The Sorensen Monologues
Tips for Social Distancing Outdoors
I thought the dog panel might be slightly controversial, in that opinions differ on the safety of animal petting. Some vets advise against it while others argue that fur is a porous material that traps pathogens better than smooth surfaces like doorknobs. It seems like good etiquette, at least, to resist the urge to give a belly rub.
If you are able, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Who’s the Tyrant?
As I see these so-called “patriots” resisting stay-at-home orders, I can’t help but wonder: if you’re so concerned about the Constitution and government overreach, why not protest the dictatorship taking shape right in front of your face? I realize this is a rhetorical question. Most of these people are probably unaware of Bill Barr attempting to use the pandemic to suspend habeas corpus and detain people indefinitely, or the White House blockading desperately-needed PPE from some states, forcing them to make clandestine purchases.
As some of my newspaper clients are shrinking or shutting down right now, if (and only if) you are able, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Poetic Justice
As the NYT’s Linda Greenhouse notes, the five Republican judges simply ignored the context of a deadly pandemic, insisting that elections rules should not “ordinarily” be altered close to an election. Never mind that these circumstances were anything but ordinary, and that failing to make a reasonable extension for mail-in ballots would disenfranchise tens of thousands, and possibly lead to more deaths.
The good news is that the Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court still managed to pull off a victory over the Republican incumbent that the GOP was trying desperately to protect. This makes all those people who stood in line to vote, in face masks, in the rain, pretty darn heroic in my opinion.
If you are able, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Flattening the Crazy Curve
The Trump administration has taken the extraordinary step of announcing pollution laws will not be enforced during the pandemic. This, at the same time that we’re seeing evidence that air quality has a significant impact on coronavirus survival rates. It’s straight out of Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine, which recounts the many times throughout history that disasters have been exploited to advance a right-wing agenda.
As some of my newspaper clients are shrinking or shutting down right now, if (and only if) you are able, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Choose Your Pandemic Plan
The virus is, of course, infecting rich and poor alike. And it’s just a fantasy that you can buy private insurance against a pandemic. But America’s class divide is still manifesting itself in predictable ways. There is, according to this NYT article, a healthcare concierge service for the very rich and sick that costs $80,000 every six months.
The firm has helped clients arrange tests in Los Angeles for the coronavirus and obtained oxygen concentrators for high-risk patients.
“We know the top lab people and the doctors and nurses and can make the process efficient,” said Leslie Michelson, the firm’s executive chairman.
The fourth panel touches on the insane Trump tweets and pressers, where he has implied he’s withholding medical supplies from states with governors he feels are not sufficiently deferent.
If (and only if) you are able, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Breathtaking Negligence
As some of my newspaper clients are shrinking or shutting down right now, please consider joining the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Coronavirus Spring Break
The Miami cruise ship referenced in the second panel had a passenger test positive after leaving the ship; thousands of passengers boarded after that person left, and were allowed to enter Miami without screening.
And in case you missed it, former Miss Nevada and Trump supporter Katie Williams boasted of eating at a crowded Red Robin because she’s American, dammit, and nobody tells us what to do. Because nothing says FREEDOM like being a vector for mass death!
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Pandemic Partisans
As I was drawing this cartoon, Fox Business host Trish Regan went on an unhinged tirade, suggesting that Dems were using the coronavirus to “encourage hate” and take down the president. Fortunately, I was able to work her into the third panel at the last moment.
Other right-wing media personalities have been weighing in with similarly inflammatory language about Dems rooting for the virus. As if the coronavirus isn’t enough to worry about, the Trump administration’s incompetence combined with the right’s conspiratorial rhetoric about Dems rooting for mass death should send shivers down everyone’s spine.
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Astroturf Twins
As you may have heard, there is now an anti-Greta, Naomi Seibt. The German teen is on the payroll of the vile Heartland Institute, publisher of such classics as Nothing to Fear: A Bright Future for Fossil Fuels. Really, she should not be a media sensation at all, aside from the appalling cynicism of her recruitment by industry propagandists. But imagining Greta’s loathing for her is kind of funny.
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Trumping Our Safety 2020
Pretty straightforward one this week. I wanted to show the absurdity of Trump unfairly demonizing immigrants at the same time that he (and the GOP) are undermining so many other aspects of public safety, such as our ability to respond to the coronavirus. As this Foreign Policy article notes, “In 2018, the Trump administration fired the government’s entire pandemic response chain of command, including the White House management infrastructure.” They also slashed the CDC’s meager budget for work on global health, leading Bill Gates to beg H.R. McMaster and John Bolton to reconsider, apparently unsuccessfully.
The pardoned criminal with mob ties in the fourth panel is former NYC police commissioner and Giuliani pal Bernard Kerik, whose shady dealings you can read about here.
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Billionaire Buttinsky 2: Bloomberg Boogaloo
I haven’t been doing many strips about the candidates lately, partly because I’ve grown weary of the circular firing squad. But I feel compelled to address Bloomberg. Questionable record of stop-and-frisk aside, I do not think he’s as electable as some people think he is. Politics is largely a personality contest based on perceived charisma. I’ve always liked Molly Ivins’ theory that a candidate needs to have at least a little Elvis. He or she needs to inspire people in an authentic way. Let’s just say Bloomberg is appallingly bereft of Elvis.
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
Selfie Surveillance
Burbling in the background of election and impeachment news have been disturbing revelations about a company called Clearview AI, which has been hoovering up photos people post to social media and selling them as part of a 3 billion-image facial recognition database to police departments. While the company currently does business in the US and Canada, Buzzfeed reported that it’s seeking to go global, which would entail working with governments known for human rights abuses.
Then there’s Amazon’s Ring, which shares doorbell camera images with police departments. Ring also has a platform for sharing the videos online with neighbors.
Help sustain these comics — join the Sorensen Subscription Service!
