Doonesbury's mockery of Romney's missionary work for the Mormon Church

Trudeau in 2012: Courtesy of wikipedia.com.

I've long been a fan of Gary Trudeau's comic strip, Doonesbury, but lately I've been deeply offended by the strip's series (Oct. 8 - present) mocking the youthful Mitt Romney's thirty months as a Mormon misionary in France. This is none other than religious bigotry at its worst.

In mocking Romney's missionary efforts, Trudeau has borrowed in detail the Obama camp's  attacks on the Republican nominee's character, charging him with flip-flopping, insincerity, etc.. (Evidently, Obama supporters have forgotten their candidate's sudden lunge to the center immediately after he received the Democratic nomination in 08.)

Character attacks have become par for the course in the political arena - recall the Obama camp's strategy for defeating Hillary Clinton in the 08 primary and further back, the swift-boating of John Kerry.

Nevertheless, the license to slander one's opponent in the political arena does not justify mocking and ridiculing a candidate's religious practices. Gary Trudeau has clearly crossed the line this time around, and his fans should call him to account.

Has Sarah Palin Reached the Status of Permanent Celebrity?

photo credits: Politico

Sarah Palin’s continued celebrity status must be giving the misogynous wing - that would be the extreme lefties - of the Democratic Party hissy fits. You can get a hint of the Far Left’s distress just by reading Doonesbury. The strip’s author, Gary Trudeau, has been making fun of the Alaska governor and former GOP VP candidate every day for the past six days. In yesterday’s strip, Boopsie says to B.D., “I thought you disapproved of celebrity candidates.” Evidently not: in today’s strip, B.D. is pleased to hear Palin reassure TV viewers that if God opens the door for her in 2012, she won’t blink.

In the meantime, Politico is headlining Palin as “A Digital Superstar.” Here’s the evidence as presented by Charles Mahtesian:

“Three weeks after the Republican ticket suffered a sweeping defeat at the polls, Sarah Palin continues to dominate search engine queries, cable news and online video sites.

“The only American politician who generates comparable interest is President-elect Barack Obama. No one else is close.

“Palin was the most popular Lycos search from the week she joined the ticket continuously through last Sunday, some two weeks after the election, when she was dethroned by Paris Hilton, the celebutante whom John McCain famously compared to Barack Obama.

“The Alaska governor now ranks fourth, just one spot below Obama, on the weekly Lycos 50 list.

‘“People are still searching for her in record numbers,’ said Kathy O’Reilly, a spokeswoman for Lycos. ‘How bizarre is that? Obama is the president-elect after the most historic election of all time and you’d think he would be dominating search activity and he only now is going ahead of her.’

‘“Palin has been the subject of intense online fascination since her introduction as the Republican nominee on Aug. 29. In September, the Anchorage Daily News reported a 928 percent spike in traffic, according to Nielsen Online. Her mid-October ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance drove the show’s highest rating in 14 years, and her Oct. 2 debate with Joe Biden was the most watched vice presidential debate ever — drawing more viewers than any of the three presidential debates between McCain and Obama.”

There’s a lot more. And hey, don't forget to leave a comment!