them. The youngest, who graduated high school last year, was calling his friends and getting them out of bed while we waited in line. He was describing the polling place and giving directions for getting there. After he voted, he had probably the biggest grin I’ve ever seen.

“It’s just a cartoon”

Omaha World-Herald cartoonist Jeff Koterba’s October 19 cartoon lampooned the recent controversy involving the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s decision to invite University of Illinois at Chicago professor Bill Ayers to speak at an education conference. In Koterba’s cartoon, he depicts a University official, beneath a “University of Nebraska – Lincoln” banner, saying “And now, as part of our conference to better understand the Mideast, a man we invited long before we learned of his controversial background…” Standing at the other side of the podium is Osama bin Laden.

My initial intention was to request comment about this cartoon from Koterba as well as several other related parties, but after a few rounds of emails with Koterba, I thought it might be more interesting to just hear the cartoonist’s thoughts. Unfortunately, Koterba did not respond to repeated requests asking for permission to reprint the cartoon with this discussion, so I have no visual aide to share.

The following discussion is from a series of emails sent between October 20 and 27. I’ve waited a week in anticipation of a response from Koterba, but I’m now assuming a week of silence means no response is coming. I will update this post if a response does come.
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Terry’s real problem – Nov 2, 2008

from the Lincoln Journal Star

lee terry brag modest jim esch

I literally laughed out loud when I saw the pull quote from Friday’s Omaha World-Herald story on Lee Terry, claiming “I don’t like to brag.” It should be noted that in the very same story, the painfully-modest Terry claims he was a “key player” in passing the $700 billion bailout.

For a dose of reality, the World-Herald reported earlier in October that Terry “…was out shopping when he got the call about 8 p.m. Wednesday. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was rounding up support for a modified version of the $700 billion taxpayer bailout of the troubled financial sector.”