Firefighter Donald Herbert, In Progress

Click for larger image. Largest.

Firefighter Donald Herbert memorial illustration, in progress #2.

Officers Brian Jackson and James Allen, 2nd Memorial Illustration

Click image for larger version. Largest.

Officers Brian Jackson and James Allen, 2nd Memorial Illustration, In Progress #2

Click image for larger version. Largest.

In Progress #2. The poem excerpt is by Brian Jackson's father. A little cluttered, and the shields aren't finished; I'll clean things up this evening.

Barebutt Mountain, In Progress

Barebutt Mountain, In Progress.

Officers Brian Jackson and James Allen, 2nd Memorial Illustration, In Progress

Dallas Police Officer Brian Jackson (left) and Providence, Rhode Island Detective Sergeant James Allan.
Click image for larger version. Largest.

Here's the original cartoon, drawn and posted last November-

I noticed in my research today that the Brian Jackson memorial page has a link to the original cartoon. Thanks for that. It's nice to make some sort of contribution. It's also helps greatly to have much better photos to work from than I could find last November at the time of Officer Jackson's funeral. Time tends to bring out the better photos.

I hope the friends and families of both fallen officers (and native Rhode Islanders) will be comforted by this newer illustration.

Oklahoma Trooper Steven R. Smith

After being shot by a suspect, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Steven R. Smith lived for the next seven years in a nursing home as a quadriplegic. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

Click image for larger version. Largest.

Oklahoma Trooper Steven R. Smith, In Progress

A memorial cartoon for Trooper Steven R. Smith of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, in progress.

Trooper buried seven years after shooting - The Joplin Globe

A few months ago I stumbled across the story of Officer Brian Jackson, a newlywed police officer slain while responding to a domestic violence incident. Like the stories of most fallen soldiers and officers, it flashed by quickly in the constant and tumultuous media stream; I was fortunate to have caught a glimpse of it at all. I have a lot of irons in the fire, but I decided to draw at least one cartoon on this more than worthy subject of fallen officers.

Since I drew and posted that one very quickly drawn cartoon back in November, it's received continued attention, including a phone call from a relative of Officer Jackson and an email from Roxanne Palmer, editorial cartoonist for The Brown Daily Herald, who told me that she knows a friend of Officer Jackson and very much appreciated the cartoon, so much so that it influenced her placing a link to faithmouse on her site. Honoring our fallen heroes trumps ideologies, as well it should.

I've decided to draw and post a few more memorials this week, including a complete reworking of the Jackson/Allen cartoon. I don't have a methodology or plan- just whatever story happens to catch my eye. Let's see how many we can complete by the time for Sunday's Stop The ACLU toon.

Happy ACLU Favorite Presidents Day

Click cartoon for larger image.
For the Sunday Funnies at Stop The ACLU

Neverborn and the Abortion Mill

Here's a rework of a cartoon from 2004. The original cartoon can be seen in the gallery of Pro-Life cartoons. I've also made the design available on a variety of items in our Cafe Press store, for anyone who might like to help support the site.

Thanks to Liberty Bell for the recent post. This toon can also be seen at Pro Life Blogs.

Thanks to Thomas at American Papist for the link to faithmouse and post of the Narnia cartoon. You can vote for AP in the category of Best New Blog at the 2006 Catholic Blog Awards.

Punchline

Click cartoon for larger image. Zoom zoom zoom.

Hope 4 America, In Progress

For Mary's Hope4America Yahoo Group

Thanks to Generations For Life from the Pro-Life Action League for adding faithmouse to their blogroll.

We Choose Life! Won't You?

Click image for larger. Largest.

It's an old joke, but this portrait was returned because the background color doesn't match a couch. I'm not a snob, so I don't mind repainting the background; however, the painting has sat in my studio for the past eight months alongside many other painting projects which I really need to return to once I manage to finish a few cartoons. Chris happened to mentioned today that I should finish the painting something before these kids enter college, hence, the bright idea (since I have five cartoons in progress all going nowhere at once) to use it for today's toon. So, there it is.

Visitors to my older .com site, before I decided to redirect all traffic to this blog (easier to take care of one site than two) may remember the link to my portrait studio. I've drawn or painted some 2,000 portraits, many at my studio at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas during the 1990's, but not too many as of late, as the cartooning, which is relatively a new industry for me is absolutely consuming. The painting above was done quickly as a Christmas present; it isn't one of my best, but it has a few nice touches, mainly in my niece's hair and skin tone, which are probably the only parts of the painting close to being finished. Now that I have it back in my hands I'll give it a little more attention. You might be able to tell from this painting that I'm an aficionado of Mary Cassatt, as well as other impressionistic portrait and figure artists, such as Vuillard, Renoir, Degas, etc.

The interesting thing about paintings-the physical painting itself, is that contemplating the piece brings you back to where you were when you were working on it. A painting is memory amber, freezing the artist's thoughts and feelings at the moment of creation. I can still recall the songs playing on the radio when I was working on this piece, the weather, how cold the studio was, house chores I was doing around the project, specific abstract thoughts.

Most of my paintings and some of my cartoons are accomplished completely on prayer. That's because it's impossible for me to make these images; I don't have the talent or the patience. If I'm effective it's because God has taken whatever minor abilities I have and has made them so, usually because (and I don't know if this is fair or unfair) I throw it all back on Him, especially when I've worked myself into some sort of a jam, which is always.

To be truly successful, a painting or a cartoon only has to be effective for one person. If a portrait fulfills a need for someone who has lost a loved one, it's successful. If a cartoon expresses a deeply held belief for someone, so much so that they wish to show it on their own site, or print a copy to post on their refrigerator or work cubicle, it's successful. Only God knows what will make an image effective for that individual- and by effective I mean that it confirms a spiritual truth and strengthens a personal faith. Christ, who has created everything, isn't a snob. I believe He's more than happy to express His love for humanity through the arts.

Punchline, In Progress

Preview of the current series cartoon, in progess....

I've pulled the 'Chris Matthews Hardball' cartoon in progress from the blog and put it on the backburner to simmer for the rest of my life. I still owe Nicholas Stix at Intellectual Conservative a promised Matthews cartoon, but that wasn't it. If anyone wishes to draw a cartoon of Hardball's Chris Matthews interviewing 'The Peace Quail' they are certainly welcome to the idea. It sure seemed like a funny idea at 2 A.M. Wednesday morning.

Thanks to a number of recent posters and affilates; 4 Given 4X4 has posted the Valentine's Day toon, as has Takara at Tulip Field Of Dreams and fellow MN blogger Chris at Because I said So in response to an article by Los Angeles Times columist Ann Lamott. Niki at the The Hahn Hunting Lodge has posted the cartoon feed on her front page. Stupent Impulse has added the the feed to their news page. River Reporter has a positive post, as does simracingconnection, marquette.rivals, and Pookie18's Today's Toons at Free Republic, but all within non-child safe content. Critical recent posts on a number of sites all contain mature content.

Chris and I had a wonderful Saint Valentine's Day. Hope you did too!

Chris Matthews Hardball Cartoon, In Progress

Please Be My Valentine

Happy St. Valentine's Day, In Progress

St. Valentine's Day cartoon, in progress.

Stop The ACLU / Enemy Combatant

For the Sunday Funnies at Stop The ACLU

Father on Earth, Father in Heaven

Click cartoon to see larger image. Largest.
Homosexuality and Hope: Statement of the Catholic Medical Association

If you've ever visited the Vatican you probably have a copy of L'Osservatore Romano (The Roman Observer) which you may have snagged as a free souvenir of your excursion to the smallest nation in the world. I've received this email from Father Tom Carleton who operates Fetal-Pain.com regarding recent changes in the English version of the official Vatican City newspaper.

Dear Friends, Ave Maria!

As you all know, it has been the centuries-old tradition in the vernacular languages to capitalized pronouns and possessive pronouns referring to Almighty God and to our Divine Lord Jesus. Faithful translations of the Popes' letters and addresses into the vernacular tongues have always maintained this important sign of respect for the majesty of God and the divinity of Our Blessed Lord. The English translations coming now from the English Edition of the Osservatore Romano have systematically stopped this Catholic protocol, most recently in the Pope's encyclical.

Fortunately the expert translators of Papal material into the Portuguese, Italian and Spanish tongues continue to follow this respectful practice which exists also in their own traditions. It is certainly evident that the clergy and faithful in these countries would not accept the introduction of referring to the Divinity in the lower case, and it is equally certain that we should not accept anything less regarding our own Catholic tradition. The respectful reference to God in the upper case, incidentally, is a practice followed also by devout Protestants.

So I am asking all of you, who feel so inspired, to send a letter or e-mail to the Director of the Osservatore Romano, Signor Mario Agnes, expressing your displeasure at this callous and disrespectful practice and requesting that the editors correct the texts on the internet and in any future printed versions.

The email address of the Osservatore is:http://us.f302.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=ornet@ossrom.va

or Direttore MARIO AGNES

"L'Osservatore Romano"

00120 Cittá del Vaticano"

And I say to you: Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. But he that shall deny Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God" (Lk. 12, 8-9).

Thank you alland may God bless you.

In Christ, Father Thomas Carleton

I've traded a few emails with Father Carleton, who has been good enough to offer his input on future cartoons promoting the conscience convicting reality of Fetal-Pain.

Thanks to both What Would Jesus Download and Left Wing = Hate for adding faithmouse to their respective cartoon pages. Thanks to Brother Vern for posting the recent 'Conceived' cartoon. Faithmouse is also the subject of recent posts and ongoing discussions in a number of not ready for prime time internet venues.

Hello, Francis! Revision

Revision of a toon from a few days ago. Thanks to Catholic T-Shirt Online for adding a link to the site. Thanks also to Karen at My Bloggin Korner for posting the recent ACLU 'Real I.D.' toon.

Francis and Clare

Free Republic Discussion on 'Conceived' Cartoon

Here's my reply to Freeper dropandgimme20, who disagreed with the 'Conceived in Justice and Liberty' toon which I posted as a thread on Free Republic-

We fought the Nazi because they were evil, and wanted to conquer the world with evil. We knew all about Nazi eugenics, and were horrified. The full extent of the horror-of killing the disabled and the retarded, medical experiments, and the scope and true reason for the death camps were discovered first by our troops, who cried at the site, as any healthy person would and should.

When our ships were attacked by suicide pilots, there was no explaining the sort of madness which could drive a culture to sacrifice the lives of young men in such a senseless manner.
Again, this sort of senseless disrespect for life was also outside the scope of our understanding.

Our troops died to protect American values, the traditional and time tested values of faith and family. It's both valid and honors the sacrifice of our grandfathers and fathers to know that they weren't dying for an America which allows court ordered mercy killings, or the elimination of complete classes of people, such as children with Down's Syndrome, before they are born.

If you say 'we can't make this sort of point because we don't want to sound like the liberals' who have taken the truth and twisted it into propaganda, then all you are doing is giving the playing field and the moral highground to them. You're saying that we can't declare that our troops actually fight for what is right, because morality is relative. That's the relativist's position...not the traditional, Christian and conservative one.

Father on Earth, Father in Heaven, In Progress

New cartoon in the Francis series, in progress...

Salvage at Hairy Fish Nuts (www.hairyfishnuts.com) has a new post regarding the current series. Here's some excerpted commentary and comments from his site. For younger children placed in front of the computer by their parents, much of this will go over their heads; for older children who got here on their own, I believe they can handle it-

Gaybear no more!
All it took was the love of a Christian woman apparently:
And all his Gayness vanished in a puff of wow they really don't understand homosexuality in any way do they?
Gay isn't a choice, it isn't a condition, Jesus isn't going to "cure" it ...
I'm a big fan of Faithmouse, party because I am crazy jealous of Dan's (the cartoonist) illustrating talents but mostly because it's just such pure wingnut. Oddly Dan himself seems like a super decent guy, go figure.
He also inspired my own comic strip about the unborn...

So you think homosexuals decided one day that they are going to pursue same sex relationships instead of opposite sex relationships? -shoelace414

Shoelace414, nobody knows if gays are born gay or if it's something they become later. A lot of idiots like to pretend that they know for sure that gays are born gay... -Stankleberry

Except, you know, the gays themselves. Could ask them. If, you know, you really wanted an answer and not a talking point....And (it's not, but) so what if it was a choice? People freely choose their own religions and that doesn't seem to bother other people...-Uncle Mike

UM: The more homophobic a person is, the more they're in denial about their own sexual orientation. It's a fear thing. -Dave

Hairy Fish Nuts Weighs In

Commentary from Salvage's Hairy Fish Nuts (http://www.hairyfishnuts.com) regarding the current 'Gaybear/Francis' series-

Gaybear no more!
All it took was the love of a Christian woman apparently:
And all his Gayness vanished in a puff of wow they really don't understand homosexuality in any way do they?
Gay isn't a choice, it isn't a condition, Jesus isn't going to "cure" it anymore than he's going to "cure" me of wanting to give Lindsay Lohan some of my love bugs.
I'm a big fan of Faithmouse, party because I am crazy jealous of Dan's (the cartoonist) illustrating talents but mostly because it's just such pure wingnut. Oddly Dan himself seems like a super decent guy, go figure.
He also inspired my own comic strip about the unborn, for which I ran out of ideas pretty quickly. A shame because I'm pretty sure that America is ready for an angry homicidal aborted fetus. I'm also pretty sure he's the only comic character to be killed off by being born.
Oh wait, no, that sort of happened to Magneto in Defenders #16...
I can't believe I remembered that.
No one tell Lindsay, she thinks I'm cool.

Conceived in Liberty and Justice

Click cartoon to view larger image. Largest.

The photograph in the cartoon was taken during my trip with Chris to the Blogs4Life conference a few weeks ago. The World War II Memorial is on the mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the latter unseen here because it would be directly behind you, the viewer, only much closer than the distance to the Lincoln Memorial. There was no water in the large center or side pools of the memorial, which I imagine was due to the fact that water can freeze in January. The long reflecting pool leading up the the Lincoln Memorial was empty as well, except for a few ducks maintaining a stubborn presence in a slight muddy strip of liquid which remained in the center.

The photograph in the cartoon is from a composite of four images that I stitched together in Photoshop. Click on the image below to see a much larger view (large download).

I have a special appreciation for the WWII Memorial because my father, a Brooklynite who's hair bore a certain resemblance to Ronald Reagan's, was drafted, became a gunner's mate on the Hornet and saw combat in the Pacific, a factor which promoted a lifetime battle with alcoholism. I didn't have the best of relationships with my father, largely because he constantly encouraged me to solve my problems with other children by fist fighting them in the street, in battles I always lost. Now and then my father would become beside himself by my constant losing and provoke fights with the fathers of my winning opponents; fights which my father would lose as well, only more spectacularly and with an even larger audience. Again, I didn't have the best of relationships with my father, but I don't blame him for all that he did wrong. We were both victims of bad fathers, and of being sensitive men living under not the kindest conditions.

World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and all other conflicts fought by enlisted men were by proxy composed of sensitive men who didn't want to fight anyone. American draft dodgers fled to Canada during the 1960's and 70's and helped to create a culture of contempt for the military, but men like my father in earlier times didn't seek escape, fought, were traumatized, and created the freedom we enjoy today. We stand on the accomplishments of the grunts before us, men who weren't the bravest or the smartest, but were duty bound to achieving the impossible.

I received a nice email today from Alan Keyes Renew America columnist Guy Adams regarding the most recent ACLU 'Real I.D.' cartoon. Guy is a longtime contributor to Renew America; a page listing his work can be found here. Thanks also to ccnuggie who posted the cartoon in a Live Journal thread which attracted close to 150 comments.

'Real I.D.' has appeared in threads of both praise and condemnation, so it must be a good toon. I have yet to see a comment recognizing that the cartoon references the ACLU's opposition to the federal government's proposed Real ID program, which aims to standardize driver licenses across the States. One of the ACLU's stated points of disagreement with the program is that it will raise taxes. Let's hold the American Civil Liberties Union to that concern, especially to the fact that the windfalls awarded to them by Judges and paid out to them with taxpayer monies results in exactly the same.

Susan Peterson, in response to a post I made on ProLife Blogs has this request-

I marched at this march (the 33rd Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 2006) with people from my son's Orthodox church. There was a big banner saying "Orthodox Christians for Life" and there was a memorial service with beautiful singing on the corner just before the steps of the court. Did you see the banner or the service? Do you know of any pictures posted anywhere of it. I took one with my cell phone but the quality isn't high. Year after year the coverage of the March for Life in the MSM is poor. I am disappointed in Fox News, though. Maybe some letters to them will get them there next year.

I took photos of a number of signs and banners, but missed that one. If you've a pic of Susan's son's banner, email me at faithmouse(@)yahoo(dot)com and I'll gladly pass along the info.

Stop The ACLU / Real I.D.

For the Sunday Funnies at Stop The ACLU.

Thanks to Steppenwolf at MSN Canadian Politics and Issues for posting two cartoons; SSBG has done the same. Code Gator has added a link as well. Thanks to SFO Mom for the encouraging post. The fourth toon along with revisions to a few recent toons in the current series will be posted tomorrow.

...hello, Francis! In Progress

The first of three changes to the cartoon, the last being the biggest. All three I hope will help form a foundation for a greater emphasis upon Catholic doctrine, and will assist the cartoon to better compliment the Magisterium-the teaching authority of the church.

Here's another cool cartoon drawn for faithmouse by CartoonBaron at ComixBlog-

Thanks, CartoonBaron!

Goodbye Gaybear...

Click image for large size. Hefty, hefty.

Welcome! Faithmouse Is A Kid Friendly Place

Here's a cartoon drawn by faithmouse fan ComicBaron which he posted a few days ago on his Comix Blog site. This is the first hand drawn cartoon he's posted online. I think he did a great job-

You may have noticed that I've removed many links and comments in order to live up to my new '100% Child Safe' banner posted on the top of this page. I've also pulled a number of my more provocative cartoons. For those disappointed in this change in direction, I apologize. I've decided, following my trip to Washington, that I have a responsibility not to link to material which isn't child friendly. Most of the links were to sites critical of the cartoon and which routinely employ adult language and pictures and/or are outright hostile to Christianity, and some were to faithmouse fans who's sites aren't necessarily geared towards children. I've removed these links so that younger people won't mistakenly come across material to which they really shouldn't be exposed. In my quest to create dialogue and to welcome those who might not agree with my point of view I've forgotten that it's the job of adults to protect children; as a card carrying adult I need to accept that responsibility and do a better job of it.

If you find any cartoons or links on this site which you feel aren't family friendly, please post a haloscan comment letting me know. Links to sites which discuss material harmful to children are acceptable (Renew America and Pro-Life Blogs, for example), but those actually using foul language and/or imagery aren't.

I'll have a new cartoon posted later today, which will be the second cartoon in the series which I started last week.

Thanks to Jewel for being the first to offer an encouraging word and for posting her recent cartoon. The lovely Aug has returned to Ireland and gave Chris a very nice compliment on her Realitycheck(dot)ie. Because I'm thick, I've just realized that i.e. stands for Ireland. Liberty Bell has posted the Neverborn 'what about MY rights?' toon. Faithmouse has been nominated in the January 2006 Best Humor Blog Category at Bloggin' Out Loud.

A new interactive gallery of faithmouse favorites has been compiled and posted. Enjoy!