I just now learned that today is International Compliment Day, and you know I’m here for that-I love giving compliments! Stay As Wonderful As You Are! (Also enjoy this toon, which is funny, but unfortunately on topic. YOU Are Still AWESOME!)
Also, in the early 2000’s as my Dem. county party chair, I had the great honor of representing Kansas St. Senator David Haley-a very gracious man!-at a local candidate’s forum as he was running for Secretary of State (he came close but did not prevail. I tried to take the blame, but he would not let me.) KS is a red state, but he ran against the Republicans anyway. At that time, Republicans loved the computerized voting machines with no chits, but Sen. Haley wanted verification. He is author Alex Haley’s nephew.
| January 24, 1970 John Lennon & Yoko Ono cropped their hair short for the first time in years, declaring 1970 “Year One for Peace” and helped organize a Toronto Peace Festival.  John and Yoko An interview with John later that year |
| January 24, 1977 The TV mini-series ”Roots,” based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.  LeVar Burton portrayed Kunta Kinte, a young man captured in Africa and shipped to America to be a slave, in “Roots.” The story followed an African sold into slavery, and his family’s history through emancipation. It won numerous awards and drew an enormous and broad-based audience (third-highest Nielsen ratings ever for its final episode). 85 percent of all Americans watched at least some part of the series. Listen to thoughts on Roots 30 years later |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryjanuary.htm#january24
https://www.gocomics.com/scarygary/2025/01/23
https://www.gocomics.com/wallace-the-brave/2025/01/22
Close to Home by John McPherson for January 23, 2025
https://www.gocomics.com/closetohome/2025/01/23
https://www.gocomics.com/darksideofthehorse/2025/01/23
https://www.gocomics.com/getfuzzy/2025/01/23
https://www.gocomics.com/jim-benton-cartoons/2025/01/23
(Not as funny, but good, so here it is:)
Brian McFadden for January 20, 2025
https://www.gocomics.com/brian-mcfadden/2025/01/2
January 21, 1661 King Charles II The Quaker (Society of Friends) Peace Testimony was presented to King Charles II of England. The testimony begins: “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world….” Why are Quakers pacifists |
| January 21, 1954 The first atomic-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, built by Electric Boat Company, was launched at Groton, Connecticut. All previous submarines were powered by batteries which had to be periodically recharged by diesel-powered generators which could only run if the sub surfaced.The nuclear power plant, developed under the leadership of Captain Hyman Rickover, and its ability to produce its own fresh water, allowed Nautilus and its successors to remain underwater and undetectable for weeks rather than hours. It carried only conventional torpedoes. It has been completely restored and can be seen at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton.  nautilus submarine launch |
| January 21, 1977 The day after his inauguration President Jimmy Carter declared an unconditional amnesty for draft resisters, both the accused and those who might have faced possible prosecution. Carter’s pardon |
| January 21, 1984 A Women’s Peace Camp was set up near Volkel Airbase in The Netherlands to protest siting of U.S. nuclear weapons there. |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryjanuary.htm#january21
by Ann Telnaes
A quick reminder who deserves to be celebrated on Monday Read on Substack
(cartoon from 2018)
An example of actual “cancel culture” within, plus more.
| January 18, 1919 The peace conference to negotiate the end of the Great War (now know as World War I) opened in Paris, France. President Woodrow Wilson spent several months in Europe personally negotiating details of what became the Treaty of Versailles with heads of the allied powers or their foreign ministers. |
| January 18, 1962 The U.S. began spraying herbicides on foliage in Vietnam to eliminate jungle canopy cover for Viet Cong guerrillas (a policy known as “territory denial”).The U.S. ultimately dropped more than 20 million gallons of such defoliants, sparking charges the United States was violating international treaties against using chemical weapons. Many of the herbicides, particularly Agent Orange, manufactured by Dow Chemical, Monsanto and others, were later found to cause birth defects and rare forms of cancer in humans.  Agent Orange: An Ongoing Atrocity |
| January 18, 1968 Invited to a Women Doers luncheon at the Johnson White House, Eartha Kitt, singer and actor, spoke out about the effect of the Vietnam War on America’s youth. Lady Bird Johnson had convened 50 whites and Negroes to discuss President Lyndon Johnson’s anti-crime proposals. Ms. Kitt first asked the President, “what do you do about delinquent parents, those who have to work and are too busy to look after their children?” He said that there was Social Security money for day care, and the group should discuss such issues. Later, she told the women that young Americans were “angry because their parents are angry . . . because there is a war going on that they don’t understand . . . You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. They rebel in the street. They will take pot . . . and they will get high. They don’t want to go to school because they’re going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam.”  Eartha Kitt and Lady Bird Johnson Eartha Kitt’s career took a severe downturn after this; for years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas, while being investigated by several federal agencies. “The thing that hurts, that became anger, was when I realized that if you tell the truth – in a country that says you’re entitled to tell the truth – you get your face slapped and you get put out of work,” Kitt told Essence magazine two decades later. |
| January 18, 1971 In a televised speech, Senator George S. McGovern (D-South Dakota) began his anti-war campaign for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. He vowed to bring home all U.S. soldiers from Vietnam if elected. McGovern had served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, earning the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross.  George McGovern “. . . we must have the courage to admit that however sincere our motives, we made a dreadful mistake in trying to settle the affairs of the Vietnamese people with American troops and bombers . . . . “ But while our problems are great, certain steps can be taken to recover the confidence of the nation. The greatness of our nation is not confined to the past, but beckons us to the future. |
| January 18, 1985 Though a member of the World Court since 1946, the United States walked out during a case. The Court had charged the U.S. was in violation of international law through its support of paramilitary (Contra) activities against the Nicaraguan government. Efforts to undermine the Sandinista government in Nicaragua had been a keystone of Pres. Reagan’s anti-communist foreign policy from its inception. Congressman Michael Barnes (D-Maryland) said he was “shocked and saddened that the Reagan Administration had so little confidence in its own policies that it chose not even to defend them [in the World Court].” The Court still heard Nicaragua’s case and decided against the United States, and ordered it to pay reparations to Nicaragua in June 1986. |
| January 18, 1996 The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and the Mexican government reached an agreement in San Andres to recognize and guarantee the constitutional, political, social, cultural, and economic rights of indigenous peoples in Mexico. Treated as second-class citizens since the first colonial entry into their country, the document guaranteed the autonomy and right to self-determination of native communities within the pluricultural Mexican nation. The Zapatistas took their name from Emilano Zapata who played a major role in the Mexican Revolution early in the 20th century.When they began their revolt in Chiapas state on New Year’s Day of 1994, They wrote: “We have nothing to lose, absolutely nothing, no decent roof over our heads, no land, no work, poor health, no food, no education, no right to freely and democratically choose our leaders, no independence from foreign interests, and no justice for ourselves or our children. But we say enough is enough! We are the descendants of those who truly built this nation, we are millions of dispossessed, and we call upon all our brethren to join our crusade, the only option to avoid dying of starvation!” The Mexican government, despite their signature on the agreement, refused later to implement it.  More background on the Zapatistas |
January 18, 2003 In frigid temperatures, 500,000 converged on Washington, D.C. There were also joined by many more elsewhere around the world to oppose the threatened U.S. war on Iraq.  Anti-war protesters march past the U.S. Capitol during the start of an anti-war protest that will culminate by a march to the Washington Naval Yard.Egyptian riot police and anti-war demonstrators face off in Cairo, Egypt. Banners at top read, ” Iraq . . . Another war for oil and American supremacy. “This was the largest U.S. peace demonstration since the Vietnam era.   < Pakistani peace activists hold a rally in Karachi. > Crowds estimated at 80,000 fill the civic center of San Francisco, California |
https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryjanuary.htm#january18
Last night, it got to be bedtime and I didn’t even realize I’d set nothing up for today, until I got up this morning. Scottie’s posted some important news here already, and I don’t want to knock it off the top, so instead of the posts I thought I’d make, I’m just gonna link ’em, and readers can just read whatever they like and still not miss those posts of Scottie’s.
Peace & Justice History for 1/17
The Way of Water: On the Quiet Power of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Activism
Explore the Newly-Launched Public Domain Image Archive with 10,000+ Free Historical Images
SCOTUS Takes Up Case Challenging the ACA’s No-Cost Coverage of PrEP
Not that he isn’t already, but this one is gold!
Mama Hegseth by Clay Jones
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be Hegseth Read on Substack
When asked about sexual assault, sexual harassment, alcohol abuse, financial mismanagement, and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), Trump’s nominee for the Secretary of Defense and former Fox News fixture Pete Hegseth said, “Our left-wing media in America today, sadly, doesn’t care about the truth, All they were out to do was to destroy me because I’m a change agent and a threat to them. Despite the attacks, I stand committed to the truth and our warfighters.”
If Hegseth is so committed to the truth, then why did he refuse to answer so many questions during his confirmation hearing yesterday? Oh, yeah…because he’s a racist rapey liar. Also, if Hegeseth is so “committed” to the truth, then why is he working for the world’s biggest liar, Donald Trump?
Hegseth claimed he didn’t know if he had nondisclosure agreements with his two ex-wives. How do you not know that? He also dodged questions from my senator, Tim Kaine, about cheating on his wives, even shortly after one of them gave birth. Damn, he is like Donald Trump.
Hegseth refused to answer Senator Tammy Duckworth’s question about whether he had ever conducted a financial audit of the veterans organizations he once ran (that forced him out for being constantly drunk, sexually harassing female employees, and shouting, “Death to all Muslims”), given his insistence that the Pentagon undergo a deep-dive audit.
Pete is also a big fan of war criminals as he advocated on Fox News for Trump to pardon several in 2019 without disclosing he had private conversations with Trump on the matter. That was a violation of journalism ethics, even when working for Fox News.
Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin attempted to flip the script on Democrats, asking, “How many senators have shown up drunk to vote at night?”
Mullin also asked, “Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign from their job? And then how many senators do you know who have gotten a divorce for cheating on their wives? Did you ask them to step down? No.” I’m pretty sure Mullin never asked Donald Trump to step down.
Mullin and the other Republicans on the committee are perfectly fine with an unqualified racist rapey lying drunk leading the defense department, just as they are for president, but Democrats are not. That wasn’t entirely fair of me. Donald Trump isn’t a drunk.
Hegseth refused to answer if he’d take an illegal order from Trump to shoot protesters in their legs, as he wanted his previous Defense Secretary to do to anti-racism protesters in Lafayette Square who scared Trump to retreat and hide in the White House bunker. But he seems in favor of it as he seemed to justify shooting protesters while criticizing them instead of answering the question.
Question: Will you follow Trump’s orders to shoot protesters?
Pete: Well a lot of them aren’t nice and they say things we don’t like, “Trump sucks” and “Trump wears diapers.”
Question: But will you order them to be shot?
Pete: They attacked a church.
Question: Again, will you order them to be shot?
Pete: They scared Trump and made him wet himself in the basement, and we had to sing lullabies to get him to sleep.
Question: But would you have the protester shot?
Pete: They looked like a bunch of dirty hippies.
Question: But will you have them shot?
Pete: The sex was consensual…wait…What was the question?
He also refused to say if he’d direct the military to invade Panama and Greenland.
Pete previously claimed he’d quit drinking if he’s confirmed. When asked if he would resign as Defense Secretary if he started drinking again, he refused to answer and said, “I’m too drunk to taste this chicken.” I may have made up that answer.
Pete claimed he was a “changed man” and unlike the deviant he used to be, thanks to Jesus. He said, “I have failed at things in my life, and I am redeemed by my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” Somehow, this redemption doesn’t affect his lying.
Pete claimed he was for women serving in combat despite only a few months ago saying he didn’t.
Pete said, “Writing a book is different than being Secretary of Defense,” which should be noted because writing a book doesn’t make you qualified to be Secretary of Defense anymore than being a racist barking yam qualifies you to be president.
At one point, Senator Mullin tried to say, “Give me a break,” but flubbed it and said, “Give me a joke.” During his monologue last night, Stephen Colbert delivered a joke for Senator Mullin, saying, “A drunk, a cheating husband, and an accused sexual predator walk into a bar, and the bartender says, ‘Table for one, Mr. Hegseth?’”
That’s funny, but the real joke is to believe that philandering seed spreading women-beating drunken lying rancid rotten no-good piece of shit Pete Hegseth is qualified to be Secretary of Defense. Colleagues, don’t steal that from me for a cartoon.
Creative notes: I think this is my fourth cartoon on Hegseth. I wrote this cartoon during my trip through the UK and Ireland, but I’m not sure which country or city it was written in. This was drawn in London, this was drawn in Dublin, and this was drawn in Reykjavik. I saved the idea for today’s cartoon for the confirmation hearing…and then I forgot about it. I remembered it just this morning.
On another note: I want to thank all my subscribers again, especially the paid subscribers for helping me continue to draw cartoons, write blogs, make videos, and continue my reign of sarcastic terror on MAGAts without the distractions of a real job and being required to show up at places I don’t want to be at specific times and attend boring meetings and stuff. I love you free subscribers too but honestly, the paid subscribers smell better. If you want to smell better too, like you’re wearing Irish Spring after an early morning rain while standing next to a bagel shop, then you should become a paid subscriber too.
I don’t know where I come up with this shit…but thank you again. Now I want a bagel.
Drawn in 30 seconds: (snip-go watch. Now I want a bagel, too!)
Scottie's Playtime 