It will be curious to see how this one plays out. Blackwater, perhaps the best known of the “military contractors” (i.e., mercenaries) under the Bush administration’s employ in Iraq, has been operating just below the mainstream media’s radar for several years. But the most recent headlines — accusations about weapons smuggling and the unprovoked shooting and killing of innocent, Iraqi civilians — just might change that. That is, if the news networks can just stay focused … on something other than O.J. and Britney.

For some solid background on Blackwater, check out this video from The Nation’s Jeremy Scahill:

The short of it: Blackwater is part of Bush’s secret army. I’ll say that again: Our president has a SECRET ARMY. Funded by OUR TAX DOLLARS.

Why in the hell isn’t the media all over this?

Oh, wait. Britney’s on …

Check out this week’s toon, “What Blackwater Problem?,” below, then let me know what you think.

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “What Blackwater Problem?” [Archive No. 0731]

I spent the weekend over on the Wetside celebrating my Dad’s 65th (happy birthday, Old Man!) I had still planned to crank out a new toon later in the week, but reality is starting to make that look unlikely. So let’s dip into the archive and go with 2005’s “American Debtors’ Prison.” With the Fed considering an interest rate drop this week, it seems timely to point out that access to cheap credit just masks a much deeper problem with our economy — consumer debt.

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Oh, Really?” [Archive No. 0730]

Following an eight-plus year run at The Wenatchee World — the last six as features editor — I’ve decided it’s time to step away. To be honest, I never expected to leave daily newspapers, but it’s become increasingly obvious that it’s time. I’ve let the paper know I plan is to finish out the rest of this year, then will head in a new direction with the new year.

So what does 2008 hold for me? Full-time cartooning, if everything goes right, including more editorial-cartoon projects and my first comic-book work since 1993’s “Darkseed & Other Defamations.” (Details on those new projects soon.) I also plan to start graduate studies via a distance degree program offered by Kansas’ Fort Hays State University. It’s a liberal studies master’s program with a concentration in history; I’m pretty sure editorial cartooning will play into that endeavor, as well.

As for what else? I don’t really know yet. But if any of you know of any interesting part-time or freelance gigs coming up in 2008, keep me in mind.

I must admit that this career change is a little scary, but like I said, it’s time. And I’m sure when it really hits me that I’ll have more time to spend at the art board, life will be good.

This week’s toon, “Oh, Really?,” below, was inspired by the blunt, fantasy-world assessment Bush delivered to Australian Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile earlier this month about the situation in Iraq: “We’re kicking ass!” In researching this toon, I was stunned by 1. The obvious disconnect Bush often seems to have with “reality on the ground,” and 2. The sheer number of times he’s offered variations of the “We’re making progress” quote over the last four-plus years.

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Oh, Really?” [Archive No. 0730]

This week’s toon, “Labor Day 2007” (color version), takes its key statistic from the Economic Policy Institute’s Labor Day report on wages. The problem with economic reports is that there are so many different numbers to chose from; I went with the 44¢ median real-wage increase because it’s a number I think us average folk can get our brains around. But there was plenty of other good grist in the report, too:

• The rich are indeed getting richer. Wage earners in the top five percentile saw their wages jump 9.4 percent from 2000 to 2007. That compares with just a 3 percent wage bump for those at the median, and just a .9 increase for workers at the 20th percentile. So while the poor aren’t actually getting poorer, the disparity between rich and poor continues to grow.

• Worker productivity is up nearly 20 percent over the same period of time. In other words, businesses are producing about 1/5 more with the same amount of labor. Workers just aren’t sharing in the rewards.

• High school dropouts saw their wages increase at a greater percentage (3.9) than people with a college (2.6) or graduate degree (2.7). This, in an information economy. Go figure. (But the grad degree will get you nearly three times the wage as the high-school dropout job.)

• Analysts believe that increases in health-care costs are keeping wages down. I’d argue, for most of us, health-care costs gobbled up that 44¢ wage increase, too.

And the worst news for the American worker in this report? The EPI expects downward economic pressure to keep wages down in the future, too. Apparently, this “recovery” is working for everyone but workers.

As always, feel free to add your two cents (a steep price, considering) to the debate.

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Labor Day 2007” (color version) [Archive No. 0729b]