from the Lincoln Journal Star

This will end up being my final cartoon for the Lincoln Journal Star. I didn’t know at the time that it’d be my last, but I think it’s a decent way to go out. It’s all about speaking out and trying to make a difference when the established power structure tells you you’re doing it wrong. And I spent a lot of time on it!

Thanks to everyone who read my cartoons in the Journal Star over the years, wrote a letter, commented on a cartoon, or just thought about what you read in any capacity. Back in my time at the Daily Nebraskan, I honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity to cartoon for a daily paper. I got to know some really great people, many of whom will never get an appropriate level of thanks for the hard work they do in putting out the paper.

Thanks to Kathleen Rutledge for taking a chance on me back in the summer of 2004, and thanks to Gordon Winters for putting up with me! I had a blast. It was a great seven years!

In the Lincoln Journal Star, reporter Algis Laukaitis quoted Governor Dave Heineman summarizing a closed-door meeting of midwest governors:

OMAHA — Fearing a repeat of the flood devastation that occurred this year along the Missouri River, governors from five states asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday to take a pre-emptive and unprecedented step and lower the level of Garrison Dam in North Dakota this fall.

[...]

“The No. 1 priority we are all concerned about is flood control,” said Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, who hosted a meeting of governors at the Gallup Campus in Omaha on Monday.

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer didn’t attend, instead phoning in by conference call. Heineman clearly didn’t realize that Schweitzer had allowed reporters to sit in on his end of the conversation, because it turns out Heineman is lying about what happened.

From the Associated Press:

Schweitzer, who allowed reporters in his office for what was expected to be a private meeting, phoned into the Omaha conference in which governors from Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota took part. [...] The host, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman, clashed several times with Schweitzer during the meeting.

Afterward, Heineman told reporters in Omaha who were not allowed into the meeting that “the No. 1 thing we all agree to is flood control.”

There was no unanimity on that topic during the meeting, however, after Schweitzer strongly challenged the notion of it as a priority.

One can only speculate as to why — the appearance that he accomplished something in the meeting he called, maybe? — but Heineman just flat-out lied about what happened in his failed attempt at a closed-door meeting. Via his staff, he had no comment on the discrepancy.

The arguments between Schweitzer and Heineman seemed to be pretty weird. As reported in North Dakota’s Plains Daily:

…a disagreement between Schweitzer and Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman erupted over the sharing of information and Schweitzer’s attendance at the meetings. Schweitzer, who has a background in soil science, indicated that he was the most qualified of the governors to comment on flooding issues and wanted to make a Power Point presentation to the meeting. Schweitzer alleged that the other governors weren’t “getting good information” and “weren’t basing their information on the latest data.”

Because of this Schweitzer said he “didn’t see much sense to the meeting.”

“If you show up you could bring that damn data with you and share it with us,” said Heineman who later added the meeting site did not have the capability for Power Point presentations.

“Don’t you have electricity?” Schweitzer asked.

That’s our governor!

from the Lincoln Journal Star

from Bold Nebraska

Continuing along with yesterday and the day before, except this batch isn’t really all that late!

9. This sketch is a response to this trash from one of the worst cartoonists in the country.

8.

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Continuing yesterday’s theme, here are some more rejects I forgot to share this summer!

9.

8.

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It just occurred to me that I have been forgetting to share rejects. June and July were so long ago, I’m going to just combine them into one and give you five from each.

JUNE 2011
5.

4.

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The 40th & Dodge McDonald’s and I have a long history together. When I moved to Omaha in 2006, it became my new cartooning office. I’d load up my newspapers and head down there to crank out my sketches for the day. Most of my greatest “Witnessed” sketches — like this one, this one, this one and this one — took place there.

Over time, I began cartooning at other places, but that was still my favorite. So it was with a heavy heart that I sent this customer feedback through McDonalds.com last week:

I consistently have terrible experiences at the 40th & Dodge McDonald’s, but I keep coming back because it’s convenient and it was my first favorite McD’s in Omaha. I have this strange emotional attachment to it, dating back to when I first moved to town. It’s always filthy and my order is always messed up, even when really simple (for example, two weeks ago I ordered a $1 sausage breakfast burrito. I got the more expensive McSkillet burrito. Instead of correcting the order, the staff just told me how underrated the McSkillet is). But I still came back! It had charm.

But not anymore. Last week I was there for lunch, and a man stood at the drink station and washed his face and hair in the water dispenser. He was leaning in, head under the spout, washing off. It’s disgusting on its own, but what made it unforgivable was the fact that a manager was standing right there, refilling the napkins and straws. Didn’t say a word. I know I should’ve said something, but I was shocked by the whole scene.

I used to have fun in the Foursquare battle to be mayor of that location. I think I’m still mayor now. But I’m never going back. This was the straw that broke the filthy, cluttered, poor-listening camel’s back. So I just thought you should know — if this location has gotten so awful that its Foursquare mayor is giving up on it, I can’t be the only one.

I do not want or need anything in response to this. I’m still a happy McDonald’s customer. I still frequent other locations in town. But I’m done at 40th & Dodge.

As I told them, I didn’t want or need anything in response. The last thing I wanted was a coupon or something redeemable only at that location. “Come see how we’ve stopped letting people bathe in our drink station and have a Big Mac on us!” But I was kind of hoping they’d call or send an e-mail.

I still hold the mayor crown even though I haven’t been there in almost two weeks. Whoever wants it, it’s yours.

from the Lincoln Journal Star

from The Daily Nebraskan:

A Lancaster County judge dismissed the libel lawsuit against the Daily Nebraskan on Wednesday.

Third District Judge Jodi Nelson said at the end of the trial that in public libel cases, the law is clear: The plaintiff must prove the statement published was false and the maker of the statements has serious doubts the statement was false at the publication date.

There was no evidence of the legal standard presented during the trial, Nelson said.

“The judge has to make a decision based on the evidence,” said Robert Prokop, a former University of Nebraska regent. “Obviously, she made that decision in that way.”

Word on the scene was that it was quite the show.