Jen Sorensen

"I know there have been some encouraging signs. I think people have come a long way even since I started cartooning-I mean, gay marriage wasnt legal when I started. I think our collective vocabulary for social justice issues has improved over time. So on a cultural level, weve made some progress. That keeps me going. Ive had people tell me that Ive radicalized their teenage daughters. But a lot of what Im doing shouldnt even be considered radical."

"Trump (and Bannon and other right-wing authoritarian leaders around the world) is often referred to as a "populist" because he displays faux concern for the working class and a resentment of science and education, but his policies are in fact grotesquely elitist. If by "populist" we mean whipping up resentment against immigrants and people of color, then we should say that. Otherwise, "populism" is just a lazy euphemism for racism."

"Im also tired of being called a "radical," a word that even many otherwise-astute progressives apply to themselves. Since when is it radical to not want mercury in my tuna salad? Or to have an aversion to killing tens of thousands of innocent civilians unnecessarily? Im the normal person here. The people running the country are the off-the-meter nutballs."

"Its appalling how the puritanically correct in this country fixate on homosexuality to the exclusion of grave moral issues like the suffering of innocents in Iraq."

"one of my biggest pet peeves is the term "political correctness," a destructive, right-wing phrase that is parroted even by many socially-conscious types. It is a label loaded with bias, frequently applied with a broad brush to anything progressives stand for. In reality, right-wingers are masters of "political correctness": ridiculous euphemisms and denunciations of anyone who does not parrot their insane ideas. I find this political correctness, with its insistence on blind patriotism, to be far more pernicious."

"It must be nice to live in a world where the truth is whatever you want it to be. In addition to the former oil lobbyists edits shown in the first panel, the Bush administration also watered down a 2005 G8 statement on global warming. One of the changes was the deletion of the opening statement, "Our world is warming." Global warming is a perfect example of something often treated as a "liberal" issue, one side of a two-sided argument. But its not, unless youre pro-drowning the people of Tuvalu."

"This is how politics works in the age of right-wing media domination: invoke a powerful stereotype, preferably in the form of a carefully-crafted sound bite, and people forget to think."

"Not too long after the Iraq War began, I read an article that quoted a Hummer "patriotic." I guess thats what counts as sacrifice for the war effort these days: driving an overpriced, gas-sucking monstrosity that resembles a military vehicle. Im sure the troops appreciated this show of solidarity."

"Writers create so much value in the entertainment industry, it is criminal what a small percentage of the profits they get."

"Once upon a time, the U.S. government was distinct from the private sector. It seems almost quaint now, but elected officials actually tried to protect the public good and maintain a degree of ethics in the marketplace. Now, corruption is de riguer for even well-meaning politicians. If you ask me, the only way out of our current system of legalized bribery is with 100% publicly-financed elections. Compared to the Iraq War, this reform would cost nothing. And it might help us avoid such wars in the future."

"As I mention in the strip, Im not saying Iraq isnt important. Its pretty damn egregious if I say so myself. But as John Edwards has said, "Its time for us to be patriotic about something besides war." The news media tend to elevate the importance of military matters above domestic concerns (that is, whenever they arent talking about coked-up celebrity bimbos). Issues that affect millions of Americans, like the bankruptcy bill, receive comparatively scant coverage."

"Anyone who thinks theres no difference between Democrats and Republicans is a dingdong, Lots of people generalize that theyre the same because they both pander to corporate interests. Its true: we live in a plutocracy condoned by a totally ignorant public...Im not saying Democrats are perfect, but I think there are a lot of good, well-meaning people trapped in the system"