Whiny Liberal Bloggers Full of Self Importance…and Why Their Helping Obama Appear Moderate

Lately I’ve been biting my tongue.

McCain is such a dull candidate he can’t even get the progressives excited about taking him on. Instead, some lefty bloggers are having a hay day challenging Obama’s “surprise” move to the center.

Instead of focusing on real news, policy issues and solutions, like the escalation of bombings in Iraq, or the fact that Afghanistan is still a war claiming lives, or that it now costs over $40 to fill my Honda Civic (which I’m sure concerns most of you out there)… no instead of focusing on the stuff that really matters, the liberal bloggers like the Kos of KOS (sorry - don’t buy the line about getting out the checkbook and penning $2300) who claim the mantel of progressive have had fun bashing Obama.

I’m fine with critiquing policy positions based on fact, but when discussion becomes skewed by idealism, it starts get old, and I start to get less “slightly left leaning.”

But of course no one’s listening.

In Black and White (and Red) Day 7: China Olympic Disaster: A Silence Kept Too Long

I’m normally not one to recycle material, however considering that most visitors to this site are new, I’m going to guess you, my angry reader, won’t mind. (I’m assuming your angry, otherwise you’d probably not be interested in cartoons bashing China’s human rights position and the fact it was given the Olympics to host despite this obvious mark on its record.)

This is a drawing I did way back in the early days of this blog project called PixelMarx, I did a cartoon for the Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth. Since then, this cartoon’s been buried. That was until recently, as the public began to awaken to this whole issue.

Now with the protests surrounding the Olympic Torch relay, the image is all the more relevant. Those who’ve already seen this, I apologize (well maybe not).

You can read the original post, Foul Smell from Beijing More than Olympic Sized Pollution.

There are a few comments, including the most recent one just the other day.

Sier wrote, “Your drawing is based on your biased imagination and showing you have not any real knowledge about China.” To the biased imagination part, I fully agree (in fact I’m thinking I might steal that line when describing what I do here - drawings biased by my imagination - it has a special ring to it. But I digress.

Instead, I’m making my own pledge to boycott the Olympics, the whole thing. I’m not going to read, watch, pay any attention to the event. It’ll tie nicely into my boycott of NBC and the rest of mainstream media. And to all those who say boycotts don’t work…don’t think you persuade me :).

Note: For anyone wondering who the man behind the mask might be, it’s Hu Jintao (pronounced “who”).

In Black and White Day 6: Howard Zinn and A People’s History of American Empire

Howard Zinn’s upcoming book is being introduced by this nice presentation/political art film that’s narrated by Viggo Mortensen and guess what…it’s in black and white. I’m being lazy today (actually I’m trying to learn animation) so I thought I’d let another artist do the work.

Check out the work of Mike Konopacki, a political cartoonist, who’s brief 2 second spot at the end of the clip doesn’t give enough recognition to the artist…

In Black and White Day 4: Stencil Art as a Method of Propaganda

Stencil art could be considered black and white, at least that’s how it’s conceived and drawn up. But of course it gets mixed with whatever surface it’s placed on, whether it be a wall, a t-shirt, or whatever surface suits your taste.

I thought I’d take some time and join the numerous ranks that have created an Obama “CHANGE” artwork.

And then I wanted to give anyone who might like to try it out for themselves, either virtually (with Photoshop) or on a t-shirt, or…well you get the point. I’m giving you the stencil to do whatever you want with it.

Obama Change Stencil [PDF 324KB]

If you’ve never used a stencil before, it’s pretty basic.

1. Make a photo copy or trace the drawing onto a heavy card stock paper or cardboard
2. Cut the black area out with an X-acto knife (and just a secret I learned from my days in old-school graphic design cutting - use lots of blades)
3. Place the stencil above your surface choice
4. Spray
5. And if you’ve chosen public or private property, which is preferred for propaganda, then it’s best to remain anonymous and run

If you’re wanting to use this stencil in your own Photoshop artwork, then it’s probably best to use the EPS file (Obama Change Stencil.eps). I found that using the EPS file to create paths, and creating feathered selects is the easiest way to simulate the spray-paint effect.